Sound View Commission
Meeting Minutes — Unapproved
27th June, 2011
Shoreline Community Center, 7.30 pm
Present: Frank Pappalardo (Chair), Joann Reis Lishing, Michaelle Pearson (Secretary) (late arrival), David Kelsey, Harry Plaut, Russ Carlo (Alternate), Frank Maratta (Alternate)
Absent:, Joseph Camean (Alternate)
Also present: First Selectman Tim Griswold, ex officio; Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder, ex officio
7.40p Meeting called to order by Frank Pappalardo (Chair).
7.41 David Kelsey moved to appoint Russ Carlo in place of Michaelle Pearson. Harry Plaut seconded. Motion carried.
Chairman Pappalardo moved to approve minutes of 5/23/11. Seconded by Joann Lishing. Approved.
7.50pm Ms. Pearson arrived.
7.50 pm Chairman Pappalardo reviewed the items Commission has put in place over the past year: new traffic pattern, bus ordinance, increased police enforcement, new beach signage, additional trash cans, etc.
8.13 Mr. Pappalardo discussed compiling a standard operating procedures manual (SOP) for the beach area.
8.15 Public Comment: Sandra Butcher cited the lack of cell reception and suggested installing an emergency call box. Mrs. Butcher was also concerned about the lack of adequate water coverage given the recent fire on Hartford Avenue. She asked why the hydrants aren’t pressurized and also about the fire wells. Are they still in use? Who maintains them? Lastly, Mrs. Butcher hoped to see enforcement of fireworks, especially given the lack of adequate water coverage.
Shirley Grande stated that she was awakened by the flashing lights of the Miami beach security vehicle on Dory Landing, and asked if something could be done to make the patrols less intrusive. Mrs. Grande also said that she had phoned about repairing the streetlight behind the Community Center, and would like to know how to speed up the process.
First Selectman Griswold answered that the Town tries to aggregate routine streetlight calls, so if a particular streetlight is a safety issue/ high traffic area, please call the Selectman’s Office to let them know.
Donna Kosierowski voiced her concern with the buildings on the left side of Hartford Avenue. Claude Brouillard (the owner of the buildings) was present at the meeting, and answered that he grew up in Old Lyme, purchased the buildings in question about a decade ago, and spent thousands of dollars on plans to save the historic arcade building and develop that property. Mr. Brouillard said that recently there has been some positive talk with the Selectmen and SVC Chairman Frank Pappalardo of possibly having elderly housing there. Mr. Brouillard stated that he will take some responsibility for the state of the buildings, and agreed to whitewash it (the Arcade) and clean it up a bit. Mr. Brouillard said he wants to “move forward”, and that in the long run, perhaps he should just erect six houses on the site. The question
is “what do we want the street to look like? We know that housing is a way to get things done, especially at the beach.”
Chairman Pappalardo said “we have all the right people in the room tonight, and I think what they’re hearing each other say is that it’s possible to have dialogue and help make things happen.”
Scott Boulanger said that he liked Claude’s presentation, and would like to see this beach area get better. Unfortunately there is a problem with cars parked on the (Brouillard) property, which doesn’t send the right message to the community. It would be nice to have family and kids at the beach, but when we’re encouraging people who come down who just ruin the beach, it’s disappointing. Every day people are waved into that parking lot illegally.
Dino Di Nino answered that he would like to speak about parking. “Since we operated the lot as customer parking, we’ve increased our business. We as businesses all want more people. All there is is a cutting off of the customers and business. If you purchase a home in this area, research the area and know that there is a bar there with a band, if you want quietness and no commercial, you should not have purchased on Hartford Avenue. I was issued a ticket by the state and I challenged it, the prosecutor said there was no ground for it. This is not a permitted lot. This is a commercial lot. Just like Big y. This Committee is being too restrictive on business owners.”
Frank Pappalardo: I would like to reiterate that this is a Town Commission, not a Committee. We are here to assist businesses and to create a balance between business and community residents. While we want to help businesses attract customers to the area, businesses must realize that they are operating in a residential environment, and community residents have a right to expect that issues of overcrowding, noise and public safety will be addressed.
Angelo Grasso said that many of the issues we are having could be resolved by simply following existing rules and zoning. If that commercial building has to have so many cars, striped parking, etc., that’s all in the zoning (regulations). All we have to do is follow the existing rules and ordinances. A lot of that will be taken care of if the rules were followed. If you had this happening in the town center of Old Lyme, how long would this be left alone?
Frank Noe stated that he is an owner of Lenny’s on the Beach, and that he I appreciates what the Commission’s about to do, but what about economic development? Where is it on this Commission?
Frank Pappalardo answered that part of the Commission’s function is to help with economic development.
