Bonding Package Gets Three-Year Roadmap

A Branford construction company has been hired to begin work on a new sanitation garage for North Haven's Public Works Department at 110 Elm Street, First Selectman Mike Freda announced last week.

The news marks the first major development in what the Town of North Haven expects to be a three-year period of infrastructral improvements, whose $14 million bonding package was approved in referendum last month. 

While the plans for the new garage still have to pass the muster of several town departments, Freda said that the facility should be up an running by August 1.

Following the completion of the building, the milling and paving of up to 75 miles of municipal roadways will follow. Finally, renovations will be made on four aging firehouses.

Financially, the project as a whole will require the Town to borrow $5 million in 2012 and 2013, and $4 million in 2014. Freda contended that debt service for North Haven will not exceed its current level of $6 million per year going forward. 

With many taxpayers anxious about increases in government spending, Freda assuaged fears of overreach by noting that all borrowing will be correlated to projects for a given year, and that the bonded money will not be overspent. 

Freda added later that he is hoping to present a 0% tax increase to residents in 2012-2013 budget. 

Which part of the bonding package do you think is the most important? The building of the new garage? The improvement of local roads? Or the updates being made to the fire houses?