TOWN OF OLD LYME
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
The Board of Selectmen held a Regular Meeting at 7:30 pm October 2, 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.
September 18, 2017 Regular Meeting Minutes
A motion was made by Selectman Sibley, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to approve the minutes of the September 18, 2017 meeting. Motion passed.
After additional thought, Selectman Sibley requested the following change:
Page 1 first sentence to read; The Board of Selectmen held a Regular Meeting at 7:30 pm September 18, 2017 in the Meeting Hall of the Old Lyme Memorial Town Hall.
A motion was made by Selectman Sibley, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to approve the minutes of the September 18, 2017 meeting as amended. Motion passed.
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Sibley, to add the letter from the First Congressional Church to the Agenda. Motion passed.
- Communication: Letter from the First Congressional Church
First Selectman Reemsnyder read a letter she and Andy Russell the BOF chair received from the First Congregational Church requesting tax exempt status for the property they purchased at 111 Rogers Lake Trail. The church is using the property to support refugee resettlement and outlined the requirements met by the refugees for their use of the rental property.
She has reached out to the Town Attorney for his guidance and she will keep the BOS posted on this.
4. Old Business:
- Boathouse Hains Park Improvements Project
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she has spoken with Paul Gianquinto and has been copied on the emails with Scope Construction regarding the work on the punch list for the Hains Park Improvements project. Scope has someone taking care of the planting and watering of the grass and some of the doors have been given a final coat of paint. She anticipates the punch list being completed soon.
She also reported that Ed Adanti, Paul Gianquinto and a representative from BSC are working on the plan for the drainage and will address the removal of the underbrush and the trees at the same time.
She reported she received a request for an update on the Fundraising Committee including listings and costs (all costs were donated by members of the committee) and asked Selectman Sibley if he would give the update.
Selectman Sibley reported they are still waiting for one more pledge to come in and they have another pledge that will not be received until next year, the total raised was $108,000. He has been in contact with Nicole and she has a listing of all of the donations as well as list of the names of each donor. He is in the process of double checking the list of names (approx. 150) and the amount of their donations (4 different levels) so they have that information for the plaque and will forward it on to Nicole when he is done. He also reported that he has reached out to Sophie Marsh regarding the plaque, though he has not heard back from her yet but will start to develop a budget. At the last Boathouse meeting he asked if they had any preference where the plaque should be and it was suggested some sort of free standing
sign in the park, maybe near the current plaque to highlight it. He suggested it would be a good idea to get the new bathroom committee involved as well so it is located in an ideal spot. The BOS discussed the possibility of having the plaque somewhere near the pavilion (if this is completed) and thinks it should be somewhere prominent within the park and maybe that would be a good committee to plan the plaque. They want to ensure that whichever committee takes on the responsibility of planning the plaque, they have all the information they need to ensure it reflects each donor and the level of their donation. Selectman Sibley reiterated the main focus of the fundraising committee was to raise funds for the additional items outside the scope of the work. He also feels confident that the members of the fundraising committee are aware and have been updated regularly on the fundraising effort and feels confident that they will work with the bathroom and/or pavilion committees to
ensure the plaques is prominently displayed.
They also discussed closing out the committee and it was suggested that Selectman Sibley reach out to the members to see if they felt they needed to meet again and if not, they could close out the committee at the next meeting.
Selectwoman Nosal asked if the person who had her submit the receipt had been reimbursed and Selectman Sibley reported he and Greg Hack had given her checks to reimburse her in full.
- Rte. 156 Bikeway/Sound View Improvements
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported the milling on Hartford Ave. was completed on Friday. They are working on the punch list and the bases for the banner poles and street signs have been poured and once the concrete has set, the poles and signs will be installed.
The paving should be completed tomorrow and Ed Adanti will be there to ensure all the issues are addressed. Selectwoman Nosal added that the inspector from WMC will also be present tomorrow while they are paving.
The final walkthrough will be scheduled the week of October 16th after the epoxy striping has been completed.
