AVON TOWN COUNCIL
MEETING MINUTES
July 10, 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:
13/14-93 Request for Easements to CL&P and acceptance of Open Space for Stratford Crossing Subdivision
The Public Hearing was called to order at 7:30 p.m. by Chairman Zacchio. Chairman Zacchio waived the reading of the following legal notices:
“TOWN OF AVON
LEGAL NOTICE
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Notice is hereby given that the Town Council of the Town of Avon, Connecticut will hold a Public Hearing on Thursday, July 10, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. at the Avon Town Hall, Selectmen’s Chambers, 60 West Main Street, Avon, CT to consider:
Acceptance of 2 parcels of open space totaling approximately 13.2 acres, as shown on Subdivision plans for “Stratford Crossing, prepared for Sunlight Construction, Inc., 44 Lenox Road, Avon, CT, dated 9/17/13, revised to 5/21/14, Denno Land Surveying & Consulting, LLC.”
Dated at Avon, Connecticut this 6th day of June, 2014.
Brandon L. Robertson, Town Manager”
“TOWN OF AVON
LEGAL NOTICE
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Notice is hereby given that the Town Council of the Town of Avon, Connecticut will hold a Public Hearing on Thursday, July 10, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. at the Avon Town Hall, Selectmen’s Chambers, 60 West Main Street, Avon, CT to consider:
Granting of easements to CL&P for purposes of installing a service distribution system for a recently approved subdivision known as “Stratford Crossing". These easements are to be conveyed over a strip of land owned by the Town (strip located between Parcels #2600207 and #2600213). Three (3) additional easement locations are located over property to be deeded to the Town as open space. All easement areas shown on map entitled “Stratford Crossing Plan Showing CL&P Easement Areas To Be Granted by the Town of Avon, 44 Lenox Road, Avon, Connecticut, dated 5/6/14, Denno Land Surveying & Consulting, LLC”
Dated at Avon, Connecticut, this 6th day of June, 2014.
Brandon L. Robertson, Town Manager”
On a motion made by Mr. Stokesbury, seconded by Mr. Evans, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council close the public hearings.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, Evans, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mr. Stokesbury, seconded by Mr. Evans, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council approve the granting of an easement to CL&P to extend electrical service over a 50 foot strip of land owned by the Town leading from Haynes Road to the Stratford Crossing subdivision.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, Evans, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council accept the donation of 13.2 acres of Open Space required by the Planning and Zoning Commission as a condition of the approval of the Stratford Crossing subdivision.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, Evans, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mrs. Maguire, seconded by Mr. Stokesbury, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council approve the granting of an easement to CL&P to extend electrical service over three small portions of the Open Space that will be conveyed to the Town.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, Evans, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
13/14-95 Road Acceptance for Hidden Oaks
The Public Hearing was called to order at 7:30 p.m. by Chairman Zacchio. Chairman Zacchio waived the reading of the following legal notice:
“TOWN OF AVON
LEGAL NOTICE
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Notice is hereby given that the Town Council of the Town of Avon, Connecticut will hold a Public Hearing on Thursday, July 10, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. at the Town Hall, Selectmen’s Chamber, 60 West Main Street, to consider the following:
To accept the title of road and all appurtenances thereof for Hidden Oaks, as shown on map titled “Proposed Subdivision Plan for Hidden Oaks, #173 & #181 Arch Road, Avon, CT dated April 4, 2012 prepared by Kratzert, Jones & Associates Inc.
Copy of the said map is on file in the Town Clerk’s Office and open to the public for inspection during normal business hours.
Dated at Avon, Connecticut this 2nd day of May, 2014.
Brandon L. Robertson
Town Manager”
Chairman Zacchio noted that the development has been completed and the road has been inspected by the Town throughout its construction.
On a motion made by Mrs. Maguire, seconded by Mr. Evans, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council close the public hearing.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, Evans, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
On a motion made by Mrs. Maguire, seconded by Mr. Evans, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council accept the title of road and all appurtenances thereof for Hidden Oaks as shown on map titled “Proposed Subdivision Plan for Hidden Oaks, #173 & #181 Arch Road, Avon, CT dated April 4, 2012 prepared by Kratzert, Jones & Associates Inc.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, Evans, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
IV. MINUTES OF PRECEDING MEETING: June 5, 2014
One correction was made on page 7 under item 13/14-84 to add the word “appoints” in the motion after “The Town Council….”
