"Under
Construction" of the new W.I.S."Front
Porch" watercolor by Margaret
Wirtenberg (after a Fairfield Porter painting). (Ours is in a
private collection.) Locational
hint: "looks like" porch at a major intersection in "The Central
Part of Town." The lawn and gazebo at Town Hall and Town Hall
roofs;
CENTRAL
PART OF TOWN - Shown on the State of
Connecticut's Plan of Conservation and Development forever as a "rural community
center." Can
you color in the features mentioned below on the
blank map of this area? Or check out our
map of this area, not yet complete or verified. Color code or
"Legend" to the "Existing
Land Use Map" of this
neighborhood - click here.
Developments in the
central part of Weston are dramatic! Almost
every type of land use has been intensified. The formerly mostly
passive Bisceglie-Scribner
Park is a
place for active
recreation now on
its southern section (still undeveloped on its north). "Weston
Parks" community group spearheaded a redo of the swimming/play area -
the Town's "swimming
hole" in
Bisceglie. The School
Road campus is now fully
developed, including a separate building for Central
Offices,
as a result of the school
construction project just about
completed.
Town
Hall, now
overdue for roof fix prior to any other another addition or
construction of a new facility. Board of Education headquarters
annex
now includes the "Town Hall Annex" - home to the
land use and building related offices and permits issued by town
staff. The Weston Public Library; main firehouse; shopping at Weston Center ; and the recently
spot-patched Onion Barn are all here.
"Speak Up 2007" revealed the Town of
Weston's plan for combining a new roof for the old section of Weston
High School with the first redo of the auditorium (in 40 years);
"Speak Up 2008"
had a late-in-the-day focus on Revson, and the full event streams on
the LWV of Weston website.
Auditorium project get extra close scrutiny as summer vacation
ends; rigging and stage extension suddenly lead items of
concern...
Special Town Meeting on
June 11,
2008 approves additional funding for
Weston High School Auditorium redo. More
here.
Weston auditorium off-limits, but on
schedule
Weston FORUM
Written by Kimberly
Donnelly
Thursday, August 28, 2008
It may be opening day for Weston
schools, but not so for the Weston High School auditorium.
The auditorium is undergoing
renovation and is off limits to students, but work is proceeding on
schedule with no major problems.
“So far so good. Everything is on
track,” said Joe Fitzpatrick, chairman of the building committee,
earlier this week. “We’ve been lucky we’ve had no major headaches.”
The auditorium renovation, which
began early this summer, is scheduled to be completed by the end of
October, in time for the high school’s theater troupe Company to stage
its fall musical there.
Mr. Fitzpatrick said that goal still
looks realistic. He credits that in part to the work of architect and
project coordinator Art DiCeasar. “He’s doing a great job. He looks
ahead and anticipates things instead of waiting for problems to come
barreling down on us,” Mr. Fitzpatrick said.
Mr. Fitzpatrick described the
project as basically “a facelift” — but with a lot of mechanical and
electrical work involved — for the 30-plus-year-old auditorium.
Work includes building a new stage,
installing new rigging and flooring, all new seating, new control rooms
in the rear for sound and lighting, hard-wired communication systems,
installation of air conditioning, a lighting upgrade, refinishing
walls, new carpeting, reconfiguration of some of the lights, and new
acoustical treatments on the walls.
Mr. Fitzpatrick said the Building
Committee made a point of ensuring that the bulk of the loud work
and things that had to be outside the auditorium itself was done over
the summer. During much of that time, electrical conduits ran from the
kitchen to the auditorium, but they were all removed this week before
teachers and students returned to the building.
From this point on, he said, most of
the construction work will be “self-contained.” Drilling and other
noisy work will be kept to a minimum during school hours.
Aside from the project hitting no
unexpected snags, it also is running on budget, Mr. Fitzpatrick said.
“So far so good. We’re keeping our
fingers crossed... Boring is good at this point,” he said.
