South Windsor Residents Urged to Vote 'Yes' on 5 Referendum Questions

If the presidential, senatorial and state elections weren’t enough, South Windsor voters will also decide the fate of a number of capital improvements projects contained in five referendum questions totalling $13.68 million on the Nov. 6 ballot.

There has been a push in recent days by town officials and residents to have all five questions pass.

“I am urging all citizens to vote YES for these questions,” Town Councilor Jan Snyder wrote in an e-mail to the South Windsor Patch. “The projects contained in these referenda support the town’s most critical needs, while we have time to target the appropriate amount of funds for infrastructure planning.”

The questions deal with the following:

• Question 1 includes $5.79 million for school renovations, improvements and educational technology, including roof replacements at the high school (partial), Orchard Hill and Pleasant Valley elementary school (approx. $3.2 million); $195,000 to replace lockers in the high school gym; $78,720 to resurface the high school track; $1.35 million for computer equipment; $650,000 to repave the high school parking lot phase 2 of 5; replace the floor at Pleasant Valley kitchen ($52,500) and the serving line at Timothy Edwards School ($74,420).

• Question 2 includes $1.27 million for renovations and improvements to town buildings, including $235,000 for community center boilers and heat pumps; $400,000 for police department oil/gas storage tank, generator, HVAC pumps and cooling tower; $75,000 for a community center generator; $220,000 for a generator at the high school shelter; $255,000 for town replacement of boilers, including gas mains, ADA improvements.

• Question 3 includes $4 million for paving and drainage improvements on six connector or arterial roads and neighborhood roads as well. $3 million would be set aside for the six connector roads and another $980,000 would go to neighborhood roads.

• Question 4 includes $1.62 million for improvements to the town’s information technology systems, including the following: $555,000 for computers and equipment; $575,000 for network upgrades; $475,000 for GIS/database conversion and upgrade.

• Question 5 includes $1.02 million for improvements to the park system, including the possible construction of a playground at Veterans Memorial Pool, as well as expansion of the bike path network and improvements to the irrigation systems and restrooms.

The projects are phase two (or the bridge) of a three-phase system devised by the Council's Capital Improvements Subcommittee to reintroduce a long-term capital improvements plan to the town.

The program was devised to fix what had been a broken, unfunded capital improvement structure that had been in place in years past. The referendum questions, as such, do not exist in a vacuum.

“We needed to fix [the capital improvement plan],” said Snyder, who spearheaded the Town Council committee’s efforts to reshape the plan and bring the referendum questions forward. “If voters approve this, it will buy us the time to put money away and save [for future projects]. We need the faith and trust of the South Windsor residents and we need their help.”

Critics have presented arguments against the questions, including: that the projects cost too much; that they are ill-timed as the economy is still weak; or that some items, like computers, roads and work on the parks, either shouldn’t be bonded or are not necessities.

Snyder, however, disagreed, stating that every project contained within the referendum questions is “critical” and that none of them are luxury items.

Snyder noted that South Windsor was fortunate that superstorm Sandy did not have a greater impact on the town, as several items contained within the referendum questions deal directly with emergency responses, including the information technology infrastructure and the generator purchases.

“We didn’t throw this together,” Snyder said. “We did our due diligence, we took our time and reviewed and vetted [the questions].”

Without taking a position on the matter, Snyder was clear that the proposed hockey rinks/community center project that was brought before the Town Council recently is not a part of the referendum, nor did the Capital Improvements Projects Committee review that project's plan.

In the end, Snyder said, each question should pass because the South Windsor community as a whole will benefit.

“We have to serve all citizens,” Snyder said. “We have to care about everybody.”

Toward that end, several residents have gotten together to back the referendum through a website - www.VoteYesSouthWindsor.org - and a Facebook page here.