Planning and Zoning back in business; voting favorably Senior Center

The planning and zoning commission was back in business Wednesday night after a two-month absence from the Council Chambers. The holiday schedule and the snow days unfortunately kept them from meeting; the last time they met was Dec 8th.

All commissioners voted favorably on the Proposed Special Exception for an adaptive historic reuse to convert a former school (St. Sebastians) at 61 Durant Terrance to a new use as a senior center and municipal offices, with the city as the applicant.

Attorney Ralph Wilson of Middletown spoke first and began by informing the P&Z that the design Review and Preservation Board had earlier in the evening approved the design concept. He followed with a well-prepared verbal and written presentation, outlining for the commissioners in very clear terms
exactly how and why this special exception met all the criteria of section 44.04 of Middletown's Zoning Code. He stated that following the code requires
compliance with the city Plan of Conservation and Development, that there will be no adverse effects on the health and safety of the residential area, that there will be no traffic impact--in fact the traffic engineers stated that traffic during peak hours would decrease--that the property values and character of the neighborhood would not change in such a way to decrease property values, and finally that the proposed use would provide enough parking--by adding 15 additional parking spaces, and using on street parking around the building where permitted. Other members of the team the city has hired who spoke alongside Attorney Wilson included Engineer Frank Magnotta of Portland, Architect Tom Arcari from Glastonbury, and Traffic Engineer Stephen O'Neill of Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc, located in Middletown. He also emphasized more than once to the commissioners that the building would be restored to it's original form, and that the addition would be complimentary to the building's period. It was noted  that the police and Fire departments as well as Parks and Recreation, the ADA coordinator, and city tax Assessor all approve of the design concepts.

The local president of the AARP was the first member of the public to speak in favor of the project, noting the beauty of the building and the importance of keeping it's character intact, mentioning what a shame it was that the Old High school was not a public facility, and able to be enjoyed by all. He reminded his audience that the McCutcheon WPA Mural will be open to the public, and what an important part of the city's heritage it plays.

 Council members Klattenberg and Bauer who are both members of the Senior Services Committee spoke next. Councilman Klattenburg praised the project stating that the center would provide a sense of place for seniors in the city, noting that one in eight Middletowners are seniors, and further projected that the population of seniors was only going to grow. When the "idea" of the Senior Center was first proposed he told commissioners that he'd been opposed to the project, but that after the walk through the building he was convinced this was the right thing to do. He closed his statement by telling commissioners that "the quality of life for seniors is in your hands." Councilman Bauer echoed Kattenberg's words and added that the Senior Center project would serve many needs of the city. Other members of the Common Council attending the meeting, but not speaking at the podium where Drew, Kleckowski, and Santangelo. (It seldom happens that so many members of the council attend a P&Z meeting.)

Ron Organek, president of the Greater Middletown Military Museum, spoke at length informing commissioners of the positive impact a new Senior Center would have on his organization, which is slated for space in the facilities. He noted that there is a growing interest in the histories of the Military, and that the museum has a lot of documents and artifacts from World Wars I and II as well as Nazi Memorabilia and other display items that are currently in storage, and not accessible to researchers and visitors. Plans for the museum include a display space, a library, meeting space, and a research facility. He also took a moment to reminded Commissioners of famous Middletown figures who served the country--general Mansfield and Major General Rose, and one other whose name I did not get.

Mayor Sebastian Giuliano spoke at great length, and after the commission voted, with reporters (yes plural-4 in total at the meeting!) making it clear that the Senior Center was still a work in progress. He indicated that he will be appointing a Building Committee as required by city ordinance, and reminded us that much still has to be done to make the Senior Center a reality, which given the cost would most likely put the question of bonding to the fund the project on the November ballot. He said that there may be one or two city offices in the building, and said the following would likely be considered for a move--the Health Dept, Consumer Protection, Register of Voters, Park and Recreation--who currently rents space for one of their offices, and the possibility of storage for the city's voting machines, as the city currently has to pay for storage outside of city hall. As readers may know, a police substation has been mentioned as being housed in the facility as well, and the Mayor noted that the Department has in mind a program aimed specifically to seniors. He emphasized that the city has been promising the Seniors a "new" center for 40 years now, and that the time had come to make it happen.

Two other member's of the public spoke in favor of the project--Cathy Branch-Stebbins, and this reporter.

Of note, the cost of this project did not come up at this meeting. When the Mayor was queried after the all in favor vote, he gave a rough estimate of a total cost for purchase and renovations at $2.5 million, though a previous Eye post mentioned a cost of $4 million total for the entire project.

Not all members of the Commission were in favor of the project and stated so, but all moved in favor of the special exception because as Commissioner Russo stated "on it's face the requirements are met." He expressed "grave concerns" that the project was not adequate or appropriate, and that it was his opinion that the planning and finances where slip-shod. More than one Commissioner questioned the parking plans, and asked for clarifications on the number of parking spots that
would be available when two different numbers where given on parking spaces available--which once clarified turned out to be 39 in the parking lots, with additional on street parking available. Commissioner Catherine Johnson asked that a friendly amendment be added to the provision, requiring 8 bicycle parking spaces be available on site, and that more street trees would be added to the parkway in order to shield pedestrians  from moving vehicles on the road. Other questions the commissioners had revolved around the numbers of people who would be visiting the building at any given time. This question was answered, by the Mayor and the design team, stating that the numbers are low now, but that they expect usage to grow as the senior center is able to expand options. It was also pointed out that many seniors will use dial-a-ride transit services, buses, or shuttle drop-offs from various places; it is expected that only a portion of users will drive vehicles to the facility.

Kudos  to Les Adams center of photo who got everyone laughing by beginning his supporting comments with the words "As a future Senior Citizen" before moving for the  vote.