Residents Vote To Approve Bonding Initiatives For School Ventilation Systems And Fire Truck

By John Voket

About 30 taxpayers turned out to Newtown High School Wednesday evening and in short order approved a nearly $5 million package of bonding initiatives that will finance a new fire department pumper truck and two school heating and air conditioning projects.

According to First Selectman Herb Rosenthal, the Special Town Meeting vote was a necessary statutory formality in that the $4.7 million in low interest borrowing was already approved by town government boards and factored into the 2004-2005 budget.

“There was no opposition to the bonding packages,” Mr Rosenthal said after the meeting. “And since the debt service for these items is already included in the current budget, there will be no surprises to taxpayers as a result. The vote was basically a final endorsement to go forward with these projects.”

The first bond issue up for endorsement involved the purchase of a Class A fire department truck. The selectmen approved issuing $320,000 in bonds to meet that appropriation last month, and Mr Rosenthal said the vehicle will be town-owned and stationed at the Botsford Fire House.

“In this post-9/11 world you want to have good fire protection, and it’s important to have the best possible emergency services equipment available for our community,” he said. “It’s important for people to know that this fire engine replaces a 20–25-year-old truck. So credit goes to our fire department and the public works mechanics that have kept the existing truck running in good shape all these years.”

Mr Rosenthal said the 20-year binding package for this new fire truck was appropriate considering the vehicles do have a 20-plus year life expectancy.

The second bond issue is related to architectural and engineering services for the renovation to heating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems at Hawley Elementary School. Selectmen called for $290,000 in bonding for that appropriation.

Renovations to the heating and air conditioning system at Head O’ Meadow School are also in the works, and the Board of Selectmen recommended $4.15 million in bonding to cover that appropriation.

“Head O’ Meadow had the most problems with their heating and ventilation system. Although most were climate related, my understanding is this new system will also enhance the ventilation and air quality for our children,” he said. “The Head O’ Meadow system was original to the school which was built in the 1970s as an open school design. But over the years as walls and partitioning was put in place, it placed an extreme burden on the existing system.”

No other business was transacted at the meeting, although an initiative to seek approval to auction five homes on Mile Hill Road was originally on the meeting agenda. During the last Legislative Council meeting, which was after the town meeting agenda was posted, attending council members voted against that measure going to town meeting vote.

Several members expressed an interest in seeing appraisals or valuations on each parcel, and at least two council members discussed the possibility of classifying those homes for affordable housing opportunities. Mr Rosenthal said the auction, which was originally scheduled for the fall, was specifically designed to raise funds to underwrite hazardous pesticide remediation on the Fairfield Hills campus.