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Board of Selectmen Minutes 10/19/2015
TOWN OF OLD LYME
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
Regular Meeting Minutes
October 19, 2015


The Board of Selectmen held a Regular Meeting at 7:30 pm on October 19th, 2015 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.

  • Approval of Minutes:  October 5th 2015, Regular Meeting
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder asked that attachments be submitted separately from the meeting minutes, not in the body of the minutes, and the pages be numbered.  She asked for the following corrections.

Page 4:  Old Business:  a.      it should read “BHPIC is scheduled for this Thursday”, not
                        BHPIU
Page 4:  Old Business:          b.      it should read “VHB, our liaison to the DOT”, and “VHB is hoping
                to allow…” not BHB
Page 8:  Old Business:          e.      Adante should be spelled Adanti
Page 10:  New Business:         a:      paragraph 2, line 4 should read “With the new plan, current
        members could opt out of that $1,000 tax abatement, and
        instead add that $1,000 to their pension contribution.”  And also
        add at the end of that paragraph, “All new members would get
        the full incentive toward pension.”
        Page 13:  Other Business        Last line should read, “Selectman Sibley stated that there had
        been some missing Town Meeting minutes…”

Selectwoman Nosal requested a few additional changes.

Page 4:  Old Business:  b.      last sentence should read.  “…will be part of the final design
                        process.  With the ones received today, which would require
                        more discussion with the DOT.”
        Page 5:  Old Business:  b.      1st paragraph, last sentence should read, “The engineer, BFC, will
be amending their scope of work to reflect the phasing of the project.”
        Page 12:  New Business: e.      paragraph 6, should read, “Selectwoman Nosal questioned why
        there was no mention of the Park & Rec Commission’s letter in
        any of the meeting minutes of June, no meeting in July, and not
        in the minutes of August.” And also wanted to add at the end of
        the paragraph that she “appreciated Candace Fuchs letter as it
        contained data.”


A motion to approve the minutes was made by Selectman Sibley, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal.  Motion passed.

  • Communication:  None
  • Appointments:  None
  • Old Business:
  • Boathouse Hains Park Improvements Update
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder welcomed the co-chairs for the Boathouse Hains Park Improvement Committee, Paul Fuchs and Paul Gianquinto, and stated that there had been 2 BHPIC meetings since the last BOS meeting, 1 regular and 1 special.  

Paul Gianquinto summarized, last October the BHPIC started to go out to bid for the boathouse project.  As the drawings were being given final inspection by the fire marshal and building inspector, and with input from the BOE, it became obvious that they could not continue the bid process because they had an access problem with the space on the second floor.  To make it fully code compliant, they would have to spend in excess of $100,000 for an elevator.  That was too costly for the town, so this year the BHPIC looked at ways to re-design the boathouse, meeting the functional & program requirements of the Old Lyme Rowing Association, Old Lyme high school crew, and the town recreational programs.  BHPIC decided they could decrease the cost by eliminating toilet rooms in the building.  This received support from building inspector, because the building was primarily storage, and public restrooms were available 150ft from the building, saving approximately $40,000 in site work.  They looked at 5 conceptual schemes.  They narrowed down to 2 schemes, scheme A, and scheme E.  Both retained the existing footings, foundation wall, and slab.  The drawings were passed to a professional estimator to put a price tag on both buildings.   Scheme A was approximately $2.70/sq. ft. more expensive, but had several benefits including:  3-22’ wide boat storage bays, that had always been a program requirement.  Scheme E had 4 boat bays:  16’, 18’, 18’ and 16’ widths.  Scheme E had less square footage, but did not meet all of the requirements.  It did not contain a flex space, space for ergometer storage or use, or areas for supervised changing of high school teams.  The reasons the 2 schemes were identified was because they thought it might benefit the town if they could take those spaces and put them in a separate building, which would be the existing toilet buildings modified, expanded or replaced.  BHPIC developed a set of program requirements for the toilet building and provided that to Nina Peck Architects, including:  separate men’s and women’s rooms, the women’s room would have 2-toilets, 2-changing stalls, 2-lavatories.  The men’s room would have 1-toilet, 2-urinals, 2-changing stalls, 2-lavatories.  Also a separate, unisex, handicap accessible toilet and changing room.  

Paul Fuchs stated that there would be toilets in the men’s and women’s rooms that were also handicap accessible.  

