AVON TOWN COUNCIL
MEETING MINUTES
FEBRUARY 7, 2008
I. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. at the Library, in the Alsop Community Room by Chairman Carlson. Members present: Mrs. Samul, Messrs. Pena, Shea and Zacchio.
II. PUBLIC HEARING: None
III. MINUTES OF PRECEDING MEETING: January 3, 2008
Mr. Pena reported he remembered Blythe Robinson talking about acceptance of bankcards to pay for property taxes but he did not see it in the minutes. Chairman Carlson stated it was in the Town Manager report.
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mr. Shea, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council approve the January 3, 2008 minutes as amended, which will
include discussion regarding use of bankcards for tax payments.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs Carlson, Pena and Shea voted in favor. Mr. Zacchio abstained.
IV. COMMUNICATION FROM AUDIENCE - Items not on this Agenda
Carry Firestone, Cold Spring Road - reported "I am a stay at home mom right now, but I taught high school in Manhattan for many years. My husband and I have lived in town for several years. I am in the early stages of organizing an Earth Friendly Family Festival. I had an Earth Day party last year with many families in the area and the children were excited and thrilled to be part of the day. We had lots of informational things and educational things, so the parents requested to do this on a larger level. Basically, what I would like to do is get a lot of the young people in the area involved in planning and implementing a festival to be held on May 4th of this year. I have met with Congressman Murphy's office and they are excited about getting involved in helping with this. I would also like
the local officials to be involved as much a possible, to be there for moral support, but what I really need are some connections because not being a native here, I do not know a lot of people, specifically with school boards, teachers and other educators. She reported we are going to start with a contest, where we invite young people to make an artistic impression or prose or a poster of something special in the Farmington Valley that is meaningful to them in nature because we have all had the sense that we do not see children playing outside enough anymore. I am finding that with my own small children and I think it is time to get them outside in nature again. She reported the other option is for young people to make a science project to come up with some ways to green the community or their homes or something creative. I have seen a lot of children who are very passionate about this issue and I would like to mobilize them to action. The
exhibits would be due on Earth Day and for the Festival, we would have the beautiful exhibits of children's work. I would also like to get older people involved-they could write about things they remember in the Farmington Valley in the natural world, when they were younger. We can also have booths with educational things-a lot of parents are confused because they do not know about toxins in toys, about organic foods, about green cleaners and LED lights. There are lots of things that, in my circle of young moms, people are interested, so I would like to have some local venders and people who can educate the public about things like this. Also, the typical entertainment, food and perhaps an activity area for children to do recycling projects. I am presenting it to the Town Council because I need support and I would also like connections through educators. She reported she also spoke to Bob Breckenridge, President of the Avon Land Trust, who is
also excited about this."
Chairman Carlson suggested that she contact the Town Manager, who will be able to direct you to some of the town resources like the Natural Resources Commission. The other is Peggy Roell, Chairperson for the Board of Education, who can connect you with the right folks to make contact with.
Brett Eisenlohr, 217 Waterville Road - reported, "for the record, I am not here to represent the Board of Finance or to speak on their behalf. I am here to speak on the 20% by 2010 energy resolution that 67 towns in the state have already signed on to." I have information from Smart Power, which is the organization that is working hand in hand with the Clean Energy Fund that finances a lot of these things. I went on the website and obtained their annual report to show you how much money they have been giving to fund a lot of these projects. Basically, it is 39 million since they started in 2001. In Avon, they have funded residential projects in the amount of $42,000. The Town of Avon did not have any projects but other towns applied and obtained funding for various projects-like Plainville just
got almost $800,000 to finance a solar roof on their school. Middletown just received $800,000 to finance a fuel cell for their high school. He reported there are a lot of projects out there that we might be able to take advantage of some of these, since we are talking about replacing some of the roofs on the schools. He reported the campaign on 20% by 2010, I attended a workshop- Public Act 7-242 requires all new schools and major renovations funded after January 1, 2009 to be built to high performance building standards as 21% more efficient than current building codes. Part of this campaign is all about educating the community. Right now we can volunteer to get involved in this, like a lot of the other communities have, it is strictly voluntary so if we can not keep the commitment of 20% by 2010, it does not mean that we are going to get fined or anything like that. It just shows that we are committed to trying to accomplish that. I am
looking at different ways that we can finance this, because there will be a cost. One way is maybe through the Avon Education Foundation. I have not spoken to them, but if we were to commit to this campaign, we could probably get some financing through them. It is in their mission statement that they do finance projects like this, when it has to do with the education of schools and the public. As a result of that, we can qualify for one of those solar panels, because if we get 100 points by opting for clean energy, we would get a free solar panel that has a value of $10,000. If they gave us $5,000 to cover the expenses up to 20% by 2010, it is not a bad return on their investment and we can put it on the school and it can be used to educate the kids. It is just a matter of time that this stuff is going to be forced on us, so if we can start now and take advantage of this money that is available to educate the community about renewable energy and
about how we have to start making some changes, that could be a good thing. If we take advantage of this and get solar heat on the middle school because we have to replace the roof anyhow, that is counted towards the 20%."
He also reported West Hartford and Canton have already signed onto this. The Town of Canton talked about this, in their predevelopment plan, a hydroelectric project. If it goes through, it includes towns like Canton, Burlington and Avon. Canton and Burlington have already signed on to this resolution. If we sign on to it also, whatever energy is generated from that hydroelectric project, we can use toward our 20%. In the future, we can actually use this as a revenue builder for us because the more renewable energy that hydroelectric generates, in our town, the more REC'S (renewable energy certificates) we get. We can then sell them to the open market - in Connecticut it is over $50 per REC, so we can actually sell those and receive money to invest in other projects in town. He also reported another
way of funding these things, is that for every person in the community that signs on for this clean energy, the town can get $15 for each household. It is my hope that the Town Council can review the information that has been presented and make this an agenda item for a future meeting.
Mr. Pena questioned if we sign on and do not reach the 20% by 2010, is there a penalty. Mr. Eisenlohr stated "no, this is strictly voluntary." He also stated if we get a free solar panel, it does not generate a lot of energy and will primarily be used as an educational tool to teach the kids as to what is coming in the future for us. It is popular in other communities and is picking up speed in this area also. A school in Stonington has one of these panels and it is generating half of their electricity and the kids in the classroom can actually log on to the system in the classroom and see how much electricity the solar panel is generating. He reported South Windsor has a fuel cell that is generating electricity for their school and the kids there can also check on their laptop to see how much energy that
fuel cell is generating. They are actually helping the kids to build fuel cells so they have a pretty good understanding of what the fuel cell is and how it works and how it holds together and generates electricity.
Mr. Zacchio reported he attended a presentation at Talcott Mountain Science Center a few months back, on behalf of the Town Council and it sounds like South Windsor is doing much of what Talcott Mountain Science Center was doing - At that time they had a very neat display of what the kids have learned through monitoring the use on the building and have incorporated it into model cars and battery cells that were running computers.
Mr. Eisenlohr reported he contacted one of the representatives of the Clean Energy, in regard to the roof on the Middle School, and they said they could finance up to 45 or 60 percent of the roof on the school. The reason for the difference it is all based on the efficiency of the total roof. In other words, if the roof faces due south, they will give the maximum of 60%, so it depends on how the building is positioned.
Mr. Shea stated with capital projects on the library and the Senior Center roof, this is something that should be looked into.
