Middletown board approves emergency Paramount Theater HVAC repair and initial security upgrades

Middletown's Board of Estimate and Apportionment voted 3-0 on Feb. 27 to authorize a $98,100 transfer from the city's general fund balance to cover an emergency HVAC repair in the backstage area of the Paramount Theater and to approve an initial security upgrade package for the theater that the board said totals about $20,000.

The transfers were presented to the board as unanticipated, one-time needs. The HVAC work will be performed by Val Bruni Plumbing and Heating under an enclosed quote the board approved. The security package approved at the same meeting includes panic buttons (quoted in the meeting as $9,411) and a camera system for the lobby (quoted at about $11,000); funding for the first half of the security proposal is already on project line 202, the board said, and funding for the remainder will be requested later.

The board debated how to pay for the HVAC repair. City staff told members that repairs-to-buildings accounts are routinely used throughout the year and are often depleted because municipal buildings require frequent maintenance; those staff said the HVAC need at the Paramount was unanticipated and should be treated as an emergency, consistent with the city's fund balance policy. Other board members asked whether the repairs-to-buildings line could absorb the cost instead of drawing on the general fund balance; staff replied that the account typically runs deficits by year-end and that the most expeditious route was a transfer from the general fund balance so the work could proceed before warm weather.

The motion to authorize the treasurer to transfer $98,100 from the general fund balance to the repairs-to-building line and to approve the Val Bruni Plumbing and Heating quote was moved by the presiding official and seconded by Alderman Massey. The recorded vote was Aye from Alderman Massey, Alderman Rodriguez and the presiding official; the motion passed 3-0.

On the security upgrades, the board approved a resolution authorizing a security strategy and agreement for the Paramount that allows the mayor to sign the agreement. The board described the action as an upgrade to an already-approved citywide security project; the initial half of the work is funded, and the board noted the second half will require a future funding request. That motion was also moved by the presiding official, seconded by Alderman Massey, and passed unanimously.

No timeline for completion of the HVAC repairs or installation of the security equipment was specified during the meeting, and the board did not provide line-item detail in public discussion beyond the quoted amounts and the vendor name for the HVAC work.