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Board of Selectmen Minutes 05/16/2016

TOWN OF OLD LYME
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
REGULAR MEETING MINUTES


Meeting Date:   Monday 16 May 2016 – 4:00 PM
                                                                
Location:               Meeting Hall, Old Lyme Memorial Town Hall


1.   Approval of Minutes:       2 May 2016


A motion was made by Selectman Sibley, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to approve the minutes of the May 2, 2016 Meeting. Motion passed.
2.   Communication:  None
   
3.    Appointments:  None

4.   Old Business:
  • Boathouse Hains Park Improvements
First Selectman Reemsnyder gave a brief overview of the Zoning Commission meeting on Monday May 9, 2016. The special permit was approved and they can now move forward on                     bidding and construction. All of the approvals are in line.
The BHPIC had a meeting on Thursday evening and they talked about putting together a timeline for key action items:
They also approved signing a letter of engagement with Garcia and Milas to review the construction contract, bid documents and the STEAP Grant personal service agreement so that everything matches.
John Flower and Jerry Karpuska, a town resident (at no cost) presented sketches for the bathrooms, which will be year round (not heated per se but will keep them from freeing) including both options (re-build & using the existing walls and roof).
Selectman Sibley added a draft of some action dates:
  • June 3rd  legal ad into the paper
  • June 21st  Bids due for public opening
  • July 6th Award the contract
  • August 8th Begin construction
  • December 1st completion of the Boat House
This was a great meeting, everyone was very enthusiastic! Follow-up notes will be posted on the website.

  • Rte. 156 Bikeway/Sound View Improvements
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported the selection committee made their final selection and passed it onto ConnDOT for approval.  It has been approved and the inspection contract was offered to WMC Wengle, McDonnell and Costello. The first meeting took place today with Chris Faulkner and James Kulpa form VHB and two representatives from WMC Steve McDonnell and Stuart Greacan along with Selectwoman Nosal and First Selectman Reemsnyder to discuss the scope of the work and the man hours. The inspector will be onsite every day to ensure the quality of work and materials is met and will be working alongside Ed Adanti.
As of today the plan is 98% plus complete and approved by DOT. They are still waiting for a couple of items; flood management certification and the final temporary rights agreements from three properties (two owners). First Selectman Reemsnyder has scheduled a meeting later this week to meet with the property owners to get this completed. The next meeting is May 24th at 4:30PM. They are also looking at a start date of right after Labor Day.

  • Administrative Order/WPCA Update
First Selectman Reemsnyder attended the WPCA meeting on May 10th. Rich Prendergast, the new Chair, did a great job at the meeting.  They have begun putting together the details they would like to see in the scope of work prior to giving Woodard & Curran the go ahead to put together a scope of work for the Sewers in Sound View and the Monitoring in Hawks Nest Beach.  
The Task Force met on May 11th and they were given an update on the WPCA Meeting and an anticipated timeline for the Sewers in Sound View and the Monitoring in Hawks Nest Beach.
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she has had a preliminary meeting with Jay Sheehan to request getting a scope of work for the unpaid invoices.
Selectman Sibley asked if these would be paid prior to the new work beginning. First Selectman Reemsnyder said no, Woodard and Curran are committed to getting this work done and completing the project.  These are two separate issues that need to be resolved and they do not want to hold up the beginning of the new project.

  • Town Budget Meeting Tonight @ 7:30 PM, MS Auditorium
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported the Town Budget meeting is tonight at 7:30PM in the Middle School Auditorium. They will review the following budget; both the operating and capital are down, the Regional School Dist. 18 has a 2.21% increase and revenues are down. If the budget is approved there will be an increase in the mill rate to 21.2%, up from 20.62%. They will be receiving $324,000 of the ECS grant from the state which will decrease the amount needed from the surplus to cover the loss of funding.
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she continues to look at ways to decrease spending in other areas such as; changing the dental plan with a better priced plan guaranteed for two years and increasing the deductible on the health plan. She will continue to look into other ways to save money.
First Selectman Reemsnyder also reviewed the Call for tonight’s meeting.

  • Sound View/Hartford Ave. Historic District
First Selectman Reemsnyder gave a re-cap from the last meeting on Sound View designated on the National Historic District Registry. The Sound View Commission would like the BOS to support this and she read a draft letter of support endorsing the idea of having the Sound View Historic District formed.

