TOWN OF OLD LYME
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
MEETING MINUTES
The Board of Selectman held a Regular Meeting at 4:00 pm June 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.
29 June 2018 -Regular Meeting Minutes
First Selectman Reemsnyder requested the following change to the minutes:
Page 2, 5. a. to read:
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she received a request from the owner of the Pavilion to use the Town parking lot (local guests) and allow a shuttle bus on Harford Ave. for a wedding on Sept. 8th from 4-9:30pm. She also shared the response she received from Frank Pappalardo, Chair of the Sound View Commission including his thoughts for consideration (bus to use Hartford Ave., issuing parking pass, charge nominal fee per vehicle).
Selectwoman Nosal requested more time to review and type up her changes. She will present them at the next meeting.
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Kerr, to table the approval of the minutes of the June 18, 2018 regular meeting to the next meeting. Motion passed.
2.Communication:
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she has been receiving regular communications from the various groups and organizations that the Town supports. She most recently received a thank you note (which she read) from Shannon Nosal (Selectwoman Nosal’s daughter) who just won the Towns of Lyme/Old Lyme government award which includes a $500 Scholarship. First Selectman Reemsnyder congratulated Shannon and wishes her well. She did point out that recipients of scholarships are chosen through a process that is established by the District.
3. Appointments: George James (R) - Sustainability Team
A motion was made by Selectman Kerr, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to appoint George James to the Sustainability Team. Motion passed.
4. Old Business:
- Town Meeting scheduled for July 23, 2018
- PGN Library appropriation for $1.75 million
- Harbor Management Amendment to Ordinance
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported the BOS held a Special Meeting last week to approve the CALL of the July 23,2018 meeting. The meeting will be held in the Town Hall, meeting hall at 7:30pm. She also noted that due to the amount of the PGN library appropriation they are required to advertise in outside newspapers as well as locally, so the meeting has been well advertised.
- Boathouse Haines Park Improvements
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she received an email from Bob Dunn and handed out a copy to the selectmen. She reminded everyone that the boathouse is relatively done and the next step in the project is to either update or completely re-do the bathrooms. This budget year they allocated $150,000 along with the remaining $31,000 left over from the original project to complete the bathrooms. She met with Bob Dunn and Don Bugbee on June 15th regarding the bathrooms and agreed to a committee which included; Bob Dunn, John Flower, Nigel Logan, and Don Bugbee to work on rebuilding the bathrooms along with some other items such as pathways and sidewalks. When she met with him she reviewed the budget of approximately $181,000. After this meeting she received a quote form Phil Parcak the facilities manager for $3,500 to tear
out the driveway by the boathouse but has not had the opportunity to sit down
with him to determine if this is necessary yet. This would bring the left-over amount down to $25,000-$27,000 leaving them with $175,000 to solely redo the bathrooms.
In her meeting with Bob Dunn he stated he is concerned it is not enough money (original amount was supposed to be $219,000) and thinks they should go to the BOF for additional funding. First Selectman Reemsnyder feels that it is premature to ask for more money, and that an RFQ for Design/Build companies should be developed to solicit interested companies and determine an estimate of cost. She spoke with the facilities manager today and requested his help on this. She asked the BOS for feedback on working with the facilities manager and beginning with the RFQ. After further discussion the BOS agree with beginning with the RFQ and moving forward to get the project started. Selectwoman Nosal thanked First Selectman Reemsnyder for looking into this and added that she felt they need to get moving on this to honor the people who have donated
towards this effort.
First Selectman Reemsnyder also added that the well has run out of water several times and is not something that is in the original scope of work for the bathroom project, so they will need to address with separate funding. She recommends bringing in a well driller to determine if they need a new well or if fracking is worth investigating. She will meet with the facilities manager to get things started and will follow-up with Bob Dunn regarding the committee.
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported they had a special meeting last week and shared with the selectmen the lease she received back from the attorney with the edits based on the June 18th meeting they had with the three beaches. She has sent this on to the representatives of the three beaches and received acknowledgement from one member. She has not received any other feedback to date. She suggested they may want to discuss tentative dates for the Town Meeting in August, keeping in mind they will need to have public presentations for a couple of the items on the CALL at least one week prior to the meeting as required by state statute.
Selectman Kerr added that CT Public Green Bank may be willing to review the draft of the lease for the Landfill.
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she has no update at this time. She is waiting for the attorney to get back to her. She has spoken with the public works supervisor who supports having the solar farm at the landfill and is hoping the solar will help with the cost of electricity at the transfer station.
- SW and Recycling Ordinance Amendment
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she has no update at this time. She is waiting for the attorney to get back to her.
