After many hours of exploration and contemplation, the Wilton Capital Planning Committee has focused its recommendations for bonding projects primarily on the schools, with six of its top seven choices making up the full list of requests from the Board of Education.
At the bottom of the 14 items that were included in the vote was the historic Gilbert & Bennett School, which has suddenly gotten much more attention after a local business proposed purchasing it.
What was not even mentioned at the Wednesday, Feb. 4, meeting of the WCPC was the Yellow House at Ambler Farm, which had previously been the center of much discussion at the committee.
Roberts: “Stand By Our Opinions”
Members on the committee had been asked to individually rank the proposed projects as a fair way to average their scores and create the committee’s overall recommendation list.
At the top of the meeting, Board of Finance member Kari Roberts questioned why WCPC Chair Jeff Rutishauser listed all of the votes on the recommendation ranking sheet as ‘anonymous’ — a point that later brought a strong public comment about transparency directed at First Selectman Toni Boucher.
She pointed out that part of the original reason the committee was even created was to “enhance transparency.”
“I felt very uncomfortable when we were told to do our ranking sheets and that our names would be attached to it, and then when it was all done, all of a sudden it was anonymous,” Roberts said. “And so that made me uncomfortable that it went from being public information for everybody to see our worksheets, and now when it came back we’re told that people felt uncomfortable.”
“I think they should all have a name attached to them because we were elected to represent the people who voted for us,” she said, “to say what our opinion is, and we should stand by our opinions and they shouldn’t be anonymous.”
Rutishauser acknowledged the point, but noted he didn’t have time to check with each member after concerns were expressed to him by persons he didn’t identify.
“Several people here expressed a concern that they couldn’t be as forthright,” he said. “Now this is a personal opinion. I can easily release that spreadsheet with those names on it if we choose to do so.”
Board of Finance member Rudy Escalante said they should do so.
“This is the first time it’s been suggested that I take a secret vote,” Escalante said. “We’re supposed to take public votes.”
Selectman Matt Raimondi also agreed, with none of the other voting members in attendance raising objections. Boucher, the 11th voting member, was not in attendance at that point, having arrived later.
Rutishauser said that after the meeting he would repost the document with the names included.
“Within 24 hours I will put the names back on the tabs … Anyone have an objection to that?” he asked, with no WCPC member expressing opposition.
While names were not posted that quickly, by Friday, Feb. 6 document online now identifies the members and their votes.
Ranking Priorities
Rutishauser said that 10 of the 11 voting members of the WCPC had ranked the project recommendations, calling it a “pretty good model size.” Out of the 11 voting members — including eight elected officials, Superintendent Kevin Smith, Rutishauser and resident Rich Santosky — only Selectman Rich McCarty did not cast a votes.
At this time the committee plans to make recommendations to the BOS in the following order:
- Roof Replacement at Cider Mill School ($2,900,000)
- Exterior Envelope Renovation at Cider Mill School ($2,701,268)
- Sitework, Doors & Windows at Cider Mill School ($955,030)
- Continued School Improvements at Middlebrook School ($13,436,569)
- Sitework, Doors & Windows at Middlebrook School ($8,689,594)
- Replacement of HVAC/Elevator at Comstock Community Center ($500,000)
- Drainage/Sidewalk/Pavement Work at Wilton High School ($265,500)
- Renovation of Merwin Bathhouse ($480,000)
- Fire Dept. Headquarters Renovations ($1,606,880)
- DPW Highway Garage Renovations ($1,023,770)
- Full-Size Gym at Comstock Community Center ($2,750,000)
- DPW Highway Garage Addition for Offices ($5,031,290)
- Fire Dept. Headquarters Addition ($4,346,771)
- Gilbert & Bennett Building Roof Replacement ($729,800)
These projects total $46,016,472.
“I expected the numbers to be a little more skewed,” Rutishauser said. “I was surprised how constant they were member to member.”
