New London – Initially faced with a $14.9 million in spending options, the City Council on Monday zeroed in on what they considered priorities and approved a capital improvement plan that calls for $4.6 million to be borrowed in fiscal year 2017.

The projects will cost a total of $9.7 million but about $3.6 million of it will be funded through grants, $310,000 from the general fund and more through state and other funding sources – leaving the city’s portion at $4.6 million.

The plan includes $1 million for public safety purchases, $8 million for public works projects, $200,000 for information technology and $80,000 for community services.

The bulk of the overall spending will go to public works projects - $500,000 toward a nearly $2 million plan for work at Greens Harbor Beach, $600,000 for work at Osprey Beach and $2.3 million already earmarked for sidewalk and street repairs across the city. Public Works estimates nearly $3.5 million of their capital budget will be covered by grants – $2 million from the downtown redevelopment grant and $1.45 million in federal funds for Greens Harbor Beach.

The city will spend $1,056,000 in the area of public safety - $500,000 for a new fire department pumper truck, $230,000 for a new ambulance and $326,000 for four police vehicles and a prisoner transport van.

New London Fire Chief Henry Kydd said the pumper will replace one of three front-line vehicles, a 16-year-old truck that will be held in reserve. The pumpers are used in a variety of situations and carry specialized equipment as well as emergency medical gear, he said.

Kydd said a committee will now research specifications for the new vehicle before the city goes into the bid process. He expected it will take 12 months to get the new vehicle.

The city council on Monday additionally approved a 10-year capital improvement plan, something many said the city was too long without.

City Council President and Finance Committee Chairwoman Erica Richardson worked through several finance committee meeting to whittle the spending requests to a size financial consultant Jeff Smith said was manageable.  

Richards said the process helped to “understand how we need to plan out and avoid emergencies at the last minute.”

Some of the projects that were shifted back into the 10-year plan include the $2 million request for a new roof at the city-owned Gam Building at Ocean Beach Park and the city’s $8 million portion of a $40 million construction plan for a new Harbor School.

G.smith@theday.com