BOARD OF SELECTMEN
Meeting Minutes
Regular Meeting February 1, 2010
Town Office Building – Lower Conference Room 6:30 P.M.
First Selectman Mailhos called the meeting to order at 6:30 P.M. with the following in attendance: Selectmen Millix & Blessington, Lynn Nicholls and residents. First Selectman Mailhos led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Approval of Minutes:
Selectman Blessington motioned to approve the minutes of January 19, 2010 with the following correction:
Under New Business, C. Town Counsel RFP add:
John Patton demanded that Selectman Blessington recuse himself from participation in choosing a Town Attorney on the grounds that the firm of Murtha-Cullina is his personal attorney. Selectman Blessington replied that Murtha-Cullina had defended him in a lawsuit some years ago but that he does not have them on retainer. He therefore will decline to recuse himself.
First Selectman Mailhos seconded the motion.
Vote: 3 Yes (Mailhos, Millix & Blessington) 0 No.
Selectman Blessington motioned to approve the minutes of January 25, 2010 as written.
Selectman Millix seconded the motion.
Vote: 3 Yes (Mailhos, Millix & Blessington) 0 No.
Present to Speak:
No one.
Correspondence:
A list of correspondence was available at the meeting and in the Selectman’s office.
First Selectman Status Report:
First Selectman Mailhos went over the updated report:
*Low income home improvement grants – Letters have been sent out and we are waiting for the completed applications to come back in; we will then forward to L.Wagner & Associates to process.
*EECBG Grant (window replacement for Town Office Building) – we should hear from Dave Kalafa sometime in February per Tony Gugliemo.
*Senior Housing Phase III – The Board of Finance has transferred money to the Housing Authority line item so they can now look for Grant money.
*Water System Treatment – First Selectman Mailhos said that she had a tour of the pump station a few weeks ago, and was quite impressed with it. The injector pump is ready to be installed any day now. The Town has received an approval letter from the State to proceed.
*Budget Planning – there are no further workshops planned. The Board will discuss the budget at the next regular meeting.
*Fire Department/Ambulance Service Contracts – The Town Attorney is working on some boiler polate language for the contracts, and will have a meeting to work out the details in the near future.
*CL&P major conversion in Willington: First Selectman Mailhos met with our representative from CL&P last Friday. They will be doing some upgrades and reconditioning in upcoming months; certain areas in Town may experience intermittent interruptions in service. We will do what we can to make the public aware of the interruptions in CL&P’s service.
*Probate Court Planning – The committee is looking at spaces in Mansfield and Tolland for hosting the court. Many details still need to be worked out, and either of the elected spots would require renovation to accommodate the court. They will reconvene to make a final decision. Date has not been decided as of yet.
*Appointments for Boards and Commissions – First Selectman Mailhos plans to sent out a message of different openings on Boards and Commissions of the vacancies.
Selectman Millix asked if CT Water will notify us when they will be working on the system at Willington Woods, it is important that we keep the residents in the loop of what is going on.
Public Works:
Lynn said that they are maintaining vehicles and keeping up with the storms. The snow keeps drifting on the roads. First Selectman Mailhos asked how the snow budget looks. Lynn said it looks OK for now. She will know more in the next month.
New Business:
A. Discussion of Board of Selectmen minutes and minute’s procedure
First Selectman Mailhos asked to revisit how we do the minutes. Selectman Blessington said he likes them the way they are. First Selectman Mailhos asked if we need to keep the level of detail. Some people have said that there is too much information provided. Selectman Millix said the public seems to like the details that are in there. Selectman Millix asked what precipitated this. First Selectman Mailhos said it was because Selectman Blessington had offered to proofread the minutes prior to them going out. She contacted FOI to see what the proper procedure of minute processing was. They suggested only having one person check them, as we could run into three different takes of the same thing, and the Board could find itself meeting offline to discuss the minutes. They said that the way we
do it now (Robin types them up, First Selectman Mailhos proofs them, they are posted online, and then approved at the next regular meeting) is fine. Selectman Blessington said that he did not mean that he wanted to edit them, just proof for typos. Selectman Millix said he is happy with the process the way it is now. Christine Psathas said the only requirement of State Statute is to have information on when, where, who attends, motions and votes – the most important information of the meetings, and the motions and votes need to be posted to the Town Clerk within 48 hours. Mark Palmer said that once the minutes go to the Town Clerk, they are published and cannot be changed. Selectman Blessington said that his proposal to proofread the minutes was ill advised. First Selectman Mailhos said she has heard different opinions on the level of detail that should be provided in the Board of Selectmen minutes. Mark Palmer suggested looking at examples
of other Towns minutes. The minutes will remain the same for now.
