East Windsor Housing Authority
Regular Meeting – September 17, 2007
Minutes
CALL TO ORDER AND ATTENDANCE
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Chairman Karen Boutin. Commissioners Mezzetti, Percoski and LaMay were present. Commissioner Legassie was not in attendance.
ADDED AGENDA ITEMS
There were no added agenda items.
MEETING MINUTES OF:
Regular Meeting – August 20, 2007
The minutes of the regular meeting of August 20, 2007 were reviewed by all Commissioners present. A motion was made by Commissioner Percoski, seconded by Commissioner Mezzetti to accept the minutes of the regular meeting of August 20, 2007 as presented.
Percoski/Mezzetti Unanimous
PUBLIC COMMENTS
There were several comments from residents, among which were questions regarding what the representative from C L & P said regarding “energy improvements”, several questions regarding the emergency e-call alarms that went off a couple of weeks ago; and a comment form the Mother of one of our residents requesting repair work be done in her son’s apartment. The Executive Director fielded all questions, and told Mrs. Mazzoli that all she needed to do was to call the office and put in a work order and what needed to be done in her son’s apartment would be done. As far as the interpretation of what the representative from CL&P was speaking about, it is not our understanding that they are providing everyone with new light bulbs; and the Maintenance Dept. is in the process of going from apartment to apartment gathering the information requested regarding stoves, refrigerators and air conditioners and as soon as all the information is compiled, a report will be forwarded to
the electric company.
BILLS AND COMMUNICATIONS
Check Register – August 22 – September 12, 2007
The Check Register from August 22 – September 12, 2007 was reviewed by all commissioners present and all questions answered. A motion was made by Commissioner Percoski, seconded by Commissioner LaMay to accept the check register of August 22 – September 12, 2007 as presented.
Percoski/LaMay Unanimous
Bank Reconciliation – August, 2007
The Bank Reconciliation of August, 2007 from Enfield Federal Savings and Loan Association was reviewed by all commissioners present.
REPORTS OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Apartment Units
As of this writing we have 2 single apartments available (under reconditioning). We have prospective tenants available for these apartments. We moved one tenant on the first level from a single to a double for medical reasons.
Major Repairs
We experienced two major repairs this month:
1. On the first level we had a sewer backup which could not be cleared through the cleanout’s in the apartments. We had to call a sewer company who had to dig up the sewer line, find the clog and put in another cleanout outside in the lawn so we won’t have this problem again. The backup was caused by paper towels and tree roots.
2. We experienced a water main break on the second level. This line carries water from the well to the holding tank. Thankfully, this line was not under high pressure. To repair, the sidewalk had to be dug up. It was found that the coupling connecting the lines together had cracked and had to be replaced.
Anonymous Calls to State Agencies
The Department of Child Services (DCS) has received several anonymous calls of child abuse regarding one of our tenants. The complaint is that the tenant’s baby sit their grandchild and they smoke in front of her causing her to breathe second hand smoke, that they yell and scream and are constantly intoxicated. DCS and this office have investigated all of these complaints and have found them unsubstantiated except for the smoking. DCS states that if these complaints continue they will put a trap on the line to find out who is calling and that person stands a good chance of being arrested for false complaint and harassment.
Unwanted Solicitation
On August 21, 2007 I found several members of Jehovah’s Witnesses of East Windsor going door to door throughout the complex. They were asked to leave as they did not have authorization to solicit at Park Hill. After a brief discussion they agreed to leave before the police were called. A letter was sent to Kingdom Hall on North Road informing them that there is no solicitation at Park Hill without the authorization of the Executive Director. The procedure, other than being called to a specific residence by a tenant, is to contact this office with a date and time that they wish to come to Park Hill. That we will contact all tenants and subsequently give them a list of anyone who does not wish to be contacted. They can then contact other tenants not on the list.
If they contact anyone on the list of no contacts, they will be requested to leave the property immediately. They cannot solicit any type of monies and solicitation can only be done on weekdays (no holidays) between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Further failure to follow the described procedures could result in arrest for criminal trespass.
Fire Alarms
This month we experienced 2, what were thought to be fire alarms, which could not be reset. The Fire Department responded to both alarms and contacted me to gain access to the apartments.