First Selectman Reemsnyder reached out to the Historic Commission, the Zoning Board and the Land Use Commission regarding the Sound View Historic District and has only heard back from the Chairman of the Zoning Commission who is in favor of this.
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Sibley, to support the preparation of the nomination to move forward in the process to prepare the nomination of Sound View Beach in Old Lyme, CT to be placed on the Historic District National Registry. Motion passed. Selectman Sibley Abstained.
Selectman Sibley would like it on record that he would like to hear back from the Historic District and Planning Commission before moving forward on this.
He also looked into the National -vs- State registries and wasn’t sure if they would need consent of the private property owners and how they would get this. He shared a copy of the information with First Selectman Reemsnyder.

5.  New Business:
  • Memorial Day Parade, May 30, 2016
The Memorial Day Parade will be held on Monday, May 30th. It will begin at 11AM at the Lyme Street Fire House and end at the Duck River Cemetery. All the members of the BOS will be walking in the parade.
The BOS would like to thank the Fire Dept. and especially Tony Hendrix for all of his hard work and the schedule (both Sunny and Rainy) he has put together.  

  • Resignation of Old Lyme Police Officer/Trooper TDY
First Selectman Reemsnyder announced the resignation of Police Officer Marty Lane who will be leaving for another job in administration.
They are now down 2 police officers for the summer and will be getting a TDY Trooper for summer evenings who will work 5 days on, 3 days off throughout the summer.
We have hired Rangers for the summer and it looks good for the summer schedule.
First Selectman Reemsnyder has received recommendations from the State Police on possibly changing what they have for police. She would like to form a committee to look at this further. Selectman Sibley and Selectwoman Nosal both volunteered to be on this committee. The BOS discussed this further in regards to this summer. Selectman Sibley suggested advertising for part-time positions. First Selectman Reemsnyder has had a few inquiries for p/t positions this summer and is looking into this and will hopefully be advertising for this soon.

  • Halls Road Improvements Update/Resignation
First Selectman Reemsnyder gave an update on the committee and a resignation she has received. The committee meets monthly; there is a lot of energy and interaction between the members. They have spoken with a firm about the idea of what can be done and what the process is. They have also developed their mission and vision.
The BOS discussed the resignation of; Jim Graybill and how to fill this vacancy. After discussion it is the consensus of the BOS that First Selectman Reemsnyder will reach out to the applicants on file to see if they are still interested. She will also request an application from the people who were recommend. She will also reach out to the Chair, BJ Bernblum and invite him to a meeting for updates.

  • FD/EMS Pension Cte Charge
First Selectman Reemsnyder presented a beginning list of items to be included in the charge for the FD/EMS Pension Committee:
  • Review Pension Funds Annually
  • Plan Review
  • Review other Benefits as needed ( including insurance coverage accidental, medical and disability)
  • Administrator performance -  Company that provides plan documents
  • Recommendations to the BOS
First Selectman Reemsnyder will send this out to Selectwoman Nosal and Selectman Sibley for further review and ideas. She will also share this with the EMS trustee Barbara Rozanski and the Finance Director for their feedback as well.
First Selectman Reemsnyder suggested they wait until they have the charge for the committee completed before they discuss the membership.

  • Town Hall Debt refunding opportunity/Resolution
First Selectman Reemsnyder gave the following overview; as part of the town’s requirements they have had to retain a Financial Advisor.   In the past, Webster Bank has provided that to us, but can no longer do that due to new regulations.  Nicole Stajduhar researched and received quotes for a Financial Advisor and the town has hired Barry Bernaby from Phoenix Advisors. He reached out to Nicole and suggested it may be a good time to look at refinancing our debt. He feels based on interest rates, the amount of debt and our credit rating, the Town could stand to save a lot of money. He did say we could look at bonds again or reach out to a bank to refinance.  The Town could save an estimated $100,000 over the nine year period, and this would not extend the payoff time or affect the budget substantially.   First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she and Nicole had met with Barry Bernaby and he gave them a presentation outlining the savings in more detail. Nicole has also met with the Town Treasurer, Tim Griswold and he agreed this was a good opportunity. Nicole and First Selectman Reemsnyder reached out to the bond council Mike Bothello, from Updike, Kelly and Spellacey and he sent them a resolution the BOS would need to adopt if we decide to refinance. This resolution does not commit the town to refinancing if approved. The BOF Director also agrees this is a good opportunity and it is on the agenda for the BOF meeting tonight.
The BOS reviewed a copy of the resolution they received from First Selectman Reemsnyder. They discussed this further and because the resolution is not very detailed they would like to see more information on spread sheets with the savings spelled out more clearly. First Selectman Reemsnyder requested they send her questions so she can have the answers for the next meeting.


