The Board of Finance received good news and bad news when it was given presentations on the Board of Education and town sides of the Capital Improvement Plan. The current year is a bonding pause, there are few changes, but a looming HVAC project at Newtown Middle School may cost far more than has been estimated in previous plans.

At its October 10 meeting, the Finance Board heard a presentation from Facilities Director John Barlow, stating that while he only started in June of this year, the CIP was placed in his lap right away.

The first year of the CIP, 2024/25, is a so-called “bonding vacation,” and includes no new bonding. The schools have no projects on the plan that year.

The second year, 2025/26, has $400,000 for HVAC chillers at Reed, $930,000 for restoring the swimming pool and replacing HVAC at the high school, and $875,000 to re-roof C-wing, B-wing, the pool and the gym.

The total new bonding for the schools is $2,205,000.

Year three, 2026/27, has $1.1 million for a window replacement and $220,000 for bathroom renovations at Middle Gate School, and $800,000 to replace a chiller in F-wing at the High School.

The total new bonding for the schools is $2,120,000.

In year four, 2027/28, the plan includes $500,000 for a re-roofing of the 1997 wing at Hawley Elementary School, $225,000 to repave the parking lot at Head O’Meadow School, and $250,000 to replace the generator and transfer switch at the Middle School. It also contains a $12 million placeholder number for possible HVAC work at Newtown Middle School.

The total new bonding for year four would be $12,975,000.

The Middle School HVAC was moved to this year from year two, according to Barlow. He also said that the number is a placeholder while a study is done to determine the true cost and to see if there are any other problems at the middle school that might add to the overall costs to taxpayers to keep the school in good working condition.

First Selectman Dan Rosenthal stated the issue was a “conundrum,” in talking with Superintendent of Schools Chris Melillo and Barlow, and the study would help the town get a better handle on the costs, and see “how much is too much to put in.”

“We don’t want to put in $25 million and then another $20 million,” said Rosenthal. “That’s throwing good money after bad.”

Rosenthal said that “even at $25 million,” he would have difficulty supporting it and he felt the public would as well, just to fix the HVAC at one school.

BOE Chairman Deborra Zukowksi said the study would “look at whether it is worth it to do work on the building or possibly put the money elsewhere.” The study would look at all the buildings holistically, determine what is needed at each school, and make sure the envelopes are holding up.

Year 5, 2028/29, of the plan includes $275,000 for repaving the parking lot and sidewalks at Hawley School, $200,000 for HVAC design at Middle Gate School, $450,000 to replace windows at the High School, and $700,000 for a security camera upgrade at all schools.

The total new bonding for year five would be $1,625,000.

Municipal CIP Review

The town also gave its presentation for the municipal side of the CIP, with Rosenthal going over the plan.

While the first year is a “bonding vacation,” according to Finance Director Robert Tait, to help reduce the town’s debt service, there is some capital spending in the first year of the plan. All capital projects over $200,000 have to be included in the CIP, even if they are not bonded.

The first year, 2024-25, includes $3.1 million for roads, a $200,000 grant match, a $500,000 auxiliary pool HVAC unit, and $250,000 for a community center playscape; they will all be funded from other sources. The roads have been entirely moved to the general fund a few years ago, while the other three projects are coming from other sources.

In year two, 2025-26, the plan calls for $3.15 million for roads from the general fund; bonding for $875,000 for the replacement of fire apparatus, $2 million for building remediation and demo at the Fairfield Hills campus, $530,000 for Edmond Town Hall building renovations, $600,000 for a parking lot and sidewalks at C.H. Booth Library, and $350,000 for an irrigation infrastructure replacement; from other funding sources are $50,000 for site and salt storage improvements for Public Works, $200,000 for a town match of grants, $500,000 for the sidewalk program, $525,000 for an outdoor splash pad at the Community Center, $200,000 for automated dividing walls at the Community Center, and $350,000 for pickleball courts at the Fairfield Hills campus.

