Old Lyme Board of Selectmen
Regular Meeting Tuesday, November 13, 2007
The Board of Selectmen held a regular meeting at 7:30 P.M. on Tuesday, November 13, 2007 at Christ the King Church. First Selectman Timothy Griswold, Selectman Skip Sibley and Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder were present.
1. Approval of Minutes: October 1, 2007
a. October 1 minutes
Selectwoman Reemsnyder asked that item 5a, Hartford Ave. Paving, be amended to include her comment that the cost of a time delay should be taken into account in the future when considering changes on a project that has already been budgeted. She would also like item 7b, Tax Relief Committee, corrected to say that she emailed questionnaires to Selectmen Griswold and Sibley for review and to pass on to other people.
Selectwoman Reemsnyder asked about the procedure for noting the adjournment time of a meeting that has an Executive Session. Tim agreed that the times of the end of the Executive Session and the meeting should be noted in the minutes. Although the recorder was turned off; the Selectmen recalled that the Executive Session ended at 7:00 P.M., and the meeting adjourned at 7:01P.M.
Selectwoman Reemsnyder moved to accept the minutes of October 1 as amended. Selectman Sibley seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
b. October 11 Minutes
Approval of the minutes was tabled until the next meeting, pending review by Selectman Sibley and Selectwoman Reemsnyder.
c. October 15 Minutes
Selectman Sibley would like a correction under item 7, Public Comment. The name “Maggie Wood” should be “Maggie Ward”. He also asked to include the time the Executive Session ended, 9:16 P.M.
Selectman Sibley moved to approve the minutes of October 15 as amended. Selectwoman Reemsnyder seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
Selectwoman Reemsnyder and Selectmen Sibley requested that the clerk email the minutes to them, which would be faster than getting copies in their mailboxes at town hall.
3. Communications: None
4. Appointments:
a. Zoning Commission (Alt) – Ted Kiritsis(R) – 1 Yr Term to Jan 08
Selectman Sibley moved to appoint Ted Kiritsis as an Alternate member of the Zoning Commission for a 1 year term ending in January 2008. Selectwoman Reemsnyder seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
b. WPCA (Alt) – Keith Czarnecki (U) – 4 Yr Term to Jan 08
Selectman Sibley moved to appoint Keith Czarnecki as an Alternate member of the Water Pollution Control Authority for a 4 year term ending in January 2008. Selectwoman Reemsnyder seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
Selectwoman Reemsnyder asked if the applications could be emailed to the Selectmen before the meeting so they can have more time to consider the appointments.
c. Lymes Senior Ctr. – Jim Nichols (R) – 3 Yr Term to Jul 10
First Selectman Griswold stated that there are 2 vacancies on the board of the Lymes Senior Center. He would like to consider Jim Nichols first; he has served on the board in the past. Selectwoman Reemsnyder moved to appoint Jim Nichols to the board of the Lymes Senior Center for a 3 year term ending in July 2010. Selectman Sibley seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
Selectwoman Reemsnyder moved to add the second Lymes Senior Center board appointment, Vi Gerber, to the agenda as item d. Selectman Sibley seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
d. Lymes Senior Ctr. – Vi Gerber (R) – 3 Yr Term to Jul 10
Selectman Sibley moved to appoint Vi Gerber to the board of the Lymes Senior Center for a 3 year term ending in July 2010. Selectwoman Reemsnyder seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
5. Old Business:
Selectman Sibley moved to add the Fire Marshal to the agenda. Selectwoman Reemsnyder seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
a. Fire Marshal
The Fire Marshal appointment has no term. The Fire Marshal can only be discharged for gross negligence. Dave Roberge was appointed as acting Fire Marshal in January, 2005. In 2006 he was appointed as a 2 yr term, so there is some confusion. Selectwoman Reemsnyder would like to clear up the confusion and make the appointment official. Selectman Sibley moved to confirm that Dave Roberge has been Fire Marshal since August, 2006. Selectwoman Reemsnyder seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
b. Town Woods Park – Status
First Selectman Griswold has a spreadsheet outlining the expenses. The total so far is $299,000, out of a contract of about $560,000. The fencing needs to be installed on the outfield and batters area, and the total does not include October’s invoice from Machnik. The project is under budget so far and is looking good. There may be enough money to install video cameras for night surveillance. There will be a ceremony in the Spring and the fields will be in use next Fall.
Selectman Griswold mentioned that the Cross Road baseball field backstop is broken and needs to be replaced. A new backstop will cost about $17,000. It may be possible to use some unspent funds from the Town Woods Park project. Selectman Sibley suggested that the issue be discussed at a Town Meeting.
c. Town Hall Expansion – Status
The Town Hall Expansion project is moving along well. The second floor is being worked on and the roof should be completed in 2-3 weeks. The remaining palladium windows will be installed soon. All of the replacement windows have been installed. Selectwoman Reemsnyder asked if the building committee still meets. First Selectman Griswold stated that they have project meetings, and he will ask John Forbis to schedule a meeting to bring everyone up to date.
d. Hartford Ave. Paving
First Selectman Griswold stated that the Hartford Avenue paving project was delayed by rain this week, but is scheduled to be completed as soon as weather permits.
e. Landfill Closure – Material from Blinkers – Update
First Selectman Griswold met today with representatives from Blinkers to discuss the results of testing samples collected at the landfill. The test show elevated lead levels in the material that Blinkers dumped, so it has to be removed. More investigation will be done on Wednesday. Blinkers paid $2,000 to test the material.
