GREENWICH — Money for emergency repairs at Central Middle School and more funding for a new Eastern Greenwich Civic Center easily passed the Representative Town Meeting on Monday night.
The RTM approved $1.611 million for Central’s repairs and an additional $4.04 million for the new civic center construction, which is expected to begin later this year. The RTM also approved bonding the additional civic center money.
There was no debate or strong opposition, but some members expressed concerns about the need for more money for the new civic center.
“Most of the increase, we were told, was due to the cost of steel, which has been problematic for a number of months, even years, due to supply chain issues,” said RTM member Katherine LoBalbo, chair of its Parks and Recreation Committee. “There were also higher costs for exterior stone, soil and landscaping. Generally, there has been an increase since the time the project was funded through the time the project was bid.”
The new 35,418-square-foot civic center will be built on the site of the current building. Construction was originally budgeted at $21.5 million, but proposals came in higher than expected when the project went out to bid.
Lucia Jansen, chair of the RTM’s Budget Overview Committee, said she expects other capital projects will also come in with higher bids. She cited inflation and the cost of labor as well as supply chain issues. It already occurred with construction of a new Greenwich Emergency Medical Service station on King Street, she said.
“This could be a sign of a new normal in all project costs, particularly with the Russian/Ukrainian war crisis,” Jansen said. “It is concerning that virtually all of the fiscal year 23 capital projects are valued with pre-COVID prices and does not reflect current economic conditions.”
The committee remains “very supportive of the project,” she said, and backed the extra spending unanimously for the civic center construction.
Brooks Harris, chair of the RTM’s Finance Committee, said his committee was not surprised by the need for additional money “given the current building environment.” His committee also talked about the civic center since the town’s deal for the naming rights will remain the same even though the construction prices have gone up, he said.
“That was a bit frustrating, but we understood that,” Harris said.
Last year, the town officially accepted a $5 million gift from the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Foundation in exchange for naming rights for the new facility, which will be called the Cohen Eastern Greenwich Civic Center, after the local couple.
At last week’s Board of Selectmen meeting, First Selectman Fred Camillo said that his office expects to issue an official policy soon on naming rights for future public/private partnerships. Camillo has also said he expects to raise more private money for the civic center through other naming rights.
Ultimately, the money for the civic center, along with other items on the combined calendar, was approved in a vote of 200-6, with six abstentions.
The RTM’s approval was even easier for the emergency repair money at Central Middle School.
That item was placed on the RTM’s consent calendar,.which was passed with no debate by a vote of 209-1, with two abstentions.
At Central, $1.6 million will now go the repairs and $150,000 to begin drawing up educational specifications and doing environmental tests as the first steps in building a new middle school.
Central was closed temporarily Feb. 4 due to concerns about its structural integrity. Emergency repairs were made while the school was closed, with students dispersed around the district for a week of classes before the regularly scheduled February break.
Students returned to Central for regular classes Feb. 23 after steps were taken to shore up the building. Additional work will take place over the summer break, which is expected to allow the building to remain stable and open for the next five years.
The proposed 2022-23 municipal budget includes $2.5 million for architectural and engineering work for a new Central. The full Board of Estimate & Taxation will vote on that proposed allocation on March 31, and the RTM will vote on it in May as part of the regular budget review.
kborsuk@greenwichtime.com