Board of Finance Begins Discussion of Bonding Proposal

The Board of Finance began talking about a proposed bonding package Monday night and during its meeting next month hopes to hear from several people closely involved with the process.

The discussion centers around four projects that a capital projects committee recommended for a bonding package this November.

For its meeting next month, the board will request the presence of some of those people, as well as Permanent Municipal Building Committee members.

Earlier this year the study committee prioritized the projects and recommended the town take the top two tiers — or four projects.

Top tier

• “Pavement management,” including major projects on several town roads and the and parking lots.
• Major roof repairs and partial replacement at the community center and all three schools.

Second tier

• A new highway garage, including construction and property acquisition.
• A track and multi-use synthetic field at Canton High School.

The four projects came with a total estimate of nearly $18 million, and on Monday, Board of Finance members asked how the totals were determined.

“What level of costs are actually in here?” finance board chairman Richard Ohanesian asked, referring to a study committee report.

Town and school officials provided updates, answering specific questions from Ohanesian and other finance board members. Following are some of the issues discussed. 

Road work or "pavement management"

The pavement management estimate of $7.5 million is not based on a formula since the roads under consideration need varying degrees of work and techniques, Chief Administrative Robert Skinner. However, the town does have very good estimates for each road in a $30,000 study it commissioned.

“That number is basically there to help that project move forward,” he said.

Roofs 

The $2.2 million in roof estimates is a pretty solid number, Skinner said. The one variable is the potential presence of contaminants such as asbestos, but the town did include that in its estimates, he said.

That information should be known within a few weeks, added Ed Hoyt Jr., business manager for the Canton schools.

Track and multi-use field proposal 

Just Monday morning, a company was chosen to come up with preliminary designs for the track so a better estimate should be forthcoming. (On Tuesday night, the Board of Education approved spending up to $24,000 to have Milone & MacBroom further refine the estimate, develop schematics, revisit the proposed location, identify grant opportunities and conduct borings.)  

The study group worked with a preliminary estimate of $2.2 million but recommended town funding of $1.2 million with the rest coming from donations and fundraisers. 

Ohanesian asked about the viability of raising $1 million for the project.

Superintendent Kevin Case said the number came from a group that first looked into the track proposal for the Board of Education. It’s not all fundraising, Case added, as some would come in the form of in-kind donations and potential sponsorships. (At a Board of Education subcommittee Tuesday night, education officials also mentioned the possibility of some federal reimbursement if the project met American with Disability Act standards.) 

Monday night, Ohanesian said it would help the board to hear from members of that committee at its next meeting.

“There’s still a lot of questions to be asked,” he said.

Ohanesian also questioned why the track rose to the level of proposed bonding when the other projects being recommended, and some not being considered, involved fixing and saving existing infrastructure.

“That’s an outlier,” he said. “We need to understand how that came on the list “

Ohanesian also commented on the statement by some that the school district is only one of four in the state without a track.

“The town doesn’t have a lot of things,” Ohanesian said. “Why is that reason?”

Hoyt said the field would, however, give the playing equivalent of 2 to 2 ½ fields due to the artificial turf and lights, which extend the season and playing times.

School officials also said the track was a critical safety component since track and cross country athletes are running along roadways in town.

The track would also be for all residents, Case said.  

Town Garage 

Board of Finance members also asked about the town garage, which had been estimated at $9 million and in the study, was estimated at $7 million.

The town is looking at 5 Cherry Brook, the site that was defeated at a 2010 referendum asking townspeople to purchase it for $900,000.

Ohanesian said he agrees that the Permanent Municipal Building Committee has done an exhaustive search for other properties and that some promising ones fell through.

“They’ve been looking under every rock in town and then some,” Ohanesian said.

The land at 5 Cherry Brook, or Hart’s corner, has been subdivided, and Skinner said the town is talking to the landowners to see if they are willing to add to the front portion, decreasing the cost for the rear portion the town may buy.

He also said the town has looked into the specifications and decreased the proposed garage size from 23,000 square feet to 19,000. In addition, it is looking at other aspects that could save money and still provide an adequate structure, he said. 

There is ledge on the property but with a purchase and sale agreement, and the proposed changes, an engineer can provide a better estimate, Skinner said.

At the request of a finance board member he also addressed the fact of Barkhamsted building a facility for less than $2 million, a topic many in town have been discussing.

That town owned the property, the land was flat and it already had a salt shed, Skinner said. The building is also too small for Canton’s needs, according to Skinner.

“At 12,000 square feet, you can not fit everything in the building,” he said, adding that it would only make sense to have a facility that would house and preserve its vehicles and equipment.

Timeline

Town officials also discussed a timeline for bonding, should the finance board move forward with the idea.

The Board of Selectmen would need to refer projects to the Board of Finance by early August, with a recommendation coming later that month.

By Aug. 22, the Board of Selectmen should set a date a time for a special town meeting in mid September, which would adjourn to the Nov. 6 referendum.

In addition the bonding question or questions would have to be filed with the state by Sept. 21, Skinner said.