South Windsor Voters To Decide On $20M Of Spending At Referendum

SOUTH WINDSOR, CT — Registered voters will be asked to decide the fate of five significant financial resolutions totaling more than $20 million at a town-wide referendum Tuesday.

The proposed resolutions are:

1. Roof replacements at community center, public works facility and Timothy Edwards Middle School, and reconstruction of Pleasant Valley and Buckland roads - $9,340,000
2. Expansion to the women’s locker room at the South Windsor Police Department - $500,000
3. Renovation of the Town Hall at 1540 Sullivan Avenue - $1,305,000
4. Purchase and renovation of 1645 Ellington Road for municipal offices - $5,475,000
5. Construction of the Nevers Park Sports Facility - $3,950,625

A brochure outlining details of each project is available here.

Two town residents submitted lengthy, differing opinions to Patch regarding their stands on the referendum questions.

Elizabeth McGuire wrote:

"I would like to urge South Windsor residents to support the March 16 referendum questions and particularly the purchase of 1645 Ellington Road, to be used as a new town hall. South Windsor is a growing community that cannot afford a "kick the can down the road" mentality. The purchase and renovation of the former bank building for a new town hall is a financially responsible approach to serving the needs of the town.

"The purchase of 1645 Ellington Road will provide us with much-needed office, meeting and storage space now and in the future. In addition, locating the town hall in the center core area, as detailed in the town's Plan of Conservation and Development will promote growth in the area bordered by Ellington Road, Buckland Road, Deming Street and Clark Street, creating a vibrant town center. As stated in the POCD, a town center "draws people on weekdays, weekends, daytime and evenings because it offers a mix of uses…" We do not have that now, but we could - with the acquisition of 1645 Ellington. There are already some indications that developers are interested in developing the area near the former bank building.

"Approval of the questions, which include the purchase of 1645 Ellington Road, the renovation and re-purposing of the current town hall for future uses, critical road and roof repairs, the building of a multi-use athletic field, and making renovations to the police station, at a time when borrowing rates are low, makes good fiscal sense and prepares South Windsor for the future."

In contrast, Kenneth Gorton wrote:

"South Windsor's referendum is a bad idea! Many of our fellow citizens support town projects, especially school building and renovations. But the March 16 referendum has many questions that should be voted down.

"For instance, the purchase of the building at 1645 Ellington Rd. is too expensive. If you remember roughly five years ago, the town spent well over a million dollars to purchase and renovate the post office to be used as a town hall annex. After all the money spent, it is used for storage. If the post office was used for the purpose it was purchased for, we would not be contemplating spending over $5,475,000.00 on a new town hall.

"The question of spending $1,305,000.00 on the town hall makes perfect sense, and when finished, all the town offices should stay there, except for the department that is supposed to be in the post office building.

"The sports complex question may be popular with parents who have children using these fields, but there are a few issues with this question. Spending $1,000,000 on a synthetic field is not a good idea. Synthetic fields lead to more injuries; this is a proven fact in the NFL and in Major League Baseball. I do not have a child, but if I did, I would not let them play on a synthetic field. The second problem with a synthetic field is the fact that they do not last forever. A grass field can be repaired and replaced for a fraction of the cost of a synthetic field. $3,950,625 is a lot of money.

"The questions of new locker rooms in the police department, replacing the roof at Timothy Edwards Middle School, replacing roofs at the community center and public works department, and the repairs to Buckland Road and Pleasant Valley Road are all maintenance issues and need to be done.

"With the items the town needs to do listed in the last paragraph and the town hall renovation, the town will bond roughly $9,675,000. Do any of my fellow citizens think it is a good idea to bond over $9,000,000 more for things that can wait, and items the town can do without? In this trying time, money is tight, many of our towns citizens are out of work; this is not the time to bond so much money. Let's repair our roofs before they leak, let's fix our roads that are worn out, and let's put aside expensive projects this town cannot afford until economic times warrant this kind of spending."

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