Old Lyme Board of Selectmen
Regular Meeting: Monday, 11 April 2011
The Board of Selectmen held a Regular Meeting at 7:30 PM on Monday, 11 April 2011 in the Conference Room of the Old Lyme Memorial Town Hall. First Selectman Timothy Griswold, Selectman Skip Sibley and Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder were present.
1. Approval of Minutes: 28 March 2011
Selectman Sibley moved to accept the minutes of 28 March 2011, and Selectwoman Reemsnyder seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
2. Municipal Services Agreement – CT Resources Recovery Authority – Covanta
Representatives from the CT Resources Recovery Authority and Covanta Energy were present to speak to the Selectmen regarding disposition of the Town's refuse. The Town's refuse is hauled by Shoreline Sanitation to the CRRA transfer station in Essex and then it is transported to the CRRA facility in Hartford where it is disposed of through a burning process. The Town of Old Lyme has been a member of the CRRA consortium for approximately twenty-five years. The present arrangement will come to an end in November 2012, so the Town must decide by 1 July 2011 if it wants to renew with CRRA or go with a different vendor.
Tom Kirk, President of CRRA, introduced his team, which made a presentation about the new Municipal Services Agreement (MSA) options being offered. There are five options with terms ranging from less than one year to 15 years. None require the full faith and credit of the town, and two do not require minimum or maximum ton requirements. The best pricing is associated with the 15-year term at $61 per ton and the 5-year term is priced at $63 per ton. If the “net cost of operations” price exceeds the quoted price, a town could “opt out” of the contract. Because Old Lyme sends their recycling to Willimantic Waste, we would not be required to send our recycling to CRRA, but we are welcome to do so. First Selectman Griswold stated that the Board of Selectmen needs to
review the information and then make a recommendation to the Board of Finance. This contract will need to be voted on at a Town Meeting and the next Town Meeting is in May.
Joseph Vitale, Business Manager of Covanta Energy, made a presentation to the Board of Selectmen. Covanta is an international energy company and operates four waste to energy facilities in CT with locations in Bristol, Hartford, Preston and Wallingford. Covanta seeks to have a refuse transfer facility in Deep River (CWPM, formerly Tinnerello) that would receive municipal refuse and then the waste would be shipped to wherever Covanta decided. Covanta is willing to structure a short or long term contract with a fixed tip fee based on an agreed upon index. He said the price range is presently between $61 and $65 per ton. The Selectmen want a small group of people to evaluate the strengths and weakness of the two proposals and report back to the Board of Selectmen.
Selectwoman Reemsnyder moved to have item 6b.on the agenda be considered next. Selectman Sibley seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
6. New Business
b. Four Mile River Marina – Landfill Materials
First Selectman Griswold stated that, some time ago he and Bob Asselin, the owner of the Four Mile River Marina, spoke about the possibility of the Town accepting dredged material from the marina at the Town's landfill. Extensive testing was performed on the material in 2006, when it was still in the water, and another test was performed recently, once the dredged material was on the ground. The results from both tests indicate the material may be placed in the landfill. The Town has been in contact with Anchor Engineering and the CT DEP and is awaiting written approval from the CT DEP at this time. First Selectman Griswold read a draft of a letter addressed to Mr. Asselin, which details the terms of the agreement between Mr. Asselin and the Town. The letter states that the Board of Selectmen
have reviewed Mr. Asselin's request and would accept between 800 and 1000 cubic yards to be deposited in the Town's landfill. The Four Mile River Marina will be charged at a rate of $15 per cubic yard. Mr. Asselin is anxious to remove the dredged material from his property, and he believes that he has over 1,000 cubic yards of material that will need to be transported. If the Selectmen agree to the terms, then the last step will be to secure the DEP’s approval. First Selectman Griswold will contact a representative from the DEP on Tuesday in hopes of obtaining a verbal approval, with a formal letter to follow.
Selectman Sibley asked that First Selectman Griswold have Attorney Marylin Clarke review the letter. The Selectmen are comfortable with the terms of the transaction.
3. Communications
a. Letter from Federation of Beaches
First Selectman Griswold referred to a letter from Scott Boulanger, President of the Federation of Beaches. The letter stated that some of the items discussed at the meeting on 23 October 2010 should be revisited again. First Selectman Griswold will refer back to his notes to review these items. The Selectmen agreed that another meeting should be scheduled with the Selectmen and interested parties from the Federation of Beaches. First Selectman Griswold will contact Mr. Boulanger and schedule a time, possibly a Saturday morning, for the convenience of the beach residents.
