TOWN OF OLD LYME
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
Minutes
The Board of Selectmen held a Regular Meeting at 7:30 pm on January 7, 2019 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.
17 December 2018 -Regular Meeting Minutes
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Kerr, to approve the December 17, 2018 regular meeting minutes. Motion passed.
- Communication: First Selectman Reemsnyder shared a Thank you note she received from James and Laura Parent on behalf of Toys for Tots allowing them to place a drop box in the Town Hall and the generous donations received from the staff and residents. She also noted that all of the giving tree tag requests had been filed and thanked the town employees and community for their donations.
- Appointments:
Leah Russell – Asst. ACO, 2 yr. term to Jan. 2021
Caleb Sapia – Asst. ACO, 2 yr. term to Jan. 2021
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Kerr, to approve the appointments of Leah Russell and Caleb Sapia as Asst. ACO for a 2-yr. term ending in Jan. 2021. Motion passed.
Donald Willis (U) – Flood & Erosion Control, 2 yr. term to Jan. 2021
A motion was made by Selectman Kerr, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to approve the appointment of Donald Willis to the Flood & Erosion Control Committee. Motion passed.
Donald Willis (U) – Planning Commission alternate, 1 yr. term to Jan. 2020
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Kerr, to approve the appointment of Donald Willis to the Planning Commission as an alternate. Motion passed.
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Kerr, to move item 5. b. Review and approval of the Sanitation Contract and item 5. c. Request for a bus from Estuary Transit up on the agenda. Motion passed.
5.b. Review and approval of the Sanitation Contract
First Selectman Reemsnyder introduced Jason Manafort and Mike Calandra from CWPM and invited them to join their discussion. She gave an overview of the key points in the final agreement which has been approved by the Town Attorney, including the agreement will be a four year term, it outlines the services, holidays, schedules and containers, equipment, weekly pick-up of both recycling and solid waste, the annual cost of $520,000 with an annual increase, the ability of the BOS to extend the agreement after four years if both parties agree.
The BOS went on to discuss the term of the agreement, this being only a residential service agreement, schedules for vehicles to be off the road, holidays, 12-mile radius of drop off for waste and recyclables, having an equipment counter/weight and the complaint process.
Jason Manafort thanked the BOS and stated he is looking forward to working with the Town of Old Lyme.
A motion was made by Selectman Kerr, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to approve the Sanitation Contract. Motion passed.
5.c. Request for a bus from Estuary Transit
First Selectman Reemsnyder invited John Forbis of the Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center to join the meeting to discuss an Estuary Transit bus being donated to the Town of Old Lyme. John gave an overview of the opportunity for the Town to receive a bus from Estuary Transit District. When the ETD replaces their busses, they must first offer the busses to towns at no cost. He gave an overview of the type of bus and some ideas of what it can be used for. The available bus is a 14-passenger vehicle, has ADA access, bike rack, and costs approximately $.66/mile to operate and does not require the driver to have a special license. Some of the uses include the Senior Center, the School District, camp trips and emergency management.
He added there would be separation costs and liability insurance which he will discuss further with First Selectman Reemsnyder. The BOS went on to discuss uses for the bus, drivers and driver training and possible storage areas. They will continue to discuss this further.
4. Old Business:
- Hains Park Bathrooms Committee
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she did not have much to update. The Park & Rec Comm. will be meeting this Thursday to discuss the bathrooms and the need to change the location. The ZBA will be meeting on Jan. 15th to review the waiver for the 60-foot setback. She also noted the area has been staked out to allow for a visual of where the building will be built. She will continue to keep the BOS updated.
- PGN Library Project – update
First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she reached out to the Director, Katie Huffman, who reported they will be meeting on January 9th to discuss the MOA and provide feedback. She expects to have more information at the next meeting.
- Community Connectivity Grant Committee Update
First Selectman Reemsnyder reminded the BOS the Town has received a $400,000 grant from the state to extend the sidewalks on Hartford Ave. from Bocce Lane to Rt 156. They need to form a committee to work on this project and reported she has received one application and has a draft charge for the committee. She encouraged the selectmen to reach out to anyone they think may be interested in serving on the committee and asking them to complete and submit the application.
