TOWN OF OLD LYME
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES
FEBRUARY 22, 2016
Meeting Date:~~~Monday 22 February 2016 – 4:00 PM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Location:~~~~Meeting Hall, Old Lyme Memorial Town Hall
~~~~1
1. ~Approval of Minutes: 1 February 2016~~
The following changes (indicated in italics) to the February 1, 2016 were requested by First Selectwoman Reemsnyder:
Page 1
Change Councils to Counsels
Change HPBIC to BHPIC
Page 2 Old Business Rte. 156 Bikeway/Sound View Improvements
Sixth bullet: Change the BSE to BSC Group
Change to read: Selectman Sibley noted that there is a possibility of the DOT rejecting the lighting as a part of the grant making the Town of Old Lyme responsible for 100% of the cost of lighting.
Page 4 Marine Patrol Unit – Police/Fire
Remove the word “The” before First Selectwoman…..
Change to read: Old Lymes main focus is the week-ends and Holidays patrolling Sound View in the summer and of
course providing mutual aid.
Page 5 Proposal for LED lighting installation
Change to read: First Selectwoman Reemsnyder presented a proposal for LED lighting for street lights noting this is far
less expensive and lasts longer. The technology has been perfected over the last few years and is being more widely
used in other communities. She met with representative’s fromTanko lighting, who gave a presentation on cost of
replacing all lights and offer financing. The BOF has allocated $500/year for the last year and this year for light fixture
replacements. Based on the current number of lights in town the cost would be:
Change sentence to read:
The savings in energy and maintenance costs would pay for this in just under three years. This project could include
Sound View lighting.
Page 6 Other Business:
- Change Birdbloom to Bernblum
- No changes
- Change sentence to read: First Selectwoman Reemsnyder announced the Town of Old Lyme was approved for $600,000 to assist with the cost of landfill closure. Change Steep to STEAP
- Change to read: Selectwoman Nosal asked for an update on the Senior Center. First Selectwoman Reemsnyder stated the BOF approved the transfer of funds. Mr. Eno needs to meet with the seniors. First Selectwoman Reemsnyder has reached out to the Town Attorney, but as she was the attorney for the writer of the will this would be a conflict. She will reach out to another town’s attorney.
- First Selectwoman Reemsnyder will invite them to the next meeting and put them on the agenda.
The following changes to the February 1, 2016 were requested by Selectwoman Nosal:
- Old Business Rte. 156 Bikeway/Sound View Improvements
Changes under Selectwoman Nosal gave a summary of the January 26th meeting
First bullet: The main discussion was the Request For Qualification (RFQ) process for the required Construction Inspector.
Second bullet: The ConnDot liaison, Chris Faulkner, provided a RFQ draft. The town will add particulars to it for advertising the RFQ in local papers and the Town website.~~
Sixth bullet: The design firm, BSC Group, will not be able to close out the project until the ConnDot audit is complete and the final invoices submitted.
Seventh bullet: The semi-final design plan has been submitted to ConnDot for review.~They have 30 days to review it.
Eighth bullet:~~Lighting is important to the project. Chris Faulkner just informed us that VHB was concerned that because Eversource owns the poles the new lighting plan may not be eligible for the grant share. Mary Jo informed Chris that this has not come up in any previous discussions with VHB. Bonnie informed Chris that Old Lyme owns the light fixtures.
Regarding lighting, Selectmen Sibley asked if the DOT rejects the lighting as eligible for the grant would the town be responsible for 100% of the cost. The Town would be responsible if new lighting is pursued. First Selectwoman Reemsnyder....
Transfer Station Safety Improvements
Selectwoman Nosal.... She also noted that it is important to keep community members safe...
Other revisions I requested:
Please paginate the minutes.
Annual Town Meeting: George Yager should be Yeager
Old Lyme Youth Services Program should be the Lymes’ Youth Services Bureau
7. Other Business
B. should read, Selectwoman Nosal stated…to Congressman Courtney, Senators Blumenthal and Murphy, State Senator Formica and State Representative Carney.