B. Update from Economic Development Commission
Jim Poole, Chairman of the Economic Development Commission issued an 11 page presentation to the Board. He stated that the commission took note of the Board of Selectmen meeting minutes from January 12, and the goal setting meeting on January 19th. Mr. Poole would like to refute the idea that there seems to be a perception in town that Willington is being unfriendly to businesses. The Economic Development Commission respectfully disagrees with the following statements: “Willington seems to have the reputation of being the most business unfriendly Town in the State” and “perception that Willington does not seem to welcome business in Town”. He said that there is no empirical data to support those statements. First Selectman Mailhos pointed
out the key word is “perception”. Mr. Poole shared information from the past 5 years of businesses that have come and been welcomed to Town, (welcomed is relative term, as long as they meet the requirements necessary in accordance with Planning and Zoning and Inland and Wetlands.). The presentation listed the following businesses who were welcomed and have opened in Town in the past 5 years: Smoke and Leather, Hidden Dragon Karate, Wizard’s Advanced Tattooing, DeNuo Day Spa, Kids Kingdom Day Care, ECHN Diagnostics Center, Leaps & Dreams Dance Studio, Andresen Overhead Door & Awning, JRJ Gas Connections, Dr. Jennifer Veit, Connecticut Cross Roads Realty, LLC, Vector Mortgage Company, Several Home Businesses (ie: consultants, Firearms repair, financial management, travel advisor, nutrition advisor, bakery), Curves for Women, Loves Veterinary Clinic (opening soon), Willington Convenience Store. Out of the following list, DeNuo Day Spa,
Smoke and Leather, Victoria Station, Citgo Gas station and Garage and the Daily Grind Café, LLC have since closed. Connecticut Cross Roads Realty has relocated to Stafford.
The Town has lost business opportunities in the past 5 years: ALDI Distribution Center; Bio-Diesel Processing Facility (they continue to operate at UCONN), Large Box Store Distribution Center and Big Rig Tractor Facility. The number one reason the business did not locate in Willington was a lack of infrastructure (e.g., insufficient water and sewage facilities.)
Business expansions and planned expansions: Chace Building Supply of Connecticut has been approved for expansion, however the economy has halted the expansion. Hidden Dragon Karate has moved from Route 32 to Phelps Crossing which is a larger facility.
The following businesses are considering locating in Willington: Camping World, Construction Materials Recycling Center, IMCORP, Inc, Walgreens Pharmacy and Love’s Travel Stops and Country Store. Love’s Travel Stop is 95% probable they will come to Town in spring 2011. Mr. Woodworth asked if the exit ramp off of I-84 would be expanded. Mr. Poole said not at this time. There is a 10 year plan in place if the DOT implements it. Christine Psathas asked about the status of the expansions of the rest areas on I-84. Selectman Millix heard that the plans were to close them. Mr. Poole said as of right now, they will not close, but are not slated for expansion. In meeting with the Assessor, Mr. Poole states that the list of the new businesses could bring several hundreds of thousands
of tax dollars to Town. He asked the Board where the supporting information can be obtained that “Willington seems to be the most business unfriendly Town in the State” and “Willington does not seem to welcome business in Town” If none can be found, he has requested that the Board not use that wording, and request the following statement “Tackle the perception of Willington being unfriendly to businesses” be deleted from the Town Issues section of the Board of Selectmen’s Goals. Having such statements on public record would have negative consequences.
