The Board of Selectmen held a regular meeting on Monday, April 7, 2008 in the auditorium of the Newtown Middle School, Queen Street, Newtown, Ct. First Selectman Borst called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m.
PRESENT: First Selectman Joseph Borst, Selectman Herbert Rosenthal, Selectman Paul Mangiafico and Town Attorney David Grogins.
ALSO PRESENT: Town Engineer Ron Bolmer.
VOTER COMMENTS:
Ruby Johnson of 16 Chestnut Hill Road commented on how she strongly supports the expansion of Newtown High School. She asked the Selectmen to consider changing the policy of only being able to speak on items that are on the agenda. She also asked for improving communications between citizens, Boards and Commisions. She suggested to putting as much information on the internet as possible. Mrs. Johnson handed the Selectmen a paper of excerpt from “The Common Ground”, by Cal Thomas & Bob Beckel. She called for a coming together of the town and to better understand controversial issues.
Guy Howard of 4 Main Street was concerned about the confusion associated with the complicated approval process on major projects. He said that he looked up the statutes on line and there were no references to the Board of Selectmen having any role regarding the bonding issue. He said that the Board of Selectmen are creating elements of the process that aren’t there. He went on to say how capital projects are to be approved. He concluded by saying that laws are straight forward and statutes make sense on their own.
Marianne Jacob of 65 Mohawk Trail. She is the President of the Sandy Hook PTA. She said that she informally heard that Mr. Rosenthal was going to vote yes on the High School Expansion project. She asked the members of the PTA to show up in support. Her main point was that this is the biggest project to date and the time for questions has passed and it is time to vote. The Committee has gotten the information to the voters.
Carol Brown, Attorney of 48 Marlin Road. She asked if the Board of Selectmen would answer questions on the statutes. Mr. Borst explained the purpose of voter participation and that they are not opening anything up for debate during this time. Ms. Brown said that she is a mother with children in the High School. She noted that once Newtown High School was once a Blue Ribbon School. The expansion of the High School is going in the right direction . She went on to state that there are a number of residents in town that don’t have children and they don’t understand. Ms. Brown then said that if we don’t expand the high school that property values will go down. We should reap the benefits of a well founded educational system. She concluded by saying that this expansion is the right direction for our
children and our community.
Maria Horvath, 220 South Main Street. Said that she is a new comer to town, and grateful to be able to speak to the Board. She is a mother of 3 in the school system and had a story to share. She said that her 8th grader came home from school after meeting with the High School guidance counselor and finding out that there were no drafting courses. She said that she has no other option than the public school system. She came from Hungary where they had a good school system. Here good teachers leave our town for better schools. She concluded by saying that she supports the high school expansion.
Merritt Saunders, 2 Pumpkin Lane. He wanted to speak from the perspective of some one who might be considering Newtown as a place to live. Where he works he was explaining to people why they should come to Newtown. He said that we should look outside the boundaries. The citizens are the customers and Newtown is the product.
Bob Merola, 22 Ashford Lane. Stated that he doesn’t support the expansion as proposed. There are people who don’t have children in school. There were 18 foreclosures in Newtown in Jan. ’08, and that this is not a growth period. He gave the Board an article from the Washington Post about school expansion. He broke down into dollars how much one classroom would cost in Newtown compared to a classroom in a suburb of Washington DC. Newtown’s classrooms would cost 5 times more than that of those in Fairfax County, VA.
Heidi Brisson, 5 Hemlock Road. Said that she used basic math and with the state reimbursement the cost of each new classroom would be $3.33, the cost of a cup of coffee at Starbucks.
Janet Robinson, Superintendent of Schools. We all care about the town of Newtown and our future citizens. The information process is over, the clock is ticking to June 30th planning completion. Misinformation could possibly lead to the expansion being voted down and going to another vote. Then we would be unlikely to reach the deadline of June 30th. She then thanked people for their positive vote.
Mr. Borst then closed voter participation
.
COMMUNICATIONS: Mr. Borst stated that the updated version of grant status had been provided to the Selectmen per Mr. Mangiafico’s request.
