TOWN OF OLD LYME
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
MEETING MINUTES
The Board of Selectman held a Regular Meeting at 4:00 pm June 18, 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.
4 June 2018 -Regular Meeting Minutes
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Kerr, to approve the minutes of the June 4, 2018 regular meeting. Motion passed.
- Communication: Letter from Evan St. Louis
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she received a letter from Evan St. Louis regarding the work he has done at the Lymes Senior Centers Bocce Court while working on his Eagle Scout project. He wanted to thank the Town for their support with his project. She also acknowledged members of the senior center for their assistance and Evan for all of his hard work and congratulates him on a job well done. She also added they will be hearing more on this at the Eagle Scout award ceremony.
3. Appointments: Thomas Gotowka (D) LLHD Board, 3 yr. term exp. July, ‘20
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Kerr, to appoint Thomas Gotowka to the LLHD Board. Motion passed.
A motion was made by Selectman Kerr, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to add two appointments to the agenda. Motion passed.
A motion was made by Selectman Kerr, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to appoint Bob DePianta to the WPCA Hearing Panel. Motion passed.
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Kerr, to appoint Jeri Baker to the Lymes Senior Center Board. Motion passed.
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Kerr, to move Old Business items 4 d. Solar Farm on Landfill and 4. e. SW and Recycling Ordinance Amendment up on the agenda. Motion passed.
4. e. SW and Recycling Ordinance Amendment
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder reminded the selectmen of their discussion at the last meeting on the SW and Recycling Ordinance Amendment. Chair of the committee Leslie O’Connor joined the meeting to answer any questions the selectmen may have, and members of the committee Lou Russo and Tom Unger were in attendance in the audience. Some of the questions addressed included compiling a list of licensed collectors who do business in town (per state requirements and town regulations), the Director’s position, keeping the ordinance general enough so state changes would not have a major impact, encouraging commercial establishments and schools to recycle, fees for vendor registrations (stickers & lettering requirements) and residents violations along with not being locked into the Essex Transfer Station by adding language
to include “or other designated transfer stations”. Leslie also added that they would benefit from having more data available. It was suggested that Gary should have some data available, however there is additional data that would be helpful that the Director could gather should they establish that position. First Selectwoman Reemsnyder also added that she has received notices from their current vendor (the Town can be fined for this also) making her aware of contaminants that have been put into recycling that are not approved, including Christmas trees, shoes, carpeting, wood scraps, clothing, etc.
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder asked the selectmen to review the ordinance one more time for further discussion at their next meeting prior to sending it on to the Town Attorney for his review.
4 d. Solar Farm on Landfill
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder reported she met with James Schwartz from Independent Solar who is here tonight to present the BOS with an overview of what type of solar farm (landfill) proposal they can offer the Town of Old Lyme. He began by giving an overview of the company and its focus (development, installations and operation) including commercial roof tops and land-based installations and he noted they are the first company to install a commercial project under the ZREC incentive program. The proposal for the land fill included a one-megawatt solar system, local permitting, land survey, design, fencing to secure the area, the sample racking system (precast or poured onsite) all of which will be determined during the development period. They would lease the property from the Town for 25 years at $20,000 per year and in
addition they would pay personal property taxes on the equipment. Additional benefits to the town include state programs that are able to offer residents and businesses the opportunity to purchase solar credits at a discount to assist with lowering their Eversource bills, no capital investment for the Town and Independent Solar would decommission the project in the end. Lastly, he discussed the feasibility study which would take approximately 24 months and include working with Eversource for approval, applying for the ZREC program (next time this is offered is August), engineering work, DEEP approval, survey of the property, mapping of the wetlands, the permitting process and making sure this is a good fit for Old Lyme.
They went on to discuss how much lead time they would need to apply for the ZREC (August) grant which can be done pretty quickly once the town signs the agreement, percentages of credits (approx. 15% discount) available to the Town, residents and businesses, what happens if the company goes out of business/changes owners (the Town could assume the project), where the panels come from (interchangeable), maintenance (online real time monitoring system and twice yearly visual inspection and vegetation management) and, other local areas the company works with (Westbrook, East Haddam) and any zoning issues they have had.
First Selectwoman Reemsnyder pointed out that the BOS needs to be authorized at a Town Meeting in order to sign an agreement or enter into a contract with a company. The BOS would like to bring this to the July Town meeting for authorization to sign a lease if recommended by the BOS. First Selectwoman Reemsnyder will discuss this with the BOF and the Town Attorney so they can review and approve the language at the next BOS meeting.
4. Old Business:
- Boathouse Hains Park Improvements Project
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she met with Bob Dunn and Don Bugbee regarding the bathroom project. The gutters have been installed on the boathouse, the swale has been completed behind the basketball court and Phil Parcak is still working on the driveway drainage which should only be a minimal cost.
