AVON TOWN COUNCIL
MEETING MINUTES
January 9, 2014
I. OATH OF OFFICE
The Town Clerk gave the oath of office to the members of the Town Council, Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, Evans, and Stokesbury.
II. CALL TO ORDER
The Town Clerk called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. at the Avon Town Hall, in the Selectmen's Chamber.
III. NOMINATIONS AND ELECTION OF COUNCIL CHAIR
The Town Clerk called for nominations for election of Council Chair.
On a motion made by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council elect Mark Zacchio as Council Chairman.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Pena, Evans, and Stokesbury voted in favor. Mr. Zacchio abstained.
Chairman Zacchio thanked the Town Council members; it is an honor to serve on a Council and serve the people of Avon and for another two years as your Chairman and do so to the best of his ability, he appreciates the confidence and trust. He thinks the next two years are going to be pretty exciting with a lot of opportunities to do some good for the Town of Avon and that is why we are all sitting up here. He is looking forward to it and working with this Council over the next two years.
IV. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by the Town Clerk.
V. PUBLIC HEARINGS: None
VI. MINUTES OF PRECEDING MEETING: November 20, 2013 Special Meeting
December 12, 2013
Chairman Zacchio noted that a few minor, grammatical changes have been given to the Clerk.
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mrs. Maguire, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council accept the minutes of the November 20, 2013 Special Meeting as amended.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, and Evans voted in favor. Mr. Stokesbury abstained.
On a motion made by Mrs. Maguire, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council accept the minutes of the December 12, 2013 meeting as amended.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, and Evans voted in favor. Mr. Stokesbury abstained.
VII. COMMUNICATION FROM AUDIENCE - None
VIII. COMMUNICATION FROM COUNCIL
Mr. Pena welcomed the new members to the Council; it is always a pleasure to have new members and he looks forward to working with all members.
Mr. Stokesbury commented that he is happy to be here and working with Council.
IX. OLD BUSINESS
12/13-64 Appointment: Natural Resources Commission (R – 12/31/2013)
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mr. Evans, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council table agenda item 12/13-64 Appointment: Natural Resources Commission (R – 12/31/2013) to the February 6, 2014 meeting.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
13/14-11 FY 14/15 Budget: Town Council Budget Workshop Schedule:
Recommended Date: Saturday, February 8, 2014 at 8:00 a.m.
On a motion made by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council approve the Budget Workshop Schedule for Saturday,
February 8, 2014 at 8:00 a.m. in the Selectmen's Chamber as follows:
8:00 a.m. Budget Overview
8:20 a.m. Library
8:40 a.m. Fire Department
9:00 a.m. Police Department
9:25 a.m. Break
9:40 a.m. Public Works
10:10 a.m. General Government
10:30 a.m. Public Safety (except Fire and Police)
10:50 a.m. Health/Social Services
11:10 a.m. Recreation & Parks
11:30 a.m. Conservation & Development
11:50 a.m. Lunch
12:20 p.m. Engineering / Sewers
12:40 p.m. Special Revenue funds / Capital Improvement Program
1:00 p.m. Adjustments, wrap-up – Adjourn
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, Evans, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
13/14-27 Appointment: Natural Resources Commission (R – 12/31/2015)
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mr. Evans, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council table agenda item 13/14-27 Appointment: Natural Resources Commission (R – 12/31/2015) to the February 6, 2014 meeting.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
13/14-38 Appointment: Natural Resources Commission (D – 12/31/2013)
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mr. Evans, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council table agenda item 13/14-38 Appointment: Natural Resources Commission (D – 12/31/2013) to the February 6, 2014 meeting.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
Chairman Zacchio commented that we will have a decision regarding the Natural Resources Commission and hopefully a number of people to appoint for the February 6, 2014 meeting.
VIII. NEW BUSINESS
13/14-47 Appointment: Inland Wetlands Commission (R – 12/31/2015)
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mr. Evans, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council table agenda item 13/14-47 Appointment: Inland Wetlands Commission (R – 12/31/2015) to the February 6, 2014 meeting.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
13/14-48 Thompson Road Recreation Complex
Chairman Zacchio reported that when this property was purchased one of the reasons was for open space and the possibility of an athletic complex at some point in the future. He added that when we went through the Master Recreation Facilities Plan stages it was also identified as one of the better spots in Town, if not to be located within the jurisdiction of the school district for an athletic type complex. He added that we have gone through a number of discussions around whether or not that piece of property was suitable for that from an athletic perspective with the schools and a Recreation and Parks perspective, and have come to the conclusion that we think it is. He noted that there is a lot of pressure on our debt service and the amount of capacity that is building will get us to the point where we
would probably realize this project in three or four years. He reported that there is certainly a need and he thinks a desire among a large group that we accelerate that to the best of our ability. He noted that we have a group of folks who are willing to do some fundraising to help us get there; some of them are here tonight, but in order to do that we need to have a plan. He reported that right now what we have is what Glenn Marston, Recreation and Parks Director, has referred to in the past as the cartoon drawing which is part of the Master Recreation Facilities Plan that was done back in 2007/2008; it is a rendering but does not get us to the place where we need to be in order to really put a package together to think about how we move forward. He reported that Mr. Marston is here to present to us the facility, the idea, how it fits into the Town’s Master Recreation Facilities Plan as well as it being used for athletics at the Avon High School
level and perhaps even youth league levels around the Farmington Valley.