On a motion made by Mr. Pena, seconded by Mr. Evans, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council accept the minutes of the June 5, 2014 Regular Meeting as amended.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, Evans, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
V. COMMUNICATION FROM AUDIENCE - None
VI. COMMUNICATION FROM COUNCIL
Mr. Pena reported that he along with other members of the Council attended the Avon High School graduation ceremony. As always it is a great event and he personally congratulated members of the Council that had graduates that night.
Mrs. Maguire thanked the Board of Education as it was very nice to be included in the Avon High School graduation. It was a wonderful evening and congratulations to the Council members on their graduates. She also mentioned that the Avon Education Foundation prize patrol went to the Library in early June to award a $600 grant to have a local author come to speak.
Mr. Stokesbury recognized and thanked the Town and Board of Education employees for cooperating so well and delivering such a fine Avon High School graduation and we had beautiful weather.
Chairman Zacchio reported that the farm on Town Farm Road is in full bloom and the residents at the Farmington side are doing a fabulous job; it looks very nice and is getting a lot of compliments from Town residents and our contractor with the corn has been doing a great job. It is nice to see the farm vibrant again. He recommended everyone taking a look.
VII. OLD BUSINESS
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 August 7, 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 August 7, 2014 meeting.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, Evans, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
VIII. NEW BUSINESS
14/15-01 Presentation – Web Site Update
Glenn Grube, Library Director, reported that it was almost one year ago when the Town’s Information Technology Committee asked him to head up this project and examine what we could do to the web site to improve it from what you are all used to which is nice but a long and cluttered list and not easy to navigate. He noted that Town staff has been surveyed with regards to the current web site; over 60% who responded found the site crucial to their Town business; 40% also stated that their portion of the site is not up-to-date. He noted that the top things that people wanted in a new site is easier navigation, more visual appealing pages, and easier to update. He noted that the existing web site was created in 2002 which was at least four generations of technology ago. With this project we are
including making the new web site mobile friendly and roll in a change of our domain change from www.town.avon.ct.us to www.avonct.gov which will be registered by the federal government and conveys a little more authority to our site. Chairman Zacchio questioned if there will be a way for public who has that bookmarked for it to automatically redirect to the new web site for a period of time. Mr. Grube responded yes.
Mr. Grube reported that the Town has had an effective working relationship for approximately a dozen years with Virtual Towns and Schools who also specializes in municipal and Board of Education sites we decided not to do a full RFP and instead we developed a scope of work and obtained a quote for it which was very reasonable at $4,000. They will design a new site, build it, migrate up to 500 pages of content from the old site to the new site, and provide training to our staff. We have had stable and successful hosting with them. He showed Council a prototype of what the new site will look like with certain placeholders. He reported that he is working with representatives from the Town Manager’s Office, Department of Public Works, the Recreation and Parks Department, and the Engineering
Department and he is working closely with our lead person at Virtual Towns and Schools; we are surveying the departments about what up-to-date content they need on their new page. He noted that we are looking at approximately two months out right now, hoping to launch this in early September.
Mr. Stokesbury questioned the interaction with the Board of Education and if there will be a prominent link that will jump over to their site. Mr. Grube responded yes. Mr. Stokesbury questioned if the Board of Education is switching over at the same time and if that is under you or pairing with someone at the Board of Education. Mr. Grube responded that the Board of Education is doing a web site upgrade at the same time, they are using the same company, but he does not know their exact schedule and we are not really working in tandem. He found out once we had already started this project that the Superintendent of Schools was looking to do the same thing, had learned we picked the same company, and each made our own agreements. They have a different template that they use. Mr.
Stokesbury commented that his concern for years has been that each side of the Town site makes it easy for a resident or interested party to get to the other site and thinks that will be accomplished. He asked the Town Manager to touch base with the Superintendent of Schools and make sure they have the same feel and people do not have to learn to navigate sites differently. Mr. Grube noted that currently when the schools want to use the Town list serve to distribute information they contact his secretary and having her send it out because they do not have the appropriate software to access our list serve. He added that with the new site we will be able to share a user name and password and they will be able to do those things themselves. Mr. Stokesbury commented that as a professional user of Town web sites as a real estate attorney it is very important that they are user friendly and easy to get to those core sites.
