MINUTES
REGULAR MEETING
CITY COUNCIL & WPC AUTHORITY
December 23, 2013
A REGULAR MEETING was held by the City Council & WPC Authority in the Auditorium on Monday, December 23, 2013.
Those in attendance included Mayor Elinor Carbone, Corporation Counsel Raymond Rigat and City Councilors Paul Cavagnero, Gregg Cogswell, Anne Ruwet, Christopher Anderson, and Paul Samele. Also present were Fire Chief Gary Brunoli, Deputy Fire Chief Christopher Pepler, Police Chief Michael Maniago, City Planner Martin Connor, WPC Administrator Ray Drew, Comptroller Alice Proulx, and Mayoral Aid Timothy Waldron. City Councilor Drake Waldron was absent.
Mayor Carbone called the meeting to order at 6:29 p.m. beginning with the Pledge of Allegiance.
MINUTES
On a motion by Councilor Cogswell, seconded by Councilor Anderson, the Council voted unanimously
to accept the corrected minutes of the Regular Meeting held December 2, 2013. Councilor Samele abstained.
OPEN TO PUBLIC
On a motion by Councilor Ruwet, seconded by Councilor Cogswell, the Council voted unanimously
to open the meeting to the public.
Mike Clark of Elton Street addressed Council regarding the purchase of property at 100 Franklin Street and urged them to postpone this vote until they first consult those who have the expertise, talk to neighboring businesses and gather enough information to develop a cohesive plan.
Charlotte Rossi, owner of 20 E. Main St. read letters from Jim Rokus and herself expressing their support and enthusiasm for the purchase of 100 Franklin Street.
Chris Wiley of Maplewood Ave. complained that the City and State are driving jobs away, and pointed out that entertainment is useless in paying one's bills. He said the Franklin St. property should be returned to what it was at the industrial heart of Torrington, to create jobs. He added that the streetlight near his house has been malfunctioning for the last six months.
ACQUISITION OF 100 FRANKLIN ST.
On a motion by Councilor Cogswell, seconded by Councilor Ruwet, the Council considered the acquisition of 100 Franklin St.
Mr. Connor addressed some of the public comments, saying that Department Heads have been discussing this purchase for some time, during regular weekly Land Use meetings. He said that although an exact plan hasn't been created, they do know that this is an important piece of property that they feel the City needs to take control of.
Mr. Connor said he has contacted nearby property owners who were all in favor of the City acquiring this property, if for nothing else than some extra parking.
Councilor Cavagnero asked what the worst-case scenario would be. Mayor Carbone explained there is a cost range driven by the ultimate goal of what the use of the property will be. She said the lower range would be a quick mediation by capping the environmental concerns, but the full extent of the pollution could only be determined by a Phase 3 survey.
Mayor Carbone said that in addition to this property being part of Torrington's Plan of Conservation and Development, the use of this property is also part of the Municipal Development Plan adopted by the City, Litchfield County, and approved by the State. She said that the plans are in place, and it's just a question of now taking action to implement those plans.
Councilor Ruwet asked if the City has done its due diligence researching this project. Mr. Connor replied that our Brownfields specialist HRP looked at it, and all the Department Heads have been talking about it for a couple of years.
Councilor Cogswell asked if there is a deadline for use of grant funds. Mr. Waldron explained that the City's $800,000 Revolving Loan Fund from the EPA is slated to expire in August. He said there is a need for owners of contaminated properties to take advantage of these funds before they are gone.
Mayor Carbone said that some of the funds have been used for assessment work but no one has actually accessed the loan portion of the fund to clean up their properties. Mr. Waldron said that should these funds be used now, the City will be in a better position to apply for funding a second time.
Councilor Cavagnero noted that 100 Franklin Street is strategically placed and gives the City leverage for shaping future plans for downtown.
Councilor Anderson agreed, saying it would be a wasted opportunity not to purchase this property, even if it were only used for a parking lot.
Councilor Samele said he is definitely in favor of this as it would be a wonderful thing for the City.
A vote was taken and the Council voted unanimously to accept the City Planner's recommendation to acquire the Berbric Realty Corp. property at 100 Franklin Dr. for $1.00, as approved by the Planning & Zoning Commission on October 9, 2013.
