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TOWN OF OLD LYME
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES
The Board of Selectman held a Special Meeting at 8:30 am on August 8, 2017 in the Mezzanine Conference Room of the Old Lyme Memorial Town Hall. First Selectman Bonnie Reemsnyder, Selectwoman Mary Jo Nosal and Selectman Skip Sibley were present. In addition, Land Use Coordinator Keith Rosenfeld, Building Official John Flower, Fire Marshal Dave Roberge, and George Calkins from Ledge Light Health District were also present.
- Review the draft Blight Ordinance with Zoning and Building Officials, Fire Marshal and Ledge Light Health District Sanitarian.
The attendees were all introduced, as well as identifying their department. Selectman Reemsnyder reviewed the process up to this point – the four officials (building, zoning, health & fire marshal) have worked on a draft ordinance that would address areas of blight that they cannot address within their respective codes. Keith Rosenfeld made the point that the latest draft refers to “blighted premises” which can be either residential or commercial properties. The draft, which was originally shared with the Board of Selectmen at the June 29, 2017 Board of Selectmen meeting, was reviewed by all. The Selectmen and officials discussed many areas of the draft, including “consideration of the rights of commercial/industrial users”, “terms of the members of appeals committee”, adding language in
the definition of blighted premises “as determined by the code responsibilities of their individual code, ordinance and/or regulation requirements. There was a robust discussion about some of the properties that have been a concern in Old Lyme for years, in which officials have had limited authority to mandate action to address blight that blight. There was additional discussion on some of the details of the draft, including the amount for the fine, the number of days allowed to cure after notification, citations, etc. The Selectmen also expressed interest in the ability of the Town to correct a violation, with the cost of that becoming a civil claim by the Town against the owner in order to recover all costs and expenses incurred. There was further discussion about liens on properties in a case like this.
Once the draft ordinance was reviewed, there was consensus that it was time to have the draft, with changes discussed at this meeting, reviewed by the Town Attorney. The Selectmen thanked all the officials for their efforts and for taking the time to review the document in person – it was well worth the face to face meeting.
9. Adjournment:
A motion was made by Selectman Sibley to adjourn at 10:21 am, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal. Motion passed.
Respectfully submitted,
Bonnie Reemsnyder
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