01/22/09
Council redirects 2007 bond funds to maintenance of existing infrastructure
Investment in maintenance of existing infrastructure was a guiding principle behind the Town Council's Jan. 12, 2009 approval of revised recommendations to redistribute proceeds from a spring 2008 municipal bond issue.
Key among the approved recommendations is an increase in funding for renovation of the Spurwink Church; $500,000 for paving and road maintenance; and, $300,000 "frozen" funds for capital
purposes, to be recommended by Town Manager Michael McGovern and approved by the Town Council.
Approximately half of the $2.5 million bond, approved in 2007 to address pending capital projects, has been used for projects such as the traffic light at the entrance to Cape Elizabeth High School ($264,481); town support for the bleachers and security fencing at Hannaford Field ($202,100); and, replacement of Public Works trucks (168,000).
In addition, $387,379 of the $461,200 earmarked for School Department projects has been expended. These projects include safety and security items, classroom furniture and building repairs and equipment.
McGovern's recommendations, approved by the council Jan. 12, includes School Board flexibility over the use of the remaining $73,821 earmarked for school projects.
The council also approved an increase in the amount initially allocated for repairs to the Spurwink Church from $300,000 to $425,000. So far, $28,000 has been expended on a project that was recommended by the Spurwink Church Study Committee in 2006.
The council's action Jan. 12 also directed $500,000 of the remaining bond money to go toward paving of town roads and parking lots; and, $300,000 to be "frozen", and to be "used for capital purposes recommended by the town manager and approved by the Town Council."
McGovern presented his recommendations to the council a week after the finance committee, a committee of the whole council, voted to recommend to the council a different slate of uses for the remaining bond funds. Those recommendations included $363,167 for sidewalk and drainage improvements to the town center, specifically along Route 77 between Fowler Road and the High School entrance; and, $38,380 to close out a proposed traffic-light and site improvement project at the town center.
"While it seemed that there were four votes to go ahead with the storm water drainage, based on what councilors said the other night, I just didn't get the sense that it was a majority that was raring to go," McGovern said at the council's Jan. 12 meeting.
The $38,380 proposed to close out the town-center intersection project would have reimbursed the state Department of Transportation for the work it has started on full signalization and site improvements to the intersection at Route 77, Shore Road and Scott Dyer Road. The initial 2007 bond had set $100,000 aside for the project, but in November of 2008, the council tabled consideration of the entire project until May 2009, so it can be looked at in view of other budgetary needs.
At their Jan. 12 meeting, Olde Colony Lane resident Mary Ann Lynch urged the council not to "kill" the town center intersection project. "You are killing a safety project supported by multiple engineering studies," said Lynch, who served as council chairman until last November. She said the traffic signal may not be popular, but is necessary to improve safety and level of vehicular service. "I urge you to put it out to bid and get complete financial information before you turn this money back to the state," she said.
The project is being funded in part by federal and state grants awarded by the Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation Committee (PACTS).
The council's action Jan. 12 neither earmarks funds for the closeout, nor rules them out. If the council does decide to kill the project, the closeout money would need to come from the $300,000 frozen within the bond. "I know that project has its lack of supporters," McGovern told members of the council. "But it may be premature to kill it since you did table it until May," he said
McGovern said he would entertain recommendations and suggestions for use of the $300,000 from everyone, including the School Department.
While decisions for the $300,000 will be made later, the council did on Jan. 12 authorize use $500,000 of the remaining bond money for maintenance of roads and town-owned parking lots.
McGovern presented to the council a spreadsheet outlining the $410,471 annual maintenance costs for Cape Elizabeth's 60 miles of arterial, collector, connector, feeder and local roads. Coupled with the need for sidewalk, drainage improvements and road reconstruction costs, the need for the next fiscal year is $705,471, of which only $225,000 is now budgeted.
"I don't know where the money's going to come from to maintain all these roads, but in my view, the more we can put into it the better," McGovern said.
Previous stories and related stories:
|
