Politics & Government

Facilities Shuffle Debate Flares Up Again Over Architect's Fee [Update]

Democratic selectmen David Bayne and Callie Sullivan argued unsuccessfully Monday against a $326,000 transfer to hire Beinfield Architecture.

Update, 11:13 p.m.

The Board of Finance, which deliberated Tuesday night on a proposed transfer to pay for facilities shuffle architectural plans, failed to approve a reduced, $61,000 version that would have funded only the initial phase of design work.

The vote on the measure was tied, 3-3, with Murry Stegelmann absent. Chairman Liz Mao added the item to the board's March 8 agenda immediately after the vote.

Find out what's happening in Darienwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Board members did not hold a vote on the $326,000 total approved Monday night by the Board of Selectmen, citing a desire to seek RTM approval for a figure of that size rather than use a contingency fund.

Patch will have a full account of Tuesday's meeting shortly.

Find out what's happening in Darienwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Orignal article:

The debate over a planned shuffle of and facilities flared up again Monday night, as Democratic selectmen raised questions about a $326,000 transfer to finance designs for the project.

The fee, which represents 6.5 percent of total estimated construction costs, would go to Beinfield Architecture, the firm selected by the building committee charged with overseeing the project. 

If approved by the Board of Finance, which is set to take up the issue Tuesday night, the transfer will come out of that board's $710,000 contingency fund.

After a protracted clash between Republican and Democratic selectmen, the facilities shuffle by a 3-2 party-line vote. It envisions moving the senior center to a renovated version of the building currently occupied by school administrators and shifting the school offices to the old library at 35 Leroy Ave.

Building committee chairman Norman Guimond urged the Board of Selectmen to approve the transfer at its meeting on Monday "so we can start on the project and start on the schematic design phase."

The measure was ultimately okayed by a similar 3-2 margin, but not before Democratic selectmen David Bayne and Callie Sullivan voiced numerous objections to the proposal.

Bayne questioned why the item was being financed out of a contingency fund rather than through an appropriation from the general fund, which would require the approval of the Representative Town Meeting.

"Assuming this transfer is approved by us and by the Board of Finance, this won't come before the RTM until bonding is sought, which probably won't be for another year," Bayne said.

Town Administrator Karl Kilduff said that appropriations from the town's general fund for the ongoing and projects had left insufficient reserves to pay for the architect's fee, but that the contingency fund was suited to the purpose.

Sullivan asked why the town would not set aside funds for the schematic design phase first rather than allocating the entire architect's fee at once. 

First Selectman Dave Campbell said that a piecemeal approach, which was used on the Weed Beach project, "was a disaster."

"If this goes off the rails at some point, then that's the end of the expenditure. ... You're going to spend through what you've got done by way of work, but you're going to ask for an appropriation for the full thing," Kilduff said.

"I think it's absolutely appropriate that the RTM weighs in on the project itself, but in order to give them enough information to weigh in on the project, you have to give them some sort of schematic design, for which you have to pay for," selectman Jayme Stevenson (R) said.

Sullivan questioned whether the expense qualified as a genuine contingency in the vein of health, safety, or snow plowing overruns. Stevenson noted that the fund had previously been used for a FEMA buyout, a , and parking lot lighting, among other projects.

"There are no size or purpose restrictions on this contingency fund," Stevenson said.

As the debate wound down, Bayne read from a prepared statement, arguing that the town was "embarking on a project that's actually expanding town government" and unnecessarily adding office space to Darien's inventory.

"I don't believe that it's wise to bypass the RTM, and I'm concerned that when the shuffle's bonding is presented to the RTM ... [they] may be confronted with the argument that, well, we've spent so much time and so much money going down this path that we simply can't abandon it now," Bayne said.

Stevenson and Campbell took issue with Bayne's office space calculations, arguing that they rested on a flawed assumption that school administrators would use more of the 35 Leroy facility than plans call for.

Sullivan said that she, like Bayne, would vote against the transfer, saying that the board had failed to fully vet alternative proposals like building a smaller senior center at the current Edgerton Street location.

"I can't vote to move ahead to spend more money when we haven't done our most up-to-date financial statement, and I think that's what the taxpayers are entitled to," Sullivan added.

Following her statement, the board voted to approve the measure.

Correction: Evidently Patch has forgotten what day of the week it is. The meeting was held Monday, not Tuesday.


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