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West Haven ARPA committee approves animal-shelter addition, arts projects and multiple invoices
Summary
At its March 3 meeting the West Haven ARPA Committee approved payment of several invoices and authorized design work for an animal-shelter expansion, funded in part with ARPA money, and approved an arts wrap for a decommissioned water tank on Shingle Hill.
The West Haven ARPA Committee on March 3 approved a series of invoice payments and authorized next steps for an animal-shelter expansion and several arts projects, the committee’s chairman said.
The chairman said the committee approved a CARES- and ARPA-related invoice listed in the meeting packet and multiple vendor payments, including a $9,607.50 Anton Ise invoice and an $8,000 payment to Dale Rogers Studio for a public art exhibit intended to raise donations for the animal shelter. ‘‘We have an addition going on the animal shelter with ARPA funds,’’ the chairman said, describing plans for two adoption rooms, one for cats and one for dogs.
Why it matters: The actions move ARPA funds into physical projects and community programs the mayor and committee have prioritized, including immediate work on an animal-shelter addition and public-art spending to support fundraising. Committee members emphasized a mix of operational reimbursements and one-time project costs across departments.
On the shelter design, the chairman said architects returned revised plans for the larger Westshore job and that he is concerned contractors might attempt to reprice the work. ‘‘I’m concerned they’re gonna try and reprice the whole job, so I called for a meeting this Thursday at 01:00 in my office with the architect and diversity construction,’’ he said, adding he wants to ensure vendors do not get “a second bite of the apple.” The committee approved a smaller Antonacci invoice presented in the packet (an Antonacci design estimate of about $25,000 was discussed alongside a separate firm’s estimate of roughly $95,800). The Antonacci invoice listed for payment in the materials was $3,005.50.
Committee members also discussed a contract reallocation for electrical main breakers after the chairman said a subcontractor reported that Newington Electric had not returned calls for more than four months; the committee agreed to reassign the work to the subcontractor if the same terms could be honored.
Other approvals included a housing-crisis cleaning payment to SMG Corporation for $2,274.85, and a security-services invoice listed in the packet for the site referenced in meeting materials. Under new business the committee approved a $31,468 invoice for an arts wrap to dress a decommissioned water tank on Shingle Hill, funded from the mayor’s arts allocation; members said the tank is highly visible across the city and that the mayor’s “bucket of money” covers the expense.
The meeting packet included a lengthy library invoice that the chairman said he had reviewed; the committee approved that payment after brief discussion. The chairman also noted work on stormwater management, demolition preparations for a center-district house (an asbestos report has been completed), and efforts to create an ARPA-compliant employee authorization form drafted with counsel to document reimbursable labor.
The meeting concluded after roughly 13 minutes with routine voice votes on motions to approve the listed payments and adjournment. The committee did not table or reject any items during the session, and no formal roll-call vote totals were recorded in the transcript.
