Keegan attack on Czenczelewski 'couldn't be further from the truth'

This is City Councilor Derek Czenczelewski's response to a letter to the editor from Paul Keegan in today's Bristol Press:

A Solution for Everyone

Recently Paul Keegan attacked my character, suggesting I hold Forestville Little League in higher regard than Bristol Girls Softball, and that I have “arrogantly” attempted to “railroad” Bristol Girls Softball. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Over the past two years, the Mayor, Parks Director, Parks Board, my fellow City Councilors, and I have sought cost-effective solutions to our field shortage city-wide, for all of our leagues and athletes. This culminated in the creation of the Fields Study Committee which is comprised of members from the Board of Education, Parks Board, and various local leagues. The Fields Study Committee is being tasked with evaluating all fields in the City, and ensuring we are able to schedule the fields appropriately so each league has a place to play.

Currently, there are several options on the table for Forestville Little League and Bristol Girls Softball, including the use of portable fencing and mounds. The use of temporary, or portable, materials would allow the fields to be used for multiple sports. In addition, the City recently acquired the softball field on Mix Street for use by area leagues, generously paid for by the Water Department. My colleagues and I would love to see this field become the new home of Bristol Girls Softball.

In addition, there are several fields at the local schools that could be used by our local leagues, if approved by the Board of Education and maintained by the local leagues. Understanding each member of the Board of Education’s commitment to the best interests of our children, I have every reason to believe they are willing to work with the City and the local leagues as they have in the past.

In short, I have not provided “false promises” and “false information” as Mr. Keegan suggests, nor have I attempted to put a “boys’ Little League above a girls’ Little League.” What I have done is sought out solutions for all of our local leagues and athletes. I have no personal agenda, other than to see to it that our citizens and especially the children of our community have the same, or more, opportunities than I had as a child. I want to see all of our local leagues continue to exist, including our local Little Leagues and Bristol Girls Softball et al.

The same is not true unfortunately for Mr. Keegan, who has a personal interest in seeing the demise of Forestville Little League, and who strongly supports my opposition in the upcoming election. Shame on YOU, Mr. Keegan.

Copyright 2013 All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

O'Brien Funeral Home seeks more parking

If you spot one of those yellow signs in front of O’Brien Funeral Home, you can’t help wondering what’s going on at the Forestville landmark.

It turns out that the funeral home is seeking the Zoning Commission’s approval for 20 additional parking spaces behind the building.

The application goes before zoning commissioners next Wednesday. The meeting is slated for 7 p.m., Wed., May  15 in the City Council chambers on the first floor of City Hall.

Copyright 2013 All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Forestville overhaul in the plans

The Forestville Project
Second working group presentation
Third working group presentation


Copyright 2012. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Little League's real worry? Dwindling participation

Forestville Little League is more worried about a decline in the number of ballplayers than it is about the future of its fields behind Greene-Hills School.
Laurie Micale, president of Forestville Little League, said Wednesday the league is reaching out to the other two Little Leagues in Bristol because participation is dwindling.
She said the league has about 300 youngsters, but the pinch is especially keen in its major league, with 11 and 12-year-olds.
Instead of having eight teams as it did in the past, the league had only five this year, she said.
And even that was a stretch, Micale added, saying that it could easily have justified only four teams.
Micale said the Forestville Little Leage’s board reached out to the other leagues, particularly McCabe-Waters, to try to develop inter-league games so that players could face a wider range of competition.
She said officials in all the leagues in town are eyeing their numbers to see what’s feasible, which could include dissolving the Forestville Little League.
Though at least one board member of the league blamed worry about the fate of the fields during construction of a new Greene-Hills School, Micale denied that any concerns about the school project played a role in the decision to look into alternatives.
The reality, she said, is that “our numbers are down.”
She said that McCabe-Waters has about 250 players while Edgewood Little League has about 350.
“I really don’t know where this is going to go,” Micale said.
Making any revisions in the three leagues in town would require the approval of Little League Baseball, Micale said.
Don Soucy, the regional director for Little League at the Giametti complex on Mix Street, could not be reached for comment.
The $130 million school project includes a new kindergarten to eighth grade school to replace the aging Greene-Hills Elementary. It also calls for another K-8 school on Matthews Street.
It is slated to be done by 2015. It’s not clear when construction will begin.
School officials said the change shouldn’t impact the use of fields by Forestville’s Little League.
Micale said her biggest worry about the project is that it might make parking difficult.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Forestville Little League fears it might lose out in school project