Glenn Marston, Recreation and Parks Director, reported that at the time of purchase of the property, there was the idea of having an athletic complex in mind, if not such a complex but at least fields. He added that the Board of Education at that time had sent a statement indicating that the location was good because there was a large parcel that could be used for this and it was an immediate proximity to four of the five schools. He reported that by doing the Statement of Need and moving this forward, the next piece is that there needs to be some consensus on whether we are going to move ahead with this or at least the planning process and if in fact we move ahead with the planning process there is money involved in doing that which based on some estimates he has received from architectural firms to probably
be between $30,000 and $40,000. He opted to use the $40,000 in the Statement of Need because if it is less it will go back but if it is not enough we have to come back and he does not think that there is where we want to go. He reported that Larry Baril, Town Engineer, is reviewing all of the documents from the remediation wells to see if in fact they are documents that we can use in this process or if we have to have a different type of testing to see if it will support this type of facility. He noted that all grounds are different; Fisher Meadows and Thompson Road are two completely different areas in terms of what is under the ground.
Mr. Marston commented that the Council normally appoints a building committee for this type of project and he would recommend that probably is appropriate if in fact we are going to go ahead with this so all of the disciplines that are involved will have some say and would not be jurisdictional to the educational system, the recreation and parks system; all of the sports and all of the kids would have some type of say; there are a lot of good people out there who have the right idea. He noted that David Magrini who initiated a little bit of this process on behalf of residents who expressed an interest; we know we want to look for grants but cannot do any of that without a plan. Chairman Zacchio questioned if there is grant money out there; other communities around us who have recently engaged in this were
pretty successful in the grant process. Mr. Marston responded that there is grant money around; it is competitive and a lot has to do with your local representatives or state senators as they push the project. He noted that we are unable to do that from our position sitting here but as you are aware when you did the Buckingham property we had a huge advocate with Kevin Witkos going to bat for us. He added that there is also some money from a grant program that is run out of Cheshire, the Worrell Grant Foundation which is specifically for planning money. He noted that most of the towns doing these projects are using all of those avenues. He reported that youth soccer has a foundation that will grant up to $150,000 to specific vendors for specific types of equipment, one is lighting and one is the actual type of field turf; not too many people get turned down for those as long as we show that soccer will be a tenant there. He noted that if we were
to do football at this complex there are also NFL grants in youth football; they are very competitive.
Chairman Zacchio commented that what is semi-unique to this is that most of the time a project like this is born of the Recreation and Parks Committee and comes up through and you have a plan in place, you start to look for grant monies and good volunteers step up to try and raise supplemental dollars to supplement the project with different amenities or to supplement the project to be bigger; this is a little different in that we probably would not be planning this for a period of years based on our debt service curve and the pressures on it and we have a group who is willing to step up earlier so it puts us in a position to, as Mr. Marston said, you cannot really move forward without some sort of plan and you cannot seek grant monies without some sort of plan; we have the site and have made an investment there over the
years and that plan would help us get to the next level and allow some fundraising to happen which then would either drive us towards an ability to cover the difference without major impact or any impact to the tax base or find that we do not have enough to move forward or to adjust the scale of the project to make something happen. He noted that we have to wrestle with now is how do we pay for that assessment on the short-term, if Council agrees, and instruct the Town Manager to try and find dollars to get us there.
David Magrini, with the Avon Student Athletic Group, commented that many of us have been to this rodeo over the last five to eight years; this seems to be the right time from a parental perspective and when you look at the bond market and our ability to borrow money and raise money there is a lot of interest within the community for bringing this project onto the scene sooner than the three to four years when it might happen on its own. He added that there are folks that have done this in other capacities that are part of their group, putting together a fantastic donor identification strategy for them as well as the same type of thing from a fundraising perspective. He noted that they have a lot of plans so they need this plan, this schematic from the Recreation and Parks Committee, to allow them to really get
into action in terms of identifying donors, looking for grant money, getting their fundraising into place, and everything that would entail. He reported that there is a web site for their organization which is avonstudentathletepark.com and went live today. He noted that the whole idea of this group is three-fold: creating and generating awareness for this project, for disseminating accurate information about the status of the project and where the project is going, and to raise funds as they may be needed. He commented that there are five or six members here tonight; we have had sixty to seventy people attend informational meetings about this. He thinks that with Council’s approval of moving forward with the design phase there will be a lot of interest in the community to see this through.
