Minutes of the regular meeting of the Board of Police Commissioners held on Tuesday, December 6, 2005 in the Lower Conference Room, 3 Main Street, Newtown, CT. Chairman Mattegat called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.
PRESENT: C. Mattegat, G. Finnegan, R. Connor, R. Simon. ABSENT: D. Giannini. ALSO PRESENT: Chief Kehoe, Captain Rios, two members of public..
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION. Kathy Geckle, 35 Queen Street, thanked the Department for reinstating the sign on Queen Street. She asked about the status of the letters sent to store managers in the shopping center because there is still truck traffic on Queen Street going to the shopping center. Chief Kehoe spoke to the managers of the stores and asked them to remind the drivers and reissue the letter. Mrs. Geckle asked about the photo of the Redding road sign. Chief Kehoe feels that the signs Newtown uses will discourage trucks from entering certain locations and that the Redding sign has to much information to absorb when there is a turning situation. The signs will be placed on Queen Street at Wasserman Way and must be approved by the State. Chief Kehoe said that the traffic speed only decreased one mile
per hour and that the Department’s enforcement action did not have the desired effect but will continue. He said that engineering changes may be needed. The traffic count remained the same 5,400-5,900 vehicles during a given week with Wednesday having the highest number. We do not yet know how many trucks were in those counts.
ELECTION OF OFFICERS. Commissioner Simon moved to add the item of election of chairman and vice-chairman to the agenda, second by Commissioner Connor and unanimously carried.
Commissioner Simon nominated Commissioner Mattegat as chairman, second by Commissioner Connor. There were no other nominations. Motion unanimously carried.
Commissioner Connor nominated Commissioner Finnegan as vice-chairman, second by Commissioner Simon. There were no other nominations. Motion unanimously carried.
MINUTES. The minutes and addendum of the special meeting of November 1, 2005 will be amended to note that Commissioner Connor was not present and that Commissioner Finnegan made the motion concerning secondary employment. The minutes and addendum were unanimously accepted as amended. The minutes of the special meeting of November 22, 2005 were unanimously accepted as presented.
CHIEF’S ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT (November, 2005). Overtime is higher due to firearms training similar to the overtime for last November. Budget balances and GL balances are not remarkable. Fleet. The three new vehicles are now is service. The Detective Division car will be set up in the next two weeks Personnel. There is a second quarter report on the new hire. Graduation is January 3 or January 4. Training this was a very busy month. There were several letters of appreciation. Parking deck is 99% bone. Electrical conduits under the deck and paving still need to be completed. Sergeant’s oral test was given on December 1. The Christmas Tree Lighting was a success. Commissioner Simon does not remember the traffic moving so smoothly
after the lighting as it did this year. Reed School Principal Donna Denniston sent a letter requesting guard rail at Reed School where the fence is broken. DOT said the guard rail is not warranted because there is no public hazard. Chief Kehoe will meet with Public Works Director Fred Hurley and Board of Ed Director of Grounds and Maintenance Dom Posca to discuss this matter. The State is reviewing the no thru truck request for Obtuse Road. They will probably do a traffic count in the spring of the roads in the area. Sandy Hook Streetscape project. The State will not have a crosswalk at 100 Church Hill as this would take away parking. One crosswalk is requested at Church Hill and Dayton Streets. Commissioner Mattegat said that this back out parking needs to be eliminated because there is parking in back of the businesses. Chief Kehoe will bring this up to Liz Stocker and may ask her to have someone attend the Commission’s meeting next month. Chief Kehoe
presented a draft of the letter to the Board of Education concerning buses using Queen Street. The Commission asked that the letter include the fact that no left turn at the end of Queen Street south for all vehicles may be considered. A speed hump may also be considered. Officer Amity Robinson was a keynote speaker at the TRIAD meeting before the State Legislature committee. The light at Queen Street and Big Y shopping center has been fixed. The No Right Turn sign was placed closer to the light.
CAPTAIN’S OPERATIONAL REPORT (November, 2005) included monthly calls for service, motor vehicle activity, DUI activity and detective division analysis reports. The IACP awarded the Department (one of six in the State) commendations for our traffic and safety initiatives. DUI checkpoint last Saturday in Dodgingtown resulted in 400 vehicles passing through with two DWI arrests and several infractions. The grants that we receive allow for extra patrols for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. Commissioner Simon attends many of the checkpoints and he commends Sgt. Vanghele and the officers for their excellent job. The FTO program is also to be commended.
Lt. Mooney prepared a Road Mileage Report which included the fact that only seven municipalities in the state have more road mileage than Newtown, which has 265 miles.
OLD BUSINESS
Queen Street corridor issues. Chief Kehoe said that there should be some significant data from the study for review in the spring. The Department will continue enforcement efforts.
NEW BUSINESS
Request for by a resident for a traffic light at Pecks Lane and Route 25. Chief Kehoe said that this was requested some years ago and the accident history did not warrant a signal. He said that there are many rear end accidents at that intersection and that a traffic light would probably increase this type of accident. He will send a letter to Mrs. Pendergast stating that this was looked at before and it is not warranted by the accident history.
COMMISSIONERS’ PARTICIPATION (NEXT AGENDA). None noted.
EXECUTIVE SESSION. Commissioner Simon moved to enter executive session at 8:23 p.m. to discuss police union contract negotiations and to review probationary police officer candidates and to invite Chief Kehoe and Captain Rios to attend, second by Commissioner Connor and unanimously carried.
At this time the clerk left the meeting.
Ann M. Mazur, Clerk
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