E. Change Selectwoman Nosal to Reemsnyder
F. correct to Sennheiser
The following changes to the February 1, 2016 were requested by Selectman Sibley:
Last page item C correct spelling to STEAP Grant
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Sibley, to approve as amended the minutes of the 19 January 2016 Regular Meeting. Motion passed.
2. ~~Communication:~~None
~~
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder suggested the order of the Agenda be changed to begin with New Business to accommodate community members present.
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Sibley, to change agenda to begin with New Business item 5B.
Motion passed.
B. First Congregational Church OL Forum on Climate Change
First Selectman Reemsnyder gave an over view of the communications she has had with Sidney Whalen the head of the Environmental Committee for the past several months regarding Climate Change and Sea Rise.
Mr. Whalen and Carleen Garber gave an overview of the Environmental Committee’s work over the last 12years and would like to collaborate with the BOS in the development of a series of forums to educate the community, especially the beach residents.
The Forums would consist of a 3part series, 1 ½ hours long with 40minutes for speakers and the remainder of the time for community Q&A and dialog. These could be scheduled for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Friday’s in June in the Town Meeting Hall.
Suggestions for Topics & Speakers included:
- Retired Mayor of the Jersey Coast – Bill Dunbar and Mike Kaplan, Region 4 Emergency Response Director
- Long term aspects of Sea Level Rise from surges – Diane Ifkovick, Coordinator of Flood Insurance and a Scientist from UConn.
- Focus on Climate Change – George Brandon, Representative of the Insurance industry to provide an overview of the changes they have seen over the years. Possibly a State representative from Small Businesses and the CT Relator association.
Selectman Sibley noted this ties in nicely with the mitigation plan initiative and is very supportive of the great work this committee has done. He thinks the topics and presenters cover all the bases well and looks forward to attending the forums and supporting this collaboration.
Selectwoman Nosal noted that Diane had come to discuss flood regulations after ‘Sandy’ and suggested maybe she could be involved again. She also gave Mr. Whalen information on a webinar to increase his knowledge. She is also very supportive of the work and efforts the Environmental Committee has done so far.
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder suggested this may be able to be promoted in the Town Newsletter and on the Website. She also suggested there may be a grant available for additional resources to promote this further. She suggested the
Town’s involvement may also include providing input to the Environmental Committee. She thanked Mr. Whalen and Carleen Garber for keeping on this issue and Selectwoman Nosal and Selectman Sibley for their questions.
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Sibley, to for the BOS to work in collaboration with the Environmental Committee on this project. Motion passed.
A motion was made by Selectman Sibley, Selectwoman Nosal to change agenda to continue next with New Business item 5A. Motion passed.
- Review charge of FD/EMS Incentive Committee
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder gave a review of the original charge of the Fire Dept./Ambulance Volunteers Incentive Program and would like to see the future of this committee discussed.
Skip Beebe gave an overview of the progress the Fire Dept./Ambulance Volunteers Incentive Program Committees progress to date and the future goals of the committee.
After discussion it is the consensus of Skip Beebe, First Selectwoman Reemsnyder, Selectwoman Nosal and Selectman Sibley that the committee has successfully addressed the first three of its original four charges. It is also agreed at this time the committee should be disbanded and restructured to address the final charge “Requirements for qualification for incentive program, which could include longevity exceptions”. It was also agreed that the current committee meet one last time to review the initial Charge and provide input on the new committee’s goals.
It is felt by all that a new committee is formed with new name, clear goals and structured with the ability to address new issues that may arise in the future. First Selectwoman Reemsnyder, Selectwoman Nosal and Selectman Sibley thanked the committee for their hard work and dedication. First Selectwoman Reemsnyder thanked the BOS for their support.
