The Permanent Committee to Study the Needs and Use of Town Public Buildings Including Town Hall Facilities held a special meeting on November 20, 2006, at the Stonington Police Station.
Present: Charles Ballato, George Brennan, John Gomes, Stephen Singer, and Steven Small. Also present were members of the public.
(1) Call to Order/Approval of Minutes
Steven Small, Chairman, called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. and reviewed minutes from the meeting held on October 16, 2006. A motion was made by Charles Ballato, seconded by George Brennan, and it was voted to approve the minutes as distributed.
(2) Old Business
Steven Small stated he met with Town Hall staff and William Brown to determine the charge of the Committee. At present, the charge of the Committee is to focus on the Town Hall project. There are other buildings under the purvue of the Committee; Human Services, Animal Control Building, and the Fourth District Voting Building.
During the meeting with William Brown, George Sylvestre, and Joe Bragaw, it was recommended to obtain data and information regarding the space and technology needs. Steven Small distributed a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to the Committee. The RFQ would enable the Committee to engage a firm to conduct a review of all data, define the scope of the project, and obtain project costs. LOCIP funds could be used to conduct this study. The Town Hall staff will complete the RFQ and prepare the pro forma for the Committee. The Committee will interview the firms and make a selection. The Committee discussed the appropriateness to proceed with the RFQ versus a RFP at length. It was the consensus that the RFQ would provide more flexibility. A motion was made by George Brennan,
seconded by John Gomes, and it was voted to review the RFQ guidelines.
Steven Small stated he received a copy of the Plan of Conservation and Development for the Town and he will try to obtain additional copies for the Committee.
(3) Comments from the Public
Vincent Faulise, Pawcatuck, asked if the Committee would also be looking at meeting space. He questioned the plan for the Town Highway garage addition and George Brennan commented it was only a conceptual plan. Mr. Faulise is not in favor of an addition to the Town Hall, but is supportive of an addition to the Town Highway Garage.
David Christina, 141 Elm Street, Stonington, provided a number of options for a meeting room. The concept of a meeting hall is valid, but he questioned if the cost of a large meeting hall merits the construction and if there has been enough research on the number of attendees at public meetings. He questioned if the construction went forward, could it be done in a way to serve the Town in a variety of ways. Mr. Christina suggested using the Human Services building. He contacted LOCIP and monies could be used to construct an annex.
In terms of the Town Hall, he suggested looking a space needs and making some changes. By maximizing the existing space, the interior of the Town Hall could be used much more efficiently. He proposed not proceeding with an expansion of the Town Hall until a site evaluation has been completed. Mr. Christina distributed an in-depth plan for expansion to the Committee, discussed the concept of a balanced structure, and perfectly balanced wings on each side of the building.
Mrs. O’Neil, Pawcatuck, stated she would like to see the Town Hall preserved and maintained as a historical building. She would like to see additions/renovations done with a great deal of planning.
Ed Haberek, Moss Street, Pawcatuck supported Mr. Christina’s ideas. He encouraged the Committee to obtain the support material needed to substantiate the need for the project, and also expressed concern as to how efficiently space is currently being used at the Town Hall.
Dorey Clay, 15 Summit Street, Stonington, stated she found the studies done for the Town Hall were incomplete. She opposed the South Lawn plan because there is no expandability and it is not architecturally balanced. She suggested performing studies similar to the Fire House.
Fred Burdick, Stonington, raised his concern to maintain a historical façade of the Town Hall.
Bill Sternberg, 153 Elm Street, Stonington distributed a presentation on the Stonington Town Hall that included the following (copy attached herewith):
§ History
§ Resent History
§ Define the Problem
§ Measure the Problem
§ Brainstorm
§ Develop a Short List of Solutions
§ Develop evaluation Criteria
§ Conduct Trade-off Analysis
§ Bonding
§ Conclusion
Mr. Sternberg stated he believes the real problem is that something is eroding available space and the Committee needs to understand what is driving the need for space. The problem should be redefined, and the drivers for this project should be considered.
(4) Next Meeting/Adjournment
Steven Small stated architectural firms provide a wide range of services that include consultation services along with space analyses. Bill Sternberg disagreed with retaining an architectural firm and felt a business process firm would be more appropriate. Mr. Haberek questioned what is driving the expansion and questioned if what is cramping the offices is an inefficiency in space utilization in the Town Hall. Steve Small stated it is not the charge of the Committee to change the business processes.
John Gomes thanked the members of the public for their comments, and stated a consulting firm would provide the Committee with the tools to determine the best course of action.
Steve Small suggested the Committee meet twice in December and set the next meeting date for December 11, 2006. The meeting on December 18, 2006 will be held at the Stonington Town Hall. There being no further business, Steven Singer made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:22 p.m., seconded by George Brennan, and it was so voted.
Submitted by,
___________________________
Maureen L. Carboni, Recorder Steven Small, Chairman
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