School Superintedent Excited To Present Plan to PZC

School Superintendent Joseph V. Erardi is looking forward to presenting his committee’s proposal to sell and lease back the North Center School property when he is scheduled to make a presentation before the Planning and Zoning Commission tonight.

Erardi said members couldn’t sit directly on the committee – a concern expressed by the commission at their Jan. 4 meeting – but he regrets not keeping them more informed as they hold a voting role in the proposal.

“In a conversation with (Town Attorney Mark Sciota), he didn’t feel it would have been appropriate to have a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission sit around the table because they would eventually need to vote on the proposal,” Erardi said.

“What could have and should have been done is to have updated them throughout the process,” he continued.

The Southington Town Council in December authorized the town to move forward with a plan that would sell the North center School property on North Main Street to Borghesi Building and Engineering of Torrington for $1. The town would then lease back the building for use by the school district administration, those departments currently located in the Gura building annex to Town Hall and several other departments.

Under the plan approved by the council, Sciota said the town would lease the building at a cost of $375,000 per year with an option to buy it back after 8-10 years at a cost of $2.9 million.

The projected cost of the entire project including leasing costs is estimated at $6.8 million and Sciota said the cheapest option for the town to conduct the project itself would have been $8.7 million after interest.

The plan hit a snag when members of the Planning and Zoning Commission expressed concerns that they did not have enough information regarding the project during the Jan. 4 meeting. Commissioner Fran Kenefick expressed concerns that the project could lead to the town losing the building and it’s use entirely.

The commission must approve an 8-24, which is a certification that such a move fits the town’s plan of development, but voted to table it until after the presentation. The commission must also approve any renovation plans presented by the Borghesi Group.

Board of Education Chairman Brian Goralski, who sat on the committee that developed and presented the proposal, said he hopes the presentation will allow the PZC to gain comfort in moving forward.

“We did the best we could with the information we had. Maybe we should have inquired more about how the PZC should be involved but we look forward to presenting this to them,” Goralski said. “At the end of the day, hopefully they will see this is a well thought out plan and approve it.”