Move To North Center School Would Have Minimal Effect on Businesses, Study Finds

A study compiled by town officials over the last two weeks has shown that relocating municipal departments from Southington Town Hall to the North Center School would have a minimal effect on downtown businesses.

A survey conducted last week found that of 392 visitors to Town Hall and 63 employees who were in Town Hall, most would not change their habits in going to the downtown area if departments relocated to the North Center School, which lies a quarter-mile north of the existing Town Hall complex, Town Manager Garry Brumback said.

“When asked if offices were relocated to North Center School, 254 of the 392 visitors said they would still frequent restaurants in the downtown area while 110 said they would not,” Brumback said during an informational meeting held at town hall Tuesday night. “What it comes to is splitting departments between (town hall) and the North Center School, it would have a minimum affect.”

The survey showed that as of right now, 186 visitors said they frequent the downtown area for lunch, 22 said they frequent downtown for dinner and 22 answered that they frequent the downtown restaurants sometimes.

Furthermore, Brumback said of town hall employees surveyed, 15 currently frequent the downtown area for lunch and 13 would continue to do so if the department is moved.

The surveys were collected in an effort to move forward with the North Center School relocation project, after a vote by the Planning and Zoning Department on March 15 put the project in jeopardy by placing heavy restrictions on which departments could be relocated.

Under the current stipulations, the town can't move the Parks and Recreation Department, Economic Development Department, Tax Department, Assessor Department, Town Manager, Town Attorney, Town Clerk, Health Department, Building Department, Planning and Zoning or Engineering. The restrictions could be lifted based on a future vote.

Over the last several months, town boards have worked to present a proposal that would allow the town to sell the North Center School to Borghesi Building and Engineering of Torrington, lease it back with Borghesi responsible for renovating the property, then have the option to buy back the property after eight years.

Under the direction of the Town Council, a facility use committee last month voted 5-2 to recommend that the departments restricted by the stipulations be relocated along with the Board of Education offices to maximize space. The council approved the recommendation Feb. 28.

Brumback and School Superintendent Joseph Erardi Jr. collaborated to lead a study of both the foot traffic and shopping patterns of both visitors and employees to Town Hall and the Board of Education offices on Beecher Street following the vote in an effort to revive the project.

Erardi said the move would also lead to an increased foot traffic from visitors and employees of the Board of Education offices, many of whom currently travel to West Street for their coffee and lunch needs because it is closer and more accessible than the downtown area.

The added traffic of Board of Education employees alone would lead to an additional 19 transactions at downtown restaurants per week according to the study, Erardi said.

The information will be delivered by mail to downtown merchants on Wednesday.

Planning Commissioner Paul Chaplinsky Jr., who presented concerns regarding the effects of a move and set the list of restrictions during a motion on March 15, said he was pleased with the study but is still awaiting more information, which will be available prior to the April 5 Planning and Zoning meeting.

“This is a start. Dr. Erardi and Mr. Brumback are two professional people in town and they have worked hard to gather this information,” Chaplinsky said. “We have an opportunity to share more factual data (later this week) and will review that data at our next meeting.”

A second vote is anticipated on April 5 when the Planning and Zoning Commission holds a follow-up discussion during its regularly scheduled meeting.

The meeting was well-attended by town officials, including members of the Town Council, Board of Education and Planning and Zoning Commission, but only one local merchant was able to come out for the informational session.

Pamela DePaolo, owner of DePaolo Furniture at 83 Center St., said that although she would have liked to see a referendum and long-term planning to eventually renovate the existing Town hall facilities, she is in favor of the project as presented.

“To place restrictions on which departments should be moved seems foolish,” DePaolo said. “The school’s location is advantageous to the downtown district and could also alleviate the parking issue in the downtown area.”