Town of Willington
BOARD OF SELECTMEN • 40 OLD FARMS ROAD • WILLINGTON, CONNECTICUT 06279 • (860) 487-3100 • FAX (860) 487-3103
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
Jointly with
Planning & Zoning Commission and the Economic Development Commission
Special Meeting Minutes
Town Office Building June 15, 2010
Lower Level Small Conference Room 6:30 P.M.
First Selectman Mailhos called the meeting to order at 6:30 P.M. with the following in attendance: Selectman Millix & Blessington with Planning & Zoning members; Chairman Matt Ellis, Ed Standish, Tom Murphy, Phil Nevers, Jim Poole (Alternate) as well as Economic Development members; Chairman Dave Charette, Marc Jeffreys and Kim Kowalshyn. Walter Parsell (Planning & Zoning) joined the meeting at 6:34 P.M.
A. Introduction
First Selectman Mailhos asked everyone from the boards to introduce themselves and tell everyone how long they have been members of their commissions.
B. Board of Selectmen Goal:
Increase public awareness that Willington supports business development and growth by working together with Planning & Zoning Commission, Economic Development Commission, residents and businesses.
First Selectman Mailhos stated that this meeting has been called because of the above stated goal. This would be a first step in addressing the issue. She said to refrain from finger pointing and blaming.
Selectman Blessington stated that the goal isn’t exactly the way we first worded it. He said that there was a perception that Willington seems unfriendly to business. He said that when it was discussed at the BOS meeting, he was jumped on; so the wording of the goal was revised. But saying it isn’t so, doesn’t make it accurate. Selectman Blessington then said that the EDC has done a great job working to get business in Town. Loves Veterinary Center is a great example. Bureaucracy is a problem. Examples are certain signs being “taken down” and $50 fees that some business need to pay and other’s do not. A new restaurant wants to come into Phelps Plaza, but has been given a hard time. Whenever a problem
arises it seems to go negative to the owner. A sign was taken off of someone’s property, the homeowner was never notified, but was then told that the property was state property and the sign was in violation.
Discussion was held about negative experiences in the Land Use Department. Selectman Millix said we can have fifty good experiences, and one bad, and that one bad experience is the only thing you hear about. For him, that is a problem.
Chairman Ellis said he takes a lot of offense to anyone who says that we are a business-unfriendly Town, because he is Chair of the P&Z commission. He also stated that they have denied zero business in this town since he has sat on this board. The Annual renewal $50 permit is a cop out, if you don’t want to pay it you can come in and ask to have it waived; if you want to put chairs outside of your restaurant, you will need to ask for a permit like other businesses in town have. For the most part, business can do whatever they want, as long as they get a permit. If you want to open a business in town, as long as it is not live entertainment, just about anything is allowed. Selectman Blessington said it should be stated somewhere that the $50 fee may be waived. Phil Nevers
said that it is usually posted in the board’s minutes. The requirement to waive the fee is that the business needs to be in good standing and have no complaints.
Selectman Millix said that the Building Inspector and the Health Director have tough jobs. Nobody likes to be told what they can or cannot do with their property. It has to be done in a positive and delicate manner. Our staff should be positive and nice.
Ed Standish suggested that we look into a literature process as what a local Chamber of Commerce would do. First Selectman Mailhos said we could join the local Chamber of Commerce for a small fee. Can we produce some sort of kit for those who want to start up new business?
Jim Poole said he takes great issue when someone said we are unfriendly to business. He as a Chairman of EDC walks the business owner through step by step. Marc Jeffreys said the negative perception is created by the interaction that businesses have had with the town have negative repercussions. If we can advertise the success stories and welcome them into Town – spread the word, we might attract more business. We should highlight the things that differentiate us from other Towns. Taking Love’s Veterinary Center for an example; how do we make that part of our standard practice?
Selectman Blessington said we could do a few things. The EDC does a great job, but the breakdown starts in the zoning enforcement. Is it possible to say “you can’t do this” – perhaps offer different suggestions as to what is accepted. Can someone tell the business owner that the $50.00 fee could be waived, rather than make them read the regulations? The chair and sign issues in the plaza, is there a way to fix it? Chairman Ellis said that the owner of the plaza needs to change the sight plan which would alter the permits for the plaza. The owner is responsible for changing the site plan, not the tenants and he does not seem to be interested.
Lynn Nicholls said when she first moved to Town, she got a welcome wagon from Stafford. She went to the Town Clerk’s office and got advertising of local businesses. We need to put something together like that for new residents.
Nicole Marley said that Ashford has a small business association that encourages people to frequent other businesses in Town. Perhaps we could do something like that. We could also set up something on the website.
Ray Crossen said that it is easier to say “no” and turn someone down when you are busy working on something else, rather than take the 7 minutes to explain the processes. The mom & pop shop should be directed to the EDC; once they get the ball rolling, they should then go to the Land Use Department. He also said we have a great asset in this Town: I-84 and Route 32. The competition normally comes down between Ashford and Willington. Ashford has put a special zone off of the highway for signage and density to pull businesses in. He recommends looking to what Ashford has done along the highway exits to attract more business. Perhaps the EDC should foster a small business association. It takes a tremendous effort to run with it.
Chairman Charette said the EDC has done the right things; the process the commission uses works. For example, when Love’s Veterinary Center came to town, they had a pre-meeting with enforcement officer; Planning and Zoning and the Health Director. The things that could go wrong were put on the table right away. Mr. Love told him that was the smoothest time he has ever had with the process.
Nicole Marley said the attitude is where it starts. You walk in, get the packet you should get a smile, and offer help. Once people come in and get a positive attitude, they are happy to come back. It needs to improve with some people. Selectman Millix suggested using a liaison between the resident and zoning to inform the resident of what they will need to do what they need to do. Mr. Poole said that the person who is looking to build something usually has an engineer with them to help through the process and usually don’t need that.
First Selectman Mailhos asked everyone to offer suggestions about what they can do going forward. She is going to report back to everyone with what it will take to join the Chamber of Commerce and how much it will cost. Marc Jeffreys said that there are promotional opportunities for the EDC. We can create a welcome packet with some success stories along with a business card. First Selectman Mailhos asked P&Z if they can comb through the regulations and see if there are things that jump out as potentially being difficult to work with. Chairman Ellis said it won’t happen anytime soon, because the subdivision regulations need to get finished first. He said maybe in 9 years or so.
Mr. Poole said that we need to remember that Willington’s infrastructure is poor when it comes to (public) water, sewage and discharge. That is the biggest issue that we, along with Mansfield and Ashford struggle with.
A. Action regarding MIRMA assessment (Board of Selectmen)
First Selectman Mailhos moved that we enter into the agreement with other Towns to look into possible legal issues with MIRMA, not to exceed $1,000.00.
Selectman Blessington seconded the motion.
Selectman Millix said at the last meeting there were still a lot of questions. MIRMA signed an agreement with the state insurance commission. They are from this point forward going to cease to exist. The bottom line is that we are not going to be able to walk away from this without having to pay. MIRMA has already received a letter from an Attorney; there is absolutely no reason for us to spend any money on this. It is a waste of money. He puts his faith in the State and the Commission that there is not much we can do about it, and it will not change the end result. He does not want to spend any more money on this. Selectman Blessington said that we will end up paying something to MIRMA, however if an investigation is done, it may be that we owe less; it is a worthy
gamble.
Vote: 2 Yes (Mailhos, Blessington) 1 No (Millix).
Meeting was adjourned the meeting at 6:40 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Robin Campbell
Robin Campbell
Administrative Assistant
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