Residents will have their say on a $1.2 million road repair proposal for Great Hill Road after all.
It seemed the issue was dead, after the Board of Finance rejected the proposal at its December meeting.
But a petition with about 100 signatures was presented to the town Wednesday, triggering the Board of Selectmen to schedule a town meeting on the issue, where residents will weigh in directly.
The town meeting is scheduled for 8 p.m. March 10.
Difference of Opinion
It seems most people in town agree the road needs work.
Great Hill Road is in bad shape, with major drainage issues.
But Democrats and Republicans differ sharply on what to do about it.
Town leaders, led by Democratic First Selectwoman Mary Ann Drayton-Rogers, want to bond $1.2 million over 20 years to pay for major repairs on the road. The Board of Selectmen approved the plan in early December.
However, the Republican-led Board of Finance voted later that month to reject the plan, citing concerns about borrowing too much money, and fixing the road when more construction at the Meadowbrook Estates subdivision could mean more road work down the road.
“We never said the road didn’t need fixing. It certainly does,” Board of Finance Chairman Lila Ferrillo said Thursday.
The question was whether bonding — and bonding right now — was the right approach, Ferrillo said.
“You feel it a little bit for 20 years. You’re not hiding it. You’re just stretching it out,” Ferrillo said. “And that’s not right either. It’s no different than your household. How much can you pile onto your credit card?”
Ferrillo said the town should seek grants to help pay for the repairs.
Bonding makes sense, according to Herman Schuler, the town’s Economic Development Director, who circulated the petition at a Meadowbrook Estates coffee club recently. Meadowbrook Estates is a subdivision that has access from Great Hill Road.
He said fixing the road is an investment because the road is a major access route for Route 34, Route 188 and Route 67. The town has already tried to get grants, Schuler said, and needs to move forward.
The petition drive was led by the Democratic Town Committee, but people from all political affiliations signed it, First Selectwoman Mary Ann Drayton-Rogers said.
A Voice
On Thursday, voters who show up to the town meeting will decide whether to move forward with the proposal.
Drayton-Rogers said the town meeting gives the people a voice in the decision.
“The position of the town has always been, if you have reasons to oppose a project, present those at a town meeting, but allow our residents to make a decision on projects for our town,” Drayton-Rogers said.
“It’s very limiting, six members of the Board of Finance telling the town what’s good for them and what’s not good for them,” Drayton-Rogers said. “The petition is bringing that same message forward.”
Ferrillo said that most people aren’t aware of the items up for vote at town meetings, and a decision like this might be better served with a referendum.
“Unless it affects them and their area, they don’t necessarily have a clue. A referendum is so much better,” Ferrillo said. “It forces the people to come out and vote on the issue.”
Politics?
The issue brings up old concerns from Democrats, who say the Board of Finance is trying to stall the administration’s projects.
“They did that with the solar panels,” Drayton-Rogers said, referring to a proposal to install solar panels on a town school. “This isn’t the first time they’ve taken a position.”
But Ferrillo said the Board of Finance, as elected officials, are looking out for the entire town.
“Every time we don’t agree with her … or we have another spin on it, if it isn’t 100 percent hers, it’s called a stall tactic or a political game,” Ferrillo said. “Believe me, it is not.”
“She looks at things one way,” Ferrillo said. “When it comes to us, we look at it from a strictly financial standpoint. Is it good for the town?”
Other Items
The town meeting will also put two other questions to voters, that update figures for previously voted on capital projects, according to Drayton-Rogers.
In one, the town voted to purchase a backhoe for $94,000, but the total cost had come to $100,540, Drayton-Rogers said.
The town meeting will ask voters to approve a transfer of $1,540 from the highway equipment maintenance line item, and accept a $5,000 trade-in to go toward the difference.
The other item was for the fire department’s new tanker, which was estimated to cost $310,000, but was bid at only $261,766.
Voters will be asked to decide if the difference — about $48,000 — should be used to purchase a new fire chief’s vehicle, Drayton-Rogers said.
