The Board of Estimate and Taxation on Sept. 15 approved a $90,000 capital transfer from the combined dispatch communications upgrade project to the Fire Department to complete floor replacement and related repairs at Station 1, 90 New Canaan Avenue.

Contractor work revealed that the original concrete slab at the Broad River station was split and contained rotted electrical wiring and a buried two‑inch waterline, increasing the scope and cost of the project. "As we opened it up, we found a lot of electrical rotten within the slab, which was going up the walls as well," said Mark Conte, who presented the construction update. "We actually found a 2 inch waterline underneath the slab as well, which we obviously have to remove." Conte said those discoveries and other repairs left the project roughly $75,000 short; the requested transfer including contingency totals $90,000.

Why it matters: the work was already under way because the building floor posed safety and operational concerns for fire personnel. The Board read a resolution authorizing the transfer from account 092136105777C0638 to the Fire Department account 09263110577705884 and voted to approve it, moving funds from an older bonded dispatch project that finished under budget.

Board members asked how the city would treat leftover bond proceeds and whether redirecting them required extra steps. "We have to disclose it, and we have to go through the right process, of read of redirecting that and being able to show the, being able to show our bond counsel so that they can make note of it to the bondholders," said a finance staff member who described the required coordination with bond counsel. The staff presentation said the combined dispatch project originally carried a budget of roughly $13 million and closed closer to $8 million, leaving proceeds available for other authorized capital uses.

Discussion vs. decision: Board members debated broader policy on using leftover bond proceeds for other projects. One member urged that leftover funds should return to the general capital process for reallocation; staff clarified that the proceeds are bond proceeds and redirecting them requires counsel review and disclosure and will follow the multi‑step approval process (BET, Planning & Zoning, financing committee, Common Council). The BET voted to approve the resolution authorizing the $90,000 transfer; the motion was moved by a board member and the resolution carried.

Project and funding details: the project originally budgeted roughly $660,000 including contingency; the new request covers the final portion of work on the slab, electrical replacement, rotten decking and sliding door replacement, insulation remediation and removal of the buried waterline. Staff noted deductions and value engineering reduced some items (phase consolidation saved $31,000; an electrical deduction returned $3,200), but additional unforeseen conditions remain.

Next steps: staff said the transfer will proceed after the formal resolution and that they will continue a review of older capital projects to close out accounts and report back to the Board. Bond counsel will be consulted before redirecting proceeds to ensure compliance with disclosure and tax rules.