MINUTES
CITY COUNCIL AND WPC AUTHORITY
NOVEMBER 14, 2011
A REGULAR MEETING of the City Council & WPC Authority was held in the City Hall Auditorium on Monday, November 14, 2011.
Present were Mayor Ryan Bingham, Corporation Counsel Ernestine Yuille Weaver, City Councilors Paul Samele, Gerald Zordan, Gregg Cogswell, Elinor Carbone, and Drake Waldron. Also present were Torrington Housing Authority Executive Director Claudia Sweeney, Torrington Housing Authority Commissioners Robert Milano and David Murelli, Building Official Brett Zuraitis, Purchasing Agent Pennie Zucco, Comptroller Alice Proulx, Director of Public Works Jerry Rollett, WPC Administrator Ray Drew, Deputy Fire Chief Gary Brunoli and City Clerk Joseph Quartiero. City Councilor Marie Soliani was absent.
Mayor Bingham called the meeting to order at 6:52 p.m.
MINUTES
On a motion by Councilor Waldron, seconded by Councilor Zordan, the Council voted unanimously to accept the minutes of the Regular Meetings held October 17, 2011.
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
On a motion by Councilor Waldron, seconded by Councilor Samele, the Council voted unanimously to open the meeting to the public. There was no one present who wished to speak.
PRESENTATION: TORRINGTON HOUSING AUTHORITY UPDATE
Ms. Sweeney reviewed Torrington Towers' designation as an elderly-only complex. She said in the year 2000 it was designated as an elderly-only complex. There were young-disabled living in the Towers at that time but the waiting list included 12 applications with 50% of them for the elderly. In 2005 when redesignation could be applied for, the waiting list was 40% elderly and 60% young disabled. They did not qualify for the designation at that time and did not apply. In 2010 when the waiting list was revisited, they again did not meet the application requirements. She noted that the law says if you do not have enough elderly, you must fill it with the other eligible population. Ms. Sweeney informed the Council of the security issues that have been addressed, including the security personnel and their
supervisor having all been licensed by the State of CT, the security shift having been moved from morning to evening, policies and procedures having been put into place including additional job duties for security, and the enhanced reporting requirements for security personnel. They are still working on camera access, she said.
Ms. Sweeney said Former Police Chief Bob Milano is the security committee for the Board of Commissioners at the Authority and he has arranged for the Community Policing Officer to address each site, talking to tenants about safety tips and other issues brought up by residents. Meetings were well attended. There were 22 evictions out of Torrington Towers, Ms. Sweeney said, with 11 stipulated agreements and 5 withdrawals. She said there were 39 fire calls between 1/1/2011 and 9/30/2011, including medical, cooking, alarms, smoke detectors, and elevator issues. She said there were 143 ambulance calls between 10/1/2010 and 10/1/2011, and that she encourages people to call the police directly.
Mr. Milano noted that between 1/1/2011 and 9/26/2011, the Police Dept. performed almost 50 park and walks, where a police officer parks the cruiser and walks the area, being seen and interacting with the public and tenants. He said this is very effective and is appreciated. Mr. Milano said there is not a disproportionate use of Public Safety resources on Torrington Towers or any property that the Torrington Housing Authority oversees. He said they are doing the best they can with resources they have, in his opinion. Mr. Milano reported on the Housing Authority's trouble during the most recent storm. They had devised a plan to shelter and place many residents and, in all but Koury Terrace, the community centers in each facility had emergency power. He said Koury Terrace has generation and heat in
each building. He said Ms. Sweeney will request the Emergency Management Director and Fire Chief to perform some after-incident planning as there could be 600 residents with special needs such as aged, infirm or other disabilities. Mr. Milano reported that the condition of the buildings is impeccable, and he credits the Executive Director and her staff. To clear up a misperception on the Housing Authority, he noted that it is a real estate management organization, not a social service organization.
Councilor Carbone asked how the statistics compare and what the elderly-only ratio is in other facilities.
Ms. Sweeney said only one waiting list is kept, which is predominantly younger-disabled. They have a 93% occupancy rate, with 90% occupancy at Torrington Towers.