First Selectman Mailhos said that she does not have any quantitative data, but qualitatively it came up repeatedly while she was campaigning. She repeated that “perception” is the key word – education about the reality could go a long way.
First Selectman Mailhos suggested holding a joint meeting between Economic Development Commission, Planning & Zoning and the Board of Selectmen to uncover where some of the problem areas are and go from there.
Selectman Millix asked how the Commission solicits businesses to come to Town, and do they ever turn a business down? Mr. Poole said that Smoke and Leather was not a business that the residents wanted in Town, but because they followed the rules, they had no problems with opening their business. Mr. Poole said that a lot of people call the planning office for information and are directed to him. EDC also has a link on the Town’s website. As soon as he gets the information, he works with the perspective people as fast as they can.
Mr. Poole said that the statements of the Board of Selectmen minutes did not sit well with the Economic Development Commission and they feel as if they are not appreciated for what they do in this Town. First Selectman Mailhos said the goal statement verified the Town as a whole; it was not directed at the EDC. Selectman Blessington said that the perception was directed more towards Planning and Zoning, not EDC. Mr. Wieciensky said that Planning and Zoning is sometimes difficult to work with. The way the process is presented is not always friendly toward residents. If Planning and Zoning could bend a little bit could make process easier to deal with or perhaps state the entire process of what is required for each process, so there is no going back to re-do things. Selectman Millix said
people by nature do not want to be told what they can or cannot do with the property that they own. That is where the negativity comes from. We normally do not hear the positive points.
Mr. Poole stated that why do we need an Economic Development Commission if Willington is a business unfriendly Town? Selectman Blessington said he gets the impression that Mr. Poole is trying to defend himself against people who are yelling at someone else. First Selectman Mailhos said we are all in this together. We all play a part in the perception of “the Town of Willington”. She was happy to hear what the EDC has accomplished. This is the first time she has seen a list like this. Getting the word out that yes, Willington welcomes business and we have an active EDC is a good first step. The next step is to have a joint meeting with the Board of Selectmen, Planning and Zoning Commission & the Economic Development Commission and come up with some solutions together.
Selectman Millix asked what Mr. Poole would suggest for language. Mr. Poole said he hasn’t thought about it but would look at it. Selectman Millix said that the language was not directed toward him or his group.
Note: A copy of Mr. Poole’s presentation can be found on the Town website – under boards and commissions/Economic Development Commission.
Good & Welfare:
First Selectman Mailhos has received some good news from our Tax Collector – as of today we are at a 92.54% collection rate. This rate is tracking ahead of where we were at this time last year.
The Daily Grind closed this past Saturday. First Selectman Mailhos would like to wish Linda well in her future endeavors. We are sad to see her go.
Friday evening the 8th grade CCD class held a spaghetti supper to benefit the Willington Fuel Bank. It was very successful, and First Selectman Mailhos said the money raised would greater benefit the fuel bank.
Governor Rell has sent a letter announcing that Connecticut will be holding a 375th birthday celebration. They would like Willington to nominate a special person who we turn to for local history and heritage to send to the kickoff celebration. First Selectman Mailhos be contacting nominees to be Willington’s special person.
Executive Session – Pending Claims/Litigation
Selectman Blessington motioned to go into executive session at 7:40 P.M.
Selectman Millix seconded the motion.
Vote: 3 Yes (Mailhos, Millix & Blessington) 0 No.
Selectman Blessington motioned to come out of executive session at 8:52 P.M.
Selectman Millix seconded the motion.
Vote: 3 Yes (Mailhos, Millix & Blessington) 0 No.
Selectman Blessington motioned to adjourn the meeting at 8:52 P.M.
Selectman Millix seconded the motion.
Vote: 3 Yes (Mailhos, Millix & Blessington) 0 No.
Respectfully submitted,
Robin H. Campbell
Robin H. Campbell
Administrative Assistant
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