Worried that construction of a new school next door may create a ball field shortage, the Forestville Little League is pondering the possibility it may cease to exist.
“We haven’t heard anything at all that our fields are getting saved,” said Dale Akerley, a board member of the 55-year-old Little League.
Akerley said that Forestville’s directors are reaching out to McCabe-Waters and Edgewood Little Leagues about the prospect of splitting its territory between the two. It’s even planning games with Edgewood teams to begin tearing down long-standing walls.
But it’s not clear the concern is justified.
“They’re not going to have to shut down,” school Superintendent Philip Streifer said Friday.
Streifer said that two fields used by the league won’t be touched at all. Two others won’t be available during construction of the new kindergarten to eighth grade school, but once it’s done, they’ll still be accessible.
But Akerley said he’s been told the new school, slated to open by 2015, will need a soccer field, girls’ softball field and a baseball diamond configured for older students. It won’t have a field suitable for Little League, he said.
That would leave only the two fields at Peck Park, behind the school, one of which is for the Little League and the other for softball.
There are no plans to reconstruct Peck Park as part of the $130 million project to build two new K-8 schools in town.
Mayor Art Ward said he’s heard nothing about problems that may impact the Forestville Little League.
“Those concerns have never been brought to my attention,” he said. “I was under the impression that Little League was going to be accommodated very well.”
Ward said that if the project was going to make it hard on the league, officials would address it.
“We aren’t sure what is going on,” Akerley said.
Streifer said he believes the Forestville School Building Committee has been working with the league all along.
He said there was a point earlier in the planning process where officials thought they might have to take the league’s fields, but that was shelved at least a year ago. If it had gone forward, he said, the plan included buying an alternative site for the Forestville Little League to use.
More than 300 children play in the Forestville Little League, which has been around since 1954. In 1976, its all-star team made it to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Penn.
The school project includes another K-8 building on Chippens Hill. The existing Greene-Hills School on Pine Street would be torn down to make way for the new building.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Councilors OK school construction managers

City councilors agreed unanimously Tuesday to spent more than $4 million to hire construction managers for each of the new schools proposed to house half of Bristol’s elementary and middle school students.
The Torrington-based O&G Industries is slated to collect $2.15 million to oversee the work on the Forestville school project on Pine Street.
The West Bristol project off Matthews Street would be overseen by the Rhode Island-based Gilbane Building Co. for $2.31 million.
Each of the firms will be responsible for keeping an eye on the $130 million project to build two kindergarten to eighth grade schools. They are to advise the building committees set up to handle the construction of each school.
School Superintendent Philip Streifer said it is possible to hire construction managers that guarantee that the price of projects won’t go higher than anticipated, but that costs substantially extra up front.
Since the current schedule calls for finishing the new schools in 2015, he said, it’s almost impossible to know for sure what they’ll cost so no firm will lightly or cheaply offer any guarantees.
But there is a chance the timetable will be moved up so that major construction would begin in 2011 instead of 2013. Officials have discussed the possibility in hopes of getting lower overall prices while economic times are tough.
If the city opts to change the schedule, the construction managers would earn about $200,000 less between them.
Gilbane is part of a privately held company that’s been in business since 1873. It prides itself in advising clients on how to lower energy costs and holding down carbon emissions.
O&G has been around since 1923. It touts its experience and expertise in the field.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

City hires two architects to design a pair of new schools

More than six months after school building committees picked architects to design two new schools, city councilors have endorsed the picks.

Though the contracts won’t be signed until the city completes the purchase of property on Matthews Street eyed for one of the 900-student schools, officials expect the deal to go through within a couple of weeks.

