TOWN OF OLD LYME
Board of Selectman
Regular Meeting Minutes
August 15, 2016
The Board of Selectman held a Regular Meeting at 7:30pm on August 15, 2016 in the Meeting Hall of the Old Lyme Memorial town Hall. First Selectman Reemsnyder, Selectwoman Mary Jo Nosal and Selectman Skip Sibley were present.
July 18, 2016
The BOS discussed making changes to the minutes of the meeting under what circumstances this should be done, i.e.to reflect what was said and by whom it was said. They discussed the paragraph Selectwoman Nosal would like added to provide further detail regarding the NEC Futers discussion at the last meeting. The BOS agreed to add the paragraph with the changes requested by Selectman Sibley as discussed.
Addition to New Business item c. (page 4):
Selectwoman Nosal noted her concern that the Board of Selectmen’s opposition to the railroad plans have been questioned in social media. She was surprised by this and in fact Bonnie had spoken in opposition to this in Hartford. Selectwoman Nosal initiated a discussion on whether the BOS was interested in having a motion to clarify their position on the railroad. First Selectwoman Reemsnyder said she was not against a motion and was opposed to an aerial or tunnel structure and that this has been well documented.
Selectman Sibley stated the bridge is going to eventually be condemned and there is a threat to rising tides.
People have seen renderings of the large bridge and are very upset; obviously we are opposed to that. The fact remains the railroad has to do something with the deteriorating infrastructure but obviously we don’t want to build big bridges through town.
When First Selectman Reemsnyder clarified that the discussion concerned the high speed train, Selectman Sibley stated that people need more information in order to make up their minds.
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder restated that no improvements, even keeping our existing service can be accomplished without a plan that comes from the high level EIS plan which will begin conversations about the plan components. The renderings on Lyme St. are scaring people and affect economics. The current Tier I stage is at high level and complicated, it provides a menu of options for anything to happen. We are reaching out the FRA for a proper public meeting. Selectman Sibley noted that the process needs more transparency. We have raised an educated response and agreed that we need a public information meeting for this area. Selectwoman Nosal concurred and closed that she agrees with Senator Blumenthal that the current railroad plan is harebrained.
A motion was made by Selectman Sibley, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to approve the minutes of the July 18, 2016 Special Meeting Minutes, to include the paragraph submitted by Selectwoman Nosal with the changes discussed. Motion passed.
August 1, 2016
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Sibley, to approve the minutes of the August 1, 2016 Meeting Minutes. Motion passed.
- Communication: None
- Appointments:
Dorothy McAndrews (R) – Lymes Sr. Center Board 3 year term-July 2019
A motion was made by Selectman Sibley, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to appoint Dorothy McAndrews to the Lymes Senior Center Board, for a 3 year term – July 2019. Motion passed.
- Boathouse Hains Park Improvements
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder reported the old Boathouse building has been torn down to the slab and short walls and work is progressing.
There are some questions regarding the foundation and the footings under the walls and the architect is working with the building official to ensure they have the proper footings underneath so they can get the actual permit. They will assess what is already there and determine whether to keep the slab or start from scratch. The construction firm is putting together a quote on how much it would cost to remove the slab and start from scratch or to make the adjustments needed to the new plans. This may mean a small change order should everything need to be torn down. First Selectwoman Reemsnyder has been in touch with Paul Gianquinto and he continues to oversee the project and is well versed in this type of work. First Selectwoman Reemsnyder will continue to monitor and provide updates.
Selectwoman Nosal asked how the process works if there is a change to the order. Selectman Sibley replied if there is a change order, there is a sub-committee set up to review the change and if it is below $2,000 the committee can approve it, but if it is above $2,000 the BOS has to approve it.
- Rte.156 Bikeway/Sound View Improvements
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported they had the bid opening on August 8th and received six bids for the Rte.156 Bikeway/Sound View Improvements project ranging from $631,000-$938,000, most were in the $600,000 range. The three lowest bids were sent to the engineering firm for review and all three bids met the requirements and were all from qualified bidders. The lowest bid at $631,000 was sent to the VHB liaison for DOT review. First Selectman Reemsnyder received an email from Chris Faulkner requesting the documents from B&W Paving including; their certificate of liability, insurance etc. She has received all of the documents from B&W Paving and has forwarded them onto VHB for review. Once reviewed, if everything is in place, they should receive a letter of
authorization to award the contract to B&W Paving.