The alarms turned out to be faulty “call for assistance alarms, but were confused because the colored strobe on the end of the buildings was burned out. They have since been replaced.
The Fire Department requested that we install “Knox Boxes” on each building which would allow them emergency access with a pass key. We checked into the cost of these boxes and they are a minimum of $199.00 each, and we have 24 buildings. We are checking viable alternatives.
A motion was made by Commissioner LaMay, seconded by Commissioner Mezzetti to approach various town and state agencies to aide us in the purchase of the “Knox Boxes”.
LaMay/Mezzetti Unanimous
A letter has been received from LeeAnn Doherty, our Quick Books representative, commending Darlene on her work during the transition of the accounting system from Chas to Quick Books. Ms. Doherty, states in her letter, that she (Darlene) “has been a diligent student, as well as a self-started in moving the process forward”. “My work brings me to many organizations that have made the decision to change their accounting system. The biggest challenge is usually bringing along the staff that is resistant to change and “comfortable” with the “old way”. It has been a breath of fresh air to work with Darlene, who has embraced the new system and patiently worked through the challenges that come with a transition of this magnitude. She does this while
managing a busy office, with residents routinely stopping in and calling, and she does it with a smile.”
Ms. Doherty went on further to state: “Thank you for bringing me aboard to assist you with this implementation. I have been very impressed with the organization, and your commitment to providing a safe and comfortable home to many local seniors. East Windsor Housing Authority displays all the best qualities of a quasi-town agency and I hope that I speak for many when I say “the community is fortunate to have you”.
REPORTS OF COMMITTEES
There were no Reports of Committees
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
A) No Smoking – Oxygen in use sign
There are several apartments in the complex which have the no smoking – oxygen in use sign. The tenants in question have been smoking outside and there is Oxygen in Use sign on their apartment. I have asked the Maintenance department to notify me if they know of anyone using oxygen so that we can keep on top of the situation.
NEW BUSINESS
A) Health Insurance Co-Pay
The cost of the Health Insurance for the employees of the East Windsor Housing Authority is extremely high. Research has been done into what percentage the “town employees” put in for their health insurance and it is generally 10% of the total monthly cost per employee. Due to the high cost of health insurance and our limited budget, it may be necessary (beginning with the next fiscal year) for our employees to pay a percentage of the health insurance cost.
B) PILOT Payment
The PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) program was discussed among the commissioners present and it was explained to them that the Housing Authority is currently paying approximately $22,000/year to the Town of East Windsor. This is calculated by taking 10% of the total income, minus utility expenses. The other fee which is paid on a quarterly basis to CHFA is now being held in escrow and may be drawn on for emergencies that come up not covered by the normal operating budget (i.e. new roofs). It was felt by the commissioners present that the PILOT payment made by the East Windsor Housing Authority is extremely high and that it is time to enter into negotiations with the Town of East Windsor to possibly reduce this payment.
A motion was made by Commissioner LaMay, seconded by Commissioner Mezzetti to invite the First Selectman, Ed Filipone, and our liaison to the Board of Selectman, Gil Hayes, to come to our next meeting (October 15th) to discuss the PILOT payment with our board.
LaMay/Mezzetti Unanimous
POLICY AND PROCEDURES
There were no new Policies and Procedures
EXECUTIVE SESSION
A) Personnel Matters
A motion was made by Commissioner Percoski, seconded by Commissioner Mezzetti to go into Executive Session at 7:45 p.m. for the purpose of a discussion of Personnel Matters to include the Executive Director and the Administrative Assistant as needed.
Percoski/Mezzetti Unanimous
A motion was made by Commissioner Percoski, seconded by Commissioner Mezzetti to come out of Executive Session at 7:55 p.m.
Percoski/Mezzetti Unanimous
There was no action taken
ADJOURNMENT
A motion was made by Commissioner Percoski, seconded by Commissioner Mezzetti to adjourn the regular meeting of the East Windsor Housing Authority at 8:10 p.m.
Percoski/Mezzetti Unanimous
Respectfully submitted,
Steven D. Knibloe
Executive Director
Darlene H. Kelly
Recording Secretary
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