Chairman Zacchio questioned if there is any push technology associated to the new software, for example, any single place we can update road closings, town hall closings, accidents, road construction, that pushes to the community web blast/e-mail/static Facebook page. He added that we just can’t get information out fast enough and to enough locations for all people to see it. Mr. Grube responded that it does have the urgent updates which can come across the home page and departmental pages at the same time. You can send things to both show in the news column and to the e-mail list serve at the same time. He added that we do not have any social media accounts with the Town right now. He noted that at the Library it pulls events off their calendar and based on different ways we tag them
it sends them to Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail list serves. Chairman Zacchio responded that is what he is talking about; something that pushes information would be helpful. Mr. Lazinsk commented that he uses the Assessor’s web site as an investigative tool to see who owns a piece of property; he also goes to the calendar to see when a Town Council meeting might be and what the agenda might be. He noted that with a lot of municipalities they send their Assessor site out to another vendor and does not flow; our Assessor information is pretty easy to get to. Mr. Grube noted that the Library and Recreation and Parks have their own site because there are things they want to do that would not make sense to build into the Town’s web site.
Mr. Evans questioned if all of our land records are available online. The Town Clerk responded they are back to 1961. Mr. Evans questioned if anything that we are doing with the new site will change the formatting of that. Mr. Grube responded that we are looking at some content not coming with us; it has over 3,000 pages and represents 12 years of posting agendas, minutes, notices, calendar entries, etc. so to search our site is not all that useful because you get information that is eight years old and not what you are looking for. He noted that we are looking at record retention requirements. Mr. Evans commented that this is a big project and thanked Mr. Grube for all of your hard work; the template looks fantastic so far and to pull it all together over the next few months is ambitious and
great. Mr. Grube noted that contact information will be embedded so that staff and/or board/commission members do not start receiving spam marketing e-mail, etc. Mr. Pena commented that people do want some type of alert system with important information right on the home page. Mr. Grube responded that this type of information will be placed on the new home page. Mr. Grube noted that we have a date of September 8th to roll out the new web site.
14/15-02 Appointment of Town Attorney
The Town Manager reported that this process started in February when we issued an RFP; there have been several interviews done including a staff interview with the Board of Education, came up with a short list of those firms and referred them to Council who then did a second interview. Based on the result of those interviews our recommendation is to appoint Al Smith of Murtha Cullina as Town Attorney. He noted that we have had a long and very successful relationship with Murtha Cullina going back to 1998 and what prompted this discussion was that Dwight Johnson was retiring so it was a good time to test the market and the good news is that having gone through an RFP process we can have confidence that Murtha Cullina is the right firm for us. He noted that the appointment is coterminous with the
appointing Town Council which means that Al Smith would be serving as the Town Attorney until December 31, 2015 and make this effective as of the day of appointment.
Mr. Evans commented that it is a difficult process and not a lot separated the firms because they all made very strong presentations and are capable good lawyers and that is good for the Town to have choices of good firms and a good position to be in to be able to be that picky in choosing. He added that he would defer to the Town Manager because it is important since he will be working with the lawyers from the firm that is representing the Town on a potentially day to day or weekly basis and if he is comfortable with Murtha Cullina and they have certainly provided good service to the Town over these years then he fully supports his decision.
Mr. Stokesbury questioned if the Town Manager is comfortable after further contemplation that Murtha Cullina will work well for both the big Town and between the Town and Board of Education side. The Town Manager responded yes. He added that was an important consideration because whoever is the Town Attorney for the Town and for the Board of Education in handling their general legal matters.
On a motion made by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council appoints Al Smith of Murtha Cullina to serve as Town Attorney effective July 10, 2014 with a term to expire on December 31, 2015.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
14/15-03 Appointment of Bond Counsel
The Town Manager reported that we interviewed two firms for Bond Counsel. He noted that we are quite comfortable with continuing on with Day Pitney; the two partners that we tend to work with are Doug Gillette and Judith Blank. He recommends that we continue with Day Pitney.
