Darien Finance Board Approves $125,000 Wall Transfer

Board of Finance · Meeting of October 20, 2026

Darien's Board of Finance approved a $125,000 transfer to cover more overruns on the Renton Heights Fire Department retaining wall, pushing its total authorized cost to roughly $2.75 million. The board also approved smaller transfers of $15,800 for a town scale repair, $6,000 for a Great Island engineering review, and $598 for a Great Island parking survey update, all unanimously. Director of Public Works Ed Gentile said in-house decking work will cost about $25,000 to $26,000 against a $90,000 outside estimate.

One member, Dan, said tapping the capital reserve made sense because the wall project had "already been through all the committees." The board also voted to recommend the district's administrators' contract, worth $436,726 with insurance savings, to the Representative Town Meeting's November 9 vote. Finance staff reported an unaudited $36.5 million town fund balance.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 1,028 words

Source: the Board of Finance meeting of October 20, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

The Full Article

DARIEN — October 20, 2026 — The Darien Board of Finance voted unanimously Tuesday to transfer $125,000 from its capital reserve to cover two more change orders on the Renton Heights Fire Department retaining wall project, pushing the project's total authorized cost to roughly $2.75 million.

The board also approved three smaller transfers during the meeting: $15,800 for Public Works to finish replacing decking on the town scale, $6,000 for a third-party engineering review tied to the Great Island project, and $598 to update a topographic base map for Great Island's parking design. Members also voted to recommend a new contract for the district's administrators' union to the Representative Town Meeting, which is scheduled to vote on it November 9.

The Full Story

Public Works Director Ed Gentile told the board his department has spent roughly a year rebuilding the decking on the town's scale, using mechanic labor and materials purchased over time. A rough outside estimate for the full job came in near $90,000; Gentile said doing the fabrication and installation in-house, with the panels sent out for galvanizing, will cost about $25,000 to $26,000. The board approved the $15,800 transfer from Board of Finance Contingency to cover the dipping costs, unanimously.

Members also approved $6,000 from contingency for Planning and Zoning to hire an outside engineering firm to review Great Island application documents, including stormwater and CAM reports. Staff explained the town cannot review its own work as the applicant for the Great Island project, so Planning and Zoning uses a third party in those cases. A related $598 transfer, split between $332 in leftover legal funds and $266 from the Board of Finance Capital Reserve, covered an updated survey base map for the Great Island parking design.

The largest item was the $125,000 transfer for the Renton Heights Fire Department retaining wall project, covering what staff described as change orders four and five. The project began with a $2.006 million authorization, grew by $618,000 to cover change orders one through three after unexpected material issues were found in the wall, and now needs the additional $125,000 to finish work staff said is slated to wrap up in November. A member identified as Jim asked whether an owner's representative had been used on the project, since no building committee was formed; staff said they would check on that. Another member, Dan, said he had suggested tapping the capital reserve because the project had already cleared town review processes and much of the work was complete.

"I kind of suggested to John and others that this is probably a good example of a situation where we can use our capital reserve because it's a project that's already been through all the committees, already been approved." [00:20:09] — Dan, Board of Finance member

Earlier in the meeting, Gentile described the deformation that prompted the scale repair.

"We did see some deformation that's happened over the last month or so, so we're kind of pushing it a little harder." [00:01:19] — Ed Gentile, Director of Public Works

The board also heard the recommendation on a new contract for the district's administrators' union, known by the acronym DPSDAA, presented by Dr. Byrne. He said the deal supports recruitment and retention while containing costs, citing a total anticipated cost of $436,726 inclusive of health insurance savings, which he said would come in below the district's 3.75 percent benchmark increase. The board voted to recommend the contract to the Representative Town Meeting, which is expected to vote not to reject it on November 9.

In committee reports, a member identified as Rob said the HHR school renovation project is tracking roughly $5 million under budget, but a recent storm flooded the boiler room at Hindley, cracking a window, and engineers are weighing whether to reinforce the room or relocate equipment above ground. He credited Chris Price and Sarah, a Board of Selectmen liaison, for the project's progress. A member identified as Jen gave an update on Great Island's parking design, now about 60 percent through the design process, with capacity set at 83 spaces and lighting reduced from 16 fixtures to six or seven.

"I think everyone's been very thoughtful about how to make this design do what it's exactly supposed to do, which is set up parking, accessibility, ADA, pedestrian safety." [00:52:36] — Jen, Board of Finance member

A member identified as Josh presented the financial report, showing a projected year-end surplus of about $1.83 million, pushing the town's unaudited fund balance to roughly $36.5 million. He said the capital reserve would fall to somewhere between $300,000 and $314,000 after the fire wall transfer, cautioning the figure might not yet reflect prior reductions.

Why It Matters

The Renton Heights Fire Department wall project has grown from a $2.006 million authorization to roughly $2.75 million over the course of construction, and board members said they want to study what could have reduced the surprises, including whether a guaranteed-maximum-price contract or an owner's representative might have helped. The Great Island parking project, now 60 percent through design, is still targeting a late winter or early spring construction start, with town officials aiming to have parking available there by the end of 2027. The administrators' contract goes to the Representative Town Meeting on November 9.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Transfer $15,800 from Board of Finance Contingency to Public Works Facility Repair and Maintenance Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Transfer $6,000 from Board of Finance Contingency to Planning and Zoning Consulting Services Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Transfer $598 ($332 legal expenses, $266 Board of Finance Capital Reserve) to Great Island Parking Design Professional Services Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Transfer $125,000 from Board of Finance Capital Reserve to the Renton Heights Fire Department retaining wall project Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Recommend the DPSDAA administrators' contract to the Representative Town Meeting Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve the proposed 2027 Board of Finance meeting calendar Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Approve September 15, 2026 regular meeting minutes Tally: Approved unanimously

Source

DarienTV - On Demand & Live Stream: Board of Finance meeting, October 20, 2026