2016 State of the Town Address

State of the Town

January 25, 2016

By First Selectman Mike Tetreau

 

Thank you Madame Moderator, members of the Board of Selectmen, members of the Board of Finance, members of our Representative Town Meeting, other elected officials and members of the public for the opportunity to provide this update on our town. It has been quite a year.

I want to thank all those that have contributed so much this past year: my former colleagues on the Board of Selectmen – Kevin Kiley and Sheila Marmion. I also want to welcome our two new Selectmen Laurie McArdle and Chris Tymniak. I look forward to working together through the years ahead.

As always, I want to give a big thank you to all the volunteers serving on our Boards and Commissions who give so freely of their time and are dedicated to helping our town be the best in the state.

This has been another year where our Town Department Managers and employees have distinguished themselves with their dedication to helping raise service levels and our productivity to keep Fairfield a great value for all. I would like to give a special welcome to our new management team in the Fire Department – Chief Denis McCarthy and Deputy Chief Kyrnan Dunn.  Let me also give another special welcome to our new Conservation Director Brian Carey. To all, welcome aboard and thanks for joining our team.

Thank you to the Board of Education, Central Office, our Teachers and our Administrators.  Your consistent excellence in delivering a top quality education to our students should never be taken for granted.  You keep our students engaged, learning and reaching new heights.  You are one of the key reasons our population is growing – in fact, we are one of the top five fastest growing towns in our state over the last five years.

Economic Development

Let’s first take a look at Economic Development.

We are just getting over the shock of the recent GE announcement that they are leaving us after 40 years. There are many concerns in our community. Some we have answers for and some we don’t. We need to work together as we forge a new identity for our town.  We have a large gap to fill in our community. As we move forward, we are taking advantage of one of the capabilities of our new town website. GE has its own web page at www.fairfieldct.org/ge so everyone can stay up to date on the latest developments and frequently asked questions.

To address one question that seems to be on everyone’s mind – we will not be losing any property tax revenue.  GE will pay the property taxes as long as they own the property. Once the property is sold, the taxes will be paid by the new owner.

The most recent news is that Kleban Properties is interesting is acquiring the site. The Klebans have some very exciting plans for this site that will play an important role in Fairfield’s future. They are proposing a Corporate Technology Complex to be developed on this site. For more information on that I am going to ask you to go to the GE web page.      

As Moodys recently reported, Fairfield has a solid financial foundation to weather the loss of GE. We are a Triple A rated community, with a top quality school district, a strong local economy with strong demographics and a great location. Let’s look at some of our ongoing economic development projects:

The Exide Factory Redevelopment – The Mill River clean-up was just completed. The dredging equipment has been removed from the river. The bags of dredged material will begin being carted off site next month. In about 12 months, the new developer should begin work on a major complex for this site and will be a welcome addition to our tax rolls.

The Fairfield Metro Center – There has been a change in leadership at Black Rock Realty. The majority owners have taken control and are moving the development forward sooner rather than later. They will be preparing a new approach to this site and will be looking to present their vision to our town and key stakeholders. We will keep you updated on this important project in the days ahead.

In the meantime, the new leadership wanted to take some steps forward.  Here’s what they have done:

            They have repaired the walkway through the Open Space.

            They are taking steps to meet their obligations for landscaping and maintenance.

            And perhaps most importantly, at least for commuters, I am working with them to get DOT permission to install portable luxury rest rooms on site. Mr. Mermelstein – a big thank you! DOT appears amenable to this request. More details to follow….

While these are two big stories, there is a lot more going on it our town. Here is a sampling of some of the projects either recently completed or approved:

FTC has opened their new warehouse with 600 seat capacity and it is a huge boon to our downtown economy.

Plan B Restaurant has opened and so has the new B Fresh market on the same Post Road property.

