Greenwich RTM elects Voulgaris moderator, backs bridge funding
Town Meeting · Meeting of January 20, 2026
Greenwich RTM reelects Voulgaris moderator, funds North Street Bridge gap. The 230-member body opened its new term by electing Alexis Voulgaris moderator, 192-0, and Katherine N. LoBalbo moderator pro tempore, 201-0, both uncontested.
Commissioner of Public Works James Michel said the lowest construction bid for the bridge project came in at $3,808,450, pushing total costs to $4,760,563 and requiring a $1,061,000 gap-filling appropriation, approved 201-0-2. A companion bonding resolution for the same amount, needing 116 votes to pass, was delayed by an electronic voting malfunction before carrying 171-2-4. Finance Committee chair Scott Kalb said the state is expected to cover $4.3 million of the project through a transportation grant, leaving about $500,000 to be bonded locally.
Members also learned the BET approved an $8.2 million interim appropriation for the Old Greenwich School project, to go before the RTM at a special meeting February 4.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 922 words
Source: the Town Meeting meeting of January 20, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
The Full Article
GREENWICH — January 20, 2026 — The Representative Town Meeting opened its 2026-2027 term Tuesday by reelecting Alexis Voulgaris as moderator and approving $1,061,000 in additional funding to complete the North Street Bridge rehabilitation project.
The 230-member body, meeting in the Moderator's Hall of Central Middle School and via Zoom, swore in its full new membership before turning to a packed agenda that included nine appointments to town boards, a resolution backing regional airport noise and traffic recommendations and the renewal of a decade-long lease for a Cos Cob adult day care center. Voulgaris won her new term 192-0 in an uncontested vote; Katherine N. LoBalbo was elected moderator pro tempore, 201-0.
The Full Story
Town Clerk Jacqueline A. Budkins called the meeting to order and swore in the membership before Susan D. Fahey, chair of District 11, delivered a tribute to Todd Kennedy, a former District 11 chair who served the RTM for 47 years before his death last August. Members observed a moment of silence in his honor.
Coline Jenkins of District 6 nominated Voulgaris for a new term as moderator, citing her 20 years of RTM service, including four prior terms as moderator. P. Jude Collins of District 10 nominated LoBalbo for moderator pro tempore. Both elections were uncontested.
Members then adopted, 197-2-0, a resolution setting the RTM's 2026-2027 meeting calendar, as amended by the Budget Overview Committee to shift several dates around school vacations and the Yom Kippur holiday. The amendments, offered by committee chairman James Waters, were adopted by unanimous consent before the full calendar passed.
The RTM then approved its consent calendar, 191-4-3, appointing Angelica Arenas to the Board of Human Services, Stephanie Cowie and Michael Gaudiano to two school building committees, Janet Stone McGuigan to the Julian Curtiss School Building Committee, Brooks Harris as an alternate member of the Planning and Zoning Commission and Robert Rimmer to the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Agency. The calendar also carried a resolution endorsing the Intermunicipal Airport Master Plan Task Force's recommendations on Westchester County Airport noise, traffic and environmental issues, and a resolution renewing Greenwich Adult Day Care Inc.'s lease of the "River House" at 125 River Road Extension for 10 years, through March 15, 2036.
The meeting's substantive business centered on the North Street Bridge. Commissioner of Public Works James Michel told members the project, first funded in the fiscal 2023-2024 capital budget, needed additional money after the lowest qualified construction bid came in at $3,808,450, higher than expected following a 2025 redesign meant to shorten construction and preserve emergency access. With inspection costs and a 15 percent contingency, the total project cost rose to $4,760,563, leaving a $1,061,000 gap beyond the $3.7 million already appropriated. Members approved the appropriation 201-0-2.
Members then took up a companion bonding resolution authorizing the same $1,061,000 in general obligation bonds, which required an affirmative vote from a majority of the RTM's full membership, at least 116 votes, to pass. A malfunction in the electronic voting system stalled the vote for several minutes, forcing Voulgaris to have members return to their seats while the system was reset. The bonding resolution ultimately passed, 171-2-4.
Finance Committee chairman Scott Kalb reported that the town expects to receive $4.3 million from the state's Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program, covering most of the cost, with roughly $500,000 to be bonded locally. He said the project includes a $200,000 contractor incentive for early completion and a penalty of $40,000 per day if the bridge reopening is delayed.
"My belief is that if the town of roughly 60,000 people is going to adopt a law that impacts all of us, then perhaps the threshold to put that item on the call should be higher than the 20 people who are sitting around their dinner table and think they have a fabulous idea." — Alexis Voulgaris, RTM Moderator
"DPW is eager to get this project completed in advance of the upcoming state project on Route One near Greenwich High School that will limit Putnam Avenue to one lane in each direction." — James Waters, Budget Overview Committee Chairman
Why It Matters
The bridge funding clears the way for the Department of Public Works to award a construction contract and complete the North Street Bridge over the summer, before a separate state highway project narrows nearby Route 1 traffic. Voulgaris also used her opening remarks to ask the Board of Selectmen to consider raising the 20-signature threshold required to place an item on the RTM's call, a change that would affect how residents petition the body directly.
Members were also told the Board of Estimate and Taxation voted Tuesday to approve an $8.2 million interim appropriation for the Old Greenwich School building project, which the RTM will take up at a special meeting February 4.
Key Motions & Votes
- Vote: Election of RTM Moderator Tally: Alexis Voulgaris: 192, Total: 192, uncontested
- Vote: Election of RTM Moderator Pro Tempore Tally: Katherine N. LoBalbo: 201, Total: 201, uncontested
- Vote: 2026-2027 RTM meeting calendar, as amended Tally: For: 197, Against: 2, Abstain: 0, Total: 199
- Vote: Consent calendar (appointments, airport resolution, River House lease) Tally: For: 191, Against: 4, Abstain: 3, Total: 198
- Vote: $1,061,000 additional appropriation for North Street Bridge Tally: For: 201, Against: 0, Abstain: 2, Total: 203
- Vote: $1,061,000 bond authorization for North Street Bridge Tally: For: 171, Against: 2, Abstain: 4, Total: 177
Source
Greenwich Community Television: Representative Town Meeting meeting, January 20, 2026