TOWN OF OLD LYME
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
The Board of Selectman held a Regular Meeting at 4:00 pm April 16, 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.
2 April 2018 -Regular Meeting Minutes
Selectwoman Nosal requested the following change:
Page 3 Other Business to read:
Selectwoman Nosal reported she had a discussion with Ed Adanti to see if he can have garbage bags available for residents who walk for exercise on Four Mile River Road and have volunteered to pick up stray trash while they are walking. Selectwoman Nosal suggested First Selectman Reemsnyder work with Ed Adanti to have trash bags available.
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Kerr, to approve the minutes of the April 2, 2018 regular meeting as amended. Motion passed.
2.Communication: None
3. Appointments:
Heather Gagnon (D) – Halls Road Improvements Cte.
A motion was made by Selectman Kerr, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to appoint Heather Gagnon to the Halls Road Improvements Cte. Motion passed.
Richard Shriver (R) – Harbor Mgmt. Commission, alt. – 4 yr. term to Jan. ‘21
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Kerr, to appoint Richard Shriver to the Harbor Mgmt. Commission. Motion passed.
4. Old Business:
- Boathouse Hains Park Improvements Project
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she had no update at this time and is waiting to speak with Scope Construction regarding the driveway drainage.
- Rte. 156 Bikeway/Sound View Improvements
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported they are working on finalizing the construction budget. They were originally approved for $631,400; with the two additional change orders ($25,600 and $29,900) and savings adjustments ($4,000, $30,000 and $2,200) the total final costs for construction were $650,867 which is under the additionally approved budget of $694,600.
First Selectman Reemsnyder added they are still working on the inspection budget and noted that they have been receiving the 80% reimbursements on a regular basis and are expecting one more bill from the BSC group.
Selectwoman Nosal thanked the committee who has worked so hard on this project, the many various aspects and changes. She also added that the DOT is hoping to compete the final walkthrough this week and they will then send the final report soon after it is completed.
The Celebration has been scheduled for Friday, May 4th at Noon. First Selectman Reemsnyder will send out the announcements.
- Police Services Options Committee Update
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported the committee met on April 3rd with the Chief of Police from East Lyme and he addressed all of the questions presented by the committee in a very professional manner. She also added the meeting was taped incase anyone wanted to listen to it. The committee will be discussing this at their next meeting on April 24th at 6PM.
- PGN Library Renovations – Public Meetings
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported at her request the Library has begun public meetings to discuss the Library renovations project. The first meeting was held yesterday which was very well attended and included a tour and presentation on the renovations. They have scheduled two more information sessions on April 3th and May 3rd at the library. First Selectman Reemsnyder will have additional information available on the breakdown of costs per household at these meetings.
First Selectman Reemsnyder handed out a copy of the breakdown schedule on the costs based on a 15-year note. She added the interest rates are a little higher and they could look at going to bond but this has additional costs with that as well. She also gave an overview of the repayment and costs to each household (the figures will change each year) if this is approved.
5. New Business:
- Additional appropriation for Volunteer Pension Fund
First Selectman Reemsnyder gave an update on the pension fund. She reported the pension plan for the firemen was not properly written and should have been a length of service award plan which is dictated by IRS code. They have been working with Ron Fishman from Passi on correcting the pension plan. Through out the process they have incurred additional costs for legal and Passi fees. They have been paying all of these fees out of the emergency services line item. As they continue to find more and more corrections they are well over budget in this line item. In order to completely fix the pension fund, they will need to request an additional $80,000 appropriation. First Selectman Reemsnyder gave an over view of the current budget for FY17/18 which is $86,000 and has paid out $32,000 in distributions to date and the additional expenses this
will cover including; additional legal fees ($22,000), fees to Passi ($7,700), distribution fees (for each member $16,250), and some misc. fees which leaves them at a deficit of $80,000. She reminded everyone what a great job the volunteer firemen do and the commitment and time each of them dedicates to keeping the residents of Old Lyme safe. First Selectman Reemsnyder would like to see the BOS approve (and add to the agenda for the May 21st Town Meeting) this so the BOF can review it at their meeting tonight because they do not meet again before the May 21st Town Meeting.