Paul Gianquinto stated that the most costly item was the unisex/family toilet because that added 33% more foundation, exterior wall and roof.  The total estimated cost was $322,000, so their recommendation is to not move forward with that scheme.  They are looking at 3 or 4 other schemes to modify the existing toilet building.  He stated, they are comfortable with the scheme A estimate they received.  The savings from getting rid of the septic system is in excess of $200,000, leaving the remainder for the toilet building improvement or replacement.  Last special meeting they authorized the architects to proceed with the construction document development for scheme A, they asked them to expedite the revised site plan, and any plans that need to go to the towns commissions such as WWC and ZBA.  The will have to go to ZBA for 2 reasons.  The building is still a few inches over the max height allowable in an r-10 zone, and a small addition will be too close to the north property line.  The only problem they anticipate from town committees is, in order to put in a 40’ x 80’ replacement basketball court where the parks & recs commission has requested it to go, it will conflict with one 36” diameter maple tree.  

First Selectwoman Reemsnyder asked if a narrower basketball court would help?

Paul Gianquinto stated that it would help, that they did propose a 32’ wide court, but Parks and Recs said that was not acceptable.  The current size is 40’ x 80’.  They discussed the possibility of moving the court within the park, but Park and Rec wanted to keep it near the boathouse.  

Selectman Sibley summarized, the original plan as approved had the cost of the boathouse and material at $703,000, including the bathrooms & 2nd floor.  Today, the same boathouse, taking out those things, comes into an estimated $465,000, leaving a $238,000 delta that will be used to upgrade the existing bathhouse.  Another factor is that the project will be done in 2 steps, 1st step the boathouse, primarily using STEEP money, and has to use STEEP rules and guidelines.  After they’ve exhausted the STEEP money, the balance will go into a separate project that won’t fall under prevailing guidelines.  He stated that although there has been a delay it will be a better plan, and it will be more cost effective.  Selectman Sibley asked when they anticipate starting construction?

Paul Fuchs stated they need to discuss more with those who know construction, and also the rowing teams.

Paul Gianquinto stated that they need to go through the zoning board, and inland/wetlands, and they will not get a shovel in the ground this year.  He hopes to make significant progress, if not complete the building before next November.  

Selectman Sibley stated that it will likely be 2016 before the project gets started.

First Selectwoman Reemsnyder noted that it is October, and their last update to STEEP was 6 months ago, she suggested that the BHPIC works with the BOS on another update to send to Dave Snyder of the DEEP.

  • Rte. 156 Bikeway/Sound View Improvements
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that there was a meeting today.  That last week members went to the DOT headquarters in Berlin.

Selectwoman Nosal stated that their last meeting was September, and they had been planning on going out to bid in January for construction, but their liaison with the DOT, VHB, had some concerns about timeline.   VHB was unable to attend today’s meeting, so they need to speak with them regarding scheduling specifics.  They are still planning on a start date in 2016.  The committee looked at the hydraulics issues that the DOT came back with significant changes.  The plan is to have a series of dry wells that are connected that will bring water from Hartford Avenue to Pond Rd, with more storage capacity in the lines, and there is some natural filtration, which DEEP was pleased with.  They expect to get formal notification from DOT within a week saying that they can move ahead to plan for the final design.  When they get that, they will have another public information session towards the end of the year.  The DOT has agreed to increase the construction cap for the grant.  They will meet the estimate of their engineer of $751,000, an increase of about $86,000 so that they could get the full benefit of the 80/20 split.  The next meeting will be November 2nd at 4:30 at town hall.

First Selectwoman Reemsnyder recapped that they are waiting for DOT officials to give them the green light, that the preliminary design that they submitted is approved, with some of the comments they made being addressed.

  • WPCA/Administrative Order Update
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that she was unable to attend the WPCA meeting due to the birth of her new grandchild.  She stated that the engineers have been working on the EIE, they had been waiting for the NDDB to get back to us on any concerns, they had 30 days to get back, and they did not, so the engineers decided that it will not hold up their submitting the EIE any longer, it is required by October 30th.  The NDDB can still present their comments in the comment section of the EIE.  Once that is submitted, she will get a copy and share with the Selectmen.

Selectwoman Nosal noted that the meeting wasn’t well attended.  She stated that the chairman went over the process of the project, and a statement was made that the invoices that were received from their engineers in Dec/Jan of this year, reflecting the compliance work requested by the DEEP of our engineers, was only a request for accounting of the work, rather than an invoice.

