This report was updated at 9:10 am December 21 to correct the name of Councilwoman Judit DeStefano.

The Legislative Council on December 16, passed a proposed five-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) on an 11-1 vote after more than 2½ hours of discussions, along with presentations by the Community Center Commission and a consultant to the Municipal Building Strategic Plan Committee.

Chair Mary Ann Jacob rearranged the agenda to accommodate the majority of people in the audience who appeared to be representing or supporting the Community Center Commission. But the first presentation was from Geralyn Hoerauf from Diversified Project management, who is working with the facilities committee. 

Ms Hoerauf presented a brief recap on the committee's work and its review and recommendations on the existing Hook & Ladder headquarters behind Edmond Town Hall, the Sandy Hook Multipurpose Building which currently houses the Town Senior Center, as well as Town Hall South - home to several town departments along with the Police Department and emergency communications center.

Councilman Ryan Knapp opened discussion questioning whether the committee researched space needs for the Parks & Recreation Dept and Social Services, both sharing occupancy on the ground floor of Town Hall South.

Ms Hoerauf said her committee did not develop any space needs details for Parks & Rec, because of an eventual plan to relocate all the non-maintenance recreational administration to a new community center. She said Social Services, however, would require additional or reconfigured space for the specific needs, for example, creating more private areas to meet with clients.

Facility committee member Walt Motyka joined Ms Hoerauf explaining that the panel felt a newly built police facility would ultimately serve both the town department and the community better that trying to refit Town Hall South.

The committee found that, completely empty of other departments, Town Hall South would still be 4,000 to 7,000 square feet smaller than what the department requires to sustain itself over the next quarter century.

First Selectman Pat Llodra warned the council that the Board of Selectmen has not reached a point where they were ready to make any recommendations on specific work or utilization of Town Hall South, although requested expenditures have been earmarked as a possible bonding placeholder in years 3 and 4 of the CIP. 

Community Center Request

Community Center Commission member David Wheeler represented the panel saying that the group's ultimate goal was to work "tirelessly and transparently" to canvass residents for preferences and ideas about how to honor a $15 million gift from General Electric to establish and run a community center facility.

Mr Wheeler said his group hoped to recommend a hub, where community members could come together.

"Where is the heart of Newtown, physically?" Mr Wheeler asked. "I would argue it doesn't yet exist."

He expressed a hope to create a center that residents could identify as a place that makes the community more special. He also referenced a suspicion that the council was planning to cut additional recreation facility capital funding, and that his group was formulating budget goals with those borrowing placeholders in mind. 

"Any change in community center funding would be akin to shifting the goalposts in the middle of the game," he said, adding that the town has a "moral commitment" to match GE's funds to build a truly unique and special community center project. Mr Wheeler said the committee believed Newtown deserved as community center of greater scope than could be created from the $10 million designated by GE for building the facility.

He said whatever plan the committee comes up with will "not be a financial burden to the taxpayers of our town." He projected an idea of a center, "far far greater than the sum of its parts."

Mr Wheeler, who lost his son Ben on 12/14, said such a center would be a tribute to his son and all those lost, as well as the survivors of that horrific event - creating a figurative "heart for the community." With that in mind he and the commission are hoping to begin moving forward with a more comprehensive community center recommendation as soon as possible. 

Bonding Reduction

The council then reopened a CIP discussion reviewing a motion to accept the spending plan as proposed by the Boards of Selectmen, Education and Finance.

Ms Jacob reminded the council that the panel was in the late stage of the CIP approval process, and needed to act or the proposed plan would take effect as proposed. Councilman Neil Chaudhary offered to withdraw the original motion on the CIP so new ideas and discussion could transpire after colleague Dan Amaral requested the council to review and vote on each individual item on the plan.

After the withdrawal, Councilman Phil Carroll moved to reduce proposed borrowing of $10 million in 2016-17 for additional community center development to $5 million. Councilman George Ferguson then moved an amendment to reduce an added $5 million in the CIP in 2017-18 to $2.5 million.

Discussion broke for approximately 20 minutes to hear from Finance Director Robert Tait who explained several borrowing and debt scenarios related to proposed capital borrowing.

Returning to the question of the collective $7.5 million CIP reductions, Councilman Ryan Knapp said that if the GE grant never happened, the council would still be working to balance investing in the community with a debt burden, given the many financial challenges the town is expected to face in the coming years. 

He suggested the Community Center Commission may have overstepped its charge by introducing the idea of connecting proposed CIP investments with the $10 million coming from GE. Mr Knapp also said he was disappointed that the commission had not developed a list of priorities as outlined in its charge.

"I admire the idea to create something grand," he said. "It sounds great, but the fact the GE gift is there is the reason why [a community center] is still in the CIP."

'Something Special'

Councilman Chris Eide said he believed cutting the CIP earmarks would severely hobble the community center committee's ability to deliver a proposal to, "give something really special to the people of Newtown - people of all ages."

Mr Eide also said he supported an ice rink concept in the committee's plan before Ms Jacob requested he focus discussion on debt service implications in the CIP and not specific aspects of the community center group's discussions and surveys.

Councilman George Ferguson said the debt and spending per capita in Newtown are statistically higher than they should be, and encouraged the council to not commit to charging up to the limit of the Town's borrowing potential.

Councilman Anthony Filiato pointed out that the motions on the table would still leave $22.5 million available for community center development, inclusive of the GE gift, and that the town was facing significant financial challenges including what he called "a very generous teachers' contract."

Councilwoman Judit DeStefano said the community center's proposal has not been made yet, and she didn't want to shortchange the committee or the community before learning the full scope of information the community center panel gathered during its many months of work, researching options and surveying town residents.

Chasing Nine Percent

Council Vice Chair Paul Lundquist said it felt like the council was "chasing the nine percent" cap on borrowing, but he believed that no reductions would be required in the CIP to achieve that result. He said a community center is important to town residents, and the difference between a CIP allocation of $15 million and the proposed $7.5 million would have minimal impact on each taxpayer. 

He then encouraged the council to let the community center panel finish its job without "pulling the rug out from under them," now that members are exposed to, "the reality check of this conversation."

Both Mr Chaudhary and Councilman Dan Wiedemann said they were inclined to support CIP reductions in view of anticipated budget concerns in the next few years, while Councilman Dan Honan asked for time to let the commission finish its work and make a full recommendation.

Before calling the question, Ms Jacob said she hoped to arrive at a point where the town could end up with a quality community center development while maintaining its goal of continuing to reduce taxpayer financial burdens.

The motion to reduce the CIP allocations for the community center by $7.5 million over the 2016 and 2017 fiscal cycles passed on a 8-4 vote.

Conversation then turned to a motion to eliminate a $500,000 CIP earmark for a senior center design in 2016. Mr Knapp argued that the expense might be moved out in the time line since there was no defined capital plan for a build phase.

The first selectman countered that there were placeholder earmarks in later years that could be identified with a senior center or a new police headquarters. Ms DeStephano offered a friendly amendment which was accepted, to move the senior center design allocation out one year instead of cutting it.

The motion to push the $500,000 design phase out one year then passed unanimously.

After added discussion on earmarks for roads and bridges, as well as planned improvements to the Treadwell park parking areas, the original question to accept the balance of the CIP as proposed passed unanimously.