TOWN OF SOUTH WINDSOR
WORK SESSION MINUTES
TOWN COUNCIL MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2012
COUNCIL CHAMBERS TIME: 7:00 P.M.
1. Call Meeting to Order
Mayor Delnicki called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
2. Roll Call
Members Present: Mayor Thomas Delnicki
Deputy Mayor Gary Bazzano
Councillor M. Saud Anwar
Councillor Cindy Beaulieu
Councillor Ed Havens
Councillor Kevin McCann
Councillor Cary Prague
Councillor Janice Snyder
Councillor Keith Yagaloff
Also Present: Matthew B. Galligan, Town Manager
Dwight Johnson, Town Attorney (left at 10:39 p.m.)
3. Public Participation
Mr. Robert Dickinson, 19 Birch Road came before the Town Council to explain two safety concerns that he has. The first one is the cross walk between the High School and Community Center, there is no compliance by vehicles. The other concern is that there is no good way for a bicycle to go to the High School coming up through the normal vehicle entrance. It is very congested and Mr. Dickinson suggested making another entrance for bicycles coming from Nevers Road.
Ms. Kathy Daugherty, 12 Roy Road came forward and stated that tonight the South Windsor Town Council will be discussing banning the sale of tobacco products from only one of the businesses in Town. Ms. Daugherty feels that CVS Pharmacy is being targeted because they also offer the Minute Clinic. If the Town Council is going to target one business for selling tobacco, then candy and sugary items should also be banned because of diabetes. Targeting this business is a statement that South Windsor is anti-business and it also discriminates against this one business. The Town Council should focus on issues within their purview such as leaky roofs in schools, roads and sidewalks. Ms. Daugherty suggested that the Mayor appoint a member of the Town Council and make smoking an awareness issue for the
Town by holding seminars at the schools and/or having a support group for individuals who have quit smoking. This endeavor of banning tobacco products in CVS will only cost the Town excessive Attorney fees in a battle that the Town can not win or it will roll up the welcome mat to potential businesses and send the message that South Windsor is not a place to locate a business.
Mr. Tim Shepard, 45 Newberry Road came before the Town Council and read a letter into the record as shown in attached Exhibit A.
ITEM:
3. Public Participation (Continued)
Mr. Dave MacDonald, 79 Laurel Street felt that the Town Council trying to ban tobacco products at CVS seems to be going beyond the business of the Council. The Town Council is elected to provide good government. No one ran on the promise to regulate legal businesses in Town. The item on the agenda to stop CVS from selling a product that is legal in the State of Connecticut is a decision that should be made by the parent company of CVS, not the South Windsor Town Council. As a resident of South Windsor, Mr. MacDonald stated he would like the Council to do the job they were elected to do which is to keep the taxes reasonable and give the residents good government.
4. Communications
Mayor Delnicki informed the Town Council that he attended the Annual State Firefighters Convention in North Haven and was very impressed by it. This will be something very good for the Town of South Windsor next year.
Councillor Anwar requested that the residents that spoke regarding the banning of tobacco products at CVS stay for the presentation that will be shown during the meeting. Councillor Anwar wished the Jewish community a Happy New Year.
5. Town Manager’s Report
Mr. Galligan requested that this item be discussed later.
6. Items for Discussion
- Presentation by Scott Yaeger, President of Radius Hospitality regarding Cambria Suites Hotel at Evergreen Walk
Mr. Galligan explained that Mr. Scott Yaeger is here who is President of Radius Hospitality and also present is Mr. Randy Bud who is the Principle Vice Present. These gentlemen are here to explain to the Council what the hotel will look like and also to discuss the issue of a tax partnership program.
Mr. Scott Yaeger came forward and explained that this hotel will have 110 rooms. It is not an extended stay project, although it is an all suite property. Cambria Suites will fit very nicely in the Evergreen Walk project. This is proposed to be constructed at the beginning of the second phase. The proposed residential project will also be built in phase II. There is a fitness facility in the hotel as well as a pool, restaurant and lounge. Although it is not considered a full service hotel, it does have many amenities that would come with a full service property. This project has been worked on for approximately two years and it is being looked at to break ground in the spring. In order for this project to work, a tax abatement for the facility for a seven year period would be
necessary.
