Council votes to send $7.8M fire station to ballot

Town Council · Meeting of July 14, 2026

NEWINGTON — The Newington Town Council voted 8-0 to send a $7.8 million fire station bond to a November 3 referendum. Deputy Mayor Kim Radda read the resolution authorizing bonds for a new Fire Station Number Four at 84 Fifth Street, replacing a 1950s building resident Donald Brown said is too small for modern fire engines, calling it "a life safety issue that has been ignored for too long." Mayor Jon Trister linked the project to apartment growth near Fenn Road and Cedar Street. The council also approved a three-year EMS contract with AMR, $1,290.96 in tax refunds, and two committee resignations, all by 8-0 votes with Councilor Hilda Nieves absent.

Facilities Director Joe Salamone separately reported 17 of 19 town departments say they lack adequate space, with the town's 28 Garfield Street building, bought in 2023, identified as the leading option for relief.

In the full story:

• Executive session: pending zoning litigation
• Public hearing: $7.8 million fire station bond
• Proclamation: Jack Ganion honored for helping a neighbor
• New Finance Director introduced
• Facilities presentation: town space and storage assessment
• Public participation: rules, flags, veterans and Pfister Drive
• Old business: fire station referendum resolutions
• Old business: EMS contract and other items
• New business: rules subcommittee and flag subcommittee
• Town manager report
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,227 words

Source: the Town Council meeting of July 14, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.

The Full Article

Executive session: pending zoning litigation

The council opened its special meeting at 6 p.m. and, per Resolution 2026-70, voted 9-0 on a motion by Councilor Matthew Plourd, seconded by Councilor Kathy Gonzalez, to enter executive session under Connecticut General Statutes section 1-200(6)(B) to discuss pending litigation on a zoning matter. The resolution invited Mayor Jon Trister, Attorney Chelsea McCallum, Zoning Enforcement Official Erik Hinckley, Assistant Town Manager Lauren Rhines and Town Manager Jonathan Altshul. The council adjourned to executive session at 6:03 p.m. and resumed open session at 6:30 p.m. No action was reported out of the closed session, which is standard for litigation strategy discussions. The special meeting then adjourned at 6:33 p.m., 8-0, with Councilor Hilda Nieves marked absent for that vote despite having joined the earlier roll call by Zoom.

Public hearing: $7.8 million fire station bond

The council then convened a separate public hearing, required before any bond authorization, on a resolution to appropriate $7.8 million for a new Fire Station Number Four at 84 Fifth Street and to issue general obligation bonds or notes not to exceed that amount. Donald Brown, of 67 Stafford Avenue, was the only resident to speak. He said the station, built in the 1950s, has required the department to order an undersized engine just to fit the existing bay, and that when that engine needs repairs there is no backup that fits. He argued the station's isolated access via New Britain Avenue and Cedar Street makes it the only realistic first responder for that part of town during rush hour, even though three other companies would also respond. Brown also addressed the building committee's design choice of a two-story structure with bunk rooms, saying no single-story-sized parcel was available and that the sleeping quarters anticipate a possible future shift to a career department. The hearing closed with no further comment, and the council voted to close it, clearing the way for the bond resolution later in old business.

Proclamation: Jack Ganion honored for helping a neighbor

The council's 7 p.m. regular meeting opened with a proclamation for 12-year-old Jack Ganion, who got off his school bus in May, saw an elderly neighbor fall in his driveway, rode his bike back to help and called 911. Newington Police Chief Christopher Perry had already given Ganion a chief's coin. Every councilor present offered remarks; Councilor Nancy Cappello, Councilor Kelly deHaas, Councilor A.J. Tiniakos, Deputy Mayor Radda and Mayor Trister each praised his composure, with Tiniakos saying, "You showed tremendous courage. You set an example for everyone to follow." A person identified as Brian Mayhawk, described during the meeting as a commissioner with the Newington Fire Department, also addressed Ganion, as did Chief Perry. The council voted 8-0 to approve the proclamation.

New Finance Director introduced

Town Manager Jonathan Altshul introduced Karen Shearer as the town's new Finance Director. Shearer said she spent 27 years as assistant finance director and business manager for the Board of Education before moving into the town-side position two weeks earlier. She lives in Wallingford, not Newington.

Facilities presentation: town space and storage assessment

Background and stakes: Facilities Director Joe Salamone told the council he was asked to assess the town's space needs after years of informal concern, culminating in the 2023 purchase of 28 Garfield Street — referred to repeatedly as "OFI" — which added roughly 75,000 square feet beyond its primary use as the town's emergency operations center.

The question before the body: whether, and how, to prioritize competing departmental space requests across town-owned buildings, including the still-unassigned two-thirds of the Garfield Street building.

