Mint condition

After spending an hour with Jeff Dambly and Dr. John Laskas, here is what I know about the plan to develop the Franklin Mint project.

The key words are “density” and “traffic.” There are lots of concerns about both.

Dambly is with Pennrose Properties, which along with the McKee Group, Wolfson-Verrichia and the Dewey Co. is looking to develop the old mint site into a walkable community, complete with residential, retail, office space and a hotel.

Laskas is a longtime Middletown activist, former council member and found of Save Middletown, the group that is heading the opposition to the Mint project.

We hosted both of them last night in our inaugural live Internet broadcast, “Live From the Newsrooom.”

If you missed it, you can check out the rebroadcast on our website here.

It was a fascinating experience, both because of the passion of the two men, and the idea of working on a live broadcast. It’s kind of like the old Wallendas act, working without a net.

It’s clear that passions run deep on both sides of this issue. It’s also clear to me that it’s one of the biggest issues in the county.

That’s part of the reason I chose it for our first broadcast. And it’s why we’ll continue to be there every step of the way leading up to the vote by Middletown council on the plan.

As they say in the broadcast biz, stay tuned.