Darien To Form Advisory Committee For Phase 1 Great Island Work

DARIEN, CT — Since the expected closing date for the Great Island property is only one month away, the town of Darien is preparing for ownership. Darien announced a final agreement to purchase the 60-plus acre island for $85 million last month.

On Monday night, the Board of Selectmen unanimously approved the charge for a Great Island Phase 1 Advisory Committee.

After the May 5 closing date, Darien will begin to perform some physical work on the site as part of Phase 1 to eventually allow residents to visit the island. Work will include widening roads, creating parking areas, and addressing some safety, accessibility and environmental issues.

The advisory committee will provide oversight to these "post-acquisition tasks" and will hold meetings and report at least monthly to the Board of Selectmen on the progress of their work.

Membership will consist of four full-time residents of Darien who will be appointed by the Board of Selectmen; two selectmen; the moderator of the Representative Town Meeting or an RTM member; chair of the Board of Finance and Parks and Recreation, or members appointed by those chairs.

The committee will be subject to all Freedom of Information Act regulations, which don't require public comment during meetings. Public comment can be listed on any meeting agenda and must be taken, according to Town Administrator Kate Buch.

"I can't believe that this committee would not include public comment on their agenda," Buch said.

Buch, First Selectman Monica McNally and Selectman Jon Zagrodzky stressed that this committee's focus will be on the work that needs to be done once the acquisition is complete.

"This is prepping the island for the next phase, which is the vision. The island has been there for a long time, and I think that second phase project is going to take a long time. And I really feel strongly that we should measure five times and cut once," McNally said.

"I'm asking for patience from our community, because it will take a long time to come up with these ideas and make sure that they're well-thought out and supported by the community. Right now, I think we just want to get people on to the island so they can get a feel of that," she added.

Zagrodzky characterized the first phase as "nuts and bolts-type stuff" and "not the cool stuff" that's expected in Phase 2. But the work, he said, is just as important.

"This is a big deal, this purchase. It's going to be very important that we really explore who the right people are to be on this committee, and make sure they're all complimentary," Zagrodzky said.

It's unclear yet how long the committee will convene for.

Buch said the Board of Selectmen has to reconstitute the committee each year. Zagrodzky mentioned maybe "sunsetting" the committee's membership and charter as Phase 2 draws near in the future.

The original proposed membership for the committee also included a representative from Planning & Zoning, but the board amended the charge to eliminate P&Z. Director of P&Z Jeremy Ginsberg is expected to be an ex-officio member.

The original proposal also featured three Darien residents as members. Selectman Sarah Neumann was concerned the number was too small based on the interest in Great Island.

The board amended the membership to add a fourth resident.

Once the committee is formed, an application process will be open and the Board of Selectmen will interview interested residents. More information on the application process is expected over the coming weeks.