Norwalk political notes: P&Z to move, tax board membership shifting

NORWALK, Conn. – Some Norwalk political notes for you:

• Planning and Zoning Department to move into bigger digs
• BET to get two new faces
• Redevelopment Agency’s new offices aren’t ADA compliant – yet

Musical chairs at City Hall

It was promised that as part of the Mayor’s reorganization of top City administrative positions city departments would be moving in City Hall.

That’s being done in 10 phases, Building and Facilities Manager Alan Lo wrote in a memo to the Common Council.

It’s been facilitated by the Norwalk Redevelopment Agency moving to 3 Belden Ave. this summer. Since September, the following moves have been made, Lo wrote:

• The Purchasing Department moved into the old Redevelopment Agency offices
• The Registrars moved into the renovated former Purchasing Department digs
• The new Traffic, Mobility and Parking Department (TMP) moved into the renovated former Registrars’ office
• Recreation and Parks moved into the Department of Public Works offices

Next phases are:

• Moving Human Relations to the old Redevelopment Agency offices
• The Recreation & Parks and the Human Relations Offices will be renovated, and Planning & Zoning will move in
• Former Redevelopment Agency offices will be renovated and Youth Services will move in
• The old Planning and Zoning offices will be renovated for Personnel and Recreation & Parks
• The Code Enforcement offices and the Personnel offices will be renovated for Code Enforcement, TMP and Economic Development use

This has been quiet as purchase orders were issued through the Purchasing Department but the renovation of Recs & Parks exceeds the threshold amount that requires public building, Lo wrote.

The Council will vote Tuesday on an $86,000 contract with Re-Tech LLC to do the work.

Rilling appointing new BET members

Sheri (McReady) Brown and Ed Abrams are set to be appointed to the Board of Estimate and Taxation. Mayor Harry Rilling is also reappointing Artie Kassimis to the Board.

Brown and Abrams will replace Jim Feigenbaum and James Page. A Mayor appoints three people to four-year terms on the BET.

Both candidates’ background is in public relations. Brown’s experience is:

• 2017-present: Public relations/outreach associate for Arch Street Communications in White Plains, N.Y.
• 2010-2014: Resource development/communications for the Norwalk Housing Authority
• 2000-2009: Norwalk Public Schools public affairs officer

Abrams experience:

• December 2017-present: Cognizant Technology Solutions’ vice president for corporate marketing
• August 2014-December 2017: Samsung Electronics America’s chief marketing officer
• September 1995-August 2014: IBM Software Group’s Vice President for Marketing

‘Temporary problem’

The aforementioned Redevelopment Agency’s offices at 3 Belden Ave. represent a problem for disabled people: you have to go up stairs.

RDA Senior Project Manager Susan Sweitzer recently told NancyOnNorwalk that meetings can be arranged in advance in a Norwalk Public Library conference room next door, but it can’t be “spontaneous.”

Redevelopment Agency Chairman Felix Serrano in an email explained, “It is a temporary issue as the first floor tenant is moving at the end of December.”