TOWN OF OLD LYME
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
MEETING MINUTES
The Board of Selectman held a Regular Meeting at 7:30 pm February 5, 2018 in the Meeting Hall of the Old Lyme Memorial Town Hall. First Selectman Bonnie Reemsnyder, Selectwoman Mary Jo Nosal and Selectman Chris Kerr were present.
January 16, 2018 Regular Meeting Minutes
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Kerr, to approve the minutes of the January 16, 2018 regular meeting. Motion passed.
January 16, 2018 Special Meeting Minutes
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Kerr, to approve the minutes of the January 16, 2018 special meeting. Selectman Kerr Abstained as he did not attend the meeting. Motion passed.
January 22, 2018 Budget Meeting Minutes
A motion was made by Selectman Kerr, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to approve the minutes of the January 22, 2018 budget meeting. Motion passed.
2.Communication: None
3. Appointments:
Marisa Hartmann (D) – Zoning Bd. of Appeals, 5 yr. term, exp. Nov.’20
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Kerr, to appoint Marisa Hartmann to the Zoning Bd. of Appeals. Motion passed.
Tom Schellens (R) – Zoning Bd. of Appeals, alternate, 2 yr. term, exp. Nov.’19
A motion was made by Selectman Kerr, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to appoint Tom Schellens to the Zoning Bd. of Appeals. Motion passed.
Michael Gaffey (D) – Tree Commission, 3 yr. term, exp. Jan.’20
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Kerr, to appoint Michael Gaffey to the Tree Commission. Motion passed.
Gary Gregory (R) – Open Space Commission, 3 yr. term, exp. Jan. ’20
A motion was made by Selectman Kerr, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to appoint Gary Gregory to the Open Space Commission as a regular member. Motion passed.
4. Old Business:
- Boathouse Hains Park Improvements Project
First Selectmen Reemsnyder reported she had no update at this time.
- Rte. 156 Bikeway/Sound View Improvements
First Selectmen Reemsnyder asked Selectwoman Nosal for the update. Selectwoman Nosal reported the sample post skirting came in and she met with the Contractor and Inspector and the black appears to match the black on the post. They have ordered the new skirts and they should be arriving soon. Once they arrive it is estimated they can be installed in one day along with the brackets for the decorative street signs. They will then be able to schedule the final walkthrough with the committee and then notify the State to schedule their final walkthrough.
- Cross Lane Playground Committee Update
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported that the playground installation is nearly complete. The tiles and the main climbing equipment, swing set, handicapped swing and slide, are all installed, and they are working on the log scrambler and a few other items.
First Selectman Reemsnyder has spoken with Anna Reiter and she anticipated the fence and the remainder of the mulch being installed in March with an opening celebration in mid-April.
First Selectman Reemsnyder wants to thank Anna, the committee and the Junior Women’s Club for monitoring the progress of the installation and all of the work and fundraising they have done for the playground.
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported the budget looks good as it stands right now, but she anticipates some changes as numbers come in from various organizations. She has received a report from the Assessor and it looks like there will be a .47% increase due in the grand list but pointed out this is before the Board of Assessment Appeals has completed their work, which should be done by the end of March. She also included a list of the top ten tax payers. The BOS went on to discuss security cameras for Sound View, which are in the budget, but they will need to decide on which cameras to purchase and where to place them.
A motion was made by Selectman Kerr, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to send the FY 19 Budget to the BOF for review. Motion passed.
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported the proposed Blight Ordinance has been put on the Town website and a public informational meeting has been scheduled for February 12th at 6PM to review the Ordinance and answer questions. She has received several letters of support along with questions and concerns regarding the proposed Ordinance. Cathy Frank has compiled the letters in a document for the Selectmen’s review.
First Selectman Reemsnyder also thinks it would be helpful to develop a FAQ’s document that can also be posted on the website. She gave a brief summary of the comments and the Selectmen added comments that have been brought to them. First Selectman Reemsnyder also suggested having a second informational meeting if need and stressed that she doesn’t want this to be rushed and wants to make sure that all questions and concerns are addressed. She would like to see this go to a Town Meeting with a target date of May 2018.
- Police Services Options Committee
First Selectman Reemsnyder shared that she has received a new schedule from the police for Jan. – Dec. to address the issue of having too many days with three officers on or only one officer on. She has reviewed the schedule and it is a great improvement from what they had before with the 5 days on/ 3 days off schedule. She will be discussing the schedule with them in the very near future.