First Selectman Dan Rosenthal said $200,000 of the money for pickleball courts may come from American Rescue Plan funds while the other $150,000 is expected from fundraising from the pickleball organization.

The projects together represent $5,355,000 in new bonding.

Year two differs from the previous version of the plan by $630,000; the bridge replacement has been increased by $400,000 due to escalating costs, fire apparatus has been increased by $50,000 due to inflation, the irrigation infrastructure is a new item, and $500,000 has been reduced because a playground replacement for Treadwell Park has been moved to year five.

In year three, 2026-27, the plan calls for $3.2 million for roads from the general fund; bonding for $1 million for bridge replacement, $600,000 for site and salt storage improvements for Public Works, $895,000 for replacement of fire apparatus, $250,000 in bonding and $850,000 from other sources for artificial turf and lighting at Treadwell Park, $500,000 for maintenance yard improvements, and $2 million for building remediation and demo at Fairfield Hills; from other funding sources are $385,000 for artificial turf at the Dickinson Park playground and $200,000 for town match of grants.

The projects together would require $5,245,000 in new bonding.

Year three differs from the previous version of the plan by $750,000; the bridge replacement has been increased by $400,000 due to escalating costs, fire apparatus has been increased by $50,000 due to inflation, the maintenance yard improvements have been increased by $150,000, and a truck washing station for $550,000 has been removed.

Rosenthal said the truck washing station was supposed to be a multi-town project but no other towns have shown interest, and it’s not worth it for the town to fund it alone.

In year four, 2027-28, the plan calls for $3.25 million for roads from the general fund; bonding for $1 million for bridge replacement, $915,000 for replacement of fire apparatus, $250,000 in bonding and $100,000 in grants for Fairfield Hills trail improvements, $3 million for building remediation and demo at Fairfield Hills, and $425,000 for Edmond Town Hall building renovations; from other sources are $210,000 for an exterior shade structure at the Community Center, and $200,000 for town match of grants.

The projects together would require $5,590,000 in new bonding.

Year four differs from the previous version of the plan by $450,000, adding $400,000 for bridge replacement and $50,000 for fire apparatus.

In year five, 2028-29, the plan calls for $3.3 million for roads from the general fund; bonding for $1 million for bridge replacement, $290,000 for new generators and transfer switches, $500,000 for a playground replacement at Treadwell Park, $3 million for building remediation and demo at Fairfield Hills, and $500,000 for plumbing/radiator renewal at Edmond Town Hall; from other sources are $300,000 for pool plastering and tiling at the Community Center, $200,000 for town match of grants, and $700,000 for the sidewalk program.

The projects together would require $5,290,000 in new bonding.

Year five differs from the previous version of the plan by $900,000, adding $400,000 for bridge replacement and moving the Treadwell playground replacement from year two.

Rosenthal said that the money for building demolitions in years two through five are contingent on whether the town gets historic credits that would allow two of the Fairfield Hills buildings to be renovated as mixed use residential and retail, but would preclude the other buildings from being demolished.

If the credits are not approved, the town will begin the demolitions, and Rosenthal recommended the town go forward with an “omnibus appropriation” for $20 million so that the town is only going to the residents once to ask them to approve the money. He said the approach is better than the alternative, which would essentially be asking the voters individually, each year, if it was OK, to tear Cochrane Hall down, then if it was OK to tear Plymouth Hall down, etc.

“We’d have it approved all at once but then block out the work in the CIP the way we are, with a certain amount of money each year,” said Rosenthal. “We’d get the question answered by the public and then move on.”

Rosenthal said the question can’t be asked until it knows whether it will receive the credits or not. Demolition would likely start with Cochrane Hall and then move through the other larger halls, with the duplexes last. Rosenthal said the duplexes would be the cheapest to renovate, at an estimated $1 million each, so are more likely to find prospective tenants than the halls, which could cost $50 to $60 million to renovate.

Associate Editor Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com.