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TOWN OF SOUTH WINDSOR
MINUTES
TOWN COUNCIL WORK SESSION
COUNCIL CHAMBERS JULY 1, 2002
SOUTH WINDSOR TOWN HALL 7:00 P.M.
1. Call Meeting to Order
Mayor Aman called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m.
2. Roll Call
Members Present: Mayor William Aman
Deputy Mayor Matthew Streeter
Councillor Barbara Barbour
Councillor Paul Burnham
Councillor Thomas Delnicki
Councillor Deborah Fine
Councillor Edward Havens
Members Absent Councillor Marianne Lassman Fisher
Councillor John Pelkey
Also Present: Town Manager Matthew B. Galligan
Town Attorney Barry D. Guliano
3. Public Participation - None
4. Communications - None
5. Town Manager
Items for Discussion
Naming of Kelley/Waldron/Willard (Requested by Councillor Delnicki)
Councillor Delnicki explained that Eagle Scout candidate Ryan Reitsma, as part of his Eagle Scout project, has, with a number of other Boy Scouts, created a hiking trail more than a mile in length on this property. The trail includes several crossings over the boggy area. As part of the project, Ryan has volunteered to produce and install a sign which would mark the entry to the trails. In the written material submitted by Ryan, he refers to the property as Podunk Park as well as making reference to the property as the Kelly/Waldron/Willard Property.
Councillor Delnicki stated that, as part of the grant process through which the property was acquired from the DEP, there is a six-month window on the installation of the sign. The DEP has also included the following, as part of their instructions as to what should appear on the sign:
Suitable permanent public acknowledgement of open space and watershed acquisition program assistance at project sites is required. Such acknowledgement will represent a state/local partnership role in preserving open space, which the public should be aware of. The sign shall be placed in an area that is visible by the public and of a style/design that shall be environmentally appealing. The presence of acknowledgement of open space and watershed acquisition program assistance shall be a matter checked during the compliance inspections.
The Councillor then referred to a memo from the Town Attorney's secretary in which she indicates that, according to a DEP official, there is a requirement for a sign to be posted on the parcel, but the Town has six months to post the sign. The verbiage on the sign should indicate that the park is open to the public and that the DEP should be acknowledged so that any individuals having questions can contact the DEP.
Continuing, Councillor Delnicki quoted from a memo from 2000 from the Open Space Task Force: The final requirement for open space purchase with grant funds from DEP Open Space and Watershed Acquisition Program is that the Town erect a sign acknowledging the program and the grant assistance from DEP. . . . The Task Force recommends that the joint properties be named Podunk Park in recognition of the Town's Podunk Indian heritage and the Podunk River that flows through the site.
Reference was then made to correspondence from Howard A. Willard, Jr., in which Mr. Willard makes reference to what was believed to be an agreement by Town staff pertaining to the naming of the property:
In conclusion, Councillor Delnicki said that the bottom line is that the entrance to the hiking trails needs to be marked in some fashion, and the DEP needs to be recognized. There are two different suggestions on the names
When asked for his comments pertaining to the naming of the property and the letter from Mr. Willard, Town Attorney Barry Guliano said that the Town Manager had responded to Mr. Willard, explaining that the Town could make no guarantees about the name. Atty. Guliano said that originally Mr. Willard had requested that it be part of the Purchase Agreement, and it was specifically left out of the Purchase Agreement because it was something that could not be guaranteed. Atty. Guliano said that that is something within the power of the Town Council. It was explained to Mr. Willard at that time that a recommendation would be made for a memorial of some sort to be made with the Stoughton name.
Continuing, Atty. Guliano said that there is nothing which requires the Town to name the property Stoughton Park. However, he said it was recommended that something within the park be named for the Stoughtons or that a plaque be made.
Because the word donated had been used a couple of times, Atty. Guliano clarified that the Town paid fair market value for the property.
Mayor Aman said he felt that a historical monument type of sign, including the Stoughton name and the family history, should be prepared. Additionally, he said that a sign meeting the requirements of the DEP grant should be posted as soon as possible.
Several Council members expressed their opinions that the property should be named after the Stoughton family. Regarding the portion of the property which belonged to the Stoughtons, Deputy Mayor Streeter emphasized that it goes back to the 1600's.
Mr. Galligan explained that the property consists of 160 acres, with the bulk of it being purchased from the Kelleys, 40 acres from the Willards and 10 acres from the Waldrons. He said that the Open Space Task Force had recommended the name Podunk Park, and he said that perhaps key locations within the area could be named after the families.
Councillor Barbour called attention to Howard Willard, Jr.'s letter dated October 10, 2000 to the Town Manager, in which he notes that it was agreed that the property would be named after the Stoughton family. Mr. Galligan said he had responded to Mr. Willard at that time and would provide Council with a copy of that response. He said he negotiated the sale and the naming issue was not discussed until the closing was held.
It was decided that historical background should be gathered pertaining to the entire area of the property. Mayor Aman asked that Town staff make certain that legal requirements are met with the DEP.
Councillor Delnicki made note of Page 6, Item 19, of the Purchase and Land Sale Agreement where it states:
Mayor Aman advised that this issue would be discussed in the future at another Work Session.
Terry Kyc, 447 Main Street, noted that she is conducting research for the Town in an attempt to name other areas in Town. She said, we are beating the Podunk Indian name to death in Town. She agreed that more research needs to be done with regard to this area and she offered her assistance.
Executive Session - None
Adjournment
A motion to adjourn was made at 7:45 p.m. by Councillor Delnicki. It was seconded by Deputy Mayor Streeter and was unanimously approved.
Respectfully submitted,
Merlyn P. Guild
Assistant to the Clerk of the Council
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