ITEM:
6. A. (Continued)
Answering questions from the Council, Mr. Yaeger explained that the site is approximately 4 acres which includes the parking area. The residential and hotel have been planned to be built together and will help to keep costs in line. The whole project is approximately 72,000 square feet and will cost about $12,000,000.
Mr. Galligan explained that the residential has not begun construction because the hotel has not begun. These projects will be built at the same time and will create a village square. Evergreen Walk has never received any tax abatements.
Mr. Yaeger stated that Cambria Suites is a great product. It is fairly young and growing but does not have the natural tendency to draw people that the Marriott or the Hampton brand have. That means it will take longer to grow that business to the levels that one of those Mariott products or the Hampton product have.
Mr. Galligan explained that the personal property tax of this hotel has been estimated to be $25,000 to $30,000 per year and will go up each year.
Mr. Yaeger told the Council that it is recommended that a hotel get refurbished every 6 to 10 years but depends on how much the property is used. Mr. Galligan stated that he believes that there is a 7 year depreciation on furniture but would check on that.
This project should create 30 to 35 positions within the hotel and during constructed there could be 30-40 jobs. The process is a twelve month build.
Councillor Anwar requested that local people be considered for any job opportunities that arise. Mr. Yaeger stated that in every instance when we build and/or purchase a property and we are looking for staff, we always look locally. Councillor Anwar explained that the Town has to be careful in regards to the tax abatement that is given to anyone.
Councillor McCann stated that South Windsor needs hotel space but typically South Windsor does not give 100% tax abatements to anyone. Councillor McCann questioned what kind of benefit would the Town get in this instance if a 100% tax abatement was given? Mr. Yaeger explained that a needed product is being brought into the market. Without doing a tax abatement, the project numbers do not make sense. To invest $12,000,000 into a property this size is very rich, however to go any bigger does not make sense in the market because there is not enough occupancy to support it.
Councillor Yagaloff stated that this project is exceptional but the difficulty is a hotel offers less in personal property and a 100% abatement would be very tough.
ITEM:
6. A. (Continued)
Councillor Beaulieu stated that she has concerns about the abatement, but feels the building is impressive and would be a great addition to Evergreen Walk.
Councillor Havens stated he would not dismiss the 100% abatement totally if the hotel would add to the vitality of that area.
Deputy Mayor Bazzano stated that he appreciates the project coming to Town but is not in favor of 100% tax abatement.
Answering questions from Deputy Mayor Bazzano, Mr. Yaeger explained that there are no Cambria Suites in Connecticut and it is more costly to do a project like this in Connecticut. It will be $115,000 per room to build on average. A hotel in that area along with the residential will be a good mix.
Mayor Delnicki stated that if the residents of South Windsor were hired for the different positions, he feels that may help the Town Council make a decision upon this project.
Mayor Delnicki recessed the Work Session in order to call the Regular Meeting to order at 8:00 p.m. The Work Session was reconvened at 8:13 p.m.
Councillor Snyder agreed with the type of building that is being proposed to be constructed. She said she is open minded about working together to bring Cambria Suites to Evergreen Walk.
Mr. Yaeger concluded discussion by stating he has listened to everything the Council has said and they would love to be a part of the community. The first three to four years of building this business are crucial and understands that the 100% tax abatement is a challenge for most of the Council and feels it is something that can be reviewed. This will be discussed further and Mr. Yaeger said he would contact Mr. Galligan with feedback.
- The banning of the sale of tobacco products at CVS Pharmacy
Councillor Anwar gave a presentation to the Council and public regarding this issue, as shown in attached Exhibit B.
Deputy Mayor Bazzano stated that he is against smoking but does not feel by banning CVS from selling tobacco products will deter smoking and does not want to isolate the banning of tobacco products to one store.
Councillor Yagaloff felt that pharmacies are in the business of saving lives and feels the Council should be considering the health of the community and children first. This suggestion is not picking on one business because if there were five pharmacies in Town they would be included in this discussion.
ITEM:
6. B. (Continued)
Councillor McCann stated he does not feel the Town Council should be imposing their will on residents and does not think this is the proper role of the South Windsor Town Council.
Councillor Prague said he does not feel one business should be targeted. If the ban was for all stores in South Windsor, Councillor Prague said he would have probably not supported it but would have thought about it a lot more. It is a lawful product and if it is banned, people will just go elsewhere and South Windsor could lose businesses and jobs.
