TOWN OF OLD LYME
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
The Board of Selectman held a Regular Meeting at 7:30 pm on August 7, 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.
July 17, 2017 Regular Meeting Minutes
A motion was made by Selectman Sibley, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to approve the minutes of the July 17, 2017 meeting. Motion passed.
- Communication:
- Appointments: John Evans, Business person, Halls Road Improvements Committee. A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Sibley, to approve John Evans, to the Halls Road Improvements Committee. Motion passed.
Robert DePianta (D), Inland Wetlands Commission, 3-year term to Jan 2020 A motion was made by Selectman Sibley, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to appoint Robert DePianta (D), to the Inland Wetlands Commission. Motion passed.
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Sibley, to add Mary Stone to the Open Space Commission for a 3-year term ending in Jan 2020 to the agenda. Motion passed.
A motion was made by Selectman Sibley, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to appoint Mary Stone to the Open Space Commission (replacing George James). Motion passed.
A motion was made by Selectman Sibley, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to move item 5 a. Cross Lane Playground up on the agenda. Motion passed.
5 a. Cross Lane Playground
First Selectman Reemsnyder gave an update on the Cross Lane playground to date, she reminded the BOS that the town budget this year includes $150,000 to go towards the $200,000 estimated cost provided by the Jr Women’s League for the Cross Lane playground project. She added that normally with a project this size they would have a committee to complete the research that has already been completed by the Jr Women’s League. She does recommend they form a committee to work on this project, but would like to discuss with the BOS approving the purchase of the playground equipment and signing a contract with Cascade so the playground can be installed this fall. She has spoken with the Finance Director and the funds have already been approved by the BOF based on the research completed by the Jr Women’s League.
Anna Reiter from the Jr. Women’s League gave an extensive overview of the of the proposed project to date including fundraising, soil sampling, cost (included; quotes, equipment, fencing, installation, subsurface work), design, landscaping, ADA accessibility, and communications with Parks & Rec. and Public Works Departments. Her overview included the importance of ordering the equipment soon so that the timing to include the preparation of the ground and installation of the equipment could take place before the weather changes and the ground begins to freeze. Otherwise they will have to wait until next spring and they would like to have the playground open for Halloween. She added that the total cost of the project is under budget and there are a few options that the committee can be flexible with in regard to costs to the project. She also added that they already have the permit in place as well.
The BOS applaud the Jr Women’s League for all of the research and work they have done in planning the new Cross Lane playground and support the project. They continued to discuss the importance of the process in a project of this size. First Selectman Reemsnyder and Selectwoman Nosal are comfortable approving the signing of the contract with Cascade to purchase the equipment, however Selectman Sibley would like more time to review the site plan and quotes before approving this.
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Sibley, to approve the purchase of playground equipment from Columbia Cascade Co. not to exceed the amount of $99,999. The BOS discussed in great length approving this prior to establishing a committee and going through the usual process. First Selectman Reemsnyder voted in favor, Selectwoman Nosal voted in favor and Selectman Sibley abstained. Motion passed.
4. Old Business:
- Boathouse Hains Park Improvements Project
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she has received the Certificate of Occupancy for the Boat House and has notified the Chairman of the Committee and the Superintendent so they will be able to sign the lease in the very near future.
She doesn’t have any update on the bathroom improvements project yet.
Selectman Sibley asked if she had any updates on the water management plan yet (the drainage behind the boathouse). First Selectman Reemsnyder replied she is still waiting to hear from BSC for a plan that has been discussed at the meetings.
- Rte. 156 Bikeway/Sound View Improvements
First Selectman Reemsnyder gave an update on the reimbursements they have received to date; they have received eight reimbursements to date and are still waiting for six. She added it typically takes 1 ½ to 2 months for the reimbursement to come in and one of the requests was just submitted today. The Finance Director is comfortable with the way the reimbursements are coming in and First Selectman Reemsnyder will send an update to the BOS as soon as it is finalized.
