AVON TOWN COUNCIL
MEETING MINUTES
May 1, 2014
I. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. at the Avon Town Hall, in the Selectmen’s Chamber by Chairman Zacchio. Members present: Mrs. Maguire and Messrs: Pena, Evans, and Stokesbury.
II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Chairman Zacchio.
III. PUBLIC HEARINGS: None
IV. MINUTES OF PRECEDING MEETING: April 2, 2014 Special Meeting
April 3, 2014
On a motion made by Mr. Stokesbury, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council accept the minutes of the April 2, 2014 Special Meeting as submitted.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, Evans, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mr. Stokesbury, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council accept the minutes of the April 3, 2014 Regular Meeting as submitted.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor. Mr. Evans abstained.
V. COMMUNICATION FROM AUDIENCE
Laura Young, 57 Hitchcock Lane, reported that she and Wendy Howard have been working on fundraising to put in lighting at the Avon Middle School tennis courts for approximately two years and they are happy to report that they have raised approximately $44,500 towards the goal of purchasing equipment which would be estimated to be between $51,000 and $53,000; it includes a grant from the Maximilian Hoffman Foundation, Avon High School PTO donation, Avon High School Booster Club donation, Avon Middle School PTO donation, community fundraising including our most recent fundraiser which occurred over the weekend, and the Avon Public Schools’ contribution as well as the USTA Grant awarded in January. She reported that their goal at this point is to have enough funding in place that they will finish doing the
fundraising through ACORN by June 1, 2014 in order to purchase the lights by June 30, 2014. She reported that they are asking Council to let them know what position they would be in with respect to paying for the installation of the lights. She added that they feel that they have at this point reached their fundraising maximum. She noted that they have had a lot of competing projects including the upcoming athletic complex; they have been asked by several people who are interested in taking over the Board for ACORN for a significant fundraising initiative that will be underway for the Thompson Road Athletic Complex. She added that they feel that they have reached their capacity for fundraising in total for the actual lights themselves. She noted that the costs associated with the installation of the lights include in-kind services, materials, and contractor. She added that meeting minutes from 2010 and 2011 show where their appropriations originally
came from for the original $65,000 and restoration of the tennis courts. She noted that there was approximately $20,000 of funding that was not used for those appropriations that went back into various funds, some of which went back to the Board of Education. She commented that they did not know where the additional funds might come from but what they are trying to figure out is if Council is interested and wants these lights. They feel that they have reached their maximum capacity for fundraising at this point and they want to know if they can go ahead and purchase them and then the Town would take responsibility for installing them at your convenience.
Chairman Zacchio commented that the fundraising portion that has been raised thus far would fundamentally purchase the lights; the in-kind services piece, $19,791.59, are soft dollars we pay out either way so there is not a bogey from a budget number perspective for that so we are talking about $8,191.59 for in-kind labor and $2,120 for equipment rental that we are short in real cash. Mrs. Young noted that for the first part of the project the Department of Public Works came in significantly under budget so she does not know how much play there is in the contractor number. Chairman Zacchio responded that you can negotiate somewhat but the bigger question is process wise how would we do this; we are walking into a new budget year and we probably do not have operating funds out of last year’s budget to do
something, but from a timing perspective if we are interested in doing this project and as an applicant to Planning & Zoning we gave support and interest in doing it with the caveat that the fundraising committee was going to raise all of the money for it. Mrs. Howard commented that they have some bench sales that they hope will bring in a little more but this is where we are at now. Mrs. Young added that their goal is to raise enough to buy the lights; they are at $44,500 now but the goal is to have enough to buy the lights, that they intend between some major donor pledges that they have right now but the donors do not want their money hanging out there for two more years. She added that they are hoping to sell six benches at the Avon Middle School that would go along the perimeter, along the driveway and side of parking lot. She commented that the Town does not necessarily have to take delivery of them until they are ready to install them.
Chairman Zacchio responded that the fundraising group does not have the cash at this point. Mrs. Young responded that they should have it within the month.