Stage is set for new
Weston High School auditorium
Weston FORUM
Written by Kimberly Donnelly
Friday, August 08, 2008
The lights are dark and the stage is
bare at the Weston High School auditorium. That’s normal for this time
of year; what’s not normal is the fact that there are also no seats, no
curtain, no floor tiles or carpet, no walls in some places, and lots
and lots of dust.
“The demolition part is done,” said
Tom Landry, town administrator. “Now they’re working on putting it back
together.”
Renovation of the high school
auditorium is the final piece in the town’s $80-million school and
athletic facilities project that voters approved in 2001 and that broke
ground in 2003. That project included new playing fields at Morehouse
Farm Park and Bisceglie-Scribner Park, the new intermediate school, and
renovation and additions at the high school.
Refurbishing the high school
auditorium was not originally a part of the building project. However,
when bids for a planned new auditorium at Weston Middle School came in
millions of dollars more than expected, the focus shifted to making
improvements to the existing high school performance space instead.
Work on the auditorium includes
adding air conditioning, replacing antiquated rigging, lighting work,
and floor replacement.
WestonArts, a nonprofit group, has
raised about $300,000 in private funds to help supplement the costs of
the auditorium project, specifically to replace the seats.
Mr. Landry said figuring out the
cost of the project as a whole is tricky because so many different
contracts are involved. Carlson Construction is the main contractor;
Innovative Engineering Services of North Haven is the main design
engineer; William Warfel is the lighting designer; Ducharme is
responsible for the seating; two different fabric companies, J.B.
Martin and Designtex, are involved; and Theatre Projects Consultancy is
another designer.
In addition to the money raised by
WestonArts, the money to pay for the project — which Mr. Landry
ultimately pins down at about $2.1 million — comes from several
different sources. Money that was originally bonded to build the middle
school auditorium was “transferred” to pay for the high school roof
replacement and auditorium renovation.
Mr. Landry said after the roof was
completed, about $1.2 million was left to apply toward the auditorium.
At a special town meeting June 11 this year, voters approved an
additional $586,585 appropriation from the general fund, and there was
money left in a capital account for the roof replacement that will be
applied toward the auditorium.
The auditorium will not be completed
by the time school opens at the end of this month. The building
committee is pushing to have it ready by mid-October, in time for the
high school’s Company to stage its fall performance.
"Through the Roof" - watercolor by Margaret
Wirtenberg
BREAKING NEWS
Board of Selectmen votes to permit First Selectman to
move forward on the Town Hall Roof project at August 7, 2008 regular
meeting. Although they were not happy about having to comply with
the Historic District Commission requirement that slate be replaced
only with slate, where it had been used originally, no further bids had
been solicited because of the price increases in all materials in the
market lately - the original bid was thought to be the best one they
would get at this point. Also, it was noted that further delay
would make it unlikely to get the roof replaced until next year.
Weston Town Hall roof request denied
again
Weston FORUM
Written by Brian Gioiele
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Local leaders received a second bite at the apple, but the sour taste
remained the same. The Historic District on Wednesday, July 2,
denied a certificate of appropriateness for the Board of Selectmen’s
request to replace the present slate roof on the original section of
Weston Town Hall with asphalt shingles.
This was the second such denial, with the selectmen first appearing in
May seeking the same certificate. Receiving the approval would
have allowed the town to save an estimated $179,000 in the overall cost
of the roof replacement.
“We’re in charge of making sure that our grandkids see it the way it
was,” said commission member Chris Kimberly, an alternate. “In the
short run, anything flies, but 100 years down the road, we want to be
able to see what the town hall looked like.”
The application required the commission’s approval since the town hall
sits in a historic district. In rendering its ruling, the commission
cannot consider cost.
Second time around
First Selectman Woody Bliss told the commission a second application
was made because the original presentation made in May included asphalt
shingle materials that were not representative of what the town would
use in replacing the roof.
