Old Lyme Board of Selectmen
Monday, 11 February 2013
Regular Meeting
The Board of Selectmen held a Regular Meeting at 7:30 PM on Monday, 11 February 2013 in the Meeting Hall of the Old Lyme Memorial Town Hall. First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder, Selectwoman Mary Jo Nosal and Selectman Skip Sibley were present.
1. Approval of Minutes – Regular Meeting 22 January 2013
Selectman Sibley moved to approve the minutes of Regular Meeting 22 January 2013. Selectwoman Nosal seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
2. Communications - NONE
3. Appointments
Appointment of Sanitarian – 4-year term to January 2014 (to replace Ron Rose)
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder reported that there were nine applicants for the position of Sanitarian and three were interviewed. The number one candidate is Sonia Marino. First Selectwoman Reemsnyder reviewed Ms. Marino’s qualifications, background and experience. An offer of employment has been made to Ms. Marino pending the approval of the Board of Selectmen. Selectwoman Nosal moved to appoint Sonia Marino as Sanitarian for a four-year term expiring in January 2014 to replace Ron Rose. Selectman Sibley seconded the motion. There was further discussion. SO VOTED.
4. Old Business
a. Annual Town Meeting Update
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder reported that the Annual Town Report was presented and approved at the Annual Town Meeting. The following agenda items under Old Business (b and c) were also part of the Annual Town Meeting.
b. 2012 Citizen of the Year – Robert Pierson
Robert Pierson, a member of the Fire Department, Senior Center Board, and Facilities Committee was named 2012 Citizen of the Year at the Annual Town Meeting.
c. PD and FD Communications Allocation Update
An amount, not to exceed $32,500, for the installation of equipment on the Mile Creek tower which will allow inter-agency communication was approved at the Annual Town Meeting.
The Town elected a successor to Scott Chester, who served on the Board of Assessment Appeals. George Finley was elected to fill this position.
d. FY 2014 Budget Update
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder reported that on 5 February the Board of Finance started meeting weekly and this will continue until the budget for FY 2014 is complete. There will be no Board of Finance meeting next week because of school vacation.
e. Amusement Licensing Ordinance, Ch 13
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that along with working on the Amusement Licensing Ordinance the Selectmen need to work on Road Cut Permits. This agenda item was tabled. The Selectmen will address both Amusement Licensing and Road Cut Permits at a future meeting.
5. New Business
a. Sound View Improvements Grant Funding
Frank Pappalardo, Chairman of the Sound View Commission, reviewed the proposed Sound View Improvements which include a bike route from the Baldwin Bridge to the Sound View Beach area, changes to the Sound View parking lot, and the addition of restrooms at Sound View Beach. Mr. Pappalardo was happy to report that a federal transportation grant will fund 80 percent of the project. There was a discussion of how the process will work going forward. Selectwoman Nosal moved to approve the Plan for Sound View Improvements. Selectman Sibley seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
b. Updated Employee Handbook
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder reported on the status of the updated Employee Handbook. The final document was given to the Selectmen and they will continue to review it before final approval. The Town employees had reviewed the final document and presented questions which are being addressed at this time. There was a discussion that included suggested edits to the document.
c. Winter Blizzard Update
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder reviewed the process of the Town’s preparation
and handling of the Winter Blizzard which arrived on Friday, 8 February. She urged residents to register at http://www.ct.gov/ctalert/site/default.asp if they had not already done so. First Selectwoman Reemsnyder acknowledged Public Works, sub-contractors, EMS, Police, Fire Department and volunteers for their hard work. A discussion followed.
d. Town Woods Operating Committee
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder reported that she will be appointing Wendy Visgilio and Ana Silberberg as new members of the Town Woods Operating Committee. Presently on the Committee are Don Bugbee, Glynn McAraw and Jason Thornton. Mr. Thornton is the Parks and Recreation Director in Lyme.
e. Wastewater Management Task Force – RFQ
The RFQ was advertised and the return date is 20 February by 2:00 PM. They will be opened at that time. The Task Force will review the applications and conduct an interview process. First Selectwoman Reemsnyder thanked the Task Force for their hard work in drafting the REQ, and she recognized that they still have quite a bit of work ahead of them. The Beach Associations and the Town are communicating throughout this process.
f. Storm Sandy Follow-up
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that there is a meeting scheduled for 27 February at 4:30 PM in the Meeting Hall. This will be an opportunity to review both events and look for opportunities to improve. All departments that took part in Emergency Operations have been contacted and will continue to provide feedback.
6. Public Comment
Beth Sullivan stated that the plan for the Sound View Improvements is fabulous. She asked if the bike route would be done in one phase. First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that the bike route is part of the whole plan. Ms. Sullivan stated that she is registered at CT Alerts and was very happy with the information this provided her all during the storm. She did suggest that in the future there should be a cell phone charging area in Town.
Ms. Sullivan stated that at the Board of Selectmen’s meeting of 7 Januar,y Mr. Peter Bialobrzeski, Chairman of the White Sand Beach Association, had requested a 50/50 split of the total cost of the plowing expense at White Sands Beach Association. The Selectmen recommended that this be brought before the Board of Finance with the request that they consider supplementing the cost of snowplowing at White Sands Beach. Ms. Sullivan was a member of the Snow Plowing Committee last year and she feels that the proposal made by Peter is a wonderful idea for all private roads. The Committee’s recommendation was that the Town would plow Town roads and certain private roads that met with specific standards. This aspect was met with legal resistance. The proposal that Peter made would be
perfect for all private roads. She felt that the traffic on private roads was 100% from Town residents throughout the year. She requested that the Town reimburse all private associations in the same split as proposed for White Sands Beach.
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder reviewed the areas in Town during the recent storms that were available for charging cell phones.
7. Other Business
Selectman Sibley stated that the Selectmen had received copies of a letter dated 21 January from Louis and Nancy Russo, residents at 2 Flagler Avenue. First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that she had responded to this letter and her intention is to copy the Selectmen on the history. She will get this information to the Selectmen shortly.
The next Board of Selectmen's Meeting is scheduled for Monday 4 March at 7:30 PM.
8. Executive Session - NONE
9. Adjournment
Selectman Sibley moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:48 PM. Selectwoman Nosal seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
Respectfully submitted,
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Mary Ellen Garbarino
Recording Secretary
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