Stone McGuigan: Thoughts on Schools Capital Projects, Gift Policy, Pedestrian Safety on the Ave

Submitted by Janet Stone McGuigan, Greenwich Democratic Selectwoman

As a member of the Greenwich Board of Selectmen, it is my honor to serve you, and I take your input seriously.  Please know my door is always open and feel encouraged to reach out to me at [email protected]

In exchange, I will share what is on my mind of late:  My thoughts are with our Central Middle School families and staff.  Thank you to those working to keep everyone safe after the school’s closure.  I join in asking that this situation be resolved quickly.  The community has been concerned about the facility’s structural issues for a number of years, and now there is an engineering report to substantiate those concerns.  

I ask the Board of Estimate and Taxation to create a financing plan to address the long term needs of the school and if there is any urgent work that cannot be covered by the current budget, approve the needed interim funding.     

Which bridges to my next thought…along with everyone else in Town Hall my attention is on the budget process.  In particular I want to express my support for the proposed operating and capital budgets for our schools.  Along with CMS, Old Greenwich and Julian Curtiss Schools are in need of capital support. We have heard from our community, and our aging and deteriorating schools need to be our highest budget priority. 

On the Town side of the budget process, there are a number of capital proposals that have been described as potential public-private partnerships.  The Town currently does not have a gift policy.  The BET has asked that one be put in place before pursuing any such proposal, and I strongly support this request.  I understand a policy is being drafted, and I thank all involved for their work on this.

In the proposed capital budget, one can see that there is a vision for the development of Greenwich Avenue, a Greenwich gem.  It has been proposed that the Havemeyer Building, currently the Board of Education administrative building, be repurposed. While there may be merit and community excitement behind this idea, I am concerned about the timing of this proposal. In particular I hope it does not come at the expense or distraction of the urgently needed work on CMS, OGS and JCS.

There is also a provision for additional pedestrian bump outs on the Avenue.  (On January 20, an application by the Department of Public Works was heard by Planning and Zoning for two additional bump outs on Greenwich Avenue.) 

While I supported the creation of a bump out at the Elm Street intersection (while still an RTM member), I am not convinced that it has improved pedestrian safety.  I believe bringing special police officers or crossing guards to Greenwich Avenue would, and I advocate that the Town pursue this measure.

It is important that the Greenwich community is engaged in the budget process.  On March 28 at 7:00 pm, the BET will hear public comments.  The proposed budgets are currently posted on the Town website (go to www.greenwichct.gov, then click on ‘government’, and then ‘budget documents and schedules’).  The Zoom link to the March 28 public hearing has not been posted yet. 

I ask all Town commissions, boards and committees to please use the Town calendar when posting meeting links. The virtual halls of government can be something of a labyrinth, and it is important that we honor the time and effort that members of the public make to attend meetings by making the experience easy.    

Affordable housing and 8-30g has been a big topic in the local news recently.  I will not take column space to dive into this topic, but I will note that affordable housing is eligible for American Rescue Plan Act funding.  There is debate about the appropriateness of this funding going toward the recently approved Affordable Housing Trust Fund.  It has been proposed that $1.8 million be requested, of the over $30 million available to the Town from ARPA. 

I would argue that this one-time federal funding would provide much needed seed money for the trust, and would help Greenwich create affordable housing units outside of supersized 8-30g proposals.  

To end on a happy note, I’d like to shine a spotlight on the First Selectman’s Youth Commission, which with the support of the YWCA and the First Selectman’s Diversity Advisory Committee just hosted its 3rd annual Greenwich Student Diversity Leadership Conference, titled Beyond Allyship: Igniting Action and Agency.  The commission is comprised of student leaders from Greenwich public and private schools. I recently attended one of their meetings, and they are a force, raising money for scholarships, organizing park cleanups and sponsoring essay contests.