13-03-2025
Killingly council boosts budget for community center project
Killingly — The budget to renovate the future home of the town's community center at 79 Westfield Ave. has increased by $1.6 million to cover unforeseen repairs to the building's heating system.
On Tuesday night, the Town Council voted 5-4 to use Killingly's remaining federal pandemic aid from the American Rescue Plan Act to expand the project's budget.
The council had originally voted in October to use the ARPA funds, which total nearly $1.6 million, to reduce the amount the town would borrow to complete the renovations. Now, the funding will be added on top of the project's existing $27.8 million renovation budget, which local voters approved in 2021.
Construction has been ongoing at the future community center, which currently houses the Central Administration Office and the school system's information technology department. Next year, the facility will also accommodate the district's new special education program, the Killingly Therapeutic Academy.
Town Manager Mary Calorio said renovations were 'substantially under budget,' until deficiencies in the building's steam piping system surfaced after the asbestos wrap that insulated the pipes was removed. With the pipes exposed, town officials said temperatures in some rooms now exceed 90 degrees.
Calorio said a new heating system is expected to cost an extra $850,000. She said the building also needs a new fire alarm system. Additionally, the 900-seat auditorium needs a new curtain, light and sound system, and wheelchair lift. Calorio said anything leftover from the $1.6 million appropriation will be used to reduce the amount that the town will borrow to pay for the overall project.
In his 30 years on the Permanent Building Commission, Chairman Thomas Weaver said he does not 'ever remember having to go back to the council to get more money.'
'We've always been under or close to the bid,' Weaver said. 'We were watching our pennies and were doing fine, but this furnace thing is cutting it too close.'
'There's a lot of added costs that were totally, totally unanticipated,' added Mary Bromm, the staff liaison to the commission.
'We don't know what is happening with tariffs'
While heating system costs are estimated at $850,000, Bromm said the commission ultimately recommended a $1.6 million budget increase in the event that additional unforeseen expenses arise.
'With the state of bidding and things (that) may be coming from overseas, we don't know if the estimates have enough contingency in them,' Bromm said.
Councilwoman Patti Larrow George said the town cannot afford to delay repairs.
'Look at the cost of steel going up like crazy. We don't know what's happening with tariffs. So, I think the longer we wait, the worse it's going to be,' she said.
Council Chairman Jason Anderson, Ulla Tiik-Barclay, Andy Whitehead and Michelle Murphy voted against appropriating the extra $1.6 million. During the meeting, Anderson and others said they would be more inclined to fund the $1.6 million through a combination of ARPA and local dollars earmarked for capital improvements.
'One of the goals for the council that's been ongoing from way back when we got this ARPA money was we wanted to dedicate that chunk of money … to reduce the amount we were borrowing, which will decrease the amount of debt service we have going down the road to pay for the community center,' Anderson said. 'Now, here we are getting pushed to not support our own goals.'
'I'm not saying that putting $1.6 million to do this isn't the right decision because I completely agree now's the time to do that,' Anderson later added. 'The only thing I'm bringing up is the funding source.'