- Request for use of Parking Lot/Bus on Hartford Ave.
First Selectman Reemsnyder gave a re-cap of their discussion at the last meeting and reported they are looking for approximately 50 reserved parking spaces for guests and will not need parking for the bus. They anticipate a 3pm arrival time (ceremony at 4pm) and understand the lot will be closed at 10pm. She has not heard back from the Pavilion owner yet regarding security in the lot during the wedding. The BOS discussed charging a nominal fee for parking in the lot and agree if they are providing security they do not need to charge a parking fee. They also discussed charging a nominal fee to mark off the reserved parking spaces, clean-up etc. and decided it may be a good idea to charge a refundable $200
deposit to cover any fees incurred for the event. First Selectwoman Reemsnyder will follow-up with a letter outlining their decision and will cc the selectmen.
5. New Business:
- Midsummer Festival and Fireworks
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported the Midsummer Festival will be held on July 27th & 28th beginning with the concert and picnic dinner on the lawn of the Florence Griswold Museum. The LYSB will kick off Saturday morning (7:30 – 9:00am) with a 5k and kids walk which will be followed by a host of activities all day (10am – 3pm) on Lyme Street from the Lyme Academy to the Florence Griswold Museum, with some activities at the Library. The day will end with the Town Band playing on the lawn at the Middle School followed by the annual fireworks. She added the fireworks company will return the next day to check for debris and do any clean-up that is needed.
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she will be out of Town for the next meeting on August 6th and would like to change/cancel the meeting. The BOS discussed rescheduling but due to conflicts they could not find a date but will schedule a special meeting if needed prior to the following meeting.
6. Public Comment: None
7. Other Business:
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported the Halls Road Improvements Comm. has scheduled a community meeting on July 25th at 6:30pm. This is an introductory meeting and an opportunity for members of the community to meet with the consultants from Yale Urban Design Workshop to share ideas and will include an opportunity to work in breakout sessions.
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported the Town has a new model they are using for IT support.
CTComp is now providing the Town of OL with a help desk (available during business hours), security and ongoing monitoring in real time, back-up, continuity of government (replacing server if needed within 24/48 hours) and will work in conjunction with the consultant to develop a 3-5-year plan to replace computers and upgrade to consistent operating systems and hardware.
Their current consultant will continue to work with a focus on projects, new programs and purchasing new equipment. She met with him and a representative from CTComp last week to discuss on-boarding and was very impressed. She also added she had an opportunity to call the help desk last week and was very impressed with the support she received. She also feels that over the long run they will save money. Selectman Kerr asked what the cost was for this. First Selectman Reemsnyder reported the cost is about $29,000 per year which includes everything she discussed and all of the out buildings except the Fire Dept. She also noted that the Town website will still be hosted by BTH and Cathy Frank will be the go to person for the website.
Selectman Reemsnyder also mentioned that they have a paid intern working with them this summer to assist with getting caught up.
Selectwoman Nosal asked for an update on the Bid opening for the Historic Survey. First Selectman Reemsnyder reported they received one submittal which was run by the committee and sent on to SHPO for approval. The bid was for $28,500 and the grant is for $30,000 allowing them enough extra to cover the costs of advertising for the bid.
Selectwoman Nosal asked for an update on the Sound View Banners. First Selectman Reemsnyder reported the banners have been ordered and they are waiting for them to come in.
Selectwoman Nosal asked if she had an update on the EIE that was posted for the 45-day comment period for the sewer project. First Selectman Reemsnyder replied she has no update at this time. It is her understanding that the DEEP isn’t expecting much in comments because it is essentially the same as what the beach associations had put out and there were adjustments made based on those comments.
Selectwoman Nosal asked if there has been any follow-up to the resident who contacted them about a month ago regarding excessive goose droppings. First Selectman Reemsnyder replied she has spoken with the person who does goose relief (using her dogs to chase them off) and she drives by regularly and reported she has not really seen a lot of them. She goes around in the spring to check for nests and has not seen a lot of them this year. She did add that if residents find a nest she is happy to go on their property with permission to oil the eggs.
Selectman Kerr noted he has received positive feedback from residents on the weeds in Rogers Lake and asked if she knew what they could plan on for next year. First Selectman Reemsnyder reported that she is waiting for a recommendation from their consultant, Scott Fisher from SWCA on whether to apply for a new permit (which is in the budget if needed). She reminded the selectmen that after the last vegetation survey they found two new invasive species in the lake. She also stated that there are some people who would like to see them continue as well as some who would like to see them stop.
8. Executive Session:
9. Adjournment:
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Kerr, to adjourn at 5:01 pm. Motion passed.
Respectfully submitted,
Patti Broedlin
| 