She reviewed the budget they have to date; they will have approximately $31,000 left over from the original budget, $150,000 in this year’s budget and an additional $59,500 from fundraising which can only be used on items outside the scope of the project. During their meeting Bob Dunn also pointed out they are having issues with the well on the property and his concerns about the Bid policy (would like to use volunteers for parts of the project) and will get back to First Selectman Reemsnyder this week with further information. The BOS continued to discuss the benefits of the RFQ process and hiring a design and build company, possible options for addressing the well issues including; having it evaluated and possibly doing the work/repairs as a separate town project. Selectwoman Nosal added she thinks it is important to hear what the
committee has in mind for plans and designs for the project and what is holding them back from going forward.
- Police Services Options Committee – Update
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she did not have anything new to report and they have not scheduled their next meeting yet due to scheduling conflicts. She will let the selectmen know when it is scheduled.
- PGN Library Renovations – Funding Request Update
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported the BOF had a special meeting at the library on June 13th and had an opportunity to ask questions and take a tour which gave them a better understanding of the planned renovations.
The BOF will be discussing the funding request at their meeting tomorrow night to determine if they will recommend this to a Town Meeting.
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she shared the tentative June date for a Town Meeting so they were aware of it. She also asked the Finance Director to check into the current interest rates at Webster Bank and found them to be still pretty accurate and the bank feels they would be able to be competitive.
The Town would be funding up to $1.75 million or what the BOF recommends and how it is funded may be flexible.
- Solar farm on landfill - moved up on the agenda
- SW and Recycling Ordinance Amendment – moved up on the agenda
- Employee Handbook Updates
First Selectman Reemsnyder noted Selectwoman Nosal’s suggestions for changes in addition to the changes discussed at the last meeting were good, including the grammatical and wording corrections, the use of bold type, updating the Assembly District, changing annual pay raises to frequently, part-time employees are eligible for a 15-minute break when they are scheduled to work four hours or longer and running the social media activities section by IT.
First Selectman Reemsnyder asked the selectmen to review the copy where the changes have been accepted to see if they have any further recommendations for changes. She noted the disability change that states an employee must work a complete year after receiving short term disability before becoming eligible again is one of the more significant changes. First Selectman Reemsnyder will send the selectmen an updated copy with all of the accepted changes prior to their next review.
5. New Business:
- Rogers Lake Weed Treatment Update
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported the third and final treatment on the permit for the Rogers Lake weed treatment was completed on June 11th. Prior to the treatment, Steve Johnson from SWCA (formerly New England Environmental) completed a vegetation survey and they found a reduction in the milfoil and fanwort so they reduced the treatment to 23 ½ acre area as a result. They will still have some money left over in case they need to do a secondary treatment during the summer. The survey also found two new invasive weeds in the lake, one called parrot feather which is usually found in aquariums and will not be affected by the treatment. The other invasive weed will be affected by the treatment and they will keep an eye on both. They are working with SWCA on a permit for next year and as part of the contract they will
continue to monitor the lake throughout the summer. As part of the permit they are required to complete well testing prior to and following treatment. The results prior to and following treatment found no chemicals detected in the water in the past. She also added that she has spoken with Paul Arnat from Lyme, who served on the original RL Weed Treatment Committee, and he has been receiving nothing but positive feedback on the treatments from Lyme residents.
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported the committee has been meeting regularly and has put together an RFP for the Historic Survey with the assistance of Mary Dunne from SHPO. This has been sent out to a pre-determined list of SHPO approved vendors (grant requirement) approximately two weeks ago. Sealed proposals are due on July 10th at 2 pm at which time they will be opened.
First Selectman Reemsnyder reminded the selectmen the survey will target areas outside the historic district on either side of the I-95 and the train tracks to assist with future protection of these areas.
6. Public Comment: None
7. Other Business:
First Selectman Reemsnyder pointed out the BOS has a special meeting scheduled tonight at 6 pm to discuss the pump station land lease.
First Selectman Reemsnyder extended her heartfelt congratulations to the 2018 LOL High School Graduating Class and a special congratulation to Selectwoman Nosal’s daughter Shannon who will be graduating.
Selectwoman Nosal reported that as part of the Hartford Ave. project, the trees (after one year) that were planted need to be evaluated by B&W and the consultant to confirm they have become established. Once this has been confirmed they will be come the town’s responsibility.
Selectwoman Nosal reported the town has scheduled a blood drive in honor of Lisa Russell on July 6th from 8 am – 6 pm at the Town Hall. First Selectwoman Reemsnyder pointed out that Lisa Russell is the daughter of Andy Russell, the BOF Chair and their hearts and prayers go out to them.
8. Executive Session: None
9. Adjournment:
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Kerr, to adjourn at 5:45 pm. Motion passed.
Respectfully submitted,
Patti Broedlin
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