TOWN OF SOUTH WINDSOR
SPECIAL BUDGET WORK SESSION MINUTES
TOWN COUNCIL WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2014
COUNCIL CHAMBERS TIME: 7:00 P.M.
1. Call Meeting to Order
Mayor Anwar called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m.
2. Roll Call
Members Present: Mayor Saud Anwar
Councilor Carolyn Mirek
Councilor Liz Pendleton
Councilor Cary Prague
Councilor Janice Snyder
Councilor Stephen Wagner
Councilor Keith Yagaloff
Members Absent: Deputy Mayor Edward Havens
Councilor Thomas Delnicki
Also Present: Matthew B.Galligan, Town Manager
3. Public Participation
Ms. Cindy Beaulieu, 19 Cody Circle came forward to request the status of the fields project. Other Towns are able to put their kids on fields because they have synthetic turf. South Windsor needs to be competitive and is falling behind.
Chief Kevin Cooney, Fire Department came before the Town Council to make a public apology for having used his cell phone while driving. April is “Distracted Driving Awareness Month”. Chief Cooney has signed a pledge and have asked members of the Fire Department to also sign.
Chief Cooney then thanked the Fire Department for working with South Windsor High School for the “it Only Takes One” program. There were over 25 volunteer members assisting with this program.
4. Communications
None
5. Town Manager’s Report
Mr. Galligan reported that this afternoon he met with the Speaker of the House, Brendan Sharkey and other Representatives regarding emergency medical services. Hopefully the bills will be voted on as soon as possible.
ITEM:
5. Town Manager’s Report
Mr. Galligan explained that there was a Special Meeting the other night and the Town is still working in emergency mode. The Town Attorney sent a letter to Pomen and Combley stating that in order for South Windsor to feel comfortable regarding the SWAC issue, the Town would like to see their financial records as well as their staffing levels. Mr. Galligan stated that there are alarming issues that he has been made aware from members of SWAC.
The grant for the fields proposal were due April 15, 2014. This issue has been mentioned to Representatives of South Windsor who will put in their support of the grants.
6. Items for Discussion
- Town Clerk Budget Presentation
Ms. Lori Trahan came before the Town Council to present her budget. There are just two increases which are for salaries and $5,000 in the professional account to codify the Ordinances.
Answering questions from the Council Ms. Trahan explained that the Town Clerk’s Office is up to date with all of the electronic recording. The office indexes and scans items within a two day period and currently has electronically archived items from 1926 to 2014.
Councilor Prague stated the Town Clerk’s Office collected $580,000 in Town fees in 2012/2013, how come $490,000 was estimated in 2013/2014? Ms. Trahan explained that last year there was a large conveyance from FedEx.
- Parks & Recreation Department Budget Presentation
Mr. Ray Favreau came before the Town Council to present the Parks & Recreation Department’s budget, as shown in attached Exhibit A.
Councilor Wagner stated that the idea that recreation is just play and is optional has proven to be a weak concept. Recreation helps children to develop into a well rounded healthy adult. The Parks and Recreation Department serves the community in many different ways, depending upon each individuals needs.
Answering questions from Council members, Mr. Favreau explained that he does not know the number of individuals with special needs that would attend programs. There are anywhere from 25 to 50 individuals that attend the Monday Night Social Club. There are between 20-30 special need individuals that attend the summer camp who need varying accommodations. The Parks &
Recreation Department would like to put an emphasis on programs for older individuals with specials needs. The youth sports programs, other than Youth Basketball, are independently operated. The Parks & Recreation Department is
ITEM:
6. B. (Continued)
responsible for taking care of the fields as well as scheduling the fields. The scheduling of fields is a large challenge because there are a lot of different sporting groups that have overlapping seasons with limited space. There has been discussions regarding potentially realigning the softball field on Ayers Road. This would require special funding. The Town has made arrangements with the CREC school that will allow the Town use of their fields for local sporting groups every day after school and on weekends. There will be minimal fee increases to compensate for the minimum wage increase.
Councilor Yagaloff thanked the Parks & Recreation Department for a transparent budget which shows the size and scope of the programs offered through this department. The programs are being enhanced and are growing due to staff.
Mr. Galligan explained that there is a bill before the legislature that is trying to ban all pesticides on all fields. The Town’s position is that if you use best practices and follow the federal regulations there should not be any issues. A lot of communities are looking to put turf fields in at the high schools so there will be no worry about this legislature.
Mr. Favreau stated that current law prohibits pesticide use on school properties for grades Kindergarten to eight grade. This law makes it difficult to take care of weeds in sidewalk cracks, parking lots, gutters and curbsides. The new proposed bill would expand this law to all high schools, and municipal parks and grounds. A Turf Specialist would be necessary to monitor turf conditions on a regular basis. This person’s main responsibility in the spring, summer and fall will be turf management, but will also have Maintainer responsibilities.
Mr. Caldwell explained that the Maintainers are not trained as Turf Specialist but they know what a problem looks like. A Turf Specialist will be geared more towards the athletic fields. The Groundskeeper position is a part time person that takes care of the small gardens, plantings, flowers, flower pots and weeds at some of the schools. During the winter months this position helps with snow removal and other tasks that need to be done.
Mr. Galligan stated that if the Parks & Recreation Department moves to Wapping School, the building would not be called the Community Center. Mr. Galligan then explained that it is being proposed to have the Sewer Department help with certain functions of the Town pool. This will save the Town a lot of money even when the Parks & Recreation Department is being charged for services.
Mr. Caldwell told the Town Council that after a snow storm, the Parks Department takes care of all of the Town’s sidewalks and also assists with plowing the roads. Mr. Galligan explained that when the Parks Department and Street Services Department were split up there were certain functions that were kept together such as snow removal and leaf collection.
ITEM:
6. B. (Continued)
Ms. Jaime Krajewski, Supervisor for Aquatics/Fitness explained to the Council that the pool will open two hours earlier at 10:00 a.m. for residents and pass holders.
Council members discussed the elimination of an Administrative Secretary in the Parks & Recreation Department. When needed, the Parks & Recreation Department brings in part time clerical help for minimum wage. This position is paid through the Special Revenue Fund.
Mr. Favreau informed the Council that the Special Revenue Fund budget would increase by $200,000 if approved and the Parks budget would increase by $180,000. There are gutter repairs and a plaster crack in the main pool that needs to be repaired. The cost for these repairs are in two places in the budget because they are such important issues that need to be taken care of. There has been tremendous progress in the last three years with elevating the conditions of playing fields from where they were. The 10 year Recreation Master Plan is reviewed annually by the Parks & Recreation Commission. It is adjusted as it is felt necessary and also depends on allocations. Anything that is a major Town infrastructure appears in the Town’s Capital Projects.
Mayor Anwar felt that with the current legislature as of right now, there are advantages for the school system to have turf fields. The Town and Board of Education need to be partners in this venture because the benefits would be for the entire community There needs to be an understanding formulated on how the Town and schools would both be able to use these types of fields if they are constructed.
Councilor Yagaloff stated he felt it is would be beneficial to have further discussion regarding turf fields in order to get data that has been discussed. The track is being reconfigured this summer and there have been discussions regarding opportunities to look at changes to the Stadium Field.
7. Executive Session
None
8. Adjournment
At 9:13 p.m. Mayor Anwar made a motion to adjourn the Work Session. Councilor Prague seconded the motion and it was approved, unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Deborah W. Reid
Recording Secretary
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