AVON TOWN COUNCIL
MEETING MINUTES
February 7, 2013
I. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. at the Avon Town Hall, in the Avon Room by Chairman Zacchio. Members present: Mrs. Samul and Messrs: Evans, Pena, and May.
III. MINUTES OF PRECEDING MEETING: January 3, 2013 Regular Meeting
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mr. May, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council accept the minutes of the January 3, 2013 Regular Meeting as submitted.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, Evans, and May voted in favor.
IV. COMMUNICATION FROM AUDIENCE
Paul Cioffari, 12 Brenthaven, is representing Avon Day on behalf of Len Del Gallo and the Avon Day Committee and he also represents Avon Chapter of UNICO National. He reported that Avon Day 2012, September 29, 2012, was a successful day; we had a good turnout from the Town, the weather was good, we raised over $9,500 for local charities including over $3,700 which was given to the Special Needs Fund. He added that they had thirteen Taste of Avon booths and eighty-eight corporate non-profit booths. He reported that unfortunately our Chairman Len Del Gallo passed away in January and added that Len was a great Chairman and a personal friend of his and we are going to miss him. He reported that the Committee had their first meeting yesterday and has unanimously decided to go ahead and hold Avon Day
again in 2013, the date will be changed from Saturday, September 28th to September 21st. The Committee has decided that in Len’s absence that we would all collectively work as a team as a number of them have been together for a number of years and think that they can successfully have another Avon Day without any glitches. He reported that the Avon Chapter of UNICO has decided to relinquish its sponsorship of the event because without Len’s chairmanship UNICO decided not to be a title sponsor. He added that there is probably no need to have a sponsor for the event because the event can run by itself; we have a surplus of over $9,000 so having the surplus and raising money from ticket sales or donations we should have enough money to run the event, not asking for any outside funds from the Town or from any other civic organization. He added that they would look to see if anyone in the Town would be interested in joining the
Committee with the event being a little bit short-handed and hopefully that person might be able to eventually become someone who can chair the event but until that happens he will step up and do as much as he can, he will try to be in contact with Len’s widow Marlene and get his files and try to take his duties and spread them out among the other Committee members. He commented that all in all they should be able to pull it off and they are looking forward for a successful event. Mr. Pena questioned that regarding the individual that you are looking for, would they contact Mr. Cioffari? Mr. Cioffari responded that they can contact him or Laurie (at Public Works) or Sharon (at Recreation and Parks). Mr. Pena questioned that it can be someone that wants to help and not have to be for chairmanship. Mr. Cioffari responded yes. Chairman Zacchio questioned if there is anything that the Town can do to help in any way whether it is from
Len’s absence or additional responsibilities that you think about, how you spread them out. Mr. Cioffari responded that at this point everyone has been running with the same jobs year in and year out; the Town has supplied help in the form of two or three Town employees and we do not really want to infringe on anymore of their time so he thinks the way things are they can probably set it in motion. Chairman Zacchio commented that one of the things that Len did very well was go up and down Route 44 to get folks buying booths and certainly stubborn in that regard. He added that he has actually tried to get Len’s son, Len Jr., into doing that for us. Mr. Cioffari responded that he will be talking to the family and see if there is some interest. Chairman Zacchio commented that there is a little bit of interest; he is good friends with Len Jr. Chairman Zacchio commended the Committee for everything that they have done and know it is going
to be difficult without Len there but the Committee is strong and we are very appreciative of the work that you will be doing for us, so thank you and give the Committee all of our support. Mr. Cioffari responded that they look forward to a good year.
V. COMMUNICATION FROM COUNCIL
Mrs. Samul questioned whether through our small communities and CRCOG whether or not we were supporting a change in the number of years that the revaluation was done. She reported that it used to be done every ten years and then it was changed to five years. She did not know if as a group we might try and encourage it to be changed back if not to ten maybe to seven years with the idea that we could spread the expense over more years. The Town Manager responded that he did not recall that being in any of the legislative platforms going into this session: CRCOG, COST, or CCM. He noted that it has come up in the past but not something that he has been hearing much about this year. Mrs. Samul commented that she cannot imagine a municipality that wouldn’t be in favor it, including Bridgeport
and the larger so maybe if that is something that we can explore if the Council is supportive of it. Chairman Zacchio commented that amortizing it over more than five years would be helpful. Council agreed.
