BOARD OF SELECTMEN
Special Meeting Minutes
Town Office Building February 11, 2011
Lower Level Conference Room 12:00 P.M.
First Selectman Mailhos called the meeting to order at 12:00 P.M. with the following in attendance: Selectman Millix & Blessington with Public Works Supervisor, Lynn Nicholls; Town Engineer, Karl Acimovic; Superintendent David Harding, Administrative Assistant Brenda LaFemina-Weber. Emergency Management Director, Stu Cobb and Head Custodian, Ron Strong arrived at 12:08 and 12:10 respectively. Ralph Tulis, Structural Engineer arrived at 12:15 P.M.
*School Roof snow load update:
Superintendent Harding said the Town Engineer and the Building Inspector reviewed both school roofs on Wednesday. The roofs currently have 22 lbs. of weight on them right now, and they are geared for 35 lbs. They are in good shape. We got two new snow blowers today and plan to continue to clear the snow off, beginning with Center School on Saturday. Ron Strong said they may need a few extra Fire Department members, and will coordinate with Cheif Millix. The snow blowers will then be moved to Hall School on Monday after school has begun to remove the snow from there. First Selectman Mailhos will coordinate with J.J.Mottes Company to use their boom truck to transfer the equipment between the schools on Monday.
First Selectman Mailhos then reviewed the status of the Municipal buildings: Although the library has steep roofs, there is an area in the back of the library that has a flat roof, and has accumulated a lot of snow on it. The Public Works Crew and Fire Department cleared off the snow on Wednesday and Thursday; the roof is now exposed. The drifts and ice dams were cleared this morning. There are no leaks in that building.
The Senior Center has had some leaking in the office area. The Fire Department was back out there this morning to remove the large icicle that has formed and was posing concerns. The seniors seem to be happy with the area now. The back (North) area still has quite a bit of snow on it, but Karl Acimovic said it is not a major concern.
First Selectman Mailhos said that all of the flat parts of the Town Office Building have been cleared off. Today, cracks were found throughout the lower level. The Building Inspector and Town Engineer assessed the situation and found that a truss has become bent. The sloped roofs have collected snow, which has begun to melt and appears that the re-freezing of the snow has shifted the building a bit. Karl Acimovic stated that after evaluating the roof, it is not as bad as we originally thought. There is a natural ridge (called a cricket) in the roof and does not seem to be a real concern, as long as the snow is removed and the situation monitored. He also suggested having the drainage pipes secured as they may have shifted.
Lynn said the Public Works garage seems to be OK, there has been a lot of melting, and the icicles are the most concern at the moment.
*Road conditions
First Selectman Mailhos said while she hasn’t been on every single road in town, she has seen all of the main ones and they are in good shape. She has had many calls from residents that snow is being pushed back in their yards, and wanted to clarify that the Town has a ten foot right of way. Also she wanted to clarify that the Town is not responsible to clear out driveways. The snow is pushed back keep sight lines open and make more room to plow if and when it snows again.
Superintendent Harding said that the bus drivers are pleased with the widening of the roads and are very appreciative. He rode on one of the busses to assess the areas of concern. He said while they are OK now, we will have larger concerns when the snow and ice begins to thaw, and wash-outs can happen. Discussion was held on renting four wheel drive vehicles to pick up students in the troubled areas (mostly dirt roads). This idea will be researched and we will continue to monitor road conditions.
Lynn said the crews are to the point where they are on top of the situation and she will be pulling the contractors off of the roads as of today. The Public Works crew will continue to work on pushing back snow and improving sight lines.
C. Postal Service update
First Selectman Mailhos said the Post Master was complimentary of the road conditions and improvements. He stated that people do not realize that they need to come to the post office to fill out a form to stop holding their mail and return to delivering to their mailboxes. Selectman Millix suggested to post a public notice to inform residents.
D. Plan of action
We will stop the contractors as of today.
Equipment will be moved to Center School Roof (snow removal will continue on Saturday)
Equipment will be moved to Hall School Roof on Monday (after school has started)
We will continue to monitor drainage on roofs and roads.
Lynn reiterated that sand is only available at the Transfer Station, not Public Works.
Selectman Millix motioned to adjourn at 12:50 P.M.
Selectman Blessington seconded the motion.
Vote: 3 Yes (Mailhos, Millix & Blessington) 0 No.
Respectfully submitted,
Robin Campbell
Administrative Assistant
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