The town votes in favor with only a few dissenting

By Bob Bumcrot

At a Special Town Meeting held at Botelle School on August 9, a resolution appropriating $750,000 for the construction of an Emergency Services Building (ESB) was approved by a show of hands, with approximately 95 in favor, seven against and few abstentions. This meeting was the second in the process, so discussion of the resolution, moderated by Schuyler Thomson, was relatively calm.

A previous hearing, with an attendance of about 50, was held on July 11 by the ESB Committee, comprised of Ted Veling (Chairman), Suzanne Funchion (Ambulance), Mark Burke (Board of Finance), Leo Colwell (Board of Selectmen) and Steve Osburn (Fire Department). At this meeting, First Selectman Sue Dyer told the gathering that the town had obtained a $400,000 STEAP (Small Town Economic Assistance Program) award from the State of Connecticut. “This is a great deal,” said Burke. “For $350,000 we get an all-volunteer 24/7 ambulance service with Resident State Trooper, in an attractive new building.”

Despite that opinion, a number of questions were raised about location and design, as well as the possibility of building a single structure to house all three services: Fire, Ambulance and Trooper. The Committee defended its decision to place the building on the Town-owned lot at the corner of Shepard Road and Greenwoods Road West (Route 44) and to postpone consideration of a new or re-built firehouse. Other questions about building design, construction and maintenance were discussed by both Committee members and architect Bob Lamson. Concerns were expressed about whether or not the building would incorporate any energy-efficient innovations (yes, it will have special insulation), or why it could not house both fire and ambulance (no, much too costly and would require a much larger turning radius area for fire trucks) or why that particular location (well, there was no other suitable place).

On the matter of taxes, Dyer and Board of Finance Chairman Mike Sconyers said that, thanks to the approaching final payment of the original Botelle School bond issue, there would be at most only a small increase in property taxes and this increase would be occasioned by bonding for both the ESB and the Botelle windows replacement project.

Four additional resolutions, centering on current budget expenditures, a

Committee meeting schedule, building permit fines and establishing a Declaration of a Local Disaster, were passed unanimously with small amendments.

As a next step, the ESB Committee will seek a Construction Manager who, working with Lamson, will issue requests for proposals from contractors to cover the various parts of the project. By keeping the cost of each project below $500,000, it is hoped to avoid large contracting firms that have State pre-approval and use instead local firms, paid the prevailing wage. This is expected to save money.

After the meeting, members of the Norfolk Lions Club Volunteer Ambulance Service met for an ad hoc celebration at the Speckled Hen Pub. Those on duty raised a nonalcoholic beverage, as Christopher Little, the Ambulance Service’s Deputy Chief, led the celebrants in a toast to all who had worked for years to achieve this goal.