Mr. Stokesbury asked if we could step back and have Mr. Marston revisit what the plan is because there has been a lot of discussion about different options and he is not quite sure from his perspective what the current recommendation is from him. Chairman Zacchio also questioned with the RFP if we would be asking for a best use of the property schematic. Mr. Marston responded when you commission a company to do this you layout needs or perceive needs based on the number of people, the number of teams, the ages, everything else; then you give them all of the available properties and they attempt to put everything they can on the properties. He added that the original Master Plan for the property was kind of energetic, it had a full-size lighted, turf baseball field which we had a preliminary estimate of
above $2 million. He commented that he is not sure that he could honestly recommend that be part of this process at this time; if we left that area undone or put something else in that area which would be to the south of the current field area; the primary focus is to get a turf all-purpose field that can be used almost without exception to the weather other than storms, light it, fence it, and host events there and not just high school but also youth lacrosse, youth field hockey if it is adequate for that; it would be used by everyone. He noted that in the Statement of Need he put an e-mail out to his colleagues and received lists of where these facilities are and many of them have multiple facilities and they have been so successful they are talking about building more. He commented that here, it is time; the goal would be to design a facility that will work, not overdesign it; parking has to be part of this because football is the largest spectator sport.
Chairman Zacchio commented that we also have the overflow parking at the two schools with a pedestrian connection. Mr. Marston responded that it is a direct proximity to Thompson Brook School. Mr. Stokesbury questioned if Mr. Marston is recommending a proposal of a single multi-purpose lit field. Mr. Marston responded yes, at this time he thinks that is what will wind up coming out of this or perhaps extend the turf beyond the stadium area but for practice purposes or perhaps leave that area as a naturally turf practice field area which we used to use it for even when MH Rhodes was there; we used it as a soccer practice area. He added that if we tried to put everything on that site it is not going to fit; it will cost too much and we compromise our integrity in trying to do too much there. Mr. Stokesbury questioned if Mr. Marston sees the need for any competitive running track around the perimeter. Mr. Marston responded that is a decision
that would probably have to come out with this. He thinks that is a decision that the Town has to make going forward as to whether they feel that a track would be appropriate there. His opinion is that Avon does not need two tracks but he works for everybody here and other people need to make those decisions and it will inflate the cost significantly; it is more than resurfacing, it is going to be building a new one. He added that if you look at the footprint on the Master Plan, if you were to put a track on there it would make that footprint significantly wider; we could certainly explore it but he does not know how much room we have there. Mr. Stokesbury commented that it may be a better approach to be cautious and move slowly forward in stages. He added that it is hard to believe that Thompson is a congested site but because of its shape and wetlands it kind of gets to be. Mr. Marston responded that the shape is a little odd and back portions
of the property approach wetlands so we have to keep a distance from there. He added that the elephant in the room is the parking, there is really no parking there and one of the reasons that the project would probably cost more than in an established location is most of the established locations already have parking. Chairman Zacchio commented that we have a trade off in that there is not a lot of site work plus we could probably use some of that in-kind and equipment to do some of the parking ourselves to keep the cost down, if we get to that point. Mr. Stokesbury commented you might have the product through the milling.
Susie Norman questioned that the $40,000 was to pay a planning group to determine the best use for the property. Mr. Marston responded that right now the plan that we have is elaborate, it’s the cartoon figure; what we have to do is decide what we want to put on the property, what it is going to look like, how wide it is, how long it is, what is going on there, what is going under it, what is going above it, and what is going around it and that will be the picture that we put out as a part of the request for grants. He added that there is more planning that would have to be done before the next step but we have to know what it is that we want to do before we can take the next step. Susie Norman questioned if you can poll the community. Mr. Marston responded that one of the purposes of these
planning groups or the building committee is to do exactly that, find out what it is that people want to do with the property; we are really looking at that site as a single turf field to be used for games. Susie Norman commented that you are launching into a proposition that you are starting there, so it is not ice hockey, indoor pool, or gymnastics. Mr. Marston responded that none of those items has come up in any part of this process. John Hagan noted that this was based on the Master Plan that was put together years ago. Mr. Marston added that it took into account how many teams there were, what age they were; the numbers that were done back then have not changed significantly in terms of the number of teams, the age of the kids, etc. and there are certainly no fewer field sport teams at the high school and does not anticipate that will change significantly, three field hockey teams, three boys’ soccer teams, three girls’ soccer teams, and
lacrosse teams and not even talking about all of the youth leagues and they all have to be brought in because that is where all of the numbers are and where a big support for the project is going to come from.
John Hagan asked that if we were going to ask for this money to come up with a realistic understanding of the project scope, does it make sense to say let’s do it with one stadium field with lights and then if we had another one what those costs would be. Mr. Marston responded yes and could be listed as alternates to the project. Chairman Zacchio commented that you look at the best use of that piece of property from a field perspective and then you have the renderings and plans; the next stage in this is that you have to go to construction documents and when you do that you get a little bit more specific about what is it you are going to build on that plan. He added that whether there is a field or two fields on the rendering which is the best use of that property you then have an “a la carte “ look at going for one field because that is there we are in the funding cycle and what we think is the best use and covers the most number of sports and then when you go to the
construction document phase which gets into the details of how it is built which you go to RFP for a builder for you are then able to pick and choose on that piece of property which piece you are going to do or all of it.