V. COMMUNICATION FROM COUNCIL
Mrs. Samul reported she had talked with someone who had voted at the high school, who was told by the principal that the floor where the voting was going to take place in November would be finished, and rubber mats will have to be purchased to protect the newly finished gymnasium floors. She questioned if we should postpone the floor refinishing until after the November Election or change the location of the polling place. The Town Manager reported the Registrars and the Town Clerk should get together and decide what needs to be done as far as protecting the floors, and get in touch with the Superintendent of Schools and the High School Principal to find out what the situation is. He stated it would be very awkward to change the polling place.
Mr. Zacchio reported at the last meeting when I recused myself from conversation on the Roaring Brook School questions that Mr. Usich had brought up and the Board of Education had presented materials on. There was some level of confusion as to whether I could or could not engage in those conversations, as my wife is a teacher at Roaring Brook School. We did not have a clear indication from the Town Attorney at that time as to whether I should be involved. Being on the safer side, I decided to recuse myself at that point. We since, have had more conversation about it and have some clarity, which indicated I do not need to recuse myself. I have since, read the minutes and am up to speed on the issue and will be participating in it from this point forward.
Chairman Carlson reported he has two items. One, to compliment the town staff and the departments, which did a very nice job on the primary, we have not heard from any citizens except one and things seemed to have gone very well. Second, as for the Town Council, it has been suggested to me by the Chairman of the Board of Finance and Board of Education that we convene a working session between the three boards so we can discuss our budget and the Board of Education's budget amongst the three boards. This meeting will obviously be open to the public. If the Town Council is in favor of participating in this, the suggested date is Saturday, March 1st. He reported the direction from the Board of Finance was for us to work together. We have withheld on expanding this building for many years, consciously, so that
we could spend resources on the educational facilities, which needed to be improved. That is an example where these two boards have worked together - we convened a joint working committee looking at all facilities and maintenance practices across the board a few years ago. There have been numerous evidences of that working together relationship. In a continuation of that, we thought it would be good to do it from a budgetary standpoint.
Mr. Zacchio reported he would be in favor of that and said he did not think any harm could come from sitting down and having a conversation. In the past, we have worked well with the other boards. We have had three board meetings before and really just discussed what was in the budget. We should put together an agenda that gets to some points that we think might be opportunities for bringing some ideas that we can actually have on the agenda to discuss.
Chairman Carlson reported there would be an agenda set but wanted to know how the Town Council thinks it should go, and we will make sure it gets shared with the Superintendent of Schools and the Town Manager. Secondly, the reason March 1st was thought of as a potential date because we will have worked on our budget and the Board of Education will have worked on theirs. It will also give us time to digest it and address any questions that we, or the Board of Finance might have. This is not looked upon as a session where the Board of Finance says, we can only afford x percent, or anything like that. We will be looking at what is driving the budget changes that the Town Council, Town Manager, Board of Finance and Superintendent of Schools have recommended.
Mr. Shea reported he thinks this is a good idea, both budgets are feeling the pressure of the growth in town and of course no one likes to raise taxes, so it will be a healthy discussion. He would suggest Chairman Carlson work with the Town Manager and the Director of Finance work with the Superintendent of Schools so that we have as much structure to the meeting as possible. These budget documents are large cumbersome documents and with the meeting being 1 to 2 hours, obviously it will be difficult to deal with micro issues, but think the overall concept of that meeting can be very beneficial.
Chairman Carlson reported we need to look at this as a one or two page synopsis of what are the major drivers in the budget and for us to figure out what if anything, can be done cooperatively between the two boards.
Mr. Pena agreed to the recommendation of the March 1st meeting and a stated structure is important so an agenda is necessary.
On a motion made by Mr. Shea, seconded by Mr. Zacchio it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council add to the agenda a Special Joint Meeting for March 1st.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs Carlson, Pena, Shea and Zacchio voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mr. Shea, seconded by Mr. Zacchio it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council hold a joint meeting with the Board of Education and the Board of Finance on Saturday, March 1st starting at 8:30 at the Middle School for the purpose of
discussing the present budget and the operating budgets for FY 08/09
Mrs. Samul, Messrs Carlson, Pena, Shea and Zacchio voted in favor.
VI. OLD BUSINESS
83/84-163 Presentation: Connecticut DOT Status of State Projects #04-98 Old Farms
Road, Project 04-116 (Old Farms Road Bridge #4470) and Project 04-118 (Intersection of Route 10 and Old Farms Road)
Chairman Carlson reported this concerns the Old Farms Road and changes to the intersection, bridges, etc., which has been a long standing project that we have dealt with for many years and two representatives are here from DOT to give a presentation and update on these projects.
Mr. Anthony Estanislau from the DOT presented an update on the 27 year old project for Old Farms Road and Thompson Road Improvements for the Town Council. He reported he was assigned this project about four months ago. Since then he has met with the Town Manager and the engineers involved. We also met with the Capital Region Council of Governments (CRCOG) and with the Avon Old Farms School. We are trying to gather information about what the issues are. In the meantime, we also received a submittal from the Town, which is an environmental document, which is called an environmental assessment, which the Town will be discussing. Basically, what this document does, it looks at how the environment is impacted and we are trying to see what the impacts are and what we can do about it. He reported this
project alone is part of a network of future improvements in the area. The area between project 4-116 and 4-118 on Route 10 are federally funded projects. 4-116 is under the DOT and basically we will replace the Farmington Bridge and also we will go all the way to Tillotson Road. He reported # 4-118 is a town designed project and basically we will go closer to the bridge and work on Route 10. This is the latest information we can give. They are slated to be constructed in 2010. We know there have been other schedules mentioned but, given the environmental permitting and other issues related to that, the 2010 schedule is the latest information that is available. He reported the parcel we will be speaking on tonight is the Old Farms Road and Thompson Road Improvements. A future project that is being proposed by the town and encompasses a trail, will be discussed tonight. He further reported we are going to discuss what we found, what
the results are from the conversations we have had with the town, conversations with CRCOG and with Avon Old Farms School. He introduced Mr. Thomas Borden, also with DOT, to continue the presentation.
Mr. Borden reported first we would go quickly through and interpret the need of the project. It is very important to establish why we are doing something and the expense. We also have issues that we would like to address, first of all vehicular and pedestrian safety concerns. People are aware of Old Farms Road and the challenges there. We also want to improve that link in the regional roadway network. Old Farms Road is used as a parallel roadway to Route 10 and also connects to major east/west roadways like Country Club Road and Thompson Road. Commuters do use this as a commuter route. They use a portion of Old Farms Road and part of another road, which is residential and not a good way for commuters to travel. It is a quick overview and we have it going back to 1981. We have evolved from that
point in time. It was determined that an Environmental Assessment was going to be required, for any major relocation of the roadway and there has been two accounts in regards to that Environmental Assessment, and about two months ago we actually got the draft Environmental Assessment in. We have been looking at it and have some concerns and are in discussions right now with the town. He reported the goal for this project is--- we would like to have a successful completion of this Environmental Assessment. To do that we have to have feasible alternatives in the document and we have to have a financial plan. The other goal we would like to set is a successful completion of the construction stages. A roadway that addresses the needs of the traveling public along with primary stakeholder, Avon Old Farms School. The area that we are talking about is all within the school property.
Mr. Borden also reported on the area on Thompson Road - we reviewed that data between 2002 and 2004 because there were a series of 46 crashes, 5 involved injuries. This roadway has seen fatalities in the past, just not in this three-year period that we looked at.