Mr. Murelli said the government is in the process of taking the Housing Authority's excess capital reserves. even though they work very hard to keep costs down. He thanked the Housing Authority staff for their efforts to keep it going.
ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS APPTS.
On a motion by Councilor Samele, seconded by Councilor Cogswell, the Council voted unanimously to approve the following appointments to the Zoning Board of Appeals:
Appoint Alternate Mark Trivella as a Regular Member, replacing Genevieve Gangi,
for a five year term expiring Dec. 1, 2012
Reappoint David Moraghan for a five year term expiring expiring Dec. 1, 2015
Reappoint Kathleen Perotti for a five year term expiring expiring Dec. 1, 2016
Appoint Nick Iannacito as an Alternate Member
Mayor Bingham acknowledged Nick Iannacito as a former UConn intern in the Planning & Zoning Dept.
PLANNING & ZONING REAPPTS.
On a motion by Councilor Waldron, seconded by Councilor Zordan, the Council voted unanimously to approve the following reappointments to the Planning and Zoning Commission:
Doris Murphy as a Regular Member, for a five year term expiring Dec. 1, 2015
Richard Calkins as a Regular Member, for a five year term expiring Dec. 1, 2016
James Bobinski as an Alternate Member, for a five year term expiring Dec. 1, 2015
Christine Mele as an Alternate Member, for a five year term expiring Dec. 1, 2016
CULTURAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
On a motion by Councilor Waldron, seconded by Councilor Zordan, the Council voted unanimously to establish a Cultural Affairs Committee in accordance with the membership and responsibility structure attached. (Addendum 1)
Mayor Bingham explained this group includes eight or nine members, and is planning on fifteen in total, including an executive board. Once they have a full membership, they will be able to start moving, working in the community, and doing outreach, he said. One project they have been working on is a welcome packet for new residents and they are looking for members who represent a good cross section of all the ethnic groups in Torrington. Mayor Bingham noted that this committee is an attempt to bring together groups of people through events, information, and education, and offer them a venue to voice their issues, concerns, ideas and suggestions.
Councilor Zordan asked if the reporting should be quarterly instead of annually. Mayor Bingham said he will be a part of these meetings and will bring the relevant information to City Council when it comes up. He said if Council felt it was important to report quarterly, he could bundle the minutes together on a quarterly basis.
Councilor Carbone said she is comfortable with an annual report, as a quarterly report would only present three meetings.
COMMITTEE TO STUDY BLIGHT
On a motion by Councilor Waldron, seconded by Councilor Cogswell, the Council considered
authorizing the Mayor to appoint a Committee to study and investigate imposing a special assessment on blighted properties ~in accordance with Connecticut General Statute section 7-148ff(b) as recommended by the Ordinance Committee.
Mr. Zuraitis said this bill was raised by the Planning and Development Committee of the General Legislature, with a revision done this year to adjust the wording. He said he is looking to form a committee to consider whether this can be implemented and if so, the mechanics to make it workable. There are a number of issues to be addressed, and guidelines that need to be set in a very short time period, he said, as there are only 60 days to come back with a plan and ordinance once a committee is formed. He recommended the committee become effective January 1, 2012. Mayor Bingham noted that Mr. Zuraitis has a list of people from the general public willing to volunteer their services.
Mr. Zuraitis said that although the statute is cumbersome, it is clear. The committee is to consist of six people from the general public, one of which must be a landlord. The tax assessor is another member, plus the code officials in charge of health, safety and zoning. Once the review committee puts the ordinance together, it goes to the Board of Finance for approval because it involves new revenue. Then it is forwarded to the Ordinance Committee for their review and back to City Council for a final vote.
AMEND MOTION
Councilor Waldron amended his motion to include a start date of January 1, 2012 and Councilor Cogswell amended his second. Councilor Cogswell noted that this was already in front of the Ordinance Committee once before, and they are always looking at blight.
Mayor Bingham said our current blight ordinance, while stronger than previous blight ordinances, is still not as effective as it should be. Mr. Zuraitis said he's trying fill in some holes that can't be addressed through health and safety or zoning regulations.
The motion was unanimously approved.
