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The supplemental report stated that "without a professional planner on staff, selectmen are forced to perform as professionals in areas outside their expertise."
The report also suggested that the selectmen "take a leadership position on planning for growth and maintenance, "encourage community advocacy for future town development," and "acknowledge that Brookfield has capacity for funding capital projects."
The supplemental report stated that "over the next five to ten years, the town has the capacity to fund all the recommended capital projects" on the ad-hoc committee's list.
Those projects include a $9 million library, an $8 million comprehensive recreation center and $4 million in improvements to Cadigan Park on Candlewood Lake Road.
The ad-hoc committee's report also included $1 million to build the Still River Greenway bike path, $500,000 for a synthetic field at the municipal center, $400,000 for replacement of the Kids Kingdom playground that was built in 1989, $439,000 toward the 2,300-square-foot renovation of the Senior Center and $160,000 to repair the tennis courts at Brookfield High School (BHS).
"This couldn't be a worst year for this," Selectman Jerry Murphy said during this week's regular meeting of the selectmen.
"These are all great things, but it's not going to happen this year," he said, making reference to an economy that has been in decline for months.
"Whether that's going to happen this year is questionable," Selectman Joni Park said.
First Selectman Robert Silvaggi, who has been ill since early last week, did not attend the meeting.
"The big problem is the 10-ton gorilla-the high school [renovations]." Mr. Murphy said of the $31.875 million BHS project that was approved by voters in April 2003 and is now been virtually completed.
He said that the project has increased the town's bonded debt, which has made it difficult to pursue a new library to replace the inadequate space in the current facility, which opened in 1975, or build the comprehensive recreation center that has been discussed for about seven years.
Mr. Murphy said that the town's debt has already started to decrease and is projected to continue to decrease over the coming years.
"As soon as the economy picks up" the town would more capable of funding the projects, he said.
Voters have rejected the proposed municipal budget in the first referendum in six of the last seven years.
However, funding was approved in September 2007 at a special town meeting to renovate the Senior Center.
The nearly $2.2 million project, which is being funded through several sources, is expected to start soon and be completed late this year.
"I think that we need to set aside some money for long-term projects," Selectwoman Joni Park said to Mrs. Davidson, who was one of the nine members appointed to the ad-hoc panel a year ago last month.
"In order to do it, it would be prudent to set aside money, just as we do at home," she said.
Mrs. Park recommended that the selectmen and the ad-hoc committee present the committee's report to the Planning Commission, which is about to embark on a new 10-year Plan of Development, and Board of Finance.
"We were fearful that we were going to give you a report that would be shelved," Mrs. Davidson said regarding some of the ad-hoc committee's discussions.
"It's not going to be shelved," Mrs. Park said.
"This board needs to take the responsibility to oversee what's happening, whether we have a planner in place, which would be great idea," she said. "Until that time it has to be on the shoulders of whoever it is that chooses to lead this community into the future."
"I would challenge future boards to do this," `added Mrs. Park, who has said that she is leaning against running for a third term on the Board of Selectmen.
Mr. Murphy said that two years ago, when he was the first selectman, he proposed hiring a town planner, but the position was eliminated during the budget deliberations.
He said that the selectmen considered adding a town planner and a full-time health director during their budget deliberations this last February but were unable to do so because of fiscal constraints.
"The town can't afford to keep avoiding this," said Mrs. Davidson, whose husband, William Davidson, is a former selectman and is seeking the Republican nomination this year for first selectman.
"If we don't plan for it now, it's not going to happen," she said.