Nano Technology: Mr. Borst called the Governor’s office and thought of Fairfield Hills as a great place to set up nano technology. He talked to Peter Longo and he was interested. A packet of information was sent to him, but no response yet. Mr. Borst doesn’t see the need to set up another committee at Fairfield Hills, as the FHA is responsible for commercial development. Mr. Mangiafico said they should wave the 2 issues due to time restraints.
Mr. Rosenthal addressed Mr. Borst saying that he understood that Mr. Borst had attended a meeting of State Representative Julia Wasserman, Senator John Mckinney and members of the Independent Party to undo what the previous administration has done at Fairfield Hills. Mr. Borst said that Mr. Richard Cole asked him to the meeting.
Mr. Borst stated that he came to just listen and had no idea that members of the Independent Party would be there. Mr. Borst reiterated that he just listened and left before the meeting was over, so he had no knowledge of the outcome.
There was discussion on the Coalition against Inceased Jet Traffic. Mr. Mangiafico said that there was confusion at the last Legislative council meeting as to whether or not we were joining. Mr. Borst said that he got an invoice for $30,000 that puts us into the alliance, but also said that we could get out at any time. Mr. Rosenthal said that he disagrees with the quote in the Feb.19, 2008 minutes, and that we can’t initiate a lawsuit on our own. Mr. Borst said that there is no law suit at this time. Mr. Mangiafico said that his memory is clear and that we did join the Alliance for Sensible Airspace Planning. He then stated that the Legislative council did not feel this was a wise decision.
ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES: Mr. Rosenthal made a motion to accept the minutes. Mr. Mangiafico seconded it with some corrections. Page 1 Catherine Olson
Dr. Troll. Page 4 corrections say “see attachments” and there are no attachments. Page 5 should read “2,022 students”. All in favor.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
1. APPOINTMENTS/REAPPOINTMENTS : Mr. Borst made a motion to appoint Richard Conte, R, to the Water & Sewer Authority. Mr. Mangiafico seconded it , all in favor. Mr. Borst made a motion for the reappointment of Herbert C. Rosenthal, D, and Fred Hurley to the Housatonic Resources Recovery Auhtority. Seconded by Mr. Mangifico, all in favor.
2. CLERK OF THE WORKS: Mr. Borst made a motion to accept the job description of the Clerk of The Works for the Public Building and Site Commission. Seconded by Mr. Mangiafico. Discussion followed. Mr. Mangiafico asked who would the person report to. Mr. Borst said the Building and Site Commission. Mr. Rosenthal said that he didn’t get a copy. He said that he doesn’t have any objections, but is this job for one person for the High School or will more than one be needed? Mr. Borst said that more than one clerk may be needed depending on the sequencing of projects. Mr. Borst mentioned that they could start recruiting after the April
22 vote assuming it passes. Mr. Mangiafico made a motion to accept the job description. Mr. Borst seconded it. Mr. Rosenthal asked “Who put this together?” Mr. Borst said the Public Building & Site Commission. Mr. Rosenthal asked to table it. Clerk of The Works is tabled.
NEW BUSINESS:
1. CHARTER RIDGE LLC: Mr. Rosenthal made a motion to release the driveway bond. Mr. Mangiafico seconded it, all in favor.
2. 103 HANOVER: Town Engineer Ron Bolmer said that the driveway is basically finished and they are just extending it. Mr. Mangiafico said that there is no bond. Mr. Bolmer said that it is already paved. Mr. Rosenthal made a motion to release the bond. Mr. Mangiafico seconded it, all in favor.
3. TRAFFIC STUDY: Mr. Rosenthal said that the Newtown Police did a nice job, but there was nobody here from that department tonight. Mr. Rosenthal made a motion to table it. Mr. Mangiafico seconded it, all in favor.