HIGH PRESSURE AIR COMPRESSOR
On a motion by Councilor Carbone, seconded by Councilor Cogswell, the Council voted unanimously to accept the Purchasing Agent's and Deputy Fire Chief's recommendation to award the purchase of a High Pressure Air Compressor to fill SCBA to MidState Air Compressor, Inc. of Berlin, CT in the amount of $26,925.00 having been approved by the Board of Public Safety on Nov. 9, 2011 and pending Board of Finance approval. This will be paid for with the budget transfers in the next agenda item.
Councilor Carbone noted that there were funds budgeted for new equipment and asked if this expense was anticipated. Deputy Chief Brunoli said this was intended to come from their Capital Account but due to the construction of the dispatch center, the capital funds have been depleted. They will create a report on the final number needed to replenish the capital. Deputy Chief Brunoli said the Fire Department is scrambling to get bottles filled in neighboring towns, and at fires, they bring air trucks to fill them on-scene. It's a daily operational issue, he said.
BUDGET TRANSFERS
On a motion by Councilor Waldron, seconded by Councilor Zordan, the Council voted unanimously to authorize budget transfers stated in the Comptroller's memo of November 10, 2011.
BUILDING DEPT. REPORT
On a motion by Councilor Waldron, seconded by Councilor Samele, the Council voted unanimously to accept the Building Dept. Report for the month of October 2011.
SANITARY SEWER CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS
On a motion by Councilor Cogswell, seconded by Councilor Carbone, the Council City Council herein acting as the Water Pollution Control Authority voted unanimously to approve the following payments from Fund #490 Sanitary Sewer Capital Improvement for Capital Project D-19 Sanitary Sewer ROW Clearing and Capital Project D-13 New Harwinton Road Pump Station Rehabilitation.
DATE |
CONTRACTOR |
INVOICE # |
AMOUNT |
DESCRIPTION |
10/03/2011 |
P & G Pepper |
09012011 |
$1,600.00 |
New Harwinton Rd. to Torringford St. ROW |
10/03/2011 |
P & G Pepper |
10032011A |
$8,000.00 |
Doman Dr. – Kennedy Dr. ROW |
10/03/2011 |
P & G Pepper |
10032011B |
$6,400.00 |
Larkspur – Rt. 8 ROW |
10/17/2011 |
Wright-Pierce |
79661 |
$1,521.99 |
New Harwinton Rd. PS Design |
SMALL CITIES PAYMENTS
On a motion by Councilor Carbone, seconded by Councilor Waldron, the Council voted unanimously to approve the following payments:
VENDOR |
INV# |
FUND |
AMOUNT |
DESCRIPTION |
SafeHomes, Inc. |
5371 |
250 |
$ 185.00 |
Lead Clearance |
Villwell Builders I, LLC |
1217 |
250 |
$ 2,290.00 |
Lead Work |
HRP Associates, Inc. |
79161 |
274 |
$ 2,000.00 |
Phase I Site Inspection |
SafeHomes, Inc. |
5383 |
250 |
$ 245.00 |
Lead Clearance |
Villwell Builders I, LLC |
1228 |
250 |
$ 2,647.03 |
Lead Repair Work |
MUNICIPAL RENOVATIONS
On a motion by Councilor Waldron, seconded by Councilor Zordan, the Council voted unanimously to approve the following payments from Municipal Renovations Fund #316:
VENDOR |
INV# |
AMOUNT |
DESCRIPTION |
Erik Christensen |
1171 |
2,651.00 |
planting & edging |
Erik Christensen |
1172 |
1,724.00 |
maintain gardens |
McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter |
717173 |
1,511.25 |
Prof Svcs 9/30/11 |
O & G |
#25-CTYHALL |
18,540.08 |
services thru 9/30/11 |
Van Zelm Engineers |
36198 |
2,305.25 |
Prof Svcs 8/28-10/1/11 |
ADD SECTION B
On a motion by Councilor Waldron, seconded by Councilor Cogswell, the Council voted unanimously to add Section B to the agenda.
