Following the refusal by the State of Connecticut to offer grant money for the Hawley HVAC project last year, the Legislative Council approved a slate of 12 motions specifically designed to meet all requirements for an air quality grant.

The State of Connecticut has $244 million available for grants for air quality projects, at a 30 percent reimbursement rate. Due to discrepancies between the guidelines from the state and how Newtown conducts things legislatively, however, the town was denied last year “on a technicality,” First Selectman Dan Rosenthal said during the November 15 meeting.

“They made us readjust our motions to fall in line with the grant,” said First Selectman Dan Rosenthal.

The town will be applying for grants both retroactively for the Hawley project, for Head O’ Meadow, and for the replacement of air quality units at Newtown High School in both the A- and B-wings.

School Facilities Director John Barlow said it is important the motions “go in a certain way so that they don’t get tossed on a technicality.”

“John is being polite,” said Rosenthal. “This stuff makes your hair hurt. This is stupid state bureaucracy that I find infuriating. Our local process is spelled out by ordinance.”

Among the 12 motions the council made were authorizing the Public Building & Site Commission to act as the town’s building committee with regards to the HVAC projects. Councilman Ryan Knapp noted that the state requiring the town to do so was “splitting hairs.” The motions authorized Rosenthal to sign five different letters, noting that the town authorized $850,000 for the NHS HVAC A-Wing equipment replacement project, $8.3 million for the Hawley HVAC project, $600,000 for the Head O’ Meadow HVAC project, and $1.2 million for the NHS HVAC B-Wing equipment replacement project, as well as when each funding was authorized by the council.

The town is not expecting to hear the results of whether or not it will receive grants until sometime in 2024.

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