Old Lyme Board of Selectmen Unapproved
Regular Meeting Friday, October 3, 2008
The Board of Selectmen held a regular meeting at 4:00 P.M. on Friday, October 3, 2008 in the Meeting Hall at the Old Lyme Memorial Town Hall. First Selectman Timothy Griswold, Selectman Skip Sibley and Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder were present.
1. Approval of Minutes: 15 September 2008 (Regular Meeting)
The minutes of the regular meeting on September 15 were reviewed. Selectman Sibley moved to accept the minutes as presented and Selectwoman Reemsnyder seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
2. Communications:
a. Ruth Roach – Information Technology Position
A letter from Ruth Roach detailing the Information Technology position was discussed. Ruth has a schedule which splits her work time between Tax Clerk and Information Technology Clerk. However, the information technology function has expanded and she does not believe there is enough time devoted to information technology to do the job properly. She would like to work full-time in the Information Technology position. Charlie Delinks confirmed that it would be helpful to have full-time Information Technology person in Town Hall. He often gets calls to solve problems that Ruth could handle, if she had time. Dave Roberge, Fire Marshal and Emergency Management Director, also needs information technology help for Emergency Management projects.
The Selectmen discussed the situation and how to handle the Tax Clerk duties if the Information Technology position was expanded. They will consider the matter further and discuss it with the Board of Finance.
3. Appointments: None
4. Old Business:
a. Town Hall Expansion – Opening Ceremony – Sunday 5 Oct. 3PM
There will be an Opening Celebration at the Town Hall on Sunday, October 5, at 3 PM. The American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars will have an Honor Guard and the Town Band will play a medley of songs. There will be speakers, a ribbon cutting, tours of the building and a reception. Lyme Street will be closed for 45 minutes during the ceremony.
b. Town Woods Park - Phase II - Opening Ceremony
The Opening Ceremony for Town Woods Park Phase II was held on September 20. Senator Andrea Stillman and Representative Marilyn Giuliano attended as well as members of the Building Committee.
c. South Lyme Chapel Parking Lot Property – Closing 24 September 08
The closing was held on September 24. The parcel will be land-banked for future use by the town, but will not be used for public beach parking.
d. High School Building Referendum – Tues. 14 Oct. (6 AM to 8 PM) – Cross Lane Firehouse
There will be a referendum on the new High School building plan on October 14.
e. Special Town Meeting to Elect a School Board Member to Replace Andrea Fenton – Term Ending Dec. 2009 – Middle School Auditorium 20 Oct. 2008 at 7:30 PM
There will be a Special Town Meeting on October 20 at 7:30 PM in the Middle School Auditorium to elect a School Board member to replace Andrea Fenton. Townspeople can make nominations from the floor and no particular party affiliation is necessary.
The regular Board of Selectmen’s meeting will be held at 4 PM that day.
f. Landfill Closure & Bus Barn Parcel – Status
The environmental work (soil testing) will be finished soon. Selectwoman Reemsnyder asked if the soil will be tested for arsenic. Selectman Griswold stated that the soil is being tested for heavy metals, etc. and he would ask that an arsenic test be included. Leaf disposal was discussed. The town currently does curbside residential leaf pickup which is time consuming and expensive. Most resident leaves are in bags but bags, even biodegradable ones, are not allowed in leaf composting areas. This requires Public Works employees to empty all bags. Next year, the plan is to have residents, who want to dispose of leaves from their property, to bring them to the Transfer Station and empty the bags into a large container.
g. Finance Director interviews
Some interviews were conducted this week and follow up interviews will be held next week. Interviews were also held for the position in Land Use. Interviews for the position of Animal Control Officer will be held soon. The Police Officer full-time position is still open but a candidate has been found for the part-time position.
h. Flood & Erosion Control Board – Update
The Board met recently and reviewed an old study of Swan Brook. The repair to the Swan Brook outlet has been approved by the Board of Finance and should be finished shortly. Sheffield Brook and Mile Creek need attention at their outfalls.
i. Elderly Tax Relief Committee – Status
Selectwoman Reemsnyder reported that the Committee met on October 1st. Don Tapper found a 2008 document outlining what each town in CT does for elderly tax relief. The Committee discussed different options, including the Circuit Breaker Program where elderly or disabled people can apply for property tax abatement if they meet the income requirements. The state then reimburses the town for the tax abatements. There are other options also, such as freezing assessments, etc. The Committee may want to conduct a survey to determine the number of townspeople who need to be served. The next two meetings are October 22 at 4PM and November 12 at 4PM.
5. New Business:
a. 2009 Statistical Revaluation - Awarded to Vision Appraisal
The Tax Assessor is required to perform revaluations regularly. He is preparing for a statistical revaluation, using the 2008 Grand List. This will be the second consecutive statistical revaluation within the ten-year revaluation cycle, which will save the town over $200,000 because we can postpone the physical revaluation for five years. Three proposals were received, $116,300, $138,000 and $141,750. The contract was awarded to Vision Appraisal at $116,300. Vision performed the last appraisal. Money has been put aside in a capital account over a number of years to pay for the appraisal.
6. Public Comment
Ellie Czarnowski, Chairman of the Conservation Commission, spoke about several issues.
· The Commission would like to print a calendar again this year.
· Can Rte. 156 be widened? She would like a bike path to run the length of Rte. 156 starting at the Baldwin Bridge. Selectman Griswold mentioned that Joe Camean is assisting the Town to apply for a grant to help fund a “green way/blue way” along the CT River and Rte. 156 which would include bike and walking paths so people can enjoy the area.
· Could the town create a dog park (a fenced-in area for dogs) near the town garage and the animal control facility?
· She mentioned the possibility of the town having a “Paper Shredding Day”. The Town might rent a large shredder for townspeople to use to shred confidential documents. She suggested doing a web survey to find out if people would be interested.
· Each year the Conservation Commission provides a promotional item to help educate the public on conservation issues. The Commission would like reusable grocery bags to be the next promotional item. She will look into the cost of producing them.
Frank Pappalardo spoke about issues in the Sound View Beach area – problems with illegal parking lots, motorized vehicles on the beach and large party buses. He asked that the town address the issues as soon as possible in order to be prepared for next summer. He suggested that the town adopt an ordinance banning large vehicles on certain roads in the Sound View area that are too small to handle them. He presented the Selectmen with a sample of an ordinance that he wrote after researching what other towns have done.
Richard Sagan stated that he parked behind the Town Hall at 3:45 PM, but found the rear door locked and he had to walk up the hill to the side entrance.
7. Other Business
Selectwoman Reemsnyder asked if any progress had been made on the affordable housing issue. Selectman Griswold suggested that a Board or Commission be formed and asked for suggestions of citizens who might like to serve.
Selectwoman Reemsnyder spoke about the letters they have received from townspeople requesting a moratorium on building permits. Selectman Sibley read one of the letters asking for a 6 month moratorium on building permits for new or expanded buildings (except for decks or porches) in the residential areas north of Short Hills Road and south of the Boston Post Road. This would provide time to do a study and put zoning controls in place to manage development in the area.
Selectman Griswold will consult the town attorney about the legality of a moratorium and which governmental body would have jurisdiction.
8. Adjournment
Selectwoman Reemsnyder moved and Selectman Sibley seconded, to adjourn the meeting at 6:00 P.M. SO VOTED.
Respectfully submitted,
Martha Hansen
Recording Secretary
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