TOWN OF OLD LYME
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES
The Board of Selectmen held a Special Meeting at 10:00 am on November 18, 2016 in the Meeting Hall of the Old Lyme Memorial town Hall. First Selectman Reemsnyder and Selectwoman Mary Jo Nosal were present and Selectman Skip Sibley participated via phone conferencing.
- Approval of Minutes: November 7, 2016 Regular Meeting Minutes
Selectwoman Nosal requested the following changes to the minutes. Page 3, under Academy Lane Fire Dock; replace the word “they” to read “The Town” and to read as follows:
This is a very specialized project and they meet all of the qualifications, The Town has experience and the specialized equipment required for the job.
Their quote is $187,000 along with engineering fees from Docko of $17,700.
Updated budget for this project:
$28,442 – carry over from FY 2013/2014
$125,000 – from this year capital funds
$153,442 – Total
There is remaining administration costs of $5,183 plus The Town will want to add a contingency to both of those amounts.
With a 10% contingency the total costs would be: $212,841
With a 20% contingency the total cost would be: $233,328
Considering they currently have $153,442 in the budget, The Town is looking at requesting approval of an additional $60,000-80,000 depending on the amount of the contingency.
A motion was made by Selectman Sibley, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to approve the minutes of the November 7, 2016 Regular Meeting minutes as amended. Motion passed.
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Sibley, to move item 5 a. Water Resource Committee Recommendations, up on the agenda. Motion passed.
5 a. Water Resource Committee Recommendations
First Selectman Reemsnyder reminded the BOS this was a topic they had discussed a while ago. The Water Resource Committee recommended the Town adopt a Water Resource Ordinance that would require anyone exporting more than 5,000 gal of water a day to be permitted. Steve Ross, who served on the Committee, gave an overview of the two year study completed and discussed a proposed ordinance recommended by the Water Resource Committee. The main purpose of the ordinance is to prevent someone from diverting major quantities of potable ground water elsewhere, specifically from wells in the Town of Old Lyme that may deplete drinking water. The proposal would exclude septic tank pump outs for disposal elsewhere and filling residential swimming pools, existing sewer pipelines and DEEP approved permits
preceding this ordinance; this was reviewed by two attorneys (Jack Collins current Town Attorney) and would require a permit for exporting greater than 5,000 gallons a day.
The BOS discussed adding a separate line item in the budget request, reviewing with the Town Attorney, and/or possibly a specialist in this area. Discussion also included: involving WPCA, Zoning and ensuring there is no conflict with CT DEEP, water conservation in light of the recent drought conditions and the permit process, including review and who would be responsible for granting permit approval.
Steve Ross noted for the record the Committee Members names: Jack Collins, Mervin Roberts, George James, Steven Dix, Hanson Cummings, and Jane Cable.
First Selectman Reemsnyder stated the BOS will discuss this further through the budget process and will follow up with the Town Attorney for his recommendations.
2. Communication: None
3. Appointments: None
4. Old Business:
- Boathouse Hains Park Improvements
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported the committee had a meeting on Wednesday evening and approved some of the invoices that came in. There was a robust discussion about the invoices from the Architect, Nina Cuccio-Peck, addressing some of the concerns that have been expressed regarding the plans. First Selectman Reemsnyder and Selectman Sibley will schedule a meeting with the Architect to discuss some of the concerns with her. First Selectman Reemsnyder pointed out that at the BOF meeting on Tuesday, one of the questions about the Boathouse was whether the roof will be on by winter and the answer was yes it will be.
Selectman Sibley added there was also discussion about the three trees on a neighboring property and was wondering if there was any update on that. First Selectman Reemsnyder reported Don Bugbee had reached out to the property owner and had a verbal approval for removal. First Selectman Reemsnyder would like to see this in writing; she has also reached out to the company who gave the quote on the removal of the trees to request they go out and evaluate again and provide her with a quote.
Selectman Sibley noted the project is moving along, with the projected dates for:
- Installing the racks – Dec. 12th
- Boats could start to be put away – Dec 17th – 18th
He also noted they are working on getting the storage containers emptied and moved over the next 2-3 weeks.
The Old Lyme Rowing Assoc. Fall program with District 18 students ran smoothly, with all of the temporary efforts put in place.
Selectman Sibley also gave an update on the Fundraising Committee to date: total contributors are approximately 90 with $70, 000 raised from the beginning.
Selectwoman Nosal noted the community support has been wonderful, and wanted to clarify the $70,000 raised so far. This is two funds; $51,800 initially raised for the docks and the recent mailing accounts for $20,000 in donations. Selectman Sibley reiterated that he has met with Nicole and the funds raised in 2014-2015 would be used for the project. All of the funds raised through the recent mailing will be used for items outside of the original scope of work.. Some of the items they are looking at include benches, picnic tables and possibly a pavilion.
Selectwoman Nosal asked for clarification on the meeting Selectman Sibley and First Selectman Reemsnyder will be having with the Architect. What are the questions they are addressing and are we under contract with her? Selectwoman Nosal felt it was important to consider if the Architect was meeting her construction administrative obligations. She also added she remembered seeing a note from Paul Gianquinto suggesting they have a meeting at the end of the project to negotiate and address any issues.
First Selectman Reemsnyder replied yes they are under contract with her and they will be addressing what some feel are errors in the plans and will take her comments into consideration during the meeting.
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Sibley to move item 5 b. Request by Historic District Commission for study, up on the agenda. Motion passed.