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder added the next meeting is August 29, 2016 at 4:30pm.
She also reported the adjusted Project Authorization Letter (PAL) agreement has been discussed with the Finance Director in regards to the $911,100 total which includes a 10% contingency on the contract, inspectors, municipal services and DOT costs. The project was approved for $877,000 at the last town meeting. They hope they will not need to touch the contingency funds, but never know what may be found until they start digging. They will not know if the additional funds will be needed until the project is almost done.
Selectman Sibley asked when the work will begin. First Selectwoman Reemsnyder replied it will depend on when the supplemental PAL is approved by DOT and a contract is signed.
Selectwoman Nosal added the pre- construction meeting with DOT where the hand off to VHB who will oversee the project should take place soon.
Selectman Sibley noted the difference between the new cost and approved cost to be an estimated $34,000 so if we go with the 80/20 split the town exposure would be an addition $7,800.
- Administrative Order/WPCA Update
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported the WPCA had a meeting last Tuesday evening. She has signed Amendment #3 to proceed with finishing the plan and publishing the EIE.
The committee reviewed the well network evaluation of Hawk Nest Beach monitoring to evaluate the current wells, refresh wells and install the data logger that will feed data to a computer for about a month. This will provide a map of how the waters flowing through HNB to help determine where and how many additional wells may be needed.
The original scope of work is for 3 months of monitoring at $18,500. They requested and received a quote of$10,628 for 1 month of monitoring. The WPCA approved this and will pass on to the DEEP for approval to see if 1 month of monitoring will give them enough data to see where they need to determine where additional wells will need to be placed and if this will be eligible for clean water study funds of 55%. She is still waiting for the final document from the WPCA to forward onto Carlos at the DEEP. They are hoping to hear from DEEP by September. The money for this is already in their budget, they are just trying to ensure they have enough to get through the year.
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported the task force has not met due to vacations.
Selectman Nosal asked if this will determine how deep the wells need to be and does DEEP give recommendations on the test to be done on the water.
First Selectman Reemsnyder replied yes it will determine the depth of the wells. DEEP has suggested a list of tests they would like to see done, but are flexible with unneeded tests.
Selectman Sibley asked who drove the recommendation to decrease the monitoring to 1 month. First Selectman Reemsnyder reported this was driven by the WPCA; one of the members Rob McCarthy is an engineer and has a good understanding of what we are trying to do and felt 1 month would be enough.
- Guide to Commissions Board
First Selectman Reemsnyder reviewed the list of changes recommend by the BOS at a previous meeting. The BOS discussed the completed changes, typos and rewording of how to rephrase encouraging people not to print emails on page 5. They also discussed re-printing this into a more user friendly format and they will continue to work on this.
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Sibley, to approve the Guide to Commissions and Boards with the changes discussed. Motion passed.
- NEC Futures Letter/Meeting
First Selectman Reemsnyder read a letter that was mailed out to Ms. Reyes-Alicea, the NEC FUTURE Program Manager. The letter is from the BOS expressing the opposition and serious concerns of the many organizations, residents and businesses in Old Lyme regarding the potential for a rail bypass from Old Saybrook to Kenyon, RI. The letter also requests a public meeting in Old Lyme before publishing their final recommendations on the Tier 1 EIS to address the many questions being posed to the BOS that they cannot answer. She has not had a response from this as of yet.
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported a round table meeting with Senator Blumenthal was held at the Old Lyme Town Hall on Friday to discuss questions and concerns regarding the from Old Saybrook to Kenyon, RI rail bypass . There were representatives from Old Saybrook, East Lyme, Stonington, Old Lyme, the RiverCOG, and local legislators present along with residents. Senator Blumenthal expressed his concerns with the Old Saybrook to Kenyan RI bypass and said that the FRA has agreed to come out to speak to us. Chris Murphy called to express his support, but was unable to attend the meeting. Everyone had an opportunity to express their concerns and ask questions.
