Date: Fri 19-Jun-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

council-school-capital-plan

Full Text:

Council Adds School To Capital Plan

BY STEVE BIGHAM

The Legislative Council voted unanimously Wednesday night to add $22 million

for a new school to the town's capital improvement plan. However, the council

did so with the understanding that it is not committing itself to anything.

The council said it agreed to include the proposed project in the plan simply

to allow the Board of Education to apply for state aid. The deadline to apply

for the grant is June 30. After that, the town would stand to receive less

money from Hartford for the construction project, which if approved, would

begin in the year 2000. The town stands to receive about $7 million in state

aid, reducing its share of the cost to around $15 million.

Council members remind residents that the school board's proposal must make

its way through several check points, including a referendum, before ever

becoming a reality.

Council Chairman Pierre Rochman urged both the council's finance and education

committees to work closely with the Board of Education so that "somewhere down

the line, we don't have to be stuck saying `yes' or `no' to the school."

"We don't want to have to figure out how to finance this plan at the last

minute," he said.

Sidewalks

In other news, the Legislative Council voted 9-2 to fund the $10,500

engineering study for sidewalks in the borough. It stipulated that the money

be handled by the Board of Selectmen and the project be overseen by the Public

Building & Site Committee.

The estimated total cost of the project is about $200,000, of which $125,000

will be paid through Local Capital Improvement (LoCIP) funds. LoCIP funds

consist mostly of sales taxes, so there is no added cost to Newtown's

taxpayers. Borough officials say they are determined to raise the remaining

money through donations.

The council also voted to transfer $800 from the town's telephone and

telegraph fund to its non-recurring supplies fund to purchase a fax machine.