Simsbury board sets public hearing for PAC bandshell supplemental appropriation amid funding questions

The Board of Finance on Nov. 18 voted to schedule a public hearing Dec. 10 on a $388,000 supplemental appropriation for the Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center "Next Act" bandshell expansion and required the town to include the project’s total cost in all hearing notices.

Tom Roy, a town project presenter, told the board that bids for the architectural addition returned near $2.5 million and that funding currently includes a DEC grant of roughly $900,000, $500,000 from earlier selectmen action and about $900,000 in donations raised by the performing arts center. Roy said unanticipated items — unsuitable soils, utility relocations and a code interpretation that required fire sprinklers or separation — pushed costs higher and produced the requested $388,000 supplemental appropriation to replenish contingency and cover remaining unknowns.

Board members repeatedly asked who has cash on hand versus pledges. One member flagged a $128,000 item on the referendum paperwork that staff described as either a design-fee credit or a pledge dispute between the town and the PAC; staff said discussions between town management and PAC leadership are ongoing and that some amounts are presently recognized as pledges rather than cash in hand.

Roy said the sprinkler work alone was originally estimated near $50,000 but came in substantially higher when the full fire-service connection and service main were priced; board members later discussed figures ranging from about $200,000 to $270,000 for sprinkler plus service and hydrant work, depending on scope. Roy emphasized the public-safety benefit of adding a hydrant near the venue to improve emergency access for large concert crowds and fireworks launches.

The motion to set the Dec. 10 public hearing included specific public-notice requirements: post project materials and Roy’s presentation on the town website, publish the hearing notice in the newspaper at least five days prior, mail a referendum postcard, promote the hearing on social media and provide a second in-person presentation at the hearing. The board recorded the motion as passing with one abstention.

The chair and members also asked staff to supply additional detail at the hearing: a clearer breakdown of the $388,000 request (how much is contingency versus specific work), operating-cost estimates for the completed building, and explicit documentation of what PAC funds are pledges versus funds already collected. Roy said the project team will produce cost-per-square-foot numbers and additional documentation before the hearing.

If voters reject the supplemental appropriation at referendum, Roy said the town could still finish a more limited project (per grant conditions) — for example installing permanent bathrooms and a concrete pad for existing trailers — but would risk losing the DEC grant if the project as bid does not meet grant conditions. The board left the motion language open to include the full project total on the public-notice materials and assigned staff to coordinate the precise notice language and venue details.

The public hearing is scheduled for Dec. 10 at 6 p.m.; the referendum is anticipated in January, per the town’s charter requirements.