Wallingford Parking lot letter brings up issue again - Three councilors wrote to state, opposing grant

As published in the Record Journal, Wednesday January 30, 2013

By Russell Blair
Record-Journal staff
rblair@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2225
Twitter:@RussellBlairRJ

WALLINGFORD - Most town councilors learned recently that three of their fellow members sent a letter last fall discrediting the town’s application for a $500,000 grant to improve the parking lot behind the businesses on Simpson Court.

Republican Councilor Craig Fishbein joined Democrats Jason Zandri and Nicholas Economopoulos in sending the Nov. 1 letter to the state Office of Policy and Management. The town applied for the grant in late September.

“Components of the application do not appear to comply with the grant specifications and should be taken into consideration when reviewing the town’s application,” the councilors wrote.

The Simpson Court parking lot, near the intersection of Center Street and North Main Street, has been a subject of contention for more than two years, with politicians from either party supporting or opposing attempts to improve the lot. A plan backed by longtime Republican Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. and others was overwhelmingly defeated in a 2011 referendum.

Fishbein said he never intended for the letter to be kept private and believed fellow councilors were aware of it when it was sent, almost three months ago. But most councilors said they weren’t aware of the letter until last week.

Republican Councilor John LeTourneau, a supporter of the grant application, said the councilors are entitled to their opinions but feels the letter is misleading.

The letter points out that the property is not owned by the town, but instead is leased from private business owners. It states the property is not visible from the street and that a town-owned lot fronting the businesses on Simpson Court will not be upgraded.

The letter also says that many parts of the town’s plan do not conform to grant requirements.

While the parking lot is not visible from North Main Street, it is visible from Center Street, LeTourneau said.

“To put a statement out like that, signed by three councilors,gives it a sense of legitimacy, but not all of their facts are spot on,” he said.

Fishbein said his chief concern was that the lease agreement in the grant application was the same one quashed by voters in the 2011 referendum. Officials have said that if the town receives the grant, the property owners have agreed to enter into a 30-year lease allowing the town to maintain the area as public parking.

“They included the lease that was defeated,” Fishbein said. “That was the major objection that I have.”

The town’s grant application makes reference to the referendum,but said the project is still necessary.

“That defeat, however, in no way diminishes the importance of the project to the vitality and success of downtown for businesses and residents,” the application reads.

As for the upgrades, according to guidelines for the Main Street Investment Fund, “any renovations that are solely the result of ordinary ... maintenance” are excluded from receiving state funds. Fishbein argues that elements of the Simpson Court project, such as repaving, restriping and new drainage, amount to maintenance and should be excluded.

Fishbein said he worked on the letter because he was absent from the meeting at which the Town Council voted 6-2 to approve the grant application. Zandri and Economopoulos voted against applying for the grant at the meeting.

Zandri said he’s concerned that if the town receives only a portion of the grant amount, officials may attempt to fund the remainder with tax dollars. State officials said 64 towns submitted projects worth a total of $26 million under the new grant program. The state has set aside only $5 million.

“There’s zero interest by any taxpayer to put town money into that lot,” Zandri said. “The project didn’t have the full support of the council and the people in town.”

Democratic Councilor John Sullivan said he had no problem with the letter being sent, but questioned the language in it and said it could be misleading. The letter said 90 parking passes will be given to property owners for use by their tenants with no time limitations. But Sullivan said it’s not as if the parking spaces will be specifically reserved.

“It’s going to be first come, first served,” he said.

And Sullivan disagreed with the assessment that this project is the same as the one voters rejected. Physically the work is the same, but the money comes from the state, not locally.

“It’s totally different,” he said. “The funding source is completely different.”

The town is expected to learn whether it will receive the grant in March or April.