Granby Residents Still Question Possible Farm Acquisition

(Editors Note: The Granbys Patch covered the first two informational meetings, held on Dec. 28, concerning the upcoming $11.4 million capital improvements referendum. The second set of meetings was held Thursday evening. Find out the most frequently asked questions posed at those meetings and their answers here.)

There are 11 projects included in the upcoming $11.4 million capital improvements referendum, but the potential has captured the attention of residents, many of whom posed questions regarding the possible land deal during the final informational meetings hosted by town officials at the Police Department community room on Thursday evening.

Gordon Bischoff, chairman of the Granby Capital Program Priority Advisory Committee and vice chairman of the Board of Finance, said Evonsion Farm is one of the last large parcels of land available in Granby. Should the town be successful in its acquisition, there are no immediate plans for the land outside of preserving it as open space, Bischoff said.

With that in mind, the land could be used in the future for town use, such as the construction of a new school or athletic fields, Bischoff said.

Bischoff said previously that the town was not specifically acquiring the land to prevent the the construction of houses on the property by a private developer - one plan called for the building of 80 homes. If that were to happen, however, Bischoff said last week that the influx of children in the schools - 160 if there were two in each new household - would be “a dramatic shock” to the school system.

First Selectman John Adams said in meeting on Dec. 28 that it would cost taxpayers $360,000 to educate two children for 13 years in the Granby schools system. It would take 35 years to recoup the tax money from a home valued at $350,000 to educate those children, Adams said.

Residents on Thursday evening appeared not to be convinced that there was a pressing need to acquire the land, at least compared to other projects on the list, which includes the replacement of the Silver Street Bridge, which was rated “poor” by the state’s Department of Transportation.

“That’s not a necessity,” resident Judy Stewart said of the possible purchase of the land. “It’s nice to have, but a lot of it is speculative.”

Resident Jeff Rasmus agreed.

“[$3 million is] a tough nut to swallow and it’s speculation,” he said.

But Adams, who said that the land is currently zoned for ¾-acred subdivisions, defended the potential land deal, stating that it would save taxpayers a lot of money and headaches in the long run.

“You do the math and its a simple digestion,” Adams said.”Put 50 houses in there and you’ll see the impact.”

Michael Guarco, a member of CPPAC and the finance board, said that residents should take “a long view” when looking at the potential acquisition, noting that the town’s decision to build the middle school on the high school’s campus was a move that saved taxpayers a little money up front, but will likely cost the town more over time with the athletic field situation in its current form.

“We would have been better off not putting [the middle school] there,” Guarco said. “Twenty years later, it doesn’t look like we’re saving any money.”

One resident wanted to know if there was a way to acquire the land and sell it to a developer for commercial use.

Adams said that commercially developing the land was unlikely, although “if Google wanted to put its world headquarters there, we’d find a way to make it work.”

Residents will decide the fate of the 11 projects in their current form at a referendum on Jan. 17. If  approved, the projects will actually cost the town a net of $8.4 million after reimbursements and grants from the federal and state governments are factored in.

The projects would be funded through a 20-year bond.

If approved, the cost to a taxpayer with a home assessed at $275,000 would be an additional $27 per year, according to Bischoff, who said that several factors, including low interest rates and a stagnant economy that drives down bids, makes it a good time to request the projects.

What’s more, with the town having some debt coming off the books, the impact to taxpayers would be blunted, Bischoff said. Specifically, using CPPAC’s model, taxes are expected to go up 2.97 percent each year for the next five years. About .45 percent of the increase would be due to the capital projects, if they are approved by voters, according to Bischoff.

Time is of the essence for the Silver Street Bridge project, according to town officials, as the hope is that the bridge will be replaced within this construction season.

If the resolution is voted down at the referendum, then the bridge project likely will not be done this year, Bischoff said.

With that said, if the measure does not pass, Bischoff said that the town would likely act like it does when a budget referendum fails, and the measure will be repackaged in some fashion and brought back to voters. That process, however, will likely take a month or two, meaning that the approvals for the Silver Street Bridge replacement would have to wait, leaving the fate of the federal grants - which will cover 80 percent of the project - in limbo, according to Town Manager William Smith.

At least one resident was in favor of the projects.

“I think everything said so far makes sense,” said resident Charles Isenberg, who added that he was particularly pleased with the proposed acquisition of five generators for several town and school buildings for a total of $250,000. “Recent experience says that is an excellent investment. You’re talking about saving lives. That’s a small price to pay.”