FROM THE NEWSROOM: (REFERENDUM VOTE TODAY) Polls will be open from noon to 8 oclock tonight in Putnam where residents are asked to vote on an amended resolution for a project to reline and replace water pipes in Putnam and approve a multi-million dollar resolution for development of the property where the Quinebaug Regional Tech Park and YMCA are slated to be built. Speaking on WINY, Mayor Tony Falzarano said that, factoring in state reimbursement, grants and financial partnerships with other local towns, the actual cost to Putnam taxpayers is much lower than the $7.7 million on the ballot, with the actual cost closer to $720,000 – a number that could drop even lower, if more regional partners join the project, as is expected. The state has promised 75 percent reimbursement of the project. Should taxpayers say “no,” Flazarano said, “Itll be the biggest sin Putnam taxpayers ever committed, because everything is in place,” adding that the project will add good paying jobs to the area and boost the economy regionally. Putnam officials have been working on the park in excess of a year, saying Putnams would be just the second such regional technology park on the East Coast and has seen significant interest from industries. They have remained fairly mum on what a negative outcome at todays vote would mean specifically for the future of the park. If the water item passes a referendum vote today, the bond authorization will be boosted from $7.5 million to $15.4 million, expanding the scope of the project; water rates in the town would not be increased, officials said.
Posted on: Thu, 19 Jun 2014 10:55:24 +0000
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