Date: Fri 30-Aug-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

Town-Hall-South-Hurley

Full Text:

with photos : Town Hall South Employees Are Not Looking Forward To Winter

B Y S TEVE B IGHAM

It's been almost two weeks since the vote, but to no one's surprise, the

problems at Town Hall South have not gone away and there appears to be no

relief in sight.

A musty odor still wafts through the hallways, mold still flourishes in the

floor, and insulation and wires still protrude from gaping holes in walls. By

winter, water is expected to ooze into Town Hall South, once again.

Last week's referendum rejection of a proposed $840,000 renovation to the

deteriorating Main Street structure had many of the 20-plus Town Hall South

employees shaking their heads wondering about the future of their work

environment.

The Main Street building, which houses the police department upstairs and

land-use agencies, building offices, and the parks & recreation and health

departments downstairs, has for years been ravaged by flooding and general

deterioration.

First Selectman Bob Cascella's defeated renovation plan would have included a

major repair of the curtain drain around the public building, plus a few

cosmetic changes, just enough to get by for now. The first selectman has

always had a plan of consolidating the town offices at one site, most likely

Fairfield Hills Hospital, but he was looking for a short-term solution in

order to get Town Hall South "weather tight" until a more permanent move could

be made.

Moving the town offices to a site like Fairfield Hills and expanding the

police department at Town Hall South is still in the long-term plans, but town

employees now find themselves in limbo.

"Where do we go from here?," asked Rita Macmillan, an administrator for the

Planning and Zoning Department, which at times last winter was literally

submerged in water.

Though the summer months have been relatively kind to the interior of Town

Hall South, winter is just around the corner and Mr Cascella doesn't want to

deal with the same problems he and his staff faced a year ago when water

ruined some land maps, destroyed carpeting and forced employees from their

desks. In fact, he met with members of his Town Hall South staff last week

after the vote to assure them that they will not be left in the water again

this winter.

But what to do? Where will the employees work for the time being; in a

portable, in rented office space or will they remain in the damp and dreary

Town Hall South surroundings? Some Town Hall South employees have even joked

about working out of their homes.

"There really aren't too many options available," noted Legislative Council

member Joe Borst.

Mr Borst has suggested renting office space at the Queen's Row office complex

on Mile Hill Road or even closing off the Planning and Zoning office and using

the Town Hall South conference room for temporary space. He believes finding a

simple solution until a permanent move can be made will end up costing more

than the original $840,000 renovation figure.

"The town's voters don't want to spend any money, but they also don't want to

do any research to find out what the town feels is a viable solution," he

said.

Mr Borst thinks the town is having to deal with problems with its buildings

now because past town leadership "refused to have an aggressive maintenance

plan."

"No matter what we do right now, it's going to be a Band Aid," explained Mr

Cascella, who will have to make a quick decision for the immediate future

before the federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA)

returns and does it for him.

Public Works Director Fred Hurley said something has to be done to attack the

major water problem at the building. For now, the public works director said

his department will "put a couple of fingers in the dike" to keep Town Hall

South from getting any worse over the short term.

When and if the leaks and flooding is ever controlled, Mr Hurley said the town

will still need to deal with tile and sheet rock damage in order to make the

building habitable.

Many residents who voted against the renovations, including Sam Nezvesky and

Hugh Quinn who petitioned to bring the issue to a referendum, believe it would

be best to tear down or sell Town Hall South.

In addition to the Fairfield Hills Hospital option, Newtown Bee publisher R.

Scudder Smith has made an offer to lease office space to the town in a

building that would be constructed just to the south of Town Hall South on

property owned by the Bee Publishing Company.

In 1978, the town, under then-First Selectman Jack Rosenthal, purchased a farm

equipment dealership at 3 Main Street for $390,000 and moved its offices in,

creating Town Hall South.