Councilors agreed to hire the Hartford firm of Tai Soo Kim, Partners and Architects for $2.14 million to draw up the detailed plans necessary to move ahead with the school slated for construction on the former Crowley dealership site on Pine Street.

The Massachusetts-based Drummey Rosane Anderson, Inc. was tapped for the West Bristol school. It will earn $1.8 million for its work.

Superintendent Philip Streifer said the school building panels each thought it best to hire different firms for the two projects, on the assumption that it would be best to have a firm focused on a single school.

City Councilor Mike Rimcoski, who serves on the Forestville School Building Committee, was the only councilor to vote against either architect.

Rimcoski renewed his plea for colleagues to award the Forestville contract to DRA as well because it would cost taxpayers $350,000 less.

With the economy struggling and a new fiscal year about to begin, he said, “I don’t think we’re starting out right by blowing through $350,000” for no good reason.

Ken Cockayne, the only other Republican councilor, said he would normally agree with Rimcoski but in this case, he said, councilors should take the advice of the committee members who actually slogged through the many applications from different firms.

Councilor Kevin McCauley said the Crowley site for the Forestville school offers a unique challenge because Greene-Hills School and Peck Park are next door and must continue operating during the construction period. That takes expertise, he said, that Tai Soo Kim offers.

Rimcoski said he plans to use the council’s votes against hiring DRA for both projects to his advantage during the municipal election campaign this year.

DRA was not the low bidder on the West Bristol site either, officials said, so they’re not sure why Rimcoski favored it there.

 Deadline waived

With a push from state Rep. Frank Nicastro, a Bristol Democrat, the state Department of Education has told city officials that the June 2010 deadline for beginning construction on the new schools can be waived.

Nicastro said the city merely has to ask for the waiver and it will get it.

Superintendent Philip Streifer said the extra time will help.

“With all these pieces falling together, we’ll be in very good shape,” Streifer said.

 

About the school project
Cost: $132 million
Two new K-8 schools sought
Closing:  Memorial Boulevard Middle School and Greens-Hills, O’Connell and Bingham elementary schools.
Projected completion

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

New schools may be built sooner rather than later

Hoping to save money on construction costs, officials are eyeing a faster timetable for completion of two new schools in Bristol. But it’s an idea that may not pass muster with the mayor.

Because contractors are desperate for work, officials said, the price tag for public buildings has come down sharply in recent months, opening the door to potential savings by speeding up the $132 million project to construct two kindergarten to eighth grade buildings.

“We think it’s appropriate to try to take advantage of that,” said John Smith, a Board of Finance member who serves on the West Bristol School Building Committee.

Current plans call for finishing the new schools in 2015, with the bulk of the construction work carried out in the last couple of years before the doors open. That timetable was set to push off costs for as long as possible.

Mayor Art Ward said he doubts the money will be available to shorten the construction schedule.

“They need to be mindful of the economic conditions,” Ward said. “It’s time for heed rather than haste.”

William Smyth, the acting assistant superintendent for business, said that the weak economy has driven down the cost of construction.

“It’s a good opportunity for the city to realize savings,” Smyth said.

Roger Rousseau, the city’s purchasing agent, said there is an opportunity “to take advantage” of the lower prices to help out taxpayers who will foot the bill.

Smith said that bids on municipal projects around the state are coming in at least 8 to 15 percent lower than expected in recent weeks because of the intense competition for the work from firms that are struggling to find business

“The city’s going to save some money” if it acts more quickly to do the bulk of the project, Smith said.

Rousseau said the more the city can do soon, the more it will help hold down costs in the long-term.

At best, the city could not start most of the construction until 2011 – and even that is problematic given the difficulty Bristol has had in securing both locations for the schools.

It has cut a deal for the former Crowley property on Pine Street to house one of the buildings, but officials are still negotiating with property owners for the other parcel eyed for a school on Matthews Street.

