Simsbury Board of Selectmen Meeting December 9,2024

Board of Selectmen Meeting December 9, 2024

I would like to share with the Board of Selectmen the reasoning behind my return to duty.

After cataract surgery, I filled a new prescription with new lenses.

As I found out later, there are different qualities in the lenses that are purchased.

The lens I received was a low-quality lens that distorted my vision, resulting in a diminished quality of life.

After several consultations, I purchased glasses with a high-quality lens and smaller lenses, eliminating all the distortions.

Now that my quality of life has returned to normal, I can continue my self-appointed task of making Simsbury accountable to the public.

Recently there was an article about Simsbury paying the Simsbury Volunteer Ambulance Association (SVAA) $200,000 to enhance their failed business.

Executive Director Karin Stewart receives a salary of $135,148.

Town Manager Marc Nelson stated in an article in the Middletown Press, that the model for ambulance service does not work although the Town Manager of Avon Brandon Robertson, stated, “his town is satisfied with its longstanding relationship with AMR.”

“There is no cost to the town and we have been pleased with the service, in fact we just renewed for another term.”

The contract with SVAA states, “In the event funding is not appropriated, the agreement shall terminate.”

I would urge the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Finance to immediately remove the funding for the SVAA with the cost of $500,000 over three years, starting with $200,000 in this year’s budget.

Town Manager Marc Nelson stated, “his former employer, the city of Poughkeepsie, New York, was compelled to suddenly and unexpectedly budget $500,000 a year when its local ambulance company failed.”

The median household Income in Simsbury is $120,435.

The median household income in Poughkeepsie is $53,875.

Town Manager Marc Nelson should not use Poughkeepsie as a model for Simsbury since we have our own goals and policies of preservation of open space and maintaining our quality of life while maintaining the character of Simsbury.

The Board of Selectmen signed a contract with the Simsbury Performing Arts Center for 15 years.

The SPAC pays the town $2,500 per season until 2028, then the fee is increased to $7,500, per season.

This fee is paid to the town for exclusive rights to the Town owned property, the Simsbury Meadows on Iron Horse Boulevard.

It appears that this contract is a sweet-heart deal that creates an undue burden on the community with increased traffic and reduced parking for the business establishment.

There is nothing in the SPAC contract that addresses transparency with access to all board meetings required for the public to attend as does the SVAA contract.

The SPAC should be held to the same standards as the SVAA.

I would like to urge the Board of Selectmen to vote “NO” on purchasing the Sims-Croft building on 4 Farms Village Road for Special Education.

The Board of Education has once again “rushed to judgement” without studying the complete financial consequences of this purchase and other alternatives for the delivery of services to Special Education students.

Many years ago, the Board of Education proposed a new high school with a large campus for $100million in lieu of renovating the High School for $28 million

After Bond Council had a meeting with the Board of Finance and told them if this project was to be ratified, there could be no Capital Projects for many years.

The result led to the renovation of the High School that serves the community and the students very well for $28 million.

Recently the Board of Education renovated Henry James Junior High for a coast of $23.9 million.

There is a proposal for the Board of Education to redistrict the schools with the 6th grade going to Henry James.

There will be additional costs for the redistricting due to the “rush to judgement” for the renovation of the Junior High without adequately reviewing the additional costs.

Placing the 6th grade in the Junior High leaves room for a reconfiguration of the schools, with grades k-2 in two schools and grades 3-5 in two other buildings, leaving an empty building for other uses.

The State is reviewing a model for regionalizing Special Education that has shared resources and cost-sharing.

The failed tract record of the Board of Education in their “rush to judgment “has been a costly burden to the taxpayer.

The purchase of the Sims-Croft building will become another costly failed project by the Board of Education.

This purchase should be removed from the Capital projects.