David Magrini commented that coming out of the meetings that this steering committee has had three options that we thought would make sense to look at: 1) Thompson Road just as Mr. Marston has described here, 2) to secure the estimate for the rendering that was done for the high school back in 2007 when the expansion was done and understand is this a $5 million or a $15 million project and a good data point for decision making purposes, and 3) for the hybrid between the two which was to do what we can do at Thompson Road and also look at just applying turf to the existing footprint of the football field at the high school. He added that these are all ideas that the group has gotten some consensus around and outlined on their web site. He noted that he did not want there to be confusion because there will be
options that the steering committee thought made sense and are in some form being discussed and hopefully with moving forward on the planning side we can potentially have more than one option to really consider and have that be part of the plan.
Kathleen Davenport commented that she does remember going to a meeting last year, she believes a Board of Education meeting, where some people were complaining about the track at the high school. She asked if this project is a Town Council project and we let the Board of Education worry about the track; how does that work. Chairman Zacchio responded that this project would be a Town project; through the CIP budget process the Board of Education makes requests to the Town for either maintenance or expansion of facilities. He added that 100% of the money for the high school track was donated. He noted that there is money in this cycle CIP budget for resurfacing which is a matter of maintenance; he does not know about the lanes issue. Mr. Stokesbury commented that the issue with the track is
that it is at the end of its life cycle and needs resurfacing; it is the Board of Education’s capital request for approximately $55,000. He added that there are very few eight lane tracks and to go from our current six to eight really has not seen any momentum.
Kathleen Davenport, Somerset Drive, commented that last she heard they were trying to see whether a turf field would be appropriate at the high school; is that something that would still be the best case scenario for you. Mr. Marston responded that there are issues with the amount of space available at the high school inside the current track. He added that he received a call from a landscape architect from one of the companies who was looking at that to see what it would cost to do that, it would involve moving parking lots that we just put in and all kinds of things. He is here to propose the project on the Thompson Road property because it was identified as a primary site before, anything else that transpires will develop legs of its own at some point in the process; there are obstacles at the high
school and can always be on the table but it is basically blowing up the site and we are not thinking that makes sense when we have a site where we are not going to have tear things down to rebuild them; there is nothing on that site. Chairman Zacchio commented that we had a significant amount of money at one time behind a field with lights at the high school which had some complications around zoning and drainage and the track issue because the inside of the track is not large enough for the largest soccer tournaments. He noted that any project we would propose to move forward with still needs to go through Planning and Zoning where issues of traffic, lighting, noise ordinance all would come into play in terms of how that facility would get developed, what kind of buffers there would be for neighborhoods around it, in the vicinity of it, or on the tracking pattern for it. Kathleen Davenport noted that is a concern because Somerset Drive is right behind that
location.
Chairman Zacchio reported that we are talking about a preliminary drawing in order to start thinking about are there grant funds available, are there funds through the volunteers here tonight around collecting funds to go towards it and does that close the gap significantly in terms of what we can afford to do sooner than what we would do in the course of the bond cycle; that is really all it is about tonight. He added that it would still be an application from the Town Council to the Planning and Zoning Commission as town property and goes through that cycle like anything else does.
Mr. Pena commented that the $40,000 that Mr. Marston refers to is basically everything on the Thompson Road property. Chairman Zacchio responded yes. Mr. Pena commented that what was stated with the high school that is not on the table right now and would not be considered as part of the $40,000. Chairman Zacchio responded that is correct. Mr. Pena asked David Magrini if there would be an impact on fundraising whether it is one project versus another. David Magrini responded that is a good question. He does not think it would necessarily have an impact on fundraising. He thinks everyone would prefer to have this facility at the high school however the location does not suit it and for all the reasons that we talked about Thompson Road is very attractive for that reason. His
personal opinion, he would like to see a hybrid between the two, the stadium facility at Thompson Road and turfing within the existing footprint at the high school where games can be played, etc. just not under the lights. He added that there is an awful lot of momentum with the community to do something and why we are here tonight is let’s get the vision for that plan and then all sorts of things can be associated with a partner. He commented that they have talked to a few people who do this kind of work who would be willing to come out and look at the high school and say we think it will cost you “x” and will do that pro bono. He added that they have done a good deal of homework on that front as well. Mr. Pena commented that we have to look at the whole project and trying to add another project could be somewhat difficult. Chairman Zacchio commented that it is one step at a time.
John Hagan commented that he has been part of this cycle for the last eighteen months or so, used to be the President of the Booster Club and without question the desire to do something is very high and without question in an ideal world it is done at the high school. He added that for the last year our group was split; we could get it done now versus it should be done at the high school. He noted that if there was a plan in place to get something done he thinks that everyone would come together to get that done but until that happens the debate will continue to rage about where it should be and he does not think we have gotten consensus on that but ultimately the consensus should be with Council and then we follow suit.
