Selectmen Pass A ‘Conservative’ Capital Spending Plan

By Kendra Bobowick

Selectmen this week approved a five-year capital improvement plan (CIP) of approximately $41.6 million, and will now place the plan in the hands of the Board of Finance. The sum, which includes projects such as Danbury Hall demolition, open space acquisition, bridge replacement, Edmond Town Hall renovations, community center design, and other town projects, does not include the Board of Education’s CIP five-year plan, which is roughly $5 million more than the town’s plan.

Finance Director Robert Tait said that each year’s combined town and education plans are “within what we can afford.”

Changes from an earlier CIP proposal included Parks and Recreation Department plans. “I asked them to rethink” certain improvement projects, First Selectman Pat Llodra said.

With a reduction to a prior request for $998,000 in the year 2015–2016 to repair and expand parking areas at Dickinson and Treadwell parks, Mrs Llodra noted the revision for that year to include upgrades at Eichler’s cove to fund a concession and bath house at $325,000, with a reduction to $450,000 for the Treadwell and Dickinson projects.

“The parking lot sum would have set aside improvements for maintenance,” Mrs Llodra said. She felt money could be better spent to include improvements also. “I was concerned about parking lot projects, which were ‘not all imminent.’”

Parks and Recreation Department Director Amy Mangold and Parks and Recreation Commission Chairman Ed Marks both agreed to include the change.

Speaking about the recreation department’s priorities for coming years, Ms Mangold mentioned a splash pad, bathhouse, and new playground for the Dickinson Park. Mr Marks noted the need for improved parking areas and auxiliary parking at Treadwell Park. The CIP approved by the selectmen Monday also leaves intact community center funding at $500,000 for design in the year 2013-2014, and Phases I and II at $10 million in 2015-2016, and $5 million to complete the project in 2016–2017.

Several other department requests approved by selectmen include building demolition at Fairfield Hills, along with walking trail improvements on the campus, bridge replacements, senior center design, police building design, Sandy Hook streetscape, funding for fire companies, including Hook & Ladder and Sandy Hook.

Fairfield Hills Authority Chairman James Bernardi listened as Mrs Llodra discussed his board’s requests. Each year has money identified for Fairfield Hills for both trails and building demolition and remediation, Mrs Llodra noted.

She tried to “stay consistent with what the authority identified as priorities,” she said. Although “we are not able to stay on the Fairfield Hills Authority’s desired demolition schedule, we spaced [the spending] based on available resources.”

With a newer CIP process in play in past years, Ms Llodra explained that she works with the finance director and town department heads to “first anticipated the money we thought we could borrow” annually over a five-year period and tailor their funding requests accordingly to fit within the town’s anticipated borrowing capacity.

 The CIP requests for the municipality from years 2013-2014 through 2017-2018 are: $2.9 million, $5.1 million, $16.9 million, $10 million, and $2.3 million.

“This CIP is based on very conservative grand list growth,” Mrs Llodra said. The Board of Finance will next review the CIP at their scheduled regular meeting Thursday, October 25.