Chairman Carlson questioned how does the crash data there compare to other roads with similar widths. Mr. Borden reported we have had areas that are far more dangerous with higher volumes and a lot of times those are more likely to be on state roads. On municipal roads it is kind of rare to have something one, with volume being this high and two, crash data being as severe as it is. In this area, where the severe curve is, a lot of vehicles have gone off the road. Some of the other aspects of the roadway are:
- Poor horizontal geometry, the roadway itself is 18 feet wide.
- 9-foot travel lanes
- No shoulders
- Narrow bridges many times result in alternating one-way traffic, depending on who is driving
and how aggressive they are
- Throughout that corridor there is insufficient stopping distances to stop safely. Also, around
this double intersection, they have less than desirable intersections.
Mr. Borden reported on Pedestrian Safety - today that roadway is not a roadway that is conducive to pedestrians. If you look at the bikeway, which is to the west of the project area, then you look to the east of the project area, on the recreational fields, there certainly could be a demand for pedestrian traffic on the road. Also, in the school campus, they have a facility that is south of Old Farms Road where students have to try and cross that roadway, at a very poorly aligned intersection, so there is certainly some safety concerns.
Mr. Borden also reported the Accessment of Environmental Alternatives as shown on the EA. There are four alternatives:
- No Build, which is all the generic alternatives;
- Widening, in the EA, they show a widening alternative, it included no geometric
improvements, just widening the existing facility.
- Realignment, the realignment alternative we looked at this very carefully and it was really just addressing some curve along the area, to meet a 30 mph design speed. It did not realign any intersections - it was a very minimal type of approach.
- Relocation, this alternative is included in the EA document shows the relocation of Thompson Road and Old Farms Road relocated far to the south of Beaver Dam Pond. The whole aspect of the project would move this segment of Old Farms Road to the west and would basically parallel the trail that is there today.
Mr. Borden further reported the alternative proposal that we are looking at is in the environmental document. When we look at something, we like to see where an improvement would be eligible for funding. It certainly meets the right classifications for funding. We are talking about federal funding, but the type of improvements that are proposed, you have to meet certain minimum guidelines, to be eligible for the improvements. The bottom line is if we are spending a lot of money on something, you want to make sure that it is, indeed improved. We felt that this realignment alternative that was included in the EA document, did not meet the threshold of being eligible for federal funding. We thought this was basically, more of a true widening project, there was no major realignment, there was just a softening
of the curve, and we felt this really is a widening alternative. Thus, the document lacked a true realignment alternative, so we developed one. Basically what it does is softens the curve, it is a 40 mph design speed. What we tried to do with this alternative was to meet many of the schools concerns. It called for a pedestrian bridge underneath, so they could access this facility without crossing the roadway. Along this corridor would be a bikeway that could connect to the existing bikeway over to the recreational field. It also included this element that we thought was certainly justified, after talking with the school, that was an important element.
Mr. Borden reported the Comparison of Alternatives is basically a widening called a Realignment Alternative in the EA. It has a cost associated, between $8,000,000 and $9,000,000. That is only for the construction stage. The DOT, or our Realignment Alternative that we would like to have considered, ranges between $9,200,000 and $10,500,000. He also reported, the Relocation Alternative is about $18,000,000 - $21,000,000. One of the issues we will be talking about, is the funding. Basically, these are the more broad numbers, in regard to what was on those different alternatives; it also shows the PE Estimates. One of the reasons why we are showing a range is because inflation is really affecting our projects, so we showed a range of between 5/10 % per year.
He further reported the property owners within the Project Area are basically Old Farms School and the Town of Avon. He stated the hurdle in front of us is basically going to be some environmental concerns and some mitigation, perhaps, depending on how this goes forward. And the other has to do with funding. That is because the dollars are significant. Four years ago, the town went through the Capital Regional Council of Government for approximately $2,000,000 for this project. That application came to our unit, we looked at it, we knew an EA was in the process, so we were going to wait until it got to a point that we could see the draft. These numbers are current; the dollar value was recently re-estimated using today's prices. It looks like, as far as funding alternatives, we have the possibility of some more
money from the SEP Urban Program through CRCOG, of perhaps another $2,500,000. Outside of that, we are looking at the potential for the town speaking to its representatives either earmarked through the next transportation bill, or seeking help from a State level, through a transportation and improvement fund, if that was being considered. We talked to the school about perhaps they can help in coming up with some funding on their part.
Mr. Borden reported this is basically a snap shot of where we are in the process, and some of the major hurdles that this project is facing. We know that the Town Engineer has looked at the previous alternatives that were completed in the initial environmental document, which actually had a different alignment and proposed there might be some cost savings there. Though it may not be in the $20,000,000 range - it may be in the $15,000,000 to $18,000,000 range. We are still talking a significant amount of money, regardless of what alternative we are looking at.
Chairman Carlson reported we have not seen the Traffic Impact Study that takes into account, not only this sector, but for Route 4 and Route 44 and Waterville Road. He stated one of our concerns has been the piece-meal approach to the engineering study. If we improve this, to where this is the preferred route, we could be driving traffic therefore, onto Route 167, Waterville Road and other areas, and off of Route 44 and Route 4. He also questioned if that work will be done.
Mr. Borden reported CRCOG, back in the late 90's and we think it was completed at various points in early 2000-2001. They did a Route 44 corridor study, a Route 10 corridor study and a Route 4 corridor study, and they were done in conjunction with each other. There was a regional approach looking at this area. It was identified that the hurdle that the Farmington Valley faces, is the Talcott Mountain range, there is only so many access points over that range and to complicate it, there is only several crossings over the Farmington River. What we have is congestion along those routes. It was made a point in the Route 44 Study and in the Route 10 Study, that the importance of Old Farms Road is that it improves the overall network. When you do not have a spine of an expressway in a region as large as this, it
is important to have a sufficient network. Being that this particular road has a crossing over the Farmington River, between two very important arterial roadways, east/west, Route 44 and Route 4, so this was an important project. That is why the project that we showed earlier, shows a portion of Route 10 and replacement of that bridge because it is recognized as a regional significance. Yes, there is some thought into traffic pattern and effects.
Mr. Borden further reported this is not a DOT project, this is a municipal project. We are here to facilitate the town to try and help them bring a project to fruition. Under the SEP and Urban Program we do this. This is not the DOT to do these improvements. But the Town and the School are still very important, we recognize the regional significance of the roadway and that is why we are here, assisting and trying to see if there is any possibility of getting anything done here. One of the patterns is that you have a significant amount of traffic that is on Burnham Road - there are a lot of commuters using Burnham Road. By moving this particular way to Old Farms Road, there is a good chance that, instead of cutting back, which would be more northeast and then taking Scoville Road and Burnham, it might be easier
just to stay on Thompson Road. So, these improvements also have some improvements for other areas that today are inundated with traffic. There was a study done, we did look at the network and we have it plugged in for consideration.
The Town Engineer reported one of the things that we are having done is we are picking up Old Farms Road so it will not flood annually. We are picking it up for a 50-year storm. He reported when you shut Route 185 down and what happens on the mountain, and Route 4 is closed, the whole area is a mess. That is going to be a big help, and that bridge is funded totally through a Federal program, it is not a state program. They did realize the significance of the whole area, in this project. In fact, the reconstruction and relocation of Nod Road was funded, based on recommendations from that study, the Route 44 Corridor Study.
