On January 20, following a nominal reduction to one planned allocation three years from now, the Legislative Council voted 10-2 to adopt a town-wide Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) that includes all currently planned municipal and school district projects.

The first part of the meeting focused on requests for funding from the C.H. Booth Library, with library board chair Amy Dent appearing first in the virtual meeting requesting that funding for parking lot renovations be approved as requested. A few minutes later, Library Director Doug Lord and board member David Schill took up the question of roof repairs.

Their response was specifically about whether the existing slate roof would need to be replaced with slate, or a less expensive material.

Lord said while other materials were available, the Borough of Newtown had some say regarding the aesthetic specifics of the building including the roofing materials.

Schill said as of now, the roof has outlived its life expectancy.

“When we started the initial inspection to find out where some of the leaks were, we found out that when the slate [tiles] were just touched, they would crumble,” he said. “That indicates it’s failing drastically.”

While unsure of borough requirements, Schill did say he and the board are researching possible alternate materials but would be sensitive to the possibility that a historic structure like the library would be required to replace the roof materials “in kind.”

“I don’t think it is. And if it’s not, there are cheaper alternatives,” he said.

Dent said regarding some modifications she wants to make to her home in the Borough Historic District, she was told any replacement materials have to be consistent with existing materials.

Schill said there is a carbon fiber material that can replicate the appearance of slate. He said options will be researched, and that replacing the materials instead of the very heavy slate roof, it may also improve other structural issues.

Grave Concerns

Schill also said that, with the project being three years out, he is gravely concerned that if the library is subject to a significant snowfall or other weather event, “we could see some serious damage.”

Council Chairman Paul Lundquist then shifted to a planned library parking lot paving project that was earlier supported by Dent as well as around a dozen other residents who communicated support through various channels. The price tag for that segment of library improvements was estimated at $431,000 of the $946,000 requested in the 2024 fiscal cycle.

Lundquist said the price tag on that project had increased significantly between last year and this year, but the driver had to do with increasing the footprint of the paving, requiring more engineering and materials. In calculating that increase, the CIP allocation was inadvertently marked up $100,000 more than was needed, so action was taken later to adjust the requested amount.

Council member Cathy Reiss asked what benefits the parking lot and sidewalk improvements would provide to community members.

Schill said he hopes to see the existing disabled parking area accessible from Main Street get a one way cut-through added to the rear parking area, along with other modifications to improve proximity to the library entrances. The main lot is suffering major potholes and other issues requiring at least an overlay, as that structure has also surpassed its useful life.

Additional drainage issues also must be addressed, in which case part of the parking lot may get a full renovation, with the remainder of the lot getting an overlay. Some sidewalks will also require rebuilding and widening. Lord said since some walkways were added over time, there are some uneven areas that may pose trip hazards.

Schill also said the HVAC system has also exceeded its life expectancy and is failing, so funding all three projects as requested is critical, even though some work still needs to be done regarding the roof materials.

Turning to the school district requests, Lundquist noted the year one Head O’ Meadow School lighting renovation could be harboring “good news” in the form of a cost reduction. School Board CIP Committee Chairman Dan Delia said the town received a cost estimate of $286,600 with the promise of an added $14,000 in incentives if the project can be expedited.

Additionally, Eversource — the regional energy utility — is offering five-year, zero percent financing. He said the monthly payment on the loan of $3,450 would be significantly offset by the energy savings produced, “so the net affect on the monthly bill would be about $800.” Delia said the caveat was that the renovation would need to be completed by June 30 of this year, so he recommended taking that off the CIP.

Lundquist countered that the council should instead keep it on the CIP, and just note the alternate funding source to keep the capital spending transparent.

Amendment Proposed

Before the final vote, Councilman Ryan Knapp asked to amend the motion to accept the CIP by removing funding for the Hawley School HVAC renovation from year one. Knapp said, “Frankly I don’t think this is a year one project. There are many unknowns.”

Knapp said $300,000 was already spent to get a full and accurate estimate and there were still a lot of unknowns related to the costs. He suggested pushing the earmark to year two, giving the school district time to present verified estimates with some possible savings.

Councilman Chris Eide said if the project remained in year one, if any concerns developed the council could simply not appropriate the funds. Town Finance Director Robert Tait said no matter how the CIP allocates the spending, all three phases of the project are going on the referendum ballot in total for voter approval.

Council member Alison Plante agreed with Eide and Council Vice Chair Judit DeStefano, who also supported keeping the Hawley HVAC allocation in year one, as did council member Jordana Bloom.

Councilman Dan Wiedemann said he did not believe the Board of Finance had enough time to consider the escalating cost of the project — which has about doubled since its last estimate — and added that if taxpayers were going to invest that much in a building that is not fully handicapped accessible by ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) standards, “I can’t support the CIP if this is what we’re going to be doing.

“We’re throwing good money after bad. We need to examine this to be sure we’re doing it the right way.”

Knapp said the council is responsible for examining costs, and agreed the project has been on the drawing board for a long time, but the lack of clarity indicates it does not meet the standard for year one funding.

The vote on the motion failed 3-9 with Knapp, Carroll, and Wiedemann supporting. The motion to accept the CIP with the $100,000 adjustment to the library allocation then passed, with Wiedemann and Knapp opposing.