Tim Prete, Meadow Ridge, commented that there are a few issues that are challenging for the projects and what we are trying to do is address everybody’s needs, not unlike the Town Council we meet and our ears are being bent from a number of areas so what we are trying to do is make sure that we are covering all of the bases. He added that it is not that we are looking away from the high school; when we go out to fundraise we are trying to be as open as we possibly can and raise as much money as we possibly can so we can do everything that is in Avon’s best interest. He reported that the first step is Thompson Road is right there; there are so many issues around the high school. He noted that we all wanted it at the high school as it is great for school spirit; we all went to high schools
where you came off one sporting field and went to watch another sport; it does not happen in Avon because they are not there and that is hurting the Town. He added that they are trying to cover every single person’s need but still move the project forward; it is a sensitive thing to do. He reported that they have talked to potential donors who are interested in donating money for other things as well and they are not going to say no so there are a number of things that the group is working on. He added that there is a pretty good group that is hoping we can move this forward. He commented that it is Thompson Road at the moment but they are not eliminating the high school or Buckingham that needs lights for the baseball fields, they need dugouts so they are looking at all of these things to try and make Avon sports better and Avon more of a place where a lot of families want to come and live and enjoy themselves and not go to Simsbury, Granby or Canton. He clarified that it is
possible that they could be raising money that could be targeted to something else, not just Thompson Road; right now it is Thompson Road and that is where we have to focus and then we show progress to the folks that are interested. Chairman Zacchio commented that Thompson Road is an anchoring project.
Mr. Evans asked the Town Manager if we have $40,000 budgeted for the Thompson Road design. The Town Manager responded no, he would have to do some looking and come back with a recommendation; it would require an appropriation by Town Council and Board of Finance.
Mr. Evans commented that there is growing support for this project; it has been discussed for a lot of years about putting athletic fields on the Thompson Road property because that is what was acquired as open space so we would have this opportunity; if you put your ear to the ground in this Town you get the sense more recently there is growing support for that. He added that from his perspective particularly support for matching funds, public fundraising to support the project and he personally likes to see that; we saw that with the tennis courts and with the library. He commented that when the townspeople come to us and say that they have a project and they want to see it grow, he thinks we are seeing that, and when they are willing to help raise the money to do that we should try and find a way to support
that. He added that he also does not want to see us get too far ahead of ourselves; he would like to see a plan, an incremental game plan in place to see the steps and where we go. He questioned if the first step is to get the drawing, see what it looks like, see what the highest and best uses of the property are, and then come back full circle and see what we are looking at and then go to construction drawings from there. Mr. Marston responded that we have to have an idea of what it is that we are asking them to look at, we have already asked for the cartoon schematic; now we have to decide what is practical for the use of the building and put everything in perspective as to where it is on the property. He noted that there is a final step in this which is the final design and permitting process before the contract documents. Chairman Zacchio commented that depending on what happens there may change the scope or the design of what you are trying to
build which changes the cost. Mr. Marston commented that we did this process with Fisher Meadows; we went to the preliminary schematic, we went to the final schematic and through all of the permitting processes, and that process now sits as a final design which would then go to contract documents to get this done.
Mr. Evans questioned when in the process do we get a sense of the cost of this. Mr. Marston responded that there are preliminary estimates from the first step based on the requests made.
The Town Manager reported that it really is a straight forward process; the key is to know what the program is and once you know that you design the facility to support it and then you can get the estimates. Chairman Zacchio added that we have the utility building onsite, we have water, power, and he thinks sewer as well.
David Magrini commented that the group has a critical path on the timeline that they have put together but until they have that drawing the dates cannot be solidified. He added that the steps are pretty straightforward. Mr. Evans noted that the group has done a lot of work for this and that is commendable and appreciated and gets us on a good running start and if this project gets legs and becomes feasible from an economic perspective for the Town all of your work will come to fruition. Mr. Evans asked the Town Manager what the next step is, what is needed from us tonight. The Town Manager responded that to move forward you need an appropriation; we would need to get $40,000 to go to an RFP process to hire an engineer/architect to sit down with Mr. Marston, staff, a group, and Council to talk about
the program so that we can go ahead and develop those estimates. He would say the next step in the process is that we need funds to go ahead and move forward with that. He added that he can take a look between now and the next Council meeting and come back with a couple of recommendations to appropriate up to $40,000 for professional services. Mr. Evans concurred. He asked at the same time if they can start to see what the RFP looks like so they can take a look at a piece of paper next meeting and see what it is we are putting an RFP out for or do you have that already. The Town Manager responded that the RFP is going to look very similar to the Statement of Need. Chairman Zacchio commented that we want an all-purpose athletic field facility that includes suitable parking, seating, concessions, press box, fencing, lighting and bathroom facilities and would be the list that we would propose to give through RFP. He added that then we say we
really like that, it gives us what we need plus room for expansion; we have something to present to a group that wants to do some fundraising and we as a group as well as these folks to do some grant writing or to look for opportunities for other monies and we move forward and see where that takes us; that is the first and only step we have at this point. Chairman Zacchio commented, and Council agrees, that is the way we want to go and the direction we would like to go and we ask the Town Manager to find a way to support that financially and give us opportunities to move forward. Mr. Stokesbury added that we are not talking the old cartoon; we are talking about an evolution from that to probably a first step single field with expansion option. Chairman Zacchio commented that he would probably expect any firm that looks at this there would probably be a player in this arena that would probably want to move forward with construction documents, we might want to
consider if we were to choose the same firm to move forward with if we are successful with the financial aspect of it that we would be able to apply this portion as a continuation to that cost for construction documents.
