Diana Stricker Photo
An architectural firm will begin work Monday on the assessment and concept design phase for renovations of the Community House and the addition of a senior center.
The Board of Selectmen (BOS) Wednesday night unanimously approved hiring the Quisenberry Arcari architectural firm of Farmington, which was recommended by the Public Building Commission.
However, First Selectman Jamie Cosgrove took no action on the reappointments of three members of the Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) during the 9-minute meeting. IWC is the next step for the Costco application.
Moving Ahead
Quisenberry will be responsible for phase 1 of the Community House project—the assessment, feasibility and concept design phase.
“We’re anxious to get moving on this project,” Cosgrove said.
The Public Building Commission voted unanimously June 24 to recommend the Farmington firm. Click here to read about that. Fourteen firms responded to the request for qualifications, and six of those firms were interviewed earlier in June.
Cosgrove said town engineer Janice Plaziak has reviewed the scope of the project with the Quisenberry firm.
Third Selectman Bruce Storm asked what the next step will be.
Cosgrove said after the concept design phase is complete, a construction budget will be set and construction designs will be drawn. The project and funding must be approved by the Board of Finance and the Representative Town Meeting (RTM).
Last fall, Sandra Vlock of the Arbonies King Vlock architectural firm, conducted an assessment of senior programs and needs, and held public forums on the issue of replacing the aging Canoe Brook Senior Center. She recommended remodeling the Community House, and expanding the building to serve as a blended center for recreation programs and senior citizens.
Two additional members with specific interest in the senior center project can be appointed to the Public Building Commission by the first selectman. They would only serve while the project is under discussion. So far those appointments have not been made.
Wetlands Reappointments?
During last night’s meeting, Chris Sullivan, the Democratic minority leader of the RTM, asked Cosgrove if there was any update on reappointing three members of the IWC whose terms expired May 31.
“I have interviewed a number of candidates as well as the current members and others who are interested,” Cosgrove said.
Sullivan, who also serves as the chair of the Democratic Town Committee, asked Cosgrove to support the three current members who have all expressed an interest in continuing their service on the IWC.
“The sitting members should receive a priority,” Sullivan said. He handed Cosgrove copies of the three commissioners’ resumes and asked him to distribute them to the other two selectmen so everyone is familiar with their qualifications.
The three commissioners whose terms expired May 31 are: Dr. Richard Orson; Dr. Wesley Vietzke; and Leo Stanlake, who is an alternate. The IWC is comprised of seven members and three alternates.
Orson, who has been an IWC member since 1997, has a bachelor’s degree from Western New England College in biology; a master’s degree from Connecticut College in botany; and a PhD from Rutgers University in wetland ecology. He operates Orson Environmental Consulting in Branford; and is an adjunct ecology professor at the University of New Haven. He is considered an expert in his field.
Vietzke, a commissioner since 1999, has a bachelor’s degree in biology from DePauw University; and a medical degree from Johns Hopkins University. He is a certified member of the American Board of Internal Medicine, and has served as a physician and a clinical professor.
Stanlake, who has been an alternate for two years, has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Massachusetts; and a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Hartford.
Wetlands and Costco
The issue of the delay in reappointing the three members of the IWC was raised by Storm during last month’s BOS meeting. Click here to read about that.
Storm also sent an e-mail to Cosgrove last month questioning whether the delay was related to the Costco proposal. “I am astounded and disappointed that you would take this step at this critical time when the work of the IWC will be vital to our town’s future,” Storm wrote.
The Costco master plan and Planned Development District (PDD) for 44 acres at Exit 56 was approved by the Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Commission last week by a 3-2 vote. Costco must now present detailed site plans to both the IWC and the P&Z, and additional public hearings will be scheduled.
The complete Master Plan will be presented to the IWC—including Costco and seven other commercial buildings. The size of the construction plan may have to be reduced if the IWC feels it does not meet regulations. Or the plan could be rejected. If the Master Plan is approved, then site plans for Costco must be submitted to the P&Z for detailed scrutiny. Plans for the other seven buildings would be submitted to P&Z whenever development plans are ready for those businesses, as yet unnamed.
Local environmentalist Bill Horne has stated that Costco’s PDD impinges on the wetlands and could adversely affect stormwater drainage and watersheds. Click here to read about that .
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