On a motion made by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mrs. Maguire, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council appoints Day Pitney LLP to serve as Bond Counsel for the Town of Avon.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
14/15-04 Review, Discussion & Approval: Agreement: UCONN EMS Services
Chairman Zacchio reported that Chief Rinaldo is recommending that we renew our agreement with UCONN for paramedic services. He noted that there is also a reduction in the cost.
On a motion made by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Stokesbury, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council authorizes the Town Manager to execute the agreement with UCONN for paramedic services for a period of one year from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
14/15-05 Review, Discussion & Approval: Agreement: AMR Ambulance Services
Chairman Zacchio reported that Chief Rinaldo is recommending that we renew our agreement with AMR for ambulance services.
On a motion made by Mr. Stokesbury, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council authorizes the Town Manager to execute the agreement with American Medical Response (AMR) for ambulance services for a period of one year from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
Chairman Zacchio commented that the Chief of Police keeps pretty detailed stacks of response times and calls for service. He would be interested in seeing how that looks trending wise over the last few years, not only for what the calls for service are but also what the trending line is on response times. He noted that after one year we will probably re-look at these contracts on a bigger picture as to whether we want to continue with this same methodology or think about in a different way. He added that having that data ahead of time and having us thinking about it would be helpful. The Town Manager reported that the AMR agreement goes into a lot of detail about performance metrics and they track all of it. He will ask the Chief of Police or Lieutenant come in and walk you through it.
Council agreed. Mr. Stokesbury commented that he would like to understand the break point where an ambulance call may be recorded in that system or may not be if it is more like a transportation call to one of the health facilities. The Town Manager commented that it would be useful to talk about the services in general and AMR versus the UCONN paramedics and how the whole system works.
Chairman Zacchio reported that when this was originally setup with the assistance of Dr. Corrado and negotiated much of that contract originally as he advised us as a Council some years ago when we started this process. He thinks about that often in terms of what that looks like on a dashboard and in statistics as Dr. Corrado went through it in such detail and how important it was for us to be tracking. He knows the Chief of Police is tracking it and he would like to see it as well. Mr. Pena questioned who makes the call whether it is AMR or UCONN. Sgt. Adam Lazinsk responded that the protocols have been for as long as the foreseeable past that because AMR now staffs a paramedic on the ambulance that is designated for Avon that they are now able to provide the advanced life support (ALS) within
Town. He added that all calls into the Police Department are then transferred by the police dispatch to AMR who then dispatches their unit. At the same time, the AMR unit that is in Town has a police radio. In the event that there is not a paramedic available on an AMR unit and that happens a lot if our primary unit is already on a call and now there is another medical call and AMR dispatchers is now pulling their car out of probably Farmington; those are primarily basic life support (BLS) units with only two EMTs as opposed to an EMT and a paramedic. He noted that Farmington has UCONN as their paramedic service. If AMR knows that they will not be able to provide a paramedic on their rig they will call UCONN; we do not really call UCONN anymore, occasionally he might request it as a supervisor if he knows there is going to be a delay in getting a paramedic and it is a rather urgent situation but rarely. Mr. Pena clarified that the paramedic is
now on AMR as well as UCONN. Sgt. Lazinsk responded yes when we started having trouble with AMR’s response times and was very problematic. Sgt. Lazinsk commented that it was pressure from the Town saying we need a full-time designated car with a paramedic which eliminated the problem with these long response times. Mr. Pena commented that our response time should be much better now.
14/15-06 Resignation: Planning and Zoning Commission – Alternate (R – 12/31/2015)
On a motion made by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Pena, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council accept with regret the resignation of Jenna Ryan as an alternate member with the Planning & Zoning Commission.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
14/15-07 Appointment: Zoning Board of Appeals – 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 14/15-07 Appointment: Zoning Board of Appeals – Alternate (R – 12/31/2015) to the August 7, 2014 meeting.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
14/15-08 Contract Recommendation: Backhoe/Loader (Hydraulic Excavator)
Chairman Zacchio reported that we are finally getting our backhoe/loader. He noted that it is not recommended that we take the lowest bid because it did not qualify with the engine specifications; the second low bid did meet all of our requirements and is recommended by the Director of Public Works for the purchase. The Assistant Town Manager reported that one of the major reasons for not accepting the lowest bid was for the arm that picks up catch basins, etc. and with its swing would have stuck out too far into traffic.
