Board Of Finance Balks At Scope, Cost Of Great Island Early Access Project

DARIEN, CT — The Board of Finance this week voted to table a $2.3 million appropriation and bonding authorization request that would have jumpstarted resident early access to Great Island, saying they felt the project was too big in scope and more information was needed.

The $2.3 million was to be used to fund the creation of schematics, drawings and technical specifications as well as the preparation of bid documents, oversight of permitting and approvals, management of the bid process, and construction monitoring, according to First Selectman Jon Zagrodzky, who gave a brief presentation to the Board of Finance on Sept. 23.

The full meeting is available to watch on demand on Darien TV.

Once a bid is secured for the project, Zagrodzky said town officials would come back before the Board of Finance in December 2026 and ask for a second appropriation to fund construction.

Reed Hilderbrand, the landscape architect that has been working with the town on Great Island, estimated that appropriation request to be between $10 million and $14 million, bringing the total early access and stabilization project to between $12.3 million and $16.3 million.

The project would include the addition of parking, a small welcome center with bathrooms, trails, and signage, and a restored meadow area, all on the west side of the property.

Zagrodzky said providing early access to residents "is really designed to provide a nicely done, minimal project to create a couple of important things with regards to access at Great Island."

He noted that providing vehicular access was paramount.

"There's a lot of people who can't come to Great Island because they can't drive there, either for mobility reasons or they're worried about walking on Pear Tree Point Road, or a variety of reasons," he said. "We need to provide vehicle access and we need to provide parking, and we also need to provide bathrooms."

Board of Finance members balked at the scope of the project, but supported the need to allow more people to access the property.

"Collectively I think we agree this scope is too high. There's too much in it to just get people on the island," said Board of Finance member Dan Bumgardner. "No one is against getting people on the island."

Bumgardner said he'd be supportive of the project "with a substantiated fee proposals and a reduced scope that actually provides what we need to provide the public."

Fellow member Jenny Schwartz noted the initial appropriation request of $2.3 million was tied to "a certain scope."

"If that scope is adjusted or at least we have options of a reduced scope, does that fee change?" Schwartz asked.

Board of Finance Chair James Palen pointed to the project's fee proposal page and voiced concern about $310,000 earmarked for "construction observation" for the eventual work.

Zagrodzky explained the importance of having personnel on-site to make sure the planning work is put into action, and said approving the construction observation funds allows the town to "fix the cost now and not worry about the cost being more inflated next time."

"If we get to the point where we're doing construction, then terrific, that's what we're going to use and we don't have to have that bid out again. If we don't, we're not going to pay for that. They're not going to bill us for work they're not going to do. There's no risk in this," Zagrodzky said.

Bumgardner said the price tag of $2.5 million to $3 million to construct bathrooms "seems excessive," and wondered if facilities could be provided at a much lower cost and floated a figure of $250,000.

"You can go down the path that says I'd like a $250,000 bathroom, but that sort of breaks the logic of what we're trying to create in terms of a durable asset for a long period of time," Zagrodzky said, noting the early access project features elements that would be sustainable for years down the road if and when the town decides to tackle bigger projects at Great Island.

Bumgardner made a motion to table the appropriation request pending more information. The vote was six in favor, with one abstention.

The Board also discussed two other large funding requests Tuesday.

A proposal for an appropriation and bond authorization for improvements to the Short Lane parcel at Weed Beach for $2,141,500 failed by a vote of two in favor and five opposed.

Citing a variety of issues during the public comment period, ranging from environmental concerns to process concerns, residents said they wanted more information and vetting done on the project before committing significant funds.

A request for $9,010,200 for Pear Tree Beach Park improvements passed with six in favor and one opposed. The matter will now be considered by the Representative Town Meeting.

The project aims to protect and preserve the property from flooding and erosion.

View the entire Sept. 23 Board of Finance meeting on Darien TV.