Selectmen approve $40,000 redevelopment study

Board of Selectmen · Meeting of October 13, 2026

OLD SAYBROOK — The Old Saybrook Board of Selectmen approved up to $40,000 for a redevelopment study of transit-oriented sites near the train station, including the former Beard Lumber property. First Selectman Carl Fortuna said the funding, drawn from the Capital Non-Recurring Fund, ties into $60 million the state has bonded for transit-oriented development, and he called the Beard Lumber site, now owned by the Ring's End group, a possible opportunity for mixed-use infill. Selectman Jane Wisialowski questioned how a privately owned building fits the town-funded scope before the board approved it unanimously.

The board also fixed an $11,500 Economic Development budget omission flagged by staffer Jennifer Donahue, and added $25,000 to finish a roughly $100,000 records-scanning project after consultant Larry Hayden said unexpected sub-folders drove a 20 to 25 percent cost increase. A Building Permit Fee refund for 9 Green Meadow Road to Bright Ops/Bright Planet Solar was also approved unanimously.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 2,076 words

Source: the Board of Selectmen meeting of October 13, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

The Full Article

Call to Order and Public Comment

The Board of Selectmen convened at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday with all members present; First Selectman Carl Fortuna attended remotely. A resident identified as Michael Miller was noted as present for public comment but did not raise his hand to speak, and the board moved on without any public comments entered into the record.

Comments from the Selectmen

Fortuna opened with a rundown of recent town appearances, including the Yale 325th anniversary event at Cypress Cemetery on October 9 and the planned grand opening of the Yale Medical Center in Old Saybrook later that day. He then turned to a more substantive update: his appointment to the Public Advisory Council for Amtrak's New Haven to Providence Capacity Planning Study, an eight-member panel with its first meeting scheduled for Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. in New London. Fortuna noted that an earlier version of this same rail-corridor speed and efficiency study, floated roughly a decade ago, became "a real lightning rod" locally, and he said Amtrak intends to begin town-level outreach starting with that first meeting, though no Old Saybrook date is set yet. Selectman Jane Wisialowski, who Fortuna noted is running for state representative, asked whether anyone from neighboring shoreline towns such as Westbrook, Old Lyme or Clinton had been appointed to the panel; Fortuna said no, and offered to brief her separately.

Wisialowski used her turn to press two items. First, she asked Fortuna to put Charter Revision back on the agenda for the board's next meeting, saying she would "really like to see this move ahead" and ideally wrapped up before the next municipal election. Fortuna agreed to add it. Second, she asked about the closing timeline for the town's Saybrook Point property acquisition. Fortuna said the closing is likely in November, pending approval of a septic system by the Connecticut River Area Health District (CRAHD), and that the town's Planning and Zoning office will not hear related land-use applications until that approval is in hand. He said he understood the goal was to have a restaurant open on the site by next summer, though he acknowledged he was "not in the loop" on recent details because Economic Development staffer Chris Costa had been away that week.

Approval of Minutes

The board approved the minutes of its September 8, 2026 meeting without discussion. The question before the body was routine: ratify the prior meeting's record. Fortuna moved, Wisialowski seconded, and the vote was unanimous.

Economic Development General Budget Request, $11,500

Background and stakes: Economic Development staffer Jennifer Donahue had requested $11,500 in her budget submission to both the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Finance during the prior budget cycle, but the amount was omitted from the final document that went to town meeting and referendum. Donahue brought the omission to Fortuna's attention roughly three weeks before this meeting.

The question before the body: whether to appropriate the missing $11,500 now, outside the normal budget cycle, to restore Donahue's intended funding.

Substantive content: The motion appropriates $11,500 from the Capital Non-Recurring Fund, account 3350, and transfers it to General Fund 1005, Department 417300 (Economic Development), account 555410, described in the motion language as intended "to fulfill the intended budget funding for the town's marketing program." Fortuna noted the town could have simply allowed Donahue's department to run over budget by up to the statutory $25,000 threshold without additional appropriation, but chose instead to formally add the funds because "this was an actual yearly operating item" and will become the new budget baseline heading into the 2028 budget cycle.

