Capital Projects Headline Nov. 13 Special Town Meeting

BREWSTER – Autumn is the time for apple cider, pumpkin spice and wooly bears. But not for everyone.

“Fall is for voting the town’s capital,” Brewster Finance Director Mimi Bernardo proclaimed. “May is for operating funds.”

She was speaking Monday at the town’s informational forum on the warrant for the Nov. 13 special town meeting. As befits her profession, her focus was on Brewster’s cash and list of capital projects for the coming year. That comprises articles two and three of the 14-article warrant.

After covering $8,475 of unpaid bills, voters will be asked to approve $3,327,000 of capital projects covered in part with $792,000 from Brewster’s $5.1 million in free cash.

As Bernardo noted, these are new projects, recurring items and additional spending for ongoing work. The free cash will also be used for parts of Articles 3 and 9. If all the spending is approved, Brewster will be left with $1.8 million in free cash Bernardo said. The enterprise funds for golf and water are self-funding from revenues.

Assistant Town Manager Donna Kalinick highlighted some of the expenses. They include $100,000 for a pond management plan and $50,000 to seek a watershed discharge permit for the Herring River that will help Brewster comply with new state regulations for nitrogen loading.

The town wants to spend $75,000 to design a new generator for the Stony Brook School. If voters agree, the town will return later for funds for the actual purchase.

There’s $250,000 being sought for road and drainage improvements, $220,000 for a new dump truck, $75,000 for the Red Top Road water main, $140,000 for new police cars and $65,000 for a chest compressor for the fire department.

“The golf expenses are covered by $2.1 million in retained earnings,” Bernardo said. The requests are many, topping $1.7 million. Much of this work was delayed while the town paid off bonds for construction of the second 18 holes.

Article 3 covers $2.55 million in work on the Millstone Road project.

“This has been long in the making,” Town Manager Peter Lombardi said. “Planning started in 2018. Since then the town has hosted four community forums. We tried to incorporate the input into the design.”

The plan was controversial and was scaled back in some areas; the total project now costs $10.3 million with $5.75 million still available from the road bond that voters approved in 2015. Brewster will also get $2 million in Chapter 90 funds. Work will add sidewalks and improve sight lines and drainage.

“The project is expected to start in the fall of 2024,” Lombardi said. “It will be complete by the winter of ‘25-’26.”

Voters will be asked to award the Affordable Housing Trust $250,000 in Community Preservation Act funds for their buydown program and to provide $507,500 toward the construction of 45 affordable housing units off Millstone Road.

During the question period, Glenn Casey pointed out the total cost for the project was up from $22 million to $27 million, and questioned why the cost is escalating so quickly. Proponents explained that the project is actually being developed by Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) and the Housing Assistance Corporation with funding from many sources, and it’s up to the developers to cover the cost increase.

Article 6 would make it easier to build in-law apartments, known as accessory dwelling units, by setting the maximum size at 1,000 square feet and reducing the lot size to 15,000 square feet from 30,000.

Voters will also be asked to ratify the Brewster firefighter’s contract through 2025 and adopt the Local Comprehensive Plan.

Also key on the warrant are two citizen petition articles seeking to regulate short-term rentals, defined as being leased for less that 31 days at a time, excluding motels and hotels. Article 13 would require short-term rentals to be registered for $150 a year, and would place restrictions on their operation including parking, noise and occupancy. Article 14 limits the ownership of a short-term rental to two for full-time residents of Brewster and one for part-time residents. The goal of both articles is to create or encourage more year-round or long-term rentals for locals.

The Nov. 13 special town meeting starts at 6 p.m. at Stony Brook School, with doors opening at 5 p.m.