“The sample we had last time was embarrassing,” Mr. Bliss said. “It did
not represent what we are showing you tonight. Samples here tonight
were used in places where there had been slate previously.”
Selectman Glenn Major agreed, saying that the Building Committee
members in attendance at the May meeting acted as individual citizens,
in his mind, not in a formal committee capacity.
“The information you received last meeting was skewed,” Mr. Major said.
“The Building Committee is not an architectural review committee. It is
a committee set up by the Board of Selectmen to collect information and
make recommendations. It’s not up to them to decide what finishes are
on buildings. Those people were here as
individuals. They don’t get to dictate. They can make only
recommendations.”
The Building Committee handled the town hall roof replacement bid
process, and during its original presentation to the Board of Selectmen
offered costs for slate and asphalt shingles. In its recommendation,
the committee stated it preferred slate.
At the Historic District Commission meeting in May, the selectmen
argued the asphalt shingles were appropriate for several reasons: They
are more economical (estimates were that using asphalt would save about
$179,000 on what is otherwise an approximately $650,000 job); slate
roofs are difficult to repair; aesthetically, there are asphalt
shingles that look like slate; and town hall is the only building in
the district with a slate roof (the library has wood shake and the
Norfield firehouse has asphalt).
“Interestingly, few people I talked to even knew the town hall had a
slate roof,” said Mr. Major. “Your argument is that this is an
important building and that’s why we have to maintain the slate roof.
If that’s the case, I believe that is lost on the majority of
townspeople.”
Mr. Major said he received more calls on the town hall roof replacement
than any other topic during his seven years on the board. And the
overwhelming feeling, he added, was that the slate should be replaced
with the asphalt shingles.
“The number of people who commented to us prompted us to come back to
you,” Mr. Major said.
Commission member Sharon Shattuck said she also received several calls,
all from those asking that the town hall roof be replaced with slate
rather than asphalt shingles.
That prompted Mr. Major to state that residents should not have been
attempting to sway Ms. Shattuck’s vote prior to last Wednesday’s
meeting. “They have to talk during the meeting,” he added.
“I disagree,” responded Ms. Shattuck.
After the commission’s denial in May, Mr. Major and fellow Selectman
Gayle Weinstein voted not to authorize the town to enter into a
contract for replacement of the town hall roof until the board takes
further action.
At the selectmen’s meeting on June 3, Mr. Major said he had found a few
companies that made asphalt shingles that were much closer to what he
had in mind for the roof. One is made by GAF-Elk and another by
CertainTeed.
Mr. Bliss said at that meeting that these shingles have “an appearance
that’s vastly superior to the sample we had,” in part because the
technique used in installing them is different — it is layered, rather
than flat.”
Town
hall roof: Weston contnues quest
for Historic District approval
Weston FORUM
Written by Kimberly Donnelly
Thursday, 12 June 2008 10:27
The Board of Selectmen is trying to gather enough information to submit
a new application to the Historic District Commission, asking it —
again — to allow the use of asphalt shingles instead of slate when
replacing the roof at Weston Town Hall.
The town is looking into different manufacturers to see if it can find
asphalt shingles that are less expensive than slate but that are just
as visually pleasing. Because the town hall is located in the
Norfield Historic District, it must apply to the Historic District
Commission in order to make any changes to the materials used when
replacing the roof. An application from the town requesting the
use of less expensive asphalt shingles was heard by the commission —
and denied — on May 7.
At that time, the selectmen argued the asphalt shingles were
appropriate for several reasons: They are more economical (estimates
were that using asphalt would save about $179,000 on what is otherwise
an approximately $650,000 job); slate roofs are difficult to repair;
aesthetically, there are asphalt shingles that look like slate; and
town hall is the only building in the district with a slate roof
(the library has wood shake and the Norfield firehouse has asphalt).