PRESENTATION: Torrington Fire Service Year End Report
Chief Brunoli reported that his main goal has been to consolidate Fire Services in the City, and the 2008 Strategic Plan has been used as a guide. This has been a challenge with staff turnover, he said, but great strides have been made to meet some of the goals in the Strategic Plan. Chief Brunoli said that all personnel, both volunteer and career, are now on the same page for first alarm arrival for a fire. No matter who arrives first, they all know what job they have to do. He said his staff has been doing a lot of pre-planning by reviewing buildings and visiting property owners. This helps new firefighters that don't know the City, he said. Chief Brunoli said he is also looking reviewing business owners' emergency plans to see if they work and to make sure our service is what they would like to
see.
Chief Brunoli said he will reevaluate our ISO rating in the Spring, which sets the fire protection rating for residential and commercial properties. Right now we're at 3.9, he said, and believes we can get to a 2.7,
which will lower insurance rates for almost everyone in the City.
Chief Brunoli noted that career assessment and job performance evaluations have begun, to make sure all Firefighters are prepared and ready to go to work for our citizens.
One big, bright spot in this consolidation has been the Fire Police, Chief Brunoli said. He explained that three departments have been combined into one, under Torringford Volunteer Department's roof for now. They operate as one group serving the City, the Fire Service and the Police Department and are great to work with, having a lot of cooperation and coordination.
Chief Brunoli reported that the new Deputy Fire Marshal's Prevention Education program has achieved an incredible 7720 contact hours since February, and has made a lot of private/public partnerships including the VNS and Meals on Wheels with the Senior Center.
Chief Brunoli said his main concern is the staffing and manpower required to provide Fire Service in the City of Torrington. He said that volunteer ranks have slowly declined over the years, making it more difficult to recruit and retain firefighters. He said as of December 9th, the majority of active members resigned from the Burrville Fire Department leaving them with four Fire Police and two active firefighters. Chief Brunoli said that on December 9th, he discontinued dispatching the Burrville Fire Department to any calls in the City of Torrington, and noted that over the last year, he has been sending a career piece to Burrville to make sure there was service coverage.
Chief Brunoli said he is working with the Deputy Chief on plans to use the people in support roles. But you need people to provide service, he said, and concluded that they are all working together and doing their best.
POLICE DEPT. MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT
On a motion by Councilor Cogswell, seconded by Councilor Anderson, the Council voted unanimously
to authorize the Mayor to sign the Western Area Regional Chiefs of Police Mutual Aid Agreement, as tabled on December 2, 2013, and as approved by the Board of Public Safety on December 4, 2013.
Chief Maniago said this is with the 11 Police Departments on the western side of the State in Region 5. It will put a plan in motion to have all the paperwork and all the necessary plans beforehand, before they are needed. This planning and paperwork will be of great benefit to us, he said.
In answer to Councilor Cavagnero's question, Chief Maniago said it will cost us if we deploy personnel or if we utilize our equipment, but it will cost other Departments the same thing. He said this is not solely for Torrington, but for the eleven towns as well, including Winsted, Thomaston, Watertown, Waterbury, Middlebury, and New Milford. Chief Maniago said there will be a cost factor if we get deployed but we won't be deployed for every incident, and deployment is determined by the Chief of Police in that town.
Councilor Cavagnero said he is in favor of regionalized resources and asked when associated costs will be reviewed. Chief Maniago said he can create any kind of report the Council wants.
Mayor Carbone pointed out that this Mutual Aid Agreement is 'as-needed' and compared it to the traffic situation created after the Sandy Hook incident, where all departments needed to be on the same page, knowing what the expectations are. Chief Maniago agreed and said this is designed to help other departments with emergency situations, without waiting until the emergency situation arises to figure out who can come, who can't, who's going to do what, and get all the paperwork signed before any officers are sent to the scene.
REGIONAL ANIMAL CONTROL - BUDGET AMENDMENTS
On a motion by Councilor Samele, seconded by Councilor Ruwet, the Council voted unanimously
to authorize the budget amendments listed in the Comptroller's memo dated November 14, 2013 for fiscal year 2013/2014 regarding the regionalization of Animal Control.