The deliberation: Fortuna explained the backstory in detail, including that Donahue "was not particularly happy, obviously" when she discovered the omission, and that she may seek to build on the amount further in next year's request. No board member raised objections or alternative figures.

Procedural steps and outcome: Fortuna moved to approve; Wisialowski seconded; the board voted unanimously in favor. The appropriation must still go to the Board of Finance and, per Fortuna, ultimately to a town meeting, though he said "there's no urgency" on timing.

Implications and what is next: The $11,500 becomes a recurring line in the Economic Development budget going forward rather than a one-time add, meaning it will be baked into future budget cycles starting with 2028 planning.

Redevelopment Analysis, DOT Transit-Oriented Development Sites, up to $40,000

Background and stakes: The town has been pursuing transit-oriented development (TOD) opportunities near its train station, aided by a state bonding program Fortuna said totals $60 million for TOD-type projects statewide. The Beard Lumber property at 572 Boston Post Road, now owned by the Ring's End group rather than the original lumber business, recently changed hands, creating what Fortuna described as a potential opening for mixed-use infill development rather than new construction on undeveloped land. Economic Development staffer Chris Costa has already secured $125,000 in Department of Housing grants for soils analysis work on nearby properties along Stage Road and North Main Street.

The question before the body: whether to fund up to $40,000 in outside professional services to analyze market conditions, zoning, soils and septic capacity for redevelopment sites in the North Main Street, Stage Road and Route 1 corridor, and to potentially serve as an intermediary contact with property owners.

Substantive content: Fortuna described the scope of work as including a market analysis; a review of site characteristics such as location, design, access and parking; a personal zoning review (the Beard Lumber site is currently zoned industrial); a review of existing soils and septic capacity "to confirm supportable development intensity"; incorporation of the town's existing studies compiled over the past two to three years; and a property-specific strategic analysis of the Beard Lumber site if it becomes available. Fortuna said he has met several times with a consulting group he referred to as Goman and York, along with Donahue, Costa and Bruce Carlson, to narrow the scope, which he said was originally broader but has been focused on the area where the town is also planning sidewalk improvements. He emphasized the funding is a ceiling, not a commitment: "We may not spend a dollar" if the Beard Lumber building sells before the work begins, he said, and estimated actual spending could range from $5,000 to the full $40,000 depending on workload.

The deliberation: Wisialowski said she was "a little confused" about how the privately owned Beard Lumber building fits into a town-funded planning scope, since the town does not control the property. Fortuna responded that the idea is to use the funded consultants as "a third-party intermediary" who could approach the property's owners about redevelopment or sale options, rather than the town acting as a developer itself. Wisialowski also asked when the current owners purchased the building and whether it was after the original lumber business closed; Fortuna confirmed the building was sold by the business owners to the Ring's End group, and noted the roughly six-acre site is largely developable.

"There's $60 million that the state has bonded for transportation-oriented development-type projects, and we've been working very closely with them." [00:14:04] — Carl Fortuna, First Selectman.

Procedural steps and outcome: Wisialowski moved "to allocate funding not to exceed $40,000 for the redevelopment analysis of the DOT transit-oriented developmental sites." Fortuna then restated the motion with formal appropriation language: $40,000 from Capital Non-Recurring Fund 3350 to Named Projects Fund 3030, for pre-development work at 572 Boston Post Road and 40 North Main Street. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously. Like the Economic Development item, this appropriation still requires Board of Finance review and a town meeting vote before any funds are released.

Implications and what is next: The funding positions the town to hire outside consultants who could approach the Beard Lumber property's owners directly about redevelopment options, potentially accelerating mixed-use housing or commercial infill near the train station. No timeline for the consultant selection or town meeting vote was given.