The Historic District Commission, however, does not consider cost when
making its determination about what is and isn’t appropriate.
Following the denial of the application, Selectmen Gayle Weinstein and
Glenn Major voted not to authorize the town to enter into a contract
for replacement of the town hall roof until the selectmen take further
action. Mr. Major said at that meeting he was upset about the
samples of asphalt shingles that had been shown to the Historic
District Commission.
He brought the sample to the selectmen’s meeting to make his point.
“Nothing about that resembles what we would be putting on the roof,” he
said. “It’s comical that anyone thinks that’s an appropriate example of
what [asphalt shingles] look like.”
At its meeting Tuesday, June 3, Selectman Major said he had found a few
companies that made asphalt shingles that were much closer to what he
had in mind for the roof. One is made by GAF-Elk and another by
CertainTeed.
First Selectman Woody Bliss said these shingles have “an appearance
that’s vastly superior to the sample we had,” in part because the
technique used in installing them is different — it is layered, rather
than flat.
Hard numbers for the cost of this option were not available at the June
3 meeting, but the selectmen thought they would likely be more
expensive than the original samples of asphalt. The board asked
Tom Landry, town administrator, to look into the availability and cost
of the “nicer” shingles.
“We know it looks better. Now we just need to know the cost advantage,”
Mr. Bliss said.
If the board determines it would still be financially advantageous to
use the asphalt shingles, it plans to re-apply for a certificate of
appropriateness from the Historic District Commission.
“If appropriate financially, the question then becomes, from an
aesthetic standpoint, is it acceptable to the Historic District
Commission?” Mr. Bliss explained.
The commission is scheduled to meet next on Wednesday, July 2.
Weston Town Hall
roof: Slate
debate continues
Weston FORUM
by Kimberly Donnelly
May 28, 2008
The Board of Selectmen is hoping history won’t repeat itself.
The board voted to put off signing a contract to replace the leaking
town hall roof so that it can go back to the Historic District
Commission and to again plead its case for using asphalt shingles on
the roof instead of slate. The delay means work is not likely to begin
until at least September.
Because Weston Town Hall is located in the Norfield Historic District,
and currently has a slate roof, the town applied to the Historic
District Commission for a certificate of appropriateness to use asphalt
shingles instead. The main reason for requesting the change was that
using the asphalt shingles would save about $179,000 in up front costs
on what is otherwise an approximately $650,000 job.
The application was heard by the commission — and denied — on May 7.
At that hearing, the selectmen argued the asphalt shingles were
appropriate for several reasons: They are more economical; slate roofs
are difficult to repair; aesthetically, there are asphalt shingles that
look like slate; town hall is the only building in the district with a
slate roof (the library has a wood shake and the Norfield
Firehouse has asphalt).
However, members of the town Building Committee argued in favor of
using slate, saying it would last longer (up to 100 years if maintained
properly), it was the material called for in the architect’s original
plan for the building, and the building is a “monument” and should be
treated as such.
Received feedback
At the Board of Selectmen meeting May 22, Selectman Gayle Weinstein
said since the Historic District Commission meeting, she had received
considerable feedback from a very disappointed public, most of whom
said they were not aware of the hearing or the large difference in
cost. She said she feels the public should have a right to participate
in the process and to have their voices heard.
“There’s also concern about putting a 100-year roof on a building that
probably won’t last 25 more years,” Ms. Weinstein said, adding she
didn’t feel like all the options were presented to the commission.
Her concern, Ms. Weinstein said, is that perhaps the Board of Selectmen
moved too fast when it voted to allocate the money and allow the town
to enter into an agreement with a contractor for the roof project.
“Maybe we need to take a step back here... and see what it means long
term.”
Upset
Mr. Major said he was upset with the role the Building Committee played
at the May 7 commission meeting. The town has budgetary constraints, he
said, and yet the Building Committee sat and advocated for a slate
roof. “That was completely inappropriate,” the selectman said. The
Building Committee is not an architectural review committee... It’s not
up to the Building Committee to dictate finishes.”