            Bankwell on Sasco Hill

            Bankwell on Black Rock Turnpike

            Bright Horizons on Commerce Drive

            New Country Lexus on Kings Highway

            Honda on Linwood

            Renovated Circle Inn on Post Road

            Renovated Hi Ho on Black Rock Turnpike

            Walgreen’s on Kings Highway

            Bright Beginnings on Black Rock Turnpike

            Garelick and Herbs on Post Road

            OSG Medical Offices on Commerce Drive

            SHU Residence Hall on Park Ave

            Medical Office on Unquowa Place

            Land Rover on Commerce Drive

            Mixed Use Development on Commerce Drive – former Fitness Edge

            Assisted Living on Mill Plain Road

And quite a few more in earlier stages of proposal or approval. This list is the best indication of how strong our local economy is and how bright our future is.

In addition, the Economic Development Commission is working on a long range plan to target strategic growth opportunities.

Increased support for Tourism is one of the current focal points. Mr. Barnhart, our Economic Development Director, has been working with the Fairfield Museum, FTC, the Audubon Center and both Universities to take better advantage of existing resources and assets.

Our town was one of the first to respond to a statewide initiative targeted at increasing access to ultra-high speed internet services. A valuable resource to attract new businesses and add value to services for existing businesses.

Next let’s take a look at the Fairfield Museum.

The Museum also has a lot going on with multiple State Grants:

One for completing renovations on the Sun Tavern and the Victorian Cottage;

One for planning a new landscape & layout for the Town Hall campus;

And one for significant work & renovation on much overdue deferred maintenance on Burr Mansion.

The goal overall is to make our historic campus much more of a tourist destination and easier to navigate encouraging bike & pedestrian visitors from our downtown center. One of our strategic advantages is that our historic campus and buildings are closer to downtown and our train station than other communities.

The Museum will also be adding the Collier Collection – the most comprehensive set of materials on Connecticut history in private hands. This will make our Museum one of the leading centers on state history. Stay tuned for news on the opening celebration.

As you expect we will continue with our fabulously successful Restaurant Week along with our Holiday Shopping Stroll, our Spring Shop and Stroll and our Summer Sidewalk Sale. It was great to see one of our newest community members – Save the Children – step up to sponsor this year’s Holiday event. A big thank you to Save the Children for joining our community.

Sustainability

We continue to be recognized for our efforts on improved Sustainability. We were recently recognized by the State’s Clean Energy Communities Program. This award highlights are numerous clean energy programs and our leadership in this area. As always, special thanks goes out to Asst. DPW Director Ed Boman for his vision and leadership. He has helped our town receive over $8 million in grants over the last 20 years. Through his efforts and the hard work of the volunteers on our Clean Energy Task Force, our town is saving millions of dollars every year.

Some highlights:

We will soon be producing over 25% of our electric needs with green, solar power.

Fairfield was the first town to bring a microgrid project online through the statewide pilot program. We received a grant for $1.1 Million to help fund this project. During a power emergency this microgrid will power our Police and Fire Headquarters along with nearby cell towers and the Operation Hope shelter.

Our Sustainability initiatives now help us to:

• Reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by over 60,000 tons
• Eliminate of 100% of chlorine and 65% of nitrogen discharges into Long Island Sound
• Compost and eliminate 2.7 million pounds of solids from Long Island Sound
• Prevent 1.0 million pounds of algae discharges

Fairfield maximizes recycling and reuse so that there is zero landfilling:

Our town produces 75,000 tons of waste each year.

66% is now recycled and 33% is used to make green power.

Our new Regional Waste and Recycling contracts now save over $425,000 per year.

Our Sustainability efforts are good for the environment, good for the economy and are saving our taxpayers millions of dollars.

Seniors and Social Services

I think we should all be proud of how much has happened with our senior center!

It has a new name – The Bigelow Center for Senior Activities. Thank you again to the Bigelow Family for all that you have done for our town and our seniors. The Center now proudly boasts of over 2500 members. Terry Giegengack and our team are beginning the National Accreditation process that takes over a year but establishes quality service standards so we can assure our seniors they are joining one of the best programs in the nation.

