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Capital list pared to essentials; discussion raised reuse of old school building
Summary
Council and BOE members said 20 requested capital projects were cut and the budget retains items judged necessary (road work, door replacements, security upgrades); Margaret Bratton raised repurposing or selling the old Board of Education building as a future revenue option.
Town Council Member Erin Barthel said staff trimmed the capital request list: 20 requested projects were removed, leaving projects described as necessary or safety‑related such as road improvements, door replacements and security camera upgrades. "If you look at those projects that remain, there's nothing frivolous on here at all," Barthel said.
Town Council Member Margaret Bratton raised the Simsbury Road former Board of Education building as a potential future asset: "That property could be something where if we sold it or if we used it in some way where it could become taxable again." Chair Lowry said the transition of that property had not been completed and the idea remained a rumination for the future rather than a current plan.
The capital conversation framed the budget tradeoffs between preserving core infrastructure and deferring nonessential projects to limit tax impacts.