Council granted consensus to the Town Manager. The Town Manager will report back at the next meeting. Chairman Zacchio thanked everyone. He added that we have had a lot of success in the past with private funding and public funding to get projects done around Town and it is the good things that he thinks we all want to accomplish including tennis courts, the high school track which was 100% donated funds, the schools enjoy a lot of playgrounds that are donated dollars, and this is a continuation of the good work of the volunteers in Avon so we appreciate it and thank you very much.
13/14-49 Technology Lease/Purchase Approval
Chairman Zacchio reported that this technology lease/purchase approval is for the Board of Education’s replacement of teacher and classroom computers. He added that Council needs to approve any lease purchase for the Town of Avon. Mr. Zacchio commented that these expenditures are in the Board of Education budget but because it is a lease as presented during their presentations last year we still have to approve it. The Town Manager responded that it is specifically in the debt policy, that any time there is a capital lease purchase both the Town Council and Board of Finance have to approve it; it is tax exempt financing.
Gary Mala, Superintendent of Schools, commented that some of the confusion was that approximately two years ago the Board of Education was before the Council talking about the change in financing technology, at that point they were clear that each and every transaction had to come back before the Council. He, on behalf of the Board of Education, congratulated those that have been re-elected to the Council and those that are new to the Council.
John Spang, Superintendent of Finance and Operations, reported that this request for approval is for two leases, one is for three hundred classroom computers; replacement computers coming off lease and the second is for two hundred teacher laptop computers. He added that when they went out to bid for this they did an electronic bid, a reverse auction; they saved approximately $92,000 doing that. Mr. Evans questioned the $1 purchase option and it not really being a lease and more of a financing arrangement. He asked if it is their sense that after the three years those computers are obsolete anyway. Mr. Mala reported that their intent to purchase them for $1 as they rotate them to other schools that do not necessarily require the same computing power; they do maintain the extended warranty on the
product. He gave an example that the teacher laptop computers that are going in the high school are actually freeing up desktop computers that are there currently, those are being taken and relocated to some of our other schools to create additional labs; part of that need is precipitated by statewide standardized assessment that needs to be done electronically. He noted that is why this financing arrangement is to secure them for $1 at the end and run them out as long as we can. He added that they are financing the amount over time and realized tremendous success through their unique procurement process to get them at the most competitive rate. Mr. Pena commented that even at $1, if our intent is to buy them afterwards then it is a good deal for us but if not then the residual could be any dollar as long as we reduce the payment.
Gary Mala reported that a number of years ago the district was renting computers and at the end of the rental period there was an option to buy them out at fair market value; the first group was for approximately two hundred machines at the time and we would have paid an additional $90,000 to secure those computers when in fact that was not advantageous at all; this is simply taking the amount that we have realized and financing over time and eliminates having a very large budget request in one year. He noted that they are requesting in the operating budget a payment as opposed to the full amount and spreads it out. Mr. Pena questioned if it is an all or nothing when we opt to buy them at the end. Mr. Mala responded no, we could buy some and not others. He noted that they have a twenty-four hour
turnaround time for any machine that is financed under this package to be either repaired or replaced. Mr. Stokesbury questioned if the $1 purchase price for all five hundred units. Mr. Spang responded yes. Mr. Stokesbury commented that the Board of Education has a new technology plan that is part of the Board of Education to keep doing this to allow the schools to have contemporary technology on a regular basis and not hope to find large purchase price items when the budgets allow for it. Mr. Mala responded that is correct; it is really smoothing it out over time, securing the necessary equipment without burdening any particular one budget. Mr. Stokesbury commented that in three years you might not need to replace these units but there will be other technology in the district that you may be purchasing. Mr. Mala responded yes; maybe the next generation of technology and they will continue to commit to the unique procurement process to drive down
the price.
Susie Norman, Cider Brook Road, questioned if the goal is to give all the teachers a laptop. Mr. Mala responded yes. Ms. Norman questioned if the Board of Education is going to change their requirements of what teachers are required to use the laptops for. Mr. Mala responded yes. Ms. Norman commented that her experience has been several teachers saying that they will not answer e-mails, they will not have a web site, or they will not share information over the internet. Mr. Mala responded that there is a certain requirement; the bulk of their communication is electronic whether we want to or not.