Chairman Zacchio gave thanks to the Council for supporting some flowers for Len’s funeral. He reported that Len did an awful lot for the Town and knows his family was very appreciative of it. He also thanked Len for all of his service; we certainly won’t have the same Avon Day without him. He noted that Mr. Evans was able to give the speech at Avon Day this past year but Len would usually go first and ask me what I was going to say, then he would say it, smile at him and say good luck; he will miss that the most about Len for sure is that he had a great sense of humor so thank you.
VI. OLD BUSINESS
12/13-22 Appointment: Plainville Area Cable Television Advisory Council
Chairman Zacchio reported that we have not had a lot of success in finding a person to fill this role right now. He noted that the Town Manager is recommending to remove the item from the agenda until such time that we have someone to appoint we can add it back in.
On a motion made by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council remove agenda item 12/13-22 Appointment: Plainville Area Cable Television Advisory Council until such time that there is a candidate to appoint.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, May, and Pena voted in favor.
Chairman Zacchio asked the Town Manager to continue to look for a candidate; they just have to be a resident of Avon.
VII. NEW BUSINESS
12/13-27 Supplemental Appropriation: Board of Education, $3,455
Chairman Zacchio reported that this is for the proctors that were involved with the PSATs. Mr. Evans questioned how come this was not paid in the normal course; is this unanticipated? John Spang, Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations, responded that when the students sign up to take PSATs the Board of Education pays a little extra to cover the cost of the proctors; in previous years they would pay the proctors right out of the Student Activity Fund but that is not the right way to do it, income is subject to withholding, etc. so they are paying it through regular payroll and moving it back over. Mr. Evans clarified that this is a new way of doing what we have always done in the past, just in different accounting.
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mr. May, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council hereby recommends that the Board of Finance amend the FY 12/13 Budget by increasing:
REVENUES
General Fund, Charges for Services, BOE Miscellaneous Receipts, Account #01-0340-43506 in the amount of $3,455.00
and increasing
APPROPRIATIONS
General Fund, Board of Education, General Service, Account #01-9401-52185 in the amount of $3,455.00 for the purpose of paying individuals who were proctors for PSAT examinations.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and May voted in favor.
12/13-28 Review, Discussion, Set Public Hearing: Acceptance of Open Space,
140 Huckleberry Hill Road
Chairman Zacchio reported that this request is in pursuant to the Planning and Zoning Commission’s approval for a subdivision and corresponding piece of property that comes back to the Town. The Town Manager reported that this is a required open space set aside as the result of approval of a subdivision, a 0.5 acre of property. He noted that there was a Charter requirement that prior to the acceptance of real property we have to hold a public hearing. Mr. Evans questioned if we have any sense of what we are going to use this property for being very small. The Town Manager responded no. Mrs. Samul questioned if it is contiguous to other space that we own. The Town Manager responded that it looks like it is on the map. Mrs. Samul commented that she thinks it adds on to
additional space that the Town already owns. Mr. Evans commented that he knows it is our policy to ask developers to give open space in connection with subdivision approvals like this but he is wondering why we would do it if we do not have a need for this particular space. He added that it takes it off the tax payroll. He gave an example with Buckingham and the fields. Mrs. Samul responded that the regulations read that when there is a subdivision either fifteen percent of the value prior to the subdivision goes into an open space purchase fund which Planning and Zoning Commission owns or they donate land. She added that both the Planning and Zoning Commission and the developer have some flexibility in which way they want to go so it is semi-negotiated but because this parcel was contiguous with other open space she believes the Planning and Zoning Commission felt that it added greater value to the other open space to do more with. Chairman
Zacchio commented that maybe not necessarily specific to this piece but what they try to do is build off those pieces to then connect loops and open space. Mr. Pena noted that it is excluding the wetlands. The Town Manager commented that there are times we would be very careful about accepting this property because it can be land locked, a patch of land in the middle of nowhere that has no use for the Town and becomes a liability. Mr. Evans responded that in that case he might say we will take the money instead of the land. Mrs. Samul commented that has been done.
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mr. Evans, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council set a public hearing date to be held at their March 7, 2013 meeting to consider acceptance of open space at 140 Huckleberry Hill Road.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and May voted in favor.
12/13-29 Road Acceptances
a) Windsor Court 0.38 miles
b) Portion of Lofgren Road 0.07 miles
Total road miles to be accepted 0.45 miles
Chairman Zacchio commented that these road miles are located in the Kingswood subdivision and has gone through all of the proper inspections by the Engineering Department.