Mr. Major also had a problem with the samples the Building Committee
had made up to show the Historic District Commission the difference
between slate and asphalt.
He even went so far as to get the asphalt shingle example and bring it
to the Meeting Room.
“Nothing about that resembles what we would be putting on the roof,” he
said. “It’s comical that anyone thinks that’s an appropriate example of
what [asphalt shingles] look like.”
Lynn Langlois, chairman of the Historic District Commission, was at the
selectmen’s meeting, and spoke from the audience.
“You don’t understand what our purview is,” she said. Economic
arguments are not a part of the commission’s decision-making process —
it is charged with determining whether materials used are appropriate
in the district.
While that may be the case, both Ms. Weinstein and Mr. Major felt there
were other arguments that could be used to perhaps convince the
commission that asphalt would be acceptable.
“We can file at any time for a certificate of appropriateness,” Mr.
Major said. “I don’t think it’s inappropriate for us to go back.”
Motions
Ms. Weinstein originally made a motion to “stay the supplemental
appropriation for the town hall roof,” but the board and Town
Administrator Tom Landry determined that would not do what the
selectmen wanted.
She withdrew her motion, and instead seconded one by Mr. Major that
stated the board does not authorize the first selectman or any member
of the town to enter into a contract for replacement of the town hall
roof until the Board of Selectmen takes additional action.
The vote was 2-1 in favor of the motion, with Mr. Bliss voting against.
“I voted against slate and in favor of asphalt. I was further
disappointed in the decision of the Historic District Commission, but I
respect their charter and their ability to make those decisions and I
stand by the decision of the Historic District Commission,” Mr. Bliss
said.
The selectmen and the finance board have already approved funding for
the project, and their most recent motion keeps the funding in place
while the town decides what to do.
The low bid on the project — based on using a slate roof — came in at
$607,000. A $45,000 alternate was removed and replaced with a $29,000
one. There are also additional costs for construction oversight
($30,900) and a contingency of $30,000.
The budget has $139,200 set aside for the roof replacement; on May 8,
the selectmen voted to appropriate $512,700 — $250,000 in this year’s
budget and $262,700 in 2008-09 — to cover the cost.
Weston Town Hall
roof;
Bids higher than engineer’s estimate
Weston FORUM
by Kimberly Donnelly
Apr 10, 2008
Bids for replacing the roof at Weston Town Hall have come in well above
the engineer’s estimate for the work. Two bids were received by
the town and were opened Monday, April 7.
Silktown Roofing of Manchester entered a base bid of about $607,000.
Barrett Roofing of Danbury’s base bid was about $917,000.
Tom Landry, town administrator, said the original estimate for the roof
work was about $502,000. Mr. Landry said there is about $150,000
left in a capital account in the current year’s budget that is
designated for the roof replacement. That is down from an allocation of
$175,000, because some of it was spent on engineering fees and asbestos
testing, he explained.
The rest of the money will likely come from the general fund surplus,
Mr. Landry said, which will require Board of Selectmen and Board of
Finance approval, and possibly a special town meeting.
The next step now is to send the bids to the Building Committee for
review. The Building Committee will decide if it will recommend
awarding a contract or if it will go back out for more bids.
At the Board of Selectmen meeting last Thursday, April 3, Joe
Fitzpatrick, Building Committee chairman, said three companies had
picked up the bid package. Mr. Fitzpatrick said the job is
relatively complex because it involves two separate roofing systems and
facade and metal work, and it “must be staged in an occupied building.”
There is also a drainage problem, but the installation of gutters to
address that is not included in the roofing bids, Mr. Fitzpatrick said.
“We’ll work with the town on that,” he said.
Because the roof is slate, Selectman Gayle Weinstein was concerned the
building have a sufficient support system in place, and she asked if
structural assessments have been done. Mr. Fitzpatrick said they have,
and the building is sound.