Chairman Zacchio commented that assuming that happens, he asked the Town Manager from a processing perspective do we move forward with accepting the gift from ACORN and set it up into a capital reserve account along with the in-kind services (which do not impact the budget) and move forward with the caveat of figuring out how to fund this at some point and it may have to wait until next year’s capital budget if it hits the priority list. He added that if we are going to accept the funds he assumes that we would have to be in favor of and put some support behind it in terms of next year’s budget at minimum; whether or not we have something in the fiscal year budget at the end but this year he is not sure as we are significantly behind in snow removal and salt so these are the places that we could
typically try to draw from that we do not have the flexibility necessarily this year that we have had. He commented that maybe tonight we cannot answer the question but it is good to know and if you have a month ahead of you we can figure out from a process perspective whether we want to do it, but then collectively need to figure out how to fund it.
Ms. Young responded that her concern is that they cannot gift all of the money to the Town directly from a process standpoint, the Maximilian Hoffman Foundation monies have to be written directly to the vendor because they cannot give to a municipality so if they wrote a check to Musco for $25,000 and gifted the rest to the Town, is that possible? The Town Manager responded yes, there are a lot of different ways to handle it. Mr. Stokesbury commented that it is an in-kind gift of the product. Ms. Young reported that their group is responsible for the lights, approximately $53,000. She added that they have potential major donors that have reached out to them and they have their bench sales so between now and June 30th they are fairly confident that they will get to the goal of being able
to buy the lights. Mr. Pena inquired about the bench sales. Ms. Young responded that in theory the benches would be approximately $2,000 each and cost about $500 to purchase so they would be pulling in $1,500 as a donation. Mr. Evans commented that the group has done a great job raising the money and should be very proud and happy with what has been accomplished. He added that there is a shortfall of approximately $20,000 and have to find a way to pay for that. He noted that there if is not money in this budget year then it has to go to next year’s budget and we have already written that budget and it does not include this. Ms. Young commented that it could happen in spring of next year but their concern from a fiscal standpoint is that they are in the position now of being told they may have to give the $25,000 back and that would really defeat the purpose of this; they would like to at least purchase the lights and not have to give back
that grant.
Chairman Zacchio asked the Town Manger, before Council’s June 5th meeting, to think through the scenario that this could work and some of the potential timings around how we would fund this. He noted that the first and easiest way of funding it is to say that it is not in this year’s fiscal budget and do not know what next year’s fiscal budget looks like at the end of next year’s fiscal year but we may know better in the spring as Mrs. Young suggests. He asked for some scenarios and how that plays through. He noted that the problem that we are facing is that there is an amount of money that has been raised that is potentially at risk of being lost. He added that we did apply through Planning and Zoning Commission for the lights so we have some support behind this
to give the fundraising group. He reported that we should at least go through this process to determine how we could solve this problem and the next problem will be how do we fund $20,000 and that might be in next year’s fiscal budget or it might be something that we can find ways to do based on the priorities and what our budget looks like next spring. Mrs. Howard commented that if they purchase the lights and they sat in some warehouse and the Thompson Road athletic complex materializes and they could rent the equipment for a one-time installation. Chairman Zacchio commented that there are scenarios that could play out so let’s give the Town Manager the flexibility to work through solving these issues and giving us options to move forward with. Mr. Stokesbury responded that was a good idea. Mr. Evans responded that he particularly supports a project when the group has raised money and now coming to the Town asking to bridge a gap or to
provide the additional funds that the group has not been able to raise; it is consistent with other approaches we have taken with other projects in Town. Mr. Pena commented that he is impressed that they will raise $53,000. Ms. Young commented the lighting prices with Musco will hold until June 30th.
VI. COMMUNICATION FROM COUNCIL
Mr. Pena reported that the National Day of Prayer was held today; it was a great event. He noted that Mrs. Maguire was in attendance, as well as former Town Council members Bill Shea, Diane Hornaday, and Pam Samul. He added that the event was brought inside because of the rain and there were approximately 150 people in attendance which is more than they have ever had. He thanked the Town, including Glenn Marston, Director of Recreation and Parks, and Department of Public Works staff. Chairman Zacchio thanked Mr. Pena and Mrs. Maguire for being there and representing the Town Council. He noted that Mr. Pena has not missed a National Day of Prayer since he has been a Town Council member.