4. IROQUOIS: Speaking on behalf of the Iroqouis Gas Transmission Systems were Ruth Parkins, Public Affairs Representative and their Attorney Philip Small. Mr. Small said that they were having difficulties getting an easement under the Town Charter. They are requesting a short term solution by being granted and easement similar to those given to utility companies. This would allow them to go to work quickly. Town Attorney David Grogins said that the proposal makes sense to allow public utility approval to install a gas pipe line with the payment a separate parcel of land to the town for open space. Ms. Parkins said that they met with the Conservation
Committee about the land swap. Mr. Sibley asked a couple of things in addition to the land swap. They are conceding to these, even though the deeds are vague. There was discussion on the value of the land being given to the town. The Iroqouis representative said that because the land abuts Forest Association land that the value is about $12,500 per acre times 10 acres. Mr. Borst asked if the valve station would have enough room to get emergency vehicles in. Mr. Brian Wolf, an Iroquois Engineer, said that it is only a short driveway, about 50-60 feet, and there would not be enough room for a truck to turn around. The representative handed the Selectmen diagrams of the landscaping. Mr. Rosenthal moved to accept the draft resolution from the Iroqouis Gas Transmission Systems dated April 3, 2008 as presented with the approval of the Conservation Committee. Seconded by Mr.Mangiafico, all in favor.
Mr. Borst asked for a 3 minute break. Mr. Borst called the meeting back to order at 9:15 pm. Mr. Mangiafico said that he couldn’t make heads or tails on the budget report that he got. He said that there should be a monthly total. He also said that he would talk to Ben Spragg about explaining it to him.
HIGH SCHOOL EXPANSION/RENOVATIONS AND PARK & RECREATION/SENIOR CENTER RESOLUTION: Attorney Grogins said that the process is quite lengthy and that special appropriations would be initiated by The Board of Selectmen to set a time and date of a special town meeting and that it should go to referendum directly. The Town Meeting is set for April 15, 2008 at 4:00 pm in the auditorium of the Newtown Middle School. The Referendum will be April 22, 2008.
A motion was made by Mr. Rosenthal, and seconded by Paul Mangiafico that the First Selectman be authorized and directed to call a Special Town Meeting to be held at the Middle School, on April 15, 2008 at 4:00p.m. (E.D.T.),for the following purposes: (A) to consider (i) the resolution entitled “Resolution Providing for A Special Appropriation In The Amount of $38,826,000 For the Planning And Construction of Additions And Renovations At Newtown High School And Authorizing the Issuance Of $38,826,000 Bonds Of the Town To Meet Said Special Appropriation And Pending The Issuance Thereof The Making of Temporary Borrowings for Such Purpose,” and (ii) the resolution entitled “Resolution Appropriating $1,000,000 For Architectural And Engineering Services For the Planning And Design Of A Park
And Recreation Community Center/Senior Center And Authorizing The Issuance Of $1,000,000 Bonds Of the Town To Meet Said Appropriation And Pending The Issuance Thereof The Making of Temporary Borrowings For Such Purpose”; (B) to submit said resolutions to a referendum vote at an Adjourned Town Meeting to take place on Tuesday, April 22, 2008, at the hours to be determined by the Town Meeting in accordance with the Connecticut General Statutes as amended. The notice for the Special Town Meeting is as follows:
Town of Newtown
Notice of Special Town Meeting
Electors and citizens qualified to vote at Town Meetings of the Town of Newtown are hereby duly notified and warned that a Special Town Meeting of the Town of Newtown will be held on April 15th, 2008 at 4:00p.m. (E.D.T.) at Newtown Middle School, Queen Street Newtown, CT. for the following purposes:
1. To receive a communication from the Board of Selectman with respect to a resolution entitled “Resolution Providing For A Special Appropriation In The Amount Of $38,826,000 For the Planning And Construction Of Additions And Renovations At Newtown High School And Authorizing The Issuance of $38,826,000 Bonds Of the Town To Meet Said Special Appropriation And Pending The Issuance Thereof The Making Of Temporary Borrowings For Such Purpose.”
2. To receive a communication from the Board of Selectman with respect to a resolution entitled “ Resolution Appropriating $1,000,000 For Architectural And Engineering Services For The Planning And Design Of A Park And Recreation Community Center/ Senior Center And Authorizing The Issuance Of $1,000,000 Bonds Of the Town To Meet Said Appropriation And Pending The Issuance Thereof The Making Of Temporary Borrowings For Such Purpose.”