GREEN WASTE CLEAN-UP CONTRACT
On a motion by Councilor Waldron, seconded by Councilor Carbone, the Council voted unanimously to accept the City Engineer's and Purchasing Agent's recommendation to authorize the Mayor to award a Green Waste Clean-up Contract to DRC Emergency Services, LLC of Mobile Alabama in the estimated amount of $99,000 from the City's Contingency Fund, and to authorize the Mayor to act on behalf of the City regarding the execution and administration of the Contract, including approval of pay applications.
Mr. Rollett explained that this is in response to Storm Alfred and the city-wide clean-up, if funding is received. He said a similar project was completed with the ice storm which cost about $85,000, with no FEMA reimbursement. Mr. Rollett said FEMA has not offered funding for this storm so far and that's why he's asking for authorization to spend this money to do the clean-up as quick as we can. He said the Governor has asked the President for a disaster declaration based on the magnitude of the disaster. Mr.
Rollett said he is fairly confident that FEMA will offer 75% reimbursement. He said our estimated cost for this clean-up is $115,000 with a total storm cost in excess of $250,000 to $300,000. He said he is meeting with FEMA to clean up some Tropical Storm Irene costs, submitting a $99,000 claim for eligible Public Works costs. He said he has issued a press release announcing city-wide clean-up using our garbage collection routes. This will cover the entire City within four or five weeks. He asked the public to play fairly and only put storm-related debris curbside. Mayor Bingham added that it needs to be placed curbside now, and clean-up has already started on state roads.
Mr. Rollett said he considered taking advantage of State contracts, but would have needed to hire a consultant just to administer it for us, which would have been in the tens of thousands of dollars in itself.
Councilor Zordan asked if the debris will be chipped or hauled away. Mr. Rollett said he estimated about 15,000 or 20,000 cubic yards curbside which would be a significantly less volume when chipped. He said he estimated about 500 cubic yards of unprocessed green waste that cannot be chipped, so all this waste will be recycled through the vendor.
Mayor Bingham said it is critically important that the press release information be accurate.
GREEN WASTE PROCESSING/RECYCLING SITE CONTRACT
On a motion by Councilor Cogswell, seconded by Councilor Samele, the Council voted unanimously to accept the City Engineer's and Purchasing Agent's recommendation to authorize the Mayor to award the Green Waste Processing/Recycling Site Contract to Supreme Industries, Inc. in the estimated amount of $13,500 from the City's Contingency Fund, and to authorize the Mayor to act on behalf of the City
regarding the execution and administration of the Contract, including approval of pay applications. Councilor Waldron noted that one bidder was cheaper. Mr. Rollett said that based on Corporation Counsel review, that bid was rejected due to a lack of critical bid documents.
OPEN TO PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS ONLY
On a motion by Councilor Waldron, seconded by Councilor Zordan, the Council voted unanimously to open the meeting to the public on agenda items only. There was no one who wished to speak.
BUSINESS FROM DEPARTMENT HEADS
On a motion by Councilor Waldron, seconded by Council Cogswell, the Council voted unanimously to consider business presented by Department Heads. No business was presented.
BUSINESS FROM MAYOR AND COUNCIL
On a motion by Councilor Waldron, seconded by Councilor Carbone, the Council voted unanimously to consider business presented by the Mayor and members of the City Council.
Councilors Cogswell and Samele thanked our Emergency Services for doing a great job during the storm and congratulated the newly elected.
Councilor Carbone agreed and thanked Stephen Nocera for his service to the City, and welcomed Timothy Waldron as Administrative Assistant to the Mayor.
Councilor Zordan also congratulated everyone on their election victories and commended the Public Works Department for the clean-up after the storm.
Councilor Waldron thanked the public for their support in the election.
Mayor Bingham thanked Mr. Nocera for tremendous service to the City of Torrington.
He gave an update on the Fireworks Committee's progress, saying an agreement was attained from vendor American Thunder to look at locations and perform initial test shoots at no charge. He said things are progressing and there is community interest.
Mayor Bingham announced some of the scheduled events for "Light Up Main."
EXECUTIVE SESSION: Pending Litigation
On a motion by Councilor Waldron, seconded by Councilor Zordan, the Council voted unanimously to enter Executive Session under Pending Litigation at 7:46 p.m.