Mrs. Maguire reported that the Roaring Brook School playground has been installed; there is still some work that needs to be done including basketball hoops and bricks and benches and the Department of Public Works will be installing a curb which will hold in the mulch. She commended the Town Manager, the Director of Public Works, and the Assistant Town Manager for their help from day one; they listened to our dreams and they helped everything become a reality. She noted that it was a learning experience going through the whole RFP process, selecting a vendor, and working with Public Works, it was an amazing experience and the professionalism was second to none. She added that the Department of Public Works (DPW) staff were fabulous and did a great job. She is very appreciative and thanked them
all. Chairman Zacchio noted that we have put DPW in some different situations over the last few years and asking them to help us with projects and they have not let us down; we have a lot of talented folks in that department and good to have them for projects like this. He added that the work that Mrs. Maguire did was outstanding and that is something she should be proud of. Mrs. Maguire responded that she is and she thinks it is a great project and addition to the Town and it will last for years to come.
Mr. Stokesbury commended Mrs. Maguire for her hard work on the Roaring Brook School playground project and leadership of the whole team, both the Town and the volunteers; a great project for the school itself but the broader community as well. He reported that just before tonight’s meeting he stopped at the Auto Zone, new store near Snap Fitness, and they are knowledgeable, friendly, and happy to be open. He welcomed them to the Town and they were appreciative and good to see an empty store front become occupied. He noted that the other space in the plaza is leased to tenants and will be coming along shortly. Goodwill will be moving in at the far left end with someone in between them and Auto Zone.
VII. OLD BUSINESS
13/14-11 FY 14/15 Budget Development
The Town Manager reported that we have the Annual Town Meeting on Monday, May 5th at 7:00 p.m. at the Senior Center. He added that earlier today he sent out a revised presentation to Chairman Zacchio for review, trying to strip it down a little bit further from what was done at the Public Hearing. He noted that they are in the process of finalizing the presentation for the Board of Finance, including a couple of percentages. He noted that it appears that based on some last minute rounding and some other adjustments whenever you look at the increase post-revaluation it is actually going to come in about 2.55%. He added that the important thing is that the total mill rate increase remains the same from the current year to proposed FY 14/15 but the allocation of the mill rate which is due
to the revaluation versus what is required to support future spending was slightly adjusted. He noted that there is a good outline and explanation and Board of Finance Chairman Tom Harrison will provide that overview on Monday night. Chairman Zacchio commented that the Council’s presentation will be a condensed version of our longer presentation at the Board of Finance Public Hearing. Mr. Evans commented that the content is the same because there have not been any changes by the Board of Finance.
13/14-76 Appointment: T.C. Representative for Lakeview Association (12/31/2015)
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mrs. Maguire, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council table agenda item 13/14-76 Appointment: Lakeview Association (12/31/2015) to the June 5, 2014 meeting.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, Evans, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
13/14-78 Appointment: Building Code Board of Appeals (R – 12/31/2015)
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mrs. Maguire, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council table agenda item 13/14-78 Appointment: Building Code Board of Appeals (R – 12/31/2015) to the June 5, 2014 meeting.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, Evans, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
13/14-84 Appointment: Planning & Zoning Commission – Alternate (R – 12/31/2015)
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mrs. Maguire, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council table agenda item 13/14-84 Appointment: Planning & Zoning Commission – Alternate (R – 12/31/2015) to the June 5, 2014 meeting.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, Evans, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
13/14-85 Appointment: Town Constable (R – 12/31/2017)
On a motion made by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council appoint Leonard DelGallo, Jr. as Town Constable to fill a vacancy with a term to expire on December 31, 2017.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, Evans, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
13/14-86 Appointment: Committee on Aging (R – 12/31/2017)
On a motion made by Mr. Zacchio, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council appoint Patti Thomas on the Committee on Aging to fill a vacancy with a term to expire on December 31, 2017.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, Evans, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
VIII. NEW BUSINESS
13/14-88 Set Public Hearing Date: Neighborhood Assistance Act
Chairman Zacchio reported that we set a public hearing date for the Neighborhood Assistance Act on an annual basis. The Town Manager reported that this is an annual process and what the Council has to do in accordance with the enabling statute is to hold a public hearing and to approve applications from non-profits and then send to the Department of Revenue Services. He noted that one interesting thing about the program is that any non-profit can apply and not just from Avon and the reason is that they have probably missed the public hearing in their own community so it is a matter of convenience. He added that once they are approved by the Department of Revenue Services, qualifying businesses that provide funding to those organizations receive a tax write-off. Mr. Pena questioned who has received
this award in the past and mentioned the Avon Volunteer Fire Department. Chairman Zacchio commented that we usually have four or five applicants. Mr. Stokesbury questioned if Town Council or Town staff is responsible for vetting the non-profit or determining its qualifications as a non-profit. The Town Manager responded no. He noted that this is just another part of the application process that the organization has to complete in order to get the designation through the Department of Revenue Services who makes sure that they qualify; there is a box that they have to check that a public hearing has been held in a community and a local legislative body has approved the application. Chairman Zacchio commented that the State uses the municipality as a “gate in” to get it into the system.
