Conversations with Town Manager, Garry Brumbuck

As published in the Southington Citizen: 4th and final installment in a series. August 10, 2012

Asst. Town Engineer, Annette Turnquist, reviews progress
of  staged move to new Southington Municipal Center with
Town Manager, Garry Brumback.

Fortunato:  In our earlier conversations, you mentioned Town Partnerships are one of the important priorities you and the staff are pursuing. Would you explain what the idea of Town Partnerships entails, the goals of that program and an example or two of how that is being accomplished?

Brumback:  It is clear to me that communities must seek areas to partner with both private and public entities if they are going to continue to provide the level of service our citizens expect.  In our community there are several opportunities, some of which we have been doing for a long time and some that have potential.

First and foremost we have looked to the School District as a great opportunity.  They are an integral part of our community and have a very distinct mission, however, because we are both asking for resources from the same citizen base it is important for us to eliminate redundancy and work together whenever possible. Examples of areas in which we can partner are purchasing, grant writing, capital planning and, hopefully, information technology. The creation of the Southington Municipal Center (formerly known as the North Center School) will co-locate offices of the Board of Education and certain town government departments so working together should be easier.

This particular project was a win-win situation in that it enabled us to take advantage of a unique opportunity to preserve and refit the North Center School, refurbish it to meet current needs and get out of an antiquated building which did not offer us effective options.  It was a result of a study, review and consideration of other options by five separate committees before the Town Council supported the concept as being economically sound and beneficial to the town government, the board of education and the community.

Fortunato:  I know that, as we speak, months of preparation for the move and a smooth transition to the new municipal government center on North Main Street are coming to fruition.  Is that on track for completion this summer?

Brumback:  It is moving along expeditiously and, while behind schedule, a good number of departments are already in and functioning even while they move everything into place.  Annette Turnquist, our Assistant Town Engineer has done a fantastic job of coordinating all the details of this project to make it all happen. We expect the move of all departments involved to be finished by the end of August.  The project has involved the team work of all the departments that are moving, as well as many who are not moving.

Town Engineer, Jim Grappone, on phone, confers with
Asst. Town Manager, Annette Turnquist  

Fortunato:  Are there other new or long-standing illustrations of Town Partnering you would offer?

Brumback:  Definitely.  The Central Connecticut Regional Planning Agency manages the economic development funds for our region and we have partnered with them to look for grant money to do a wide variety of projects that the town may not otherwise have the resources to do.  A $500,000 grant for improving the walkways to the DePaolo Middle School is a recent example of how this partnership will benefit the community. We are also looking for Downtown grant opportunities and pedestrian friendly grants to promote alternative transportation around town.

We recently entered into a partnership with the Town of Plainville to create a Health District which will hopefully provide better service for the same or lower cost per capita.

Lastly, we have been partners with the Bristol Resource Recovery Facility Operating Committee (BRRFOC) for over 25 years  and as the current agreement expires it is important that we stay tight with the region to make sure we can provide our citizens with a cost effective way to discard their household waste and still remain committed to preserving the environment.  This regional partnership works toward that end.

Work continues in move goes on in smooth transition
at Southington Municipal Center

As this final segment of our series of conversations with the Town Manager concludes, it seems appropriate to add a positive note just made public by Town Council Chairman, John Dobbins. 

In the first evaluation of the job performance of Garry Brumback since his arrival as Southington’s Town Manager in January 2011, “Mr. Brumback met or excelled in all areas with emphasis on IT (Information Technology and communications) modernization, budget process with the Board of Finance, and development of a 5 years Capital Improvement Plan.” 

The appraisal was developed jointly by the members of the Town Council.  “Garry’s proactive style of management and leadership, his accessibility and readiness to listen to all and his openness to involvement with the community have made it a pleasure to work with him.”   

In my interviews, Mr. Brumback has consistently demonstrated that he is extremely articulate and knowledgeable in town affairs. 

Watch for articles coming soon about conversations with Superintendent of Schools, Joseph Erardi, and Town Attorney/Assistant Town Manager Marc Sciota and others.

Comments and questions below.