OPEN SESSION
On a motion by Councilor Zordan, seconded by Councilor Waldron, the Council voted unanimously to enter Open Session at 8:17 p.m.
ADD TO AGENDA
On a motion by Councilor Waldron, seconded by Councilor Cogswell, the Council voted unanimously to add three items to the agenda.
GARDENHURST AVENUE
On a motion by Councilor Cogswell, seconded by Councilor Samele, the Council voted unanimously to authorize the Corporation Counsel to execute the stipulated judgment releasing the paper street portion of Gardenhurst Avenue.
Mayor Bingham explained this will be a paper street that the City has no interest in other than a small section that we will ask to retain.
ILLEGAL JUNKYARD – RED OAK HILL
On a motion by Councilor Carbone, seconded by Councilor Waldron, the Council voted unanimously to accept the recommendation of Planning and Zoning Commission and commence action against Alan Rosa of 70 Red Oak Hill for operating an illegal junkyard.
ILLEGAL JUNKYARD – HARWINTON AVE.
On a motion by Councilor Cogswell, seconded by Councilor Carbone, the Council voted unanimously to accept the recommendation of Planning and Zoning Commission and commence action against Enoch Little of 521-523 Harwinton Ave. for operating an illegal junkyard.
ADJOURNMENT
On a motion by Councilor Waldron, seconded by Councilor Carbone, and unanimously approved, the meeting was adjourned at 8:20 p.m.
ATTEST: JOSEPH L. QUARTIERO, CMC ,
CITY CLERK
Respectfully Submitted
Carol L. Anderson, CCTC
Asst. City Clerk
Addendum 1
Cultural Affairs Committee
Creation and Purpose
There is hereby created and established a municipal committee known as “Cultural Affairs Committee.” The Mission of the Cultural Affairs Committee is to Organize, Coordinate, Research, and Manage actions and make recommendations regarding diverse cultural, economic, and social issues within our community. To ensure that all residents of Torrington enjoy a harmonious and healthy environment by promoting community awareness and acceptance of our diverse cultures in our schools, neighborhoods, and businesses. By serving as a liaison to the Mayor and City Council on diversity issues, we can make Torrington a town that welcomes everyone.
Membership, Terms
- The Committee shall consists of 15 members; 10 regular members and 5 executive board members with varied interests and a willingness to execute the mission statement. Members shall be appointed by the Mayor and approved by the City Council. Ex-Officio members shall be designated from the Mayor’s Office. All members shall serve without compensation. Of the members first appointed, 7 shall serve until December 31st, 2012 and 8 shall serve until December 31, 2014. Thereafter each succeeding member shall be appointed for a four year term. There will be a term limit of two terms for a total of 8 years.
- Vacancies and Removals
Committee members having more than 4 unexcused absences in a calendar year will automatically lose their Committee seat and the Mayor will appoint a new Committee Member.
The Committee shall at its first meeting following the effective date of its appointment and annually thereafter elect a Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, and a Secretary from its members and other such officers as the Committee may determine. The Chairman and Vice-Chairman shall serve alternating 4 year terms.
Meetings and Rules of Procedure
The Committee shall meet at least once a month and at such other times as the Committee shall determine. The Committee may adopt its own rules of procedure consistent with the provisions of this article. A majority of its members shall constitute a quorum, and said Committee shall hold regular meetings once a month, open to the public.
Maintenance of Records
The Committee shall maintain accurate records of the Committee’s work. It shall keep a record of the minutes of all meetings, procedures and accounts of the Committee and shall file a copy thereof with the Town Clerk. Such records shall be open to the public.
Duties
- The Committee shall develop and build a strong, vibrant, ethnic and cultural alliance that contributes to the success of Torrington’s existing cultural and ethnic assets.
- The Committee shall foster a strong, diverse, base of support and encourage cultural and ethnic diversity.
- The Committee shall keep records of its meetings and activities and shall file an annual report with the City Council describing its activities for the previous calendar year.
- The Committee shall work with city agencies, neighborhood groups, the community at large and non-profit entities for the purpose of writing grants and obtaining funding.
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