3. To consider a resolution entitled “Resolution Providing For A Special Appropriation In The Amount Of $38,826,000 For The Planning And Construction Of Additions And Renovations At Newtown High School And Authorizing The Issuance of $38,826,000 Bonds Of The Town to Meet Said Special Appropriation And Pending The Issuance Thereof The Making Of Temporary Borrowings For Such Purpose.”
4. To consider a resolution entitled “Resolution Appropriating $1,000,000 For Architectural And Engineering Services For The Planning and Design of A Park And Recreation Center/Senior Center And Authorizing The Issuance Of $1,000,000 Bonds Of The Town To Meet Said Appropriation And Pending The Issuance Thereof The Making of Temporary Borrowings For Such Purpose.”
At its meeting held on April 7, 2008, The Board Of Selectmen voted, pursuant to Section 7-7 of the General Statutes of Connecticut, that items 3 and 4 on the call of the Special Town Meeting be held on April 15, 2008, be submitted to a referendum vote at an adjourned Town Meeting to take place at Newtown Middle School, Tuesday April 22, 2008 at the hours to be determined by the Town Meeting.
5. To set the hours for voting of the above referendum.
6. To transact any other business proper to come before the meeting.
Copies of the proposed resolution are on file and open to the public inspection at the Office of The Town Clerk.
Mr. Mangiafico addressed the Board. He asked, “Why did this fury develop?” He went on, “we have to learn something from what we’ve all gone through. Three weeks ago we’ve all got appalling comments and unbelievable e-mails. This is not the way to influence town officials or how to behave with one another. On March 17th, Herb and I did not vote to oppose the expansion but we had issues to address. An error was made. The Board of Finance did not have the chance to digest this project. The economic situation is far worse this year with a tax increase of 6.4 %, people are not going to support this. You win by the power of your argument. The operating cost of the expansion is $2,000,000 and a lot of these people have already been hired
(80%) even though the project has not been approved. Mis-represented costs is the thing that sinks projects. Projections of students and “Deadly Baggage” questions must be addressed. What happened? Remember the movie “Cool Hand Luke” the captain of the guard said “What we have here is a failure to communicate”. I intend to do something about internal communications amongst boards. In Portland, CT a town of about 9,000 people built an expansion and are significantly under utilized. We cannot discount this problem. I am not comfortable with the operating cost. How could we give a report that says $700,000 and it then becomes $2,000,000. It has to pass on April 22. I was not saying no to the High School Expansion, but go to the highest number, 2137 based on information we had at the time. On November 15 , I read the report received by the Board of Education. I was horrified by what I saw was so dramatically different. This is a ticking
Time Bomb. We should go through this with a fine tooth comb. Over 10 years a 15% reduction cannot be disregarded. Failure to communicate. These things have to be addressed. They don’t go away. We are in a bad situation in this town, economically. What do you think is the full build out of this town? Under current zoning numbers range from 6 to 9,000 more people. Certainly not 50,000. Take 6,000 more people, 21% will be children in school. The town draws people with school age kids and property values increase. 6,000/21% = an additional 1,200 students. The current expansion is geared toward 2,022. What is the risk? Err on the side of having slightly more capacity. 85% capacity has never been discussed. If we had 90% capacity today we wouldn’t be here today. 2,022 capacity we should go with. It’s not just the size of the box, it is also the money spent if necessary. It is a personal decision for people to make on their own. We can’t disregard the economy. Fuel
oil is $3.79 a gallon, gas is $3.39 a gallon and Senior citizens see a 6.4% increase in taxes. We can take out a mortgage on the future for 20 years. People aren’t going to worry about 20 years if they can’t pay the bills tomorrow. Unemployment is 5.5%. People’s bank are closing offices. In closing, we have a failure to communicate & educate. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Rosenthal reads motion to accept Trades Lane and Old Farm Road into the Town roads system. Mr. Mangiafico seconded, all in favor.
Mr. Borst made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 10:12 pm. Mr. Rosenthal seconded it, all in favor.
