KENT—During its regular meeting July 11, the Board of Finance queried First Selectman Marty Lindenmayer closely about his proposal to apply for a $500,000 STEAP grant to convert Swift House for use by Social Services and the Food Pantry.
The Board of Selectmen endorsed the plan two weeks ago. The grant application period opens in July.
There has been considerable debate in recent months about future uses for Swift House. The building, which dates from the 18th century, has been town-owned since the 1970s, and has been closed for several years because it does not comply with ADA regulations. The town has been divided in its opinion about whether to keep the building—which will require costly upgrades—or to sell it.
Until he “sharpened his architect’s pencil” a couple of weeks ago, Lindenmayer was among those who questioned its worth for the town. He argued that the town has a number of places that could be used for public gatherings and did not see the need for another building that would be used only occasionally.
But, with the Town Hall bursting at the seams, he considered using the building permanently for Social Services and the Food Bank.
“Social Services is more chopped than necessary—people sometimes have to sit in the hallway. So, we look at that, and looked at issues going on with the Food Bank at Community House,” he told the Board of Finance. “We need to relook at that and to figure out the [right role] for Swift House in the community.”
“The senior center is there and the staff would be closer to the areas [the center and food bank] where they go now,” he continued. “It gives an economy of scale and an opportunity to bring activities together.”
He believes there will be more than enough space on the ground floor of Swift House for all the purposes planned once renovations are done. He also believes the work can be accomplished with a $500,000 STEAP grant.
The ground floor would require an ADA compliant bathroom and handicap ramp. It also needs HVAC upgrades. “It would bring the building back into action,” he concluded.
Board of Finance Chairman Nancy O’Dea-Wyrick asked about the possibility of making over the bottom floor of the Community House, a project that Lindenmayer appeared to favor before shifting to Swift House. “We want to do that,” Lindenmayer said, “but we can come back for another bite at the apple. We’ve spent a lot of hours on what to do with Swift House.”
O’Dea-Wyrick asked if he had inventoried all the available meeting places. “We have the Town Hall, two parish houses, the Community House and the library, which is expanding. That’s a lot of space and we’re a small town.”
“We have the Town Hall, two parish houses, the Community House and the library, which is expanding. That’s a lot of space and we’re a small town.”
—Nancy Odea Wyrick, finance board chairman
Lindenmayer observed that, as a municipal building, Swift House must be ADA compliant anyway. He said the grant monies might relieve the need to use some of the funding in the Capital Plan for its maintenance.
Concern was expressed about parking at the building, and Lindenmayer outlined plans for a parking area that could serve Swift House and “take some pressure off Main Street.” He’d like to work out an arrangement to use the gravel parking area at the neighboring firehouse.
In other business, the finance members approved five line-item transfers to cover shortfalls in the 2023-24 fiscal year, which ended June 30.
Treasurer Barbara Herbst said the year will close out with “a nice, healthy surplus,” but that some invoices have not yet been received.
She reported, for instance, that the Selectmen’s Office was a little under budget because Lindenmayer did not use the insurance plan. Under Associations, however, the paramedic was under-budgeted and an $19,000 transfer was needed. Similarly, the EMS Staffing was underfunded and needed a $83,000 transfer.
There was a large surplus in the insurance line because $30,000 in cyber security insurance was budgeted and never used.
The Community House was a little over budget for repairs and a refrigerator and $3,000 was transferred to cover that. Another $6,000 was needed to cover litigation as a result of a lawsuit with High Watch. Finally, an additional $7,500 was needed for hourly employees with Park and Recreation, but this had already been approved by the finance board.