Mr. Fitzpatrick said the plan is to complete the roof work this summer.
DRAFT
MAP BY ABOUT TOWN, 2008 - LEGEND
HERE.
Can
you locate the structures shown on this page on the blank map
below? Here is a
hint: "north" to the left on the blank map below--"north" to the
top on the other map. Check out our first crack at the central
part of town land
use 2008!
LAND
USE MAP OF THE CENTRAL PART OF TOWN, SEPTEMBER 2005 - BLANK BASE
MAP (by "About Town")
Scale:
approximately 1" = 600'
Please
remember, this is not official information.
Please note that it is always possible to vary the different
colors by shade - for example, pale yellow for lower density,
ochre for multi-family, etc. At right, Weston land use categories 2008:
included are classification for under -2-acre lots (non-conforming) as
well as three different classes of roads.
Town employees settle into 'mods'
Norwalk HOUR
Jeremy Soulliere
November 20, 2007
A number of Weston's municipal employees have been on the move in
recent weeks, shifting to what was once vacant office space on the
grounds of the town's schools.
The employees — who include planning and zoning, building and social
service workers, among others — are in the process of relocating from a
variety of town locations to the Kinderland building next to the
school's administrative offices on School Road.
The modular facility once housed kindergarten classes before the
schools underwent renovations a few years ago, and only a portion of
the space was being used by school administrators, said First Selectman
Woody Bliss.
The modular offices offer more space to Weston employees who were
working in cramped and inadequate conditions, he said, and they will
help consolidate the town's work force, which had been scattered in a
number of locations in town.
"We had people in all kinds of places, and they were crowded into
overloaded spaces," said Bliss, who noted that some employees were
working out of the library, some out of a trailer next to town hall,
and some in a less than ideal space in the basement of the town hall,
among other locations.
The move, which should be completed sometime next month, is only a
temporary solution, however, he said, as town officials decide on a
more permanent one.
There has been some discussion about either expanding town hall or
building a new police station to free up some space at town hall, Bliss
said, but the matter needs to be further studied and decided upon.
Beyond the town's planning and zoning, building and social services
workers, he said, the Kinderland facility will also now be the
temporary home for Town Engineer John Conte, Fire Marshal John Pokorny
and Conservation Planner Fred Anderson.
The Parks and Recreation Department, which had been working out of a
trailer next to the Town Hall, will soon be moving into the recently
vacated Jarvis House across the road, Bliss said, where Conte, Anderson
and others who have moved to the Kinderland facility were once housed.
With some employees moving out of town hall, there will also be some
office shifts there, he said, and some of the spaces will be
reconfigured.
Tom Landry, Weston's town administrator, said one of the intentions of
the move was to have employees from similar departments working in
close proximity, so residents seeking help from the town's land use
departments or social service departments needed to make only one stop.
"We put departments together that were like departments," he said.
John Reed, interim superintendent of Weston schools, said the move
seems to make sense.
"It would seem to be a good use of space," he said. "We have the space
and the town needs it."
The office shift will, however, begin to change the "landscape" of the
situation at the school's administrative offices, Reed said.
"I don't think anybody knows how this will affect traffic," he said.
"It really just has to play itself out."
A number of parents tend to use the parking spaces outside the school
administrative offices after school, Reed said, as they attend sporting
events at the schools. The spaces may not be available for those
parents now, he said.
"There may be times parents can't use those spots," Reed said.
The parking situation at the schools administrative offices will be
"tight" with all the added workers on-site, Bliss said, but the town
has recently added a handful of spaces to the parking lot there and
it's still evaluating ways to expand it.
"It's not a perfect solution, but, by in large, it should be better
than before," he said.
Below
please
find the official site plan for Weston Center, filed January 23,
2006. Building project in rear of Peter's, Spring '07 not shown!
