Wilton’s Board of Selectmen (BOS) has been absorbing the findings from a recently-completed, municipal facilities needs assessment. Earlier this week (Feb. 26), the lead architects from the consulting firm Marx|Okubo presented their findings to the BOS along with cost figures for the needs anticipated over the next 10 years.
First Selectman Toni Boucher has spoken numerous times in recent months about poor conditions in many of municipal buildings — especially the offices and other facilities at Wilton’s Town Hall campus — which she says are no longer acceptable for employees and residents.
“The can has been kicked down the road so much, it’s sad to see,” Boucher said at the conclusion of the Feb. 26 meeting. Afterwards, she wrote to GMW saying, “I found the analysis of where the Town Hall and Annex complex could be maximized very important to the longterm needs of the buildings that are now over capacity.”
The consultant’s presentation, “Facility Condition Assessment & Preliminary Space Needs Assessment,” is not yet posted on the Town website, but can be seen in its entirety on the Zoom meeting video recording. (The consultant’s initial draft report has been revised substantially with involvement from Wilton DPW staff. A final report was not released by the Feb. 26 meeting.)
Wilton’s Department of Public Works Director/Town Engineer Frank Smeriglio and Assistant Director/Facilities Manager Jeff Pardo also attended the Feb. 26 meeting.
Smeriglio gave a brief introduction, explaining that the assessment — like the separate assessment conducted for the school buildings — was a major undertaking initially conceived in 2019 as part of the Town’s longterm planning for infrastructure needs.
What Was Assessed?
Pardo noted that the study identified the repairs and upgrades needed at municipal facilities, but also addressed overcrowding and additional space needs.
The assessment included the following facilities on the Town Hall campus plus several other Town-owned facilities:
- Town Hall
- Town Hall Annex (including the Animal Shelter)
- Fire Headquarters
- DPW Garage
- Fire Station 2
- Comstock Community Center
- Veterans Memorial Stadium: restrooms, concession stand, team rooms, press box
- Merwin Meadows: restroom facility and barn
- Gilbert & Bennett building
The study did not include police headquarters, which is now under construction, or the building occupied by the Wilton Volunteer Ambulance Corps (WVAC), which is discussed later in this story.
Town-owned buildings at Ambler Farm (such as the “Yellow House” and “White House”) were not included, because their needs — estimated at $2.2 million over the next two years — had already been evaluated by DPW and Friends of Ambler Farm.
What Are The Priority Needs and Costs?
The existing facilities were generally found to “range in condition from fair to poor,” according to the report.
The maintenance needs were each assigned a priority ranking of 1-5. The most immediate repairs are estimated to cost $454,400.
Roughly $9.46 million in repairs were prioritized for years 1-2 — with a total of $16 million over a 10-year horizon.
On top of those repairs and upgrades, the analysis of space needs — to alleviate overcrowding and accommodate expected growth — identified another $15.4 million in costs associated with expansion of facilities and new construction. (By comparison, the new police headquarters that was approved by voters was expected to cost roughly $15 million.)
The consultants presented ideas for potentially expanding multiple facilities on Town Hall campus:
- A two-story, 5,500-sq.ft addition to the Town Hall building at a cost of $3.3 million (in addition to $3.1 million in rehabilitation of the existing space)
- A 4,400-sq.ft addition to the Fire Headquarters, at a cost of $2.6 million
- A 3,500-sq.ft. addition to the Public Works garage with new, interior office space for DPW staff, at a cost of $2.1 million
- A major renovation of the Town Hall Annex — including relocation of the Animal Shelter to a new facility constructed alongside the Public Works garage building — at a cost of $2.2 million
Space needs were also identified at Comstock Community Center, for additional gym space as well as storage, at a cost estimated to be $2.1 million.
What About WVAC?
Last June, two WVAC representatives shared their own views about WVAC’s facilities with the BOS, in the hopes that the Town would consider their needs in any future campus improvements.
WVAC is not managed by the Town. It is a nonprofit 501(c) corporation that operates from a building on the Town Hall campus. Because of the close relationship between WVAC and Wilton’s emergency services, its location at Town Hall campus and near the emergency traffic light is advantageous. Without WVAC, many Wilton residents would likely experience longer response times from other ambulance services.
The Feb. 26 meeting did not address WVAC’s space needs, despite being labelled by the architect on the Town Hall campus map (in green above) as new construction space. (An earlier draft of the report also included square footage and costs estimated for a new two-story building, which was not part of the Feb. 26 presentation.) GMW reached out to town officials for clarification.
Pardo told GMW any costs associated with WVAC facilities aren’t part of the Town’s assessment.
“It just included where the architect thought the best location would be for the [WVAC],” he explained, adding that WVAC would bear the cost of new facilities and the current building would likely be razed in favor of other expansion ideas.
“It’s not part of our costs.” he said, also emphasizing that all of the expansion concepts presented are very preliminary.
What’s Next?
More information about what exactly the BOS will propose for spending will be revealed in the ongoing FY 2025 budget process. While some projects may be tackled with operating budgets, much of the cost would be borrowed, if plans are approved by voters for bonding.
Sorting out any funding that may have been previously allocated but not spent, which budgets have capacity to handle some expenses in the near term, which items can be bonded, and many other questions are still being resolved.
The BOS is expected to discuss the five-year capital spending plan at an upcoming March meeting. (A draft capital plan was posted on the Town website but was not discussed at the Feb. 26 meeting.)
And Speaking of Property…
Wilton’s property holdings have been a significant topic of conversation recently. In light of budget pressures, Boucher has raised the suggestion to re-evaluate a 2019 review of all Town-owned properties and whether Wilton should continue to hold and maintain all of the properties in its portfolio.
The BOS has also held three confidential executive sessions in recent weeks, only giving public notice that the subject of the session was “Property.” GMW asked Boucher to clarify the “property” being discussed, whether it was a Town-owned property, and the nature of the discussion which required confidentiality, but she declined to provide any further clarification.