On a motion made by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Pena it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council accepts into the Town’s highway system the following roads as recommended by the Town Engineer:
Street Name Miles
Windsor Court 0.38
Portion of Lofgren Road 0.07
Mrs. Samul, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and May voted in favor.
12/13-30 Approval of purchase of Replacement Pickup Truck
Chairman Zacchio reported that we had approximately $310,000 in capital improvements for the Highway Department this fiscal year, it was to purchase a series of vehicles and large trucks and from that they have a remaining balance of $42,037 in Fund 2 (Capital Projects Fund). He added that the 2002 pick-up trucks have been on the capital budget requests for a number of years now and one of those trucks is in pretty bad shape and the recommendation from the Director of Public Works and the Town Manager is to use the remaining funds in that capital account for the purchase of one of those trucks that would eventually be back onto our capital budget so it will clear a capital item that is recurring for us. The Town Manager reported that the total appropriation was $310,000 and through the bidding process we
realized efficiencies and the actual costs came in lower than estimated and we have a balance in this capital account, we have a need for the replacement of this older pick-up truck with 210,000 miles, body rot, maintenance costs and opportunity costs because the truck is down and cannot be on the roads. He reported that there was a recommendation to replace it and there is available funding from this appropriation from last year. Chairman Zacchio commented that he does not necessarily have a problem with it but he would like to have a closer look at why our budgets are that far off. He added that capital is always an estimate and understands the movement of the trucks and the costs can be variable but if we are using the State of Connecticut contracts he wants to make sure that we are sticking a little closer to those, not suggesting that we go so conservative on the budget number that we do not have enough to purchase the equipment that we expect to purchase but
this feels like it was out of balance enough that he has concern regarding how close the forecast actually is. He wants to make sure that we are taking a closer look at that forecast. He added that he does not necessarily have a problem with it and it clears an item off capital that clearly we need to fund and we struggled to replace these two trucks for a number of years; it is great that it gets that done but he wants to understand the basis we are using for that capital budget to be developed, if it is the State of Connecticut contract we probably would have been closer. He asked the Town Manager to take a look at that. He added that Council would talk more about it at their budget workshop and probably question some of the capital items on there and how the budgeting comes up behind that. Mr. Pena agreed on why there is so much difference. He questioned if this truck would have otherwise been on this coming year’s capital budget.
The Town Manager responded yes.
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mr. Evans, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council approves the use of the balance in Fund 2 (Capital Projects Fund) in the amount of $42,037 to purchase a replacement for a 2002 pickup truck in the Department of Public Works.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and May voted in favor.
12/13-31 Review, Discussion, Set Public Hearing: Acceptance of Drainage Easements,
Hidden Oaks Drive (Lots 1, 2, & 4)
The Town Manager reported that we are accepting real property so it is a requirement by Charter that we have a public hearing.
On a motion made by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council set a public hearing date to be held at their March 7, 2013 meeting to consider acceptance of drainage easements, Hidden Oaks Drive (Lots 1, 2 & 4).
Mrs. Samul, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and May voted in favor.
12/13-32 Household Hazardous Waste Program
Chairman Zacchio reported that for a number of years we have been using the MDC collection process and bidding with other surrounding communities. He reported that it appears that not only has that not been a very good partnership from a dollar’s perspective but we could partner with even more local towns in a smaller way and save some money by doing our own RFP.
The Town Manager reported that the other towns that would be involved are Simsbury, Canton, and Granby and they have experienced much of the same cost escalation that we have. He added that it is a function of the contract cost and utilization for the service as well. He reported that we have watched this escalate for the few years and have now said that there is a cheaper way to provide this service and why do we have a contractor like the MDC involved when the towns can just as easily go ahead, issue a joint RFP for a vendor much like MDC uses, have a direct contract with them, and cut out a layer of management in the provision of the service. He reported that there is a precedent for this on the other side of the Connecticut River, there is a consortia of towns including Glastonbury that have a
similar approach where they have banded together, issued their own RFP, and they contract directly with a provider. He added that MDC is aware of these discussions and have sent a letter to all of the towns requesting to know by February 1st whether or not we intend to use MDC for the contract this coming year. He noted that it served as the catalyst for the towns to review and towns are serious about it and makes a lot of sense to go ahead with an RFP. He reported that Bruce Williams, Director of Public Works, talked with MDC about the possibility of giving us some more time to look at this knowing that this Council meeting was coming up and MDC declined and want to know by February 1st. He reported that he decided to move forward with a joint RFP with Simsbury, Canton, and Granby.
