Norwalk Council reaffirms support for Norwalk River Valley Trail

NORWALK, Conn. — An apparent attempt to spread Norwalk’s money a little farther generated controversy Tuesday, as proponents of the Norwalk River Valley Trail (NRVT) decried comments made at Monday’s Planning Committee meeting.

Planning Committee Chairman Doug Hempstead (R-At Large) suggested Monday night that the $600,000 now recommended in the 2015-16 capital budget for a NRVT segment be pushed to 2016-17 to free up money so efforts could be made to alleviate flooding. Department of Public Works Director Hal Alvord said that would probably work, but on Tuesday there was an email outcry, Bike/Walk Task Force Co-Chairman Mike Mushak said at Tuesday’s Mayor’s Night Out.

“(We are) just on the brink of getting NRVT built in Norwalk and the funding is being jeopardized by funding negotiations and maneuvering,” Mushak said.

Alvord said Monday that the $600,000 would create a segment of the trail from Union Park to New Canaan Avenue.

“The transit district went and got $250,000 for the design of the trail from Union Park to New Canaan Avenue. It’s going to be an interesting and challenging section to do and the construction is going to be even more challenging,” Alvord said, in answering Hempstead’s initial question.

A $45,000 expenditure to be considered next week by the Public Works Committee will get the design rolling, he said.

There is a $2 million grant available through the Western Connecticut Council of Governments (formerly the South Western Regional Planning Agency) and the $600,000 would be the 20 percent matching contribution from Norwalk, he said.

Hempstead asked how long the design would take. Alvord said a year.

“So you don’t need this money until the following year,” Hempstead said.

“Timewise you’re probably right, Doug,” Alvord replied.

“Does everything else fall in place if this is not approved?” Councilman Bruce Kimmel (D-At Large) asked. “Is it a disaster if we do not approve this money?”

“Timing will be a little tighter when we go after the grant because you need to have your match money appropriated by the time you apply for the grant,” Alvord said. “They want to see your match when you go in for the grant. In fact, one of the reasons we have been so successful in getting the grants through SWRPA is that we always have our match money in advance and we have always performed, even when we have taken away money from another community who wasn’t ready to produce.”

Kimmel asked for more details.

“Reasonably, if it’s going to take us a year to get the design done, and you’ve got to have a design to go after the grant, you’ve got to show what you’re going to do with it, then I would say a year,” Alvord said. “In fact, in the next capital budget iteration would probably work.”

Kimmel asked if that was the case why was it in this year’s capital budget, and recommended for approval by Finance Director Thomas Hamilton.

“We wanted to have it in the bank when we go after the grant,” Alvord said.

“We are kind of parking money to bank on a grant that we don’t know what is going to cost us to do what we want to do,” Hempstead said.

“We do it all the time,” Alvord said, drawing laughter.

Hempstead mentioned flooding issues. “We wouldn’t even have the ability to spend it or put it up there for collateral until you get the design done,” he said.

Mushak’s partner, David Westmoreland, spoke up from the audience.

“That could push it out three or four more years based on grant cycles,” he said.

No decision was made Monday. The Planning Committee will vote on the capital budget next week. Then it will go to the full Council.

Mushak said Tuesday that NRVT supporters in surrounding communities were in an uproar, as the money has been promised. Developers are counting on things like the NRVT, he said, adding, “This is a selling point in the city.”

“We all thought was going to be preserved and intact and it would be matching funds,” Mushak said. “… By not funding that in the capital budget we are jeopardizing that, possibly pushing that out two or three years. That just becomes harder to get the matching grants because that pool of money is getting reduced every year.”

“I am just going to plead that that funding stay intact and there’s a whole lot of people out there hoping for this,” Mushak said. “… It’s disheartening for a lot of lot of people, not just in Norwalk but all the way out to Danbury.”

“I think everybody agrees with that,” Mayor Harry Rilling said. “Right before the meeting Mr. Kimmel, Mr. Hamilton and I had a discussion about the confusion about when the money from the city needs to stay in place. We made a commitment that we are going to determine when that has to happen and we are committed to make that happen.”

There’s no attempt to delay the project, Rilling said.

“Nobody is against the trail,” Hempstead said.

He said Alvord’s comments about the length of time the design would take are probably based on two key employees retiring soon. Alvord was silent. The discussion seemed fair until the email storm started Tuesday, he said.

Kimmel said it was part of the overall discussion of the capital budget.

“We just don’t have enough and we can’t afford to spend more on our capital budget or it will have an impact on our operating budget,” he said. “We have maybe 100 programs and projects that we have to pick and choose from with a limited amount of money.”

“We are always juggling and seeing where we can possibly move some money around,” Kimmel said. “I think we have a clearer picture now than we did last night, at least I do. We’ll continue the discussion and were going to do the right thing.”