NORWALK, Conn. – The Oak Hills Park master plan is advancing, over the protests of one Oak Hills Park Authority (OHPA) member and, she says, a majority of the people who spoke at the public hearing.
Elsa Peterson was the sole OHPA member to vote against the plan at Thursday’s meeting, which included “fireworks,” according to Friends of Oak Hills Park member Diane Cece.
The plan includes a request for up to $4.45 million loan from the city, at 4.5 percent interest. This is in addition to the more than $2.5 million OHPA owes Norwalk as of June 1, according to the plan.
OHPA Chairman Clyde Mount confirmed via email that the plan had advanced. He did not answer an email asking for further details, nor did Oak Hills Driving Range Ad Hoc Committee Chairman Ernie Desrochers.
The fireworks, Cece said, were between her and OHPA.
“Completely out of nowhere, Ernie and Clyde put the ‘final’ master plan up for a vote to advance it to P&Z. I rose to clarify if they intended to approve it last night in the absence of a public hearing on the final version, or even having the final version available to the public,” she wrote in an email. “They still refuse to believe that there is an accepted protocol for park master plans, did not acknowledge that (Recreation and Parks Department Director) Mike Mocciae offered to assist them, and didn’t see any issue with the plan being prepared by the driving range project bidder. …”
Peterson said she voted no because, as an editor, she thinks it could benefit from more revision, and she felt that the majority of the people who spoke on the topic were either against the master plan or ambivalent.
“Before we voted I told my fellow authority members that I had tallied the comments that were given at the public information session on March 4th and at the public hearing on the 22nd, as well as the one written public comment that was sent in,” she said. “I tallied them in three columns: those that said we should go ahead with the plan as is, and they were in favor of the master plan, they were in favor of the driving range, they were in favor of going ahead; those who were opposed to the driving range and/or were opposed to our going ahead with the master plan as it is; and those who expressed ambivalence or some other type of comment. If anyone had spoken more than once at those events I only counted that person once, so if you attended both you didn’t get two votes. I came out with nine in favor, 15 opposed and nine ambivalent.”
While page 56 of the master plan says the proposed new debt is $4.45 million, or $247,222 per hole, page 72 says the proposed new debt is $4.32 million:
• Golf school and related improvements (the driving range) $2.51 million, to be repaid in 25 years
• Course and park improvements $902,500, to be repaid over 15 years
• Pro shop and administrative improvements $225,000, to be repaid over 15 years
• Start up and general conditions, $685,674, to be repaid over 10 years
The debt structure would be interest-only for the first year.
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