Respectfully submitted by Shirley A. Paproski, Clerk Pro Tem
_____________________
Joseph Borst, First Selectman
The Board of Selectmen held a regular meeting on Monday, April 7, 2008 in the auditorium of the Newtown Middle School, Queen Street, Newtown, Ct. First Selectman Borst called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m.
PRESENT: First Selectman Joseph Borst, Selectman Herbert Rosenthal, Selectman Paul Mangiafico and Town Attorney David Grogins.
ALSO PRESENT: Town Engineer Ron Bolmer.
VOTER COMMENTS:
Ruby Johnson of 16 Chestnut Hill Road commented on how she strongly supports the expansion of Newtown High School. She asked the Selectmen to consider changing the policy of only being able to speak on items that are on the agenda. She also asked for improving communications between citizens, Boards and Commisions. She suggested to putting as much information on the internet as possible. Mrs. Johnson handed the Selectmen a paper of excerpt from “The Common Ground”, by Cal Thomas & Bob Beckel. She called for a coming together of the town and to better understand controversial issues.
Guy Howard of 4 Main Street was concerned about the confusion associated with the complicated approval process on major projects. He said that he looked up the statutes on line and there were no references to the Board of Selectmen having any role regarding the bonding issue. He said that the Board of Selectmen are creating elements of the process that aren’t there. He went on to say how capital projects are to be approved. He concluded by saying that laws are straight forward and statutes make sense on their own.
Marianne Jacob of 65 Mohawk Trail. She is the President of the Sandy Hook PTA. She said that she informally heard that Mr. Rosenthal was going to vote yes on the High School Expansion project. She asked the members of the PTA to show up in support. Her main point was that this is the biggest project to date and the time for questions has passed and it is time to vote. The Committee has gotten the information to the voters.
Carol Brown, Attorney of 48 Marlin Road. She asked if the Board of Selectmen would answer questions on the statutes. Mr. Borst explained the purpose of voter participation and that they are not opening anything up for debate during this time. Ms. Brown said that she is a mother with children in the High School. She noted that once Newtown High School was once a Blue Ribbon School. The expansion of the High School is going in the right direction . She went on to state that there are a number of residents in town that don’t have children and they don’t understand. Ms. Brown then said that if we don’t expand the high school that property values will go down. We should reap the benefits of a well founded educational system. She concluded by saying that this expansion is the right direction for our
children and our community.
Maria Horvath, 220 South Main Street. Said that she is a new comer to town, and grateful to be able to speak to the Board. She is a mother of 3 in the school system and had a story to share. She said that her 8th grader came home from school after meeting with the High School guidance counselor and finding out that there were no drafting courses. She said that she has no other option than the public school system. She came from Hungary where they had a good school system. Here good teachers leave our town for better schools. She concluded by saying that she supports the high school expansion.
Merritt Saunders, 2 Pumpkin Lane. He wanted to speak from the perspective of some one who might be considering Newtown as a place to live. Where he works he was explaining to people why they should come to Newtown. He said that we should look outside the boundaries. The citizens are the customers and Newtown is the product.
Bob Merola, 22 Ashford Lane. Stated that he doesn’t support the expansion as proposed. There are people who don’t have children in school. There were 18 foreclosures in Newtown in Jan. ’08, and that this is not a growth period. He gave the Board an article from the Washington Post about school expansion. He broke down into dollars how much one classroom would cost in Newtown compared to a classroom in a suburb of Washington DC. Newtown’s classrooms would cost 5 times more than that of those in Fairfax County, VA.
Heidi Brisson, 5 Hemlock Road. Said that she used basic math and with the state reimbursement the cost of each new classroom would be $3.33, the cost of a cup of coffee at Starbucks.
Janet Robinson, Superintendent of Schools. We all care about the town of Newtown and our future citizens. The information process is over, the clock is ticking to June 30th planning completion. Misinformation could possibly lead to the expansion being voted down and going to another vote. Then we would be unlikely to reach the deadline of June 30th. She then thanked people for their positive vote.
Mr. Borst then closed voter participation
.
COMMUNICATIONS: Mr. Borst stated that the updated version of grant status had been provided to the Selectmen per Mr. Mangiafico’s request.