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 consider participation in the Neighborhood Assistance Act in accordance with Public Act 95-268 to be held at the June 5, 2014 meeting.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, Evans, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
13/14-89 LoCIP Authorization
Chairman Zacchio reported that this is done on an annual basis. He noted that this is funds that come through and is typically used for road overlay projects. The Town Manager commented that this grant is not accounted for in the General Fund, rather in a Special Revenue Fund (Fund 11). He noted that for this current year we budgeted $93,797 and that number comes from the initial State estimates that come out early in the year and there is typically a variance which on good years is positive and not so good years is negative and this year it is positive. Chairman Zacchio questioned what we do with the difference. The Town Manager responded that it is appropriated; while we budgeted $93,797 the actual appropriation or budget amendment for $109,484 so it will stay in that Special Revenue Fund
which is typically used for road overlay. He added that if we have issues with salt purchase we will either pull it here or the Town Aid Road account (Fund 9).
On a motion made by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council authorize the Town Manager to apply for a LoCIP grant in the amount of $109,484.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, Evans, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
13/14-90 Emergency Management Performance Grant-Supplemental Appropriation
Chairman Zacchio reported that this is an annual grant that comes through that we have typically used in the past for some of our part-time employment.
On a motion made by Mr. Stokesbury, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council hereby recommends that the Board of Finance amend the FY 13/14 Budget by increasing:
REVENUES
General Fund, Intergovernmental, EHSM1 Emergency Homeland Security, Account #01-0330-43385 in the amount of $ 9,072.50 and increasing:
APPROPRIATIONS
General Fund, Fire Prevention, Regular Part Time, Account #01-2201-51012 in the amount of $5,519.35 for the purpose of paying additional part time hours to Emergency Management staff and General Fund, Emergency Management, Fixed Equipment, Account #01-2501-53302 in the amount of $3,553.15 for the purpose of purchasing a laptop and software for the Emergency Management Director.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, Evans, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
13/14-91 Contract Recommendation: AMS/RBS Flooring and RBS Ceiling Tile
The Town Manager reported that the bid results were favorable. He noted that the budgeted amount was $321,837 and the bids came in at $123,326.70 but the bids do not include some of the asbestos work that we know needs to be done which could cost approximately $50,000. He reported that he spoke with Gary Mala, Superintendent of Schools and John Spang, Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations about this contract and this is a nice problem to have, it is a very competitive market and they would extend the work that they already have planned in both the Avon Middle School and Roaring Brook School for the flooring and ceiling tile work and try to get ahead of it next year so there is either no ask or not that large of an ask. He noted that in terms of the mechanics of exactly which rooms are going
to be done and how that is going to play out he cannot speak to in detail but he knows the plan is to get ahead of it. Chairman Zacchio commented that there has to be some efficiency in having Bartholomew Contract Interiors just continue on with the work then to stop and start over a couple of years as well.
On a motion made by Mr. Stokesbury, seconded by Mr. Evans, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council awards the contract for installation of flooring at Avon Middle School and Roaring Brook School and ceiling tile at Roaring Brook School to Bartholomew Contract Interiors of Hartford, CT, based on their low bids with a total not to exceed $123,326.70.
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 with the RFP for Legal Services a committee including himself, the Director of HR, Police Chief, Town Planner, and the Superintendent of Schools reviewed all of the proposals that were received. He noted that three categories of proposals were received: those looking just to provide labor counsel services or bond counsel services or full service law firms (general town attorney, personnel and land use). He reported that they went through and chose a short list of firms to interview and we have a series of recommendations to make with respect to that and can talk to Council tonight about how to proceed. He noted that it is important to keep in mind that this is a Town Council appointment and it may be wise
to bring in the top firms and have a chance to talk to them.
