Long-range plans at Hartford market call for major construction
Long-range plans at Hartford market call for major construction
HARTFORD, CT -- The Connecticut Regional Produce Market will look different in a few months from the way it looks today, and could look vastly different just a few years down the road if all plans come to fruition, according to Robert Pellegrino, executive director of the market.
Starting this fall, the entire facility, known commonly as the Hartford market, will be re-painted for the first time in at least 10 years, Mr. Pellegrino told The Produce News as August began.
There is already new signage which was added to the front of the date displaying the names of all the tenants and where they are located, he noted. In an indication that business at the market is healthy, Mr. Pellegrino noted that "all the stalls are filled" and there is currently a waiting list. "Space is at a premium here, he said. "Companies here want to purchase more space. The only space available for rent right now are three offices on the second floor of one of the buildings.
But the biggest changes are yet to come. Long-range plans now in effect call for building a new 50,000-square-foot warehouse, a new restaurant and a truck stop facility with fuels pumps and truck wash, according to Mr. Pellegrino. He is now just waiting for surveys and an environmental study to be done before construction could start. He anticipated that those studies "should be finished by the first part of September, and construction might start by the end of this year or the beginning of next year.
A wholesale company at the market, M&M Produce Inc., would build and move to that new warehouse, to be located across from its current location. M&M would presumably then sell its current warehouse, Mr. Pellegrino suggested.
Michael's Restaurant (where Mr. Pellegrino spoke to The Produce News over breakfast on the morning of Aug. 1) will be relocated from its current location to the front of the market near the new trucking facility, he said.
There is a farmers market that is especially active from early spring into the fall at the Hartford market. As part of the long-range plans, "We will be relocating the farmers market to a new site within the market, which will be visible from I-91, one of the major highways that provide access to the market, said Mr. Pellegrino.
The farmers market at the Hartford market is one of 72 farmers markets that operate "in every part of the state, he noted. That number is up by six from last year, and "62 participate in the WIC program, he said, referring to the Women, Infants & Children Program, a federally funded program that provides healthy supplemental foods and nutrition counseling for pregnant women, new mothers, infants and children under age five. Rick Macsuga is in charge of the farmers market program.
"The market is very healthy, stated Mr. Pellegrino, who also serves as marketing director for the Connecticut Department of Agriculture. And while crime is not a major issue here, "We have a security force of five officers from 4 p.m. to 8 a.m., who work under the supervision of the executive director of the Hartford market. "It's good to know that there's security at this market.
Finally, Mr. Pellegrino said that the market will be looking at updating its utilities and sewage system as part of its long-range plans, and will also look to repave the entire facility once all the construction is finished.
(The Connecticut Marketrack appears in the Aug. 15 issue of The Produce News.)
Starting this fall, the entire facility, known commonly as the Hartford market, will be re-painted for the first time in at least 10 years, Mr. Pellegrino told The Produce News as August began.
There is already new signage which was added to the front of the date displaying the names of all the tenants and where they are located, he noted. In an indication that business at the market is healthy, Mr. Pellegrino noted that "all the stalls are filled" and there is currently a waiting list. "Space is at a premium here, he said. "Companies here want to purchase more space. The only space available for rent right now are three offices on the second floor of one of the buildings.
But the biggest changes are yet to come. Long-range plans now in effect call for building a new 50,000-square-foot warehouse, a new restaurant and a truck stop facility with fuels pumps and truck wash, according to Mr. Pellegrino. He is now just waiting for surveys and an environmental study to be done before construction could start. He anticipated that those studies "should be finished by the first part of September, and construction might start by the end of this year or the beginning of next year.
A wholesale company at the market, M&M Produce Inc., would build and move to that new warehouse, to be located across from its current location. M&M would presumably then sell its current warehouse, Mr. Pellegrino suggested.
Michael's Restaurant (where Mr. Pellegrino spoke to The Produce News over breakfast on the morning of Aug. 1) will be relocated from its current location to the front of the market near the new trucking facility, he said.
There is a farmers market that is especially active from early spring into the fall at the Hartford market. As part of the long-range plans, "We will be relocating the farmers market to a new site within the market, which will be visible from I-91, one of the major highways that provide access to the market, said Mr. Pellegrino.
The farmers market at the Hartford market is one of 72 farmers markets that operate "in every part of the state, he noted. That number is up by six from last year, and "62 participate in the WIC program, he said, referring to the Women, Infants & Children Program, a federally funded program that provides healthy supplemental foods and nutrition counseling for pregnant women, new mothers, infants and children under age five. Rick Macsuga is in charge of the farmers market program.
"The market is very healthy, stated Mr. Pellegrino, who also serves as marketing director for the Connecticut Department of Agriculture. And while crime is not a major issue here, "We have a security force of five officers from 4 p.m. to 8 a.m., who work under the supervision of the executive director of the Hartford market. "It's good to know that there's security at this market.
Finally, Mr. Pellegrino said that the market will be looking at updating its utilities and sewage system as part of its long-range plans, and will also look to repave the entire facility once all the construction is finished.
(The Connecticut Marketrack appears in the Aug. 15 issue of The Produce News.)
