Penfield Rebuild Heads to Town Boards

The town's plan to finish the reconstruction of Penfield Pavilion, a 109-year-old structure off Fairfield Beach Road, was approved by a town zoning board Tuesday night, but its biggest challenge may lie ahead.

Chief Fiscal Officer Paul Hiller said today that the cost to rebuild the center and westerly sections of the pavilion will cost more than the $1.5 million spent to rebuild the eastern section, which was completed in 2008. The town received a $400,000 state grant to rebuild the eastern section, but only has about $200,000 in grants for the center and westerly sections, according to Town Public Works Director Richard White.

The cost to rebuild the center and westerly sections wasn't known Tuesday night, though White said he had an estimator working on it. A funding request to demolish and rebuild the center and westerly sections is heading to a vote of the Board of Selectmen at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in Sullivan-Independence Hall, according to Jennifer Carpenter, deputy chief of staff for First Selectman Ken Flatto.

If approved by the selectmen, the funding request would then head to the town's Board of Finance and Representative Town Meeting.

On Tuesday night, the Town Plan and Zoning Commission approved the reconstruction of the center and westerly sections after White gave a computer-generated presentation.

"The new section fits within the existing footprint of the old building," White said of the structure that would replace the center and westerly portions. "We thought that was important so we don't encroach on the sand or neighbors' views."

White said a deck on the pavilion would increase in size by 66 percent, and half of the deck would be covered. The deck would be able to accommodate 75 people and a banquet room would be able to fit 175 people, White said.

"If things go well, we'll be requesting construction funds at the June Board of Finance meeting and RTM, with the goal of starting construction this fall and being ready for Memorial Day 2011," White told members of the TPZ, an elected board of 10 volunteer residents, seven of whom vote on development applications.

Gerald Lombardo, director of the town's Parks and Recreation Department, said Penfield Pavilion, which generates revenue for the town through rental fees, would be used year-round. "It's probably the busiest facility we have in town. It's a showcase," Lombardo said. "I think it will be even better than it has been the last 100 years."

Jill Walker, who runs a sand sculpture festival at Penfield Beach, said, "I would feel happy if the building is safe and secure. There are so many people who come to town because of the event. I'm fully supportive of the project."

The town plans to install four exterior cameras on the pavilion to deter vandalism.

Police Chief David Peck said last week that the cameras would feed video into a police building at South Benson Marina, which already receives video feeds from eight cameras set up on that police building, one of which is aimed at the new Jennings Beach Skate Park.

"We're not going to be monitoring it 24-hours-a-day type of thing, but the plan is to have it linked to a system we already have at the marina," Peck said.

Footage from the cameras is available for 14 days and then new footage is recorded over it. The video cameras mainly serve as an investigative tool that enables police to either identify vandalism incidents that took place in the past or locate a child who may be lost at the beach, police said.

Peck said he understood some residents' concerns about "Big Brother" but reiterated that cameras already are installed on the Police Department's marina building. He said a camera would be useful on Penfield Lighthouse to aid police in determining the severity and nature of calls about boaters or kayakers in distress.