Town of East Hampton
Town Council Regular Meeting
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
East Hampton High School Library
Minutes
Present: Chairperson Susan Weintraub, Vice Chairman Glenn Suprono, Council Members Kyle Dostaler, Derek Johnson, Barbara Moore and George Pfaffenbach and Town Manager Michael Maniscalco.
Not Present: Ted Hintz, Jr.
Call to Order & Pledge of Allegiance
Chairperson Weintraub called the regular meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. in the East Hampton High School Library.
Adoption of Agenda
A motion was made by Ms. Moore, seconded by Mr. Pfaffenbach, to adopt the agenda as written. Voted (6-0).
Approval of Minutes
A motion was made by Mr. Suprono, seconded by Ms. Moore, to approve the minutes of the Town Council Regular Meeting of June 25, 2013 as amended. Voted (6-0).
Public Remarks
Ann McLaughlin, 85 Main Street, commented that there will be a Yellow Ribbon Tying Ceremony on Tuesday, July 23, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. in the Village Center.
Janice Meisterling, 71 Flanders Road, commented on crowing roosters and whether it should be considered the equivalent to a barking dog or agriculture and whether it should be considered a public nuisance.
Peter Bergan, Peaceful Hill Tree Farm, 118 Clark Hill Road, commented on the agriculture discussions. He would like to see security added to the discussions noting thefts from his farm and others in recent years.
Presentations
Board of Education Budget Presentation
New Superintendent of Schools Diane Dugas introduced herself to the Council. Board of Education Finance Committee members Bill Marshall and Carol Lane provided an overview of the savings and reductions in the final Board of Education budget. There was discussion of the use of unused funds from the 2012/2013 budget.
Bids & Contracts
Middle School Athletic Field Improvements
The Council reviewed the agenda report for the Middle School Athletic Field Improvements. There were questions about the other bids that were received for the project. No approval was made at this time.
Board of Education Underground Electrical Service
A motion was made by Mr. Suprono, seconded by Mr. Johnson, to transfer $9,400 from the “High School Building Envelope Repairs” capital account to fund the Board of Education underground electrical service project. Voted (6-0).
A motion was made by Mr. Suprono, seconded by Mr. Johnson, to award the bid for the Board of Education underground electrical service to Ackert Electric, LLC in the amount of $9,400.00. Voted (6-0).
IT Server Room Wiring
A motion was made by Mr. Dostaler, seconded by Mr. Suprono, to award the bid for the IT server room wiring project to Ackert Electric, LLC in the amount of $10,000. Voted (6-0).
A motion was made by Mr. Johnson, seconded by Mr. Dostaler, to amend the motion to correct the dollar amount of the bid to $13,200. Voted (6-0).
Gym Floor Refinishing
A motion was made by Ms. Moore, seconded by Mr. Johnson, to award the bid for the refinishing of the Memorial School gymnasium floor to Crunden Athletic Systems in the amount of $14,319. Voted (6-0).
Resolutions/Ordinances/Policies/Proclamations
C-Pace Resolution
The C-Pace program allows a business to make energy efficiency improvements and then pay those improvements back through an additional assessment in their local tax bill. To allow this, Council will have to pass a resolution. There is a cost of $500 for municipal services rendered and if the $500 does not cover the cost, the program will reimburse the town for the actual cost of services.
A motion was made by Mr. Suprono, seconded by Mr. Dostaler, to adopt the resolution for C-Pace as presented. Voted (6-0).
Proposed Change to Commission on Aging Ordinance
A motion was made by Ms. Moore, seconded by Mr. Johnson, to set the public hearing date for the Commission on Aging ordinance changes to July 23, 2013 at 6:15 p.m. in the High School Library. Voted (6-0).
Continued Business
Employee Handbook
Council members will provide feedback to the Town Manager on the revised Employee Handbook that was distributed at the June 25th meeting. This will be discussed at the next Council meeting.
Goff House
At the June 25th Council meeting, the Council made a motion to waive the right of first refusal to lease the Goff House. In addition to that, the Goff House Association needs a written document from the Town Manager explaining that the Council approved them entering into a long term lease with a different entity. While the Goff House has entered into a confidentiality agreement with the potential lessor the following is known: the lease is for 99 years; the lessee is required to maintain the museum and public space within the building; the lessee is responsible for all other maintenance of the building and the lessee can sublease the lower level for commercial or residential uses.
A motion was made by Ms. Moore, seconded by Mr. Pfaffenbach, to approve the Goff House Association to enter into a 99 year lease as long as all of the provisions are included from the quit claim deed and the lease is reviewed by the Town Attorney. Voted (6-0).
Awards Program Investigation Regarding Request from Dr. Brown
The Council discussed the request made by Dr. Richard Brown to conduct another investigation into the awards program from 2011.
A motion was made by Mr. Johnson, seconded by Ms. Moore, to authorize the Town Manager to retain an appropriate 3rd party to investigate the allegations in the April 23, 2013 letter from Dr. Richard Brown regarding the Fire Department awards program. Voted (6-0).