4. Appointments – NONE
5. Old Business
a. Annual Town Budget Meeting
First Selectman Griswold stated that at the Annual Town Budget Meeting in May there will possibly be four items on the Agenda. The first item will be the Town Budget with a recommendation from the Board of Finance to increase the mill rate from 18.6 to 18.8. This represents a 0.2 mill increase or a 1.08 percent increase. The second item on the Agenda will be the recommendation to purchase the Ames' Property (81 acres) over a 3-year time period, using money from the Open Space Fund. This purchase will not impact the Town’s operating budget. Diana Johnson will make the presentation to the Town. The third item could be the Municipal Services Agreement, if it is ready at that time. The fourth item is the renewal of the Household Hazardous Waste Agreement, which is a ten town
agreement.
b. FY 2012 Budget
Included in 5a
c. Ames Property – Open Space Purchase Recommendation
Included in 5a
d. Municipal Services Agreement
Included in 5a
e. Household Hazardous Waste Agreement (10 Towns)
Included in 5a
f. Pesticide Awareness Committee
First Selectman Griswold reported that the Committee met on March 29 and Chip Osborne, President of Osborne Organics, had made a very good presentation on the pros and cons of organic pesticides. In the near future, the Committee plans to visit sites that have been using organic pesticides for several years. It may be another month or two before the Committee will make a recommendation.
g. Automated Single Stream Recycling Update
First Selectman Griswold reported that the recycling carts are scheduled to arrive in Town next Monday. Soon after, the carts will be distributed to all households. A flyer will be mailed out to all residents with detailed information about the recycling process. The Town's and Shoreline Sanitation’s websites will have detailed information also. The lid on each cart will have a brief menu of items that may be recycled.
h. Discussion on Town Policy for Plowing Town Roads
First Selectman Griswold reviewed a draft letter regarding the Town's policy for plowing private roads. Private roads in Town (not located at the beaches) are not plowed. The letter points out that there are 60 miles of town roads, and depending on the actual number of miles of beach roads, it could add another 10-14 miles of roads. The letter addresses the speed bumps on the private roads, which damage the plow trucks. The larger trucks can easily do damage while plowing the narrow and unlit private roads. In an emergency during a snow storm, the Town will break away from regular plowing to plow out a private road. First Selectman Griswold will finalize and send the letter to the affected beach presidents so it may be discussed at a meeting with the beach presidents on 7
May.
i. Committee to Consider Water Resource Ordinance
First Selectman Griswold stated that he had sent a memo to the three people who are willing to serve on the Committee. The letter outlines what the charge of the Committee is, and First Selectman Griswold would like to have two to four more people be on the Committee. Selectman Sibley suggested that some scientific data be collected to substantiate what the Committee needs to accomplish. First Selectman Griswold believes that the Committee will need to speak with the Connecticut Water Company about its long-range plan.
6. New Business
a. The Nature Conservancy – Coastal Resilience Program
First Selectman Griswold reported that, for a second year, The Nature Conservancy held a Coastal Resilience Program in the Town Hall Meeting Hall. Coastlines move and change over time, and as climate change brings higher seas and more intense storms, communities need to continuously adapt. The coastal resilience tool (www.coastalresilience.org) is a web-based tool that helps people visualize the likely impacts of storm events so they may plan for wise future development and emergency response.
b. Four Mile River Marina – Landfill Materials
(moved in the agenda - previous to item 3)
7. Public Comment - NONE
8. Other Business
First Selectman Griswold reported on issues with the Swan Brook outflow pipe. This pipe is actually two 36-inch pipes which go under the beach from one headwall at the end of Swan Brook to the outfall into Long Island Sound. These are concrete pipes and their deterioration over time is allowing sand to seep in through the gaps. In the past, the Town has repaired the outfall and performed some work on the pipe joints. However, to fix the problem properly, the repair could be extensive and expensive. Accordingly, the Town must determine who owns the pipes and who is responsible for their repair. Selectwoman Reemsnyder suggested that the Town gather as much information as possible about the history of the pipes and any information on responsibility.
First Selectman Griswold reported that Gail Fuller is looking for permission to use the Town parking lot, across from the former Catholic Chapel in Sound View, for visitors to park their cars on Memorial Day and on a date in August. Permission was granted last year and the Selectmen approved her request.
Selectwoman Reemsnyder asked First Selectman Griswold if he had drafted a letter to our two State representatives about the dredging request from the Harbor Management Commission. First Selectman Griswold stated that he was in the process of doing this and it should be done this week.
There will NOT be a Board of Selectmen's Meeting on 18 April 2011.
The next Board of Selectmen's meeting will be held on Monday, 2 May at 7:30 PM in the Meeting Hall of the Old Lyme Town Hall.
9. Executive Session: NONE
10. Adjournment
Selectwoman Reemsnyder moved to adjourn the meeting at 10:22 PM, and Selectman Sibley seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
Respectfully submitted, ~
Mary Ellen Garbarino
Recording Secretary
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