The $1.25 million in federal funding the town hoped to get to assist with building a new fire house appears to be on indefinite hold.
A representative of U.S. Representative Jahana Hayes met with First Selectman Matt Riiska at this week’s Northwest Hills Council of Government’s meeting and told him that the continuing resolution passed Thursday in Washington, D.C., provides funding to keep the government running but does not include discretionary spending.
Riiska had hoped to get $750,000 through a grant from the Senate and another $500,000 from the House to assist with construction of the fire house. Riiska said the money was approved late last summer, but only through a temporary budget.
“The earliest it could be approved is September and it could easily get pushed out again,” he said. “And now, with the climate in Washington, it might not get through.”
The cost of the firehouse was recently estimated at more than $8 million, but, again, the financial turmoil in the country is making it difficult to pin down costs. “The plans for the firehouse are 95 percent complete,” Riiska said, “and we are getting another estimate together, but it will be difficult to figure costs. The stock market is fluctuating, and we don’t know what interest rates will be. And how the tariffs will affect steel prices is a huge consideration for us.”
Still, he said, plans are pushing forward. He expects to hear in April whether the town’s application for a state $500,000 STEAP grant is successful and a local fundraising campaign continues to receive pledges. He estimates that the town has promises of about $5.5 million toward the cost.
“If the town had to borrow 3 to 3.5 million, it would cost about $240,000 a year for 25 years at 4.25 percent,” he told the Board of Finance Wednesday.