Stamford Planning Board Special Meeting on Capital Budget - February 24, 2023
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Stamford Planning Board Special Meeting on Capital Budget
On Friday, February 24, 2023, at 12:15 PM, the Stamford Planning Board held a special virtual meeting to consider three capital budget projects proposed by Mayor Simmons under Charter Section C8-20-6. The board unanimously approved all three projects, with recommendations to prioritize community engagement and use of federal ARP funds.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Barry (Stamford Coalition principal and resident of Idlewood Drive) opposed the Bicycle & Pedestrian Facilities Implementation project (CP8705) as it pertains to the Pepper Ridge neighborhood. He argued that a hastily called Zoom meeting with minimal notice failed to address residents' real concerns about traffic safety, speeding, and dangerous conditions near a school. He called the project a "waste of money" and requested that any work in Pepper Ridge be brought back to the community for proper discussion before funds are allocated. He also raised concerns about the safety of proposed "bump outs" and lack of follow-up from the city.
Discussion Items
- Project #CP8711 – Traffic/Road Paving & Drainage ($500,000 bonds): Presented by Josie Carpanzano, Deputy Director of Operations. The project would create a dedicated fund to complement utility company restoration payments, enabling curb-to-curb repaving rather than partial restorations that lead to recurring road damage. The board noted past attempts to include this in the budget and supported its necessity.
- Project #C56241 – Traffic Management Studies ($500,000 ARP): Presented by Frank Petise, Transportation Bureau Chief. Approximately $300,000 would fund a comprehensive transportation study for the Cove and Eastside neighborhoods in partnership with the ongoing master plan, and $200,000 would support a Road Safety Audit (RSA) on Washington Boulevard from Point to Station Place, focusing on pedestrian and vehicular safety. The study will take about four months and include public input.
- Project #CP8705 – Bicycle & Pedestrian Facilities Implementation ($500,000 ARP): Presented by Frank Petise. The funds would implement safety improvements identified through neighborhood studies in Hubbard Heights (further along) and Pepper Ridge. Public feedback has been gathered, and a draft report exists for Hubbard Heights. The board discussed Barry's objections and the importance of community engagement. Members agreed to approve the full amount while recommending that the city focus on the Pepper Ridge area and hold more formal public meetings before implementation.
Key Outcomes
- Project #CP8711: Motion by Jennifer Gozzino, seconded by Michael Buccino. Approved unanimously. The board recommended that the city explore using additional ARP funds to replace bond funds for this project.
- Project #C56241: Motion by Jennifer Gozzino, seconded by Stephen Perry. Approved unanimously.
- Project #CP8705: Motion by Jay Tepper, seconded by Michael Buccino. Approved unanimously. The board's referral letter to the mayor will include a recommendation to prioritize the Pepper Ridge area and to ensure community engagement before implementation.
- The board will forward its recommendations to the mayor, noting the concerns raised by the public and the board's emphasis on transparency and local input, particularly for the Pepper Ridge neighborhood.
Meeting Transcript
You're on mute, Terry. I'll get on. Okay, Jay, we should be fine. Uh, we have Jennifer, and we have um uh Steven is here already. Jennifer is supposed to be here, and um Michael B is supposed to be here, so we should be okay if you can't uh if you can't get on. Okay. Okay, we'll do. Thank you. Bye. He's at a hotel up in Hartford, and he's having a problem with the internet connection. I finally got back on two minutes ago, so I'm all back on. Oh, I do not. Okay. Sorry for the delay. We are waiting for two of our planning board members to join our Zoom meeting. All right, here's Jennifer. Okay. Welcome, Jennifer. We're just waiting for Michael. Michael will be right on. Great. All right. And we have Michael. Okay. Jennifer, can you please come back to visual? Apologies for delays. Thank you, Michael. Okay. Are we all set, Lindsay? Are we on? Yeah, more everybody's in. We're recording. Good to have. Thank you. Welcome all. I'd like to uh say hello for today. Today is Friday, February the twenty-fourth of twenty twenty-three. Today is a special Zoom meeting, uh, which was scheduled for twelve fifteen. All um of the meeting passcodes and IDs were on our special agenda that was filed with the clerk. Uh today's meeting is um on the capital budget. We have three items that Mayor Simmons asked us to look at to include in the um in the budget for this year. And this is through the Stanford Charter, section C eight twenty dash six. The mayor is allowed to send items that were not in the original um budget to the planning board if they deem that they are necessary to be included in this current year. I'd like to welcome those who are here. I am Teresa Dell, the chair. We have uh Stephen Perry, who is our alternate. We have uh Jennifer Gozzino, who is our secretary, and we have Michael Buccino, who is a regular voting member. Uh Jay Tepper, who is our vice chair, was supposed to be here, but he is having problems with his internet in Hartford. So he is at this time not able to join us. Although he will not be voting on the items before us.
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