TOWN OF OLD LYME
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
The Board of Selectmen held a Regular Meeting at 7:30 pm on July 17, 2017 in the Meeting Hall of the Old Lyme Memorial Town Hall. First Selectman Bonnie Reemsnyder, Selectwoman Mary Jo Nosal and Selectman Skip Sibley were present.
June 29, 2017 Regular Meeting Minutes
A motion was made by Selectman Sibley, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to approve the minutes of the June 29, 2017 meeting. Motion passed.
- Communication: First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she received an email from Heidi Dinino. She gave an overview of the email from Heidi who expressed her concerns and dismay with some of the behaviors down on Sound View including; smelling weed (Pot), excessive speeding, illegal parking, blocking areas, public urinating on the fence and not enough police. First Selectman Reemsnyder noted how hard it is to police down there especially on really nice weekends, and especially just this past weekend when Rocky Neck State Park was closed due to high bacteria levels. She will pass the email on to the Selectmen.
- Appointments: None
4. Old Business:
- Boathouse Hains Park Improvements
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported the project is substantially completed. The two remaining items on the punch list have been completed. The Building Official is on vacation this week and they should have the CO next week. She noted they are still covered under the temporary CO. She also reported that the grass is not really coming up well. It was planted late in the season and was not watered sufficiently. It needs to be re-seeded and watered on a regular basis. They have only paid 25% of that line item as they would like the contractor to come back and fix this. If need be, this can be addressed by public works and get a credit from the contractor.
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she is working with Paul Gianquinto to get an updated budget together so they can report (SVIP format) what they have for carry over for the bathroom project. She also reported that the committee tried to meet last week but they did not have a quorum. They are reaching out to members so they can start working on the bathrooms.
The transfer of the boathouse on to the District’s insurance policy was effective on July 1st and the lease will be signed as soon as they have the CO.
- Rte. 156 Bikeway/Sound View Improvements
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported they have had the substantial completion walk-through. The items that need to be completed are installation of the banner polls, the decorative street signs and one set of bike racks needs to be re-installed. The paving will be completed after the Labor Day holiday and once that is done the epoxy street markings will be completed.
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she and Finance Director Nicole Stajduhar have been working on a format to report on capital projects that will provide consistent reporting across all projects. The selectmen were given a copy of the draft report. She gave an overview of the report for the Sound View project which included the initial budget, payments to vendors, and amount unspent. . So far $779,404 out of the budgeted $911,000 has been spent. Still remaining are the items discussed above (banner poles, street signs and possibly some grass seed) and any extra paving they decide to have done. She also pointed out that this includes the paving of Hartford Ave. which was not an original part of the project and they will get the 80% reimbursement for this as well. The total cost to the Town of OL is approximately $156,000 to date. The
BOS discussed adding additional lines to the reporting format, possibly including the original contract amount; retainage, credits and change orders.
- Academy Lane Fire Dock Update
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported the project is nearly complete,though a couple of issues have come up. The Facilities manager has expressed some concern about the small pea stone holding up the fire trucks and a concern about the height of the steel sheeting on three sides. She has asked Tom and Keith about these issues and there are some millings that will go on top of the pea stone that have not been put down yet along with a wood rail, wheel stops and some top soil that needs to be installed to stabilize the slope. There will also be a moveable barrier installed and posting prohibiting parking, fishing, etc.
She has also asked Tom and Keith to look into the cost of cutting down the sides of the sheeting and installing railings to make this more aesthetically appealing as this is in a residential area. The project is underbudget and they do not see any additional problems arising. The BOS agree that installing the railing would be a good idea.
There will be a final walk through when the project is complete and they will invite the Fire Department down as well.
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported that since their last meeting she discovered the Town of Westbrook was going to Town meeting to approve their Blight Ordinance. She was able to get a copy of it to compare with our draft and they are quite similar, addressing many of the same concerns. She pointed out some of the differences such as they name a part-time blight enforcement officere (job description was included); chronic overgrown grass (more specific), and the initiation of legal proceedings including Town remediation and the ability for the Town to put a lien on the property if the cost of remediation is not recovered from the owner. The BOS discussed the differences and agree that they would like to see a Blight Enforcement officer put into place as this would provide for accountability, reinspection of properties and setting a
standard. They also discussed and agree to the importance of including commercial properties. First Selectman Reemsnyder will send the copy of the Westbrook ordinance to the selectmen for review and further feedback. She will continue to try to schedule a special meeting with all of the officials to discuss the ordinance further.
- Special Town Meeting July 26, 2017
First Selectman Reemsnyder gave an overview of the two items on the agenda and set the date for the meeting. The meeting will be held on July 26th at 7:30pm in the Town Hall meeting room.
- Mosquito Management Plan - $30,000 for FY 2018
- Town Hall Exterior Maintenance -$25,000 from the Town Buildings Improvement fund.
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Sibley, to approve the CALL for the Town Meeting. Motion passed.