First Selectman Reemsnyder reminded the selectmen that back on the Dec. 3rd BOS meeting they approved a $44,000 expenditure to complete a feasibility study, a business survey and onsite support through the Connecticut Economic Resource Center (CERC). This was then brought to the Board of Finance in December and they did not approve the expenditure. First Selectman Reemsnyder would like the BOS to revisit this. She would like to see the BOS reconsider three parts of the proposal, including the free 90-minute workshop, the SWOT focus group ($2500) and surveying local businesses ($4,500). The three parts she discussed would total $7,000 and would allow them to get started this year. She feels it is important to begin this process and show local businesses the town is interested in them and building a more business-friendly
atmosphere. The BOS discussed the EDC completing their own survey versus having professional support in asking the right type questions, supporting the EDC committee and providing valuable information for the town to assist with growth and future development.
She asked the selectmen to review the proposal again focusing in on the three items she pointed out for further discussion at their next meeting.
First Selectman Reemsnyder reminded the selectmen of their discussion at the last meeting. The bid policy was passed in late 2017 and requires regular review. She shared her suggestions for changes, including changing the requirement of three-year contracts to four years and contract renewals (she read the terminology for procedures adding item g. Contract Renewals) allowing the BOS the ability to extend contracts. The BOS discussed these changes and agree with both suggestions. She will check with the finance director to see if she agrees with the language and to see if she has any recommendations for changes to the policy.
She will send the selectmen the policy with the recommended changes to review for further discussion at the next meeting.
- Technology Upgrades – request for funding this fiscal year
First Selectman Reemsnyder reminded the selectmen of the presentation Tom Riggio of CT Computer gave at the last meeting, outlining Phase I and Phase II for the recommended technology upgrade. He also met with the BOF the following evening and gave his presentation to them. The BOF approved the $46,000 expenditure for phase I to the January Town Meeting, contingent upon the BOS approval.
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Kerr, to approve adding the $46,000 expenditure to complete Phase I of the technology upgrades to the agenda of the Annual Town Meeting on January 28th. Motion passed.
5. New Business:
- Resolutions: Authorizations to sign, general and emergency management
First Selectman Reemsnyder read the general signatory resolution and noted it was important to have this on file if needed.
A motion was made by Selectman Kerr, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to approve the General Signatory Resolution. Motion passed.
First Selectman Reemsnyder noted that the emergency management resolution has specific language for their grant application with the State Dept. of Emergency services and read the resolution.
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Kerr, to approve the Emergency Management Resolution as read. Motion passed.
- Review and approval of Sanitation contract – Moved up on the agenda
- Request for bus from Estuary Transit – Moved up on the agenda
- Agenda for Annual Town Meeting
- Acceptance of Annual Town Report FY 2018
- Citizen of the Year
- Appropriation for $46K for Technology Upgrades
- Board of Assessment Appeals special election
- Adopt resolution to authorize town to bond/borrow $1.25 million for the PGN Library Project
First Selectman Reemsnyder reviewed the agenda for the Jan. 28th Annual Town Meeting which will be held at 7:30 pm at the LOL Middle School Auditorium. Selectwoman Nosal asked if they had any volunteers for the Board of Assessment Appeals and First Selectman Reemsnyder replied they have someone who is interested, and nominations would take place at the meeting.
A motion was made by Selectman Kerr, seconded by Selectwoman Nosal, to approve call of the Annual Town Meeting. Motion passed.
6. Public Comment: None
7. Other Business:
Selectwoman Nosal asked about Patriots Day and asked if she had heard anything back from neighboring towns. First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she had received a request from an organization to consider approving at a Town level, acknowledgement of observing Patriots Day. She has not had a chance to reach out to other towns yet..
Selectwoman Nosal shared copies of other towns’ affordable housing charges and committee minutes for their review. First Selectman Reemsnyder reported she had also reached out to the Lyme First Selectman and got copies of their ordinance and how that had come about.
8. Executive Session: None
9. Adjournment:
A motion was made by Selectwoman Nosal, seconded by Selectman Kerr, to adjourn at 9:05 pm. Motion passed.
Respectfully submitted,
Patti Broedlin
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