Selectman Sibley suggested getting a before and after 3D survey so the amount that is removed can be quantified and the town will have documentation on file. Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that the material that is left should also be tested.
f. Public Works Garage Committee – Formation
Selectman Sibley has contacted six people who are willing to serve on the committee: Ed Adanti, Bob Wanat, Ellis Jewett, Gary Yuknat, Todd Machnik, and Bob Reemsnyder. Selectman Sibley is also willing to serve on the committee, ex officio.
6. New Business:
a. Municipal Election Results
First Selectman Griswold stated the voter turnout was about 52%. Ted Kiritsis lost his seat, and there were some changes on the District 18 School Board. Swearing in took place today by Irene Carnell at town hall. First Selectman Griswold said that anyone who hasn’t been sworn in yet must be sworn in by Nov 20. Anyone serving on a commission needs to be sworn in by the time of their next meeting or they will not be able to vote at the meeting.
b. OLPD Staffing
First Selectman Griswold had a meeting with the Sergeant and Trooper Olsen. He asked them to send him a letter with their thoughts on the staffing situation. Part- time officers seem like a good way to augment the staff, but no final decision was made. Selectman Sibley presented a schedule (put together by Officer Collins) using 6 Constables, 1 Resident Trooper, and 1 part- time officer. Selectwoman Reemsnyder would like a committee formed to consider scheduling combinations. She believes a committee made up of knowledgeable people would have valuable suggestions on how to adequately schedule police staff. Selectmen Sibley and Griswold agreed that they should get some names together and get input from the State Police.
c. CCM Convention with District 18 Students
The CCM Convention took place on October 24. Three 9th grade students went to learn about municipal government. The convention was held at the Hartford Convention Center.
d. District 18 Veterans Day Observation
First Selectman Griswold attended a Veterans Day ceremony on Friday at the Middle School. The High School also held a ceremony. Selectman Griswold commended the students on their excellent and thoughtful presentations.
7. Public Comment: None
8. Other Business:
Selectwoman Reemsnyder moved to add the town hall staff Thanksgiving holiday (Friday, November 23) to the agenda. Selectman Sibley seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
a. Town Hall Staff Holiday – Friday, November 23
Selectwoman Reemsnyder moved to grant the town hall staff the Friday after Thanksgiving as a holiday (November 23). Selectman Sibley seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
b. Town Hall Web Site
Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that the town has a great web site, but it needs to be kept up to date. When a meeting time is changed in one place it needs to be changed on the web site calendar also, and the meeting agendas should be linked to the meetings on the calendar. She has noticed that sometimes announcements on the front page are not sent to email subscribers. Selectman Sibley suggested that one person be in charge of posting information on the web site. Selectman Griswold replied that the system is designed to have each department be responsible for updating their own information. He would like to have a meeting of all of the staff to discuss the issue. Selectwoman Reemsnyder is mainly concerned about big meetings: Board of Finance, Land Use, etc. not
necessarily volunteer committees.
c. Meeting Agendas
Selectwoman Reemsnyder asked if the Selectmen could get their meeting agenda early in case they want to add to the agenda. Selectman Griswold replied that the agendas are created on the Friday before the meeting, sometimes at the last minute. He could add items to the agenda if they are emailed to him on Friday.
d. Transfer Station – Budget & Time line
Selectwoman Reemsnyder asked about the budget and time line for the transfer station. First Selectman Griswold replied that he had a meeting today to put together a bid package. The project consists of three phases. The first two phases are estimated to take about 45 days each, with some overlap possible. The third phase, paving, should take about 30 days. He believes that in 2-3 weeks he will have a better idea of the budget and time line. Selectman Sibley would like to get a firm proposal for the bus barn for District 18 so they can make a decision.
e. Superintendent of Public Works compensation
Selectwoman Reemsnyder asked that additional compensation for the acting Superintendent of Public Works be considered. Selectman Griswold will have the Board of Finance consider the matter.
d. Flood and Erosion Control
Selectwoman Reemsnyder asked about flood and erosion control. Selectman Griswold is contacting Docko to come and look at Mile Creek, the piping at the end of Sheffield Brook, and Swan Brook.
e. Rogers Lake Dam
Selectman Sibley asked about the Rogers’s lake dam. Selectman Griswold will check with the DEP to find out if there is funding available.
9. Executive Session – Personnel Matter
Selectman Sibley moved to go into Executive Session at 8:40 PM. Selectwoman Reemsnyder seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
Selectman Sibley moved to end the Executive Session at 9:35 P.M., Selectwoman Reemsnyder seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
10. Adjournment
Selectman Sibley made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:36 P.M, Selectwoman Reemsnyder seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
Respectfully submitted,
Martha Hansen
Recording Secretary
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