Added Item: Scanning Project Completion Funding, $25,000

Background and stakes: The town undertook a roughly $100,000 project to scan its land-use records, a project Fortuna said began about two years ago, after which the original paper files were boxed and moved to storage. The project was not on the printed agenda; Fortuna moved to add it.

The question before the body: whether to appropriate an additional $25,000 to complete the scanning project, which ran over its original cost estimate.

Substantive content: Larry Hayden, described as the project's point person and joining the meeting by phone, said the original bid was based on the expected gross volume of pages to be scanned, divided into an anticipated number of individual files. As the work progressed, it became clear that the source documents contained far more individual folders, stapled sub-documents and multi-page submissions, such as Zoning Board of Appeals application folders, than originally anticipated. Each additional break point in a bulk scan requires its own separation pages and index fields, Hayden said, which drove a cost increase he estimated at "about 20 to 25 percent." Without the added indexing, he said, related pages within a folder risked being split apart within the digital file structure.

The deliberation: Wisialowski asked how the changes would make the scanned archive easier to use. Hayden said the additional indexing keeps related pages grouped together instead of scattered across separate digital documents, and that restructuring the files has had the added benefit of reducing file sizes, making downloads and searches faster. Fortuna noted the town could have simply let the Town Hall budget absorb the overrun at year's end, but said "the right way to do this is to fund that project" directly, as was done with the Economic Development item.

"There's a bit of a creep in the cost, which in this particular case turned out to be projected to about 20 to 25 percent." [00:29:41] — Larry Hayden, town records project consultant.

Procedural steps and outcome: Fortuna first moved to add the item to the agenda; Wisialowski seconded, and the board approved the addition unanimously. Fortuna then moved to appropriate $25,000 from Capital Non-Recurring Fund 3350 to Fund 3000, the Town Hall Project (identified in the motion as "Project 25-SCAN"), to complete the scanning work; the motion was seconded and approved unanimously.

Implications and what is next: Fortuna said the completed project is intended to support a planned public kiosk in the Town Hall file room where residents can search scanned land-use records directly, though no date was given for when that kiosk would be operational.

Building Permit Fee Refund, 9 Green Meadow Road

This was a short, uncontested item. The Building Official recommended refunding Building Permit Fee No. 25-1215 for 9 Green Meadow Road to Bright Ops/Bright Planet Solar. A motion was made and seconded, and the board approved the refund unanimously without discussion.

Adjournment

The board adjourned at 9:03 a.m. on a motion made and seconded, approved unanimously.

Carl Fortuna, First Selectman, present remotely. Jane Wisialowski, Selectman, present; referred to in minutes as J. Wisialowski. A board member addressed in the transcript only as "Scott" was present and referenced in discussion; no surname appears in any supplied source. Larry Hayden, town records/scanning project consultant, joined by phone for the scanning project discussion. Michael Miller, resident, noted for potential public comment; did not speak.

Connecticut River Area Health District (CRAHD) — cited by Fortuna as the agency whose septic system approval is holding up the Saybrook Point property closing. Public Advisory Council for Amtrak New Haven to Providence Capacity Planning Study — the state-regional rail panel to which Fortuna said he was newly appointed, with its first meeting scheduled for the day after this meeting. Ring's End — identified as the current owner of the former Beard Lumber building at 572 Boston Post Road, discussed in the redevelopment analysis item. Goman and York (transcript rendering; spelling unconfirmed) — outside consulting group Fortuna said he has met with to scope the redevelopment analysis. Connecticut Department of Housing — source of a $125,000 grant cited by Fortuna as funding prior soils analysis work on Stage Road and North Main Street properties, relevant background for the redevelopment analysis item. September 8, 2026 Board of Selectmen minutes — approved without amendment at this meeting. Building Permit Fee No. 25-1215, 9 Green Meadow Road — the subject of the refund approved for Bright Ops/Bright Planet Solar.