At its previous meeting the WCPC decided to refocus its recommendation strictly on the projects that were specifically listed in the needs assessment reports. There were, however, around 15 other projects that the committee discussed this season, including the Yellow House, renovation and possible rebuild of Town Hall, a range of Parks and Recreation Department projects including construction of a municipal pickleball court, bridge repair, road paving and the purchase of a dump truck.
“Those projects that are not in our scope go straight to the Board of Selectmen for their review,” Rutishauser said, and would be presented by either Department of Public Works Director Frank Smeriglio or Parks and Rec Director Steve Pierce.
Historic Consideration
Roberts, who identified herself as the only member to place the G&B School property higher than number 14 — ranking it at number 8 — expressed concern that in looking at the evaluation criteria of ranking the projects, the WCPC may not have put enough weight into historical significance of buildings, citing both G&B and the Yellow House.
She also cited the town’s 2019 Plan of Conservation and Development, arguing that residents have stated they want more heed paid to historic properties, including those two.
“We paid a lot of money for a POCD in 2019 … I think we should use it,” Roberts said, citing goals that include historic consideration.
While the WCPC had no public discussion about the potential deal, Twelve God Brewery has approached the town about wanting to buy the G&B property, renovate it and open a restaurant and brewery on the site.
“It’s not that I don’t want to see the Gilbert & Bennett roof replaced [but] I didn’t know the future use and disposition of the building, and I suspect a lot of people did that because we don’t know,” Rutishauser said. “You don’t want to encumber $700,000 of our precious bonding capacity to do something that’s counter to what the final outcome of the building will be, and there were five or six or seven of these in there that, if we had more vision into the future, my ranking would have been totally different.”
Lori Fusco, chair of the Historic District and Historic Properties Commission, entered a letter into the meeting’s record pleading for care of the G&B property, citing the Catch-22 of a situation that led to its neglect and now makes it less desirable to retain.
“The building is not in use precisely because needed maintenance was deferred,” she wrote, putting it at a disadvantage for future funding as the condition deteriorates.
Likewise, Allison Sanders, former co-director of the Wilton Historical Society, said the situation is resulting in “demolition by neglect.”
“The ranking criteria omitted the importance of Historic Value,” Sanders said of the WCPC’s work. “However, even with that omission, professional reports demonstrating the need for immediate repair have been disregarded. Responsible committees do not ignore years of evidence that is professionally documented and visible to everyone.”
Escaping Silos
The committee continues to be unclear on how it should proceed with creating a long-term plan. While everyone seems to agree that listing out projects for the future is technically a fine and important idea, discussions continue about how the town as a whole can arrive at a concrete vision of what it wants happening in years to come.
“Right now everything is in a hot silo and there is no plan,” Roberts said.
Smith, a longtime town resident, made similar comments.
“I still feel we’re operating in a silo … It makes no sense to me whatsoever that Town Hall major renovation was removed but the next phase of roofing for our schools was included as a priority,” Smith said.
“Thinking strategically, and that to me should live at the selectmen level, thinking about all of these pieces and how they come together and work, there’s more to be done there … I’m kind of anxious for some bigger-picture thinking and some breaking down of the silo,” he said.
Resident Sara Curtis, who regularly attends and often shares public comments at the WCPC meetings, spoke out about the initial choice to make the ranking anonymous, pointing a finger at Boucher.
“What is the ‘We decided’ on labeling how people voted anonymously?” Curtis asked Rutishauser. “As I watched everyone’s face, people were agreeing one after another, ‘Yeah, I want my name on this. I don’t have to be anonymous.’ So when you say ‘We decided,’ I increasingly get concerned that it’s coming out of the first selectman’s office … There is no ‘We.'”
“I’m tired of the lack of transparency,” she said. “I’m tired of the lack of courage. I think the other boards and committees and the other commissions, they are open, they are honest and they are transparent. We have absolutely no leadership in this town from the first selectman.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story omitted the word ‘Capital’ from the headline. It was added after publication to clarify that the story is not about Planning & Zoning.