The Town Manager reported where this all started was back in the early 80's, when the state and federal government decided not to build I-290, the circumferential highway around Hartford. This freed up a large amount of money, over a billion dollars. The towns at that time were encouraged to submit projects that would improve the regional traffic network, in lieu of building an interstate circumferential highway around Hartford. The Town of Avon submitted four or five projects, this was one of them, Nod Road was one of them to take the S curve out, Hollister Drive was one of them and Country Club Road was also one. He reported we have gotten at least three of those funded from the interstate trade in leftover funds. The intersection alignment in the middle of Hartford, the fly over and all that, that was paid
for out of those funds. Those funds have long since been exhausted. Some of these projects are still remaining to be funded through the regional planning process at the Capital Region Council of Governments with state and federal money, as it becomes available. We are now looking at the bridge, Route 10, Waterville Road and Old Farms Road Intersection Realignment as part of those projects that really go back to 25 years ago when these projects were submitted. They were looked at, evaluated, scored and ranked back in that period of time, based upon how they fit into improving the regional traffic network because we were not going to build this circumferential highway around the region. We have already benefited from some of that money improving our local road network. A lot of the work that has been done on Route 4 in Farmington, over the years, a lot of the work that has been done on West Street in Simsbury, have all been funded from some of
these same sources, with the idea of improving the regional network.
The Town Manager also reported on a couple of issues; the project pointed out lies totally within the Avon Old Farms School property. The school is very concerned about the safety hazards; they are very supportive of the relocation alternative, the $20,000,000 alternative because they want the road away from their campus and they are willing to cooperate if that is the agreed upon alignment. If that is not the agreed upon alignment, I am not saying they will not be cooperative, but they certainly will not be as cooperative as with the relocation realignment. That is a difference of $10,000,000. He reported that is a project that is funded with state and federal money, which requires extensive environmental studies, alignments and analysis and modifications. He further reported an argument can be made that parts of it should
be done locally, or should be done by the school, without the town or the state involvement and the price would be significantly reduced. There may be other parts in here that do not have quite the environmental regulatory overhead and the Town and the School might be better off taking advantage of federal or state funding that is available for those sections of the road, rather than some of these areas requesting relocation around Beaver Pond that have a heavy overhead. The interest now is giving a decision as to whether we are still interested in this project. If we are interested in this project, are the town and the school willing to work to get funding available. As we pointed out, of the $20,000,000 relocation alternative, we may be able to get $4,000,000 or $5,000,000 - there is a short fall there of $10,000,000 to $15,000,000, depending on the cost of the exact alignment and who does the work. We have had this program in our Capital Improvement
Program for years. It has always been in that 5 to 10 year component and it has always been listed in the $5,000,000 to $7,000,000 range, that the town has contribute to it. That included the section from Scoville Road up to the pillars, closer to Country Club Road. We have gone through a number of designs, reviews, in terms of the esthetics. We are talking about retaining the pillars that are there, possibly even new pillars on Thompson Road, where you enter the school property, brownstone retaining walls, no curbing so it is a rural signage type of system. The bike trail has also gone in to the alternative plan. A lot of thought has gone into those various aspects of the project.
The Town Manager further reported, as the State said, they have met with us at the staff level, they have met with the school. They are now meeting with the Town Council and they are anxious to move ahead with one way or the other. Once you decide to move ahead, then which alternative are we interested in pursuing. We are not sure exactly what the scheduling would be; it will probably be heavily dependent on funding.
Mr. Borden reported as we understand from talking with the Town Engineer, the School is meeting again in February to discuss it one more time. Once that happens, we would like to meet with the school again to hear what the results of their discussion are. He reported we want to put a picture to this in terms of, not only what are we going to decide, the Town, the School, CRCOG, and how is this going to come about. He reported there are different elements, like several pieces here that may be funded differently, but we need to know. We are not saying what you should do, but we do not think it is in the best interest of the town to continue this pattern of not doing anything. He also reported, by not doing anything, the costs of doing these projects have skyrocketed and will continue to do so. Right in the
beginning, it may have cost $500,000 to $700,000. If you wait another four to five years, these costs will increase to $25,000,000 to $27,000,000.
Mr. Shea reported we have not held this up. That is a real unfair comment, for you to come in and say that the Town is holding it up. Mr. Borden stated we need a decision as to how to proceed with and what are we doing with this roadway. We think the time has come for us, and we are sure for the school to figure our how we are going to do this.
The Town Engineer reported we have an environmental document from a recommended name. These documents were rewritten several times to meet the federal standards. After a draft hearing a year or so ago, we had to rewrite it, which we did. But the basic concept has not changed. He also reported we own some of the property now so we can go back on the alignment that was proposed back in 1988. He reported five years ago we had to move it to the north and that is why the difference in cost is so high, because there is a bridge included with this southern alignment, a substantial bridge. We are talking $6,000,000 to $7,000,000 on that. What we have to do at some point is to get a document that is provable.
Mr. Shea questioned is there going to be a break-up of the DOT, one to accommodate roads and one to accommodate public transportation? He questioned if the break up would have any effect on this project. Mr. Borden reported no. Mr. Shea also questioned how could we, this group, make a decision, when you are going to wait to hear from the school. We hope that if you are going to go meet with the school, that the Town Engineer, the Town Manager and even a representative of this board would attend that meeting. From that meeting, there should be some collective thought process involved so that we could choose an alternative that may or may not be funded. Then, after the decision is made, our next question would be when will you be able to get the project up and going? We still have a series of
meetings here that need to take place and it has been 26 years and we thought the DOT was going to be a partner, not an adversary.
Mr. Borden reported we will be a partner. Your original question was how long will it take to start the PE should the start align and we get the funding. We think the EA document should be six months to one year to complete. He reported the main thing is to get the EA document approved. Once that is done, monies have to be put in place and then we can get started.
Mr. Shea reported we need to gather some public input into this whole discussion. This is a road that is well known in this town and there are lots of sentiments around this town. It does require a public hearing but I would like to let people know what is being contemplated here.
The Town Manager reported we have had informational meetings in the past that we can probably dig up the comments from those meetings that were required as part of earlier efforts. To summarize it, they were basically of two components on opposite sides of the issue. One of them in particular is the neighborhood that is in the area, they were adamantly opposed to any changes. There were some others from other parts of the community that did not want it changed either because of the esthetic appeal. On the other side of the coin, were a significant number of people that were interested in the safety issue. The third party, which was one of the key party was the school, who had a representative, the Headmaster, who made a very impassioned plea for the relocation alternative, because of the safety of the school and kids
crossing over the main road to go to the Beaver Dam Pond.
Chairman Carlson suggested having more discussion on this after the Avon Old Farms School Board meets. Mr. Borden reported what we have not met with anyone on this project without the Town being present. We are partners in this and would really like to come to a solution on how to fund this.
On a motion made by Mr. Zacchio, seconded by Mr. Shea it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council table Item 83/84-163 to the March 6th, 2008 Town Council meeting.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs Carlson, Pena, Shea and Zacchio voted in favor.
03/04-64 Status Report: AHS Building Committee: Review and Discussion; Purchase of Kubota Tractor $21,000
Mr. Frey, Chairman of the AHS Building Committee reported the Committee requested approval to purchase a Kubota Tractor for $21,000 in order to maintain the additional grounds, fields and sidewalks and parking areas, due to the expansion at the high school. We spoke to the Board of Education but they did not have it in their budget at that time and we were led to believe by the Town Council that we could take it out of the Avon High School Renovations Budget. He further reported the Assistant to the Town Manager got proposals from three companies and the lowest bid came in at $19,801. He reported we were not aware that the Town Council might not want us to move forward with this purchase so we will do whatever the Town Council decides.
