Submitted by Peter Quigley, Town resident, 5-term RTM; Harbor Management Commission (2013-2016)
I join others to ask RTM, respectfully, to deny, to withdraw, the application for construction of a new Hamill Rink.
Simply, isn’t it bad timing for taxpayers to invest in a ‘desire’, rather ‘need’ of important fixes, for two primary reasons:
(1) The Hamill Rink project is bad timing, should be low priority to other more important investments needed now, for new schools and for investments to mitigate the serious Town flooding water management in all 8 watersheds; for aging storm-water and sewer MS4 -permit infrastructure repair; for necessary dredging of shorelines due to lack of effective flood management, and; to the attention to prepare for the poor carcinogenic environmental fill of toxic sites filled in the 50’s, 60’s 70’s for all MI (Municipal Improvement) locations where the public, kids, students, teachers, and community congregate and are endangered for their health and town storm safety and ‘surprise’ environmental discoveries – ‘ black swan’ events.
For these outstanding projects highlighted in several POCDs over 20 years:
1. $250-$300 million for separated, separate, storm water from sanitary sewer aging infrastructure repair by CDM-Smith recommendations back 12 years ago in 2012… for reserves/reservoirs.
2. $95 million for today’s repair of Grass Island sewer facility of an aging infrastructure, asked in 2024.
3. $ 5 mil for a pumping station update and repair and maybe more– asked in 2024.
4. $ 5 million dredging every 4-5 years for flooding & serious erosions of harbors, shorelines, rivers, etc.
5. $ 25-50 million reserve for environmental remediation work (High school & Western Middle School).
(2) Simply: this is bad timing for P & Z-DPW approvals for a rink, in a most toxic, location playing field without proper and timely updated soil tests from a credible environmental engineering firm, like Langan, a company next door, adjacent to Western Middle School that tested multiple locations down 5-10 feet, to depths and intensities to meet EPA federal standards of environmental remediated soil testing, not just a foot or two.
Without better testing, there may be more ‘discoveries ‘ that have previously cost taxpayers $50 million without full disclosures and before approvals as done at MISA high school and Western Middle School. Now we will have accountability.
• Writer’s editorial
NOTE: Last soil test done for this project approval was done in May/June 2020, done over 4-1/2 years ago, by an Osprey Engineering to limited depths, quick superficial analysis to ‘residential’ state standards, not fed EPA – Osprey was sued by town of Fairfield in same year 2020 for fraud in the transport of contaminated substances within town limit.
My comments are not to the ‘merits’ of a rink, but its location and poor soil test site approvals by town leaders before construction, so there are no more discoveries of toxic fill, but if toxins found to EPA standards, remediation costs are made a transparent ‘condition’ for the RTM and BET approvals to build.
Summary: II may be a nice thing, a wish, to have a rink desired by a skating minority but is it needed before fixing the major priorities and funding needs of entire community, requirements to majority of our RTM reps speaking for the majority of town residents, voters, taxpayers?
Suggestion: Might consider: (1) restoration & renovation of the current facility, leaving footprint undisturbed, so as not to disturb contamination, or; (2) finding another town property (i.e. in Pomerance) or other private 2-acre sites currently for sale, in better places, currently on market for standard $1 mil per acre or under $ 2mil. – let those interested parties make the financial investment contribution to pay for construction of new and, like Griff Golf Course, set up as a ‘municipal ‘rolling’ enterprise’ to pay for itself and maintenance – and not cost to taxpayers, but the skating ‘users’ in and outside of Town.
Peter Quigley, Town resident, 5-term RTM; Harbor Management Commission (2013-2016)