The Legislative Council Finance Committee started the meeting at 7:15pm.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the referral of the 2011/12 – 2015/16 Capital Improvement Plan by the Legislative Council.
Attendance:
Mr. Ben Spragg, Legislative Council
Mr. Kevin Fitzgerald, Legislative Council
Mr. Dan Amaral, Legislative Council
Mr. Gary Davis, Legislative Council
Kathy Fetchick, Legislative Council
Mrs. Pat Llodra, First Selectman
Mr. Bob Tait, Town Financial Director
Bill Hart, Board of Education
Ron Bienkowski, Director of Business
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
None
APPROVE MINUTES OF October 5, 2010
Approved at last meeting.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
None
NEW BUSINESS
Referral of the 2011/12 – 2015/16 Capital Improvement Plan
Mr. Spragg reviewed, with the committee, the CIP regulations as they pertain to the role of the council.
Ms. Fetchick requested a status of the currently in-progress projects.
Middle School Roof – The selection of architects was narrowed from 5 to 2. Three approaches were requested:
- A project which would be reimbursed by the state (currently ~30%) and have to follow the regulations of the State Facilities Unit.
- A project with less pitch to the roof, would not be reimbursable by the state but less costly
- A project which would only address patching problem areas (this option has been ruled out by all involved)
The estimates are said to be coming in much lower than expected.
Hawley HVAC – no change since included in CIP. The project includes four phases:
- Design
- Replacement of Boilers to allow for better efficiency, redundancy and dual fuel
- Air conditioning
CES is the company that gave the quotes for the engineering. Air quality expenses are not reimbursable by the state. Mr. Amaral asked about the maintenance costs for the current boilers. Mr. Bienkowski offered that the Reed boiler maintenance is about $4700/year. Ms. Fetchick clarified that the air-conditioning was part of the project to address road noise. It was also clarified the boiler which was replaced at Hawley this year (a newer boiler) cost the district about $28,000.
Middle School Renovation – Mr. Davis asked Mr. Hart to give some detail on the Middle School Improvement Project. What is the scope? In the past, the project was large and to completely renovate the Middle School. Now it is a much smaller project to renovate the science labs. Ms. Fetchick added that the Superintendent did think that the past project was warranted and that the renovation also included the library and the cafeteria servery. Also, the HVAC portion was completely removed from the project. The estimates were figures extrapolated from the old architect’s estimate.
Both Mr. Hart and Mr. Bienkowski were excused from the rest of the meeting.
Mr. Tait presented the preliminary bonding forecast and the preliminary principal & interest payment schedule.
Mr. Davis inquired what would happen if a project were removed from the CIP. Mr. Tait responded that it would impact the year it was removed and the following years.
Fairfield Hills Infrastructure/Utility Loop – Mr. Fitzgerald and Mr. Davis both inquired about the Fairfield Hills Infrastructure/Utility Loop. There is a grant specifically for Kevin’s Community Center to renovate a building at Fairfield Hills for their use exclusively for a nonprofit physicians office. Both Mr. Fitzgerald and Mr. Davis both questioned tying Kevin’s Community Center to the Fairfield Hills Infrastructure/Utility Loop project. Ms. Llodra communicated to the group that Fairfield Hills must be maintained just like any other facility in Town. Mr. Davis said he would feel more comfortable if the project was not directly tied to Kevin’s Community Center. Mr. Davis further asked whether Kevin’s Community Center could locate
somewhere else in Town. Ms. Llodra said that the grant for Kevin’s Community Center is tied to a location in Fairfield Hills; they require about 4000 sq. feet and need a specialized facility. This is a promise we made to Kevin’s Community Center back in 2004 as discussed at a previous council meeting and communicated to the AdHoc Fairfield Hills Planning Committee. Ms. Fetchick added we made an investment in Fairfield Hills many years ago, many of the people involved are no longer in office and we need to address the area like we would in any other location in Town. Mr. Davis inquired why Newtown Hall was not considered. Ms. Llodra responded that the duplexes are less costly to renovate than Newtown Hall. Also, the duplexes have already been remediated by the State.
Newtown Hook & Ladder – Ms. Llodra said they have three choices:
- Withdraw their application and redo for the Inlands/Wetlands Commission
- Appeal the Inlands/Wetlands Commission decision
- Find an alternate site
Open Space – Mr. Spragg communicated that he would like to see an additional commitment to open space. He requested to have Rob Sibley speak to the group about the issue.
Park & Rec – Mr. Davis wanted to see the long-term plan for Park and Rec. He communicated that he did not understand the splash pad project. It was not a project he would be in favor of. Ms. Llodra communicated that Park & Rec were very well versed in who their target participants were. Additionally, the director and chair had done a very nice job in figuring out what their long-term initiatives were. A request was made by Mr. Davis to invite the director and chair for a presentation to the group.
Sandy Hook Streetscape – Ms. Llodra communicated that this was $1MM spread out over 5 years. Applications must be submitted for new construction projects or improvements. Newtown Savings Bank is the first business to take advantage of this. They will be developing the whole corner and back down past the Villa to add sidewalks and lighting. Construction is estimated to begin this spring.
Water main Project – Ms. Llodra communicated that this project will be bid out this spring and completed over the summer. Public works will be doing the trenching.
Town Bridges – Ms. Llodra communicated that all bridges as well as roads were reevaluated.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
None
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for January 5th, 2011 at 6:30.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting ended at 10pm.
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