The town and a nonprofit that serves people with disabilities are near an agreement that could lead to the construction of another group home in Ridgefield’s village.
First Selectman Rudy Marconi this week unveiled a draft $1-a-year lease ready for review by the Board of Selectmen, giving control of a town-owned site at the corner of Halpin Lane and Prospect Ridge Road to the nonprofit organization Ability Beyond, which operates 18 group homes in Connecticut and four in New York state.
“They would like to build a group home for six adults,” Marconi said.
“This is an agreement we’ve been working on now for two years, and it appears that we are close to a final lease agreement,” he said.
“The issue had always been with the lending institution,” he added. “In the event that the borrower ceased to exist, the lending institution would then have control of the property and its future use.
“What this agreement is specific to, is in the event of a default, the lending institution would be bound by the same parameters as Ability. In other words, the only use that would be allowed would be for a home for disabled adults.”
Town meeting
If the Board of Selectmen is satisfied with the terms, it would send the proposed lease on to voters.
“Anytime we lease, buy, sell property it has to go through the selectmen, with a public hearing and a town meeting.
The charter has a requirement for at least a 10-day wait after the public hearing before the Town Meeting votes.
But it’s a little early for date-setting.
“Right now, this is a draft of an agreement that will be on our agenda Wednesday night for the Board of Selectmen to review,” Marconi said Monday.
A spokesperson for Ability Beyond declined to comment on the lease proposal, saying the organization was still in negotiations with the state, which provides a portion of the group’s funding.
Residents, workers
In support of the agreement, Marconi noted that Ability Beyond has been in town for years, quietly operating another home for six disabled adults.
“The current Ability home, located on Ritch Drive, has been there 25 or so years, and has been a very successful arrangement, not only for Ability and the people that the home services, but I think for Ridgefield in general, as well,” Marconi said.
“We’ve never received any complaint whatsoever, and the property is very well cared for.
“We have several people, who are employed at the town — one individual works for us at town hall, and does an excellent job, who lives in the house on Ritch Drive.
“This is good for the people who are in need of housing, but for the townspeople as well, in that we need to mainstream as many special needs individuals as we can, with the example being set by the Prospector.
“These individuals not only need work but they are in need of a place to live that provides the security, the comfort and social benefits that all of us enjoy in our community,” Marconi said.
“This particular piece of property, located on the corner of Halpin Lane and Prospect Ridge, is an excellent location for this home. Located in the immediate area are the Ridgefield Guild of Artists, the Theater Barn, multiple ball fields, and the Playhouse, and the dog park.
“One asset we need to focus on in the years ahead will be connecting all of these areas with new sidewalks,” he added.
If the agreement makes it through the selectmen and a town meeting, it would take some time for Ability Beyond to build a home and get it up and running.
“Once it gets through the town, it’ll probably take a good 18 months for the home to be built and be occupied,” Marconi said. “Maybe sooner.”