MINUTES
Willington Housing Authority
Special Meeting
Monday, November 21 , 2016 – 6 p.m.
60 Old Farms Road – Senior Center
Willington, CT
Present: Chairman Robert Campbell, Vice Chairman Wilbur Gangaway, Secretary Don Berg, Treasurer Claudia D'Agata, Member Laurel Millix, Financial Consultant David Berto, Recording Secretary Brenda Sullivan.
1. Call to order – 6:08 p.m.
2. Present to speak – opportunity for members of the public to speak
No members of the public present to speak.
3. Old Business – Senior Housing “Button Hill”
D. Berto reported that construction is progressing very well. He also noted there was a slight delay because some electric lines had to be moved before construction could begin on Building 4.
R. Campbell also noted construction was briefly halted because the Department of Housing was not making payments as scheduled. D. Berto said payments were recently made for work performed two and three months ago, and payment for last month's work has been submitted to the DOH along with required wage rate reports that were received from Zlotnick Construction a few days ago. He said the DOH stated it will take two weeks to review the wage reports. He said Zlotnick Construction is now revising its finish date, but the contractor originally submitted a conservative schedule to accommodate these kinds of delays.
R. Campbell said he wants D. Berto's office in contact with the DOH every other day, to keep track of the progress on the requisitions, so he can keep the contractor up to date. He said good communication is very important.
D. Berto reported that his office is working on the wording of the contract with ACCESS, the management company.
R. Campbell asked for an update on the easement agreement for Eversource. D. Berto said it's well underway but is also very complicated. He said the easement isn't just from the street to Button Hill, it also has to include an easement from the street to Willington Woods. This is because the power company didn't get an easement when Willington Woods was built, so Eversource wants the new easement to correct that oversight.
D. Berto also said that Atty. Scaramossa also had to contact all parties with rights, as well as the Town of Willington as owner, to get permissions. These parties include ACCESS, HUD, the DOH, Putnam Bank, Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston and possibly others. The attorney has done a title search and is getting all required permissions, will record them and submit these documents to Eversource.
D. Berto reported that change orders currently are well within the change order budget, and he is now waiting for a change order for the gravel sub-base for the roadway before it's paved.
R. Campbell said the piles of material currently on site will be removed by the subcontractor, Yankee Heritage, because it doesn't meet specifications, according to the project engineer Eric Peterson.
D. Berto noted that the particle size of the material was defective and D. Berg said organic material was found.
R. Campbell said E. Peterson and D. Berg were on site for the choice of testing spots for analysis by DOT and it was determined the soil was unsatisfactory.
R. Campbell also said a certificate of origin wasn't submitted. He said Yankee Heritage is aware that it has to address these issues.
He said the same material was used under the dumpster pads and sidewalks, which shouldn't cause problems, but it is unacceptable for the roadway.
D. Berg asked if it's too late to pave. R. Campbell said many plants can still provide the material.
R. Campbell said there's some question about when the subcontractors, who halted work because of delayed payments from Zlotnick Construction, will get back to work. He noted Zlotnick has now been paid $800,000. D. Berto said Zlotnick was chosen as contractor because the company has the financial stability to accommodate ups and downs of cash flow. R. Campbell said a delay of 60 days is one thing, but a delay of 120 days is not the norm.
R. Campbell asked that anyone attending Wednesday's site walk check for buckets of compound in the buildings. He is concerned that the compound might freeze because of the recent drop in temperatures below freezing. He said a change order for temporary heating has been approved for the first buildings.
D. Berto left the meeting at 6:33 p.m.
4. New Business – There was no new business.
5. Correspondence – C. D'Agata said the WHA received a request from a 62-year-old Stafford Springs resident, Pat Morris, who stated she is an artist and is looking for subsidized housing, and would like to apply to Willington. W. Gangaway said he will take the letter to ACCESS so they can determine if Morris is eligible. C. D'Agata also said there are now 23 people on the notification list for openings at Button Hill.
6. Approval of minutes –
D. Berg moved and L. Millix seconded the motion to approve the minutes of the September 29, 2016 Special Meeting regarding gas tanks. There was no discussion. The motion passed unanimously.
D. Berg moved and L. Millix seconded the motion to approve the minutes as submitted for the October 17, 2016 regular meeting. There was no discussion. The motion passed unanimously.
7. Treasurer’s report – C. D'Agata reported a balance of $2,090.06, which includes payment of secretarial expenses.
R. Campbell also reported that $5,000 was credited by Frontier, thanks to efforts by D. Berg.
8. Adjourn – The meeting adjourned at 6:50 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by Brenda Sullivan, Recording Secretary.
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