Update on Concession Stand at Sears Park
The concession stand at Sears Park will be open through July from 9am to 2pm for camp. It will remain open through August 17th from 9am to 3pm for sports camp.
Update on Agriculture Committee
Mr. Maniscalco reported that the Town hosted a well- attended Agriculture Workshop on June 27th. At the meeting a Right to Farm Ordinance, the need for some type of a committee to aid in communication with the local government and the need for revisions to the Planning & Zoning regulations were discussed. The next step will be to draft a resolution to develop an Agricultural Task Force with the intent to develop an ordinance for an Agricultural Commission. The Council reviewed a draft resolution. Council members will provide their comments on the resolution to the Town Manager for the next meeting.
New Business
Old Home Days Police Support and Insurance
Mr. Maniscalco reported that additional research has been done regarding insurance coverage for Old Home Days. Since Old Home Days is its own entity it cannot be added to the town insurance. The Old Home Days Committee will be purchasing their own insurance. Mr. Maniscalco indicated that the Finance Director estimated the insurance cost to be approximately $500 to $700. The Town is covered for things that happen on town property but the Old Home Day Committee is not covered. Police overtime is already covered in the town budget. In previous years the Council has motioned to provide police overtime and insurance coverage but there is no need for a motion for either.
Town Manager Report
Mr. Maniscalco reported that he has been the Town Manager for one year as of today and reviewed the many accomplishments in the past year.
Preparation for Old Home Days
The Public Works department has been working to clean up the streets that the parade will travel and will be doing a final cleaning in the Village Center. The Police Department has been working on processes and procedures for shutting down the parade route, traffic control, crowd control and the higher than normal call volume due to the increase in population for Old Home Days weekend.
Update on Police SOP
A meeting will be scheduled for the week of July 22nd for the first review of the Police Standard Operating Procedures.
13 Summit Street
Mr. Maniscalco spoke with Mr. Zahavi’s architect regarding the project. They have reduced the project by 3 units. This changes the water consumption needs. This is a significant change so the project will now need to be reviewed again by Planning & Zoning, WPCA and Chatham Health. The Town Engineer is looking at the wells, water capacity and the system treating the water. This will be brought to a future Council meeting.
Liaison Reports
None
Board & Commission Liaison Reports
None
Appointments
None
Tax Refunds
None
Public Remarks
Bunny Simko, Long Hill Road, provided an email from Tom Pond regarding the Fire House Software. The email will be included with the minutes filed in the Town Clerk’s office.
Phil Visintainer, Ox Yoke Circle, commented on the Fire Department awards program investigation that Fire Commission issues impact the Fire Department as well so clear evidence to them that research was done and properly resolved would help.
Communications, Correspondence & Announcements
The Town received a letter and plaque congratulating it on being a HEARTSafe Community.
The Council will be invited to the East Hampton Veterans Book of Names Memorial groundbreaking. A date has not been set at this time.
A letter was received from Virginia Nowakowski regarding rooster issues. The letter will be included with the minutes filed in the Town Clerk’s office.
An email was received from Fox News regarding the police investigation on the CT River recently. The reporter did receive a fax of the press release.
Mr. Maniscalco wrote a letter to the Emergency Management office regarding the recent statewide drill. He received word that a response is being formulated and will be sent to the Town.
A motion was made by Mr. Dostaler, seconded by Mr. Johnson, to enter Executive Session at 8:30 p.m. Voted (6-0).
Executive Session
- Presentation Regarding Safety & Security of Police Department
Present in Executive Session: Susan Weintraub, Glenn Suprono, Kyle Dostaler, Derek Johnson, Barbara Moore, George Pfaffenbach, Town Manager Michael Maniscalco and Police Chief Sean Cox.
- Discussion of Performance Evaluation for Town Manager
Present in Executive Session: Susan Weintraub, Glenn Suprono, Kyle Dostaler, Derek Johnson, Barbara Moore, George Pfaffenbach and Town Manager Michael Maniscalco.
- Strategy and Negotiations of Collective Bargaining
Present in Executive Session: Susan Weintraub, Glenn Suprono, Kyle Dostaler, Derek Johnson, Barbara Moore, George Pfaffenbach and Town Manager Michael Maniscalco.
- Review of Proposed Draft of Superintendent of Public Works Contract
Present in Executive Session: Susan Weintraub, Glenn Suprono, Kyle Dostaler, Derek Johnson, Barbara Moore, George Pfaffenbach and Town Manager Michael Maniscalco.
- Potential Acquisition of Property
Present in Executive Session: Susan Weintraub, Glenn Suprono, Kyle Dostaler, Derek Johnson, Barbara Moore, George Pfaffenbach and Town Manager Michael Maniscalco.
Executive Session ended at 9:36 p.m.
Possible Action on Executive Session Discussion
A motion was made by Ms. Moore, seconded by Mr. Dostaler to authorize the Town Manager to enter into the contract presented for the Superintendent of Public Works with Candidate #1.
Voted (6-0).
Adjournment
A motion was made by Mr. Dostaler, seconded by Ms. Moore, to adjourn the meeting at 9:37 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Cathy Sirois
Recording Secretary
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