On a motion made by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mrs. Maguire, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council approve a 36-month lease agreement between Dell Financial Services, LLC and Town of Avon for 300 classroom computer and 200 teacher laptops for the Board of Education.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
13/14-50 Appointments
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mr. Evans, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council re-appoint David M. Cappello, Marianne L. Clark, and Duane E. Starr to the Planning and Zoning Commission for a four-year term to expire on December 31, 2017.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council re-appoint Donald Bonner, Elaine G. Primeau, and Jenna Ryan as alternate members to the Planning and Zoning Commission for a two-year term to expire on December 31, 2015.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mrs. Maguire, seconded by Mr. Stokesbury, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council re-appoint Dean S. Applefield, Martha A. Dean, Bryan Short, and Clifford S. Their to the Inland Wetlands Commission for a four-year term to expire on December 31, 2017.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mr. Stokesbury, seconded by Mrs. Maguire, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council re-appoint Barbra G. Chester and Wade Horsey to the Natural Resources Commission for a four-year term to expire on December 31, 2017 and table two vacancies (1-R and 1-D) with the same term to the February 6, 2014 meeting.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mr. Evans, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council re-appoint Donald R. Droppo, Jr., David A. Jadovich, Paul Marioni, Peter J. Ponziani, Peggy J. Roell, Todd Donovan, and Michael F. Trick to the Recreation & Parks Committee for a two-year term to expire on December 31, 2015.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council re-appoint Gloria L. Farrell, Alice Herrmann, and Cynthia R. Hopper to the Committee of Aging for a four-year term to expire on December 31, 2017.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mrs. Maguire, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council re-appoint Terence Ryan and Christopher Roy to the Water Pollution Control Authority for a four-year term to expire on December 31, 2017.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mr. Stokesbury, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council re-appoint Dwight A. Johnson as Town Attorney for a term not to exceed two years (December 31, 2015), subject to an RFP process.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mr. Stokesbury, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council re-appoint Murtha Cullina LLC as Assistant Town Attorney for a term not to exceed two years (December 31, 2015), subject to an RFP process.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council re-appoint James R. McCarthy as Town Treasurer for a two-year term to expire on December 31, 2015.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mrs. Maguire, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council appoint Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Citizens Bank, Commerce Bank, Connecticut State Treasury’s Short-Term Investment Fund (STIF), Cutwater Investor Services Corporation (CT – CLASS PLUS), Farmington Bank, First Niagara Bank, HSBC Bank USA, N.A., Liberty Bank, Northwest Community Bank, People’s United Bank, Santander Bank, N.A., Simsbury Bank & Trust Co., TD Bank, N.A., United Bank, Wachovia Bank, N.A., Webster Bank, N.A., and Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. as the Town’s Depository of Town Funds for a two year term to expire on December 31, 2015.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mrs. Maguire, seconded by Mr. Stokesbury, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council re-appoint USI as the Town’s Insurance Agent of Record for a two-year term to expire on December 31, 2015.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mr. Stokesbury, seconded by Mr. Evans, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council re-appoint Mark Rinaldo, Police Chief to the North Central EMS for a two-year term to expire on December 31, 2015.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mr. Evans, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council re-appoint Lawrence Baril – Transportation, Richard W. Hines – Community Development, Alan Rosenberg – Housing Committee, and Brandon Robertson – Municipal Services as CRCOG Committee Representatives for a two-year term to expire on December 31, 2015..
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Stokesbury, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council re-appoint Linda H. Keith – Town Council Representative and David M. Cappello – Alternate to the CRCOG Regional Planning Commission for a two-year term to expire on December 31, 2015.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mrs. Maguire, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council re-appoint Mark Rinaldo, Police Chief as Town Council Representative on the CRCOG Public Safety Council for a two-year term to expire on December 31, 2015.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mr. Stokesbury, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council re-appoint Nancy Weiner-Anstey to the Central Regional Tourism District for a two-year term to expire on December 31, 2015.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mr. Evans, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council re-appoint Mark. W. Zacchio – Member and Brandon Robertson – Alternate on the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities Legislative Committee for a two-year term to expire on December 31, 2015.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor. Mr. Zacchio abstained.