Chairman Zacchio noted that the only disadvantage is that the collection site would probably be in Simsbury. The Town Manager responded yes. He noted that the way the contracts worked before, closest to us we had collection sites in Farmington and Simsbury. He reported that Farmington is going to stay with MDC for the provision of this service so we would not have reciprocity with Farmington and only have the access to the Simsbury collection site. He noted that what we will do is start advertising early to make sure that residents know about that. Chairman Zacchio noted that this would affect 225 residences that use this service. He questioned if we know the breakdown between what is used in Farmington versus Simsbury. The Town Manager responded no, but we could drill down to
that. Chairman Zacchio noted that the dollar savings clearly are good. Mr. Pena questioned if there is any difference in products that MDC collects versus what we are going to collect with this program. The Town Manager responded no, we would spec it out for the same service that we have been providing. He noted that for Farmington it looks like it was 15.5 Avon residents that use that collection site.
12/13-33 Municipal Animal Control Officer Agreement
Chairman Zacchio reported that we have been negotiating an agreement with our Animal Control Officer. He noted that we share this resource with Canton so in the renegotiations not only is she up for a one-year extension, and noted that she does an excellent job and gets all kinds of good remarks of her services, she did ask for an increase and provides well above what her contract states for her to provide at this point and an increase as discussed between her and the Town Manager is warranted and split with Canton who has agreed and had similar experiences with Beverly. The Town Manager commented that we have had an excellent experience with this contractor; we are heading into the third year of the contract, the original contract allowed for two years with a one-year extension. He recommended extending
the contract for one year. He noted that if it was only the extension he would not be bringing it to Council but the issue is there is a slight increase in the fee paid to the contractor and well worth it in his opinion. Council is comfortable with a one-year extension including the negotiated increase. Chairman Zacchio asked the Town Manager to extend thanks to Beverly and glad to have her on for another year and she does a great job.
12/13-34 Appointment: Wild & Scenic River Study Committee (R – 12/31/2013)
Chairman Zacchio reported that Harry Spring who recently passed away, served on the Wild & Scenic River Study Committee for a number of years and also served on the Inlands Wetlands Commission for years. He noted that we will certainly miss him.
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mr. Evans, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council table agenda item 12/13-34 Appointment: Wild & Scenic River Study Committee to the March 7, 2013 meeting.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, May, and Pena voted in favor.
VIII. TOWN MANAGER’S REPORT/MISCELLANEOUS
Misc. A: Purchasing Update: The Assistant Town Manager reported that with regards to the revaluation bid three of the bids were very close to each other, the low responsive bid was from PBS Systems, they did our revaluation in 2003; Tyler had the contract in 2008 and were the second low bid this time. He added that Harry DerAsadourian, Town Assessor is very comfortable working with PBS Systems; he is going to have some conversations with Canton and this should come back around as an action item in March. Mrs. Samul questioned if the bid amount is split between Avon and Canton or is it Avon’s portion. The Assistant Town Manager responded that is the gross amount and would be split 60/40. He added that the price we paid in 2008 was $149,100 so it is
actually a little less than what we paid in 2008.
The Assistant Town Manager reported that we had a person doing police testing for the Town for ages who has retired and we put out an RFP a month ago; we had only one response from a firm out of Illinois and their price proposals were exponentially higher than the retiring vendor. He noted that we do not have a lot coming down the chute and he was talking to CRCOG today and we are going to work with their Public Safety Analyst for a more regional way to deal with this because a lot of towns use the person who has retired so a lot of towns are going to need this service. He gave an example that one of the items that we were paying $1,300 for, the private contractor out of Illinois offered to do it for $25,000. The Town Manager commented that it is an interesting phenomenon for these police testing
services. He reported that Bruce Davey operated in Connecticut for approximately thirty years; he was an institution, about the only person that provided this service and has decided to retire. Mr. Evans questioned what exactly this testing service is. The Assistant Town Manager responded that they administer an entry level exam for police officers, they also do promotional exams, and they do an assessment center exam also for promotional processes. He added that we are not the first town to ask CRCOG about this so he thinks that in the coming months we will find a good solution for this. Chairman Zacchio questioned who the State uses. The Town Manager responded that the State police probably have their own internal unit that handles this because they have a number of applications coming through to support that. Mr. Pena questioned if the vendor performs background checks. The Assistant Town Manager responded no.
