Council sends $511 million school rebuild to November voters
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| The Enfield Town Council voted unanimously to approve a $511 million school project, supported by an $89 million town share. Voters will have final say in November. |
The town's cost is $89 million, and that's what voters will be asked to approve in November.
The plan builds four new PK-5 schools on the sites of Hazardville Memorial, Prudence Crandall, Edgar H. Parkman and Henry Barnard, and converts Eli Whitney into a new home for Eagle Academy. Work runs in two phases. The entire project will take seven to eight years.
Mayor Gina Cekala said Enfield doesn't have much choice. "$89 million is a lot of money. It sounds like a lot of money. It is a lot of money," she said. But she put the town's share in proportion. Of the $511 million, "Enfield is going to be responsible for a maximum of 17% of this project."
If voters reject it, Enfield residents will pay a lot more to fix schools that are considered in terrible shape. Fixing them is unavoidable, Cekala argued.
"We literally, figuratively, and financially cannot afford not to pass this referendum. It's as simple as that," Cekala said.
She also knocked down the pay-as-you-go alternative, which usually arises from those who argue for piecemeal repairs and upgrades. The charter caps what the town can spend on a project without a referendum at roughly $850,000 a year, she said. Anything above that requires bonding. Fixing the windows at Hazardville Memorial or the ceiling at Parkman would each send the town back to the voters on its own.
Work on an elementary school plan has been ongoing for years, through Republican and Democratic control of the council.
Councilor Carol Hall, the Republican minority leader, wanted taxpayers to understand the cost on their tax bill and asked for an online calculator that taxpayers could use to estimate bond-related taxes.
Council members had a sheet prepared by finance officials that estimated the tax impact over the bond's life based on a home with a market value of $325,000 and an assessed value of $227,500.
For that house, the projected tax impact starts at $61.43 in fiscal 2029, the first year of debt service, rises above $393 in 2031 and peaks at about $557 in 2033 before declining. The town estimates $145 million in total debt service on the $89 million over 30 years.
"I think we got to be very honest with the voter," Hall said. "So I just think it's important for the voter to know exactly what the cost is to them."
Deputy Mayor John Santanella agreed on creating an online calculator but wanted a second number next to it: the cost of doing nothing, including piecemeal repairs without state reimbursement.
"If we're going to put a tool up that's going to help people understand what this is going to cost, we should also put up the cost of not doing this program and how much we're going to be spending by not getting state reimbursements," he said.
"That's the comparison. That's the choice," he said.
Cekala said that while the tax impact numbers "look a little scary" in subsequent years, the estimate assumes that taxpayers will bear 100% of the cost. That doesn't happen, she said. Budgets are reduced, fund balance surpluses are applied, and debt may be refinanced. "We don't pass along 100% of this cost to the taxpayer on every given year," she said.
Councilor Zach Zannoni said, long term, the project will save money.
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| Asbestos reporting books |
"We're constructing new schools, but we're not adding schools," he said. "It makes sense to have four cafeterias instead of six, four libraries instead of six, four gyms instead of six. All of that makes fundamental sense. That saves us money when we consolidate."
Councilor Bob Cressotti, who has sat on the building committee since 2022, called it "the most generational project that this town has ever encountered."
"We cannot simply say yes to every project," Cressotti said. "We have to determine what is necessary, what's affordable, and what is the best long-term interest of our community." He said this one meets that test."
Through the debate, no one argued that the work was in any way optional. The schools are deteriorating, HVAC and basic systems need replacement, and fire and safety upgrades have been cited as needs. These school buildings also contain asbestos, most of it in floor tile. Federal law requires the district to inspect it twice a year and conduct a full reinspection every three years. Those records, reviewed at the district's Enfield Street headquarters this week, will be the subject of a separate report.
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| Projected tax impact on a home with a market value of $325,000 and an assessed value of $227,500. Debt service begins in fiscal 2029 and peaks at about $557 in 2033. |
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