- Cross Lane Playground Committee Update
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported they did not have a meeting last week. Instead they met at the site to look at where the markings are and the trees that have been removed by public works. There are two trees that were too large for them to remove and will need to be removed by a tree service and any pruning that needs to be completed will be done when the trees are removed. The Chair of the Tree Commission agrees that it is a good idea to have all of the work completed at once and the two departments will work together to get this completed.
She also reported that the soil removal and the asphalt installation will happen just prior to the arrival of the equipment so they can put holes in where needed for the equipment. They will make sure the holes are not left open so they are a danger to anyone and if necessary they will install the protective fencing to block the area off. They have a meeting scheduled for this Thursday to work on the time-line and the estimated date of arrival for the equipment.
Selectman Sibley asked if the target date was still Halloween. First Selectman Reemsnyder replied it depends on the arrival date for the equipment and will know better after the meeting on Thursday.
First Selectman Reemsnyder reminded the Selectmen that there will be a special meeting on October 6th and asked them to forward her any comments or concerns they have so she can get them to the Attorney so they can be addressed at the meeting.
Selectman Sibley expressed his concern with the length of the document and so many unknowns makes it hard for him to get comfortable with it. He recommends a shorter amount of time so they can adjust it if needed. He also stated he had spoken with the Chair of the BOF and they feel the $10, 000 per year for 20 years does not account for inflation or a cost of living factor. He also felt that the cost should be higher than $1 after the 20 years.
First Selectman Reemsnyder will bring his concerns to the Town Attorney so they can be addressed.
5. New Business:
- Special Meeting of BOS for Oct. 6: Blight Ordinance & Lease Agreement
First Selectman Reemsnyder reminded the Selectmen they will be meeting on Oct. 6th at 9:00AM. The two items on the agenda are:
- The Blight Ordinance – Attorney Mike Carey will be there to review the Ordinance with them.
- The Lease Agreement – Attorney Eric Callahan will be there to review the Lease Agreement with them.
Selectman Sibley asked if First Selectman Reemsnyder extended an invitation to the Chair of the BOF or made them aware of the meeting. She replied she has not posted the meeting yet but will be sure he is aware of the meeting.
- Bathroom Facility Committee
First Selectman Reemsnyder reminded the Selectmen she had shared an email from Bob Dunn, Chair of the OL Parks and Rec Commission stating they are willing to form and oversee a new Hains Park Improvement Committee to complete the improvements for use by the general public which have been planned as phase II of the BHPIC. At the Sept. Parks & Rec meeting, they agreed to appoint the following members: Bob Dunn, John Flower, Don Bugbee, Nigel Logan, David Kelsey and Todd Machnik as an ad hoc member for consulting. Bob Dunn has contacted each of the members and they agree to volunteer under the parameters she and Bob have discussed. Before the committee convenes he would like to understand all available funds for this project. This would include $150,000 appropriated this year, remainder of funds from phase I, plus the donations
from the Hains Park fundraising efforts. The final scope of the project will depend on the amount of funds available for the project. The bathroom improvements and making the park ADA accessible is a priority and if funds are available they will explore the possibility of a covered pavilion area.
The BOS discussed the formation of the committee being a sub-committee of the Parks & Rec Commission vs a BOS-appointed committee and are comfortable with it being a sub-committee, making sure that the new committee understands which funds need to be applied to specific areas (for example the donation funds)., The BOS would like to see regular agendas and meeting minutes and would like to be kept up to date with progress. The sub-committee would report to the Parks and Rec Commission who would oversee their progress. It was also suggested they develop a time-line for the project. They also discussed that because John Flower is the building inspector this may be a conflict of interest for him and he may need to serve as an ex-officio member.
First Selectman Reemsnyder will touch base with Bob Dunn and share the BOS’s conversation. She will also touch base with Nicole to make sure the funds have already been approved to utilize towards building a pavilion.
Selectwoman Nosal added she wanted to make sure the committee was aware of having the bathrooms heated so they could be used year-round and would like to know if they have any plans for a presentation of the plans. First Selectman Reemsnyder will ask Bob if they will share the renderings of the plans once they are completed.
