City Council Work Session
January 24, 2011
Members present: Mayor Grenier, Councilors McCue, Landry, Danderson, Evans, Rozek (6:40 p.m.);
Councilors Remillard, Cayer and Poulin were absent. Others present several members of the Veteran’s Council, Mike Perreault, Henry Noel, media and public.
Mayor Grenier opened the meeting at 6:30 p.m. after the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
Renaming 12th Street Bridge Discussion - Mayor Grenier noted that there has been some discussion about naming the 12th Street Bridge for Corporal Richard Demers who gave his life in Viet Nam. Veterans were asked to discuss the issue of renaming the bridge and offer their collective thoughts on how and for whom the bridge should be named. Mayor Grenier called for the input of the veterans present at the meeting.
Veterans spoke in strong support of dedicating the bridge to all veterans by naming it Veterans’ Memorial Bridge. Mayor Grenier acknowledged the consensus and asked if the group could come back with a recommendation about the kind of plaque and what would be appropriate wording. Councilor McCue thanked the group of approximately 20 veterans for their service as well as for coming out on such a cold evening. Don Sloan confirmed that the veterans could have a recommendation to the City Council by the first of March. The veterans left the meeting at this time.
Mayor Grenier reported that he would like to add a non-meeting at 7:30 p.m. per RSA 91-A:2 I (c) Legal Consultation
Primex Health Coverage Agreement. - Councilor Rozek entered the meeting at this time (6:40 p.m.)
Mr. MacQueen indicated that if the City agrees to sign on now for health insurance from Primex, we get the benefit of a wellness grant. It is likely that we will be signing this agreement anyway and it would make sense to get the wellness grant. Mr. MacQueen noted that Primex has a myriad of plans that will be reviewed.
Councilor Danderson moved to renew the health insurance contract with Primex for the next year; Councilor Landry seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
CDBG Brookside Apartments - Mr. MacQueen explained that David Carlen of HallKeen LLC and Norwich Management LLC who manage Brookside Apartments is looking at renovating the 30 year old apartment complex to improve energy efficiency and make overall improvements to the property. They propose to fund this project in part with CDBG funding if the Council supports the idea. A review by staff found that this fits with the City’s housing program and it would be a good use of the funds.
Councilor McCue confirmed that there is no city contribution and that the management fee charged by the administrator will be part of the grant. He asked if this CDBG would take away from the city and Mayor Grenier indicated that there are two components to CDBG for which the City is eligible for $500,000 per year in each economic development and housing. Councilor McCue noted that there is no property address in the documents for Brookside Apartments.
Mr. MacQueen said that CDFA wants to be the last grant to be given and prefers that all other financing is in place prior to awarding CDBG. The deadline would be for the July round. There would need to be a resolution approved for any final action.
Councilor Danderson asked for police and fire activity reports for the Brookside Apartments and Mr. MacQueen said that he would put such a report in the Council boxes for review.
Wright Pierce I & I Contract – Amendment 2 - Mr. MacQueen reported that the City contracted with Wright Pierce for a study which identified areas of inflow and infiltration to concentrate on. The first amendment was to develop a specification for the work and the second amendment is to provide resident engineer services. The cost is not to exceed $29,000. Mr. Perreault determined that there is an opportunity to use the same engineer to cover both the East Milan project and the I & I; he was fully confident that the current inspector has the capability.
Councilor Danderson moved to authorize amendment #2 for a fee not to exceed $29,000 to Wright Pierce for the I & I project; Councilor Landry seconded and the motion carried.
Waste District Agreement for Taking District Leachate - Mr. MacQueen explained that the AVRRDD is being asked by DES to have a plan in place for treating the leachate from the Mt. Carberry Landfill. It was originally thought that the leachate’s strength was going to be too high and that ended the discussion. New information is showing that the strength is less than what was previously reported. A draft agreement between the city and district is attached; it would govern the leachate that we could take and treat. The agreement was drafted by the District and has been reviewed and amended by the City. It is still in rough draft and needs to be finalized. DES needs to know that there is a plan in place early in February.
Councilor McCue questioned the user fee and Mr. MacQueen indicated that they are trying to apply the same fee to the District that everyone else pays. Councilor Danderson affirmed that by accepting, the Council is not accepting the final agreement. Mayor Grenier noted that this would become one of the largest customers for the treatment plant. Councilor Rozek confirmed that the cost of any future improvements needed by the plant to treat the leachate will be borne by the District.
Councilor Danderson moved to support the draft agreement for the City treatment plant to treat District leachate and the agreement will come back to the City Council in its final form for approval; Councilor Rozek seconded and the motion carried with all in favor.
Other - Mr. MacQueen reported that Max Makaitis is trying to fund a feasibility study to study biomass district heating. The total cost is $70,000 and he is asking for a letter of support for a grant to fund $38,500. Mayor Grenier affirmed that the City is only sending a letter of support and not applying. Councilor Danderson moved to send a letter of support to USDA Rural Development for a grant to study district heating; Councilor Landry seconded and the motion carried.
Adjournment - Councilor Landry moved to adjourn to non-meeting per RSA 91-A:2,I(c) Legal Consultation; Councilor Danderson seconded and the motion carried. The meeting ended at 7:05 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Susan Tremblay
Administrative Assistant
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