Nano Technology: Mr. Borst called the Governor’s office and thought of Fairfield Hills as a great place to set up nano technology. He talked to Peter Longo and he was interested. A packet of information was sent to him, but no response yet. Mr. Borst doesn’t see the need to set up another committee at Fairfield Hills, as the FHA is responsible for commercial development. Mr. Mangiafico said they should wave the 2 issues due to time restraints.
Mr. Rosenthal addressed Mr. Borst saying that he understood that Mr. Borst had attended a meeting of State Representative Julia Wasserman, Senator John Mckinney and members of the Independent Party to undo what the previous administration has done at Fairfield Hills. Mr. Borst said that Mr. Richard Cole asked him to the meeting.
Mr. Borst stated that he came to just listen and had no idea that members of the Independent Party would be there. Mr. Borst reiterated that he just listened and left before the meeting was over, so he had no knowledge of the outcome.
There was discussion on the Coalition against Inceased Jet Traffic. Mr. Mangiafico said that there was confusion at the last Legislative council meeting as to whether or not we were joining. Mr. Borst said that he got an invoice for $30,000 that puts us into the alliance, but also said that we could get out at any time. Mr. Rosenthal said that he disagrees with the quote in the Feb.19, 2008 minutes, and that we can’t initiate a lawsuit on our own. Mr. Borst said that there is no law suit at this time. Mr. Mangiafico said that his memory is clear and that we did join the Alliance for Sensible Airspace Planning. He then stated that the Legislative council did not feel this was a wise decision.
ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES: Mr. Rosenthal made a motion to accept the minutes. Mr. Mangiafico seconded it with some corrections. Page 1 Catherine Olson
Dr. Troll. Page 4 corrections say “see attachments” and there are no attachments. Page 5 should read “2,022 students”. All in favor.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
1. APPOINTMENTS/REAPPOINTMENTS : Mr. Borst made a motion to appoint Richard Conte, R, to the Water & Sewer Authority. Mr. Mangiafico seconded it , all in favor. Mr. Borst made a motion for the reappointment of Herbert C. Rosenthal, D, and Fred Hurley to the Housatonic Resources Recovery Auhtority. Seconded by Mr. Mangifico, all in favor.
2. CLERK OF THE WORKS: Mr. Borst made a motion to accept the job description of the Clerk of The Works for the Public Building and Site Commission. Seconded by Mr. Mangiafico. Discussion followed. Mr. Mangiafico asked who would the person report to. Mr. Borst said the Building and Site Commission. Mr. Rosenthal said that he didn’t get a copy. He said that he doesn’t have any objections, but is this job for one person for the High School or will more than one be needed? Mr. Borst said that more than one clerk may be needed depending on the sequencing of projects. Mr. Borst mentioned that they could start recruiting after the April
22 vote assuming it passes. Mr. Mangiafico made a motion to accept the job description. Mr. Borst seconded it. Mr. Rosenthal asked “Who put this together?” Mr. Borst said the Public Building & Site Commission. Mr. Rosenthal asked to table it. Clerk of The Works is tabled.
NEW BUSINESS:
1. CHARTER RIDGE LLC: Mr. Rosenthal made a motion to release the driveway bond. Mr. Mangiafico seconded it, all in favor.
2. 103 HANOVER: Town Engineer Ron Bolmer said that the driveway is basically finished and they are just extending it. Mr. Mangiafico said that there is no bond. Mr. Bolmer said that it is already paved. Mr. Rosenthal made a motion to release the bond. Mr. Mangiafico seconded it, all in favor.
3. TRAFFIC STUDY: Mr. Rosenthal said that the Newtown Police did a nice job, but there was nobody here from that department tonight. Mr. Rosenthal made a motion to table it. Mr. Mangiafico seconded it, all in favor.