Chairman Carlson reported the Town Council did not take formal action on this at that meeting. The suggestion was made, while we are generally not in favor of monies of this nature being used for an item like this, we could live with it in a situation where the life of the asset exceeded the bonding, but that should not be construed as, we voted in favor of or wanted to do that, or anything of that nature.
Mr. Zacchio reported he shares the sentiments with Chairman Carlson in that we have a philosophical disagreement with using those funds for any purposes outside of what we went to the voters with. He reported he understands the need for the tractor, in fact he went back and read some of the documentation, they aimed to have it purchased by October so that it would be ready for snow season. One question he has is there still that kind of a demand for it here in the beginning part of February, he is sure they will answer that question, and he is sure there is a demand for it down the line, but there are other alternate sources of funding for that down the line. "I understand the reason for it, but I have a problem with spending money on apparatus that goes with the building, when we received funds to construct a
building."
Chairman Carlson reported that second part of my sentiment that night was not only exceeding the lifetime of the bond, but was that the piece of equipment necessary as a result of doing the expansion - we would not have needed to purchase this tractor if we had not done the expansion. If we did it, we would tell the Board of Education to put it into their capital project -it needs to be weighed along with everything else.
Chairman Carlson reported, is this necessary as a result of the expansion or not? Mrs. Roell, Chairman of the Board of Education, reported the answer coming from the Administration is "yes" because there is a significant amount of additional sidewalk areas that need to be cleared, as a result of the expansion. She does not have the additional linear feet, but a couple of years ago we talked about all of the cement and all of the sidewalks that were going on there, it is also not only the amount, it is the time it takes to do that and the overtime. It is also much safer because the person is inside of it, so there is less chance of Workman's Comp issues. The machine, the way it was explained, it can plow and sand at the same time. It can be used for multi purposes and its expected life is about 20 years.
Mr. Shea reported when you enter into a project that is going to go multiple years, change orders come up. What this is - a change order. This as a piece of equipment that could have been thought of at the time, but as the process goes on, you see the need for it, as part of the project. We have been very true with our message to the citizens, and this was what we were going to spend our money on, this is what we were going to do, this is how we were going to do it, but as we go through this process, there are change orders. It sounds like this piece of equipment will benefit this project and the school, going forward.
Mrs. Samul reported she was taught a long time ago you do not borrow long term for short lived items. Maybe this thing will last 15 years, but we are not sure. When we do a plan, we need a high level of imagination to understand when we move from plan A to plan B, what the ramifications are on point C. We have had electrical costs that were not anticipated we have maintenance of sidewalks and exterior areas that were not anticipated. There are two different issues here, one whether this is the appropriate place that pays for that. Chairman Carlson reported there is an electrical budget in their project, but what happened is the electrical costs fits into the Board of Education budget and not into the building reallocation.
Mr. Pena questioned if they had in the operation budget, coming up for the High School, with the renovation, the fact that you were going to use an additional two or three people to handle the snow and removal and the cleaning that this tractor would do in lieu of buying the tractor? Ms. Roell stated in the $422,000 estimate, there were additional maintenance costs. She reported in lieu of the tractor, people would have to be paid overtime and then our operating costs go even higher- so doing an up-front money would save money in the long term. With this piece of equipment, one person can do a lot more area a lot quicker, with less overtime.
Mr. Zacchio questioned if we had purchased four snow blowers because of the size and amount of the tractor, it would have been out of the F F & E budget, we never would have had this discussion - it is just that this item is more expensive than four snow blowers, or buffing machines, or floor strippers and they have a longer life use and maybe even more efficient at cleaning up the operations a few snow blowers would be and the people to run it. Is that a fair way of looking at it? Ms. Roell stated, yes. Mr. Zacchio reported he was very uncomfortable with the idea of spending that kind of money on that piece of equipment, but hearing Mr. Frey stating there is other equipment in there… Mr. Frey stated it is not something that we should pay for, somehow the town will have to pay for it - it is a matter of which
pocket you are going to take it out of. You have to believe what the Board of Education is telling us - they need it. They know better than we do.
Chairman Carlson reported it is not a question of need, it is just a question of how it gets funded.
Mr. Zacchio questioned, just as a point of reference, what kind of money is being spent out of the F F & E budget for the typical equipment that goes with the expansion of the building? Ms. Roell reported $600,000 was the original amount, but we talked about that at the last meeting how it has increased to $700,000 to purchase the tractor and refinish the furniture rather than replace it.
Mr. Pena questioned is it offset then because maybe you are not buying a couple of snow bowers so that this tractor will take care of that. Mr. Zacchio reported if you increase the amount of square footage surface that you need to keep clean theoretically, you would have to buy more equipment in order to do that.
Mr. Shea reported he has been going through the F F & E purchases, on three different building committees and can assure you that the professionals try to come up with an estimate for what they think they need at that time. Then, as the building is built, that F F & E budget is part of the overall price, but that F F & E budget can move up and down, depending on the nature of the need, as you go forward in the project.
Mr. Zacchio questioned if this was a request for a pickup truck with a plow, because the parking lot is expanded would it come out of that budget as a change order? Mr. Shea reported the pickup truck would be over the $21,000 and would be defined as a long term capital project, so it would be forced to go into the capital budget process - it could not be part of the budget in question.
Mr. Shea reported he not only having served on the building committees but also chaired the F F & E sub-committee at Pine Grove. "I am not going to sit here and tell you that every asset acquired through the F F & E matches the bonding life. I would like to think they did but know there are some items in there that did not."
Mrs. Samul questioned why $21,000 got put in when the state contract was for $19,801. Ms. Roell reported she did not know why, but we have to go with the state contract price.
Mr. Shea moved to purchase the Kubota Tractor with funds to come out of the F F & E Budget, due to the long term benefit and need to the Avon High School Project. There was no second - and the motion failed.
07/08-08 Status Report: Library Building Committee; Review, Discussion, Approval of Architects Contract
Mrs. Hornaday introduced the members of the Library Building Committee to the new members of the Town Council and reported Virginia Vocelli also attends our meetings to give professional input along with Blythe Robinson, who is the Administrative Liason. She reported you have in your packet a detailed memo of what we have been working on, since we were formed, but will answer any questions you may have. We are here to recommend to the Town Council they approve the signing of the contract with the firm of Tuthill & Wells, an architectural firm that have their office located in Avon. We were very impressed with their presentation and their willingness to work with us and not just for us.
David Goldsholl reported the Building Committee has worked very hard on this - they received quite a few proposals, interviewed private firms and did all their due diligence. This firm has completed 47 library projects in the past 20 years, 30 renovations that were similar to ours - great credentials.
Chairman Carlson thanked the Library Building Committee, on behalf of the town for all the hard work they started and the things they have completed.
On a motion made by Mr. Zacchio, seconded by Mr. Pena it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council approve a contract with Tuthill & Wells as recommended by the Avon Library Board and authorize the Town Manager to sign necessary documents on behalf of the Town Council.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs Carlson, Pena, Shea and Zacchio voted in favor.
07/08-15 Appointment: Town Representative: Plainville Area Cable Television Advisory Council (R-6/30/09)
On a motion made by Mr. Zacchio, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council table the appointment.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs Carlson, Pena, Shea and Zacchio voted in favor.
