FFH Utility Poles To Stay—

Firehouse, Streetscape, Water Line May Fit In Council’s Unanimous CIP Revision

By John Voket

Apparently it is only half-time for the town’s capital improvement plan.

The multimillion dollar, five-year roadmap for municipal capital spending has already been generated by the boards of education and selectmen, and then revised again by leaders on those boards before being passed to the Legislative Council by the finance board.

But after a brief break in the action, two nights of extensive deliberation by council members and comment from participating interests ensued. Then on March 17, the council unanimously returned another revised CIP to the finance board with new priorities, and new expenditures to determine if those new projects can fit within the community’s current spending parameters.

The finance board’s task may be eased somewhat by the fact that certain other proposed expenditures can be bumped out of the all important Year 1 of the capital plan. But time is of the essence because that debt service must be incorporated into the ongoing budget proposal which must be finalized before the town’s late April budget referendum.

Savings in the first year would come from delaying the move of electrical utility lines from poles to underground conduits at Fairfield Hills. And it also appears that two school district capital projects may yield additional savings that would free up funds to be transferred to the newly proposed CIP priorities by the council.

Those new projects include a new fire headquarters for the Newtown Hook & Ladder volunteer fire company, and the completion of a related Sandy Hook water line extension and streetscape projects.

The savings would come from removing the $350,000 previously earmarked for the utility work at Fairfield Hills, additional savings finance director Bob Tait is anticipating in the high school expansion bonding, and the recent suggestion that the Middle School roof replacement estimates may have been overestimated by anywhere from 25 to 50 percent.

The finance board, and the council’s finance committee chair have all suggested that as many Year 1 capital projects as possible be bid or re-estimated to have the latest, best cost estimates from a $325,000 bridge replacement proposal by the Highway Department to the $3.5 million estimated to replace the Middle School roof.

Review Of School Roof Replacement

Local builder/developer Michael Burton appeared before the finance committee March 16, armed with documentation that, if estimated correctly against the most up-to-date labor and market trends, indicated more than $1 million could be saved from the most recently approved estimate of about $3.5 million for the replacement of the Middle School roof. But he also suggested, based on any elevated level of competition for the work, it might be possible to save as much as half — bringing an existing $10 per-square-foot projection down as low as $5.

That Tuesday committee meeting also brought out a contingent of representatives from Newtown Hook & Ladder, who helped the committee rule out any great likelihood that the town could receive substantial federal assistance for the new firehouse construction. The company representatives also made a case for escalating the town’s overall CIP contribution from a total of $750,000 over two years to $1.5 million over three years.

And both meetings were populated with representatives driving home a point that a public investment in the Sandy Hook water main extension and streetscape initiative was the only CIP project that had the potential to begin showing immediate return on investment.

More than 15 Sandy Hook business owners, who came to the council meeting Wednesday, rallied around the companion projects several spokespersons argued would ultimately pay for themselves in taxes generated by new mixed development projects that were already on the drawing board with appropriate financial backing.

Following the finance committee’s unanimous endorsement Tuesday, the full council agreed to make CIP adjustments that would:

*Change Year 1 to reflect the $1,000,000 proposed for the Capital Road Program.

*Move the Sandy Hook Streetscape at $200,000, and Sandy Hook Water Main at $450,000 into Year 1 of the plan.

*Add the Hook & Ladder Building at $500,000 in each Year 1, 2 and 3 for a total of $1,500,000.

*As well as adding Sandy Hook Streetscape at $200,000 each Year 2 and 3.

*In Years 4 and 5, add the Sandy Hook Streetscape at $200,000 each year.

*Move underground electrical project at Fairfield Hills out of Years 1 and 3, placing it in Years 4 and 5 — freeing up additional funds in Years 1 and 3.

*And factoring the net cost for the Middle School roof projects after state reimbursement instead of the current gross costs estimated in the current CIP proposal.

The council’s motion also reflects the finance committee’s recommendation to expedite the bidding process for the Year 1 projects to make sure that the projects are not taking more of the town’s resources than are needed; and review the high school project for the surplus available from the variance between what was approved and the bid award to determine if there are more capital funds available.

As a result of the bidding process and reviews, the council expects there will be funds available for reallocation while staying under the ten percent debt cap.

The Board of Finance is asked to look again at moving needed projects up in the plan with any funds that become available per the motion.

Finance board chairman John Kortze said his panel will review the new proposal to see if the adjustments could work in the current financial atmosphere, and given the money that may be available for debt service under the town’s ten percent cap.

Mr Kortze added that there may be sentiment on his board to consider banking some of the money that new CIP savings yield. The finance board chair also said that if these adjustments could be accomplished, the board of selectmen would be required to readjust capital priorities in the coming years as a result.