East Hampton Economic Development Commission
Special Meeting
Minutes
March 8, 2007
Community Room, East Hampton Community Center Annex
1. Call to order
Chair Mary Ann Dostaler called the meeting to order at 7 PM.
Present: Chair Mary Ann Dostaler, Vice-Chair John Hesen; Commissioners Patience Anderson, Jon March (arrived 7:03) and Cindy Rooth; Alan Bergren, Town Manager (arrived 8:15)
Not Present: Commissioner Bryan Jackowitz
2. Discussion of current water system proposals under consideration by the Town Council for the Town Center water system
Chair Dostaler said there is a meeting packet for each EDC member. The purpose of this meeting is to enable EDC as a Commission to talk about plans for the water system and perhaps reach a consensus on a recommendation, and to have questions ready for a special Town Council meeting. The meeting will be held Monday, March 12 at 6 PM to discuss the water system. All interested boards and agencies are invited to the Town Council meeting. Vice-Chair Hesen and Chair Dostaler have been following developments. For background, Chair Dostaler said the packet gives good information. Last year East Hampton entered into a consent order agreement with the Health Department of the State of CT to remedy issues regarding water in the Village Center. That order is included in the packet and provides the issues. This dovetails with the work of the Town in
response to prior consent orders, specifically the work of the Town Water Task Force. Over the past ten years the Town Water Task Force has developed a comprehensive plan. Much money was spent on developing the plan, drilling test wells and investigating areas. Their work contains useful conclusions. The Oakum Dock property taps into the CT River aquifer, a virtually endless supply, not difficult to access with wells. The challenge for East Hampton is that it is fairly far removed from the Village Center, at St Clemens, approximately three miles away, and the cost of running a pipe is significantly expensive. Also, a treatment plant needs to be built in Cobalt. Ms. Rooth asked for the cost of buying water from Middletown and she wanted to know why this option is not under consideration by the Town Council. Chair Dostaler said that this EDC meeting deals with options on the table at present, and Middletown is not one of those options. However, Ms. Rooth may ask about the Middletown
option as an individual resident at the Town Council meeting. Town Council has held two workshops with the MacGuire Group in January of 2007. The MacGuire Group gave a presentation that explored four options: the Royal Oaks system, the Edgemere system, the Pinebrook system, and the Cobalt well fields. The MacGuire Group went through the pros and cons of each. It was found that the negative aspects of Royal Oaks, Edgemere, and Pinebrook made those options impractical. The MacGuire Group returned for another workshop with four proposals that depended upon the Cobalt well fields, Option 4.
• Proposal 1 would provide for only the Village Center.
• Proposal 2 adds the downtown triangle.
• Proposal 3 adds an extension up Edgerton to Memorial School, and at the school there will be a holding tank to enable fire protection pressure.
• Proposal 4 infills more streets.
Proposal Notes Cost
1 Fewer customers, more cost borne by all in town. Customers can tap in. Solves consent decree and helps revitalization. $15 million
2 More customers, like Shaw's, can tap in $18.8 million
3 Includes fire protection Will enable sprinklers $22.1 million
4 Adds more streets Cost of option 4 impacts future bonding. $25.5 million
The packet contains cost per emu, (each user is one emu,) which is accurate and up to date. Costs are significant. Chair Dostaler asked EDC to consider costs in concert with other needs of the town with big price tags. Mr. Hesen noted that loans and grants will change the cost to the town. MacGuire Group's calculations are based on the assumption of receiving 30% grants of total cost. The East Hampton Financial Director has made models based on 0% grants, 15% grants, and 30% grants, so that is the better document to which to refer. Mr. Hesen noted that with the fire protection plan, the town will be reassessed, and fire insurance for everyone will be lower. Mr. March wanted to know how much lower. Chair Dostaler said the Finance Director's model factors in water usage by the Town, and other details. Also, the most important factors to
consider are the ability to build a system that will attract businesses to the central core, recognizing the other high price tag needs of the town. There was a discussion of fire sprinklers and there was general agreement on the advisability of them. Ms. Rooth said by putting in the water tower in proposal 3 you are adding to the feasibility of putting in another school. In terms of building support for this system, it would make sense to serve the schools, which would potentially win the support of parents. Whatever is chosen will go to referendum and EDC will need to support the choice. Chair Dostaler recommended that EDC support option 3 at a minimum if the town can afford it. Ms. Rooth said if there is little difference per taxpayer cost for either 3 or 4, then she would go for 4. There was a discussion of some of the 25 different water systems in the town. Chair Dostaler said that East Hampton as a municipality has been through a process that divided up water service rights
in the past. The state wants to get away from private water servers. Ms. Anderson asked if this option falls in with the Water Task Force recommendations. EDC agreed that yes, it did, but the WTF recommended a much larger and more expensive system. Mr. March said that more can be done later. Mr. Bergren said all our plans require water.
EDC agreed by consensus to support option 3 as a minimum.
3. Adjournment
Ms. Rooth made a motion to adjourn. Ms. Anderson seconded the motion. The motion carried (5-0-0). (Yes votes: Chair Dostaler, Vice-Chair Hesen, Ms. Anderson, Mr. March, Ms. Rooth. Yes votes: 5. No votes: 0. Abstentions: 0.)
The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:15 PM.
Respectfully submitted, Kathleen Wright Recording clerk April 4, 2007
Attachments referenced in these minutes can be viewed at East Hampton Town Hall.
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