Old Lyme Board of Selectmen
Regular Meeting Monday, November 16, 2009
The Board of Selectmen held a regular meeting at 7:30 P.M. on Monday, November 16, 2009 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: 2 November 2009
The minutes of the regular meeting on November 2 were reviewed. Selectwoman Reemsnyder asked for a clarification under item 4 d, High School Building Project Fees. The last sentence refers to Lyme’s First Selectman Ralph Eno and the CT Water Company Equitable Share payment.
Selectman Sibley offered the following addendum to the November 2 minutes clarifying the Equitable Share payment situation:
Selectman Sibley was contacted by Lyme First Selectman Ralph Eno who thanked Mr. Sibley for copying him on his recent letter to Susan Fogliano and Nan Salvino of District 18. Mr. Eno pointed out that he was not the First Selectman in 2006 when the Cross Lane Firehouse hook-up fees were discussed. Mr. Eno said that, while Lyme was interested in collecting its Equitable Share in 2006, this is not case today. Accordingly, if Lyme is due any money for its Equitable Share, the town is not interested in collecting it now.
Selectwoman Reemsnyder asked for an addition to item 6, Public Comment: that Mr. Folland asked to have the Town Hall Expansion Project added to Old Business in the future. First Selectman Griswold said it will be added when there is something material to report.
Selectwoman Reemsnyder moved to accept the minutes as amended. Selectman Sibley seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
2. Communications: None
3. Appointments: None
First Selectman Griswold asked for a motion to move item 5 b, Info Tech Request for Funding, to the next item on the agenda. Selectwoman Reemsnyder made the motion, seconded by Selectman Sibley. SO VOTED.
4. New Business: Info Tech Request for Funding
The Board of Finance has heard discussions over the past few months about increasing funding for the town’s Info Tech requirements. Ruth Roach will speak about upgrading the GIS system. Ann Brown will discuss funding needs for Laserfiche work in conjunction with the R-10 registration process.
Ruth Roach has been talking with Applied Geographics about the Town’s GIS website and spoke about the need to upgrade it because it is so out-of-date that it is practically unusable. Ruth has reduced extent of the upgrades from $34,000 in May 2008 to about $12,000 at present. Some Town Hall staff would need additional training in order to take full advantage of the system’s features and there might be a need to hire part-time GIS help in the future. The updated GIS system could be used by various town departments such as Tree Commission, Public Works, Emergency Management, Planning and Zoning, Land Use, etc. CRERPA has done some GIS projects for the Town in the past. Ruth stated that the reduction from $34,000 to $12,000 does not represent a savings to the Town, it
simply means we can defer some items until later.
Ann Brown spoke about the Laserfiche project (scanning and digitizing all Land Use documents and maps in Town Hall) and what it would take to complete the task. It is estimated that at least another 100 hours will be needed to finish the job. This is not in the budget this year but should be included next year. The number of maps and documents that need to be scanned was underestimated.
There was a discussion about the cost of sending all R-10 property owners the entire contents of their Building, Health, Zoning, ZBA, and Inland Wetlands files (including maps) in paper form versus on computer disc. Ann believes the Town must send the paper copy via certified mail rather than on disc. Others believe we can send the info on disc at much less expense (postage, paper & labor) and state in a cover letter that the recipient may obtain paper copy, if necessary, which could be sent by regular mail or picked-up. There was also discussion about any fees to be charged in conjunction with the R10 application process and whether confirmed year-round owners would have to pay a fee.. The discussion will continue at the Board of Finance meeting.
Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that the GIS system should be made as useful as possible and that it should be understood that there will be recurring expenses.
Selectwoman Reemsnyder made a motion seconded by Selectman Sibley, that the Board of Selectmen recommend to the Board of Finance that they approve the addition of $12,000 to the Info Tech budget. SO VOTED.
