Darien RTM Set To Vote On Great Island Purchase

DARIEN, CT — After hours of meetings and poring over details, the Darien Representative Town Meeting is scheduled to vote on the purchase of Great Island on Monday night.

A special meeting will be held on Monday at 8 p.m. in the town hall auditorium. According to the agenda, the RTM will consider and take action on the $103,465,000 purchase, bonding for the purchase and an appropriation of $400,200 and a special revenue fund, which would be used to manage operations of the island.

The town will be able to continue its due diligence on the property until Aug. 6.

The purchase has already received approval from both the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Finance.

On May 23, Darien signed a contract to purchase the island, which was originally bought by the Ziegler family in 1880's, and has remained in the family ever since, most recently controlled by the Steinkraus branch of the family.

On June 6, First Selectman Monica McNally gave a presentation on preliminary ideas for the island, ranging from educational uses to recreation.

Following the presentation, several elected officials questioned the purchase. State Sens. Bob Duff (majority leader, D-Norwalk), Pat Billie Miller (D-Stamford), and Will Haskell (D-Westport) sent a letter to McNally, requesting a meeting to discuss the Open Choice Program and affordable housing in Darien.

"The decision by the Town to purchase the Great Island property with so many unknowns—how the property will be used, how to replace the loss to the grand list, what the costs of insuring, maintaining, securing and ultimately developing the property will be, leads us to question the legitimacy of the reason given for rejecting Open Choice. We believe this topic requires further discussion," the senators said in the letter.

McNally responded via email to the senators, and said they're welcome to attend a board of selectmen meeting to address the board and residents.

For more on Great Island and to view a narrated tour of the property, click here.