The state, which would pay 73.9 percent of the tab, has told the city it has to start the work by June 2010 or it could lose the state aid. Officials are angling for an extension,

Both the Forestville and West Bristol school building committees threw out construction manager bids based on the existing timetable. Members said the positions would be bid again with the tighter construction schedule.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Crowley deal almost at hand as dealership building comes down

The former Crowley auto dealership on Pine Street lay in rubble Wednesday, torn apart by two massive cranes that smashed walls, crushed bricks and ground cinderblocks into dust.
Just a bit of a back wall remained standing, painted gray on one side, blue on the other, with a green stripe.
City officials said that razing the structure was the final step toward completion of a $2.25 million deal for taxpayers to buy the lot for one of two new schools Bristol hopes to open by 2015.
The sale agreement, which calls for Crowley to deliver a clean site, should be signed next week, according to city Councilor Mike Rimcoski, who serves on the Forestville School Building Committee.
“This thing has dragged on way too long,” Rimcoski said.
Mayor Art Ward said that Crowley had to demolish the former dealership before the city could take ownership of the land.
The city is pushing the $132 million plan to create two new kindergarten to eighth grade schools that would replace four older buildings. One would sit next door to the site of the existing Greene-Hills School, which would be knocked down once the new building is erected beside it.
The other school site, on the corner of Matthews Street and Clark Avenue, is likely to be purchased soon as well, officials said.
The state would pick up 74 percent of the purchase price for each site as long as the overall project isn’t derailed for failing to come in on time.
Unless Bristol can get exemption from existing rules, the city must have a construction contract in hand by June 13, 2010 in order to preserve the reimbursement rate for the project as a whole.
When the two new schools open, about half of the city’s students will attend K-8 schools and the rest will continue to follow the existing elementary to middle school track.
The Forestville school panel plans to recommend the hiring of a construction manager at a special meeting Monday, Rimcoski said.

Update on Thursday morning:

Dale Clift, the city attorney, told me this morning the deal with Crowley should be wrapped up within a week.

"It took awhile to hammer out the details," Clift said, because the city took a "super cautious" stance.

One complicating issue is the the "Crowley dealership" consisted of four parcels, each owned by some business entity controlled by Ken Crowley. It's harder to work everything out for four pieces of land than one.

In any case, the city has signed the contract. Crowley will soon. Then that property will be in the city's hands.

As for the West Bristol school site, Clift said that officials and the property owners are still negotiating about the price. That's the hangup there, but with Crowley out of the way, officials will focus on resolving it as soon as possible.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

An angry resident of Forestville

A resident seeks a Fair shake for Forestville.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

School sites may be purchased soon

The purchase of two sites chosen for new schools may be completed soon.

School officials said that deals to buy land for the proposed 900-student schools in Forestville and on Chippens Hill are nearly resolved.

“Hopefully the sun will shine on this issue,” said school Superintendent Philip Streifer.

The city is pushing the $130 million plan to create two new kindergarten to eighth grade schools that would replace four older buildings. The project is slated for completion in 2015.

Tom O’Brien, a Board of Education member, said the city is likely to finish the purchase of the former Crowley auto dealership next week. The Pine Street site is next door to Greene-Hills School, one of the four targeted for closure.

O’Brien said there is only one issue to resolve before the $2.25 million deal can be completed.

The other school site, on the corner of Matthews Street and Clark Avenue, should also be in the city’s hands soon, officials said.

Chris Wilson, who serves on the West Bristol School Building Committee, said it’s in nearly the same place as the Forestville committee that includes O’Brien.

The West Bristol site’s price tag isn’t as clear, but  records submitted to the City Council last fall showed preliminary estimate that the 27 acres would cost $1.7 million.

The state would pick up 74 percent of the tab as long as the project isn’t derailed for failing to come in on time.

There is a June 2010 deadline for beginning construction that almost certainly won’t be met. The city is eyeing a possible extension to give it another year to get started

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Council unanimously backs Crowley site purchase

City councilors gave their unanimous blessing Monday to buy the former Crowley dealership on Pine Street for $2.25 million in order to build a new school there.

