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Tell Us, Please!
 | | These two pieces of equipment were still sitting outside the school on Friday, November 9 |
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Mysterious Sale at Torrington High
By Mike Driscoll, Torrington
Most local people know the name Mike Driscoll. As a born-and-raised Torrington boy and business owner in town for over ten years, I have had the chance to meet a lot of good people in Torrington.
While I did lose an election recently, I have been asked to stay involved in city issues by many people. While it is not my goal to become a career politician, I will be writing a column once every other week or so regarding our area that will contain facts and then ask for answers from our city leaders.
Ten days before the recent election I received a phone call from Torrington High School. I was asked to come up and look at some restaurant equipment that was being "sold." I went there on Tuesday, October 30 and looked over what I (as someone with considerable experience appraising such things) considered to be at least $100,000 worth of equipment, some of which was less than seven years old. Since I was told that it was all for sale, on Wednesday I returned with my digital camera and took 40 pictures that I intended to use to try to sell the equipment on the Internet.
On Thursday I brought up one of the top three deli owners in the city of Torrington, who has been in business for over 30 years. He was interested in one of the great Blodgett convection ovens that 2when new list for about $ 6,900. But when we arrived at the school, we were told that all the equipment had been sold. On Thursday afternoon, I received another phone call, telling me that in fact none of the equipment was sold, and that it all was still available.
By then I was quite frustrated, so I gave up trying to find out anything more about this equipment. I was busy with other business matters, and also was trying to win a seat on the Torrington City Council. Election Day came and went—while I received 1,967 votes, I needed more to win. I lost, bottom line (no pun intended).
After the election—on Wednesday, November 7—I decided to drive by the high school and see what had happened regarding the equipment fiasco. Outside on the sidewalk were numerous items, including a 6-burner electric stove with an electric fryolator, with baskets that had never been used; two steam kettles; a Blodgett single convection oven with five racks; a triple-deck convection oven; and a double-deck pizza oven. A comination walk-in cooler and freezer as well as two stainless steel commercial reach-in refrigerators had not yet been removed from the kitchen. I was told that all of this equipment, which I saw to be in working order, was being thrown away. So I asked a worker in the kitchen and the general contractor of the project if they could dump one of those ovens in my truck. They were glad to, as it was one less thing that the City would have to pay to have removed!
I think it’s worth making the point that Charlene Antonelli (and I am not suggesting that it was her responsibility to decide this) could have sold at least some of this stuff during a car auction that the City of Torrington held on November 10.
I would like to know where the restaurant equipment from the high school all ended up. If this equipment was donated to nonprofit groups or if anyone bought any of the items, that would be great. Just tell us the truth about what happened to this valuable equipment that our tax dollars bought seven years ago. Tell us the exact amount of money (if any) the City of Torrington received. Tell us if in fact some or all of this equipment was thrown away.
I feel this is a matter that the Board of Education was responsible for, and should have handled in a better way. While thousands of dollars could have been raised by an auction of this equipment, why was it not?
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