Board Of Selectmen Votes To Award Griswold Design Work To Anne Penniman Associates, LLC

The Board of Selectmen, acting upon a recommendation from the town's Park Development Committee, has agreed to award a $50,000 contract for architecture, landscape architecture, and ecological restoration services to Anne Penniman Associates, LLC of Essex.

The board voted Monday evening to authorize First Selectman Fillmore McPherson to sign a contract that will include about $14,000 for landscape architecture services and an additional $36,000 to help develop a master plan, said Madison Park Development Committee Chairman George McManus.

McManus told the board that 26 firms applied for the contract to provide design services for the new municipal park to be developed on the grounds of the former Griswold Airport in the south end of town. The 42-acre park will include both active and passive recreation areas.

Professional advice required

"We need professional advice for this project," McManus said during the meeting. "Twenty six firms applied, we narrowed it down to six, and then we selected Anne Penniman Associates."

McManus said Anne Penniman Associates was big enough to have the resources to do the job, while at the same time small enough so that the principals in the firm will be involved with the work.

Penniman will be asked to complete design concept drawings that will indicate the layout of the park, provide expert ecological advice and a habitat management plan, and to provide architectural services associated with two buildings on the property, McManus said. The two buildings are the former home of Mrs. Griswold, which may turn out to be appropriate for a concession stand and bathrooms, and the big North Hangar, which "apparently" is still structurally sound and could be reused, McManus said.

Plan will be presented in phases

"The other buildings on the property do not appear to be suitable" for reuse, he said, and "are not worth saving."

Another important aspect of Penniman's plan is that it will be presented in phases, McManus said, so that plans can be made for future projects on the site that could include aspects like a small museum.

McManus said that Penniman's original estimate for the project was substantially higher, but that she reduced the cost while at the same time maintaining the level of services she plans to provide to the town.

Selectman William Gladstone said he agreed it was "absolutely worthwhile" to get professional design advice for the project of this size and complexity. The motion to authorize McPherson to enter into the contract passed unanimously.