07/08-44 Appointments:
Chairman Carlson reported during our January several appointments were not made.
a. Inland Wetlands Commission (R - 12/31/11)
On a motion made by Mr. Zacchio, seconded by Mrs. Samul, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council appoint Louis N. Usich, III to the Inland Wetlands Commission for a four year term.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs Carlson, Pena, Shea and Zacchio voted in favor.
b. Parks and Recreation (R - 12/31/09)
On a motion made by Mr. Zacchio, seconded by Mrs. Samul, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council appoint Douglas M. Evans to the Parks & Recreation Committee for a two year term.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs Carlson, Pena, Shea and Zacchio voted in favor.
c. Natural Resources Commission (R - 12/31/11)
On a motion made by Mr. Zacchio, seconded by Mr. Shea, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council appoint Steven P. Samul to the Natural Resources Commission for a term of four years.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs Carlson, Pena, Shea and Zacchio voted in favor.
d. Plainville Area CATV Advisory Council (R - 06/09) -Refer to Item 07/08-15
e. Planning and Zoning Commission (D - 12/31/11)
On a motion made by Mr. Shea, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council appoint Edward R. Whalen, Jr. to the Planning & Zoning commission for a two year term.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs Carlson, Pena, Shea and Zacchio voted in favor.
f. Planning and Zoning Commission - Alternate (R - 12/31/09)
On a motion made by Mr. Zacchio, seconded by Mrs. Samul, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council table the appointment for Alternate for the Planning & Zoning Commission.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs Carlson, Pena, Shea and Zacchio voted in favor.
g. CRCOG Regional Planning Commission - Alternate (D - 12/31/09)
On a motion made by Mr. Shea, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council table the appointment for Alternate for CRCOG.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs Carlson, Pena, Shea and Zacchio voted in favor.
h. Town Council Representative - Secret Lake Association (12/31/09)
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mr. Shea, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council table this appointment.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs Carlson, Pena, Shea and Zacchio voted in favor.
Vacancy:
a. Zoning Board of Appeals - Alternate (D - 12/31/11)
On a motion made by Mr. Shea, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council appoint Thomas McNeill to serve on the Zoning Board of Appeals as an Alternate for a four year term.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs Carlson, Pena, Shea and Zacchio voted in favor.
VII. NEW BUSINESS
07/08-49 Regional Activities Update: Richard Hines
Mr. Hines reported he currently serves on the Capital Region Council of Governments (CRCOG) and Chairman Carlson is a member of the policy board. And fortunately, was an officer on the CRCOG at the time I finished the Town Council. I was on many other committees, however, Mr. Carlson was then appointed to the executive committee, and he was just reappointed to the executive committee. He continues to attend those meetings because that is where all the policy comes from. Included in the hand out the two year goal for CRCOG, we worked quite hard on that on where we think the limits should be, and also we worked heavily on what we want to work with the state government this year on legislative items. The Chairman of CRCOG Policy Board now is Melony Curry, former legislator, now the Mayor of East
Hartford. He reported the legislative committee is made up, co-chaired by the First Selectman of Granby and Simsbury, John Adams and Mary Glassman. We met, and although not a member of the strategy board, I check every one of them to get our input and review them with the Town Manager. We decided to come up with three items this year:
1. The town transportation strategy because the town can not do that on their own.
2. Building the inter town cooperation and services, which we have going this year and we still
have not had assistance but are coming up in Avon, probably going to get about as many as
anyone. Now I want to make that permanent, not on an every year basis. When you get a grant,
then after next year, you have to put that in your budget. We want to get that to be permanent.
3. The continuation of the local share of conveyance taxes
He reported those are the three key items we have going. If they come up with an ethics bill that we do not like, we will be in there making sure to defend ourselves.
He reported he also is a member of the Community Development Committee. Steve Kushner attended the meeting regarding the sharing of property rights and so forth. After getting involved in the supportive and affordable housing, I got to be a member of their commission on the homeless. We worked on the implementation plan and you have the latest information here on how we are going to try to implement that plan. We are not going to have any more work on that commission because the commission was formed just to come up with a plan. CRCOG Foundation is going to buy space for this homeless program at a fee, they are going to give us use of all of our secretarial work and try to help them. Between the Community Development Committee and that foundation, we will be involved to some extent. The interesting thing
about the homeless commission, it took months for us to get approved. Then we got approved, and we're approved to 2014 as a member. He reported he does not think there is going to be too much to do, but there will be work in the Community Development and CRCOG foundation. He also was appointed to the CRCOG as Representative to the Hartford Alliance, their Economic Development Council. They put quite a bit of effort into their plans - have attended many of the meetings with private consultants as a group to get the input to them. They had an off site meeting in Old Saybrook, they had the Chairman and the Executive Director and asked if I would go too because they valued Avon's opinion. We have a copy of their latest goals that will be presented at the Bushnell later this month and the information will be forwarded to Chairman Carlson and the Town Manager. That is an organization that keeps getting larger and larger, with the industry
supporting it more and more. They are doing some good work, they tried to get a comprehensive economic development strategy steering committee going. But we could not get support from OPM or the Governor. We will try again now that there is a new Lieutenant Governor and the new director. We put in an idea to get Avon funding from the connection of Darling Drive to Arch Road, but that did not go ahead.
The Town Manager reported we pay dues into CRCOG and in the budget that you have, it is about $13,000 and that includes a payment to the Metro Hartford Alliance, to assists us with economic development efforts and it is assessed to all CRCOG members. We also pay an additional fee to have access to Sandra Johnson, who is one of the Metro Hartford Alliance's economic development specialist. Mr. Hines reported the big savings there is when we purchase items through CRCOG.
07/08-50 Review Discussion, Approval: Revaluation Contract
The Assistant to the Town Manager reported we put this out to bid last April and received four bids as follows:
Tyler Technologies, Inc/CLT Division $149,100
Total Valuation Service, LLC $255,000
PBS Systems, LLC $158,500
Andrews & Galvin Appraisal $174,400
She requested that the low bidder, Tyler Technologies, Inc be awarded the contract. They have negotiated the agreement to our satisfaction as well as the Town of Canton.
The Assessor, Mr. DerAsadourian reported Tyler Technologies is the Parent Company for Cole Layer Trumbull. They performed our 1999 reassessment as well as the 1987. At this point, the project manager of 1999 will remain in that position. He reported he felt very comfortable with the project manager for Tyler Technologies and we were able to get a fairly good bid for two reasons: they know the area within the community, the clean project, shorter duration; technically, right now there seems to be a scarcity of work, coming off of 2007 where there were 36 big projects within the state.
Mr. Pena questioned when you look at the bids and one is $150,000 and the next one is $255,000- that is $100,000 - why such a big difference? The Assessor reported, if you look at the four bidders, actually three are very close. The basic experience in the town in 2003 was $145,000 to $195,000. Here we have $149,000 to $175,000 and these bids are in line. The bid of $255,000 is from a new company, no experience in Avon, and limited experience within the state. Mr. Pena stated when you see such a difference in pricing, you wonder if the lowest bid is the best one. The Assessor reported we work side by side with this company every time they are in town. They need to have approval on each stage of the project before they can move on to the next.
Chairman Carlson questioned if the $149,000 was our portion of the contract or was it the total. The Assessor reported that is the total contract price and would be split proportionately between the towns of Canton and Avon. He reported the fee arrangement is a 60/40 split - we pay 60% and Canton pays 40%.
It is similar to last time and naturally it is based on value, but it works out very close. Our portion will be $89,450.
The Town Manager reported we would be bringing back an agreement for your approval with the town of Canton, now that we know what the cost is.
