By Jarret Liotta
A majority of Board of Finance (BOF) members indicate they are in support of the estimated $32 million appropriation needed to renovate Coleytown Middle School (CMS).
Board of Finance Chair Brian Stern tells the BOE: “It’s a very serious amount of money for us, for the town.” (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Jarret Liotta for WestportNow.com
Still, the BOF as a whole intends to do its due diligence in examining costs, comparisons, ramifications and looking at exactly what the town would be getting for its money before it moves the capital expenditure request forward to the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) next month.
At a joint meeting with the Board of Education (BOE) Thursday night, which was also attended by RTM leadership, BOF members heard a presentation from the CMS Building Committee Chair Don O’Day.
O’Day, who is adamant that the school can be opened on time, barring calamity, stressed that in order to make it happen, town officials needed to move quickly and concisely.
While he said some variables like weather were out of their control, “We can definitely control the inability to make a decision,” he said. “We should make a decision … The one thing that we can stop (is) over-contemplating what we’re doing.”
The timeline requires that the RTM approve the funding at its July 16 meeting.
“We’ve got to come clean on what it means financially to the town,” BOF Chairman Brian Stern said. “It’s a very serious amount of money for us, for the town.”
He said it would mean a 30% increase to the town’s debt, which would impact other projects.
BOF member James Westphal said the town would “essentially” be increasing the town budget by 1% over each of the next 20 years, with the annual cost falling around $2.3 million.
“When we increase our debt, as was pointed out, by 30%,” First Selectman Jim Marpe noted, “that presents a challenge to other projects that are lined up, that are just as important to some people.”
While he said he had no specific questions, Stern asked if a tour can be arranged within the next 10 days so financiers and RTM members could see examples of what the cladding of the building and other items may look like.
“I think it’s important before someone builds a house to have some notion of what it looks like before you move in,” he said.
“We don’t have time to knock this around the block,” said BOF member Nancie Dupier, noting it wasn’t going to be a perfect scenario but still a sound choice.
“To me it’s a lot of money … but it’s a worthwhile investment,” said BOF member Andrea Moore, who like others expressed a desire to see the town have eight operating school buildings.
“I think we’re very much in need of the 125,000-square feet of capacity that we lost,” Westphal said.
While he indicated support for the project, he said he wanted all facts supporting opposing views to be vetted.
Among the items BOF member want to see are cost estimates for building a wing onto Bedford Middle School.
“I want to make sure that’s been discussed,” said BOF member Sheri Gordon.
“I think the financially responsible thing to do is consider all the options,” she said, indicating it wasn’t likely to be the solution but it could cost much less.
RTM Moderator Velma Heller, a longtime educator and former Westport school administrator, spoke favorably of the project.
“Let’s move this thing forward and get behind it,” she said, calling the presentation light at the end of the tunnel.
Lauren Karpf, who chairs the RTM Education Committee, reminded everyone of the question of other school buildings and potential related costs.
“We know there are a lot of problems with other schools,” she said. “And we have a lot of other costs potentially coming down the line. So that’s something to be cognizant as well.”
“Here’s my dream for the end of the process,” Stern said, “that is that we have the full support of the community.”
Stating he believes the Coleytown schools—both CMS and Coleytown Elementary School—define that neighborhood, “I think in that regard it is so important that … we’re all in it, we’re all supporting it and there’s no second guessing.”
Stern said the public is invited to comment on the matter at this Monday night’s BOF meeting.
This story has been updated to correct the quote from Lauren Karpf, who made no reference to Long Lots Elementary School.