Selectman Sibley stated that at the end of the day, we did receive invoices, and there was a lot of confusing information at that meeting.  
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder thanked Selectman Sibley and Selectwoman Nosal for attending.  She stated a few weeks ago, there was an email concerning groundwater depletion when sewers are put in.  She reached out to CT Water, and received an email that she will forward to the Selectmen.  

  • Update on Survey in Rogers Lake
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder received a letter from their project manager, Scott Fisher, from New England Environmental.  She read aloud the letter that was addressed to herself and Ralph Eno.  It stated that Steve Johnson, New England Environmental’s mussel expert, did find the rare freshwater mussel in Roger’s Lake, but they were thinly scattered throughout the lake, and in much less frequency in the treatment areas.  Overall very few were found in the lake.  It is up to the NDDB to decide what the findings mean for the proposed work.  Steve Johnson doesn’t feel that the proposed work should be impacted by the findings, but it is up to the state to determine.  He will submit his findings to the town.  

First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that she has visited Roger’s Lake, and that the weeds are very thick, and needs attention.  She stated that they are close to treating with an herbicide, in a targeted area.

Selectman Sibley stated that he was talking to Don Bugbee, and he said several years ago, the town would remove the lily pads, and they would do light dredging in the swimming area.  He stated that the herbicide is going to address the Milfoil and the Fanwort, but the lilypads are a mechanical method of ridding.  He suggested focusing on areas where there is recreational activity (swimming) addressing lily pads, and doing a light dredging.  He suggested running it by Scott Fisher to find out the scope of work, and get a cost estimate, for next year’s budget.  

First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that the 3-year lake plan was to not only use an herbicide, but also to hydro rake the lily pads, at a cost of $60,000 for a targeted area including the beach area.  She stated that she recommended it to be put into the budget for the next fiscal year. And that the hydro raking did require permitting.    

Selectman Sibley stated that if we start the process now, that maybe we will have it done by next year.

First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated whether it was herbicide, or hydro raking, they would have still had to meet with the NDDB.  She stated she will talk to him about applying in the permit application including the hydro raking.  

  • Halls Road Improvements Committee Appointments
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that they did reach out to all applicants that were chosen, and they were all on board. The names that were chosen were:  Michael Perks, Diane Birdsall, BJ Bernblum, Bud Canaday, Jim Graybill, Lindsay Eisensmith, Michael Lech, Michael D’Occhio, and Frank Morelli.  She stated that she thinks it would be OK to appoint with no expiration date, since it is not a permanent committee.   

Selectman Sibley made a motion to appoint these 9 people to the Halls Road Improvements Committee.  Seconded by Selectwoman Nosal.  Motion Passed.

First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that she will send letters out to them, to be sworn in, and set the 1st meeting date.

  • Solid Waste Recycling Review Committee  
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that the 1st meeting is tentatively scheduled for Thursday October 22nd, at 4pm, she has not heard back yet if everyone can attend.  In the charge it says 3 members will be appointed for 2-year terms, and 2 members will be appointed for 1-year terms.  Right now, they have 4 members, and she suggested that they address the expiration dates of the members appointed.  First Selectwoman Reemsnyder suggested that they appoint 2 to 2-year terms, and 2 to 3-year terms, with expirations of Jan 2017 and Jan 2018.  First Selectwoman Reemsnyder recommended to appoint Leslie O’Connor and Thomas Gotowka to a 3-year term ending in Jan 2018, and Brenda Moriarty and Louis Russo to a 2-year term ending in Jan 2017. Moved by Selectwoman Nosal.  Seconded by Selectman Sibley.  Motion Passed.  

  •  New Business:
  • Jr. Women’s Club – Town Woods Playground Upgrades
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder told the audience about a project by the Jr. Women’s Club to upgrade the playground at Town Woods.  She stated that the BOS received an email from Park & Rec’s director, Don Bugbee, updating them on what’s going on, and asking the process about doing this.  He said it was approved by park and rec, and questioned if they needed the approval of the BOS.  First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that she didn’t believe their approval was necessary, but stated it would be helpful if the Selectmen would endorse it.  She welcomed Anna Reiter, Vice –President of the Jr. Women’s Club, and asked her to explain the project.