The council did not take action on a proposal to buy land on Matthews Street for a second school, but officials said they expect to complete negotiations for the parcels there in the next two weeks.

Superintendent Philip Streifer said he expects to finish the deal “very, very quickly” in order to keep to a tight timetable for completing the land acquisition.

The city aims to build two new kindergarten to eighth grade schools – each with 900 students – sometime after June 2010. If money is scarce, the $132 million project may not be finished until 2015, officials have said.

Councilors said they had no problem approving the purchase of the Crowley site, which includes several adjoining parcels, in order to build one of the new schools next door to the existing Greene-Hills School, one of three elementary schools targeted for closure under the plan.

The city may also buy a small market at the corner of Pine and Daley streets as part of the project.

There doesn’t appear to be any opposition among councilors to buying two large lots and several smaller ones on Matthews Street, near Clark Avenue, to provide space for a second school.

Streifer said that the negotiations have to be completed soon.

“The clock is ticking with getting the deals done,” Streifer said.

Under a Board of Education plan, four older schools will be closed when the new ones are finished – Memorial Boulevard Middle School and three primary schools: Greene-Hills, Bingham and O’Connell.

Architects will have about a year to complete blueprints, which will be followed by a state review. The city must have a construction contract in hand by June 13, 2010 in order to preserve a 73.9 percent reimbursement rate for the project as a whole.

One hitch that developed Monday is that councilors expressed concern about former city attorney Edward Krawiecki, Jr’s representation of several of the property owners on Matthews Street.

City Councilor Frank Nicastro asked if that could pose a conflict of interest that might rebound to hurt the city in some way.

“There does appear to be an issue,” said Dale Clift, the city attorney.

Richard Lacey, a city lawyer, said that Krawiecki has a conflict if the legal work he is doing now as a private attorney is ‘”substantially related” to work he did as a municipal lawyer.

Lacey said the council could declare that it is not concerned or it could ask for an opinion from the Connecticut Bar Association or it could simply do nothing.

“The prudent thing to do” would be to ask for the opinion, said city Councilor Craig Minor.

But Streifer suggested that doing so might create a delay. The superintendent also said that there isn’t much to negotiate, since the city is set to pay the highest appraisal value for the relevant properties anyway. It can’t pay more than that unless ordered by a court later.

Clift said his office will prepare a memorandum by week’s end detailing the issue involved with Krawiecki’s representation of the property owners.

Nicastro said that Krawiecki is “a good attorney,” but he wants to make sure taxpayers are protected.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

School project backers seek to buy sites

Hoping to push the stalled $120 million project to build two new schools, officials plan Tuesday to ask city councilors to agree to hold a special meeting soon to go over potential sites for the buildings.
“They’re trying to expedite the process and get some decisions on the locations,” Mayor Art Ward said Monday.
The two school building committees, charged with overseeing construction of new 900-student schools in Forestville and in the West End, are asking the City Council to hold a joint session with them to go behind closed doors to discuss “negotiations for land.”
It isn’t clear where things stand in terms of negotiations for either of the sites currently on the table: the former Crowley dealership on Pine Street and a closed sand pit off Barlow Street.
Spurring action may be a worry that unless the pace picks up, the city’s June 2007 request for state funding of about 70 percent of the project might be thrown out.
Ward said he understands there is a two-year limit for the city to find acceptable locations in order for its initial funding application to remain valid.
School officials have expressed frustration at the lax pace of the site selection process, which narrowed in on two locations months ago.
Since then, however, there has been little public indication of any activity, though at least some behind-the-scenes negotiations have taken place, according to several officials.
What isn’t clear, though, is whether the city and the landowners are in the same ballpark in terms of the value of the sites eyed.
Both the West Bristol and the Forestville school building committees asked the council to schedule a joint session with them soon.
They also asked that the council agree to meet as the Real Estate Committee – normally a three-person subcommittee of the council chaired by former Mayor Frank Nicastro – because the site selection law gives the real estate panel a key role in approving any deal.
Two members of the real estate panel, Nicastro and Councilor Mike Rimcoski, voted against the school sites recommended by the committees and are considered less likely to favor moving ahead with the project at all.
The motion sought by the two school panels asks that the joint meetings be held in executive session, which would make the proceedings secret, a move that is legal because it involves land negotiations.
There is no legal requirement, however, that the meetings must be held in secret. That is a choice that city leaders are allowed to make.
How much the public will learn about the status of the projects remains unknown.
The city and the Board of Education plan to construct two kindergarten to eighth grade schools that would each house 900 students. When they are ready, four existing schools would be closed: Memorial Boulevard Middle School and Bingham, Greene-Hills and O’Connell elementary schools.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Forestville Festival next week to raise money for Quinlan's Veterans Park

