Council rejects $200,000 study to relocate Public Works; debate centers on Century Brass brownfield, aquifer and flood risks

The New Milford Town Council on May 11 considered but rejected a proposal to hire an outside consultant to study alternative locations for the Department of Public Works (DPW), including reuse of the Century Brass (Scoville) property. The motion, to authorize a third-party study and concept design not to exceed $200,000, failed 1-6-2.

Supporters argued the Town needs a modern, storm-resilient DPW facility and that reusing a remediated brownfield would preserve undeveloped land. Director of Public Works Jack Healy summarized remediation work at the Century Brass site, saying consultants TRC have worked there since 2014 and the town’s Quality Assurance Program (QAP) has reduced 33 areas of concern to 13. Healy said well testing “came back clean” and described aquifer-protection permitting and materials-management planning that would be required for a DPW facility. “Compliance is not the goal, that’s just the starting point,” Healy said, adding the project would be designed to meet modern environmental and safety standards.

Opponents emphasized flooding and drinking-water risks near the Housatonic River and noted regional hazard planning. Councilor Ari Rosenberg, the lone aye voter, urged study of options but said he understood resident concerns about aquifer protection. Several speakers referenced WestCOG hazard mitigation reports and testimony from public commenters urging caution: resident Tom Kapsiak told the council he had received two WestCOG reports recommending the Scovill site not be used for critical facilities because it is prone to flooding.

Council debate referenced the site’s long regulatory and funding history: the property totals about 65.88 acres, was the subject of a 2015 DECD award (the minutes cite a $2.5 million DECD revolving loan tied to demolition and cleanup), and portions of the property lie within aquifer protection areas and the 100-year floodplain. Supporters said reusing a brownfield keeps untouched land on the tax rolls; critics stressed that DPW operations (fuel, salt storage, vehicle maintenance) create different hazard profiles than some existing uses.

The final motion failed on a roll call: Aye — Ari Rosenberg; No — Diane Klaif, Sal Rynkiewicz, Katy Francis, Rolando Castro, Paul Murphy, Tom Esposito; Abstain — Maryjane Lundgren, Zach Polley. The council did not take further action to direct staff to study alternative DPW sites at this meeting.

Next steps: no follow-up motion or timeline was set during the May 11 meeting. Public works staff indicated ongoing remediation and regulatory work at Century Brass but did not announce a new site-selection schedule.