The Board of Selectmen held a regular meeting at 7:30 P.M. on Monday, December 5, 2005 at Memorial Town Hall Auditorium. First Selectman Timothy Griswold, Selectman Skip Sibley and Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder were present.
Approval of Minutes: November 21, 2005
Selectman Sibley made a motion to approve the minutes of November 21, 2005 as written. Selectwoman Reemsnyder seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
Communications:
Federation of Beaches – Flood & Erosion Board to Review October Flooding
First Selectman Griswold read a letter from the President of the Federation of Beaches Dennis Melluzzo in which Mr. Melluzzo requested a meeting of the Flood and Erosion Control Board of Old Lyme as soon as possible to address problems with flooding, especially on the shoreline. This request was in connection with the nine days of rain that caused flooding in the beach area in October, 2005. Selectman Sibley suggested getting advice from the Army Corps of Engineers and the State of Connecticut. HHHHHMr. Sibley will get a contact from both groups to understand the process.
Old Lyme Cub Scout Pack 27 – Request to Town Logo on Uniforms
Old Lyme Cub Scout Pack 27 requests the use of the Town of Old Lyme seal on their custom neckerchiefs and Class B t-shirt uniform. Selectwoman Reemsnyder made a motion to approve that the Cub Scout Pack 27 have permission to use the town logo as described in their letter and not for profit. Selectman Sibley seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
Komen Breast Cancer Foundation – Proclamation
The Komen Breast Cancer Foundation of Danbury, Connecticut has requested that the Town of Old Lyme do a proclamation to be returned by December 20, 2005 for a Winter Wonderland Walk. The Board agreed with the proclamation as read by First Selectman Griswold.
Appointments:
Social Services Coord. – Sherry Meyer – 2-yr Term to Jan 07
Selectwoman Reemsnyder made a motion to appoint Sherry Meyer as Social Services Coordinator for the remaining two-year term ending in January 2007. Selectman Sibley seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
Inland Wetlands Comm. – Resignation of Tom Degnan effective 31 Dec 05
First Selectman Griswold received a letter of resignation from Tom Degnan, Chairman of the Inland Wetlands Commission to be in effect at the end of 2005. Mr. Degnan stated that he is stepping down as chairman and member due to business and personal time constraints.
Old Business:
Information Technology Committee – Update
Selectwoman Reemsnyder reported that Ted Crosby has been working on the GIS technology and is waiting for a release from Applied Geographics that is expected in mid-January. The website will be ready two weeks after the release to First Town Hall. The Information Technology Committee is waiting for feedback on accounting packages and is working on the E-Tran service that is expected to accept payments online for this tax period (January 2006). Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated the taxpayer would not have to pay the 50-cent user fee for payment of taxes. Taxes must be paid by electronic check or debit card. Ms. Reemsnyder urges citizens to use the website and become a subscriber to the areas of interest. By pushing the subscribe button in the lower right hand corner, a list of the different areas
of interest will be shown. When there is information on a particular area of interest, the subscriber will receive an email reflecting what is posted on the website.
b. Church Corner Engineering Services Contract – Annual Town Meeting
First Selectman Griswold stated that the engineering contract costs for the Church Corner will be presented at the Annual Town Meeting in January, 2006.
c. Cameron Parish Relief Committee – Press Conference and Update
A campaign to collect toys by December 11 is underway for Cameron Parish, Louisiana,
an area devastated by Hurricane Rita. Gift cards from Home Depot, Lowes, Office Depot, etc. are also being accepted. A non-profit foundation is available to receive tax deductible donations. Kellogg Marine has volunteered to shrink wrap and transport the toys from our area to the northeast corner of Connecticut before being trucked to Grand Lake, Louisiana. At a recent press conference, it was discussed that Cameron Parish is applying to be a beneficiary under the Junior Women’s Art Show.
d. Formation of Town Woods Park Committee
First Selectman Griswold and Lyme First Selectman Bill Koch appointed a Town Woods Park Committee to take over the management of the facility. This committee will oversee the park and will evaluate requests to use donated funds. If approved, the request would be presented to the Old Lyme Park & Rec Commission for final approval. Except for some minor details, Phase I has been completed.
Broadwater LNG Proposal – Update
Selectman Sibley and Selectwoman Reemsnyder attended a recent meeting of the task force formed by Governor Rell to hear public opinion on the Broadwater LNG proposal.
In addition to discussion on the storage facility for Long Island Sound, other topics were energy conservation, renewable resource energy, and less dependency on fossil fuel.
The next meeting will take place in Hartford on December 7, 2005 at 10:00 A.M. More information on the State website: ctlng.state.ct.us. Coast Guard publication website: ww.uscg.mil\proceedings. First Selectman Griswold read a resolution opposing the industrial complex proposed by Broadwater Energy for Long Island Sound. Selectman Sibley made a motion to adopt the resolution as read. Selectwoman Reemsnyder seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
Lyme Street Sidewalk – Completed Between LYSB and Center School
A majority of the Lyme Street sidewalk between LYSB and Center School was finished last week.
New Business:
Sec. Of State Public Service Awards – Volunteer Coaches
The Secretary of the State will award Public Service Awards on December 16, 2005 to people holding positions as coaches or assistant coaches who have contributed to their community on a volunteer basis.
b. Holiday Schedule for 2006 - Approval
First Selectman Griswold presented the holiday schedule for 2006 that conforms to the State of Connecticut. Selectman Sibley made a motion to adopt the holidays schedule for 2006 as presented. Selectwoman Reemsnyder seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
Public Comment:
Diana Atwood Johnson, representing the Old Lyme Open Space Committee, stated that the committee strongly recommends acquiring land adjacent to Cherrystones Restaurant for the future needs of the town. The owners will be applying to Zoning to divide the land into two parcels. Four acres would be retained with the restaurant for additional parking and the remaining twenty-six acres would have a separate status. The land is easily developable and is suitable for other purposes to the town. The Open Space Committee recommends discussing the possibility of paying the owners a fair market value to hold it for the future needs of the Town of Old Lyme for future needs.
Mervin Roberts explained that the Cherrystone Restaurant was once called The Hundred Acres and used to belong to the Town of Old Lyme. The land was set aside so that the income of the land, used for pasture or for hay, was to pay the Congregational minister
who was a member of the government to the Town of Old Lyme.
Other Business:
First Selectman Griswold stated that the Chamber of Commerce would be hosting the tree lighting on Thursday, December 8, 2005 at the Marketplace at 5:00 P.M. The ceremony will include the lighting of the tree, an appearance by Santa, the Middle School band and Coast Guard cadets will perform.
Selectman Sibley mentioned that there will be a Rogers Lake Authority meeting on December 13, 2005 at 7:00 P.M.
Executive Session:
None
Adjournment:
Selectwoman Reemsnyder made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:46 P.M. Selectman Sibley seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
Respectfully submitted,
Eileen Coffee, Clerk
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