The Assistant Town Manager reported that with regards to the Fisher Farm Lease, Farmington will be receiving letters on interest on February 15th which will include a very rough explanation of what types of operations the interested farmers would propose to use on the Town farm; copies of those will be sent to Avon, the sub-committee that the Farmington Town Council has put together will review these and then be inviting a select group of people to prepare a full RFP proposal. He noted that they had originally asked for a full proposal from the state but quite a few of the farmers said this is a lot of work and would like to know if they are going to be taken seriously before they put the effort in and the Farmington Town Council reviewed it and said no problems. He added that this will be a
two-part RFP; the first round will be coming very soon.
Misc. B: Construction Update: The Assistant Town Manager reported that the sidewalk design is well underway and the Department of Public Works will be starting some of the site work on Route 10 North soon. He reported that there is a grant that Glenn Marston, Director of Recreation and Parks, shared with staff, the same grant that was used to do the trail improvements on Darling Drive. After meeting with Planning, Engineering, and Public Works an idea was put forth to make improvements to the trail head outside of Sperry Park and the Greenway which is where the current sidewalk extension is going to end; this will create an attractive gateway to the trail, putting in some benches, improving the ADA parking and all using grant proceeds. He reported that the Chamber
of Commerce is looking for ways to make contributions and one of the items mentioned is the lighting along this area. He noted that with the sidewalk extension and the potential grant to improve the trail head and the lighting there is a lot of attractive features in that strip. Mrs. Samul commented that she was surprised by what she saw in the photos, hoping for something a little lower, maybe with the brownstone which Mr. Kushner tries to have in many of the buildings, similar to the entrance to the Town Hall.
Misc C: American Red Cross Regional Shelter Agreement: Chairman Zacchio reported that there was some concern over how that operation would work for Avon and what that might mean to us. He noted that there were a number of advantages to it but there were a number of issues that the Council was concerned about. He asked that before any agreement is signed that Council has a discussion about what it is and what it means to us and approve it before it moves forward.
The Town Manager reported that the Red Cross had approached Avon sometime ago with a proposal for Avon High School to serve as one of their regional centers. He noted that the Red Cross would come in and run the shelter should we need to open a shelter; they would provide all of the services that we are not necessarily equipped to do with a trained physician on hand, emergency staff to deal with residents coming in with specific issues and they would provide all of the staff. He commented that thinking back to Storm Alfred we did a pretty good job of running a shelter for ten or eleven days but it is not something that we are set up to do and this is what the Red Cross does. He reported that we had several conversations about this, the Superintendent of Schools was involved and something that was very
important to us was the issue of control; we wanted to be assured that we control when the shelter opens and when it closes, of particular concern was the closing issue because if we get into a situation where we still have holdovers at the shelter and we are at a point where the situation has passed and the school needs to re-open again we need to have a way to do that and move those people along. He reported that the Red Cross would move those people out and find other locations for them. He noted that with any new proposal we are always concerned with the details. He talked with Plainville who has a regional shelter, they have never had to use it and do not have an agreement on file with the Red Cross for it; they just have an understanding of how it is going to work in the event that they do have to activate that resource. He noted that it is important that there is nothing binding about the agreement; we try it once and it does not work for us we do not
do it again. He reported that we did have an experience with the Red Cross during Storm Sandy this past fall, for a couple of days the Red Cross did operate the shelter. He noted that a couple of kinks need to be worked out primarily because it was our first time but generally the reports he had was that it worked pretty well. He reported that especially if you have a situation where it was going to be a multi-day event it really is the best solution to solve for that problem. He commented that he knows there is concern if there is a regional event and the other communities decide not to open their shelter and they send everyone to Avon, is there a possibility that Avon residents would be displaced from having the use of the shelter. He thinks it is a valid concern and unlikely, in most of these situations if Avon has to open its shelter, Farmington, Simsbury, and Canton are going to be doing the same thing and they have to provide for the full range
of needs of their residents, just because we have the Red Cross in Avon does not mean that they can turn away a special needs population from their shelter and send them here. Despite the potential issues which he thinks are minimal, he sees it as an enhanced level of service to offer to the residents in the event that we get into one of these situations again. He reported that the Red Cross is very interested in this, they are happy to send someone out. He noted that Richard Branigan, former North Branford Town Manager, is now working for the Red Cross and would be happy to come out and talk through the agreement and drill down into the details of how it would work, what would happen, exactly what they do, and what the obligations are.
