Main Street’s second phase moves quickly to referendum

WINSTED — A Jan. 10 referendum to vote on allocating funds for the second phase of the town’s Main Street Enhancement Project was approved by attendees at a special town meeting at Town Hall on Monday, Jan. 7.The vote for a referendum was 36 to 6.Town Manager Dale Martin noted the project was originally planned in the 1990s and was included in the annual town budget beginning in 2007.Martin told the audience that that state recently contacted the town and said that, if the town did not complete the project by this year, it would be responsible for repaying $200,000 that the state has spent in design costs.He said that the project was put out to bid last year, but that bids came out higher than what was originally budgeted by the town in 2007.For that reason, the town is seeking referendum approval to allocate $71,000 to complete the project.Martin said funds would come out of the town’s Local Capital Improvement Program (LoCIP) budget line item, which is set to be $85,000 and is slated to be received from the state this March.Todd Parsons from Lenard Engineering talked about the project and answered questions from the audience.Parsons said that the project would begin this year and would take one construction season.He said the project, when completed, would extend a previously constructed median in Main Street both west and east.It also would add a new sidewalk on the south side of Main Street and improve existing sidewalks on the north side of the street. Resident Stephen Kosinski asked Parsons if there were going to be any breaks in the medians to allow residents parked across from Main Street to walk over to the other side.Parsons said that there would be no breaks in the medians.Economic Development Commission Chairman Dick Labich said that the owners of True Value on 276 Main St. contacted him with concerns about the project.“They have a problem with the proposed median strip because they have one delivery trailer that comes in a week and there is no way they can get the trailer in front of the store without having a break in the strip,” Labich said.Town Manager told Labich that the project design was a result of several meetings in 2010 where property owners on Main Street were invited.“The state determined the final design based upon input we received at the meetings,” Martin said. “I have been in discussion with the store owners to determine if there are other ways to facilitate loading and unloading for their trucks. We are exploring options.”Resident Alan DiCara said he did not approve the project because, due to the lack of breaks in the median, he felt it would create parking and safety issues. “If people want to cross over to the YMCA or several merchants they would have to go through the median,” DiCara said. “With the so-called improvements we have had to Main Street in the past few years people are already upset because they cannot find parking spaces as readily as they used to. How many parking spaces are we going to lose?”Parsons told DiCara that no parking spaces would be lost on Main Street because of the project.“In fact, we hope that parking on Main Street will be much more efficient because the project will improve the delineated spaces along the street,” Parsons said. Selectman Candy Perez said residents should be using the crosswalks on Main Street to get from one side of the street to the other and not be crossing over in the middle of the street.Resident and frequent critic at selectmen’s meetings Marsha Sterling, who said she was skeptical that the town would receive LoCIP funds from the state.“If we don’t receive that money from the state, we will be adding $71,000 to our current deficit this fiscal year,” Sterling said. “Not necessarily,” Martin said. “We may not go forward with the project if the LoCIP money does not come through.”Sterling then told the board that the LoCIP funds should be used for road repairs instead of the streetscape project.“If you don’t move forward with this project, you would have money to spend on roads,” Sterling said. “The town might have to fight to not pay back the state $200,000, or we could delay this vote until the town is more financially secure to undertake the fight.”Sterling asked Martin if there was a way to delay the vote on the project until the town was financially secure.“According to the state, no,” Martin said. “The state has held on to the funds for the project for six years, they are not going to continue to hold on to the funds. They may move on to a different project.”“Again, you are asking to take some of our road improvement funds and spend it on flower beds on Main Street,” Sterling shot back.Steven Sedlack, who said he supported the project, made the motion for the town to hold the referendum.As he spoke in support of the project, Sedlack also expressed his support for the medians on Main Street“In West Hartford, Avon or Simsbury, this project would be a no-brainer,” Sedlack said. “I’m a little disturbed to find that some people knowingly oppose an idea, and then they develop the reasons for it later. ”The referendum was scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 10, after The Winsted Journal went to press.The Journal will include the results of the referendum at www.tricornernews.com, and in next week’s issue.