Anna Reiter gave the background story of how the project got started.  She stated that she is an Old Lyme resident, and has 2 children.  When her son was 18 months old she joined a local mom’s club that included several surrounding towns.  This mom group frequented many of the area parks, and she noticed that they rarely went to a park in Old Lyme.  They made an effort to have the group meet at the playground at Town Woods.  When they got there they noticed that one piece of equipment, a coil with a duck on top, the top of the duck was cut off and had jagged edges.  So, she called the Park & Rec Department to let them know a piece of equipment had been vandalized, and asked for it to be fixed.  When they returned to the park a few weeks later, that whole piece had been removed.  So she called Park & Rec back, and they told her that there was no money in the budget to fix or replace the piece.  So, she brought it up at a meeting of her Jr. Women’s Club to see if they could spend some of their club funds to upgrade some of the equipment.  The Jr. Women’s Club started looking into the cost of the playground equipment, and decided for Town Woods, they just wanted to fill some of the empty voids, where playground equipment was removed.  She met with several companies:  GameTime, Landscape Structures, Playworld and Cascade Designs.  GameTime and Landscape Structures were not interested due to the low budget, and Playworld’s equipment didn’t seem to hold up well.  Cascade Designs had a representative that lives in town, and the equipment was very strong and durable.  Their budget is $15,000, $14,800 of that has been raised.  They started fundraising in April, most of it was raised from their annual spring fundraiser, the town Parks & Rec department gave them $5,000 that came from the fund set up with left over money that was initially raised for the Town Woods playground, and then set aside to use for maintenance, and they have been using the concession stand at Town Woods during the Park & Rec soccer program that has raised almost $1,000. They have also participated in booths at the Mid-Summer Festival, the Hamburg Fair, and the Memorial Day Parade.  

First Selectwoman Reemsnyder commended them on using the concession stand, and stated that she is hopeful that it will continue to be used.  She referred to the packet that had been handed out to the Selectmen, that there is one piece of equipment with a quote of $16,670.  

Anna Reiter stated that they decided on a structure for 5-12 year olds, based on who they observed playing on the structure the most.  

First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that their insurance company offers playground inspections, so they will be inspected annually, and try to do a better job maintaining them.  She suggested putting something into the budget for regular maintenance on the playground.  

Selectman Skip Sibley questioned that the Jr Women’s Club has raised almost $15,000, but the cost of the structure is actually $16,670?

Anna replied that the difference is that Caroline’s Miracle Foundation requested the spinners, they are going to cover the cost, and they will have the Caroline’s Miracle Foundation logo on the seat.  

Selectman Sibley asked if they were still on schedule for November installation?

Anna replied that they were on schedule, but they were unaware that they needed zoning approval, and BOS approval.  So, they will probably install in April, after the winter.  

First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that the department of public works may be able to help move some of the equipment.

Anna stated that they will need money for more mulch.
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder replied that they wanted to look at plans in the future, for a more permanent base for the playground.  That there is money in the budget each year for mulch, but it does compress quickly, and make a great bed for weeds.    

Anna stated that they are working on a plan for Cross Lane Park.  She stated that equipment there was removed this year due to age.  She stated that it is a park that is very utilized, with the little league fields, being right there, and stated that it is a shame that there is no playground equipment there right now.  She also stated that there are no handicap accessible playgrounds in any of the shoreline towns, and if they raised money for a new playground for Cross Lane they would like it to be accessible.  

Selectwoman Nosal stated that she appreciated that Anna brought up the maintenance requirements, and that it is very important to plan long term to maintain our parks.  She also stated that she fully endorses the project.

A motion was made to endorse this playground as planned by Selectman Sibley,  seconded by Selectwoman Nosal.  Motion Approved.

Selectman Sibley suggested bringing up the playground at the BOF meeting, so they are aware that $5,000 is being drawn from the Park & Rec Fund.  

First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that they will be made aware, and suggested using the remainder in that fund to create a more permanent base for the playground.

  • Soundview Commission Evaluation
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that she received an email from Frank Pappalardo, the chairman of the Soundview Commission.  At their last meeting they talked about an evaluation of the summer, and what they saw as pro’s and cons.  He submitted a 3 page document about:  police, rangers, traffic control, noise, etc. First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that she spoke to him, and the original request was to have the letter included in this meeting.  She stated that she would acknowledge the letter, but would like to read it at a later meeting so that she could have time to go through it, and also read responses to it.  