5. New Business:
- FRA NEC Future Record of Decision
First Selectman Reemsnyder announced the FRA has published their record of decision (ROD) and the Bypass from Old Saybrook, CT to Kenyon, RI has been removed from the map. Connecticut and Rhode Island will be given the lead to further discuss and plan how to connect New Haven and Hartford to Providence, RI with support from the FRA.
She reminded everyone that they need to remain vigilant and be sure that those who come after them continue to watch how the future plans take shape.
She pointed out that OL was one of the first towns who began to oppose this and make other towns aware. A lot of people worked together to become one voice. With the support of the Commissioner of the DOT, Senator Blumenthal, Congressman Courtney, local our state representatives, Greg Stroud of SECoast, community members and the strategy team, they were able to get the bypass off the map.
Senator Blumenthal was in Old Lyme today to congratulate and celebrate along with the community. First Selectman Reemsnyder also noted there are still communities west of New Haven who are facing similar concerns who are still a part of the original plan.
Selectman Sibley asked how this would affect maintenance and repairs. First Selectman Reemsnyder replied the plan still includes safety upgrades, maintenance and upgrades to the existing rail. She pointed out though that the areas closer to NYC and NJ are a priority and will probably be the first to see upgrades and repairs.
The BOS is pleased with the outcome and the importance of the process and stressed the importance of remaining vigilant.
First Selectman Reemsnyder reminded the BOS they have been dealing with a shortage of police officers since May and have been working on hiring more officers. She announced that Officer Kevin Roche was sworn in today. This gives us 5 full-time police officers, 1 part-time officer and the Resident Trooper. She has been working with the Resident Trooper on the schedule to close the gaps to ensure adequate coverage. They have used overtime troopers and have offered OL police overtime to ensure adequate coverage as needed.
She also wanted to make the BOS aware that she has reached out to the town of East Lyme to discuss the possibility of collaborating with them to create one department to serve both towns. East Lyme has formed their own independent Police Department with a Chief of Police who comes from the town of Ledyard. She also reached out to the Chairman of the BOF to join her in these discussions. To date they have had a couple of meetings and some email exchange. She feels there is a possibility for us to join forces with East Lyme which would provide us with the resources they need. She pointed out that this would provide mean 24-hour coverage and while we would not have full control, we would have representation on the police commission.
First Selectman Reemsnyder feels it is time to start the conversations about this and will also be discussing this with the BOF regarding cost and how they would go about making this change. She has also spoken with the labor attorney about the impact on the police officers and the union. She has also reached out to Sargeant Mesham today to give him a heads up and will be sharing this with the OL police tomorrow so they hear it from her. She will continue discussions and possibly put together a committee to explore this further. The BOS discussed the current policing model and the challenges they continue to face, especially during the summer and the idea of joining forces with East Lyme and agree this is worth looking into.
- Public Works Union Settlement Agreement Ratification
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported the Public Works last agreement expired on June 30, 2017. On June 30th,an agreement was reached by the union and the Town, which was ratified by the union last week. She gave a brief overview of the contract: this will be a 4 year contract expiring in FY2021, there will be a 2.25% increase for each of the 4 years, the health benefit will remain the same for FY 18 and FY 19, with a $2500/5000 high deductible plan, 50% of the deductible funded by the town through an HAS account, and a 15% cost share by the employees. In FY 20 and FY 21, the deduction will increase to $3000/$6000, the town will still fund 50% and the cost share will remain at 15%. They also agreed to increase the insurance buyout to employees to $3000 annually. Additionally, from November – April, all hours paid will be
considered toward calculating overtime, while from May – Oct., only hours worked will be used to calculate overtime. They also agreed to remove all position classifications except for Maintainer I, Maintainer II and Maintainer III. She thanked the BOS for all of their work on the settlement agreement.
A motion was made by Selectman Sibley, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to approve the Settlement Agreement with the Public Works Union. Motion passed.
- Midsummer Festival/Fireworks July 28 & 29
First Selectman Reemsnyder reminded everyone the Midsummer Festival will begin on July 28th with the evening concert and picnic dinner on the lawn of the Florence Griswold Museum. The LYSB will kick off Saturday morning with a 5k run to benefit the Timothy Buckley Foundation which will be followed by a host of activities all day on Lyme Street from the Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library all the way down to the Florence Griswold Museum. The day will end with the Town Band playing on the lawn at the Middle School followed by fireworks. She also thanked everyone who makes this happen each year and added what a great event this is for our community.
6. Public Comment:
Fred Callahan from 14 Oak Road attended the meeting as a representative of the Federation of Beaches because they have not yet received a response from their letter and was wondering if they would be getting an answer soon.
First Selectman Reemsnyder responded to Mr. Callahan’s request about police services. She was unable to respond up until now, but they should be getting a response soon.
7. Other Business: None
8. Executive Session: None
9. Adjournment:
A motion was made by Selectman Sibley, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to adjourn at 9:06 pm. Motion passed.
Respectfully submitted,
Patti Broedlin
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