On a motion made by Mr. Stokesbury, seconded by Mrs. Maguire, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council award the contract to KAZ Equipment LLC of South Windsor, CT for the purchase of a hydraulic excavator, based on their bid in an amount not to exceed $94,885.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Evans, Pena, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
IX. TOWN MANAGER’S REPORT/MISCELLANEOUS
Misc. A: Purchasing Update: The Assistant Town Manager reported that the bid is out for the AVFD apparatus and due on August 6th. No questions have been received from vendors at this point so we have to assume that means the specifications are well written and straight forward. As of July 1st we have $1.05 million set aside for apparatus. We assume the price for the two trucks plus equipment will exceed this balance but may not and with a 12 to 18 month lead time to get the equipment even if it is over what is available now progress payments will not be due until a point in time that the full amount will be available. Chairman Zacchio commented that we are a little ahead of the CIP budget but we have made a commitment to assure coverage.
The Assistant Town Manager reported that the solar process is out of our hands and we are now waiting for results. The Board of Education authorized the Superintendent of Schools to execute the PPAs, Murtha Cullina is working through the final details with Solar City for the Public Works PPA as well as the two school PPAs. The results could be available as early as mid-July but more likely the end of the month. Then Solar City will have to come before the Planning and Zoning Commission in the fall to seek a site plan amendment. He noted that the CREC School is putting in a solar system with a different vendor, going through their own process, so they will also have to come before the Planning and Zoning Commission on September 30th.
Misc. B: Construction Update: The Assistant Town Manager reported that road improvements are underway. He noted that the window project at the Pine Grove Schoolhouse has started; this is a grant supported project with in-kind services from the Department of Public Works. He reported that demolition is underway for final items on the ADA compliance list for the Avon High School that dates back to 2008. He added that by the end of summer recess John Spang should be able to submit a letter to the State certifying that we have completed all of the violations that were a result of the renovations that took place six years ago.
The Assistant Town Manager reported that track resurfacing has not started yet; they are in the process of coordinating that work. The flooring improvements at the Middle School and Roaring Brook School are underway as well as the ceiling tile and fire alarm replacements at Roaring Brook School. He noted that Peter Gaski, Director of School Facilities, explained that the administrators worked with the teachers regarding communication and the instructions were to throw away anything that has been in the room for a long time, box up personal items that you can take home, box anything wishing to be stored and the custodian will remove everything and return it at the end of the project. Mrs. Maguire questioned if they are on time to get the job completed by August 15th. The Assistant Town
Manager responded yes and they were in after hours several weeks before the end of the school year to start the prep work for the fire alarm system. He noted that everything to date is on track. Mr. Pena commented that we also have a Republican Primary in August and will take place in the gym and have we taken that under consideration. Mrs. Maguire responded that there is a basketball camp taking place at Roaring Brook School this week. The Assistant Town Manager noted that the current fire alarm system will be live until the new one is ready to switch over so there will never be an occupancy issue. Mr. Pena commented that because there is activity at those schools and we are bringing voters in, he wants to make sure that someone that wants to vote is able to vote. The Assistant Town Manager responded that we can get the dates for that and check with Peter Gaski to make sure that the contractors are aware.
Mr. Stokesbury commented that he has been involved with the Pine Grove Schoolhouse for many years as past President of the Avon Historical Society and he commends the Town for working to get this grant; it is really important to maintain that building as it is really unique in Farmington Valley, not many one room schoolhouses are left; it is from 1865 and has a very clear history and up-keeping since the bicentennial. He noted that it is an important project and commends the Town for working to get it done; it will help to preserve for another 150 years. Mr. Stokesbury reported that he was at an undisclosed municipal track this past weekend in connection with a baseball tournament, in eastern Connecticut, and their track surface had gone several years too far and was arguably ruined. He commended the
Town for finding the money to keep that in the capital budget to get it done; it is time to get done and not too late to do so. We are working well with our capital budgets. Chairman Zacchio reported that track was donated with private money and we will do our best to keep it maintained.
