Jan 25, 2008
MARCONI on 2008:
'We're not all gloom and doom'
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Ridgefield is thriving, and that should continue in 2008, First Selectman Rudy Marconi said this week, looking ahead to the coming year.
With a nine-month birthday bash planned to commemorate Ridgefield’s 300th year, there is much to celebrate, he said.
“We’re not all gloom and doom, despite what happened in the market today,” he said Tuesday, after the Dow dipped 450 points.
But Mr. Marconi said town officials need to watch the bottom line carefully during the coming budget cycle, particularly with rampant speculation about a possible recession coming.
He hopes to hold taxes down to “a 2% to 3% increase” for the 2009 budget, he said.
Revenues from real estate conveyance taxes will “probably” not meet projections for this year, he said. “There’s no question that the numbers are going down.”
Still, Ridgefield’s fiscal health earned it the top triple A ranking from all three rating agencies last fall, he noted. “Ridgefield is holding its own,” he said.
State of the town
Mr. Marconi delivered a “State of the Town” address to a Chamber of Commerce breakfast at the Community Center Thursday morning, Jan. 24, updating the community on the progress of several projects, including the renovation of the police station, upcoming work at the Yanity recreational area and plans for traffic improvement on Main Street.
The police station work will probably begin with the construction of a 7,200-square-foot addition that has already been approved, he said. Renovation of the existing building may be put on hold temporarily, he said in an interview before the Thursday session.
“The total cost of the entire project — which may be phased — is estimated at $3.6 million, and this price is well below what most communities are spending to meet the needs of their police department for the next 15 to 20 years,” he said.
Mr. Marconi said he had also been told the library plans to ask for $4 million in this year’s budget for the town’s portion of a proposed addition, but he said he did not have details on the library plans yet.
Yanity area facelift
A $500,000 grant from the state will be used to improve the town’s recreational facilities by the Yanity gymnasium this year, Mr. Marconi said. The improvements will include relocating the skate park, improving the baseball field, adding 15 to 20 parking spots to an upgraded lot, and moving the softball fields to a new location on Route 7, he said.
“The baseball field will be redesigned with a similar lighting to Tiger Hollow — it will reduce the amount of light pollution on that site and reduce electrical use — those improvements are being addressed through private donations,” he said.
The grant money will go toward improving the Yanity parking lot and playing field area, he said. The grant was originally given to Ridgefield for infrastructure improvement at Bennett’s Pond south, but the state has now agreed to allow the town to transfer the grant money for use at the Yanity facility, he said.
Mr. Marconi said state Rep. John Frey has worked to secure a new location for the softball field “to the old Walpole site on Route 7.”
He said the skate park would remain in essentially the same location, but be moved slightly to allow for parking lot improvements.
Main Street traffic
The coming year should bring some progress on the perennial problem of Main Street traffic, Mr. Marconi said. “In the center of town we have an ambitious plan. We’re working with the state Department of Transportation, and there will be a presentation on Jan. 31, which we hope local merchants will be able to attend,” he said.
The plan, which is based on a comprehensive state study of Route 35, includes new turning lanes at Bailey Avenue and Catoonah Street and the relocation of the loading dock in front of Ridgefield Hardware.
Mr. Marconi said the improvements will begin with drainage work on Main Street, all of which will be paid for by state moneys. “It’s a $3-million-plus project,” he said.
Main Street will not be closed down, and much of the work will be done at night, to alleviate traffic problems, Mr. Marconi said.
The year will also bring a facelift farther up Route 35 by Copps Hill Plaza, he said.
The town will use a $250,000 state grant to run sidewalks and plant trees between the Copps Hill Road intersection and the Adam Broderick salon, he said. That work will probably begin in the spring.
Economic development
Mr. Marconi said economic development will continue to be a top priority in the coming year. The Schlumberger property in the center of town remains vacant, and he hopes that 2008 will bring new businesses there, he said.
“We’re waiting to hear, and current market conditions are not helping,” he said. “We may see some sort of combination of three companies there — it’s up to Schlumberger.”
The revaluation of the tax roll that the town has just undergone may shift some of the tax burden from residences to businesses, because the value of corporate properties increased compared to residential property, Mr. Marconi said.
Car taxes should also come down this year because of the revaluation, he said. “People don’t understand that the mill rate will come down because the evaluation of the properties on the grand list has gone up,” he said. “We’re not adding more money to the budget.”
The town will continue to pursue recycling and cleaner energy use aggressively in 2008, Mr. Marconi said.
Alcohol and substance abuse prevention are also top priorities for the year, he said.
But overall, “the town looks great, and it should continue to be great in 2008,” he said.
© Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers
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