By Michelle L. Santoro

Sherman – Before a full house, and with a packed agenda, First Selectman Don Lowe opened the July 24 Board of Selectmen’s (“BOS” or the “Board”) meeting with a request – public comment be limited to three (3) minutes per resident.  Recognizing that the school “issue” was of utmost importance to those in attendance, the Board moved the item earlier in the agenda – from “M” to “B1”.

Mr. Lowe summarized the issue that brought many residents to the meeting – bid packages received for the Sherman School renovation project came in over the estimated budget – to the tune of $8,000,000.  Board of Education (“BOE”) and School Building Committee (“SBC”) member Tim Laughlin spoke about the SBC’s special meeting held via zoom earlier in the day.  At that meeting, the SBC made two recommendations to bring to the BOS.  The first, to increase the total project cost to an amount not to exceed $49.6 million and to request an additional taxpayer cost of approximately $2.5 million.  The second, transmit a Guaranteed Maximum Price (“GMP”) amendment for an amount not to exceed $4,300,632.

Mr. Laughlin noted significant increases in building costs, with such increases affecting other municipalities, not just Sherman.  Some of this is attributed to the uncertain political climate in Washington, which no one could have anticipated when the project went to referendum last fall.  Included in the increase are costs related to demolition and asbestos abatement.  

Much discussion ensued with numerous questions from several residents in attendance.  Residents asked whether consideration was given to reducing the scope of the project, whether the built-in contingency absorbed any of the increased cost, why the SBC was still engaging in value engineering at this stage, what the plan was with respect to demolition during the school year, whether original timeframes would be met, and why bids came in higher than the original estimated project budget.  In large part, the residents did not appear satisfied with the answers and explanations provided.  One resident questioned the process and validity of the SBC vote – noting the meeting took place only on zoom with several members attending without cameras on, and whether a quorum was met. Mr. Lowe assured the public that roll call was taken at the start of the meeting and a quorum was met. Selectman Joel Bruzinski added that every member who voted with no camera voiced his or her vote and then recited his or her name after voting.

Mr. Laughlin, addressing the audience, said the recommendation of the SBC and BOE was “not to roll the dice.”  Further, “the recommendation to proceed with requesting an additional $2.5 million from taxpayers was made because further reducing the footprint and project scope did not yield significant savings, bid pricing – while high – was more favorable than bids received for other projects, and the bid pricing we have, which can be guaranteed if accepted, expires in mid-September. Given market conditions, rebidding will undoubtedly result in higher costs. Whereas, proceeding with funding an overage as proposed allows the Town to lock in a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) not impacted by current or future economic conditions.”  Mr. Lowe echoed a similar sentiment, in part, fearing if the project is re-bid after the September 17 deadline, bids will come in even higher.

In the end, the Board voted to release the GMP Amendment One for $4,300,632.  The Board discussed a referendum date of August 23, with a Town Meeting August 9.  While some audience members quipped that summer is not ideal because of vacations, Lowe advised of the availability of absentee voting beginning the Tuesday following the town meeting through the Friday before the referendum date.  

A Special Meeting of the Board of Selectmen, acting as the Board of Finance (collectively, the “Board”) , was held on July 29 for the Board to “act upon the necessary resolutions to set a referendum for modifications to the appropriation and bonding authorizations approved on October 5, 2024 in order to mitigate the bidding overages for the Sherman School renovation project.”

In what is shaping up to be a packed town meeting – the Board voted unanimously to bring several items to residents for approval.  The first, an ordinance change with respect to tax relief for elderly and totally disabled Sherman homeowners.  Mr. Lowe opined that many residents cannot take advantage of this tax relief program due to outdated income thresholds.  Town Treasurer Andrea Maloney recommended using state income thresholds, which do change, plus an additional $10,000.  Next is the Town’s “obsolete” bidding ordinance.  The First Selectman proposed changing the ordinance as follows: any expense over $25,000 must go out to bid, and three quotes required for any expense between $5,000 and $25,000.  Currently, any expense over $10,000 must go out to bid; the State’s threshold is $35,000.  Residents will also consider retroactively approving an emergency expense of $7,264.66 for an A/C condenser and related hardware wiring in Charter Hall radio room. 

The gazebo roof at Veteran’s Field needs work.  Selectman Bob Ostrosky said, “the building is used, it must be upkept.”  The Board voted to seek approval of an amount not to exceed $11,000 from the capital non-recurring fund for this, and for an amount not to exceed $5,500 for the Park and Recreation (“Park & Rec”) summer office roof, flashings, and other related items.  Lastly, residents will be asked to approve an amount not to exceed $38,000 for the Town’s basketball courts.  Mr. Ostrosky stressed the importance of this project given the limited use of public recreational areas due to the school renovation project.  Public Works (“PW”) Supervisor Kris Fazzone highlighted details of the project, which includes the court surface and fence, only; painting of lines will be done later.  PW will handle the demolition and will only replace fencing on one side of the courts. An outside company will be used for fine grading and the court surface.

The Board received correspondence from John Wrenn, Director of the Park & Rec commission, commending Fazzone and PW. He wrote that the department has “Such a dedicated staff working for the betterment of the Town.”

Liz La Via, the Town’s Business Manager, advised that the 2024/25 books closed earlier in the week and they “ran better than budget on both the Town and the Board of Education (“BOE”) side. The audit is expected to commence in the next three weeks.  While it is just the first month of the new fiscal year, Mr. Lowe expressed concern about the legal expense line as bills are starting to come in.  He said the Town was off to a rough start, legally, in the new fiscal year.  Ms. Maloney mentioned a noted increase in revenue, including an uptick in building permits.

Sheman’s Volunteer Fire Department was responding to a call at the time of the meeting, so no monthly report was given.  However, Lowe reminded all in attendance about the upcoming Fireman’s Ball on August 2 at the Town Green, noting citizens aged twelve and under attend free. “It will be a fun evening, with live music,” he said. 

Delivering the monthly report for PW, Supervisor Fazzone noted the completion of “a lot of patching this past month,” including Cedar Lane, Leech Hollow Road, and the walkway near the pickleball courts. He noted that PW’s new excavator “is awesome!” Tree work was planned to begin this last week of July. 

Discussion was had regarding property tax exemption for veterans with 100% disability.  Maloney recommended including up to two-acres of land plus the dwelling and allowing the benefit to carry over to spouses.  The Board acknowledged the need to refine the wording before voting on changes to bring to a town meeting.  While a resident disagreed, Mr. Lowe advised that the Town’s attorney has concluded that the Town does own the southern end Cedar Lane, which was discontinued in 1956.  It seems the abutting landowners each own a portion of the road, and it is up to them to approach Zoning and Land Use for direction on next steps.

The Board agreed that Lowe will bring to a future meeting a proposal for reviewing and updating the Town’s zoning regulations. Roof work on the Scout House has commenced and, according to Mr. Lowe, is going well.  The Town awaits receipt of a Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP) grant for the project.  Lowe agreed to follow-up on Sherman’s possible participation in a Hometown Heroes project (see other towns) and advised that on August 2 materials, including site plans, regarding the proposed Senior Center project, will be posted to the Town’s website.  Lastly, Selectman Joel Bruzinski advised that town emails were changed over to .gov addresses and the ShermanCT.gov website was underway.  He also noted the need for resolution of the Town entity email and social media account policy review.

The next Board of Selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for August 28 at 7:00 pm in Mallory Town Hall.