Willington Housing Authority
60 Old Farms Road
July 11, 2011
Meeting Minutes
Members Present:
Robert Campbell
Claudia D’Agata
Laurel Millix
Wilbur Gangaway
Don Berg
R. Campbell called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM.
W. Gangaway made a motion to accept the minutes of June’s meeting with revisions. L. Millix seconded the motion. C. D’Agata abstained from voting all other members voted in favor.
C. D’Agata presented the treasurers report; she stated that the balance as of 6/6/11 was $6, 123.76. No expenditures have been made since that date.
Correspondence:
1. Bill from Bill Crosskey
2. Thank You note from Nancy Hagen
3. Conn NAHRO rent allocation training
4. Letter of resignation from recording clerk
Present to speak:
Bill Crosskey & Eric Peterson
Mr. Crosskey went over the concept designs with the commission members. He explained that he changed the building foot prints to four buildings and added walkways since the last meeting. He pointed out where he suggested crosswalks should be put in as well so seniors can cross over to the Senior Center. Half the units will have patios on the upper level and half will have their patios on the lower level. Mr. Crosskey stated that the larger one bedroom plus den units will be 852 square feet and the smaller one bedroom units will be 702 square feet. He went over the outside design for the cottages; he stated he will use traditional materials such as clapboard shingles for the siding.
The First Selectwoman asked if there will be parking on both sides. Mr. Crosskey said yes there will be parking in front of each unit.
Mr. Crosskey went on to explain that the cottages will be facing south which will allow them to get more sun if the commission decides to use solar power energy.
D. Berg stated that changing the concept from single units allows them to have less of a footprint on the environment as well.
W. Gangaway asked how many parking spots there will be, Mr. Crosskey said there will be over one hundred. The commission looked at the layout for the new parking vs. the current parking lots.
R. Campbell said that he knew some members were concerned with the distance of walking from the cottages to the Senior Center. He stated that with the original plan of single unit buildings a senior would have had a much further walk to the center then with the current proposed concept.
D. Berg asked about covering the outside stairs from the upper units to the lower units. Mr. Crosskey said that he feels it is an added expense and they will still get windswept snow that will need to be cleared.
R. Campbell asked about the mechanical room for the units. Mr. Crosskey said that it will be individual for each unit and will be housed in a closet in each unit. Mr. Berto stated that there has been a trend to move toward apartment units having individual mechanics and utilities. R. Campbell asked if there can be radiant hydronic heat. Mr. Crosskey said that first they need to decide how green they are going to build and what they are going to add later. Mr. Berto said the commission needs to make a decision on whether they are going to create a room to house the heating mechanicals or if they are going to go individual as that will affect the building design.
Mr. Crosskey said that the units will all have a sprinkler system. The First Selectwoman asked if they will need sidewalks to the mechanical room. R. Campbell said yes they will.
R. Campbell asked if some of the units can have tubs and some shower stalls. Mr. Crosskey said that they can. Mr. Crosskey went over the dimensions of each room.
For the one bedrooms:
Living Room- 13’10”x14’9”
Bedroom- 12’x13’
Kitchen-12’10”x11’
For the one bedroom plus den:
Bedroom- 12’x12’
Living room-12’10”x15’7”
Kitchen-12’10”x11’
Den-12’x10’
The First Selectwoman asked about the den. Mr. Crosskey said that it will have no door or closet.
Mr. Berto asked Mr. Peterson if he was involved in the details of the concept, Mr. Peterson responded, that no he was not that his part comes in after the design is chosen.
Mr. Crosskey told the commission that he will have a concept drawing of a furnished apartment for the next meeting so the members can picture how everything would fit.
W. Gangaway asked the dimension of the entire building. Mr. Crosskey said that it will be thirty six feet. Mr. Peterson discussed the side units not having windows. He stated that they can see if they can create a steeper side slope to allow those units to have side windows.
D. Berg asked if there will be an overhang at the front door. Mr. Crosskey said yes there will be as well as a small front porch/patio. The First Selectwoman asked if there will be enough room for a chair on the patio. Mr. Crosskey said yes, the patio will be 14’x 12’. She asked if the renter will be responsible for clearing snow off of their own patio. R. Campbell said yes they will be responsible for clearing their own patio but not the walkways.
C. D’Agata asked if there will be a back door. Mr. Crosskey said there will not be one.
W. Gangaway asked how the road will be constructed. Mr. Crosskey said that they can have a cul-de-sac, they need to look at the grading of the site before they make a final decision regarding the driveway going all the way around and meeting the current Senior Center parking lot.