5 b. Request by Historic District Commission for study
First Selectman Reemsnyder started by noting the Historic District Commission had a vote at their last meeting recommending the BOS look at a new survey (First Selectman Reemsnyder read a letter she received from the committee) encompassing one mile north of I-95, and south of I-95 to Long Island Sound, to identify what historical and cultural resources are out there. First Selectman Reemsnyder also pointed out the concerns expressed by the Sound View residents during the recent Historical survey completed in that community. She invited John Pfeiffer, Chairman of the Historic District Commission and Town Historian and acknowledged Greg Stroud from the CT Trust for Historic Preservation was also present in the audience. Dr. Pfeiffer gave an overview of the committee’s request, noting they feel it important to get a
practical view of what is out there for planning purposes. He would like to see the State Historical Preservation Office (SHPO) come and give a presentation on what the scope and breadth of such a survey would be, how it would be administered and what it should include. The HDC endorses a survey but at the same time they would like more information on the cost and funding available from the state. The BOS discussed the original 1970 Historical District map, the importance of knowing what is outside those limits, the Historic District Commission’s current charge, getting community feedback, the possibility of a task force focused on this specific
task, and could this be a regional effort including Lyme and East Lyme. It is the consensus of the BOS it would be a good idea to invite the State Historical Preservation Office to come to a BOS meeting to give a public presentation and get more information before moving forward.
- Rte. 156 Bikeway/Sound View Improvements
First Selectman Reemsnyder gave an update on the progress to date. There was a regular construction meeting this morning, which included the contractor, the inspection firm, the CT DOT, PW Superintendent Ed Adanti, and First Selectman Reemsnyder and Selectwoman Nosal. The most challenging drainage basin has been installed at the south end of Hartford Ave. and the other drainage basins will continue to be installed. The principals of WMC met with First Selectman Reemsnyder and Nicole Stajduhar, Finance Director, to submit their first invoice and explain how the invoicing would be handled. The invoice included all of the documentation necessary, and the completed ISP, which is the document submitted to CT DOT for reimbursement. They have made this very easy, one copy stays with the Town and one copy goes to DOT. Nicole was very pleased
with the process.
Selectwoman Nosal added it was exciting to see the physical work taking place and was impressed with how the contractor dealt with the tide to block off the drainage without having to incur additional costs. They will be working on the second drainage basin this week and will be doing some curb cutting and begin working on the sidewalks. The next SVI committee meeting is scheduled for November 29th at 4:30 pm.
- Administrative Order/WPCA Update
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported at the last meeting of the WPCA, the members approved the final edits of the plan and sent it back to Woodard and Curran, who will make the changes and submit the plan to CT DEEP. They also finalized the scope of services for the Well Evaluation Project in Hawks Nest Beach and are waiting for feedback from the CT DEEP. She anticipates the final scope of service will be submitted by December of this year.
- Ledge Light Health District update
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported they had a meeting on Nov. 17th, with the entire staff from our Land Use offices (offices were closed) and some employees from LLHD. The meeting ran from noon to 3 pm and included lunch. The discussions included processes, expectations and areas of concern. There was a lot of consensus that now is a good time to look at online permitting. They have formed a committee to begin looking at this and that committee will look at programs other towns within LLHD are using as well as new programs. Selectman Sibley and Selectwoman Nosal both agree online permitting is a good idea.
5. New Business:
- Water Resource Committee Recommendations – Moved up on the agenda
- Request by Historic District Commission for study – Moved up on the agenda
- Harvest/Thanksgiving Celebration Nov. 21, 2016
First Selectman Reemsnyder announced the Harvest/ Thanksgiving Celebration will be held on Monday night at the First Congressional Church in conjunction with St. Ann’s Episcopal Church & Christ the King Church, at 7 pm. Everyone attending is encouraged to bring a non-perishable food donation for the food bank.
6. Public Comment:
Greg Stroud, 81 Neck Road in Old Lyme attended to comment on the issue of Historic Preservation.
He began by clarifying funding; the initial $30,000 available from State funds through SHPO does not require a match and is funded by real estate transaction fees. There is an additional $15,000 in federal funds available which requires a 50% match and CT Trust, through a grant process, may fund the Towns cost.
Mr. Stroud went on to discuss the rigor and scope of the survey. The larger area of study was recommended to HDC based on comments made by Rebecca Reyes-Alicea at the August meeting, which suggested a bypass routing outside of the Historic District, taking into consideration the APE (area of potential impact) which is typically a mile. This would cover that re-routing and would also be considered, should they discuss re-routing I95. Now would be a good time to complete the survey so the Town would have this available to submit to the federal government and CT DOT to be used in their planning of future projects, including NEC Futures. After the election, there is the potential for significant infrastructure spending and the potential for projects that will come their way.
The historic survey does not entail the National Registration, which requires a significant process. Mr. Stroud recommends a survey for eligibility purposes, which is a much quicker process and finding a surveyor approved by SHPO. The scope of the survey can be adjusted and expanded to the limits set by the Town and to control the cost. He feels the Town can get a substantial survey completed for the amount available for funding by the state ($30,000). He agrees it would be a good idea to invite the State Historical Preservation office to come to a BOS meeting to give a public presentation to get more information before moving forward.
7. Other Business: None
8. Executive Session: None
9. Adjournment:
A motion was made by Selectman Sibley, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to adjourn at 11:15 am. Motion passed.
Respectfully submitted,
Patti Broedlin
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