Selectwoman Nosal added she has emailed WMC to check on the status of the banner poles. She said there are also still a few items from the punch list that need to be completed, including bike rack adjustments and the water connection in front of the carousel. The paving will be completed after Labor Day and then they will schedule the final walkthrough.
- Academy Lane Fire Dock Update
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported the Academy Lane Fire Dock is completed. The side walls discussed at the last meeting have been cut down and wood has been installed. They are still waiting to complete the barrier in the front and once completed they will add signage to include no swimming, fishing, parking, etc.
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported that the Fire Chief, Tom Risom went down last week to test out the dock and he was very pleased with the results and it worked just as expected.
She also added that they stayed under budget and she will keep it on the agenda so she can report when the barrier is completed.
Selectman Sibley suggested sending a copy of the letter from the Fire Chief with a cover letter to Tom Schellens who was very concerned about the functionality of the dock.
- Special Town Meeting July 26, 2017 Update
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported the additional $30,000 for Mosquito Management expenditure for FY2018 passed. She noted there were two votes against it because of concerns adulticide spraying. She clarified for them that they do not spray every year and they use dunks in the catch basins and storm drains to attempt to get rid of the mosquitos before they become adults.
The other item on the agenda was the approval of an additional $25,000 out of the Town Building Fund to complete the exterior work on the Town Hall. This item passed unanimously and work has already begun on the Town Hall.
Selectwoman Nosal added how impressed she was with how the Facilities Manager addressed some of the questions raised, his presentation and his plans for maintaining the building in the future.
5. New Business:
- Cross Lane Playground – moved up on the agenda
- State Police Contract
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported that every two years they sign a contract with the State Police to have the Resident State Trooper in Town. She provided the Selectmen with a copy and highlighted the changes beginning with the dates. She also pointed out a couple of additional changes including; adding a line requiring the Town to comply with any public information request, the Town will be responsible for providing network connection and interoperability, the Town will be responsible for and fully support interoperability of the records management system and initiatives impacting such technologies systems between the Town and State Police. First Selectman Reemsnyder clarified this includes technology used for policing, for example if the Town was to purchase body cameras they would need to collaborate with the State Police to ensure
they would be compatible and/or interoperable across the Town and State Police.
She also pointed out that she highlighted the last page because as she mentioned at the last meeting they have been having discussions with the Town of East Lyme about the possibility of joining forces. The contract allows for termination of the contract with 30 days’ notice.
The BOS discussed if there had been any more discussion on the cost sharing portion from the state (anticipate 85% this has been consistent across all state budget proposals), the Resident Trooper’s hours, and the part played by First Selectman Reemsnyder in hiring the new Resident Trooper.
A motion was made by Selectman Sibley, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to authorize First Selectman Reemsnyder to sign the contract. Motion passed.
- Review of draft Bid Policy
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported the BOF is looking forward to the Bid Policy being adopted. This draft has been shared with the BOF and it is important that the BOS review the policy for approval. She gave an overview of the policy; the first part is the purpose of the policy and where it would be applied for goods and services, conditions of state and federal funds, grants, gifts or request, defines major purchases as above $75,000, regular purchases $20,000 - $75,000 and incidental purchases below $19,999, it lists the formal bid process, sole source vendor, emergency purchases and significant vendor. It also talks about a formal bid process, and a request for proposal however it does not include Requests for Qualifications (RFQ) which is often used to determine who we want to interview and who is the best qualified and on occasion
this is required by some grants. She did speak with the Director of Finance about adding this to the policy.
The BOS discussed possibly extending the major contract to 4 years instead of 3 years with BOS approval, the BOS should be approving a sole source vendor, lease (what is definition) ex; larger printers, approval of sole vendors (typically when there isn’t anyone else), ensuring they are not creating a process that restricts work flow and noting that they do not have to accept the lowest bid. The BOS will continue to discuss this further at their next meeting.
