First Selectman George Temple on Monday floated the idea of putting a $2 million bond issue for road repairs before residents at this year’s budget referendum.
“It’s no secret that the roads aren’t in good shape,” Temple said during a special meeting of the Board of Selectmen. “They need a lot of immediate attention.”
To that end, Temple told three Board of Finance members attending the meeting — Lila Ferrillo, Jack Kiley, and Tom Kelly — that he wants to “pass a road improvement issue onto the voters when we have the budget meeting.”
“I would like to see $2 million in that fund,” he added.
Kiley then asked where Temple had come up with the $2 million figure. “Is that from a study?”
“There’s no definitive study at this point,” Temple replied, adding that he based the number on a $750,000 price tag Public Works Director Wayne Watt gave him for repairs on two of the town’s most notoriously poor thoroughfares, Silano Drive and Rolling Hills Drive. “I said $2 million based on those two roads.”
Temple also said Towantic Hill Road, Christian Street, Cortland Place, and Macintosh Drive need attention. “I would like to do them this year.”
Temple made improving the town’s roads a big subject during his campaign for first selectman last year. He was also the driving force behind the creation of the Roads Commission, which met this month for the first time with a view to evaluating and prioritizing repairs on town roads.
But as Kelly pointed out during Monday’s meeting, the Roads Commission’s work would be redundant if Temple had already made a decision on how to allocate road repair money.
“What would be their purpose if you already identified what you’re saying you need the $2 million for?” he asked.
The First Selectman replied that he was “just saying what I thought.”
“So that $2 million would be to fund the Roads Commission to do its job?” Kelly said.
“Right,” Temple answered.
Ferrillo, the finance board chair, said a firmer number would be necessary to put the item before voters at referendum.
“I would like to see some solid numbers,” she said, adding that it would be counterproductive to just “throw out $2 million” as a figure and then learn that wouldn’t be enough to fix many roads.
“Let’s see if the Roads Commission can come up with some numbers prior to the middle of April,” she said, noting that such a timetable would put the appropriation in line with being a separate ballot item when the town budget goes to referendum. “Then the people will tell you whether they want it or not.”
