Selectmen Approve $6.979 Million Shuffle Appropriation

The Board of Selectmen approved a $6.979 million bonding issue Monday evening to fund a long-debated "shuffle" plan for Darien's municipal facilities.

The measure, which passed on a 3-2 party-line vote, must be approved by the Board of Finance before a possible vote by the Representative Town Meeting.

Under the three-phase plan, developed by First Selectman Dave Campbell and backed by the board's Republican majority:

1. The Board of Education's offices would be moved from their current home abutting Town Hall the old library at 35 Leroy Ave.
2. The Darien Senior Activities Center would be relocated from its worn venue on Edgerton Street to a revamped Town Hall annex, dubbed the Mather Center. 
3. The Edgerton facility would finally be razed to clear the way for senior affordable housing at the site.

The vote, which covers the first two phases of the plan, follows almost two years of study, planning, and debate.

Democratic selectmen Callie Sullivan and David Bayne voted against the measure. The two have consistently opposed the proposal, charging that it is inefficient and more expensive than constructing a new purpose-built center at the current Edgerton Street location.

More to follow.