During Monday’s BET meeting, Alexis Voulgaris, the RTM moderator, spoke in her role as chair of the Greenwich Community Development Block Grant Advisory Committee about the a request for a budget adjustment to grants.
Specifically she spoke against the First Selectman’s decision to take away from other projects to allocate $50,000 to Greenwich Communities to paint walkways and balconies at Wilbur Peck, deemed to be maintenance work. This was a project the advisory committee had declined to fund.
Democratic BET member Leslie Moriarty made a motion to revert from the First Selectman’s decision and revert to the original recommendation of the grant advisory committee.
“Some of the other non profits that are asking, have very large endowments they should use before coming to the taxpayer to request. Some of them are very well funded.” – Nisha Arora
The item concerns $778,136.32 in federal funding from Housing and Urban Development, the federal agency that sponsors block grants, had consistently dwindled and was more dear than ever.
Ms Voulgaris said the advisory committee had held a hearing followed by site visits prior to a lengthy meeting to consider the applications.
She noted that this year the advisory committee voted unanimously not to award money to the housing authority.
“Greenwich Communities submitted a $171,900 request for an exterior lobby painting project, where paint on some of the walkways and balconies needed refurbishment. The committee unanimously viewed this project as one that was largely aesthetic in scope, and with limited direct value to the residents,” Voulgaris said. “It was not going to improve their interior living conditions by replacing windows or renovating kitchens – projects that have recently received generous funding from block grants. Nor was the lobby/walkway project going to replace a more meaningful outside structure such as an aging roof.”
She said her committee had unanimously chosen this year to focus on projects with greater direct client impact and safety values.
“Recently the First Selectman used his ability to amend the grant awards, and directed $50,000 toward the Wilbur Peck walkway improvement project by reducing the awards to 3 projects the advisory committee believed had higher direct benefits to the clients and certainly safety values to the facilities.”
Voulgaris noted that Greenwich Communities has been the single largest beneficiary of block grants, receiving over $4.2 million in grant money since 1997.
She noted that in the past four years Greenwich Communities has received over $463,000, with the second highest allocation in that time span being $290,000.
Voulgaris listed the requests for capital grants from other local non profits that also support marginalized residents and described them as having been stronger and more compelling:
• Inspirica, who provide emergency housing for women and children, to offset costs for a new playground at one of their shelters, with the next closest playground was a half mile away.
• Greenwich YWCA, who provide services to victims of domestic violence, who sought funds to offset costs of installing a new generator.
• Greenwich YMCA, daily serving 790 users, with many of those being children in aquatics programs, seeking grant money pay to purchase and install an emergency intercom and notification system that could be integrated with existing security system to support a lock down mode.
“This should not be perceived as a partisan or political issue,” Voulgaris said.
“And, if you sincerely believe that an exterior walkway painting project is more important and has grater value than a generator or new playground for homeless children and an emergency/lockdown intercom notification system, then by all means vote for the proposal before you.”
Lucia Jansen, David Weisbrod, Leslie Moriarty, Leslie Tarkington at the BET meeting on May 19, 2025
During discussion, Ms Moriarty made a motion to reverse the block grant recommendations to what had been approved by the advisory committee.
“It’s a difficult process because we are only allotted about half of what is requested,” Moriarty said. “I have to say I am concerned that after three or four months of work by the committee and a unanimous vote for their recommendations that the First Selectman then changes the project appropriations, and instead awards money to a walkway project rather than items like an emergency generator and intercom system.”
Democratic BET member David Weisbrod said there was much thought and deliberation, as well as site visits, before the committee made their recommendations.
“I don’t believe the First Selectman gave a rationale for overriding what was done at the committee, or appeared before the committee, or in any way explained or deliberated the reasons for making that change,” Weisbrod said. “I’m quite adverse to altering the recommendation – especially because it was unanimous – an extremely thoughtful and unifying exercise.”
Republican Lucia Jansen said she supported the First Selectman’s decision to not to revert to the advisory committee recommendations.
Lucia Jansen held up a photo provided by Greenwich Communities (formerly the housing authority) of Wilbur Peck showing the need for a painting project in walkways and balconies.
“The executive of our town can review the committee recommendations and have another point of view, and I respect that process,” Jansen said. “It’s not unusual for a CDBG grant that is focused on housing and urban development – it is a HUD grant – that housing gets the majority of the funds.”
Jansen described the value of the paint project in the walkways at Wilbur Peck as a “broken windows approach.”
“If you have a facility that looks like this, it possibly sends a message to the community that there could be crime and less care,” she said.
Republican Leslie Tarkington agreed and said she respected the First Selectman’s decision.
“I do support Greenwich Communities getting some benefit from the program. They provide some 1200 or 1300 housing units for the people in our town.”
Republican Nisha Arora said all the other non profits were worthy, but Greenwich Communities was the only local organization providing affordable housing.
“These are the most vulnerable people in the community,” Arora said.
“Some of the other non profits that are asking, have very large endowments they should use before coming to the taxpayer to request,” Arora said. “Some of them are very well funded.”
Matt DesChamps, a Democratic member of the BET, said he supported the motion to revert to the recommendation of the committee, which he said reflected the unanimous recommendation of about 30 people.
He questioned the First Selectman’s decision to override the recommendation.
“It would seem to me it would be reasonable for the First Selectman to provide a strong rationale for that override.”
He said the YMCA intercom system is particularly important for safety in that building, which has significant deficiencies for line of site.
“There are issues there in terms of being able to have lockdown and not having a mechanism to communicate. It’s an old building,” DesChamps said.
He added, “The YWCA generator project is also a safety project.”
Republican Karen Fassulioitis said she also supported the First Selectman.
“Some on this committee do not accept it and feel that advice given to the First Selectman by members of the CBGB committee be accepted without any change.”
The vote to revert to the recommendation of the CBGB committee failed to carry in a 6-6 tie vote on party lines.
Yes to revert: Scott Kalb, David Weisbrod, Leslie Moriarty, Stephen Selbst, Elliot Alchek, Matt Deschamps.
No to revert: (support First Selectman’s allocation of $50,000 to housing authority): David Alfano, Lucia Jansen, Leslie Tarkington, Harry Fisher, Karen Fassuliotis, Nisha Arora.
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