Utility district board calls special vote for 51 S. Main
Separate decision settles Ice Center fine with free skating time
Sept. 24, 2022 | By Lisa Scagliotti
Todd Volitis (right) and his son along Main Street on Friday. Photo by Gordon Miller
See an earlier story on the Aug. 31 public informational meeting on the Downstreet proposal here in the News section.
Just two weeks before the November General Election, a portion of Waterbury residents will be asked to gather for a local vote that could decide the fate of the land once used for the community’s municipal offices.
The Board of Commissioners of the Edward Farrar Utility District met last week and decided to call a special meeting of the district’s voters to consider whether to sell the .8-acre parcel at 51 South Main Street. The lot was owned by the former village government which dissolved in 2018 when the water and sewer district was created to mostly oversee operations of the municipal water and sewer departments.
It was home to the town and village offices and the village police station which were damaged during Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 and torn down in 2019. Since Irene, multiple proposals have been made for various developments on the parcel, none of which gained enough support to move forward.
At their Sept. 14 meeting, EFUD officials initially approved Oct. 20 for the special meeting but changed that on Monday after they learned that potential meeting spots were not available for that date. Board Chair P. Howard “Skip” Flanders said plans are now set and a warning has been published for a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 24, at the Main Street fire station.
The meeting is for residents of the water and sewer district – the area formerly known as Waterbury village – to attend in person and consider whether to sell 51 S. Main to Downstreet Housing & Community Development for $138,000. Only those attending in person may participate in the vote, as it is not required to have an all-day vote by Australian ballot.
The nonprofit housing agency based in Barre owns and operates three other housing developments in Waterbury, the Stimson and Graves senior housing on Stowe Street, the South Main Apartments at the edge of the State Office Complex, and the Green Mountain Seminary Apartments in Waterbury Center.
Representatives from Downstreet have proposed building a three-story structure on the site with about two dozen apartments in a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom units with on-site parking.
The utility district has about 1,500 registered voters, according to election records in May at the time of its annual meeting when fewer than 50 people participated. Anyone unsure of whether they reside in the district can check with Town Clerk Karen Petrovic.
Although district voters this year approved turning over several parcels of land formerly belonging to the village, 51 South Main was not included in that transaction. At the district’s annual meeting in May, voters approved transferring to the town Rusty Parker Memorial Park, the recreation lands near the Ice Center, the municipal parking lot on Elm Street, and the area containing the Welcome to Waterbury sign near the roundabout.
The EFUD board since last fall has been contemplating the future use of 51 South Main as a site for affordable housing. At a presentation several weeks ago, municipal officials presented a case to sell the property for residential development, a goal of the town plan and a need in the community.
The timing of the public vote on the property sale is tied to the fact that Downstreet officials have said they would like to take advantage of federal grants for the Waterbury project, and those funds have an application deadline in November. The agency would only pursue funding if it had a purchase option in place.
Another offer and some opposition
This week, several types of “Vote No” signs have popped up along Main Street and in the village, indicating opposition to the Downstreet proposal.
As they prepared to move ahead to schedule the vote on the Downstreet purchase, the EFUD board met an unexpected twist. Village resident Todd Volitis asked to address the board saying he is interested in purchasing the 51 South Main property as well.
Electrician Todd Volitis lives in downtown Waterbury and would like to purchase 51 S. Main Street. He is campaigning against the Downstreet proposal with the hope that the utility district would consider additional options for the property. Photo by Gordon Miller
He said he would like to develop it for residential use, although he would prefer 7-9 apartments with commercial space on the ground floor.
Board member Bob Finucane noted that the EFUD board is committed to working with Downstreet to bring that proposal to voters. Volitis said he would like a chance for his offer to be considered as well.
“I could buy it tomorrow straight up,” he said. “I’ve got cash.”
Finucane said that if voters reject the Downstreet plans, alternate suggestions could then be considered. The board also approved spending up to $1,000 for the consulting firm Stantec to update a study of downtown parking as it pertains to 51 South Main since it is now used for parking. Some of those funds would also go to Downstreet for preliminary drawings of the project they would like to build on the site.
In an interview later, Volitis said he was frustrated with the reception he received. “Let’s have as many proposals as possible,” he said. “I’ve got to mount a campaign against [the Downstreet proposal] just to be heard.”
He said he would campaign against the Downstreet proposal as a way to slow down the process so district voters could consider additional options. Last weekend, he had already painted several signs and placed them along Main Street urging the public to “vote no” at the October meeting. This week he added large signs to a construction trailer that he drove around and parked for a short time at 51 S. Main on Friday.
“Show Up. Rock the vote,” one sign says. Volitis said the signs have been conversation-starters about the project, the process and the workings of the utility district that few local residents pay close attention to. “I’m meeting my neighbors,” he said.
Darrick Pitstick is another village resident with a “vote no” sign for different reasons. “I want the building to fit the look of our downtown. It needs to have commercial/retail on the street side and residential on the top,” he said.
Pitstick said he’s heard some question the size of the Downstreet project on this particular parcel. “A large apartment building will not contribute to the aesthetic of our downtown. There are several other locations that would make perfect residential apartments including the Stanley/Wasson location,” he noted, referring to a vacant parcel in the State Office Complex along Park Row where the state demolished Stanley and Wasson Halls in 2021. That is another location town officials are eyeing as a potential second spot for additional new housing development. Municipal Manager Bill Shepeluk has explained that the process for that to proceed would require legislative approval and would take longer, making it a longer-term option for a project in addition to the 51 S. Main construction.
Flanders said the utility district board is hoping to address some of the concerns raised so far when it meets next on Oct. 12. “We are preparing information to respond to the concerns expressed … on the parking needs, the issue of retail space, and elevation views to present at the next meeting,” he said.
Ice Center business resolved
In other business last week, the district board addressed the matter of calculating a fine to assess for the Ice Center which was found in violation of water department regulations due to a long-term leak in a water tank at the ice rink from September 2021 until March of this year.
A calculation based on the length of time and the weather conditions that enabled the leak concluded that the fine should be $2,150. The district board with Ice Center representatives in attendance agreed that the fine could be paid with an in-kind contribution of free skating time for the community.
Rink officials said that would translate to 10 hours of skating time and that the rink would exceed that number. It already has begun to announce free skating sessions.
Further discussion focused on an Urban Development Action Grant loan the Ice Center has with the district (formerly with the village) to restructure the terms. The loan principal is $529,800. The commissioners voted unanimously to not charge any interest and to defer all payments on the loan for five years, revisiting the matter in September 2027.
Salute to Carla Lawrence
In a nod to retiring Town Clerk Carla Lawrence, who also served as EFUD’s first clerk, the board adopted a Resolution of Recognition and Appreciation in her honor. The proclamation thanks Lawrence for her “exemplary service” and wishes her well in her retirement. The resolution is included in the minutes from the Sept. 14 meeting posted on the town website.