  • Police Grievances Settled
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she was notified by the CT Dept. of Labor that the grievances have been withdrawn as they have been settled.  The agreements included one being settled for payment of four hours of regular pay and the second for payment of 24 hours of regular pay.  This settlement satisfies all of the grievances.

  • Special Town Meeting for June/July
  • Approval of construction costs for SV project
  • Approval of Queen Anne Court as town road
  • Other possible issues
First Selectman Reemsnyder presented the above beginning agenda for a June or July Special Town Meeting with an overview of each item.
The BOS discussed adding other items to the agenda including;
  • New Sanitarian/Health District
  • The possibility of creating a new ordinance for special projects fundraising to ensure all funds raised go to that project, and/or future projects including fundraising as part of the approval process - First Selectman Reemsnyder will check with the Town attorney on this and discuss further with the BOS.
  • Approval of Bids given to the First Selectman to sign contracts on the lowest bid, with prior approval given at a Town Meeting with an amount cap. First Selectman Reemsnyder will also run this by the Town Attorney.
6.   Public Comment: None

7.   Other Business:
First Selectman Reemsnyder added the following;
  • There will be an Eagle Scout Ceremony on June 5th at the Middle School Awarding four Eagle Scouts with the highest Boy Scout Award. The BOS was invited and is putting together a presentation for these young men.
  • They have published the request for qualifications for the Town Attorney and they are due next week.
Selectman Sibley added the following;
  • He thanked First Selectman Reemsnyder for the Health District update option that will let the BOF know tonight. The interim replacement for the Sanitarian seems to be working well.
  • Selectman Sibley attended the dedication of a Rowing Shell “Roach Coach”, for the former Region 18 Athletic Director, Rob Roach. The OL Rowing Association gave a great presentation and the event was well attended.  They did a great job organizing the event, parking signage, the shuttle and clean-up.
  • Selectman Sibley asked First Selectwoman Reemsnyder if there was any update on the Landfill closure grant.  All of the invoices have been submitted for approval and she will let the BOS when the funds are in the account.
Selectwoman Nosal added the following;
  • She asked First Selectman Reemsnyder if she had received a letter from Mark Griswold reaching out to some of the Hartford Ave. residents that will be impacted during the Osprey Festival. She just wanted to make sure First Selectman Reemsnyder had received her comments. She will double check on this.
  • Selectwoman Nosal has spent the last two Sunday’s working with a student who is completing some community service. They have been picking up garbage beginning at Hain’s Park and walking towards the Cemetery and then onto the brook on Town Woods Road. They have collected five bags of garbage. She noted what a good job they did organizing the parking signage, the shuttle and clean-up after the Regatta and suggested that maybe they could get larger or extra garbage cans for big events.
  • Selectwoman Nosal asked for an update on the Fire Boat. First Selectman Reemsnyder reported a team went down to Florida to review and approve the boat, and everything is on schedule. The boat should be leaving Florida next week and arrive soon. Upon arrival the engines will be put on and it will be ready for the summer. First Selectman Reemsnyder suggested organizing a christening for the boat when it is ready to be put in the water.
First Selectman Reemsnyder let the BOS know she would be meeting with the Director of Ledge Light to discuss the Health District option and would like any questions the Selectman have emailed to her so she can get them answered.

Selectman Sibley suggested First Selectman Reemsnyder communicate with Ian, the Coaches and the Athletic Director and cc; the Park & Rec Chair, Don Bugbee and The School Board regarding the positive feedback from the BOS on what a good job they did with planning, organizing and clean-up of the event. Selectwoman Nosal added she let Ed Adanti know on Sunday that the garbage cans were full and he got back to her right away to let her know this was taken care of.

8.   Executive Session: 
    
9.   Adjournment:
A motion was made by Selectman Sibley, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal to adjourn at 5:57PM. Motion passed.


NOTICE: Messages to or from the Town of Old Lyme domain are subject to the Freedom of Information statutes and regulations.