Revised Contract for Mill River Park Approved

STAMFORD -- The Board of Finance approved contract changes for the Mill River Park renovation Wednesday, averting what organizers said could have been several months of delay if the measure had not moved forward.

The revised contract agreement, if passed by the Board of Representatives next month, would pay the project's chief contractor, Olin Partnership, an additional $108,000 for a redesign of the project's first phase. The roughly $13 million undertaking, which comes after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed $8 million of work in June, would redevelop the park from Broad Street to Main Street, installing utilities, promenades, lighting, landscaping and hundreds of trees. A second phase, from Main Street south to the cemetery at Richmond Hill Avenue, would be contingent on future financing, organizers from the Mill River Collaborative said.

The $108,000 comes from a pool of already approved funds, city officials said.

Mill River Collaborative Chairman Arthur Selkowitz said he was pleased with the decision of the board, which voted 5-to-1 to approve the changes. The move will encourage private donors and investors as the collaborative attempts to raise funding for the project, he said.

"I think the board's action today allows us to move forward aggressively on the private fundraising side," Selkowitz said. "It shows a vote of confidence in the project."

Selkowitz said the approval allows the collaborative to keep the renovation plan on its timeline, which projects breaking ground by spring, with construction complete by summer 2012.

The board's action was a turnaround from last month, when Republican Board of Finance Chairman Joe Tarzia chose to delay action on the request due to questions raised by Independent board member Kathleen Murphy on the project's financing. Murphy said she does not believe it was proper that the city advanced roughly $6 million to the Mill River renovation in city bonds, rather than via a special financing arrangement known as tax increment financing bonds. Such financing dedicates expected future tax revenue increases within a designated area -- in this case, property surrounding the park -- to finance debt issued to pay for the project.

Murphy, who voted against the contract change, said she did not believe those issues were resolved Wednesday. However, Tarzia said he was satisfied with a commitment from the city's finance chief, Fred Flynn, to sort the matter out by mid-March. Before the vote Wednesday, Tarzia said he wanted to "get this thing straightened out without moving backward."

Tarzia said a commitment on the part of city leaders that the project would, in the future, be financed through TIF bonding rather than general obligation bonds further reassured him.

In another matter, the board approved a revised list of capital projects slated to be financed with an upcoming issuance of $35 million in city bonds. In the most notable revision, city officials added aspects of the second phase of the Stamford Urban Transitway to the list. City officials previously said they would not allocate money to the South End road project until completing a thorough review of the first phase, which has had cost overruns and delays.

Flynn said Wednesday the administration changed its mind because it did not want to put federal funding for the project at risk.

"Part of it has to do with the commitment of federal money that we have, and we don't want to jeopardize that," Flynn said. "We can always substitute something else if our conclusion is there are higher priorities and more pressing issues than that."

Murphy raised objections to the change, saying the transitway should not be funded when schools are in urgent need of capital improvements. Republican Bob Kolenberg agreed.

The measure passed 4--2, with Murphy and Kolenberg casting the dissenting votes.

In other action, the board approved an additional $50,000 to finance an ongoing audit of alleged misconduct by city employees. The money would supplement $200,000 approved in previous votes, including $50,000 last month, to finance an investigation into alleged thefts of scrap metal at the city weigh station and thefts in the city finance department.

Flynn said he hopes the city will not need to spend the entire amount to conclude the investigation, while Tarzia said he expects the city will be able to recoup its expenses on the audit once it is complete.

However, the chairman of the board's Audit Committee, Democrat Tim Abbazia, said he could not support the additional money, as it had not been previously discussed.

The board approved the funding, 4--0, with the board's two Democrats, Abbazia and Mary Lou Rinaldi, abstaining from the vote.