- Midsummer Festival/Firework Update
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported the Midsummer Festival was a great success. The event kicked off with a great evening over at the Florence Griswold with dinner and a concert on the lawn and Saturday morning started off with the 5k run. The day continued with all types of events and vendors along Lyme Street. The weather was nice and the day ended with the Town Band playing music on the lawn of the Middle school and fireworks at dusk.
She added there was one concern regarding debris being found on resident’s lawns on Library Lane from the fireworks. She believes this was due to the wind, and they will be sure to address this with the vendors next year.
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported that every four years on a leap year they drawdown Rogers Lake by about 14 inches to allow residents to make repairs to their docks. This was not done last year due to the drought. There is a request to do this, this year in mid-Sept. through mid-November and she wanted to make the BOS aware this was going to happen.
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Sibley, to add item f. Rollin Reds Fundraiser request to the agenda. Motion passed.
- Rollin Reds Fundraiser request
First Selectman Reemsnyder shared a request she had received from Damien at Rollin Red’s to use the Town Parking Lot on Hartford Ave. and the Police station lot for a fundraiser being held on September 9th. This will be a family oriented event to benefit the Terry Brodeur Breast Cancer Awareness Organization. She has also reached out to the Chairman of the Sound View Commission for feedback and he supports the event. The BOS discussed and supports the use of the parking lots for this event and providing participants with free parking passes.
A motion was made by Selectman Sibley, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to approve the use of the police station lot for vendors and provide free passes for participants of the fundraiser for the town lot. Motion passed.
6. Public Comment: None
7. Other Business:
First Selectman Reemsnyder reminded everyone the BOS will hold a Special Meeting tomorrow morning at 8:30 AM in the meeting hall to meet with the town officials to discuss and review the Blight Ordinance.
Selectman Sibley was asked to follow-up on the Town Dingy dock on Pilgrim Landing. The Town provides moorings to residents and a spot for Kayakers. It appears that part of this dock may stand on private property and the owners would like to see this resolved, either through licensing or a memorandum of understanding with the homeowner’s association.
First Selectman Reemsnyder replied she has been in contact with the Harbor Management Commission who is enthusiastic about this. There is a possibility of additional racks being installed with maintenance done by Harbor Management Commission, or Public Works. They just need to go through the process and make sure the language is right and liability is covered.
Selectman Sibley shared a letter he received from Alice Burbank who is concerned about the water on Craig Road flowing downhill into her basement. First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she has been working with Tom Metcalf who reports there is no easy fix to this. They have been putting temporary berms there and Mrs. Burbank calls when it starts to deteriorate and Public Works replaces them. She has also had conversations with the Town Attorney regarding the Towns obligation and are continuing to look into this.
Selectwoman Nosal asked for an update on the regional plan of conservation and how this has evolved. First Selectman Reemsnyder replied that the state legislature gave the council of governments the task to work on a regional plan of conservation & development. The 17 Towns should be working in conjunction to consider tourism, housing and transportation. The regional planning committee has been working on developing a plan to get input from all the towns on what areas they feel are important. She further shared that there is literature available regarding this plan and she will share this with the board at a later date. There is also communication going on between towns and commissions.
Selectwoman Nosal asked for an update on the LED light installation. First Selectman Reemsnyder replied they have signed the contract and paid the first fee to mobilize, and she has sent an email requesting a phone call with them and hopes to get an update then.
Selectwoman Nosal asked if she had any updates on the Mile Creek Bridge. First Selectman Reemsnyder replied she did not have any new information at this time.
Selectman Sibley reported he has a conflict with the regular BOS meeting scheduled for August 21st. The BOS discussed and agreed to cancel the meeting and schedule a special meeting for August 22nd at 8AM.
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported the WPCA will be holding their meeting at the Community Center on Hartford Ave. tomorrow night at 7:30PM and will be giving a power point presentation to update the public on where they are in the planning process. They will be talking about the EDU’s, and anticipated costs.
8. Executive Session: None
9. Adjournment:
A motion was made by Selectman Sibley, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to adjourn at 10:00 pm. Motion passed.
Respectfully submitted,
Patti Broedlin
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