'There's an All-Out Assault on Plans to Keep Pettibone as Town Asset': New Milford Mayor

NEW MILFORD, CT — New Milford Mayor David Gronbach said in an open statement on Monday that there is an "all-out assault on our plans to keep the Pettibone building as a Town asset." Gronbach has been very outspoken since taking his position and had received objection that he has been very vocal in opposing.

In August, Mayor Gronbach asked the New Milford Chamber to put 'grudges' aside for the good of the Town. In October, while giving a zoning plan update on the possibility of a Super Walmart coming to Town, Gronbach said, "the failure to disclose the ultimate plan for this property fuels negative speculation, causing unnecessary distress for the community and business owners."

Most recently in November, New Milford resident Michael Barnes said that Gronbach, has been "desperately trying to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars of Town money off-budget to renovate and repurpose 60-year-old John Pettibone School into town offices."

"He is trying to railroad his personal vision of this through without any public comment or advice and failed to seat a committee formed for exactly that purpose. To pay for this, he is illegally trying to take money out of the Landfill Settlement Fund in violation of the Town Charter and State Statutes," Barnes said.

Gronbach said Monday that the plans to keep the Pettibone School building as a Town asset has "upset some undisclosed deal to sell and develop the site." Read the rest of his letter below:

"If that sounds far-fetched, Councilman Szymanski is doing the same thing by not disclosing whether a Super-Walmart is planned on Route 7 and Still River Road.

Republican Town Committee Chair Michael Barnes has been rallying the RTC and others to undermine our efforts to make this positive development a reality. Opportunists like Board of Finance member Joe DeGregorio have jumped into the fray hiding behind a role he does not have to oppose something the Town needs and wants.

My only conclusion from all of this obstructionism is there must be some plan for the Pettibone property that we are not being told about.

The current Town Office and Community Center plan allows us to move Parks and Rec into a space that has a gym and class rooms, which they need. The Youth Agency can move into a larger space where if a handicapped child or parent wanted to participate, they would not have to be carried up a flight of stairs to do so. Social Services needs more space to administer to some of our most vulnerable citizens. I have seen stacks of bread piled on their counters and cabinets. The Senior Center will have more space in its current location to provide their ever expanding offerings on the second floor of the Richmond Center.

For years the Board of Education has said they cannot move from East Street because they have no place to go. Now, we have an entire wing in the Pettibone Building that will provide handicap accessible access, ample space for administrative services, and additional space for special education and other programs. According to a report in 2007, the costs to rehabilitate the East Street Building were estimated at $8,051,919.

We are also providing space for the Community to have events and meetings in the former library and cafeteria. Non-profits like the Culinary School could occupy the kitchen and train more students; Robotics and Beyond, Literacy Volunteers, and other non-profits could have space to better serve the Community.

The move to Pettibone is the clear choice, unless there is some other agenda or plan for that property.

I pride myself on appealing to citizens regardless of whether they are Republican, Democrat or Independent. The policies I propose are grounded in common sense, not partisan games. I thank these reasonable citizens for their support. But attacks by the RTC and their representatives should be called out for what they are, bullying and intimidation to achieve a goal they won’t even disclose.

We are back to the old games of FOIA complaints and threats of lawsuits to intimidate employees; all to thwart what our Town Departments legitimately want and our Community needs.

Reasonable citizens, if you support this progress, if you see the benefits achieved for our Community and question its obstruction, speak up. I am fighting for the things I was sent to office to do, but I cannot do it alone. Email and talk to your RTC representatives. Speak at Town Council, Board of Finance and Board of Education meetings. Write a letter if you have to. Our silence rewards the divisive politics that most of us lament. Make your voices heard and support what my Administration is trying to achieve."

— Mayor David R. Gronbach

Would you like to chime in on your views about this or other town issues? Email your letter with your name and town to wendy.mitchell@patch.com.

Related:

• Mayor Gronbach Asks New Milford Chamber to Put 'Grudges' Behind Them
• New Milford Mayor Gives Zoning Change Update on Potential Zoming Change
• Opinion: New Milford Resident Says Mayor Gronbach is Misspending Town Funds

Photo: Mayor Gronbach