Town of East Hampton
Town Council Regular Meeting
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Eaton E. Smith Meeting Room – Town Hall
Minutes
Present: Chairperson Melissa Engel, Vice Chairman Thomas Cordeiro and members, William Devine, Christopher Goff, Scott Minnick, John Tuttle and Susan Weintraub. Also present were Town Manager Jeffery O’Keefe, Recording Secretary Cathy Sirois, members of Boards and Commissions, citizens and members of the press.
Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance: Chairperson Engel called the regular meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. All stood to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
Ms. Engel thanked the Council members and the audience for attending the meeting.
Approval of Minutes:
A motion was made by Mr. Goff, seconded by Mr. Devine, to approve the minutes of the Town Council Special Meeting of February 24, 2009, the Town Council Public Hearing of February 24, 2009 and the Town Council Regular Meeting of February 24, 2009 as written. Voted (7-0).
Student Reports: None
Special Presentations: Geographic Information System (GIS) Presentation
Tax Assessor Donna Ralston introduced Steve Anderson and Michelle Giorgianni of Applied Geographics, the company that is working with the town on the new GIS system. Mr. Anderson provided an overview of the system and a demonstration of the GIS system online. The web address is http://host.appgeo.com/easthamptonct. A link to the system will be added to the town’s website.
Public Remarks:
Laurie Wasilewski, Hog Hill Road, commented on the budget process and is hopeful the departments will work with the union and non union employees and explore options. She is also pleased to see that the news links have been removed from the town website.
Scott Sanicki, 102 Quiet Woods Road, commented that he is hopeful that the proper landscaping will be done around the water pollution control generator to be located at American Distilling since it is on the main road of town. Mr. Sanicki also thanked Keith Hayden for addressing the issues on Quiet Woods Road but he noted funds are still needed to go further on the roadways in town and is hopeful funds will be allocated as the town is working on the budget.
New Business: None
Old (Continued) Business:
Approval of Brownfields Redevelopment Agency Ordinance: A motion was made by Mr. Cordeiro, seconded by Mr. Devine, to approve the revised Redevelopment Agency ordinance to create the Brownfields Redevelopment Agency. Voted (7-0).
Report of the Town Manager:
The World War II Veteran Ceremony will be held in the High School Auditorium on Saturday, May 9, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. to noon. Refreshments will be available after the ceremony at the VFW across the street from the High School. The Secretary of State’s office will be sending out the invitations to the veterans.
The town departments will review their budgets with the Board of Finance on Friday, March 13, 2009 beginning at 1:00 p.m. in the Town Hall Meeting Room during the Board of Finance Budget Workshop.
The Town Clerk has agreed to take the training class offered at Comcast in Middletown to prepare for the videotaping of Council meetings. The equipment available through Comcast is on a first come first serve basis so the town is not guaranteed to get the equipment on the day it is needed. The town is looking into the possibility of purchasing equipment. There have not been any discussions with Comcast on the actual air times of the meetings.
A report from the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM) was reviewed regarding unfunded mandates and tax options at the local level.
Mr. O’Keefe has had meetings with the Selectman of Colchester and Portland regarding regionalization of public works, transfer station and roads.
The Water System project and the Municipal Office project submitted by the town for the stimulus funds made it onto the list. There is additional funding available for road rehabilitation. Projects need to be submitted through Midstate Regional Planning to the TIP to be eligible. Mr. O’Keefe is working with Midstate on applying for these funds.
Report of the Director of Public Works:
Keith Hayden, Director of Public Works reported on the following projects:
Pinebrook Road: Safety issues have been addressed. Guide rails have been installed on the existing culvert and signs have been installed on either side of the culvert that read “When Water Over Road Do Not Pass”. The residents have commented that they feel safer going over the culvert.
Quiet Woods Road: A “No Outlet” sign has been installed at the entrance of Quiet Woods Road. Plowing will extend well beyond the driveway. Delineators with reflectors along the riprap swale have been installed and reflectors will be added to any delineators that do not currently have them. Crushed stone has been added to treat soft areas; the stone incorporates into the road surface.
Flanders Road: Many complaints have been received regarding the road conditions on Flanders Road between Smith Street and Lakeview Street. Frequent patching has been done by Public Works. When the asphalt plants open in April, Public Works will be able to improve the surface. The permanent surface is not planned until Phase III of the Flanders Road project. Mr. O’Keefe spoke about possibly expediting the bid cycle for this project.
Main Street Bridge: A field observation report from CLA Engineers was reviewed regarding the Main Street Bridge project. Frost is still present in the roadway surface. The light pole choice was discussed. The road will remain closed to traffic until the surface is dry enough to put down a temporary surface. There is no pedestrian traffic at this point as well.