First Selectman Griswold said, “I would like to congratulate the commission. I think it’s going to be great. Claude, the Planning Commission said the parking lot could be used if in fact there was a restaurant was in operation on that space.
Claude Brouillard: “It is a commercial lot. I think as a matter of law no one here can stop me.”
Mr Griswold: “As far as I’m concerned, in talking with planning,that parking area is subject to a licensed restaurant on the site.41m44s The area can only take so many people. We don’t have enough space on the beaches to make it pleasant for all these folks. Say we were to turn the town lot across from the church into a parking lot. When we have to close the gates because we have too many people, it is a public safety issue. “
Heidi Di Nino: “I checked into this lot, but if this is “safety”, there’s 93 spots on Hartford Avenue. They are parking for free, bringing booze from out of town, messing up the beach. Take those 93 spots off the street. All us business owners wanted the same thing. I went to the Selectmen and asked what they would like to see, and we did the best we could. This commission needs to help us get rid of the riffraff. There are people in this room that have never been in our store, so they don’t support us. I’m not here to make a parking lot out of this place. The town has done this by making those 93 spaces.”
Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder: “I think the accomplishments of this commission have been quite good. I know there have been many Committees over the years, and one of the issues we’ve dealt with over the years is that there are a lot of different opinions. We went through quite an ordeal with the Committee to decide if a Commission would be a good idea. I think the Commission has done a good job with transparency—meeting minutes are available quickly. Last summer we accomplished small things and for the first time we had positive feedback about Sound View. As far as the 90 spaces that are free, there has been talk about having kiosks, but wouldn’t it be better for us to listen to the people instead of simply proposing our idea? Some of these ideas are very powerful, but they just can’t happen in a short amount
of time. Dino, we’re not against business. We’re looking for ways to make this an attractive street that brings in people who want to spend their money here. But we need to take the right steps, and consider the needs of the residents as well. And we feel that this Commission can be our ears and eyes to the people down here. We ask you for your patience.”
Steve Johnson: “I think the problem is that you have beer and liquor, beer and liquor, beer and liquor. What does that attract. If you have beer and liquor, you are going to attract the wrong kind of people. If that’s going to be our main business, it’s never going to be a family environment because people are afraid to come down here. There’s going to be a tragedy before things can really change. The beach is the size of a postage stamp. You can’t put thousands of people on that little beach, no matter how much parking that you have. There’s got to be a public safety issue, a fire code, etc.”
Claude Broulliard: “I will fix the parking. I will clean up the arcade and mothball it and I will see if the Commission wants to move. We just need a housing plan that works. Maybe we don’t need commercial any more.”
Selectwoman Reemsnyder: “This is a town government. We don’t tell businesses what they can and can’t do. There are ordinances and laws. The Board of Selectmen isn’t in charge of that. Even the lot across the street-- Claude, if you decide to do housing across the street, as long as it conforms to health and safety laws and town ordinances, you can do what you like.”
Sue Peters: “I want to know what is happening with year-round Zoning. I haven’t heard anything about the process. We were promised an answer by September, and haven’t heard anything yet.”
Frank Pappalardo: We will try to get a clarification and post it in the minutes.
Angelo Grasso: “We need to take care of what is here now, through enforcement. Once that’s done, you can fix whatever you need to fix.”
Joyce Grasso: “I like commercial and residential both. I remember riding the carousel as a little girl. We want both things.”
Frank Noe: “There has got to be a reason why we’re overpopulated. They’re not all going to the bar. We tried very diligently to get bathrooms here. Not a person in this room would go to the porta-potty. What kind of a person would use those porta-potties? We need to have public restrooms that people can use.”
Keith Grills: “I own the Sugar Shack. I am here for the long haul. I want to make it better, I want to make it for the families. Now I’m hearing different odds and ends. I’ve been in a bunch of committees and dropped out because a lot of things don’t happen.”
Harry Plaut: “I own a business that depends on the bars and the convenience stores-- I make my living off the people who dirty the beach. The businesses need an open line of communication, and this Commission wants to help the businesses. Until now we only heard from homeowners, so we tried to help them.”
Heidi: “It seems like we all came around the same time with the same perception that this is a great place to conduct business, but I don’t trust you.”
Frank Pappalardo asked if there were any further comments, and summarized the working goals and mission of the Sound View Commission. Mr. Pappalrdo stated that All meetings are open, and minutes are posted on the town website.
Ms. Pearson moved to table the rest of the agenda given the lateness of the hour. Joann Lishing seconded. Motion carried.
9:41 pm: Motion to adjourn made by Mr. Carlo, seconded by Ms. Lishing. Meeting adjourned
Next regular meeting: 25th July, 2011 at 7.30 pm, Shoreline Community Center.
Respectfully submitted,
M. Pearson, Secretary
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