Sound View Commission
Meeting Minutes — Unapproved
26 March, 2012
Town Hall, 7.30 pm
(Audio Folder B 03/03)
Present: Frank Pappalardo (Chair), Joann Reis Lishing, Michaelle Pearson (Secretary), Harry Plaut, Russ Carlo (Alternate)
Frank Maratta (Alternate), Joseph Camean (Alternate)
Also present: members of the public.
Absent: David Kelsey
7.35p Meeting called to order by Frank Pappalardo.
Mr. Pappalardo seated Alternate Frank Maratta for the absent Dave Kelsey.
7.36p Joann Lishing moved to approve minutes of 2/27/12. Seconded by Harry Plaut. Motion carried.
7.39p Correspondence: None.
7.40p Call to meeting: Mr. Pappalardo reminded the Commission members and members of the public of the Special Town Meeting going on downstairs. He read the announcement and details of the agenda for the Special Town Meeting and asked if anyone wished to leave this meeting for that one. All remained present.
7.48 Public Comment: Shirley Grande of Portland Avenue said she had called about replacing a street light on the corner of Dory and Portland a week ago. She also stated that members of the Sound View Beach Association (SVBA) weeded the flowerbeds on Hartford and Swan Avenues, and are preparing to install plants. Discussion regarding the procedure for streetlight replacement. Mr. Pappalardo explained that streetlight repair/replacement calls are aggregated by the town, so several can be done at once as a cost-saving measure.
7:51 Business:
Grant application update.
The Sound View Park Project Grant is progressing thru DOT. The Engineering firm (BSC) was contacted directly and asked to provide additional information regarding the scope of the plan. Frank Pappalardo met with the engineers to prepare the response, which included additional graphics regarding the park and bike paths and also a more detailed breakdown of the cost estimate.
Mr. Plaut asked if there were any contingencies for paying BSC for this additional work. Mr. Pappalardo said BSC graciously agreed to help this time, gratis. Special thanks were due to Joe Camean who greatly assisted in this regard. As to the future, Mr. Pappalardo said he discussed this with First Selectwoman Reemsnyder and sent the information to Jean Davies at CRERPA as well as the CT DOT.
Mr. Maratta asked if the project had to go out to bid?
Mr. Pappalardo explained that the way the proposal and plans were drafted by BSC contains specific construction standards for the work. They looked at actual project data from projects they’ve worked on, and industry standards, to determine our costs. They used the high end of all of those numbers plus there’s a 15% contingency, so we believe the project could actually come in under budget. Once the project is ready for bid, the engineer will put the documents together and evaluate the various bids. The process will be very transparent. We should know more about the status of our grant in the next few weeks.
Harry Plaut said that he is contracted to clean the two town beaches at Charlestown, RI, called Blue Shutters Beach and Breachway Beach. He met with the Parks and Rec director there, and noted that in their parking lots they built the same type of building (as proposed for Sound View) with the composting toilets and they did a beautiful job.
Frank Pappalardo: Once we get the grant, there are a few more steps. We then need to go to Planning and Zoning, then to Town Meeting where it will be voted on by the entire town. The town will have to appropriate the entire amount with the contingency of the grant reimbursement. The charge for that meeting can be written to ensure that the project cannot go forward without the grant money.
Operating Procedures Manual: Joann Lishing will continue working on the framework for the manual. Ms. Pearson suggested a deadline for second week of May.
8.12: Street and Lot Parking: Private parking lot sign mockup distributed by Frank Pappalardo. These signs will be provided to the lots by the town. Each lot owner will be responsible for putting up and taking down, storage over winter, etc. Certified letters have been sent to the private parking lot owners by the Board of Selectmen noting the increased lot fee of $30 per space, and noting the rules posting.
Russ Carlo asked why the private parking lot fees weren’t raised higher, as he felt that $40/space was fair. Frank Pappalardo explained that he made the presentation at the BOS meeting suggesting the $40 fee, but the Selectmen felt that they wanted to only increase to $30 for this year, with the understanding that next year’s fee schedule would be reevaluated based on actual expenses.
Angelo Faenza of Portland Avenue asked if beach user fees had been considered.
Frank Pappalardo said the Committee had explored the idea of user fees in its initial studies of comparable beaches in CT and RI. Some towns have walk-on fees, but enforcing them at SV would not be feasible.
John Boccaccio of Portland Avenue suggested that if patrons have coolers full of alcohol in a privately owned lot, the owners should have some responsibility to say something. Mr. Pappalardo disagreed, saying that placing that kind of authority and responsibility on the lot owners could create an illegal search situation. They don’t have the authority to do that. Mr. Pappalardo said he would like to discuss the specifics of how to handle this with Public Safety.