5. Old Business:
a. Bus Barn Project – Update
The project will be advertised for prospective bidders in The Day newspaper on Wednesday. There will be a mandatory pre-bid meeting on December 2 and bids will be due on December 23. The project will be posted on the State of CT DAS website. Selectman Sibley recommended that it be posted on the CCIA website also, which is used by contractors.
b. Church Corner Project – Update
The last of the curbing is being installed on the South Green side of McCurdy Road. The concrete sidewalks will be finished soon. The utility poles have not been moved yet. The paving will be completed before the cold weather sets in. The contractor has not submitted a Request for Payment yet so we are unsure of the extent of the cost for additional excavation of the road bed and other extras. Out inspector has been keeping track of all quantities.
c. Public Works Garage Renovation – Update
The roof, siding, passenger doors and window replacement work is almost complete and it looks like there will be about $40,000 available for the truck wash bay and any other incidentals. An overhead door might be installed on the pole building to help weather proof it.
d. Town Woods Park Grounds Maintenance – Bid Results
The Town received four bids for the three-year Town Woods Park grounds maintenance contract. Three of the bids were in the range of $293,883 to $305,055. The fourth bid from Midconn Landscaping of $174,000 was rejected for not owning the proper equipment specified in the bid documents and being too low. Following due diligence work, Bob Dunn and the Operating Committee unanimously recommend that the Town Woods Field Maintenance Contract for Jan 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010 be awarded to Country Lawn & Garden Landscape Company, Inc. which met all the requirements of the bid documents and was the lowest responsible bidder at $293,883. Bob Dunn spoke to Ralph Eno, Lyme’s First Selectman, who agrees that Country Lawn & Garden should get the contract.
Selectman Sibley made a motion, seconded by Selectwoman Reemsnyder, to recommend to the Board of Finance that, following the recent bid process for the Town Woods Athletic Facility, the contract be awarded to Country Lawn & Garden Landscape Company, as recommended by Bob Dunn and the Operating Committee. SO VOTED.
e. Town Hall Expansion - Update
First Selectman Griswold reported that he will be working with John Forbis to quantify the remaining items that need to be addressed.
6. New Business:
a. Election Results
The election results have been published, congratulations to the winners.
b. Duck River Bridge (McCurdy Rd.) – Engineering Proposal
Selectman Griswold received a proposal for the engineering work, which includes surveying, preliminary design, permits, final design, bidding, construction management, etc. for $30,250, from Jacobsen Engineering. This does not include the cost of the actual repairs. The plan is to insert a liner into the existing 5 foot pipe and pour concrete around it, forming a concrete cylinder within the old pipe, which is much less expensive than replacing the whole pipe.
Funds for this project are not in the budget and so we will need approval for the engineering funds at a Town Meeting. The discussion will continue at the Board of Finance meeting.
c. Academy Lane and Lieutenant River Lane Reconstruction
The bids received for reconstruction work on Bailey, Buttonball and Portland Roads was $199,000 versus the budget of $276,400, leaving a balance of $77,400. Ed Adanti spoke with two contractors about reconstructing Academy and Lieutenant River Lanes with 2” black top. Charles Pasteryak Inc., who is doing the above work, offered a price of $49,260 while his equipment and crew are in town. The next bid is slightly higher. The Selectmen believe it is wise to do this work with the remaining budget to take advantage of favorable pricing. There need be no appropriation and the matter will be discussed at the Board of Finance meeting.
d. Revaluation – Update
The revaluation notices have been sent out and the revaluation company, Vision Appraisal, will conduct hearings in the Meeting Hall on November 18, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25 & 30. Property owners may go before the Board of Assessment Appeals if they do not agree with the revaluation company’s conclusion. The value of the Grand List has remained about the same, some properties increased in value, while some decreased.
e. Old Lyme Police Food Drive
The Old Lyme Police Department is having a food drive to benefit the Shoreline Soup Kitchen. They had a collection on November 12 and will be at the A&P on November 17 from 3-7PM and on Saturday, November 21 from 1-4PM.
7. Public Comment: None
8. Other Business:
Selectman Sibley read an addendum to the November 2 minutes explaining the CT Water Company Equitable Share payment, as detailed above.
Selectman Griswold received a note from Martha Hansen stating she will be working for the Registrar of Voters in East Haddam and therefore must stop transcribing the minutes for the Board of Selectmen by January. The Selectmans’ Office has been in touch with a couple of people who transcribe minutes for other boards and commissions to make the transition a smooth one. The Selectmen thanked Martha for her efforts on the minutes.
Comcast Advisory Council has approved the request from the Town of Old Lyme for $3,000 for audio-visual equipment, which includes a camera, portable screen, media cart, etc. This will be brought up with the Board of Finance because it is not in the budget, although the expenses will be reimbursed fully.
9. Executive Session: none
10. Adjournment:
MOTION: Selectman Sibley made a motion, seconded by Selectwoman Reemsnyder, to adjourn at 9:13 PM. SO VOTED.
Respectfully submitted,
Martha Hansen
Recording Secretary
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