The BOS went on to discuss the ten applications they have received for the Police Services Committee. They completed their selection process based on relevant experience and agreed on the following seven-member committee: Matthew Reed, Beth Sullivan, Matthew Ward, Fred Callahan, Angelo Faenza, Keith Coakley, Michael Miller and Harvey Gemme as an alternate.
First Selectman Reemsnyder will send out letters to each of the members and schedule the first meeting to get things started.
- Sustainable CT – Resolution
First Selectman Reemsnyder gave an overview of the presentation by Sam Gold at the last meeting and gave examples of the things the Town of Old Lyme is already doing to support the initiative. The BOS supports adopting the Sustainable CT initiative as long as it does not add any additional tax burden.
First Selectman Reemsnyder handed out and read the sample resolution (attached). She also added that they would need to appoint a sustainable team within 90- days of signing the resolution.
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Kerr, to adopt the Sustainable CT Resolution. Motion passed.
First Selectman Reemsnyder added she has already begun thinking about asking individuals from the Economic Development Commission, the Solid Waste Committee, and Open Space Commission to be on the team and asked the Selectmen to begin thinking of people who may be interested in being on the team. She will also post this on the Town website.
- Annual Town Meeting: update
First Selectman Reemsnyder gave an update on the Annual Town Meeting. She reported the meeting began with the announcement of the Citizen of the Year “Roderick M. White”. She referenced an article that was recently in the paper written by Kimberly Drelich and titled; “Old Lymes Rod White takes a Bow” in reference to the bow he designed for ice breaking vessels. He was very proud to receive this recognition with his wife and family members present.
First Selectman Reemsnyder also reported the Chairman of the Board of Finance did a great presentation and the report was accepted.
She also reported that the additional $200,000 appropriation for road projects was unanimously approved.
5. New Business:
- Proclamation for Jeff Andersen Day
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported Jeff Andersen, Director of the Florence Griswold Museum, will be retiring after 41 years of service to the museum. She gave a brief overview of the incredible job he has done turning the small local museum into a nationally known museum. There will be a celebration for Jeff on Sunday, February 11th at 4PM. She asked the Selectmen to join her in naming February 11th Jeff Anderson Day. She read the proclamation (attached) and it was signed by BOS recognizing his many accomplishments.
- Signatory Authorizing Resolution
First Selectman Reemsnyder read the Signatory Authorization Resolution which is done annually and allows her to sign documents on behalf of the Town of Old Lyme.
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by, Selectman Kerr to adopt the Signatory Authorizing Resolution. Motion passed.
6. Public Comment: None
7. Other Business:
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she will be adding the trash services committee to the agenda for the next meeting. The current vendor has a contract until June of 2019 and he is not interested in renewing the contract. She would like to begin discussing the development of a committee to begin looking into a replacement. She suggested a committee of 5 members and recommends having someone from the BOF on the committee. Other possible members include someone from Solid Waste and possibly Gary Yuknat their current provider who could give them a lot of insight and help. She asked the Selectmen to begin thinking about anyone they know of who may be interested in serving on the committee.
First Selectman Reemsnyder shared that she has received notification that the State of CT will be receiving $55 Million dollars as a settlement as a result of the class action suit against VW for reporting false emissions results. The $55 Million will be divided into the state general fund, and there will be buckets for replacing old diesel vehicles and some going into green vehicles (electric vehicles and charging stations). She believes there may be opportunities for towns and she would like to look into the possibility of putting in a charging station at the Town Hall and think about purchasing an electric vehicle for use by the officials, such as Assessor, Building Official and Zoning enforcement officer. As she gets more details she will share the information with the Selectmen.
Selectwoman Nosal shared she received a call from a resident, who after hearing about a talk Jim Cameron (CT Action Group) did in Woodbridge, CT on the state of Transportation in the State of CT, suggested it would be a good idea to invite him to Old Lyme to speak. With all of the transportation budget cuts and projects being frozen, the scheduled reductions of Shore Line East and the increase in commuter fares, there are a lot of transportation concerns. She contacted Jim and he is willing to come to Old Lyme to give a presentation on February 21st. The BOS agree this would be a good idea. Selectwoman Nosal will confirm the presentation and get it posted on News and Announcements.