Appointments:
Mr. Goff reported that Jeanne Hubbard submitted her resignation from the Housing Authority. A motion was made by Mr. Goff, seconded by Mr. Tuttle, to accept her resignation. Voted (7-0).
Updates to the code books for the Council members have been provided by the Town Clerk for the term limits clarification.
Interviews were completed for the Commission on Aging. Mr. Goff expressed his concern that the makeup of the recommended committee is unbalanced based on party affiliation with the members being 4 Democrats and 1 Chatham Party member. A discussion ensued regarding party affiliation for this commission. A motion was made by Ms. Weintraub, seconded by Mr. Minnick, to vote on the current recommendation of the Appointments Sub Committee listed below:
Ann McLaughlin, as a member from the Housing Authority, with a term through April 30, 2011;
Nelson Maurice, as a member of the public, with a term through April 30, 2010;
Mary Jo Shafer, as a member of the public, with a term through April 30, 2012;
Lance Johnson, as a member of the public over age 60, with a term through April 30, 2012;
Pauline Simko, as a member of the public over age 60, with a term through April 30, 2011
Ms. Engel noted that she feels that Nelson Maurice should have a longer term as he was a major contributor in working to get the Commission on Aging to be a new commission for the town. The Council discussed the term limits of the members and a background of the applicants was reviewed. The motion passed (7-0).
Liaison Reports:
Mr. Tuttle reported that the Clean Energy Task Force will be meeting on Thursday, March 12th. The Clean Energy Expo will be held on March 21st at St. Clement’s from 10:00am to 4:00pm.
Mr. Tuttle reported that the Board of Education approved the conceptual plans from the Facilities Implementation Task Force.
John Ciriello, Chairman of the Lake Commission, commented that at the last Town Council meeting, the Council agreed to support the Lake Clean Up Day on April 25th. A letter will be prepared for the Lake Commission in support of the Lake Clean Up Day.
Resolutions/Ordinances/Policies/Proclamations:
Resolution for Historic Document Preservation Grant: A yearly resolution must be passed authorizing the town manager to execute and deliver a contract with the Connecticut State Library prior to applying for this grant. A motion was made by Mr. Cordeiro, seconded by Mr. Tuttle, that Jeffery J. O’Keefe, Town Manager of the Town of East Hampton, is empowered to execute and deliver in the name of and on behalf of this municipality a contract with the Connecticut State Library for a Historic Documents Preservation Grant. Voted (7-0).
Financial Transactions: None
Tax Refunds:
A motion was made by Mr. Cordeiro, seconded by Mr. Goff, to approve tax refunds in the amount of $830.15. Voted (7-0).
Bids and Contracts: None
Communications and Announcements:
Officer Matthew Hanlon has been granted permanent status as a police officer. He is now released from his probationary period early due to his exemplary progress in the performance of his duties as a police officer with the Town of East Hampton.
Coming Up:
The Mother Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 31st.
The CDBG Public Hearing will be held on Tuesday, April 14th.
The next Town Council meeting will be held at the East Hampton High School Library. The Board of Finance will hold a special meeting in the Auditorium at 7:30 p.m.
Public Remarks:
William Choma, Namonee Trail, asked about the likelihood of Nelson Maurice being reappointed after his one year term on the Commission on Aging.
Alice Stelzer, 5 Waterview Circle, thanked the Council for appointing the Commission on Aging. It has been long awaited and she congratulated Nelson Maurice on his appointment.
Laurie Wasilewski, Hog Hill Road, commented that she is glad that the vote turned out as it did for the Commission on Aging but the discussion was scary regarding party affiliations. Mr. O’Keefe noted that State Statutes does restrict the maximum number of any one party on any board or commission.
JoAnn Ewing, 30 Summit Street and Director of the Senior Center, thanked the Appointments Sub Committee and the Town Council for appointing the Commission on Aging. They are anxious to get started and it looks to be a great committee.
Scott Sanicki, Quiet Woods Road, commented on the photos of Quiet Woods Road provided by the Public Works Director noting that there are other areas of the road that have potholes and are not in as good a condition as the photos depict. He asked what the town is planning to do with the roadways.
Irene Curtis, Wangonk Trail, commented on the excessive sand on the roads near the lake. The Council noted that the sweepers were out today.
Ms. Engel noted that the photos from Quiet Woods were very helpful. Mr. Tuttle thanked Mr. Hayden for the work he has done on Quiet Woods and we may not be able to please everyone and noted that the residents should be respectful of his efforts.
Reserved: None
Adjournment:
A motion was made by Mr. Minnick, seconded by Mr. Goff, to adjourn the meeting at 8:15 p.m. Voted (7-0).
Respectfully submitted,
Cathy Sirois
Recording Secretary
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