New Castle Candidates Tussle on Downtown Work at Meeting

An impromptu debate among candidates erupted at last week’s New Castle Town Board meeting after Democratic supervisor challenger Kristen Browde questioned why officials haven’t pursued federal grants and loans to pay for downtown improvements.

During the public comments portion of the Sept. 26 meeting, Browde quizzed her opponent, Supervisor Robert Greenstein, about the absence of an Environmental Facilities Corp. (EFC) grant proposal from the town as it ponders borrowing as much as $19 million for work in the near future.

“According to the Environmental Facilities Corp., they’ve never received an application, so I’m just wondering where that might have broken down,” Browde said.

Greenstein responded that the town has been pursuing grants for the downtown infrastructure and streetscape improvement project from various sources, including the state, but not the EFC.

“Rest assured that as a resident that we did apply for grants despite what you may be hearing,” Greenstein responded. “We did apply for grants for the infrastructure and streetscape project and unfortunately one of our applications was denied, but we still have two outstanding.”

Town Administrator Jill Shapiro explained that the federal funds come with strings attached. The town could have applied for up to a $5 million matching grant but a municipality needs to complete the work without assurances it would recoup any money. Furthermore, it also forces communities to spend about $35,000 for an engineering report, also with no certainty it would be awarded money.

Browde pressed the point that the EFC oversees a program that allows communities to apply for a piece of the $2 billion not only in block grants but in interest-free loans that are available to communities, “since the town passed a $19 million bond issue to help pay for streetscape, in part,” she said.

Greenstein then snapped at Browde, suggesting that she and others are spreading misinformation.

“Kristen, if you’re going to get up here and speak, try to have correct facts, please,” Greenstein said. “We haven’t passed a bond and it’s not $19 million.”

He said the infrastructure and streetscape work was bid out at $11.6 million, with another $1 million each for Boswell Engineering, the project’s construction manager, and planning consultant WSP Sells. Then there is $1.2 million set aside for contingency.

Greenstein said up to another $4 million could be borrowed for unrelated projects, including $2.2 million for a water tower that DPW Commissioner Gerry Moerschell told the board needs to be replaced and about $800,000 to repair Minkel Dam.

Expenses for the new playground and lighted basketball court behind Town Hall are among the smaller projects that could be included in the borrowing, he said.

Following Browde, Democratic candidate for town board Ivy Pool criticized the board for failing to gather public feedback about what to delete from the proposed streetscape features earlier this year when quotes for the original scope of work exceeded estimates by as much as 90 percent.

She said the town could have also opted to put the referendum up for a public vote, particularly when it considered adding items that were not part of the infrastructure and streetscape work.

“What I think you’re about to do is you’re about to pass a $19 million bond without any input from the residents about the project,” Pool said.

“I don’t want residents to be concerned that we’re not going to get the funding,” Greenstein shot back. “If we wanted to go out to bond for like $200 million we could get it.”

“I’m not actually concerned about whether you have the authority to pass a bond resolution,” Pool replied. “I’m talking about whether residents should be included and their voices should be heard in the determination of how $19 million should be spent.”

Councilman Adam Brodsky said the infrastructure portion of the work, including sewer and water mains and drainage improvements, have been put off and must be done. The aesthetic improvements that are part of the streetscape is what was reduced.

When Pool pressed on why residents were excluded from the decision-making, she was stopped short by Greenstein.

“Well, Ivy, we’re your Town Board members and there are certain decisions we have to make and we made those decisions, and luckily for the residents, we have an election coming up and if they don’t like the decisions their elected officials do, then they vote them out of office,” Greenstein said.

Later in the week Greenstein said that it is unlikely the town will borrow $19 million. He said the water tank replacement could be postponed in the short-term and state grants for $225,000 have been secured from state Sen. Terrence Murphy and Assemblyman David Buchwald, for the playground and basketball court. The town may also receive another $100,000 grant from Murphy, he said.

The board may eliminate the $1 million it has paid WSP Sells and choose not to reimburse fund balance.

“This is all proposed, it’s not even definite, yet,” Greenstein said. “These numbers can change.”

However, Browde responded that the board failed to communicate to residents all options after promising more than it could deliver. She called it “a bait and switch.”

“If we were running the government at this point, we would clearly say the project that we anticipate, here’s what it’s going to cost, here is the cost of the bond issue that we are preparing,” Browde said.