Old Lyme Board of Selectmen
Monday, 3 February 2014
Regular Meeting
The Board of Selectmen held a Regular Meeting at 7:30 PM on 3 February 2014 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 - Special Meeting 23 January 2014
Selectwoman Nosal moved to approve the minutes of Special Meeting 23 January 2014. Selectman Sibley seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
2. Communications – NONE
3. Appointments – NONE
4. Old Business
a. Bike Path / Sound View Improvements Update
Selectwoman Nosal reported that there was a meeting last Thursday and the Committee was brought up to date on the State to Town and the Consultant to Town Agreement templates. The Town Attorney found nothing objectionable with the templates and the actual Agreement has been received from the State DOT and in the hands of the Town Attorney for review. The next Committee meeting will be on 10 February. A tentative date of 6 March is planned for the Town Informational Meeting. This will then go to a Town Meeting for final approval.
b. Annual Town Meeting Update
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder reported on the Town Meeting held on 27 January. There were approximately forty people in attendance. The Town Report was accepted. A parcel of land on 72 Pond Road was accepted which is one-half of what is called the Town Parking Lot and owned by the Old Lyme Community Development Corporation. Peter Cable was named as Citizen of the Year.
c. Citizen of the Year – Peter Cable
The Selectmen congratulated Peter Cable for being named Citizen of the Year at the Town Meeting.
d. Public Improvements Regulations
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder reported that the Planning Commission has been updating these Regulations. It has been a considerable undertaking as the Regulations had not been updated in several decades. The Regulations are being reviewed by Town Departments and Commissions in order to get feedback and recommendations. All comments will be submitted to the Planning Commission and hopefully this can be discussed at the Public Informational Meeting on 6 March with approval at a future Town Meeting.
e. Boat House and Hains Park Improvement Committee – Update
Selectman Sibley reported that the first meeting of this Committee was on 23 January. There are eight members serving on the Committee. Members received a packet of information which included the history of the Boat House and Hains Park. Tours of the Boat House and Park are being scheduled. Safety issues were also discussed and will be considered during the improvements projects or possibly as another project. The present Rain Garden will not be impacted by this project. Detailed minutes were taken and are available on the Town Website.
f. Health Department Fee Structure
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that at the last Selectmen’s meeting Town Sanitarian Sonia Marino reviewed in detail the newly proposed Health Department Fee Schedule. The Selectmen reviewed the recommendations and it has been shared with the Board of Finance. It should be clear that these fees are not a tax but they need to cover the demand of time from the Health Department and occasionally the cost of the outside contractors that are hired to assist the Health Department when they get overloaded. There was a discussion about the amount of the proposed fees. The Selectmen are very pleased with the research that Ms. Marino did.
Selectwoman Nosal moved to approve the proposed fee schedule with the exception of Permit to Construct Septic System Commercial Repair which will remain at $75. Selectman Sibley seconded the motion. A discussion followed. Selectwoman Nosal amended her motion. Selectwoman Nosal moved that effective 1 July 2014 the Town will apply the proposed fee schedule as presented by our Sanitarian with the exception of Permit to Construct Septic System Commercial Repair which will remain at $75. Selectman Sibley seconded the amended motion. SO VOTED.
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder noted that at the bottom of the proposal there is mention of Water Testing Beach Associations. At present the water in front of the Town beaches is tested and paid for by the Town. This includes Roger’s Lake. The Town has always tested the water in front of the private beach associations at no charge to the associations. Ms. Marino will put the process in writing including the costs involved and present it to the Selectmen for review.
g. Housing Ordinance Recommendation Update
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder reported that at the last Selectmen’s meeting Ms. Marino had discussed the problems she sees with the appeals part of the Housing Ordinance. In the present Ordinance the Sanitarian serves on the Appeals Board. It seems unfair that the person who serves the citation would be a part of the appeals process. The Town attorney is looking over the suggestion made by Ms. Marino to amend the Housing Ordinance Appeals Process. These changes would go before a Town Meeting for approval as soon as possible. A Committee would be formed to review and update the entire Housing Ordinance in the future.