Mr. Evans questioned if the Red Cross would bear its own expenses related to the work that they do. The Town Manager responded yes. Mr. Evans questioned that there would be no additional cost to the Town for their managing of the shelter. The Town Manager responded there is no additional cost, it is all volunteers, and they would cover the cost associated with their provision of the service. Mr. Evans commented that what we are looking at is that, from a pro and con analysis, we are getting an enhanced level of service and the things that we are concerned about are we compromising any right of an Avon resident to have the ability to use that shelter and what happens if we are prepared to re-open our schools and there is still residents there from other adjoining towns who will then need to be
provided for in another shelter. The Town Manager responded that was a threshold issue for us and we do retain control of that site. Mr. May questioned how you are going to evict people from the shelter. The Town Manager responded that the Red Cross has other resources that they can bring to bear and locations that they can direct these people to so that they have a soft landing. He added that during Storm Sandy we had a very similar issue where we had some people who were stranded and they had been dropped off at the shelter from out of town and had nowhere to go; in that instance it was Social Services who had to work and try to find resources and a soft landing. Mrs. Samul questioned why the Red Cross did not find that soft landing. The Town Manager responded that in that instance we did not have a formal agreement in place with the Red Cross; they came in and did it without having it in place so we took it upon ourselves to find a location
for those people. Mr. May commented that these people were not Avon residents yet we felt compelled to find a place to place them. Mr. Pena commented that during the first storm we had people at the shelter that lived in Avon and the group got smaller and schools wanted to be opened and they were able to be relocated and the second time around the people were dropped off from Hartford. He added that it is his understanding that it is the responsibility of the town they are in to make sure that they are taken care of. Chairman Zacchio questioned that when you have an agreement in place does it become the responsibility of the Red Cross.
The Town Manager responded that he will continue the conversation with the Red Cross; we will draft an agreement, and if he feels that it is ready then at the next Council meeting he will have someone from the Red Cross come in or Alan Rosenberg, Director of Social Services, who has been very involved in this and he can get into the details and explain how it works on the ground. Mr. May questioned why the Red Cross would particularly identify Avon as a place that they want to setup a regional shelter; was there a push from one individual. The Town Manager responded no. He reported that they have regional centers throughout the State and he thinks that when you look at it geographically one center is in East Hartford and another one in Plainville so they just put a dart on the map and said Avon is a
good, central location in the Farmington Valley. He thinks the other thing that played into it is that they knew there is a confident staff onsite that they could work with; there was a predictable management structure and the facilities are easily accessible. Chairman Zacchio commented that he has a capacity concern; he realizes that there is a maximum capacity of the room, just dealing with the first storm, we were nearly at capacity and by day four it was a tough crowd. He questioned what the real capacity is there, a manageable capacity versus building capacity; we ran out of shower space, there were lines and a number of people with special needs and medical needs and as that grows he has no doubt that the Red Cross can handle it from a patient perspective however he has concerns how we handle it, it is now Avon’s center that is either experiencing problems or is at capacity where Avon residents are upset. Mr. May commented that his concern is
that we are giving up our autonomy and it is worth a few more dollars to pay for your own autonomy rather than have someone else come in. Mrs. Samul questioned that if this is a regional shelter why would, for example, Simsbury also have a center open as implied by the Town Manager. The Town Manager responded that each town is responsible for caring for their population so it is a Red Cross regional center but Simsbury will continue to open a shelter, it does not absolve them of that responsibility. Chairman Zacchio commented that similar to us opening our shelter even though there was one in Plainville. Mrs. Samul commented along the lines of capacity, there are two types of capacity: the capacity for the people staying overnight which built as we went further and further into it and also those that did stay at home but came in for the showers, for the electronics, etc. and questioned how the Red Cross directs the different needs of those two groups.
She commented as to what was said that we would retain the ability to open and close therefore she is concerned that if there is an issue in an adjacent town but not in Avon then the town that is affected is the one that would open a facility in their town and the regional one in Avon would not be open for an issue going on in another town. The Town Manager responded that is correct. Mrs. Samul questioned the demands that this will put especially on the maintenance staff at the school. Chairman Zacchio responded that the Red Cross does not provide all of the services like janitorial or food services. Mrs. Samul questioned if we could apply through FEMA for reimbursement of those expenses. Chairman Zacchio commented that as the Town Manager goes through it and considers if there is room for a deal with the Red Cross these are the concerns we want to make sure we are approaching before we get there.
