TOWN OF OLD LYME
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
MEETING MINUES
The Board of Selectman held a Regular Meeting at 7:30 pm March 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.
20 February 2018 -Regular Meeting Minutes
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Kerr, to approve the minutes of the February 20, 2018 regular meeting. Motion passed.
2.Communication: None
3. Appointments:
Steve Dix (R)– Zoning Board of Appeals, Alt. - 2 yr. term., exp. Nov. 19
A motion was made by Selectman Kerr, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to appoint Steve Dix to the Zoning Board of Appeals as an Alternate. Motion passed.
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Kerr, to move items 5.c. up on the agenda. Motion passed.
5. c. Old Lyme Arts District discussion – Cheryl Poirier
Cheryl Poirier attended the BOS meeting to share the idea of a new district called the Old Lyme Arts District (OldLymeArtsDistrict.com). She began by giving an overview of the numerous arts and cultural opportunities on the one mile stretch of Lyme Street available for day trippers and tourists. She gave an overview on how the idea began with the annual planning of the Midsummer Festival for 32 years with this summers festival planned for July 28th. They decided to pursue a year-round effort with the organizations involved to promote events and activities all year round. They currently have 18 partners including the Town of Old Lyme. In addition to creating the year-round website, which is currently under construction, they are working to proactively collaborate with organizations to coordinate events to assist
with bringing more tourist to the area.
4. Old Business:
- Boathouse Hains Park Improvements Project
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported that Ed Adanti from Public Works has done some work on the drainage around the boathouse. He has cleared out an area from Town Woods Rd. and installed some riprap, which improved the swale behind the boathouse. They are still planning on clearing more of the growth on the wooded side of the boathouse and continue to work on the drainage coming down the driveway.
Selectwoman Nosal reported she received an email from someone working on the plaque ensuring all of the names of the donors are spelled correctly. First Selectman Reemsnyder added they are still waiting to hear from the person designing the plaque.
- Rte. 156 Bikeway/Sound View Improvements
First Selectman Reemsnyder asked Selectwoman Nosal to give the update on the project. Selectwoman Nosal reported they had their final walkthrough on Saturday morning due to the weather on Friday. She was present along with the WMC Inspector and Committee members to review all of the work that has been complete. There were a few minor items identified that need to be addressed, including repair to some chips/cracks in the concrete and some drainage. The installation of the bases for the breakaway poles was completed and looks good. Everyone was very pleased with the work that has been completed and the transformation it has made to Hartford Ave. The inspector will share the findings with the contractor from B&W Paving and he will contact DOT. DOT will come out and do their own inspection and if there is no further remediation, the
paperwork between the Town and the inspector will be finalized. A portion of the final payment will be withheld until the paperwork is completed. The next step will be to plan a celebration.
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported the original budget for the project was $690,000 and even adding the two additional items (change orders) (paving and epoxy striping & drainage on the East side of the street) the approximate total costs come to $650,000 which kept the total costs well under budget.
Selectwoman Nosal added that the Sound View Commission met last Monday, and they are hoping to put something on the Town Website to advertise a contest to design a banner for the four banner poles.
- Halls Road Improvements Cte. – Request for Funding
First Selectman Reemsnyder reminded the Selectmen of the conversation at the last meeting regarding the Yale Urban Design Workshop and the exploration of a TIF District. Because they have investors who have expressed an interest in Halls Road, they feel it is important to begin the process of developing a master plan for Halls Road which would allow them input in future design standards. She is requesting money be put in the budget this FY to allow the exploration of the TIF District and to work with the Yale Urban Design Workshop. The requested funds for FY18 would be $16,500 ($9,000 for the Yale Urban Design Workshop and $7,000 to begin exploring the TIF Dist.) with additional costs of $49,000 next year to fund both projects. The BOS discussed the benefits of each of these options and also noted that if it was determined in the
first year that establishing a TIF Dist. is not advantageous for Halls Road they would not proceed to phase II the following year.
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Kerr, to approve the request for funding in the amount of $16,500 for FY 18. Motion passed.
- Police Services Options Committee
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported the committee held their first meeting last Wednesday. They took the opportunity to introduce themselves and get to know each other. They decided they would meet every other Tuesday evening at 6pm beginning tomorrow night. They took exploring all viable options very seriously and will weigh the pros and cons of each option and then make a recommendation to the BOS. Andy Russell will be joining the committee as Chairman of the BOF and has attended the meeting with East Lyme, so he can share that information as well. First Selectman Reemsnyder will discuss with him whether he will serve as a regular member or as Ex-afficio. She will keep the BOS updated on the committee’s progress.
- Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library Renovations – Funding Request
First Selectman Reemsnyder reminded everyone of the presentation at the last meeting for the Library renovations and the request for the Town to go out to Bond for approximately $1.75 million to meet the remainder of the project costs (after the $1million dollar grant and $300,000 fundraising).
She also reported Nicole has reached out to our Bond counsel to get estimates and as well as the consultants at Webster Bank to see if they may be able to get a better deal on a loan.
The BOS discussed the options of Bonding vs. Loans, the library increasing their fundraising goal to $500,000 with any overage going to the balance of the project versus their Endowment, the escalation contingency percentage and the time frame.
First Selectman Reemsnyder suggested the Selectmen put their questions together and she will forward them on to get answers. She also suggested they set up a tour, so they can better understand the changes that will take place with the renovations.
- Sustainable CT, appointing a Team
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she has received some request for appointment forms and has also reached out to others in an effort to encourage membership. She thinks it is also important to reach out to as many organizations as they can to be part of the team to make this is a community effort. She asked the Selectmen to think about and reach out to anyone they may know who would be interested. She would like to see the team begin with at least five members but also thinks the team can be as large as 10-12 members which would allow them to work in sub-committees. They will discuss this further at their next meeting.
5. New Business:
- Police Union Contract Ratification
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported the union voted in favor of the settlement for a three-year term beginning on July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2020. She gave an overview of the key details, including Health insurance costs, general wage increases, the police schedule, limited vacation time (1 week) between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the wellness program and an increase in the private duty rate to $65 per hour.
A motion was made by Selectman Kerr, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to Ratify the agreement. Motion passed.
- Senior Center: Approval of amendments to By-Laws
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported the Board of Directors has worked on updating the Senior Center By-Laws and is requesting the BOS approval for amendments.
First Selectman Reemsnyder reviewed some of the changes, including alternating the Chair of the Committee OL/Lyme (BOD having a hard time getting interested people to chair), reducing the age of membership to age 55 and the number of absences of Board members. The BOS agree these are good changes and applaud their work on updating the By-Laws.
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Kerr, to approve the amendments to the By-Laws. Motion passed.
- Old Lyme Arts District discussion – Cheryl Poirier – Moved up on the agenda
6. Public Comment: None
7. Other Business:
First Selectman Reemsnyder reminded the Selectmen that their next meeting is at 4pm on March 19th, reminding them that they had decided to try alternating meeting times.
First Selectman Reemsnyder shared that in light of the issues with the fireworks she has been looking into Laser Light shows. She received a quote for a 25-30-minute laser light show (on a large screen) for $15,000 with a few additional charges for music, a boom to lift the screen and travel & expenses. She gave the Selectmen the website (www.laserencore.com ) so they can review some examples.
Selectwoman Nosal asked what the plan was for the Blight Ordinance. First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she will be sharing the feedback she has received with the Town Attorney. She would then like to meet with him after he has reviewed the feedback to discuss and recommend changes that can be made along with the language to address some of the issues and concerns. She would then review the revised ordinance with the BOS before holding another public information session.
Selectwoman Nosal asked if there was any further update on the land lease for the pump house. First Selectman Reemsnyder reported it was her understanding that they have an agreement in principal. She has been in contact with the Town Attorney who is working with the attorney for the three beaches. She did see an email today that indicated the three beaches are no longer interested in retaining that attorney. She will reach out to the Town Attorney and the Chair of the WPCA to see what their understanding is.
Selectwoman Nosal asked about an email that went out at the end of February regarding the MS4 draft report indicating there was a 30-day period for comments. She asked if the BOS needed to meet on this to meet the requirements. First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she is aware of this and has reviewed it and is working with an engineer to ensure all requirements are met. She will take a look at this and report on it further at a future meeting.
Selectwoman Nosal reported they had an “Earth Quake Event” practice drill this week from Millstone. There will be an official drill on March 20th that will be evaluated. She is very impressed with Dave Roberge’s preparations, knowledge and constant improvements made in this area.
Selectwoman Nosal reported that the presentation by Jim Cameron on February 21st was well attended and very informational. She also added that comments can still be submitted to the DOT regarding the fare increases and service changes of the Shore Line East at: dot.farecomments@ct.gov through March 9th.
Selectman Kerr asked where we stand on filling the Building Official position. First Selectman Reemsnyder reported there is an ad in the paper and the deadline for applicants is March 9th. The selection committee (herself, John Flower, Skip Sibley and Tom Machnik) will review the applicants and interview candidates for the position. She is hoping to be able to offer the position before John leaves so his replacement will have an opportunity to work with him before he leaves.
8. Executive Session: None
9. Adjournment:
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Kerr, to adjourn at 9:11 pm. Motion passed.
Respectfully submitted,
Patti Broedlin
| 
