Finance Board Scales Back, Fails to Approve Facilities Shuffle Transfer

The day after selectmen to fund designs for a planned facilities shuffle, the Board of Finance declined Tuesday to vote on the measure. Instead, members considered — and failed to approve, for now — a scaled-back version of the same.

The board split, 3-3, on a $61,000 measure that would have covered just the initial phase of work by Beinfield Architecture. 

Several members voiced hesitation over the larger sum favored by the Board of Selectmen, arguing that it should be paid for through the full appropriations process rather than out of a contingency fund.

“The contingency fund has not ever been used for as project of this magnitude,” Chairman Liz Mao (R) said. “There are several of us who had the concern that if we took this money from the contingency, then we would not have the full process involving the [Representative Town Meeting].”

Jon Zagrodzky (R), Joe Duwan (R), and Mao supported the lesser transfer while Martha Banks (D), Gwen Mogenson (D), and Lorene Bora (R) voted against. Murry Stegelmann (R) was absent from Tuesday's meeting. 

Immediately after the vote, Mao added the item to the board's March 8 agenda.

The shuffle, , envisions moving the from its aging home on Edgerton Street to the Town Hall Annex, moving administrators to the old library building at 35 Leroy Ave., and eventually demolishing the old senior center building.

Norman Guimond, chairman of the building committee charged with overseeing the project, proposed that the finance board spend $325,806 from its contingency fund to cover designs for the $4.5 million project.

Though selectmen had approved the committee's request on Monday in a party-line vote, Guimond anticipated that finance members might object to using the contingency fund for such a large expense.

“I understand there is some question as to whether this is the right way to do it or send it to the RTM,” Guimond said.

Citing a desire to present the plan to the RTM in April, Guimond suggested that the board could alternatively approve $61,162 — or 20 percent of the original amount — to cover the initial schematic design phase.

Despite concerns about the selectmen-backed figure, Mao said she did not want the existing senior center building to end up costing the town money as it waits to be demolished.

“At this point, I think it is worth spending the $61,162, because we have to work off something," Mao said. "If the RTM decides this is not adequate, we will return to the drawing board."

Banks criticized the shuffle as unnecessarily costly and said she would oppose the expense.

“I do not think I can vote for the structure, because I do not support the structure,” Banks said. “I think the project is very costly, especially in today’s economic uncertainty."

"This is a difficult decision because the current senior center continues to deteriorate," Banks added. "[But] I am confident that if we do not approve this money today, the parks and recreation will come up with a better plan.”

Mogenson said she would favor sending the measure to the RTM.

“There is no reason to move the Board of Ed to 35 Leroy. If the IT staff moves to Darien High School, that frees up 1,000 square feet,” Mogenson said. “However, I am a proponent of moving the senior center to the Town Hall Annex. I am not the architect. I am not driving the project. I am asking the people who are to consider these alternatives.”

Bora said that she, too, opposed using money from the contingency account.

 “We are worrying about the services to our children being cut,” she said, referring to the school district. “I did not realize we were talking about moving the Board of Education offices by December.”

First Selectman Dave Campbell, who was among the town officials sitting in on Tuesday's meeting, said he looked forward to the finance board reconvening next week.

“I think it was unfortunate that Murry Stegelmann was not here,” Campbell told Patch. “He has been very involved. He’ll be here next week.”

On Monday, Campbell said that the piecemeal approach — in which design phases are funded separately — had been a "disaster" in the case of the Weed Beach overhaul.