4. IROQUOIS: Speaking on behalf of the Iroqouis Gas Transmission Systems were Ruth Parkins, Public Affairs Representative and their Attorney Philip Small. Mr. Small said that they were having difficulties getting an easement under the Town Charter. They are requesting a short term solution by being granted and easement similar to those given to utility companies. This would allow them to go to work quickly. Town Attorney David Grogins said that the proposal makes sense to allow public utility approval to install a gas pipe line with the payment a separate parcel of land to the town for open space. Ms. Parkins said that they met with the Conservation
Committee about the land swap. Mr. Sibley asked a couple of things in addition to the land swap. They are conceding to these, even though the deeds are vague. There was discussion on the value of the land being given to the town. The Iroqouis representative said that because the land abuts Forest Association land that the value is about $12,500 per acre times 10 acres. Mr. Borst asked if the valve station would have enough room to get emergency vehicles in. Mr. Brian Wolf, an Iroquois Engineer, said that it is only a short driveway, about 50-60 feet, and there would not be enough room for a truck to turn around. The representative handed the Selectmen diagrams of the landscaping. Mr. Rosenthal moved to accept the draft resolution from the Iroqouis Gas Transmission Systems dated April 3, 2008 as presented with the approval of the Conservation Committee. Seconded by Mr.Mangiafico, all in favor.
Mr. Borst asked for a 3 minute break. Mr. Borst called the meeting back to order at 9:15 pm. Mr. Mangiafico said that he couldn’t make heads or tails on the budget report that he got. He said that there should be a monthly total. He also said that he would talk to Ben Spragg about explaining it to him.
HIGH SCHOOL EXPANSION/RENOVATIONS AND PARK & RECREATION/SENIOR CENTER RESOLUTION: Attorney Grogins said that the process is quite lengthy and that special appropriations would be initiated by The Board of Selectmen to set a time and date of a special town meeting and that it should go to referendum directly. The Town Meeting is set for April 15, 2008 at 4:00 pm in the auditorium of the Newtown Middle School. The Referendum will be April 22, 2008.
A motion was made by Mr. Rosenthal, and seconded by Paul Mangiafico that the First Selectman be authorized and directed to call a Special Town Meeting to be held at the Middle School, on April 15, 2008 at 4:00p.m. (E.D.T.),for the following purposes: (A) to consider (i) the resolution entitled “Resolution Providing for A Special Appropriation In The Amount of $38,826,000 For the Planning And Construction of Additions And Renovations At Newtown High School And Authorizing the Issuance Of $38,826,000 Bonds Of the Town To Meet Said Special Appropriation And Pending The Issuance Thereof The Making of Temporary Borrowings for Such Purpose,” and (ii) the resolution entitled “Resolution Appropriating $1,000,000 For Architectural And Engineering Services For the Planning And Design Of A Park
And Recreation Community Center/Senior Center And Authorizing The Issuance Of $1,000,000 Bonds Of the Town To Meet Said Appropriation And Pending The Issuance Thereof The Making of Temporary Borrowings For Such Purpose”; (B) to submit said resolutions to a referendum vote at an Adjourned Town Meeting to take place on Tuesday, April 22, 2008, at the hours to be determined by the Town Meeting in accordance with the Connecticut General Statutes as amended. The notice for the Special Town Meeting is as follows:
Town of Newtown
Notice of Special Town Meeting
Electors and citizens qualified to vote at Town Meetings of the Town of Newtown are hereby duly notified and warned that a Special Town Meeting of the Town of Newtown will be held on April 15th, 2008 at 4:00p.m. (E.D.T.) at Newtown Middle School, Queen Street Newtown, CT. for the following purposes:
1. To receive a communication from the Board of Selectman with respect to a resolution entitled “Resolution Providing For A Special Appropriation In The Amount Of $38,826,000 For the Planning And Construction Of Additions And Renovations At Newtown High School And Authorizing The Issuance of $38,826,000 Bonds Of the Town To Meet Said Special Appropriation And Pending The Issuance Thereof The Making Of Temporary Borrowings For Such Purpose.”
2. To receive a communication from the Board of Selectman with respect to a resolution entitled “ Resolution Appropriating $1,000,000 For Architectural And Engineering Services For The Planning And Design Of A Park And Recreation Community Center/ Senior Center And Authorizing The Issuance Of $1,000,000 Bonds Of the Town To Meet Said Appropriation And Pending The Issuance Thereof The Making Of Temporary Borrowings For Such Purpose.”
