Politics & Government
RTM Approves $6.979 Million Facilities Shuffle Funding Measure [Updated]
The vote follows nearly two years of study and debate surrounding the proposal.
Updated, 3:02 p.m.
After nearly two years of study and debate around a Republican-led plan to "shuffle" several town-owned facilities, Darien's Representative Town Meeting approved a $6.979 million appropriation and bonding issue to fund the project during a special session on Tuesday.
The 58-28 vote — which came almost exactly a week — was the last major legislative hurdle for the proposal, which has served as a frequent topic of debate between current and aspiring selectmen, among others.
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"The RTM represents the people of this town, and they spoke, and they saw the value of this move to all the taxpayers," First Selectman Dave Campbell said after the vote. "So I'm looking forward to getting it going."
Under the three-phase plan proposed by Campbell in the Fall of 2009:
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- The Board of Education's offices would be moved from their current home abutting Town Hall the old library at 35 Leroy Ave.
- The Darien Senior Activities Center would be relocated from its worn venue on Edgerton Street to a revamped Town Hall annex, dubbed the Mather Community Center.
- The Edgerton facility would finally be razed to clear the way for senior affordable housing at the site. (This phase is not covered by the current funding measure but would likely be handled by a nonprofit recently formed for the purpose.)
Supporters — led by the Republican majority of selectmen — argued that the plan was a prudent and fiscally responsible use of town-owned facilities and that it would address the deteriorating condition of the senior center quickly.
That thinking prevailed in two other key votes over the past month: on Oct. 3, the other on Oct. 18. The broad contours of the project were approved by the Board of Selectmen in 2010.
But opponents — led by the Democratic selectmen David Bayne and Callie Sullivan — questioned the logic of the multi-stage solution, arguing that it was too expensive and inefficient from a square footage standpoint.
Many contended that the $4.2 million purchase price of 35 Leroy should be factored into the cost of the project, putting the overall price tag at $11 or $12 million. Democratic first selectman candidate John Lundeen has called for the sale of the building to a developer of senior housing, thus raising funds to pay for a purpose-built senior center at the current Edgerton site.
Tuesday's vote was preceded by speeches from over a dozen elected and appointed officials, including Campbell, Sullivan, P&Z Commission chairman Fred Conze, Board of Finance chairman Liz Mao, treasurer Joan Hendrickson, and the chairs of five RTM committees.
"I voted against the bonding request for the shuffle because I believe it is government's job to fill gaps in services, not space in buildings," Sullivan told the RTM.
"At some point in time, our senior center need became a community center need. This is a government-sponsored, manufactured need. It is a way to justify an unjustifiable expense," she added.
Conze — whose commission voted yea last year on two mandatory referrals related to the project — applauded the three Republican selectmen for devising the plan and said that it reflected a need in town for facilities optimization. He warned that selling the 35 Leroy property to bring in new revenue could have unintended consequences.
"If you were to sell this property, I guarantee you would be facing an 8-30g application on this," Conze said, referring to a state statute that makes it easier for affordable housing developers to build higher density projects. Darien obtained a four-year moratorium for the strictures of the law last year.
Commission on Aging chairman Joe Pankowski, who had praised the plan at previous meetings, delivered an emphatic defense of the costs associated with the project.
"The reality, folks, is this is a super plan," Pankowski said. "When it was brought to the Commission on Aging, we didn't care that Dave Campbell was a Republican. I'm a freakin' Democrat. I thought it was a great idea."
In a statement released Wednesday, Lundeen said he was "saddened to see how out of step the RTM has become with Darien’s voters."
"Committee reports and minority committee reports made it clear that normal standards of legislative review have been swept aside in an unseemly rush to complete this one accomplishment before next week’s local elections," Lundeen said.
With respect to his proposal to sell 35 Leroy, Lundeen said he was "confident that Darien’s Planning & Zoning Commission can hold the line on over-development at Leroy as elsewhere in town, to keep the scale and use of that property entirely within appropriate limits for the neighborhood."
Republican selectman and first selectman candidate Jayme Stevenson called the result "a tremendous win, not only for Darien seniors but also for our entire community."
"I'm thrilled that the RTM took their role in this process seriously and really studied the issue and delivered a resounding vote of confidence for the shuffle project moving forward," Stevenson said.
But Bayne said the tally showed "that we now have a pretty substantial split on every board. 58-28 is not a resounding victory for the shuffle."
If elected, the Democratic slate "would be more than within its rights to go back and look at these alternatives and … do an apples to apples comparison," Bayne said, describing the Nov. 8 election as a referendum, in part, on the shuffle.
As for a formal referendum, Bayne said he didn't think he "should lead the charge" but that he "wouldn't be surprised if it happened."
New ordinances, expenditures over $50,000, and bond issues are all subject to overrule by referendum in Darien.
According to the League of Women Voters of Darien, "A special election must be called by the Board of Selectmen when a petition, drawn in accordance with state statutes and bearing valid signatures of at least 5% of the electors of the town as of the last annual municipal election, is presented to the Town Clerk within ten days of the RTM action."
As of the Nov. 2010 election, , meaning such a petition would require at least 627 signatures.
"Any RTM action submitted to referendum stands approved unless a majority of those voting have voted against the action, and that majority exceeds in number 25% of all the electors of the town as of the last annual municipal election," the LWV writes.
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