Former Republican city Council contender Bob Merrick asked me to post this. It sounds like a good cause and probably even a good time. They asked me awhile back if I'd go in a dunking booth for this. I said yes -- if I wasn't on vacation. Unfortunately for those who'd like to see me dunked, I'll be away.

FORESTVILLE FESTIVAL
P I G R O A S T
Fund Raiser to benefit Quinlan’s Veterans Park
Saturday, August 2, 2008, Noon-6 pm
Nuchie’s Restaurant, 164 Central Street, Forestville, CT
(Rain or Shine)
· Tickets for Sale $20.00/Adult, $10.00/Child(ages 6-12), Free/Child (5 & under)
§ Tickets available at door $25.00/Adult, $15.00/Child(ages 6-12)
§ Price of ticket includes Food and Entertainment
· Pig Roast (serving from 1-4 pm)
· Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Side Dishes
· Beer, Wine and Soda for Sale (1 soda included in price per ticket)
· Entertainment – Band – RED LINE - (Playing from 1-5pm)
· Popcorn, Slush Ice, Desserts
· Kids Activities (face painting, dunk tank, moonwalk etc.)
· Door Prize
· Vendors
· Motorcycle Show (sponsored by Yankee Harley)
Contact Dave at Nuchies at 860-582-1108 or Henry Raymond III at 860-796-8023 for tickets.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Public works "keeping Bristol clean"

Note from public works this morning:

Members of the press:

Recent articles in the news have highlighted residents/business owners who have taken initiative to collect litter in parts of town.

Public Works has crews assigned to litter control and clean up in two areas - downtown Bristol and the Forestville business district. Typically, we have a crew assigned for debris collection on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They address the downtown area first, then move to Forestville center.

While we believe that everyone should take responsibility for keeping Bristol clean, we don't want your readers to believe that Public Works does not participate in this important activity.

Please feel free to photograph the crew doing clean up work during their scheduled times - catch them doing something good! Readers would hopefully appreciate the effort that Public Works is putting into keeping Bristol clean.

Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Sheree Gorneault
City of Bristol
Public Works Analyst



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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Many groups face "very significant" cuts in new budget plan

City Councilor Craig Minor sent this along a few minutes ago:

It's not realistic to whack the TEAM budget by over 40% and not expect repercussions. The Mum Festival committee, the Veterans Council, and the Forestville Village Association should be prepared for a very significant reduction in their funding next year due to the Mayor's latest budget cuts. We met with the Mayor yesterday and offered a budget that would have reduced funding for the Mum Parade, the Memorial Day Parade, and the North Main Street festival by "only" 20%, but it was rejected. The Mayor said that these are difficult financial times, and established organizations like the Mum Festival and the Veterans Council are going to have to step up their fundraising efforts.

Update:
Mayor Art Ward sent this along to someone who was worried about the Mum Festival getting its funding cut:

Anyone who has even hinted that the Mum Festival or any other TEAM sponsored activity has been predetermined to being completely cut in funding is doing you a disservice.
My statement was that everything, regardless of the activity, is subject to budgetary scrutiny as a result of the economic hardships that are being dealt with on both the governmental and personal taxpayer level and that funding will be prioritized after that review effort.
It is going to be impossible to present a responsible budget if everyone is going to advocate that only their funding is exempt from the process.
I ask that the Mum Festival, and all other venues which are requesting city dollars, allow us to use the opportunity to function in accordance with the responsibility which has been entrusted to us through the election process.