3. To consider a resolution entitled “Resolution Providing For A Special Appropriation In The Amount Of $38,826,000 For The Planning And Construction Of Additions And Renovations At Newtown High School And Authorizing The Issuance of $38,826,000 Bonds Of The Town to Meet Said Special Appropriation And Pending The Issuance Thereof The Making Of Temporary Borrowings For Such Purpose.”
4. To consider a resolution entitled “Resolution Appropriating $1,000,000 For Architectural And Engineering Services For The Planning and Design of A Park And Recreation Center/Senior Center And Authorizing The Issuance Of $1,000,000 Bonds Of The Town To Meet Said Appropriation And Pending The Issuance Thereof The Making of Temporary Borrowings For Such Purpose.”
At its meeting held on April 7, 2008, The Board Of Selectmen voted, pursuant to Section 7-7 of the General Statutes of Connecticut, that items 3 and 4 on the call of the Special Town Meeting be held on April 15, 2008, be submitted to a referendum vote at an adjourned Town Meeting to take place at Newtown Middle School, Tuesday April 22, 2008 at the hours to be determined by the Town Meeting.
5. To set the hours for voting of the above referendum.
6. To transact any other business proper to come before the meeting.
Copies of the proposed resolution are on file and open to the public inspection at the Office of The Town Clerk.
Mr. Mangiafico addressed the Board. He asked, “Why did this fury develop?” He went on, “we have to learn something from what we’ve all gone through. Three weeks ago we’ve all got appalling comments and unbelievable e-mails. This is not the way to influence town officials or how to behave with one another. On March 17th, Herb and I did not vote to oppose the expansion but we had issues to address. An error was made. The Board of Finance did not have the chance to digest this project. The economic situation is far worse this year with a tax increase of 6.4 %, people are not going to support this. You win by the power of your argument. The operating cost of the expansion is $2,000,000 and a lot of these people have already been hired
(80%) even though the project has not been approved. Mis-represented costs is the thing that sinks projects. Projections of students and “Deadly Baggage” questions must be addressed. What happened? Remember the movie “Cool Hand Luke” the captain of the guard said “What we have here is a failure to communicate”. I intend to do something about internal communications amongst boards. In Portland, CT a town of about 9,000 people built an expansion and are significantly under utilized. We cannot discount this problem. I am not comfortable with the operating cost. How could we give a report that says $700,000 and it then becomes $2,000,000. It has to pass on April 22. I was not saying no to the High School Expansion, but go to the highest number, 2137 based on information we had at the time. On November 15 , I read the report received by the Board of Education. I was horrified by what I saw was so dramatically different. This is a ticking
Time Bomb. We should go through this with a fine tooth comb. Over 10 years a 15% reduction cannot be disregarded. Failure to communicate. These things have to be addressed. They don’t go away. We are in a bad situation in this town, economically. What do you think is the full build out of this town? Under current zoning numbers range from 6 to 9,000 more people. Certainly not 50,000. Take 6,000 more people, 21% will be children in school. The town draws people with school age kids and property values increase. 6,000/21% = an additional 1,200 students. The current expansion is geared toward 2,022. What is the risk? Err on the side of having slightly more capacity. 85% capacity has never been discussed. If we had 90% capacity today we wouldn’t be here today. 2,022 capacity we should go with. It’s not just the size of the box, it is also the money spent if necessary. It is a personal decision for people to make on their own. We can’t disregard the economy. Fuel
oil is $3.79 a gallon, gas is $3.39 a gallon and Senior citizens see a 6.4% increase in taxes. We can take out a mortgage on the future for 20 years. People aren’t going to worry about 20 years if they can’t pay the bills tomorrow. Unemployment is 5.5%. People’s bank are closing offices. In closing, we have a failure to communicate & educate. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Rosenthal reads motion to accept Trades Lane and Old Farm Road into the Town roads system. Mr. Mangiafico seconded, all in favor.
Mr. Borst made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 10:12 pm. Mr. Rosenthal seconded it, all in favor.
Respectfully submitted by Shirley A. Paproski, Clerk Pro Tem
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Joseph Borst, First Selectman
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