Mr. Evans questioned if there is a top three to five firms that the Town Manager thinks Council should bring back for interviews. The Town Manager responded yes; he is recommending that the top three firms be interviewed by Council. Chairman Zacchio commented that part of the legal services is the relationship and confidence that Council has in our attorneys; it is important that we interview at least the top three. He concurred with the Town Manager that Murtha Cullina has been a good firm for us but our relationship with Dwight Johnson might be different than a relationship with Al Smith. He added that Al Smith seems to be a very fine replacement for Dwight but we have gone out to RFP to test the waters and see what other firms have grown in the municipal space and important for us to talk to at
least three of them. Mr. Stokesbury commented that the Town appoints an attorney as the Town Attorney not a law firm, but a person. He added from his personal experience that Dwight Johnson has been a great asset to the Town and worked with him both on issues as a Town Council member and some degree Board of Education questions in the past but also with Town projects for the Historical Society and such and Dwight has been great to work with, very knowledgeable and they do an excellent job of delegating to the right person within the firm. He noted that is critical for efficient use of services and to watch our cost and is a major component as we go forward. Mr. Pena agreed and it would be a good idea to interview the top three firms. Mr. Stokesbury commented that he is less concerned about interviewing bond counsel and labor counsel if we are following the recommendation of management but we all need to have a good feel for the lead attorney. The
Town Manager commented that there was consensus that we liked the idea of continuing with a full-service firm so we could go ahead and bring back the three full-service firms that we interviewed and spend some time getting to know them.
Mr. Evans asked the Town Manager if pricing is at all a figure that has been taken into consideration in arriving at your finalists. The Town Manager responded that it is a factor but not the most important factor. Chairman Zacchio commented that we would schedule a separate meeting for these interviews with a brief presentation and a short list of questions. Mr. Pena questioned when the current contract ends. The Town Manager responded that it does not end. He noted that back in January Council appointed Dwight Johnson to continue to serve as Town Attorney with Murtha Cullina as the Assistant Town Attorney with the understanding that we would go through an RFP process so we are covered until Council makes a change. Mr. Stokesbury questioned the term of the new contract. The Town
Manager responded that the new contract is coterminous with the appointing Town Council so every year the Town Attorney and Assistant Town Attorney are re-appointed.
Mr. Stokesbury commented that he is more interested in hearing more about the process about how the Town side and the Board of Education side came together as part of this process as we are seeing renewed cooperation. The Town Manager responded that it is a Town Attorney and the understanding with the Superintendent of Schools and his team is that with the exception of labor issues with which they do use a separate attorney for, anything in terms of procurement, Charter interpretation, budget issues has gone to Murtha Cullina and in fact they are helping the Superintendent of Schools deal with an issue now. He added that everything from the development of the RFP to the initial review keeping in mind we received sixteen response; we had a group meeting with the Superintendent of Schools and all the other staff to review the responses and to come up with a short list. He added that the Board of Education team was involved in reviewing the questions and having input on the
questions and the Superintendent of Schools also spent the day with us going through the interviews. He noted that the Board of Education was not really involved with bond counsel. He added that one of the interview questions asked was to tell us about your experience working with school districts so we really did approach it on a joint basis. Mr. Stokesbury questioned if it is expected that the Board of Education will continue to use Shipman and Goodwin for Education labor issues. The Town Manager responded yes. Mr. Stokesbury commented that there is more cooperation and clear lines of proper use to deal with Town business issues; it is important to understand that the Town and Board of Education are working together and it seems to have come together quite well. The Town Manager responded that it was a very open process and we wanted the Board of Education’s input and certainly if they had come to a different conclusion we would have
talked about it but everyone was on the same page. Chairman Zacchio commented that we will move forward with scheduling the interviews. The Town Manager recommended just having the partner in charge come in for the interviews, whoever they are proposing would serve as Town Attorney. Mr. Stokesbury commented that the professional qualifications have been vetted and we have recommendations coming from staff.
The Town Manager reported that the bids for the ground maintenance services and fertilization were due on April 16th; received a lot of responses and it is the first year that these services have been split up because firms specialize in only fertilizing.