4. ~~Old Business:
- Boathouse Hains Park Improvements
Selectman Sibley gave an update; there has been one meeting since the last BOS meeting. Fire Marshal Dave Roberge attended to discuss concerns and there was good dialog and exchanges of ideas. There was an additional meeting with the architecture firm, there is good traction going forward to address all the concerns. There has also been dialog with John Flower the Building Inspector and his concerns are being addressed as well.
Additionally there was an attempt get an extension on the variances granted by the zoning board, however because they are so old and the plan has changes so much since the initial request they will need to submit a new application. Everything else is moving forward and they are hoping to have the Bid proposal form advertised by of May and returned by June in hopes of beginning construction date of late August. This committee has and will continue to schedule additional meetings as needed.
First Selectman Reemsnyder applauded the co-chairs for all of their efforts and hard work as this continues to move forward.
- Rte. 156 Bikeway/Sound View Improvements
Selectwoman Nosal gave an update, the next meeting is scheduled for 2/29 and they are working with ConnDot on the design plans, with a few question s to VHB but according to the BSC group they are manageable. She will hope to have a formal update at the next meeting. The final draft request of the core qualifications to hire an inspector was received by VHB and sent to the Selectman’s office for any specific requirements they require to advertise on the town website and
the newspaper. The main focus of the next meeting will be to finalize the RFQ and interview questions so this process can move forward.
The utility coordination meeting originally scheduled for 2/2 was cancelled because Eversource needs more time to complete their process and has been rescheduled for 3/2 This is the required meeting with ConnDot, VHB, BSC and Eversource. BSC will provide a construction template to the town that requires feedback from our attorney and then will go to VHB and if everything goes well we should be able to advertise by June.
- Administrative Order/WPCA Update
First Selectman Reemsnyder met with Health Director, Dr. Sikand to ensure the plan would meet the requirements of the issues in the Sound View area. We are on track to put into place a monitoring system for the Hawks Nest sewer system, the data supports putting in a sewer system there. The DEEP seems to be on the same page and recommends 2 year monitoring. The WCPA has a meeting scheduled in March to discuss a new scope of the work for the engineers Woodard and Curran and that scope of work may be revised to ensure everyone is on the same page moving forward.
Selectman Sibley asked if this was for the original $5k scope of work. This needs to be reviewed because this did not include the monitoring and additional testing and need to establish what the data collection will entail.
Selectwoman Nosal asked about DEEPS recommendations for specific testing and they seem to be on the same page and will need to be a part of the monitoring as far as were testing will take place in regard to which wells etc.
She also asked if new test wells needed to be put in would this be an additional cost. Yes and may be addition funding available as well, this is being looked into. This will depend on the extent of the monitoring plan put in place. It has been recommended we use an outside group to do the monitoring. This still needs to be decided on by the WPCA.
Selectman Sibley asked if there has been anymore progress on the past bills. First Selectwoman Reemsnyder replied she had just received the final report from the Attorney today and has not yet had a chance to review it. The BOF will review to ensure it reflects what the recommendation was. She then thinks it is important to for the task committee to be formed to address the invoices.
- Update on NEC Futures Statement/Press Conference
First Selectman Reemsnyder gave an update on what has occurred since the last meeting. A combined statement was submitted and included members of the community including; CT River Museum, Lyme College, Florence Griswold Museum, LYSB, Lyme Art Association, The Historic District Commission and the Chamber of Commerce and several others. Compelling information was included on the impact this would have on the Old Lyme Community if this was put in this area.
This letter was presented at a News conference last week. This resulted in a letter of support from Congressman Courtney and Senators Blumenthal and Murphy who questioned how this plan got this far without notifications to the towns impacted. We will continue to monitor this until we have received confirmation this part of the plan has been taken off the drawing board. May look into getting a professional to help us fight this if needed. There are meetings scheduled to follow-up on this and will keep the BOS updated on any changes.