Mr. Pena questioned what the length of the project would be, from beginning to end. The Assessor reported about 12 months. It will start probably in April and notices will go out in November and we will have hearings. The Board of Assessment Appeals will meet in March, and they sign off in April and the project ends. That is the formal portion, but if there is any litigation they will come back for some of that.
On a motion made by Mrs. Samul, seconded by Mr. Zacchio, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council approve awarding the contract to the lowest bidder, Tyler Technologies, Inc. for the Town of Avon 2008 revaluation.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs Carlson, Pena, Shea and Zacchio voted in favor.
07/08-51 Review, Discussion, Approval: Traffic Signal Pre-emption Agreement AHS
The Assistant to the Town Manager reported there is a new traffic light that the State of Connecticut is putting in at the original entrance to Avon High School. We want to have and have requested an emergency vehicle pre-emption equipment installed on that traffic light, which will allow the Fire Department to control that light when coming out of Station #3 and stop oncoming vehicles. They already have the equipment on their vehicles. She reported the State has sent us an agreement that they would like to have approved and the resolution is attached, which gives the Town Manager the right to execute that agreement and also to make sure that we are in conformance with all the states requirements for discrimination policy. She reported there is a cost of $1,030 for the Town's share of the cost of the equipment and
that will be paid for out of the High School Renovations & Additions fund. Mrs. Robinson further reported this traffic light is very much needed and the light that is at the fire station will come down and new equipment will be installed further down and the equipment we have on our fire trucks will work with that and maintain it.
Mr. Zacchio questioned if the light in front of the firehouse gets removed. The Assistant to the Town Manager reported yes, because the state does not want the lights to be less than 500 feet apart.
Chairman Carlson reported they usually control the light that comes out of the fire department. How will that work if that light is gone?
Mrs. Samul questioned how is the traffic north going to be stopped, if the traffic light is going to be installed south of the fire station?
Mr. Zacchio reported he did not realize that light was going to be removed. He thought that the firemen would control both lights because one is to get out of the fire department - the other is to block the high school. He reported, without it, the real problem is getting out of the firehouse. That entrance is important.
Mr. Shea reported you said you met with the Fire Chief. Ms. Robinson reported yes, and had him review the agreement and talked to him about the equipment to make sure that it is going to work with them, as they are the ones that requested it to get in and out of traffic. Mr. Zacchio reported which is okay until the point where you said they are moving their light, did they realize that, because he read this and thought that there would be an additional light that controlled both of them.
Mr. Pena questioned where is the light going? The Assistant to the Town Manager reported at the original driveway. The new driveway is only a right turn in and a right turn out.
Mr. Shea reported it might be a good idea to get a memo from the Fire Marshall stating what his position is on it.
Mr. Shea reported he was sure the Fire Chief knows where the light is going, has thought this whole thing through, has answers to these questions, and can explain it to us.
Mr. Pena questioned if there is a new light over there, will there also be a walkway for students to cross the street? Mrs. Robinson reported there has always been a walkway over there, that is part of the sidewalk improvement program - we are going to replace that sidewalk from that driveway, south towards Sudbury Way.
Chairman Carlson recommended, if the Town Council is comfortable, we can move forward with this subject and get clarification from the Fire Chief.
On a motion made by Mr. Zacchio, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council approve the Traffic Signal Pre-emption Agreement for the traffic light at the original entrance of Avon High School, pending clarification from the Fire Chief regarding the present light at the firehouse.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs Carlson, Pena, Shea and Zacchio voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mr. Zacchio, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: Be it hereby resolved that Philip K. Schenck, Jr., Town Manager, town Hall 60 West Main Street, Avon, CT 06001, is authorized to execute an Agreement between the State of Connecticut and the Town of Avon for the installation of Emergency Vehicle
Pre-Emption system equipment at the intersection of route 167 at Avon High School drive in the Town of Avon.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs Carlson, Pena, Shea and Zacchio voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mr. Zacchio, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the town of Avon Hereby adopts as its policy the nondiscrimination agreements and warranties required under Connecticut General Statutes § 4a-60(a)(1) and § 4a-60a(a)(1), as amended in State of Connecticut Public Act 07-245 and sections 9(a)(1) and 10(a)(1) of Public act 07-142.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs Carlson, Pena, Shea and Zacchio voted in favor.
07/08-52 Review and Discussion: Town Council Public Communication and Outreach Efforts
Mrs. Samul reported the Town Manager has put together a list of the history of what the Town has been doing in the way of outreach efforts. We have done a good job of reaching people through the Town website, Town Calendar, etc. She further reported almost 10 percent of our housing inventory turns over and a lot of these people are from other towns and also from out-of-state. She put some questions together on subdivisions in town, why certain things can or can not be done, how the town operates, what is a Town Manager/Town Council form of government, what the Board of Education is responsible for, what it is not responsible for, the Revaluation, the Board of Finance, etc. She would like to put together some form of a program but there are a couple of issues with trying to do an outreach program like that. One is money, but
it should not be a major cost. The other is a lack of potential interest in people coming. She reported if we advertised it in various newspapers and various communities in town, including Buckingham, Hunter's Run, Pond Place, and Secret Lake. All of these communities have associations and newspapers. If you do that and restrict it to a certain number of people, you get people that want to be included, but also it would allow us to cancel it if there is insufficient interest. The other possibility is just contacting these associations and asking if someone from their board would be interested in doing this and just provide it for members of the various community boards and let them disseminate the information. She reported she is thinking in particular of Buckingham because that is a very commanding area.
The Town Manager reported one of the things we do is send packets of information out along with an introductory letter from the Chairman of the Town Council to all new home owners.
Chairman Carlson reported he just signed a new letter, which includes all the names of the members of the Town Council. He questioned, pertaining to the packets; do we put information on when we meet, when the Board of Finance meets? The Town Manager reported no, we do not provide a list of meetings. We rely on the calendar, which is included in the packet, and we also promote the website.
Chairman Carlson reported his concern, which is included in this packet, is there time enough for a reasonable amount of people to participate - if we could get more people to this meeting, the Board of Education and the Planning & Zoning meeting - those are the meetings where you can get a pretty good feel of what is going on in this town, and the Board of Finance meeting as well.
Mr. Zacchio reported we want to move people from human preferred to self service, as we look at what opportunities we have available in town, the human preferred model, it is so folks can come to our meetings and Board of Finance meetings and we have seen some folks show up to try to get educated and understand how our process works. The real test is what opportunities do we have on our self-service model and it includes both the internet and the packets that go out to give people the opportunity and direction as to where they can find the information, barring holding some kind of seminar, that does become costly. We have done that in the past and have found a lack of participation, but focusing on those two possible avenues is a good idea.
Chairman Carlson reported we have a lot of opportunities to report along the self-service because we do communicate on different levels and we can consider increasing those to Mrs. Samul's point on a more scheduled basis.
The Town Manager questioned the Council about doing something like web screening or videotapes that can be incorporated into a website and can even be used independently. The Town Manager reported another opportunity is to get in touch with them-they were not happy with us a few years back, but maybe personnel has changed over there and it may work now.
Mr. Pena reported Nutmeg Television has switched some of them over to live programs because they have gotten very good participation, I think Plainville and Bristol are now going to live instead of just being taped. Chairman Carlson reported we did discuss that a couple of years ago from a cost standpoint. The Town Manager said it was pretty expensive. We would have to buy the equipment, and then you needed volunteers that had to be trained, plus you had to keep the flow of volunteer coming in and you need professional people. He reported if you had one camera, it does not seem to keep track of where the voice is, so they were recommending two cameras. Mr. Pena reported you are right, this does not happen over night and there is a cost involved in it. He also reported that some towns do the budget
meetings only, as a special.