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she had received a call after the meeting from a reporter, Kimberly Drelick who said she had spoken with the FRA and said they had agreed to come out to speak with community leaders at a round table discussion. That was not First Selectman Reemsnyder original understanding and she does hope they will come out to do a public presentation. She will continue to monitor and is prepared to arrange a venue suitable for a large attendance.
Selectman Sibley felt it was noteworthy that Senator Blumenthal hopes the meeting with the public will take place before a decision is made.
Selectwoman Nosal was glad to hear there was a meeting and opportunity for community members to express their concerns and ask questions. She is glad that upper government are hearing, listening and supporting their efforts. She would still like to see NEC FUTURES come to provide a public presentation and provide them with facts.
- Ledge Light Health District Public Hearing
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported a public hearing has been scheduled for August 29th at 7:30pm at the Old Lyme Middle School and Steve Mansfield will give a presentation on Ledge Light Health District. A legal notice will be put out and as much information as possible. This will be advertised on the Town Website
First Selectman Reemsnyder noted this will need to go to a Town Meeting for a vote. She is not sure if they have to wait 30 days after the hearing, but will look into this.
Selectman Sibley noted the temporary arrangements seem to be working ok, but this would give them peace of mind having a more solid plan in place.
- Update on Academy Lane Fire Dock
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported they have an advertisement in the paper with a request for qualifications for companies who can show they have experience with this kind of specialized construction. Dotco has included some of the requirements in the legal advertisement. The submission date is August 17th, submissions will be reviewed and then we will proceed with getting quotes. The goal is to get this completed before winter.
- JLUS Public Workshop – August 30, 2016; EL Community Center
First Selectman Reemsnyder announced the JLUS (Joint Land Use Study) will hold a public workshop on August 30th, at the East Lyme Community Center from 7-9pm.
The town of Old Lyme has been working in collaboration with the town of East Lyme and Lyme to complete this study. This is a study of areas around military facilities such as “Stones Ranch” located in Old Lyme. The study is used to make recommendation to the towns to protect the residents as much as possible and suggestions for mitigating issues that people have to deal with having a military facility within their boundaries.
This has been posted on the Website and posters have been put up advertising the workshop.
Selectwoman Nosal commented on how different the process has been for this study, it has been very open, organized and they have had several public meetings, unlike the NEC FUTURES process.
- Public Comment: None
- Other Business:
Selectman Sibley commented on the bid for the Rte.156 Bikeway/Sound View Improvements, and suggested it be run by the newly appointed attorney to get his opinion. That way if they need to get additional funds approved they could do that at the same Town Meeting to have LLHD approved, should that occur.
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder will run this by the town attorney, but doesn’t know we will need the additional money due to all of the contingencies. She will also be explaining this to the BOF tomorrow night and will see where it goes from there.
Selectwoman Nosal agreed it was a good idea to speak with the town attorney, but feels we should wait until the PAL agreement is signed.
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported on the meeting tonight down at Sound View with Jenni Scofield from the State Historic Preservation Office under the Department of Economic and Community Development Office. She gave a presentation on getting Sound View including; Hartford Ave., Swan Ave. and Portland Ave. listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. She explained that this does not require home owners to do anything and provides opportunities for tax credits. If 50% of the residents do not want this they will not approve it. First Selectman Reemsnyder noted she had to leave early and was not able to hear all of the public comments and was surprised by the low turnout. The nomination is complete and will be submitted on September 14th. She again thanked the Sound View
Commission in particular Michaela Pearson for starting this process.
Selectwoman Nosal noted she was glad to see the town officials in attendance at the meeting to provide feedback and ask questions. She also noted there is an opportunity for residents to write in and provide comments and feedback and added it is an honor to be nominated and there are already 200 places in Old Lyme already on the registry.
- Executive Session: None
- Adjournment:
A motion was made by Selectman Sibley, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to adjourn at 8:40pm. Motion passed.
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