Selectwoman Nosal reported that on 2/5/18 she, Zoning Chair Jane Cable and Fire Marshal Dave Roberge, had a phone conference with Senator Cathy Osten, the co-Author of the State’s Temporary Health Care Structure Act #17-155 which was effective 10/1/17.~ Under this law, one THCS, less than 500sq ft., can be placed on a property owner’s lot to care for the medical needs of a qualified property owner.~~Senator Osten identified which Town’s had decided to opt-out of the legislation and some future modifications to the law. In order to opt-out, the Zoning Commission would have to hold a required public hearing and make a recommendation to the Board of Selectmen to opt-out. Zoning requires a referral by the Board of Selectmen to initiate the process. A Town that does not opt-out has only have 15 days to act on a permit for a THCS.~
Selectwoman Nosal noted that on 1/26/18, The Day ran an article on local town’s response to the legislation. Clinton was the only town in the area that was opting-in.
First Selectman Reemsnyder thinks that Zoning should begin discussions and make a recommendation to the BOS. She will reach out to Zoning.
Selectwoman Nosal asked if there was any update on the pumphouse. First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she heard through DEEP that things had stalled with the agreement with either East Lyme or New London, but she is not totally clear as they are not part of the discussions with the beach associations. She does believe they have identified another option for a pump house location, but she does not know where that is. The Town Attorney has reached out and they have not received a response on the concerns the Town would like to see addressed in the agreement.
8. Executive Session: None
9. Adjournment:
A motion was made by Selectman Kerr, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to adjourn at 9:06 pm. Motion passed.
Respectfully submitted,
Patti Broedlin
February 11, 2018
Jeff Andersen Day
The Town of Old Lyme joins the Florence Griswold Museum and the Old Lyme community in celebrating Jeff Andersen's 41 years of service as Director of the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme.
Since he began working with the Museum in 1976, the Florence Griswold Museum has grown from a small seasonal house museum where he was the only staff member to a nationally recognized center for American art and a leading CT cultural attraction with 20 staff members and 80,000+ visitors annually.
Jeff is recognized today as the pre-eminent scholar on the historic Lyme Art Colony, whose artists lived in Florence Griswold's boardinghouse at the turn of the 20th century to capture the beauty of its grounds and surroundings on canvas. He has helped grow the Museum's modest collection of works of American Impressionism into a deep and distinguished regional collection of American art spanning four centuries of artists with Connecticut ties.
Jeff Andersen has been a visionary leader whose thoughtful devotion to excellence and whose tireless advocacy for the Museum and its uniquely Connecticut story has transformed the Florence Griswold Museum into one of the state's most important and beloved cultural destinations.
The Town of Old Lyme adds its praise for Jeff Andersen’s accomplishments, and proclaims February 11, 2018 Jeff Andersen Day in the Town of Old Lyme.
_____________________ _____________________ ______________________
Bonnie A. Reemsnyder Mary Jo Nosal Christopher W. Kerr
First Selectwoman Selectwoman Selectman
Town of Old Lyme, Connecticut
Resolution Supporting Participation
In the Sustainable CT Municipal Certification Program
WHEREAS, Sustainable CT is a comprehensive, statewide, action-oriented voluntary certification program, built by and for municipalities, with the vision that: Sustainable CT communities strive to be thriving, resilient, collaborative, and forward-looking. They build community and local economy. They equitably promote the health and well-being of current and future residents. And they respect the finite capacity of the natural environment.
WHEREAS, Sustainable CT is designed to boost local economies, help municipal operations become more efficient, reduce operating costs, and provide grants and additional support to municipalities.
WHEREAS, the Town of Old Lyme embraces an ongoing process of working toward greater sustainability, selecting which actions it chooses to pursue from the voluntary menu of actions provided by Sustainable CT.
RESOLVED, by the Board of Selectmen of the Town of Old Lyme that we do hereby authorize the First Selectman to serve as Old Lyme’s Sustainable CT contact person for the Sustainable CT Municipal Certification process and authorize her to complete Municipal Registration on behalf of the Town of Old Lyme.
RESOLVED, that to focus attention and effort within Old Lyme on matters of sustainability, and in order to promote the Board of Selectmen’s local initiatives and actions toward Sustainable CT Municipal Certification, the Board of Selectmen establishes an advisory Sustainability Team.
RESOLVED, that the first meeting of the Sustainability Team must be held within 90 days of passing this resolution and that the Sustainability Team shall meet as frequently as needed, but no less than quarterly.
RESOLVED, that the Sustainability Team shall report annually to the Board of Selectmen on the progress of its activities toward Sustainable CT certification, with reports and presentations made publicly available.
| 