Chairman Carlson reported the three boards, Town Council, Board of Education, and Planning & Zoning Commission are the ones the residents question regarding issues that those three boards deal with.
Chairman Carlson reported he thinks that there are more people who utilize technology and utilize the website and we can just work to improve the website to educate and inform people as to when meetings are, where they are and what is going to be discussed and then try to take advantage of the media outlets, being the paper or any other media outlet that we can use.
The Town Manager suggested we could also put the agendas on the website. There are about 300 to 400 people that get the agendas. He reported the other thing we can do, at least in terms of interboard cooperation, is to make lists up so when we publish the Town Council agenda, they go to the Board of Finance, the Board of Education, and Planning & Zoning Commission. We can have that same thing happen from the Board of Education to all three or four boards and from the Planning & Zoning Commission to all four boards also. That way everyone will know what is going on.
The Town Manager reported what we have seen over the years, is an atrophy of the whole news media. It is certainly changing. The media gets the same packet you get, with all these reports and background information.
Chairman Carlson reported he thinks Mrs. Samul has raised the consciousness of the board regarding outreach efforts, but do not think there is any action except to have the agendas from the various boards sent to us, Board of Finance, Board of Education Planning & Zoning Commission.
VIII. TOWN MANAGER'S REPORT/MISCELLANEOUS
The Assistant to the Town Manager reported Buildings 5 and 6 Renovations is in the home stretch, with seven weeks to go, it will be a little tight but I believe we will get there. We have some change orders that we have accepted, PCOs #37 - 46 for $38,157. Items put on hold until the project is completed are:
- Exterior painting of building #7
- ADA-accessible public counter in Bldg. #7 Building Dept.
- Painting of the exposed ductwork in Buildings 5 & 6
She also reported the guardhouse will come down but it has turned out to be quite a project.
The Library project is underway, the generators for the High School are supposed to go in this month, so we can tap into the grant fund that we were successful in getting from the State. The Senior Center roof design is moving along well, hopefully it will go out to bid later this month.
The Town Manager reported we are going to be applying for a Small Town Economic Assistance Program Grant (STEAP) to do work on the town green, including the lighting, wiring, etc. so we can get the light fixtures up.
The Town Manager reminded the Council of Saturday morning at the Board of Education office at 8:00 am. for a budget meeting.
The Town Manager reported you have two letters in your folders at the request of Mr. Usich, one is his resignation from the WPCA and Building Code Board of Appeals; the other letter regarding his concerns again over the Roaring Brook School overcrowding issues.
The Town Manager reported you have information about the 20% by 2010 program and we will get that information back to you with an update of what Mrs. Robinson did a year ago and bring you back the details.
The Town Manager reported the sewers - one of the alternatives for the capital improvement program that the Board of Education submitted on the Pine Grove School sewage tank problem was to check and see if they could hook into the town sewer. He reported the Town Engineer said they could but it would cost about $195,000 to do so. The figure in the Board of Education Capital Improvement Program is $34,000 and we have given Mr. Franzi an update. The septic system is working at the moment, but they will not have a final handle on it until after school is out, as to whether it needs to be replaced or they need to repair it.
The Town Manger reported you have a copy of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, which includes the audit reports, which will be going to the Board of Finance next month for approval. It is actually the final Financial Report for the Fiscal Year. They are submitted to the Government Finance Office Association for review for specific performance, which we get - we have gotten it for the past 22 -23 years.
The Town Manager reported on Verville Road - there is a copy of a letter that we sent out to all the residents by registered mail about the potential for implementing the sewer. We have not received any responses back, which is kind of interesting. Normally this would tend to generate neighborhood concern.
The Town Manager reported you have a letter about the American Recycling & Crushing Claim. We did a check back for about $1,200 for that. We paid out in the neighborhood of $60,000 to $70,000 of town money, in dealing with that dump truck claim. This is the one in July of 2005. We were going to see if maybe we could recommend a donation to somebody on that but there are so many victims that it is hard to find a specific fund without being unfair to others.
Mr. Shea questioned if we should put it into Social Services Special Needs Fund. Chairman Carlson stated that is a better place than surplus.
On a motion made by Mr. Shea, seconded by Mr. Pena it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council take the prorated distribution of $1230.54 from the American
Recycling & Crushing Claim and place that in the Special Needs Fund.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs Carlson, Pena, Shea and Zacchio voted in favor.
The Town Manager reported we are looking at a used wood chipper. You have always encouraged us, along with the Board of Finance to see if we could find good used equipment rather than buying new equipment out of the Capital Improvement Program. Earlier, we found a Chevy Tahoe for the Police Department and were able to eliminate a vehicle out of their budget. We are now looking at a wood chipper - we are currently renting one -we are in a vulnerable position. If we had a major ice storm or windstorm, it would be difficult to rent one because everyone else would be renting them. The cost of that may be in the $20,000 to $30,000 range. We will see what we can come up with.
The Town Manager reported West Avon Community Club has been purchased by the Avon Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. Their plans are to fill in the swimming pool and use the buildings for storage or possibly even tear the buildings down. That is kind of the passing of a community institution - it was formed initially for a community pool by private citizens.
He reported the budget that has been distributed is the gross budget, which includes everything but the Board of Education, is 8.61%. Without the sewer increase, the budget is up 5.45%. The town-operating budget is up 5.12%. There are some significant issues, which we will get into on Saturday with the budget.
He reported the Quarterly Financial Report, as of December 30th, 2007- you should be aware that we are beginning to incur some significant deficits in certain accounts, primarily utilities, also pensions -we did not get the pension actuarial reports until late in the year and they are significantly higher than what we budgeted. We do have some reserves set aside that will require a redesignation of the balance. The Board of Education is having significant budget issues. We have asked the Director of Finance to put together a plan for both the town and the Board of Education, in terms of how we are going to cover these deficits because we are only a little over half way through the year. We are going to put together a plan where we feel there are some funds available and then we will be coming back in to talk with both
the Board of Education, the Town Council and the Board of Finance on some type of plan. He further reported there are some significant drivers that we alluded to earlier in things like utilities, special education and some of the benefit structure is escalating faster. We put this budget together back in 2006, and things have change.
Mr. Zacchio questioned if the meeting on March 1st will include both the Board of Education and the Town? The Town Manager reported the Town Council has not really been too involved with it, the Board of Education has and the Board of Finance has, so it is appropriate that we have some form of presentation of the existing budgets where we are, and we will coordinate with Dr. Kisiel and Mr. Franzi on that. We have the background and we are trying to deal with what we perceive in both budgets to be problematic and come up with a plan to deal with those.
The Town Council members agreed to change the April 3rd regular Town Council meeting to Monday, March 31,2008.
IX. EXECUTIVE SESSION: Litigation/Negotiation
On a motion made by Mr. Zacchio, seconded by Mr. Pena it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council go into Executive Session at 10:20 p.m. to discuss land
negotiation and personnel issues.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs Carlson, Pena, Shea and Zacchio voted in favor.
Present: Town Manager, Assistant to the Town Manager, Director of Human Resources and Town
Council Clerk.
On a motion made by Mr. Shea, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council come out of Executive Session at 10:40 p.m.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs Carlson, Pena, Shea and Zacchio voted in favor.
X. ADJOURN
The meeting was adjourned at 10:40 p.m.
Attest:
Caroline B. LaMonica
Clerk
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