Chairman's View: 11 Resolutions for 2019 (Dec. 31, 2018)

Chairman’s View: 11 resolutions for 2019

DECEMBER 31, 2018 BY JOHN ENGEL. CHAIRMAN, TOWN COUNCIL

When Advertiser reporter Grace Duffield asked for a New Canaan resolution, I could hardly stop at one. Here’s 10 more. We have much to do in 2019.

1. Bike paths from New Canaan to the Darien beaches. Darien suggested this. Get state permission to paint the bike stripe down South Avenue. What are we waiting for? Also contract to add bike rental racks at Waveny, Irwin Park, Waveny Park, Kiwanis Park, the Glass House and Grace Farms. Stamford is offering bike rentals downtown.
2. Recycling: Let’s get serious. New Canaan now pays $197,000 to sort garbage, up 5 times, and this is just the beginning. We must separate glass from plastic from garbage. Ban supermarket plastic bags. Reuse and recycle paper bags.
3. Caffeine & Carburetors: Bring it downtown permanently. Ask all stores to open those mornings. Help wanted in stores? Tell us what you need. We all volunteer to help.
4. It’s time to paint the big Waveny water tower and take the unused tower down. It’s metal, so put a massive New Canaan Rams  car magnet on it. Change it periodically. Special messages for Darien games.
5. Resolve to post more positively, not negatively, on social media with constructive ideas and thanks. The rest of the world is watching.
6. No more stolen cars. Resolution for everybody to get in the habit of taking their keys with them. Strengthen neighborhood watch. Work together to watch out for each other.
7. We have new Board of Education leadership. With this change I hope to see the board present a budget within Board of Finance guidance instead of passing the Superintendent’s budget without challenge and then fighting with town government for status quo. Change the paradigm.
8. The end of political yard signs. We can’t ban them. We need a gentleman’s agreement. All it takes is the willingness of the two parties. If a candidate sees he is the only one littering the town with signs for a month he won’t do it.
9. The end of real estate signs in residential neighborhoods. P&Z promised they would address this. All other commercial signs are banned so why is real estate the lone exception? This one is obvious.
10. I want preservationists to objectively rate our buildings and work with the town on a long-term public private plan instead of criticizing each new proposal one at a time.  What restrictions should be put on the sale of Vine Cottage, the Playhouse, the Police Station? Is the Library really sacred? It’s time to make choices. How can we sustain rentable assets like Gores Pavilion, Vine and Waveny as long-term break-even propositions?
11. High speed electric car charging stations downtown? This initiative is aimed at tourists since residents charge at home. Encourage Merritt Parkway transients to shop or eat here while charging. Our Parking Commission should identify ideal locations, both public and private, and market their existence online.

Chairman's View: Not to Eliminate Buildings, But to Eliminate Expense (Jan. 22, 2019)

Chairman’s View: ‘Not to eliminate buildings, but to eliminate expense’

JANUARY 22, 2019 BY JOHN ENGEL, CHAIRMAN, TOWN COUNCIL

In the fourth week of a federal government shutdown it’s a good time to reflect on the state of Connecticut and town government. There is cause for optimism.

Newly elected State Sen. Alex Bergstein announced the State is pursuing a policy of “shared risk.” I asked “Shared between whom?” because last year’s plan was to add a $4 million burden onto New Canaan.  The senator clarified she meant shared between the union workers and the State. If Gov. Ned Lamont agrees and the renegotiation and restructuring is finally underway, then this is great news.

Our grand list went down 7%: First Selectman Kevin Moynihan says he can bring in a town budget growing 0% to 1%. Is this because of a 1-year anomaly in the debt service? Does this assume only 5% rise in health care costs? Or, are we making the hard choices? It should be 0%. 