MAYORAL APPOINTMENTS
Before taking the vote, Mayor Carbone removed Brian Paganini's name from the list, saying she had not confirmed this appointment yet. On a motion by Councilor Ruwet, seconded by Councilor Cavagnero, the Council voted unanimously to approve the following Mayoral appointments:
Name Position New Term to Expire
Kenneth Traub, BOE THS Athl.Fiels Impr. Bldg. Comm. n/a
Gregg Cogswell, City Council THS Athl.Fiels Impr. Bldg. Comm. n/a
Fletcher Waldron Sealer of Weights & Measures 12/15/2015
Frank Rubino Board of Finance 12/15/2019
Gregory Mele Flood & Erosion Control Board 12/01/2016
Paul Summers Flood & Erosion Control Board 12/01/2016
Richard Calkins Flood & Erosion Control Board 12/01/2016
Doris Murphy Flood & Erosion Control Board 12/01/2016
Gregory Perosino Flood & Erosion Control Board 12/01/2016
James Bobinski Alternate Flood & Erosion Control Brd. 12/01/2016
Christine Mele Alternate Flood & Erosion Control Brd. 12/01/2016
Donna Greco Alternate Flood & Erosion Control Brd. 12/01/2016
SENIOR CENTER RENOVATION - BUDGET TRANSFERS
On a motion by Councilor Cogswell, seconded by Councilor Samele, the Council voted unanimously
to authorize the Comptroller to transfer $4,287.24 from line item 0010.0016.5245.0000 Building Maintenance to Fund 0321 Senior Center Facility Renovation, for final Facility Renovation project costs.
ZONING ENFORCEMENT ACTION
On a motion by Councilor Cogswell, seconded by Councilor Anderson, the Council voted unanimously
to authorize the Corporation Counsel to take legal action in the Superior Court against the owners of the following properties for various zoning violations as stated in the CZ&WEO's memo dated December 4, 2013:
(a.) 30 Grant Street
(b.) 30 Smith Street
(c.) 126 High Street
NEW HARWINTON RD – SAN. SEWER CAPITAL IMPRV.
Acting herein as the Water Pollution Control Authority, on a motion by Councilor Samele, seconded by Councilor Anderson, the Council voted unanimously to approve the following payments from Fund #490 for the Capital Project D-13 New Harwinton Rd. Pump Station Rehabilitation:
DATE CONTRACTOR INVOICE# AMOUNT DESCRIPTION
12/5/13 Weston & Sampson 428146 $ 250.00 James St Sewer Replacement
12/5/13 Weston & Sampson 428142 $13,630.00 East Drainage Basin I/I Design
ADOPT RESOLUTION FOR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE GRANT
On a motion by Councilor Cavagnero, seconded by Councilor Cogswell, the Council voted unanimously
the following resolution authorizing the Mayor to enter into with and sign and deliver to the State of Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, any and all documents which it deems to be necessary and appropriate for the application for an Emergency Management Performance Grant:
RESOLVED, that the Board of Councilmen may enter into with and deliver to the State of Connecticut
Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, Division of Emergency Management and
Homeland Security, any and all documents which it deems to be necessary or appropriate; and
FURTHER RESOLVED, that Elinor Carbone, as Mayor of the City of Torrington is authorized and
directed to execute and deliver any and all documents on behalf of the Board of Councilmen and to
do and perform all acts and things which she deems to be necessary or appropriate to carry out the
terms of such documents.
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, AGENDA ITEMS ONLY
On a motion by Councilor Cogswell, seconded by Councilor Samele, the Council voted unanimously
to open the meeting to the pubic on "agenda items" only. There was no one who wished to speak.
BUSINESS BY DEPT. HEADS
On a motion by Councilor Anderson, seconded by Councilor Cavagnero, the Council voted unanimously
to consider business presented by Department Heads. Holiday wishes were expressed.
BUSINESS BY MAYOR AND COUNCIL
On a motion by Councilor Anderson, seconded by Councilor Cavagnero, the Council voted unanimously
to consider business presented by the Mayor and members of the City Council. Holiday wishes were expressed, and Councilor Samele congratulated the Mayor on her election, saying he looks forward to working with the Mayor and new Council.
ADJOURNMENT
On a motion by Councilor Ruwet, seconded by Councilor Cavagnero, the Council voted unanimously
to adjourn at 7:16 p.m.
ATTEST: JOSEPH L. QUARTIERO, CMC
CITY CLERK
Respectfully Submitted,
Carol L. Anderson CCTC
Asst. City Clerk
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