The Town Manager reported that for the Thompson Road athletic complex we received a number of proposals from firms who are interested in providing design services; we have a meeting scheduled tomorrow for staff to review the proposals, come up with a short list, and the Recreation and Parks Committee has a tentative meeting scheduled for May 22nd to review a list of candidates.
The Town Manager commented that this is the time of year where we get all of the Board of Education work setup so we can have it ready to go, awarded, and completed over the summer. He noted that these projects include: Roaring Brook School fire alarm, the flooring and ceiling tiles that we talked about, and the track resurfacing.
Chairman Zacchio questioned if the RFP had been put out yet for the Avon Volunteer Fire Department (AVFD) apparatus. The Town Manager responded no; the AVFD is tweaking the specifications.
Misc. B: Construction Update: The Town Manager reported that we recently received notice of $450,000 grant for STEAP award; the initial thinking was to use it to continue with sidewalks, lighting, and granite curbing on the south side of Route 44 but Town staff has given thought to that and some other potential projects there and will come back to have a conversation with Council about. Mr. Stokesbury commented that is an economic or commercial driven grant. The Town Manager responded yes; the acronym is Small Town Economic Assistance Program and projects are supposed to have something to do with economic development.
The Town Manager reported that we are setting up the Board of Education capital projects for the summer. He noted that the Director of Public Works is also working on getting road improvement work scheduled and that Country Club Road will be the largest project that we do this year along with a few other roads on the schedule as well.
Mr. Stokesbury questioned that with the Roaring Brook School flooring, ceiling, and fire alarm work if there is any risk that they cannot be in the building to do the flooring work when the alarm is not activated. The Town Manager responded that he would be sure to check on it.
Misc. C: IT Updates: The Town Manager reported that a staff committee chaired by Glenn Grube, Library Director, has been working on an update of the Town web site; we have been doing this in conjunction with Virtual Town Hall, who hosts our web site and does business with many municipalities and they offer a really nice product. He added that we will revise the web site from scratch, make it easier to follow, de-clutter the site, get all the departments thinking about what they really need the public to have access to online and what prominence that material has to have on their departmental web page. He noted that Mr. Grube has been overseeing the overall process and every department has been tasked with reviewing their own content and making recommendations. He
added that it is going to make a big difference, clean it up, easier for residents to follow, make it more pertinent with better and timely information. He noted that perhaps by the July Council meeting he could have Mr. Grube come in and provide an overview and walk Council through what it looks like before it goes live and at some point shortly thereafter switch it over. The Town Manager also noted that the Superintendent of Schools asked who the Town uses to host the site and he thinks the Board of Education web site will be switching to this platform. Mr. Stokesbury commented that right now the Board of Education is a proprietary in-house system.
The Town Manager reported that we have e-mail addresses for Town Council ready to go, as well as Board of Finance. He noted that our IT consultant is putting together a set of instructions regarding how to access the accounts and make it as easy as we can for you.
Mrs. Maguire asked if there was any update regarding the solar panels and the auction. The Town Manager responded that the Board of Education talked about the solar panels at their most recent meeting and what they authorized going forward is participating in the LREC/ZREC auction process. He added that we will be submitting the bids and hoping that they get awarded. He noted that it is an April auction but there is a timeframe where it is open and it is not like the small ZREC auction where you have to be in first. He added that yesterday he attended a joint seminar in Cromwell on solar sponsored by the Council of Small Towns which Avon is a member and Murtha Cullina. He noted that he was on a panel with other municipal officials talking about our experience with different types of renewable
energy. Mr. Evans questioned if any of the other Small Towns have participated with the solar program. The Town Manager responded that the Town of Stafford talked about having a system ready to go in that would produce two gig-a-watts of power and they are into the virtual net-metering and their goal is for the Town and BOE facilities not to have any energy bill. He added that the Town of Fairfield talked about retro-fitting and replacing old machinery with more efficient system and getting both cost and energy savings.
X. EXECUTIVE SESSION: Land Acquisition/Real Estate
On a motion made by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mrs. Maguire, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council go into Executive Session at 8:25 p.m.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, Evans, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
The Town Manager and Town Clerk attended the session.
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mrs. Maguire, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council come out of Executive Session at 8:40 p.m.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, Evans, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
XI. ADJOURN
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mrs. Maguire, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council adjourn the meeting at 8:40 p.m.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, Evans, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
Attest:
Ann L. Dearstyne, Town Clerk
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