Substantive content: Salamone said 17 of 19 departments reported space shortages. He noted the 2017 town hall referendum reduced the town's building footprint by about 55,000 square feet, while the 2023 Garfield Street purchase added back about 75,000 square feet for non-EOC uses. He showed photographs of improvised workspaces: an IT employee working in a converted hallway, a plan room turned workstation in the fire marshal's suite, and facilities staff sharing an office the size of "about a 10-by-10 plywood box" inside a Board of Education garage. He said police need an indoor vehicle impound and more evidence storage, highway needs enclosed equipment storage, and the library needs more public and staff space. He estimated a realistic planning horizon of about 12 months to build a committee-driven plan before major moves could begin.

The deliberation: Councilor Kelly deHaas asked which departments said they had enough space; Salamone said only the Senior Center, through Jamie Trevathan, indicated it was comfortable for now. Councilor Matthew Plourd asked about digitizing records to free physical storage; Salamone said that was possible but would require new retention protocols. Altshul said the two highest priorities, in his view, are relocating Human Services into the Garfield Street building and improving the facilities department's own workspace. Councilor Gonzalez pushed back on an emerging consensus that Human Services should get the space, saying, "I am not personally set on how we're using the other two-thirds of OFI," and asked whether that should be its own agenda item apart from the broader space-needs conversation. Plourd responded that the council's role is to set policy priorities while leaving administrative sequencing to staff, saying, "I think it's an and, and I think it's a both and." Councilor Tiniakos asked for more detailed cost data than Salamone's "digestible" summary provided; Salamone said cost estimates have not been developed because the committee has not yet decided which moves to pursue.

Procedural steps and outcome: No motion was made on this item; the council directed staff to continue developing options and indicated a working group or committee should be convened, with Human Services cited by multiple members as a leading candidate for the Garfield Street space.

Implications and what is next: The report puts a formal record behind years of informal complaints about town space, and signals Human Services will likely be the first department moved, but no budget, design or timeline has been set.

Public participation: rules, flags, veterans and Pfister Drive

Several residents addressed a proposed change to let the Town Manager summarize, rather than individually read, similar form letters once five or more arrive on one topic. Dana Havens, of 113 Stafford Avenue, said she supports summarizing identical form letters but not "similar" ones, warning the change could echo restrictions she said have limited Board of Education correspondence and public comment. Rose Lyons, of 46 Elton Drive, invoked years of frustration over the 2017 town hall renovation and said no department head besides Karen Fatuma and Carol LaBreck was consulted before that project, adding, "If any more committees make any plans for this building without actually seeing the department heads and getting input from them, shame on you." Colleen Kelly also raised the correspondence policy question.

On flags, Andre Andreas, of 76 Vincent Drive, said the town has refused for three years to let him put a "straight pride" flag to a vote and called the agenda's flag moratorium evidence of a double standard, saying the communication "serves as a notice of my intent to protect my rights [to] the fullest extent permitted by law." Jacob Knowlton, of 10 Hillside Street, and Maureen Post, of 203 Goodale Drive, both spoke in favor of an inclusive flag policy; Post, a retired clinical social worker, volunteered to serve on the subcommittee.

Kathy DeBoer, of 66 Pfister Drive, and a letter from neighbors organized by Michelle Quett, of 78 Pfister Drive, described a neighbor renting his backyard pool through the platform Swimply, including a July 3 gathering the letter said drew more than 60 people, mostly teenagers, with loud music, marijuana odor, fireworks and reckless e-bike riding. John Shell, of 449 Cedar Street, a disabled veteran, asked the council to consider a property-tax exemption for veterans. Michael J. Fox, of 1901 Main Street, a Vietnam veteran, said the town's municipal veterans representative, identified as Jamie Trevathan at the Senior Center, is underused and should be better publicized.

Old business: fire station referendum resolutions

Deputy Mayor Radda read a resolution waiving the full reading of the fire station bond authorization; it passed 8-0 on a motion by Radda, seconded by Councilor Matthew Plourd. Radda then read the substantive resolution authorizing the $7.8 million bond and setting the referendum for November 3, 2026. Mayor Trister said the expansion responds to apartment growth in the Fenn Road and Cedar Street area that Company Four serves. Councilor Gonzalez asked Altshul to confirm the town's explanatory materials, estimated to cost about $1,100 to $1,300 to print, must remain neutral; Altshul said town resources, including council chambers, cannot be used to advocate for or against the question, though individual councilors retain First Amendment rights to speak personally. Councilor Plourd said the council vetted both the department's need and the town's debt capacity before advancing the question. The resolution passed 8-0.