There is a new lunch program that has lunch attendance up 20% over last year. And thanks to the Rotary Club for providing a grant to make improvements to the Dining Room.  I was at a recent lunch program provided by and served by members of our Police Union. It was a packed house and set a record of over 160 meals served. Special thanks to our Police Officers.

To help work off some of those calories, there is an expanded exercise program with 30% more classes than last year – just to make sure our membership is growing but our members are not!

Also of note, our Fire fighters have been replacing batteries every October and installing new smoke detectors if needed for our seniors for the past ten years. Nothing says we love you like new batteries for your smoke detector!  Just another way they go above and beyond to serve our community. Thank you to our Fire Fighters.

This year the Center provided 14,205 rides to seniors for medical appointments, shopping and of course, rides to the Bigelow Center.

Some additional highlights: the first Holiday Tree Lighting, Snow Shoveling for Seniors, Veterans Day Breakfast and celebration, over 30 days trips to various sites around our State and nationally recognized comedian/author Charles Grodin presented “an hour of comedy” presentation.

Moving on to some of our Social Service highlights:

There were $16,000 collected in donations for the Holiday Giving program which provided support and assistance for over 200 families.

United Way provided a grant for $5000.

A new Operation Fuel grant was also provided for another $5000.

Heating and Energy assistance was provided to over 200 Fairfield families totaling over $70,000.

A new program of Snow Shoveling assistance was provided to 48 seniors. This programs matches seniors that need assistance with volunteers will to lend a hand and a shovel.

The Center is also now collaborating with the CT Department of Veterans Affairs in providing monthly office hours for veterans and their families.

Our School District

Our school district is without a doubt one of the most important assets to our town. Our Superintendent, Staff and Teachers have provided consistent quality year in and year out. The standard of excellence in education is why many people move to Fairfield with their families.

Some highlights:

Named to the College Board’s AP Honor Roll for the 3rd consecutive year

Received awards from Connecticut Association of Education for excellence in communications, including district budget presentation

Athletic teams and individual Athletes winning State Championships in various sports on a frequent basis.

Multiple National Merit Scholars recognized for scoring in top 1% nationally.

Several Gold Medal winners on National Latin exam.

Recognized as being in top 5 for career and Technical Education Assessment performance

Won First Place in State Culinary Competition

Multiple students earn chairs in the Connecticut Music Educators Wester Region Music Festival

National media regularly rank our two high schools among the best in the state

 

All this and a great value – Fairfield is ranked 81st in the State for Cost per Pupil.

 

On top of all this, we ask that the district keep our children safe. This request has never had more meaning. We are spending several million dollars in increase security measures. This investment is not only in hardware and facilities but also enhanced Police presence and continuous training for staff and students. It was just three months ago that we saw the need for this effort and investment when we were “swatted” and made to believe our schools were threatened.

Our Police, Fire and other First Responders demonstrated the highest level of training and professionalism. Our teachers and administrators showed they were up to the task, up to a part of their job that wasn’t covered when they were getting their education degrees. And most importantly, our students showed us they learned their lessons very well and made us all proud with how they responded to the potential crisis.

Thank you to everyone to adapting to this new world and these new risks so well. Thank you for keeping our schools safe.

Finance Update

This past year was a stellar year for our town’s financial performance. We were able to deliver the lowest tax increase in over fifteen years at 1.6 percent. The townside increase was less than one percent. We fully funded the Board of Education request at 3.29 percent. We fully funded our Pension contribution and other long term obligations. We also included increases to Senior Tax Relief, enhanced school security, paving and sidewalks along with continuing to strengthen our financial reserves with an additional contribution to surplus.

Again, I want to recognize and thank our labor unions for their support and cooperation as we look for creative ways together to manage future costs.

Moody’s Investors Service reaffirmed our coveted Aaa rating. They provided the following assessment of our performance:

• Fairfield has a stable and improving financial position
• Fairfield has strong management
• Fairfield continues to fully fund their Pension plans
• Fairfield’s management employs conservative budgeting and financial management as evidenced by stable reserve levels, formal fiscal policies and long term planning for Capital expenditures.

