March 5, 2007
The Permanent Committee to Study the Needs and Use of Town Public Buildings Including Town Hall Facilities held a special meeting on March 5, 2007, at 808 Stonington Road (Route 1), Stonington, CT.
Present: Charles Ballato, George Brennan, Stephen Singer, and Steven Small.
(1) Call to Order
Steven Small, Chairman, called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. He informed Committee members that John Gomes has resigned from the Committee.
(2) Review/Approval of Minutes
Steven Small, Chairman, reviewed minutes from the meeting held on February 5, 2007. A motion was made by Charles Ballato, seconded by Stephen Singer and it was voted to approve the minutes as distributed.
(3) Report on Town Hall Expansion
Steven Small and Stephen Singer prepared a draft report to be reviewed by the Committee. The Committee reviewed the draft and made recommendations/revisions to the following sections of the draft report:
§ Introduction
§ Background
§ Executive Summary
§ Actions of Committee
-Meeting with Town staff
-Site Tour
-General Public Comment Forum
§ Findings
-Need for Additional Town-wide meeting Space
-Need to Relieve the Space Constraints within the Existing Town Hall
-Need to Have a Long-term Plan for the Municipal Complex and to Follow the
Plan
§ Conclusions
§ Recommendations
-Develop a Long-term Plan for the Municipal Complex Site and Follow It
-Further Study Town Hall Space Requirements and Develop Factual Data
Support Future Action
-Evaluate a Range of Alternatives and Weigh the Options
Stephen Singer will revise the draft report and the Committee will reconvene on March 13, 2007, to review the final report to present to the Board of Selectman at its meeting on March 28, 2007.
(4) Public Comment
Bill Sternberg, 153 Elm Street, Stonington - The real issue is to look at choices with regard to this project. The funding issue has been driving things in the wrong direction. The building is not on the historic register, however, there was a great deal of comment about maintaining the historic façade of the building. If this goes in the right direction, and a long-term plan is developed, the Committee should be involved with the maintenance of the plan.
In response to Mr. Small’s comment about the town of Preston, Mr. Sternberg acknowledged that he knew a member of the Preston Building Committee and offered to provide contact information. In that regard, I heard something in the form of a rumor that there is discussion of closing the old school building and do something with the school in Pawcatuck. That may be another option. Also, the armory, as mentioned in earlier discussions with the Committee, has been reported to have environmental issues.
(5) Adjournment
There being no further business, a motion was made by George Brennan, seconded by Charles Ballato, and it was voted to adjourn the meeting at 8:20 p.m.
Submitted by,
____________________________ ______________________________
Maureen L. Carboni, Recorder Steven Small, Chairman
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