Politics & Government

Town Garage Discussion Dominates Meeting on Proposed Projects

For more than 2 hours at a special town meeting Thursday night, conversation focused on Canton’s proposal to construct a new town Public Works garage at 325 Commerce Drive.  

The $5.4 million project and a proposal to bond (essentially borrow money) for it, will be one of the questions residents can approve or reject at a May 22 referendum.  

After brief remarks by town officials, Jeff Alberti, consulting engineer with Weston & Sampson provided a short overview of the project, followed by comments and questions from residents.  

Alberti covered the need for a new facility, the site selection process since 2007, space requirements and more. The current garage is inadequate on many levels, he said, from its location in the 100-year floodplain along the Farmington River, lack of storage space, safety issues, a deteriorating building, inability for a plow-equipped truck to even pull inside a bay and the fact that vehicles are stored outside.  

Between 2007 and 2013, more than 80 sites have been considered, he said.   While a final plan would come later after a project went out to bid, Alberti used a concept drawing and software to show what the facility could look like from the roadway. The center of the site is well screened and 22 feet lower than Commerce Drive itself, Alberti said.  

He also said the site had advantages such as readily available utilities and said sites were considered and space configured by accessing Canton’s needs.  

Later in the meeting, officials also addressed the site, which was considered in the past and included in a 2009 Weston and Sampson report and matrix.  

Building committee member David Madigan said deed restrictions on Commerce Drive “seemed onerous” at the time.  

Chief Administrative Officer Robert Skinner said that in December of 2012, after a proposal for 5 Cherry Brook Road had fallen through, town planner Neil Pade told him that a 28,000 square foot building had been proposed for the Commerce Drive site.  

Further research showed the owner was willing to waive any of the restrictions that would prevent the town from acquiring the property, officials said. From there, selectmen discussed the matter in executive session, as allowed by Freedom of Information, law and made it public as soon as there was an agreement, Skinner said. The town has a purchase and sale agreement for $225,000, allowing it to buy the property if the plan is approved by not obligating it should it fail.

More than 20 residents spoke on the proposal. Many commented on or questioned the overall price and proposed size of nearly 20,000 square feet.

Christopher Budnick, whose name is listed on “Citizens for a Better Canton” Political Action Committee paperwork filed at Canton Town Hall Thursday, compared it to a growing family that is moving from an apartment and looking to buy a home. He said Canton still has still not gotten down to its needs versus wants and said area garages such as Barkhamsted, Harwinton and Burlington have been constructed much more economically. Several other speakers mentioned neighboring towns as well. Later in the meeting,

Kevin Jackson asserted that Burlington and Harwinton store more vehicles in 12,000 to 13,000 square-foot spaces. He said they have the “same storage, same functionality, same product for much, much less.”
“Canton and Weston and Sampson and our PMBC is asking us to spend $5.4 for the same amount of work that will get us less of a product I’m sorry but I can’t support that and will fight vehemently against it,” Jacksons said during his second chance to speak.  

Alberti said residents should be careful to compare apples to apples. Burlington’s facility is 12 years old, he said, any some are towns have made too many compromises. A wash bay, for example, should be included and be separate so to keep vehicles clean and not induce too much moisture in the building, he said. Some of the other have less road mileage and or fewer residents and departments that are configured differently, he said. 

Glenn Arnold said Burlington built a facility for $152 a square foot all-inclusive and adjusted for inflation compared to Canton’s proposal at $270 a square foot.  

Permanent Municipal Building Committee member David Madigan said the town did evaluate several area garages and said such comparisons are still misleading. Those towns also built new facilities on existing garage sites, Madigan said. Site work is a huge cost for Canton no matter where the new facility goes, he said. In this proposal it’s about $1.25 million but would be at least half a million anywhere, he said.

Comparisons were done, especially in Coventry, a more similar situation, although that town still had some advantages in site and existing equipment, Madigan said.

“We really focused more on our needs,” Madigan said. “It’s easy to look at very different projects and come to the conclusion we’re spending too much.”    

Arnold and Jackson have contended that a smaller facility could potentially fit on another, flatter site that would be less expensive to develop. One site mentioned Thursday was town-owned property at 55 Lawton Road. In addition to the value of that land for fields or development,  the neighbors are much closer and it does not have storm water provisions or readily available utilities, Madigan said.

With 51 River Road, another commonly mentioned possibility, Madigan said issues included compliance with the municipal zone that would be applied to a site, a ball field and, again, much closer neighbors. So many sites, some once thought viable have been eliminated due to topography, zoning, wetlands or other issues, Madigan said. 

At a mid March meeting, residents from Griswold Farms, a development above the proposed site, came out and vehemently spoke against the Commerce Drive location, citing aesthetic, safety, environmental and concerns about the neighborhood.  

That argument has been largely absent since and several who opposed the project Thursday live in other areas of town.  

Still some who spoke in favor of the garage Thursday night said they felt the opposition was largely about location.

David Sinish, who lives on Dyer Ave. said he had raised his kids in close proximity to a many municipal facilities.  

“Our family has lived much loser than any of you to the town garage for the past 40 years I haven’t experienced any horrible results as a consequence,” he said.

Guerry Dotson also supported the project and spoke to the neighborhood issue and said it’s time to literally get the Public Works Department out of a 1800s horse barn.  

“I personally think it’s time to step up and build a new damn garage,” he said If you bought a house on a road that’s called commerce drive there might be commerce.”  

Ben Holden, who lives in Boulder Ridge, which is on the same road, across the street and slightly higher than the proposed lot, said some of his neighbors support it he does, some opposed and most are “bored” by it. Holden went as far as to question the tactics of some opponents. “There have been some people calling people not to ask their opinion but telling them what to think,” Holden said.  

Later Jackson said he was removing the NIMBY argument, lives 7/10ths of a mile away and wants a new garage more than anyone, in part to recapture riverfront. He reiterated his feeling that it can be built more economically as other towns have done.  

Speaking for the second time as many did, Pamela Sutton Hall, who also lives well away from Griswold Farms said it wasn’t about location. “Is this really the best we can do for the needs of the town?” she asked.  

For those who missed last night’s meeting, garage information is available on the town web site at http://www.townofcantonct.org/controls/NewsFeed.aspx?FeedID=488  
Presentations from the Thursday meeting, including tax impact are included, are included.  

An open house at the town garage will be held at the current Old River Road site (near Riverside Nursery off Route 179) from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 11. The public is welcome.            


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