The city’s two top fiscal overseers said Tuesday they’re skeptical about putting a new school on the Scalia site off Barlow Street.
“It’s not over yet,” said Finance Chairman Rich Miecznikowski.
Both Miecznikowski and the vice chairman of the Board of Finance, Roald Erling, said they would rather see the proposed kindergarten to eighth grade school built on the city-owned Roberts property.
“That would be the best choice,” said Miecznikowski, because taxpayers wouldn’t have to shell out anything to buy the land.
Erling said that the former Roberts property could house both the school and the playing fields that officials have long eyed for the site.
The Scalia site chosen by the West Bristol School Building Committee this week must still win the approval of a number of city panels, including the finance board.
Miecznikowski said that he is concerned that in addition to a hefty tab to buy the land, it may cost taxpayers a bundle to get it ready for a school.
He said that it’s merely a first step in the process to have the school building committee’s recommendation in hand.
What happens next is less clear.
Mayor William Stortz said that he anticipates that a special City Council session will consider both the Scalia and Forestville school sites on Thursday. The meeting is tentatively slated for 6 p.m. at City Hall.
Stortz said that councilors will likely have many questions about the sites so a decision probably won’t come Thursday.
But, he said, he would like the council to take a stand before the Nov. 6 election.
Stortz said that city leaders have been following the issue closely and have the expertise and background to make a decision.
“They’re in a better position” to choose than a new council would after the election, particularly when the newcomers have so many other major issues to deal with.
Stortz said he doesn’t want the plan to die for lack of action at City Hall, as a previous school plan did five years ago.
“I don’t want that to happen again,” the mayor said.
He said it is crucial that the city move ahead.
“We have to show the world we want to do something” to improve Bristol’s educational system, Stortz said. “Doing nothing is definitely not the right thing.”
*******
Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
20 comments:
Oh jeez, Bill, you are the epitome of doing nothing. Get real.
I'm sick of reading about the Finance chairman Mizenekowski opposing anything that costs money. The guy is a cheapskate who is more interested in saving a dime than he is in making this city better. Being cost conscious is one thing, but this guy is ridiculous. Does he have any interest in making the city better, does he have grandkids living in town? Or is he only concerned with keeping his tax bill as small as possible?
I'm sick of the majority of Bristol's politicians (and make no mistake, the finance board bunch falls into that category, too) are always looking to pinch pennies, often at the expense of making the town more liveable by improving the parks, schools and overall look of the place. The old Roberts property is a prime example... a perfect spot for open space and recreation. Open space is dwindling in Bristol and all over Connecticut. But it figures that in Bristol y'all can't wait to BUILD on it.
Priceless......
One day encourage the BOE members to publically state their positions implying that the public has a right to know, and a choice or input in these matters and the direction of their collective future.
And the next day, with a smug sense of superiority, and "know it all attitude" snatch and sabatoge that expression by taking the decision away from the newly elected, only to reserve the major decision to the current crowd!
Wow! Democracy in action!
Or is it something else?
Sec. 7-131n. Taking of land previously intended for use as park or for other recreational or open space purposes. If any municipality takes any land, for highway or other purposes, which land was purchased for park or other recreational or open space purposes, or for which bonds were issued for such purposes, or which had been dedicated for such purposes, such municipality shall provide comparable replacement land at least equal in value and per unit area size to the value and per unit area size of the land taken; provided before such municipality takes such land for highway or other purposes it shall hold a public hearing in addition to any public hearing required by section 13a-58 or by any other section of the general statutes or by any special act or city charter. At such public hearing and in the notice thereof, the municipality shall set forth the description of the land proposed to be taken and the proposed use of such land, any reasons for the proposed taking of the parkland rather than other land and the description of the replacement land to be provided. The municipality shall give notice of the time and place of such hearing by publication in a newspaper having a substantial circulation in such municipality, such notice to be given at least twice, at intervals of not less than two days, the first not more than fifteen days nor less than ten days and the second not less than two days before such hearing and such hearing shall be held within a period of not more than thirty and not less than fifteen days after any other public hearing required by section 13a-58 or by any other section of the general statutes. For purposes of this section "municipality" means any town, city or borough, or other political subdivision of the state.
Miecznikowski got rich by being frugal, but that lifestyle applied to city decisions doesn't make the city a better place to live in.
Mr Mayor , Bristol certainly will "show the world something" with large impersonal 900 plus trophy K-8's. Improvement in our educational system?... I doubt it. Ask yourself Mr Mayor, Is this really about the children of Bristol?...I doubt it. More about O'Brien ,Doyle and Stortz's egos. Too bad the kids will suffer, so a few fat cats can have bragging rights.
Meicz is the man!! Thank God for a longterm, politician project squasher like Meicz. Can you image what our taxes would be without him leading the charge to prioritize projects in this town. I hope he is always on the finance board.
Is it a forgone conclusion that Bristol is committed to a K-8 conversion?
So it seems.
The K-8 conversion is a done deal (and I am no fan of it!). See the minutes of the Board of Education earlier this year when they formally voted for it.
But there is no shortage of pandering politicians and wannabees who want your vote, so they are telling you that it can still be undone. Bristol has an autonomous, elected Board of Education. They have sole authority to make this decision and no one running for election to the Board has said that they would try to overturn that decision. True, the Board of Finance could refuse to pay for the new schools, but get real. They are not going to do that. Mize may tell you they will, but they won't.
This is the same board that voted to buy the mall! Makes you wonder if they have there own agenda's.
Why do we have a council when Meiz and the Finance Board seem to say thumbs up or down to projects in this town and that's the end of it? Since when do they wield so much power? I thought they were put there to find money for projects ... not say if it will go forward or not. We will continue to be stagnant unless we spend money, albeit wisely, to improve this town. Constantly refusing to provide funding to projects will only hurt Bristol by further stagnating our infrastructure and attractiveness to want to live here. Turning down worthwhile projects just to look fiscally responsible in the eyes of the public is stupid and hurts us in the end.
"This is the same board that voted to buy the mall! Makes you wonder if they have there own agenda's."
What are you talking about? These are two completely different boards! The City Council bought the mall, the Board of Education voted to go K-8.
Its because Mize doesn't want to just do his job. He wants to run the city even tho nobody elected him to anything. Watch out how close he is to Ward - 2 peas in a pod.
I was talking about the BOF. They approved the money to buy the mall.
Try to keep up with me!
Isn't Mize and his brother a landlord? no wonder why he wants to kill public improvement projects all the time, to keep their property tax bills down.
"I was talking about the BOF. They approved the money to buy the mall.
Try to keep up with me!"
Sorry - your bad grammar and spelling errors confused me.
The BOE and the mall project are obviously different, but they both had to get funding from the board of Finance. Nothing gets done without money from the BOF. Unfortunately, the power has gone to their heads and they have decided to be both judge and jury when it comes to projects around town. I think when Miez's term is up, he needs to be replaced. It's time for term limits for these folks, because they believe they run the city. I don't remember seeing their names on the ballot at election time.
Mize uses his power to reward his friends (people who don't question his authority) and punish those who do (like Ellen Zoppo). There is no rhyme or reason to his fiscal decision making. It's all by whim.
Richard Miecznikowski is just a front person for Glenn Klocko, who likes to think he is Bristol's City Manager.
Rich does not have a clue.
Post a Comment