Again this year I would like to recognize our Chief Fiscal Officer Bob Mayer and the Finance Department for their effort and dedication.

We also completed our Property Tax Revaluation. The next tax bills sent out for July 1, 2016 will be using these new appraisals. As part of this process, we held a series of public information systems to make the process more transparent and understandable. We are one of the first towns in the state to hold these session. I have heard from other First Selectmen that they will look to follow our example. Special thanks to Town Tax Assessor Don Ross and his staff for managing the process so smoothly.

 

TP&Z

Our TP&Z team led by Joe Devonchuk and Jim Wendt has gone above and beyond to help our residents in the Beach Area. The TPZ office is administering 68 grants made on behalf of homeowners seeking financial assistance to raise their homes above the FEMA flood elevation. These grants include a total of $9.1 million in federal aid. To date, 19 projects have gone forward with a total of $1.6 million in reimbursements distributed to homeowners. The number of projects proceeding will increase in the year ahead.

The Department is also moving forward on an application to FEMA to qualify for the CRS or Community Rating System program. This program awards flood insurance premium discounts to flood insurance holders in communities that can document certain standards above and beyond FEMA minimum requirements. 

Parks and Recreation

Special recognition for the Chief MacNamara and our Police, Fairfield University leaders, Gerry Lombardo and the Parks & Rec staff, the Fairfield Beach Residents Association, our Fire Department and the students living at the beach for coming together to solve the long, long lasting problem of Clam Jam. By coming together to talk, listen and look for creative solutions, we found an answer. Clam Jam was held this year and we had no arrests, no complaints and no calls.  Thank you again to all involved.

We have all been involved in the detailed discussions and review of plans for the rebuild of Penfield Pavilion. The project is moving forward and should be completed in the fall. We will have our Pavilion back at minimal cost to the town. We really owe a big thank you to the Penfield Building Committee, Bob Mayer in Finance, Gerry Lombardo in Parks and Rec, Joe Michelangelo in Public Works and Twig Holland who recently retired from our Purchasing Department for the long hours, dedication and patience they demonstrated throughout this entire process. Special thanks again to Senator Blumenthal, Senator Murphy and Congressman Himes for your help in getting FEMA to stop and listen to us.  Your help saved our town several million dollars. Thank you.

Storm Resiliency Grants

Special Recognition to DPW Director Joe Michelangelo and his team.  We received over $5 million in grants for improved storm preparedness thanks to their efforts. $4.8 million in two grants for the Water Treatment Facility and $225,000 to be used towards rebuilding Penfield. It takes vision, initiative and lots of paperwork to bring these funds back to our town. Joe – Thank you and your team for saving our taxpayers this very significant amount money. We will be much better prepared for the next big storm.

The Challenges Ahead

Our community spirit and our commitment to work together will be tested in the months and years ahead. Together we can face and overcome these challenges. It will take creativity and skill to find solutions that work for our entire community. Here are a few that we can anticipate:

• Need for more affordable and senior housing
• New and different School/Town Security Issues
• Sewer system capacity
• Parking for downtown and other commercial areas for commuters, shoppers & employees
• Possible reductions to State Aid
• Traffic Congestion in town and on I-95/Merritt Parkway
• Declining School Population and impact on costs
• Replacing GE and their contributions to our community
• Finding an answer to breathe life into the Community Theatre
• How to grow our commercial base on the Grand List
• How to creatively work with our employees to manage our labor costs
• Managing expenses to keep Fairfield the best value in the State

 

With challenges like these, there isn’t a better time for us to embark on our townwide Strategic Plan. We will be getting started in the next few weeks. We will both need everyone’s input and help. I am more excited than ever to face and solve the challenges ahead.

As I stated last year - As First Selectman, it is my mission to serve all the people of our town, from the students who need a safe environment for an excellent education, to the seniors on fixed incomes who wish to stay here, to the taxpayers who want high quality service and reasonable taxes.

 

I am committed to maintaining Fairfield as the best value in our State.

 

Thank you to everyone for your involvement, your volunteer spirit and your support of our Town.  

 

Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you tonight.