Misc. D: Metropolitan District Commission Proposal to Provide Water to UConn/Storrs: The Town Manager reported that the Town of Mansfield-UConn commissioned an environmental impact evaluation (EIE) to take a look at different options for meeting their long term public water supply needs; this is an issue that they have been grappling for a number of years. He added that there are a number of options that came back; one is an MDC option. He noted that there is concern on the part of the towns in the region that that could have some negative effects on the Farmington River. He added that from public policy perspective it is problematic from a number of perspectives as it appears to be in violation with the State Plan of Conservation and Development, probably in
violation of multiple local Plans of Conservation and Development, and it does not seem logical to take resources from this part of the State and use it in that part of the State when there are other options much closer to UConn that seem to solve the problem. He reported that a letter was sent on behalf of the towns in the Farmington Valley to meet a deadline of January 30th for comments for the EIE. He reported that the consultant, Milone & MacBroom, is going to summarize all of the comments that have been received and report back to UConn and then they will choose an option or choose not to choose and put the study on the shelf. Mrs. Samul commented that from the Town Manager’s comments over the past week or so that he did not feel this was going to be the successful approach. She added that it has had a lot of air time on talk radio and she understands that actually dating back to the 1950s there is a tunnel infrastructure for
diverting water from the Farmington River and tying it into the Reservoir. She noted that she would like to stay on top of this item and not make any assumptions. The Town Manager responded that we will continue to watch this, it is of concern.
Misc. E: Chamber of Commerce-50th Anniversary: The Town Manager reported that they are looking for projects; we are early in the process and very preliminary but they would like to have some kind of signature partnership project that reflects the partnership of the Town and the business community. He added that we have talked about a number of different ideas and polled staff on their thoughts to see if there are any projects that have been in the pipeline for years that just have not been done. He noted that some ideas were the cupola from the old Towpath School, resurrecting it and making some kind of monument somewhere or “Welcome to Avon” signs, etc. He reported that we are continuing to talk to the Chamber of
Commerce. He asked the Council that if they have any ideas to share with him and be sure to give it some thought and pass them along. He added that we have been talking about putting in more elaborate crossing signals at the main intersections of Country Club Road and Scoville Road and Thompson Road or embedded reflectors to provide some security.
Misc. F: Legislative Proposals: The Town Manager reported that Council received adopted legislative proposals for CRCOG, COST, and CCM. He added that he is taking a look at what the proposed budget from the Governor means for Avon and reported that the revenue that we budgeted last year remains the same going into fiscal year 2013/2014 proposed; the amounts in the individual categories may have changed, some of the PILOT money was zeroed out, and there is a slight increase in ECS funding but the bottom line, no change from this year to last year. He added that one of the big surprises in the proposal is this proposal regarding the car tax; it is very early in the process and probably not survive legislative scrutiny but that has some interesting implications going
forward so we will continue to watch it, influence it, and hopefully that does not come to pass. Mr. Evans questioned if that is up to a particular dollar limit. The Town Manager responded the dollar limit is $28,000, assessed value. He commented that with regards to our annual revenue from motor vehicle taxes, both regular and supplemental grand list, you are looking at approximately $5 million so it will be some percentage of that that would be affected but it would be looked at similar to the elderly tax relief program, that lost revenue is absorbed in other categories and be shifted out to other sections of the tax base. Mr. May noted that taxes on homes would have to increase. Mr. Evans questioned if that creates a gap in the amount of revenue that we anticipate against our expenditures. The Town Manager responded no; it depends on how we manage it. Chairman Zacchio commented that with shifting you have to raise the mill rate.
Mr. Evans commented that would be a substantial loss of money if that were to become a reality. Mrs. Samul commented that it is shifting the responsibility for collecting those taxes to another group of taxpayers.