Old business: EMS contract and other items

Councilor Plourd read a resolution authorizing Town Manager Altshul to sign a three-year emergency medical services contract with AMR, from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029; Altshul said the only substantive changes from the prior contract were updated dates and one address. It passed 8-0. The council also approved property tax refunds of $1,290.96, approved the June 23 regular meeting minutes with several wording corrections, and accepted the resignations of Erik Hinckley from the Library Renovation/Addition Public Building Committee and Jonathan Galligan from the Fair Rent Commission and Vehicle Appeals Board, all by 8-0 votes.

New business: rules subcommittee and flag subcommittee

Mayor Trister raised concerns about proposed rules language letting the mayor add agenda items unilaterally, saying, "The idea of more power just makes me more nervous." Assistant Town Manager Lauren Rhines said the language codified an informal practice from roughly 18 months earlier. Councilor Gonzalez and Councilor Plourd both said they were uncomfortable with the provision; the matter was referred back to the Rules and Procedures Subcommittee along with the correspondence-summary question. Separately, the mayor confirmed the town has a legal opinion supporting both a moratorium on new flag requests and development of a formal flag policy, and that a flag-policy subcommittee is being formed; no vote was recorded on this item in the available recording.

Town manager report

Altshul highlighted the town's summer Extravaganza event, a Declaration of Independence reading led by Jamie Trevathan, the departure of Town Planner Paul Dixon, three new police hires, and plans to award a red-light-camera contract to a company identified as Ultimate, which would still require a public hearing and ordinance vote before cameras could be installed. He also previewed a September 1 public meeting on a Cedar Street sidewalk extension and noted the DOT-funded Cedar Street sidewalk project begins construction the following week.

WHO WAS THERE

• Mayor Jon Trister: presided.
• Deputy Mayor Kim Radda: present, read multiple resolutions.
• Councilor Matthew Plourd: present; transcript renders his name variously as "Cooley," "Floyd," "Draco," "Drakos," "Madraco" and similar across the recording (see REVIEW).
• Councilor Gail Budrejko: present, spoke during public-comment remarks (referred to by first name "Gail").
• Councilor Nancy Cappello: present.
• Councilor Kelly deHaas: present.
• Councilor Kathy Gonzalez: present.
• Councilor A.J. Tiniakos: present.
• Councilor Hilda Nieves: present via Zoom for the special meeting roll call, marked absent for the special meeting's adjournment vote and for the entire 7 p.m. regular meeting.
• Town Manager Jonathan Altshul: staff.
• Assistant Town Manager Lauren Rhines: staff.
• Zoning Enforcement Official Erik Hinckley: staff; also resigning from the Library Renovation/Addition Public Building Committee.
• Council Clerk Susan Gibbon: staff, read correspondence into record.
• Facilities Director Joe Salamone: presenter.
• Finance Director Karen Shearer: newly introduced staff.
• Attorney Chelsea McCallum: named in the executive-session resolution.
• Public commenters: Donald Brown (67 Stafford Ave., fire station support), Eileen Fragolino (Parks and Recreation board, name uncertain in transcript), Louis Nero (482 Churchill Dr.), Dana Havens (113 Stafford Ave.), Rose Lyons (46 Elton Dr.), Colleen Kelly (address unclear), Andre Andreas (76 Vincent Dr.), John Shell (449 Cedar St., veteran), Jacob Knowlton (10 Hillside St.), Kathy DeBoer (66 Pfister Dr.), Bill McCarthy (206 Churchill Dr.), Michael J. Fox (1901 Main St., veteran), Maureen Post (203 Goodale Dr.).

ORGANIZATIONS AND DOCUMENTS REFERENCED

• AMR: emergency medical services contractor awarded a three-year renewal contract in old business.
• Swimply: online platform used by a Pfister Drive property owner to rent his backyard pool, central to the neighbors' complaint.
• Central Connecticut Health District: consulted by the town on whether the Pfister Drive pool qualifies as a regulated public pool.
• Public Building Committee (PNBC/Chapman Street project): referenced regarding shared fire department and town storage space at a Chapman Street facility under construction.
• Library Renovation/Addition Public Building Committee: the body Erik Hinckley resigned from.
• Fair Rent Commission and Vehicle Appeals Board: boards Jonathan Galligan resigned from.
• Resolution 2026-70: the executive-session authorization resolution, cited from the agenda and minutes.
• 2009 space needs report ("the Owens report"): cited by Rose Lyons as a prior, unused study of town facility needs.
• 2022 and 2024 rules committees: cited by council members discussing the origin of current correspondence and agenda-setting rules.
• CT Citizens Assembly on property taxes: cited by a public commenter as a statewide resource on property tax reform.