The Bos went on to discuss the details of the new plan which will be retroactive to Jan. 2018.
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Kerr, to approve an additional $80,000 appropriation for the Volunteer Pension Fund. Motion passed.
- Rock River Homeowners Assoc. Agreement
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she has been working with the Rock River Homeowners Association (Pilgrims Landing) and Harbor Management on an agreement. She handed out a map which shows there are currently racks (owned by the Town) on private property which are used by the public and provide access to the CT river. They are interested in adding two more racks (one for the public and one for the homeowners assoc.) for Kayaks and dinghy’s and they currently have an agreement with Harbor Management to get these built. They are currently working on a licensing agreement with the Homeowners assoc. where the Town will have the ability to put the racks up and be responsible for the maintenance and their insurance will cover it. The Town Attorney has reviewed and approved the agreement for First Selectman Reemsnyder signature.
She wanted to make the BOS aware of the agreement and will share the final agreement with the BOS once it is completed.
The BOS also discussed the additional racks materials (provided by Harbor Management), maintenance and building of the racks (volunteers) and the possibility of additional parking. First Selectman Reemsnyder suggested if there were any other questions they could email Steve Ross the Chairman of Harbor Management.
- Historic Survey Committee
First Selectman Reemsnyder gave a brief background on the approval of a grant for $30, 000 received from SHIPPO by the Historic Committee to complete a historic survey to identify and protect historic buildings to protect against any future eminent domain issues. The committee she is recommending putting together the develop the RFQ and complete the survey includes; John Pfeiffer, Chairman of the Historic District Comm. and Town Historian, Jim Bechtel who has served previously on the Historic Comm. and Edie Twining who is a member of the Historical Society. They have a clear charge and will be working with SHIPPO to complete the process. She anticipates the process will take approximately a year and they will receive a final document listing all of the structures that were surveyed and the outcome of
each.
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Kerr, to appoint John Pfeiffer, Jim Bechet and Edie Twining to the Historic Survey Committee. Motion passed.
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported they have their Budget Hearing tonight at 7:30pm. They have completed their process and will be presenting a budget for $36,301,175 (expenditures) and $33,655,007 (gross property tax requirement) which will increase the mill rate from 21.75 to 21.91 which is a .74% increase. The Town meeting to approve the final budget will be held on May 21st at 7:00pm. The BOS acknowledged it was a very challenging year due to all of the state budget cuts and applaud all of the hard work on everyone’s part to come up with this budget.
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Kerr, to add item 5.e. Temporary Structures to the agenda. Motion passed.
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she received a memorandum from the Zoning official (after she posted the agenda) after their last meeting discussion regarding public act 17-155 Temporary Housing Structures, they are recommending the Town of Old Lyme opt out as they have their own zoning regulations in place to address this. They are asking the BOS to discuss this and make a decision on opting out of the Temporary Health Care Structure act. After discussion the BOS agree with the recommendation made by the Zoning Comm. and opt out of PA 17-155.
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Kerr, to accept the recommendation by the Zoning Commission for the Town of old Lyme to opt out of PA 17-155 effective immediately. Motion passed.
6. Public Comment: None
7. Other Business:
Selectman Kerr asked if there was any update on the pump station lease. First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she has been speaking with the Town Attorney regarding the lease agreement and they should have a final agreement soon.
Selectman Kerr asked if they will be hiring part-time police for the summer. First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she has the exam scheduled.
Selectwoman Nosal reported she noticed a neighboring town has a request for proposal online for bathroom renovations at their parks. She received a copy of the proposal (Cheshire) and thought this might be useful information for the committee working on the Haines Park bathroom renovations. First Selectman Reemsnyder will pass this information onto to them.
8. Executive Session: None
9. Adjournment:
A motion was made by Selectman Kerr, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to adjourn at 5:08 pm. Motion passed.
Respectfully submitted,
Patti Broedlin
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