- Executive Order for state budget
First Selectman Reemsnyder reminded the Selectmen they are currently functioning under the Governor’s Executive Order regarding the state budget. Essentially, this means that revenue that we budgeted for, such as ECS funding, will not come in from the state until a budget is passed, and only if the budget passed includes ECS funding to Old Lyme. She also stated that future years may be more challenging. Internally, they are watching what is going on with the budget and are being very mindful and careful with spending. She will continue to keep a close eye on this.
6. Public Comment: None
7. Other Business:
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported it was brought to her attentions that there are several important vacancies on Boards and Commissions that need to be filled including the Inland Wetlands Comm. and the Historic Comm.Any help with finding volunteers to sit on these Commissions is appreciated.
First Selectman Reemsnyder gave an update on the Pilgrim Landing kayak storage collaboration request. She has been in contact with Steve Ross and Mike McGee to see what is currently going on there and they need to come up with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in order to put additional kayak and dinghy storage on land owned by Rock River Homeowners Association. She is looking for some bullet points that need to be included before passing it on to the Town Attorney. The conversation is ongoing and they would like to have this in place for next spring.
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported the Nutmeg Network is up and running. Charlie has been working on the installation and is in the process of testing it to be sure they are connected with the schools.
Once connected they will only need Comcast for the phone’s static IP addresses, thus decreasing their Comcast bill drastically. Not all of the computers have been hooked up yet, but Charlie plans on transitioning them on a week-end to eliminate any disruption to staff during business hours.
First Selectman Reemsnyder reminded everyone that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. There is a display in the foyer and there will be events taking place throughout the month. The Terry Brodeur Cancer Awareness walk is coming up soon, which goes through Old Lyme.
Selectman Sibley thanked First Selectman Reemsnyder for the update on Pilgrims Landing and reiterated the importance of having the property marked out (surveyed) so they can see where the boundaries and property lines are. He feels this will be helpful to have reference points and to see the needs for developing the MOU.
Selectman Sibley asked First Selectman Reemsnyder for an update on the Halls Road CommitteeShe let him know they meet the first Thursday of each month and the agendas and meeting minutes should be posted on the town website. They are currently in the process of having meetings and presentations with small groups in an effort to get input and ideas from community and business members. This information will be utilized to develop a master plan for the larger project, however they will begin by making small improvements over time that will all fit into the larger plan.
Selectman Sibley asked First Selectman Reemsnyder for an update on the discussions on the possibility of the Old Lyme - East Lyme Police collaboration.
She reported that she met with Andy Russell last week to discuss forming a committee to explore this, possibly 5-7 members with the credentials and expertise needed. This would be a BOS appointed committee.
She has received some cost estimates from East Lyme and she shared them with Nicole so they can compare them with the current budget.
Selectman Sibley also asked if they had the cost from the State Police for the summer yet. First Selectman Reemsnyder replied they have not been billed for the trooper overtime yet.
Selectwoman Nosal asked for an update on the LED lighting. First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she spoke with Tanko Lighting today and requested they begin with the Cross Lane area due to Elections taking place in November. The anticipated start of installation is October 23rd. She also asked if they had ever received the audit and First Selectman Reemsnyder replied they did receive this and the audit talked about the lights that were listed (some on private property) and they now have a very clear list of the town’s 389 lights. There were a couple of lights that they didn’t need and some of the wattages were increased and decreased in certain locations.
Selectwoman Nosal asked when they could expect the data from Nicole for the Sound View parking lot kiosks with the extended hours this summer. She also suggested improved signage on the kiosks to clarify when they will go on/off in the spring. First Selectman Reemsnyder agrees with her that the signage needs to be clarified and she will request the data from Nicole on the Kiosks.
8. Executive Session: None
9. Adjournment:
A motion was made by Selectman Sibley, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to adjourn at 8:51 pm. Motion passed.
Respectfully submitted,
Patti Broedlin
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