h. Senior Center Well Update
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder reported that the Senior Center has been closed for the past couple of weeks due to the contamination in the well. The well is a transient non-community well and thankfully the State Public Health Department moved quickly and granted approval to proceed with the installation of a drilled well. The well is presently being drilled and hopefully the Senior Center will re-open within a week. The old well will need to be removed.
i. Budget Approval
Selectwoman Nosal moved that the Board of Selectmen officially pass the Budget on to the Board of Finance for their review process. Selectman Sibley seconded the motion. Selectwoman Nosal amended her motion. Selectwoman Nosal moved that the Budget, as presented to the Board of Selectmen by the Director of Finance, be passed on to the Board of Finance for their review process. Selectman Sibley seconded the amended motion. SO VOTED.
The Selectmen thanked the Board of Finance for doing such a wonderful job.
5. New Business
a. Recycling Incentive Committee
The Town has received a Grant as a Recycling Incentive in the amount of $16,000 with an additional amount of $5,000 to $8,000 to be awarded if the Town comes up with more creative ideas. A Committee will be formed to do so. Currently three people have submitted applications to serve on the Committee and they are J. Ranelli, Jim Ward and Thomas Gotowka. Gary Yuknat from Shoreline Sanitation and Cathy Frank from Town Hall have offered to be a part of the process and a student has expressed interest in serving on the Committee. Selectman Sibley asked First
Selectwoman Reemsnyder to reach out to Ellie Czarnowski to ask if she would be interested in serving. The Committee will be appointed at the next Selectmen’s meeting.
b. Budget – Beach Stipends
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that the Board of Finance has specialists who meet with respective groups or organizations to review their budget requests. There are three specialists that meet with private beach associations regarding the stipends that they get each year. The Selectmen reviewed the present stipends. The specialists have recommended a more practical approach as there is no explanation as to how much each association receives. Selectman Sibley stated that there are several beach associations that are not on the list which are Hatchets Point and Edge Lea with a third being Oakridge. Taxes are based on appraisals and that is the statute that the Town follows. Stipends were granted for help in paying for security. Miami Beach has higher security and clean-up expenses because
of the overflow from the adjacent Town Beach, and White Sand has the Town Beach within it.
The Selectmen appreciated the research that the Board of Finance members supplied them and this discussion will be continued at the next Selectmen’s Meeting.
c. Snow Removal on Sidewalks
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that this item has been brought up before. Recently a resident sent several emails stating that the Town should clear snow from the sidewalks, or adopt an Ordinance requiring homeowners to clear sidewalks in front of their hom. Traditionally, Public Works clear the sidewalks at Town Hall and Regional School District 18 clears the sidewalks in front of Center School. It has not been a regular practice to clear the sidewalks on Lyme Street and Ferry Road. Since the complaints, Public Works has been clearing the sidewalks. In the last few storms the weather after the storms was extremely cold and the sidewalks were not cleared right away. Traditionally other Towns that clear sidewalks state that sidewalks will be cleared within 24 hours. Selectman
Sibley stated that in many cities and Towns, clearing sidewalks is the responsibility of the homeowner and they have 24 hours to get it done. If the Town is to continue to clear the sidewalks, the Town would need the equipment to do so. First Selectwoman Reemsnyder had a conversation with a CIRMA attorney who recommended that no matter what the Town chooses to do, an ordinance should be adopted.
6. Public Comment - NONE
7. Other Business
Selectwoman Nosal inquired about the status of the formation of a Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan Committee. First Selectwoman Reemsnyder reported that letters have gone out to the various Boards and Commissions looking for volunteers and hopefully there will be something to report at the next Selectmen’s meeting.
The next Board of Selectmen's Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, 18 February 2014 at 7:30 PM.
8. Executive Session – NONE
9. Adjournment
Selectman Sibley moved to adjourn the meeting at 9:14 PM. Selectwoman Nosal seconded the motion. SO VOTED.
Respectfully submitted,
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Mary Ellen Garbarino
Recording Secretary
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