The Brick Barn: A relatively minor building in our portfolio, it has taken on outsized proportions for our citizens. We cannot ignore the fact that Town Council and two selectmen demanded to see alternatives to demolition. We owe it to the electorate to explain why we must spend $65,000 on demolition when the New Canaan Preservation Alliance says it is fully funded and ready to restore now at no cost to the town. The Board of Selectmen is at a stalemate until the first selectman convinces his fellow selectmen or they convince him. If a stalemate then the demo money is returned.

The Police Station: It feels reckless of us to talk about a new $16 million to $20 million police station between Saxe and the YMCA when there is only $7.8 million in our capital budget. And, that is the absolute worst location. Where is the money coming from? What other locations are being considered? Will this spending come at the expense of library or Waveny renovations? How far does $7.8 million get us?

Irwin House: First, it was to be a museum. Then, offices for nonprofits. Then Board of Finance members asked for demolition costs. The Town Council was understandably anxious to hear that we were talking about amendments to the deed with no explanation. Russ Kimes made an excellent case that it be repurposed as the school administration building, saving us $300,000 per year.

Vine Cottage: Make this charming building part of the historic district. Put out a Request for Proposals by May 1. There are businesses that will sign a long-term ground lease and fix it up. Any proposal that preserves Town Hall parking and which transfers restoration responsibility to the tenant should be considered.

Keep these buildings at no expense and with benefit to the public. The most important thing is not to eliminate buildings, but to eliminate expense.

Chairman's View: Do The Projects that Do Not Increase Debt (Aug 23, 2018)

Chairman’s View: Do the projects that do not increase debt

AUGUST 23, 2018 BY NEW CANAAN TOWN COUNCIL CHAIRMAN JOHN ENGEL

Affordable housing, senior housing, workforce housing are all needed in New Canaan. Should housing be a concern of the Town Council? Yes, repurposing old buildings as housing begins an intricate calculus getting the Town out of the restoration business. Restore buildings to the tax rolls. Sell Vine Cottage.

To borrow from an old joke, “How fast do you need to run to survive a charging bear?” New Canaan Town Council Chairman John Engel

What can we afford? Our assessor will soon announce the Grand List based on this past year’s sales. Values decreased by at least 7% and will probably be offset by a 7% increase in the mill rate. Nobody wants to see the taxes increase from $17,000 to $18,000 on a million dollar assessment, but it is coming. Given that New Canaan’s per capita level of indebtedness is highest in the state and at a ten year high it seems odd that Town Hall is considering any new projects. Some make sense if they don’t increase debt.

Affordable housing. We have a proposal by our Housing Authority and New Canaan Neighborhoods to grow Canaan Parish by 40 units. The objections are aesthetic, not economic, and overblown. The proposal is self-funded from the housing fund and a mortgage in order to maximize efficient use of the property. We need 100 nicer, larger units. Expect this to pass after more public hearings on design details.

Unimin. On the table is a proposal to spend $10 to $12 million purchasing and repurposing the Unimin building as both police station and school administration offices. Consider savings of $3 million from the BOE lease and $7 million in police renovation costs — the math could work. If the economics are even close this is a very good idea. Sell the old police station to a developer for affordable, senior or workforce housing. It’s a natural extension of the Schoolhouse Apartments. It retains seniors. If a private developer cannot make his numbers work maybe our Housing Authority can. The town wins in two ways: we add a much-needed affordable or senior housing choice on walkable South Avenue and we get an efficient office building as offices. Give it a chance.

Parking. Deck the lumberyard? We wanted this when it was estimated at $8 million. Now, decking is estimated at $12 million. At $48,000 per spot it will take 40 years to pay for it. We can’t afford that. We can’t afford to do nothing. Our Grand List depends on reliable transportation and parking. Sell the development rights to the street front of the property to get estimates back under $8 million. Sell the frontage, hide the deck. Decking the Locust Lot at $4,125,000 for 89 spots ($46,348 each) is not viable. Acquire more spots at the Talmadge Hill and Locust lots for half the price of decking. Do this while working the Lumberyard plan.