The First Selectwoman asked if there will be dumpsters. Mr. Crosskey said yes there will be some on the upper lever and some on the lower. He stated that they can always remove some of the parking spaces if needed to put in a dumpster pad similar to the HUD housing set up.
R. Campbell asked Mr. Berto about the Commissions ability to get funding for this current design concept. Mr. Berto stated that he felt it was very justifiable, he feels they have done enough in cost downsizing. The design shows economic prudence. He stated that it will not be easy for them to obtain funding but making the units even smaller will not make the task any easier.
R. Campbell asked the commission members if there is anything in the design concept that they would like to see changed. W. Gangaway asked if there will be a crosswalk from the sidewalk to the Senior Center, he also stated that he would like to see a movable barricade that could be put up where the cottage roadway meets the Senior Center parking lot when they have large functions or when Food share. R. Campbell suggested paving the cul-de-sac and making the connecting road dirt to limit the number of people who drive on it.
W. Gangaway asked if a dumpster truck will be able to pick up the garbage and turn around. Mr. Crosskey said that there will be enough room for him to back up a little and then turn around if need be.
W. Gangaway asked if the road will be named, R. Campbell said that he did not think so.
Mr. Berto asked the commission members how he should proceed from here. R. Campbell said that Mr. Peterson needs to start working on Mr. Crosskey’s concept and turn it into a design plan. Mr. Peterson said it will take him a few months to complete all the engineering as he needs to complete some field surveys.
R. Campbell said that he would like to get started on the infrastructure before the winter. He stated that they must go to the Wetlands Commission first and then Planning and Zoning. Mr. Peterson stated that he needs to complete all of his engineering before they can go to Wetlands. The First Selectwoman said that they can have a pre-development meeting with Wetlands before their official meeting date. R. Campbell said he would like to get on the agenda for the September meeting.
The commission members discussed LEED funding and certification.
The commission members discussed a mail system for the cottages. Mr. Crosskey suggested mailboxes on each unit. R. Campbell said that he did not think Willington mail people would get out of their vehicles to deliver the mail. Mr. Peterson said he will stop by the post office to find out what they rules are.
Mr. Berto said they need to decide on a unit mix. R. Campbell said that he likes the current mix. Mr. Berto said he would like to see 50% or more of the larger units to support the costs. The commission members agreed. Mr. Berto said at the next meeting the commission members need to decide on the mechanical room whether it be in each unit or a separate room. Mr. Crosskey said he will put together two concepts for the members to look at.
Mr. Peterson said that he can have some of the site plan done for the next meeting but it will not be completed.
D. Berg asked about the north setback line, he asked if they can push it back a little. Mr. Peterson said that there is a well there and they cannot pave over the well.
Mr. Crosskey explained to the commission members how they will set the lease lines for the property. He said that he will have them for the next meeting.
The commission members talked to the First Selectwoman about what the town could contribute to maintenance to offset their operating costs. R. Campbell suggested snow removal and mowing. Mr. Berto stated another option is to have the town not collect taxes from the property and that money could be used for maintenance of the property. The First Selectwoman said she would need to discuss that with the assessor.
The First Selectwoman reminded the commission members that they needed to include their signage in their proposal to Planning and Zoning.
R. Campbell asked the commission members if they liked the concepts. C. D’Agata said that she would like to see shower stalls rather than tubs. R. Campbell suggested walk in showers on the top floor and roll ins on the bottom.
R. Campbell asked Mr. Berto if the Housing Authority has a federal ID number. Mr. Berto said that the Housing Authority cannot use the town’s number but they can apply for their own online. R. Campbell asked Mr. Berto to have Lynn from his office contact the Housing Authorities lawyer to have him obtain the Federal ID number.
The First Selectwoman asked about the funding source for the project and what the bidding process needs to be. Mr. Berto explained that the pre-development funding is state funding and their team for pre-development has been chosen and approved by the state. The town funds that will be used for site work and infrastructure will need to meet EDI and town bid requirements. If the project received future state funding that will have another state bidding process.
Old Business:
None
New Business
The next meeting will be held on August 15th.
The commission members discussed how the units will be heated. R. Campbell stated that he would like to see photo voltaic used. He stated that he would like to see heating included in the rent but have the tenants pay for cooling and electricity.
C. D’Agata made a motion to adjourn at 8:25 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melissa McDonough
Recording Clerk
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