Submitted by Scott Kalb, Democratic Member of the BET
Right before the holidays, former police officer Robert Smurlo, our beloved Grinch in town, dresses up in green fur, steals a patrolman’s bike on Greenwich Avenue, and is then arrested for trying to steal Christmas. It’s a lot of fun for everyone, especially the kids.
I wish this were such a whimsical tale.
At the BET meeting in December 2024, Republican members tried to shoot down an interim appropriation for the renovation of the 122-year-old Old Greenwich public school, a move that risked delaying the project by a year, increasing costs by millions of dollars, and threatening the release of over $8mm in state grant money.
While all six Democratic members of the BET voted in favor of the appropriation, five Republicans members voted against it. If not for Republican Chair Harry Fisher, who crossed party lines to vote for the appropriation, funding for the school would have been denied, resulting in a giant lump of coal for the children and parents of Old Greenwich. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to you, dear neighbors.
It’s hard to understand why BET Republicans would turn down this appropriation. The funding request was for an “owner’s contingency,” an entirely routine matter. As anyone who has constructed a home or worked on a building knows, an owner’s contingency is needed to help manage project risk.
Owner’s contingencies are typically set at 5-10% of the cost of a project, but the budget approved last spring for OGS only allowed for a 2% reserve. The building committee therefore requested $2mn to bring the contingency to 7%, explaining that without this reserve, the estimated $8 million in state grants would likely be delayed. This would have risked pushing out the project another year, leading to nearly $2mn in additional costs.
Fortunately, because Democrats on the BET were joined by a lone Republican member who voted yes, this scenario was averted, and the interim request will now go before the RTM where it is expected to pass by a wide margin.
Let’s not forget that the OG renovation project has been years in the making and is long overdue. Old Greenwich School has been the target of a federal lawsuit because of inaccessibility, and is beset with other problems, including the lack of a sprinkler system, no elevators, flooding when it rains, and cramped learning spaces.
The planned renovation will not only bring it into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, add sprinklers and a new elevator, but will also add an enclosed courtyard, provide sheltered outdoor instructional space, include a new play area and a basketball court, and make improvements to prevent flooding.
Old Greenwich children and parents deserve to have this project implemented without further delays, and they deserve to know that their Republican representatives on the BET do not have their back. They may not be wearing green fur and masks, but make no mistake, the Republican Grinches on the BET are trying to steal your children’s future.