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mr. May, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council re-appoint Marisa Walls to the North Central Regional Mental Health Board for a two-year term to expire on December 31, 2015.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mrs. Maguire, seconded by Mr. Stokesbury, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council re-appoint Monte J. Hopper and Robert M. Propiescus, Jr. as Town Constables for a two-year term to expire on December 31, 2015.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mr. Stokesbury, seconded by Mr. Evans, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council re-appoint Ebbe C. Blomstrand – Lakeview, Anona A. Broadman – Senior Citizens, Mary C. Harrop – VNA, David Bourgard – Avon Volunteer Fire Department, and Jean Dellamarggio – Secret Lake as Town Council Representatives for a two-year term to expire on December 31, 2015.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mrs. Maguire, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council re-appoint the Farmington Valley Health District – Avon Health Department, Jennifer Kertanis, Director, Brandon Robertson – Town Council Representative, and Maura Shea – Town Council Representative to the Farmington Valley Health District for a two-year term to expire on December 31, 2015.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council re-appoint Alan Rosenberg as the Town’s Municipal Agent for the Elderly for a two-year term to expire on December 31, 2015.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mrs. Maguire, seconded by Mr. Stokesbury, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council re-appoint Candice Chirgotis and Bill Hooper to the Wild & Scenic River Study Committee for a two-year term to expire on December 31, 2015.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mr. Stokesbury, seconded by Mrs. Maguire, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council re-appoint Vernetta Jefferson – Parent/Community Member, Maria Mozzicato – Parent/Community Member, Lori Stanczyc – Parent/Community Member, Susan Alexe – Youth Service Professional, Heather Toyen – School Advisor, and Mark Rinaldo- Police Chief to the Youth Services Advisory Board for a two –year term to expire on December 31, 2015.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mrs. Maguire, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council re-appoint Lisa Levin, Mitchell Kennedy, Brian Glenn, Martin Kaplan, Richard Kretz, Robert Bullis, Bernard J. Zahren, and Jonathan Craig – Advisory Member to the Avon Clean Energy Commission for a two-year term to expire on December 31, 2015.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mrs. Maguire, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council amends the agenda to add item 13/14-51 Appointment: Board of Assessment Appeals.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mrs. Maguire, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council appoint Samuel Chester to the Board of Assessment Appeals to fill a vacancy with a term to expire on December 31, 2015.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
IX. TOWN MANAGER’S REPORT/MISCELLANEOUS
Misc. A: Purchasing Update: The Town Manager reported that it is shaping up to be a pretty busy winter into the spring; we have a number of our largest bids that will be going out – Grounds Maintenance Services, Snow Removal Services, and Animal Control. He noted that we will add to the list the RFP process for Town Attorney Services. He added that Town Attorney is a bit unique in that it is a very important appointment, a direct appointment by the Town Council; for the next meeting he would give Council some suggestions and background in terms of how this process has been done in Avon before. He reported that today we had a walkthrough with companies that are interested in bidding on the solar panel projects and we had fifteen vendors who went around and
looked at different sites, both in terms of sites located on roofs and also the Landfill and open land. He noted that responses are due at the end of January. He reported that he has been very happy with the support that we are getting from Paul Michaud at Murtha Cullina because it is very labor intensive and very technical.
Misc. B: Construction Update: The Town Manager reported that we are complete with the sidewalk and the improvements in front of the Board of Education Annex; underground fuel storage tanks are pretty much done for the year and we will have two more years of funding for this project with the final year in fiscal year 2015/2016. Chairman Zacchio questioned who maintains the sidewalks in front of the Annex. The Assistant Town Manager responded that we contract out for those sidewalks but the current contract did not include sidewalks that did not exist three years ago.
Misc. C: Letters of Support for Grants: The Town Manager reported that he recently gave Wendy Howard a letter of support for a $4,500 grant through the USTA to offset the cost of lighting at the Avon Middle School tennis courts. He noted that the group has raised approximately $15,000 to $20,000 to date and a promise of funding through the Hoffmann Foundation; they have been working with us for in-kind services with Public Works, as with the installation of the courts so we are happy to help. Mr. Stokesbury questioned if the lights have been approved. The Town Manager responded that the Planning and Zoning Commission approved the lights in 2012. He also reported that the new farmer, Rodger Phillips, on the west side of Tillotson, have applied for a grant
through the Farm Administration up to $20,000 with no contribution from the Town. Chairman Zacchio questioned for what purpose. The Town Manager responded that the farmer is looking to acquire machinery.
The Town Manager reported that we took delivery of the new Dial-A-Ride van; we included $15,000 in the current year capital budget that we added to a State grant of approximately $55,000 to acquire the van.
The Town Manager reported that Connecticare has awarded the Avon Senior Center a grant for approximately $2,000 through the Neighborhood Assistance Act Program to buy new computers. He noted that it will take care of a few new computers and possibly a printer as well. Mr. Evans commented that perhaps the Senior Center could work with the Board of Education for better pricing on the computers.
Chairman Zacchio questioned how our budget is holding up from a snow removal, overtime perspective with Highway and the trucks. The Town Manager responded so far, so good but it is still early. He noted that where we are having the larger problem in terms of overtime is on the police side; we have seen a real uptick primarily because we have a few vacancies right now. He reported that in terms of plowing operations nothing has been flagged yet, it is tracking ok. He noted that after every storm he receives a report with call out times and what the cost was; weekend storms cost us time and a half or double time. He added that he saw an article in Bloomberg Business Report about some Public Works Departments including the State of New York using beet juice and molasses as an additive in the
salt mixture; they reduce the amount of magnesium chloride in the mixture and substitute that reduction with the beet juice and because of the high sugar content it melts at a much lower temperature. He noted that Avon tried it a few years ago, it worked ok but seeing that it does not usually get that cold and it is approximately $10 more per ton it was decided to discontinue use and go with our current product.
X. EXECUTIVE SESSION: Land Acquisition/Real Estate
Pending Claim(s)/Litigation
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mrs. Maguire, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council go into Executive Session at 9:05 p.m.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
The Town Manager and Town Clerk attended the session.
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 9:35 p.m.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
XI. ADJOURN
On a motion made by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council adjourn the meeting at 9:35 p.m.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
Attest:
Ann L. Dearstyne, Town Clerk
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