Fairfield RTM Approves $1.7 Million in Capital Projects

The bathroom upgrade has faced a tough road, but with the approval of the Representative Town Meeting Monday night, the project begun last year will see completion come summer.

Five more school projects and three town plans were also approved by the RTM Monday when the town body passed the in a 41-5 vote.

The vote was not without debate, and the Jennings School bathroom project bore the brunt of the discussion.

Some RTM members felt that their vote in 2011 to fund only half of the $250,000 that was requested was misconstrued.

“In our discussion last year we said fix what needs to be fixed,” Carolyn Richmond, R-1, said. She and others reiterated that they thought the funds approved last year should have been used to fix necessary repairs in all of the school’s bathrooms.

But school officials had requested the funds to upgrade all eight of the school bathrooms -- not only to make repairs, but also to make some of the lavatories compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act. That work still needs to be done with the money approved Monday.

Hal Schwartz, D-7, said he didn’t come away from last year’s budget discussion thinking the RTM had dictated how the school system would use the Jennings bathroom money.

Moderator Jeff Steele, R-2, agreed.

“Why would we leave a project half done? I didn’t come away with the understanding last year that the Board of Education wouldn’t come back for the second half this year,” he said.

An amendment to strike the $131,250 Jennings School bathroom upgrade from the bond resolution failed in a 13-33 vote.

Other projects, including the plan to help facilitate traffic at Tomlinson Middle School, were scrutinized, but all proposed to the RTM remained intact for the final vote.

With the RTM’s vote -- the final approval needed before bonding the requested funds -- Tomlinson Middle School will see a traffic solution project, cornice and façade renovations, and eight classroom floors repaired.

two 1962 boilers will be removed and replaced, and underground tanks at Dwight, Jennings, , , , and elementary schools will be removed and replaced by aboveground boilers. The same project will be completed at and high schools.

that will be funded by the bond resolution include removing underground tanks at the Department of Public Works Garage Facility and the Smith Richardson Club House and replacing them with aboveground tanks; covering the cost overruns created by removing the oil tank behind ; and renovating bunkers and tees at .