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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Forestville Center's rail crossing slated for replacement

The railroad crossing in Forestville, long considered a hazard by city officials, is likely to be reconstructed next spring.
Mayor Art Ward said Tuesday that the federal government is shelling out $904,000 to replace the existing crossing with one that includes gates that would help keep cars off the tracks.
“It’s real good news,” Ward said.
The state Department of Transportation has long eyed the crossing as a potential hazard, but it always took a back seat to more pressing problems with other railroad crossings in the region, including at least two in Bristol that have been redone in the past 15 years.
Ward said, though, that the Forestville crossing made it to the top of the list without opposition.
He said that bids for the design work should go out in June and the project itself is slated for completion during a three month period next spring.
The mayor said that the construction work won’t interfere with business access to the nearby Nuchies restaurant, Ultimate Wireforms or other establishments in the area.
City officials pointed out the crossing’s problems during a trip along the Guilford Rail line this spring.
Its most notable problem are misaligned or bent plates that can give a passing vehicle quite a jolt.
But officials have worried more keenly about the traffic lights so close by that might someday cause a car – or even a school bus – to get trapped on the tracks as a train approaches.
The new gates should help prevent the problem, assuming the technical issues with the lights can be worked out properly.



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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Don't miss today's duck race

The weather today is just ducky for the annual duck race in Forestville.

The hoopla begins at noon, with the ducks entering the river at 2 p.m. With the river running high, it will likely prove a pretty short race.

Head on over to Forestville Center and join in a fun community event (but be aware that the bridge is closed and normal traffic patterns disrupted). Handicapped parking is at Ultimate Wireforms on Central Street. Most people park in one of the church or town lots nearby.

Be sure to stop by and say hey to The Tattoo and Youth Journalism Internation at the little booth next to Nuchie's. Make it a point to tell skilled cartoonist Justin Skaradosky to keep up the good work.

You can even support the good work of these young writers by making a donation or buying a baseball cap, magnet, or a postcard featuring one of Justin's cartoons (have him sign it!).

You can always check out The Tattoo online at www.ReadTheTattoo.com. Youth Journalism International is available at www.YouthJournalism.org.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

New schools could be open in 2011

In the most optimistic scenario, the two new schools sought by the Board of Education could be open when school begins late in the summer of 2011, officials say.
Perhaps most surprising, though, is that the worst case scenario calls for the pair of 900-student, kindergarten to eighth grade schools to be ready in 2012.
That would mean, for example, that third graders at Greene-Hills School today could wind up going to a new school next door when they hit sixth grade instead of getting bused to Memorial Boulevard Middle School.
Mayor Art Ward said he’s beginning negotiations this week to purchase the former Crowley dealership next door to Greene-Hills for use as a school site.
Negotiations for the other proposed site, a sand pit off Barlow Street in the western part of town, haven’t yet begun, officials.
William Smyth, the assistant school superintendent for business, said that architects for the two projects – which may be rolled into one big project – will likely be hired this spring. They’ll need about a year to finish detailed plans, he said.
Assuming the plans are done in the spring of 2009, Smyth said, the state would review them and construction bids would likely be sought in the summer of 2009.
It will take two years to build the schools, Smyth said, which means a 2011 opening at the start of the school year is possible.
Smyth said the worst case scenario envisions the schools opening the following year.
However, there is at least one potential hitch.
City Councilor Frank Nicastro, who chairs the city’s Real Estate Committee, said that when the school building committees are finished negotiating the purchase price with the owners of the land eyed for the new schools, his panel has to approve the deals.
Since two of the three members of the real estate committee – Nicastro and city Councilor Mike Rimcoski – voted against putting a school on the Scalia Construction site off Barlow Street, convincing it to back the purchase might be difficult.
It’s unclear whether the real estate panel can block the entire project over the long haul, but as long as Ward doesn’t shuffle its membership, it might have the capacity to delay or derail the entire plan.
The school board is looking to open the two new schools and close four older ones. Memorial Boulevard and three primary schools – Bingham, O’Connell and Greene-Hills – would be shuttered if the plan goes through as envisioned.
A massive, citywide redistricting would be necessary to fill the remaining schools properly, with about half the city’s middle school students in a K-8 setting and the rest continuing with the existing system at Chippens Hill and Northeast middle schools.


