Town Meeting Approves Land Donation, Fire Pump

A small Town Meeting approved the donation of two plots of land on Bennett Road and the transer of about $176,000 between town accounts for a fire pump at Suffield High School and the new agriscience facility Thursday night.

About 25 town residents showed up for a meeting that ended in less than an hour. The approvals were quick, especially for the donation of land on Bennett Road from Suffield Associates. The most spirited portion of the meeting was the discussion of why the additional funds were needed for the fire pump.

The fire pump is a necessary addition because of a decrease in water pressure in the water main that feeds Suffield High School. The high school opened in 2002 with water pressure on the low end of acceptable levels. Increased usage along the water main that feeds the school has lowered pressure levels to an unacceptable range, according to a presentation from First Selectman Tom Frenaye.

The increased cost is almost twice as much as a rough estimate of $200,000 set by the Board of Finance late in the budget making process for the current fiscal year. But the town will reclaim a little more than half of the $362,247 cost in reimbrsements from the state of Connecticut.

The money was transfered between from the Town Hall HVAC capital project fund to the agriscience fire pump account. Because the total amount of the transfer was more than one quarter of one percent of the town budget, roughly $125,000, it needed to be publicly approved at town meeting.

The town will try to sell the two Bennett Road plots for a profit, projecting that each acre could go for a price between $40,000 and $50,000. It will be used for a light industrial or commercial business.