  • MIRA – (Materials Innovation & Recycling Authority) Settlement of Litigation
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that this used to be called CRRA.  It is the trash to energy plant in Hartford, that they have been sending their trash for the past 15 years.  A few years ago CRRA terminated their contract with the Mid-Conn trash to energy & recycling Project.  When it was terminated, MDC brought suit against CRRA, stating they owed them money for retirement benefits, that were never clearly articulated. CRRA stated that it was never part of the contract, and they don’t owe them anything.  CRRA has made it clear, that if there was a settlement, it would be born by the towns that had contracts with CRRA.  The settlement could have been in the millions.  First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that she received a letter last week that the courts found in favor of MIRA, they do not have to pay the $63,000,000 that MDC was looking for.    

  • Sheffield Brook Outfall Resiliency Project Notification
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that Old Colony Beach, and Old Lyme Shores applied for a grant to deal with some issues on the Sheffield Brook.  The NRCS, an offshoot of the Department of Agriculture, offers grants to communities to deal with flooding, specifically flooding that has occurred from Storm Sandy.  They applied for this grant to mitigate the flooding that they experienced.  They received the grant in the range of $700,000.  This is a notice that the work is going to go ahead, and they have a 30 day comment period.  It was forwarded to the zoning officer.  He acknowledged receipt.  It stated that any individual, group or agency disagreeing with this determination, or wishing to comment, may submit written comments to the State of CT, Dept of Housing.  All comments received by Oct 25th, 2015 will be considered by DOH prior to submission of the request for the release of funds.  

Selectman Sibley summarized, there is a pipe that handles the overflow from the brook, they are planning to install another pipe, doubling the capacity, install some gates where it meets the sound, so the storm surge does not come back up.  

First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that they are also working on the flow through the 2 neighborhoods, putting in a curvature to slow the water down.

  • $5,000 Bright Ideas Grant
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that they are now eligible for a $5,000 Bright Idea Grant.  She is working with Stephanie Rogers from Eversource.  Stephanie asked for a small committee to be formed to help decide what the $5,000 grant will be used toward.  It can be used for any energy efficient project in town.  They received this grant in part due to Solarize Old Lyme.  First Selectwoman Reemsnyder suggested possibly using some of it towards the LED lights project on Soundview.  She suggested asking the people who served on Solarize Old Lyme, to help out with this project.  

Selectman Sibley suggested that they could use it toward the EMME System that has recently been approved for the Town Hall Building.

First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that they could get more $5,000 grants.  She summarized, when someone installs solar, they need to get their home audited by a home energy auditor.  They look at where you are losing energy.  It costs $99, but they put up to $1,000 worth of material in your home (insulation, lightbulbs, etc).  Each household that goes through that process, Old Lyme gets points toward the Bright Ideas Grant.

  • Draft Financial Policies – Plan for Review
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that she spoke with their Finance Director, Nicole  Stajduhar, about the financial policies.  She asked to get the latest version, and have it dated so there was no confusion.  It included open items that need to be addressed.  Nicole felt the 1st step would be working with the BOS.  Bonnie suggested that they schedule a 4pm meeting to review these, and then take to the BOF.

Selectman Sibley suggested meeting at 3pm November 2nd
   
  • Public Comment:  None
        
  • Other Business:
  • First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated that they are in process of getting quotes for the leaky roof at White Sands Beach.  
  • First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated, in regard to the Septage Transfer Facility, she had a letter approved by the town attorney, shared it with the health department, and penned a final letter ending the billing as of November 13th.
  • First Selectwoman Reemsnyder met with Paul Tresnan, who requested portable lights at Town Woods on behalf of the soccer club. She met with him, Don Bugbee, and Bob Dunn and discussed previous concerns from neighbors regarding lights.  She suggested if they wanted to move forward, they need to reach out to the neighbors of Town Woods.  If the opinions are different from what they heard 10 years ago, they can bring back to the BOS, and they could reconsider.  Even if everyone agreed that it was a good idea, it may still have to go through zoning.  
  • Selectwoman Nosal stated that on Sunday the Girl Scouts had a ceremony where 24 girls received their Bronze & Silver Awards.  She stated that it was a great ceremony, and congratulated them all.  
  • Selectman Sibley stated that he never received an invitation.
  • Executive Session:  None
  • Adjournment:  A motion was made by Selectman Sibley, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal to adjourn at 9:27 pm.  Motion passed.

Donna Glaras
10/21/2015