Appraisal for Scalia site
A secret appraisal done in January pegs the value of the 36-acre property eyed for a school on Barlow Street at $1.5 million.
The Aldieri Associates appraisal said the site is “conducive to a variety of potential developments,” including perhaps housing.
The Press obtained a copy of the appraisal from a confidential source after the Board of Education refused to allow inspection of the pricing reports done on both of the sites eyed for potential schools in Bristol. Appraisals are exempt under state open government laws when they’re used for real estate negotiations.
City officials speaking on background have said they suspect the city may wind up paying more than $1.5 million for the Scalia site.
The property is zoned R-15, according to the report, sand could be carved up for single family homes with a minimum lot size of 15,000 square feet, according to the appraisal.
Using the $1.5 million estimate for the land’s value, that would make each lot worth about $22,000.
Michael Aldieri, who wrote the Jan. 14 report, said in it that “given the physical features of these lots, they have an even lower unit value,” which would tend to undermine arguments for a higher price.
The city appraised the market value of the land at $796,600 last fall as part of its revaluation.
The Aldieri appraisal says the highest and best use of the land is for residential construction. It says about 51 lots could be put on the site.
The best alternative uses are for a school or recreational fields, the report says.
The report says the area has been excavated of sand and gravel for years and all of the minerals that are allowed to be mined have been removed.
By the way, if anyone has the Forestville site appraisal, I'd like to see it, too!

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Architects are next hurdle for school building project

Ten or more architectural firms are likely to meet the minimum qualifications needed to bid for the right to design the two new schools the city plans to build soon.
That’s less than half of the 23 firms that responded to the city’s request that interested firms provide proof that they can handle the anticipated $115 million project to construct two kindergarten to eighth grade schools that will house 900 students apiece.
City Purchasing Agent Roger Rousseau said that some excellent firms fell short of meeting the standards because the city said only architects that have already done at least three $20 million construction projects would be considered.
Some “didn’t meet the bar that we had set,” Rousseau said, despite strong tracks records on other projects.
Those that are ultimately accepted as qualified bidders will receive detailed school proposals and will be asked to name their price to do the work, officials said Monday.
Whichever of the qualified firms offers to do it for the least money will get the nod, they said.
William Smyth, the assistant superintendent for business, said that a new state law leaves no alternative.
In the past, officials were allowed to interview prospective architects and find one that combined the best blend of price and compatibility.
The new law, said Board of Finance member Don Soucy, is ridiculous.
Smyth and Rousseau said there are efforts underway to convince lawmakers to revise it, but they are unlikely to make headway soon enough to change the selection method for the two schools.The city plans to ask the qualified architects to give a price to do each school separately and a price to do both projects. That way, Rousseau said, officials can decide whether it’s better to have a single firm do both schools or if dividing the work is best.
The city is looking to build 121,600-square-foot schools in Forestville and West Bristol. They would open by 2012 unless plans are derailed.
The Board of Education intends to shut down four older schools when the new ones open. Memorial Boulevard Middle School and three older primary schools would close: O’Connell, Bingham and Greene-Hills.
Before deciding which architecture firms can bid, a number of officials are reading through a two-foot pile of applications from contending firms.
Smyth said it is “a tedious job,” but necessary.
“I could never do that, all that reading,” said city Councilor Ken Cockayne, expressing happiness that he’s not on the subcommittee weeding through the material.
The subcommittees for both the West Bristol and Forestville school building committees will report the qualified bidders within a few weeks, officials said, after which bids will be sought.
“Well, now the hard part starts,” Soucy said.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com