Councillor Snyder stated she would not be comfortable telling CVS they can not sell cigarettes, but the store next door can. This would take away personal freedoms of residents.
Councillor Beaulieu said she is against cigarettes but it is a legal substance and she does not feel the Town Council should tell one company in Town they can not sell tobacco products. The Town Council should consider providing classes to inform the youth and adults of South Windsor about the dangers of smoking.
Mayor Delnicki questioned where has personal responsibility gone. Banning tobacco products at CVS could lead to other sanctions and would deter other businesses from coming to Town. This is a well intended discussion but Mayor Delnicki stated he could not support this.
Councillor Yagaloff felt that this should not be a debate around protecting business interests and felt he has a personal responsibility to meet the needs of the community and should protect the health and safety of the community. Tobacco products should not be sold in a place of a health care.
Deputy Mayor Bazzano felt it is wrong to isolate CVS just because they are a convenience store that happens to have a pharmacy in it. If the Town Council wants to ban tobacco products, it should be throughout Town.
Councillor Anwar said that all pharmacies should ban the selling of tobacco products and cigarettes should not be sold next to your health care products.
Ms. Kathy Daugherty, 12 Roy Road came forward again and stated that this is not the Town Council’s job. If Councillor Anwar is serious and would like to ban the sale of cigarettes in South Windsor a program should be developed and presentations given to the residents of South Windsor. Ms. Daugherty also stated that she would participate in the presentations.
ITEM:
6. B. (Continued)
Mr. Robert Dickinson, 19 Birch Road felt that the best way to deter smoking is through education. Mr. Dickinson felt that a resolution should be brought forward requesting/suggesting that all healthcare facilities not sell cigarettes.
Mr. Dave MacDonald, 79 Laurel Street stated that the presentation was lengthy and seemed to be more appropriate for the Surgeon General to be giving rather than the Town Council. Mr. MacDonald said he does not believe the statue Councillor Anwar quoted that says a Town Council can stop a legal sale.
Councillor Anwar stated that he has used CVS by name because it is the only pharmacy in Town and he knows that. If there were other pharmacies, they would be being asked to ban the sale of tobacco products also. This discussion is not taking away from any of the items that the Town Council takes care of. If the Town of South Windsor were a heartsafe community, we would not allow pharmacies to sell cigarettes to heart patients. If the Board of Education would give the Council permission to educate the children in the school system, he would be more than willing to do that.
Mayor Delnicki stated that he has talked to both republicans and democrats and individuals from both parties feel that the banning of the sale of tobacco products from CVS is government overreach. If this is to go any further, it should be banning tobacco products from all stores, or none.
Councillor Yagaloff stated that there seems to be a division here tonight. There are some people that would like to end tobacco sales in our community and then there are other people that think the Town Council should not be regulating businesses that sell legal substances. There may need to be further discussion regarding this issue.
Mr. Don Gonsalves, 40 Bayberry Trail stated that there are important issues that are not being discussed in this Town. It is wrong that the Town Council is taking two hours tonight on a discussion regarding banning tobacco products at CVS. On October 17, 2011 there was a Work Session to discuss health care in South Windsor and this item was only discussed for fifteen minutes. Mr. Gonsalves then stated that the only way to operate a budget is to use a calendarized budget. The Town Manager may know what is going on with the budget, but the Town Council does not know.
7. Executive Session
At 9:42 p.m. Deputy Mayor Bazzano made a motion to go into Executive Session to discuss documents containing financial information provided in confidence and exempt from disclosure pursuant to C.G.S. §1-200(6) and §1-210(b)(5)(B) regarding The Connecticut Studios Project and to discuss possible claims and litigation.
ITEM:
7. Executive Session (Continued)
The following individuals went into Executive Session: Matthew B. Galligan, Town Manager; Dwight Johnson, Town Attorney; Mayor Delnicki; Deputy Mayor Bazzano; and Councillors Anwar (did not go in for discussion regarding possible claims and litigation), Beaulieu, Havens, McCann, Prague, Snyder and Yagaloff.
At 10:39 p.m. Deputy Mayor Bazzano made a motion to adjourn the Executive Session. Councillor McCann seconded the motion; and it was approved, unanimously.
8. Adjournment
At 10:40 p.m. Deputy Mayor Bazzano made a motion to adjourn the Work Session. Councillor McCann seconded the motion and it was approved, unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Deborah W. Reid
Recording Secretary
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