DARIEN, Conn. The long-delayed Weed Beach renovation project is finally getting under way next week, but the town is still deciding how some of the buildings will be constructed. The Weed Beach Building Committee is asking for an additional $207,200 to improve its designs for the new warming hut and bathhouse.
Debbie Parnon, chair of the Weed Beach Building Committee, told the Board of Selectmen on Monday night that certain design elements of the buildings' foundations, siding and roofing had to be scaled back when the project was approved in 2008. But after construction bids came in under budget, the committee was requesting money from its contingency funds to build the buildings as originally envisioned.
"These changes will just make such a difference, structurally to the buildings and aesthetically to the whole park. We think they're worth putting back, in the long run," Parnon said.
Neil Hauck, the architect who designed the project, said adding a fieldstone face to the skirt of the bathhouse would help protect it from floodwaters and graffiti. White cedar shingles on the side of the buildings would cut down on maintenance, as well as add a distinct New England feel to the buildings, he said.
Current designs for the roofs call for asphalt shingles, but Hauck argued for standing seam metal roofing. "It's a very sustainable material, it's meant to last 100 years. If you spend the money now, you're not going to have to replace that roof for a very long time."
First Selectman Dave Campbell, who is also president of Ring's End Lumber and knows some about building materials, questioned some of the wording in the proposal and wanted Hauck to return to the board with precise information about where the material would be purchased and about the warranty.
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