Misc. G: Board of Education Capital Improvement Plan for 2014: The Town Manager reported that this in regards to the security improvements that we have been talking about for the last few weeks. He noted that Gary Mala, Superintendent of Schools, and his team have worked with his staff to develop some of these proposed projects and they fall into a couple of categories including surveillance security cameras, radio system upgrades, hardware for doors to classrooms, and sensors on exterior doors. He reported that the proposal is for $229,515. He is recommending $240,000 in his proposed capital plan to include some contingency. Mr. May asked if a permanent safety officer is being considered. The Town Manager responded that it is not a proposal that we are
making at this time. Mr. May questioned that with the security officer that you have in place right now if that was requested by parents. Gary Mala, Superintendent of Schools, responded there are two security officers at the high school. He noted that Murphy Security was added to monitor the locking of the high school doors, to make sure that people who came in were directed appropriately to the office; there are two because they have an unusual setup, students enter the back and visitors enter the front. He added that they have retained a Murphy security individual to monitor the gymnasium locker room area after school hours, up until this point we have not had any supervision in the evening. He noted that the request that he made in light of some other recent activity at the high school on a short term basis to have an Avon police officer stationed at the high school, that is not intended to go long term and a proactive step in response to heightened
level of concern. He reported that the safety of the building has never been compromised but given the heightened concern that continued and a prudent short term measure to allay anyone’s concerns. Mr. May questioned what kind of feedback he has gotten about that. Gary Mala responded that he has not received any feedback which could be assumed to be positive. He added that with regards to a long term solution, he is not prepared to make that recommendation at this point and time until they consult with security experts including our own trained Avon Police that recently we learned have technical training in how to assess buildings from a safety level. He reported that the security upgrades being recommended are looked favorably upon. He added that now they have identified the issue and the possibility of enhancing security, now that they have examined it they have an obligation to act and recommend as they have. Mr. May questioned how
the long the temporary Avon police presence will be at the high school. Gary Mala responded not much longer. Mr. May wondered if a permanent presence might be a good idea. Gary Mala responded that he is very supportive of a school resource officer type concept; they currently have some security personnel that are retired police officers; parking fees offset the cost of that; they may choose after listening to experts to change their security model to have a school resource officer.
Misc. H: Possible Sharrow Demonstration Project: The Town Manager reported that staff has been looking at this over the last few months. He noted that the top recommendation and first leg would be on Scoville Road, then north on Burnham Road, and run back up Country Club Road. He commented that it creates a nice closed loop with the greenway at the eastern side. He is recommending $2,000 in next year’s budget to pilot fund this and allows us to purchase the paint and put these road markings down. He noted that one of the concerns that we had looking at this was liability and there is a set of guidelines called the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). He commented that there are some guidelines regarding the placement of these
markings on the road; the issue is that the MUTCD suggests that they be placed in fairly short intervals which would require a lot more money and a lot more product to get these markings down. He commented that no one else follows it in surrounding towns and really overkill to have the markings that close. He asked the Town Attorney to take a look at it and determine whether or not we are bound by those restraints and we are not, using a more liberal interpretation, thereby cutting the costs and allowing us to do more the first year. Mr. May commented that Burnham Road where the second sharrow would be located is very dangerous; cars come over a hidden ridge very quickly and do not see other cars and accidents happen here all the time and if we have pedestrians on bicycles who cannot move as fast as cars he thinks this is a tremendous liability and really think before putting those markings down on Burnham Road. He does not want to have anyone get hurt as a
result of trying to put a loop in and trying to appease certain people in the Town; it is nice to get out on a bike however let’s do it safely and if you make Burnham Road one of those major roads have an engineer come out and see how much room there is for a bicycle. He noted that area on Burnham Road is a tremendous risk. Mrs. Samul commented that she lives off Burnham Road and knows what Mr. May is talking about. She noted that right now the kids ride their bicycles from Cheltenham Way area over to the middle school and there are no bicycle signs there so you already have that. She does not know that by putting the signage up it would do anything other than alert drivers to watch out for bicycles. She agreed that it is not ideal but the fact that we have signage it might be beneficial in that it would signal the drivers to look out for children. Mr. May responded that it might also encourage more children to take that ride also.
Mrs. Samul commented that it might, but they are doing it now and it is usually in the morning on their way to school. She recalled recently asking about putting signage up where Scoville Road and Country Club Road intersect with the bike path and questioned if any consideration has been given to that. The Town Manager responded that is in the hopper and will be bringing that back around as we get into the spring. Chairman Zacchio commented that pursuant to Mr. May’s concern, he asked the Town Manager to bring that back to the team and as they look at that area add that layer of concern from a safety perspective and maybe something additional can be done there that helps identify that.
IX. EXECUTIVE SESSION: Land Acquisition / Real Estate
Collective Bargaining
On a motion made by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council go into Executive Session at 8:50 p.m.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, Evans, and May voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council come out of Executive Session at 9:05 p.m.
Mrs. Samul, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, Evans, and May voted in favor.
XI. ADJOURN
The meeting was adjourned at 9:05 p.m.
Attest:
Caroline B. LaMonica
Clerk
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