Feb. 3 -- The Board of Selectmen burned the midnight oil at their special meeting tonight to discuss the capital budget for the town's Year 2000 budget. With First Selectmen Abe Morelli down with the flu, Dr. Peter Yanity ran the meeting with a confidence stemming from thirty years of public service.
Controller Jay Wahlberg presented detailed financial analyses on literally hundreds of individual capital proposals. Most met with grudging approval; many were resoundingly nuked and a couple of items flared into prolonged controversy.
First and foremost was the persistent demands by the Golf Commission for more money. Their first request is for a new maintenance shed for their vehicles at a price of about $207,000 - this same request declined by grateful voters twice previously. The current shed is located near the 8th tee, and is the recipient of a daily bombardment of small white asteroids. Several vehicles have had windows smashed and, in the eyes of the Commission, it is only a matter of time before someone is injured or even killed by a slicing four wood.
The other Golf issue is the expansion of the newly purchased driving range, for which $180,000 was requested. Selectmen Joe Savino and Mike Jones both were mightily discouraged that the Commission had found time to develop plans, draw up a budget, communicate that budget to the Town Hall, and file for the zoning permits all without discussing it with the Selectmen, as they had promised to do last April. In both cases, the requested funds were tabled with a thud.
A more interesting discussion stemmed from the fact that there were no funds in the Police capital budget for updated radio systems. Selectmen Jones had done a substantial amount of research about the problem, and presented a paper suggesting that the situation was far worse than portrayed by Chief Rotunda just three weeks before. After extensive debate and concurring input from Scott Clark, president of the Patrolmen's Union, it was agreed that more input would be sought from Acting Chief Ligi and his team for any final votes were taken.
Democratic Selectmen Manners and Jones both also spoke in favor of establishing funding for a permanent land bank for Ridgefield. This fund would target select properties in town for preservation and conservation and buy those properties when they became available. The town has made some purchases over the past few years, but not all of those lands have been set aside for conservation. These funds would protect important scenic vistas, water resources, habitat and wildlife for perpetuity.
Selectman Mike Jones proposed funding the land bank at $2 million annually, bringing a storm of opposition from Dr. Yanity. A number of public citizens spoke on the issue during the meeting, and it was clear that there is a strong degree of public support for protecting scenic Ridgefield as proposed in the town's master plan.
One controversial proposal which generated great debate was the half-million dollar request from the Library for a technology upgrade. Norman Craig, from the Board of Finance, spoke against the upgrade due to the heavy financial burden it would put on the operating budget in the years ahead. Barbara Manners, Joe Savino and Mike Jones all spoke in favor of the project conceptually but expressed various degrees of shock and surprise at the magnitude of the request and the subsequent funding requirements. Again, the item was tabled pending more information.
On a more modest note, Charlie Fisher, the Town Engineer, provided additional details on "closing the sidewalk loop" around the central bvusiness district in town. This year the plan would call for finishing East Ridge from the Middle School to the Old High School, and thereby keeping the kids from walking on the street. The sidewalks near Casagmo, King Lane and most of the length of southern High Ridge would also be rebuilt. Once completed, citizens will be able to enjoy the scenery and shopping of the entire "village district" from the safety of proper sidewalks. Mr. Fisher estimated the work at $225,000 for the year. This was approved.
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