- Transfer Station Safety Improvements
First Selectman Reemsnyder gave an update; since the last meeting she has met with Matt Brown from Anchor Engineering and he has looked at the plan and our permit and everything is permissible under the plan. However there are still questions she would like to discuss with Gary, to address how this may affect future operations of the recycling and the impact this will have on the budget before sending this onto a Town Meeting for approval. She would also like to look into how other towns are handling this. She recommends right now we continue to look at this and get quotes on upgraded fencing and signage. Continue to use the barriers in place and ensure staff at the transfer stations continue to direct people.
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder noted that first there were two items, possible three that need to be discussed before setting a date.
Item #1 The Marine Patrol Unit – Police/Fire there was approval from the BOF to purchase a boat for $210,000.
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Sibley, to approve the purchase with requirements of the Marine Patrol Unit Boat and add it to the agenda of the Town Meeting. Motion passed.
Item #2 Accept Queen Anne Court as Town Road – see item H. on the agenda
Item #3 Approval of the external work to the Town Hall
First Selectman Reemsnyder noted this money is already budgeted and coming out of the town building improvement fund. She also recommended that expenditures from this fund over the amount of $20,000 be approved at a town meeting. Selectwoman Nosal and Selectmen Sibley agree.
A motion was made by Selectman Sibley, Selectwoman Nosal to approve the exterior work on the Town Hall not to exceed $35,000. Motion passed.
A motion was made by Selectman Sibley, Selectwoman Nosal to schedule the Town Meeting for Monday, March 7, 2016 at 7:30PM. Motion passed.
- Marine Patrol Unit – Police/Fire
Moved to item F
- Accept Queen Anne Court as Town Road
First Selectman Reemsnyder recommended this be sent to a later town meeting for approval. It was recommended by the public works director to have the cracks sealed again. He feels it would be ready to accept with that condition met but would prefer to have the work done first. This way everyone can look at it again after the work is completed and then send it on to the town meeting for approval.
First Selectman Reemsnyder received a quote from Real Term Energy, a company out of Mass. and their quote was higher and there is less of a rebate from Eversource. She is going to reach out to one more vendor. This is something that we really should pursue and discuss further; the Chair of the BOF is in support of this also. The town would save a lot of money; she will continue to investigate this further.
Selectwoman Nosal added that she had a chance to check out the lighting in Old Saybrook and it was great. She also noted the savings would be a great benefit to the town.
- Public Comment: None
- Other Business:
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder noted we will need to look at our calendars to schedule our next meeting.
Selectman Sibley had two things to follow-up on from last meeting;
- Asked if she had an update on the $600,000 grant we have been approved for, and she stated she just received the contact information over the week-end and has not had a chance to follow-up yet. Will hopefully have a definitive date on receiving the funds by the next meeting.
- Asked for an update on the Senior Center bequeath; She has reached out to the town of Old Saybrook Attorney because our town Attorney represented the decease and this is a conflict. She is still awaiting a written decision and hopefully this will be resolved soon.
Selectwoman Nosal noted we have received a lot of emails in support of the sewers in Soundview. She had a meeting with Frank Pappalardo from the Sound View Beach Commission and Frank Noe Chairman from the Old Colony Beach Assoc. to discuss where the pump station would be and the various locations available. If the town and private
Associations work together this would impact the location of the pump station. Further discussions and meetings are needed to determine the best route to take.
Selectwoman Nosal asked for follow-up on the email she received regarding the leak from the public works gas tank. First Selectwoman Reemsnyder gave an update on the remediation process. Two underground tanks were removed recently; they had an alarm system to detect leaks, however the alarms did not go off because the leaks were at the top of the tanks. They were required to do testing and notify abutting properties of the leak. There was some indication there was some Benzene in the water but it was a very low level. We have an Environmental scientist completing the testing and making recommendations of how to monitor it. All DEEP recommendations and treatment requirements are being followed. She will forward the email with findings onto them
9. ~~Executive Session:~None
~~~
10. ~~Adjournment: A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Sibley, to adjourn the meeting at 5:36PM. Motion passed.
- Next meeting of the BOS will be on Monday, March 7,2016 at 4:00PM
Submitted by: Patti Broedlin
February 29, 2016
| 
