Submitted by Peter Quigley
Town needs leadership at all levels – a balance of mix for capital planning and long-term investments for its environmental health & safety…and enjoyment!
As we approach the Nov 7 election process, a comment on Town Capital Budget Planning: It should NOT be so much a political thing. It’s about financial due diligence and prudent ‘investments’, measuring performance as a ROI (Return on Investment). It should not be political but rather for the benefit of entire Town and its residents, the brand, health, safety, and property values and INVESTMENT.
FYI, 40% of Greenwich registered voters, the majority, are unaffiliated, independent with little organized voice. This fact should send a message to ALL and polarization: compromise.
And what about critical areas not covered – capital expenses overlooked by all the discussions – for the environmental cleanup of hazards below the ground with poor refill of the 60’s and70’s and repair of ‘storm drain’ systems (separate from ‘sanitary sewers’) to mitigate town watershed flooding. Flooding, that closes beaches on 1” of rainfall, penetrates Old Greenwich schools with sewerage, floods home basements, silts-in harbors and waterways – requiring long term investments…..Am talking about 3 major concerns for many residents – some serious environmental issues discussed only by a few, even with he ‘65’ public meetings and MI approval by Planning and Zoning Board for school’s shovel-in-the-ground new construction for renovations:
(1) Environmental hazards BELOW ground – long term investments to clean up in-ground toxic hazards by proper soil tests before/not after/ public buildings and school site plans approved for MI’s by P & Z – there’s need of proper soil testing to ‘commercial’ grade EPA standards, to levels 2, 3 and maybe 4 if toxic chemical are ‘discovered’ as they were at last couple school building projects (MISA high school and Western Middle school for added $100 million. – testing NOT to state regs, level 1 BUT rather 10-12 ft down – as deep as contaminates found to cap.
NOTE: Soil testing ought to be done at sites for health and safety, not cost, where kids play, students, teachers, the public, congregate. Testing done NOT after but before MI projects approved – as what happened at high school (MISA), Western Middle, & Ham Ave, and $100 million remediation after projects approved!… where ‘discoveries’ made, after the fact, require use of town long term bonding, depleting financial resources – that might have been used for new school projects. And what about using ‘synthetic’ turf vs natural grass on fields that carry hazardous ‘little black rubber balls’ being eaten by kids on playing fields, tire residue that may be carcinogenic PCBs and dioxins?
No wonder skepticism by BET and us in the RTM on all new town MI’s to be vetted that ought to be scored for environmental soil testing to levels, 2, 3 and maybe 4, by federal EPA standards, and not for poor backyard state DEEP ‘residential’ regulations to just a level 1.
(2) Flooding – there remains worse town flooding. An issue identified since the 1998 POCD and over 40 years. Large infrastructure investments are needed to mitigate the repair of a separate town ‘storm drain’ systems (identified 12 years ago by a town-sponsored study (Camp Dresser McKee) – recommending $300 mil what-should-be a long term bonding fix – 12 years ago !– this to keep schools, homes, playgrounds, harbors, beaches – healthy, clean, safe from being silted in
(3) Dredging – long term ‘town-shared’ dredging every 5 years+ for $5-$10 mil, as needed….as Flooding continues – ground zero for many watershed problems.
The Town requires leadership at all levels – agreement by all to recognize long term capital and funding priorities: (1) to consider using long term bonds for big infrastructure fixes, like ‘Storm Drain’ fixes to mitigate flooding, the environmental cleanup, the dredging of harbors and waterways, along with school renovations maybe rather than ‘new’ schools, renovations that do not change footprints, digging into what may be contaminated soil for new schools; (2) to continue to find & support creative public-state/fed, private partnerships; (3) to initiate and approve the concept of ‘municipal enterprises’ where ‘users’ pay-as-you-go for annual maintenance upkeep of areas of special interest.
Both the BET and RTM have supported town schools: Isn’t an estimated 40% of annual town spending for both annual school’s operating budgets, and school’s capital budgets? – let’s not forget the long term bonding approvals (found in rolling 5-year ‘pay-as-you go’) for school remediation cleanup costs ‘discovered’ after several projects approved by BET/RTM – these costs, not free, amounting to $60-75 mil, maybe $100 mil or more for remediation ? RTM supports 40% of yearly operation expenses and capital investments for clean up after approved school projects, maybe a few too many projects without prior EPA soil pre-testing.
Investments should be evaluated to measured, evaluated performance of all projects and scored. It used to be there when there was a town process called ‘CIP’ (Capital Improvement Programs) process initiated by former First Selectmen Jim Lash and Peter Tesi). Projects to be scored, not to repeat mistakes -like for the MISA, Ham Ave, Western Middle school.
There needs balance, a mix to Greenwich’s capital budget planning and funding process, to the issuance of long-term bonds beyond just 5-years to fix major infrastructure capital projects that impact the benefit entire community, not just special interests.
It’s not so much political … it’s for transparent, accountable focus on priorities, measuring performance and results – called RO’T’I (Return on TAXPAYER Investments). For all projects, as well as schools, its upgraded facilities, better quality teacher-student ratios, better educational experiences and …measured by better scores, rankings.
It’s Called ROTI (Return on Taxpayer’s Dollars) where BET and RTM expect prudence, due diligence, measured by performance of taxpayer dollars, a return of town’s capital and operation Investments to benefit #1 all residents, students, teachers, kids, the public, including outdoor water enthusiasts, visitors, the entire community: to do what is right, not political, for all of us, living here.
Thank you.
Peter Quigley,
RTM District 3