Misc. C: CAFR Award: The Town Manager reported that we have again received the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report Certificate of Excellence from GFOA. He noted that the CAFR award is not something that you get and it is static; every year regardless of good your report is the reviewers still make comments and recommendations and we have to take all of that into account and reply to it, if you do not include it you have to explain why; it is really a work in progress and really commendable.
Misc. D: Avon Middle School Tennis Court Lighting: The Town Manager reported that the delta is a little larger than the last time we talked about it so that is a work in progress and will report back in August. Chairman Zacchio commented on the timing with the Hoffmann Foundation grant and others and that as long as we were able to act this construction season then there was no concern about losing those kinds of monies. If we are able to move forward, getting lights installed around or before daylight savings time is probably the most important time. We are struggling with finding the dollars; we did not budget for it, we have a very tight budget and had a very tough winter. He noted that the Town is doing their best to figure out how to fund that if we can
move forward with it and if not then we can decide how to consider it in the future.
Misc. E: Police Department Hiring: The Town Manager reported that we have three new recruits that we have sent to the Police Academy and two more that are in the pipeline resulting in five from that one-day process which was completed in March. He noted that even though they are at the Academy it will be a long time before they are out solo so it is not an immediate fix but it is in the works. Mr. Stokesbury questioned if there is any activity on the issue of retention with police staff. The Town Manager responded that there were a few things that we did in the last police contract designed for recruitment and retention; there are some things going forward in terms of scheduling which could make a big difference so it is in the works but nothing solid
yet.
Mr. Evans commented that the Recreation and Parks Committee built a sub-committee to look at and work with the architects on the potential Thompson Road Athletic Complex. He questioned when that potentially comes before the Council and what is the procedure? The Town Manager responded that a sub-committee was formed but have not yet set a definitive timeline; they have a meeting scheduled for Tuesday, July 29th. He noted that the program is pretty well defined but we are trying to get to a number; it is a pretty easy process and will see an estimate in early fall. Mr. Evans questioned if it will be an estimate for the entirety of the project. The Town Manager responded yes. Mr. Evans questioned if we know what the project is. The Town Manager responded that the project
is based on the Statement of Needs which went out with the RFP is basically the project with a couple of add alternates. Chairman Zacchio commented that they will draw it, lay out the design, and provide a cost estimate. The Town Manager added that it will give you a very good conceptual and then decide if this is the direction you want to head in or make changes. Mr. Evans questioned that it gives them the flexibility to say that it is bigger or smaller than we envisioned. The Town Manager responded yes; it is preliminary until it goes to referendum. Chairman Zacchio commented that as the sub-committee works through some of those details with the architect perhaps an informal update/presentation to Council would be helpful to say here is where we are going, what we are doing, what we think about it, etc. Mr. Evans commented that in general we want to keep an eye on this project because it is potentially volatile, not sure how it will be received
on a Town-wide basis and some of that will be impacted by the scope of the project and therefore we should be given regular reports on it. The Assistant Town Manager reported that the sub-committee had a kick-off meeting this week and the approach that the architect is taking is that he sought confirmation that the Statement of Needs generally fit what the sub-committee wants to see and by July 29th he is hoping to have a very preliminary draft for them to respond to. He noted that there were several residents who attended the kick-off meeting and he would like the residents and everyone else who is interested to be attending these working sessions so that when they do come back with a very preliminary design for Council to consider it will have already hit parties interested on both sides of the project. He added that the residents who attended this week as well as the boosters agree that they want to have a win-win project, one that does not interfere
too much with the neighborhood but meets the needs of the groups that are excited about this. Mr. Evans questioned when in the process does the sub-committee become a building committee appointed by the Council. The Town Manager responded that would not happen until after a successful referendum with preliminary plans; if it is approved Council would appoint a building committee, go to final plans, then go through the bidding process and then construction.
X. EXECUTIVE SESSION: Collective Bargaining
Pending Claims before the CHRO
Land Acquisition
On a motion made by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Stokesbury, it was voted:
RESOLVED: That the Town Council go into Executive Session at 8:30 p.m.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, Evans, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
The Town Manager, the Assistant 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 9:10 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 9:10 p.m.
Mrs. Maguire, Messrs: Zacchio, Pena, Evans, and Stokesbury voted in favor.
Attest:
Ann L. Dearstyne, Town Clerk
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