8.28pm: Details of this year’s parking plan: There will be a street sign for parking posted near old donut shop at Bocce lane. A sizeable sign, right below the stop sign. Right now, the existing signs are two different colors, multiple sizes, making for a confusing and unattractive barrage of signage. All signs will be replaced with a “to pay” sign detailing the parking rules.
Ms. Pearson suggested several grammatical corrections.
Mr. Pappalardo explained how the street parking process will work: mirror hangtag will correspond to car license plate number and individual space number.
Mr. Maratta asked where the spaces would be numbered. Mr. Pappalardo said the numbers are painted directly onto the curb, denoting each space. There was some concern that Don Bugbee had resisted the $30 weekend/holiday parking fee last year, instead charging the lower $20 weekday rate as he felt was “appropriate” on any given day. Our projected budget revenue estimates regarding parking were assumed to be based on $30. Fortunately, since this projected revenue was calculated as a per-space total, per season, so our numbers should still be fine.
The last street sign change is the prohibited vehicles signs (buses, campers, livery, etc.). Old signposts will be removed and new signs erected closer to the top of the road, no later than Friday of Memorial Day weekend.
8.49: Public Safety Update. The bike patrols will be significantly expanded this year, and are now called the “Rangers”. The Rangers will be on hand for parking patrol on street, visitor assistance and information and beach patrol. There will be a pilot program this summer which will have the Rangers patrolling Sound View and Miami Beach on foot, in lieu of private security guards. This will ensure more consistent presence and enforcement across the two beaches. The Rangers will vigorously enforce all town ordinances and beach rules, such as no pets, no ball playing, etc. They will also inspect coolers.
8.53: Swim Lines: Mr. Pappalardo met with Mike Payton of the DEEP regarding the swim line permit. They reviewed the existing permit and Mr. Payton stated that he expected that the location and area would be adhered to (e.g., swim area extending 200’ from shore). Mr. Payton stated that the DEEP does not expect any swim line emergency openings in congested areas. He suggested that the emergency opening would be more appropriate closer to the less congested Hawk’s Nest end of the beach. Furthermore, the boat lane as established allows only for a single water taxi for the Pavilion. Nothing is to be tied up to any buoy line. If you see a PWC tied up to the buoy lines, let a Ranger know and they will have the vehicle ticketed by the police.
Russ Carlo stated that in his opinion the Pavilion boat lane should never have been allowed. Frank Pappalardo replied that we must work within the existing stipulated agreement, and that all parties should do their best to adhere to its specifics. For instance, there are no jetskis/PWCs permitted in the agreement. All of those jetskis should not be there. Last year they were all tied up to the buoy lines. Russ Carlop said, That’s why most of the people on Swan go over to Old Colony, because of the jetskis.
Frank Pappalardo: The Rangers will be in direct contact with the Police, who have the authority to enforce tideline violations.
Harry Plaut: White Sands (Beach) has a lifeguard. Why not Sound View?
Frank Pappalardo said that Sound View residents have been advocating for a lifeguard for years. It was agreed that it might be beneficial if the Commission were to make a formal request.
9.06pm: Spring Letter to Residents:
Mr. Pappalardo detailed the elements to be communicated in the Commission’s annual Spring Letter to Residents. He detailed the Parking situation, Grant application, Rangers, new signage, motorbikes, beach rule reminders, no golf carts, etc., and requested that any additional items be sent to him for the draft letter.
9.09pm: Noise Complaints: There was a Town Ordinance dated 1972 stating that there could be no outdoor amplification. Also given are a number of decibel ratings for various zones. Town Attorney Marilyn Clarke reviewed the 1972 noise ordinance. She believes it may have been replaced by the existing noise ordinances, which identify specific decibel ratings for various zones as well as other conditions. This means that any noise exceeding a district’s decibel rating is considered a nuisance and is finable. Multiple fines could result in a cease and desist. The Noise Ordinance will be enforced this year. Last year saw a record number of noise complaints from residents. The Police have a dB meter with officers certified in reading that meter.
9.12: Delivery Trucks: Frank Maratta, owner, and Stephanie Livesey, manager of the Pavilion have asked their distributors to please deliver early in the morning so as to be least disruptive to beachgoers. Ms. Livesey stated that most of the distributors had agreed to this accommodation as far as possible. Mr. Pappalardo thanked them and said that he was in the process of asking Hartford Avenue businesses to do the same, and would continue once all seasonal businesses were open.
9.14 Motion to Adjourn
Harry Plaut motioned to adjourn.
Joann Lishing seconded. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned.
Next meeting Tuesday, 5/29/12 at the Shoreline Community Center on Hartford Ave. Please note date and venue change.
Michaelle Pearson,
Secretary
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