BOARD OF SELECTMEN
Meeting Minutes
Regular Meeting July 18, 2011
Town Office Building- Lower Level 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:
First Selectman Mailhos welcomed Selectman Blessington back.
Selectman Millix motioned to approve the minutes of July 5, 2011 as written.
First Selectman Mailhos seconded the motion.
Vote: 2 Yes (Mailhos, Millix ) 1 Abstain (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:
*EECBG Grant – the window installation project has been pushed back. It will start on August 8th.
*Senior Housing Phase III Senior Cottages – the preliminary plans have been developed and were presented at the Housing Authority meeting last week. First Selectman Mailhos has invited the Chairman of the Housing Authority to come to a future BOS meeting to bring everyone up to speed. This will most likely be some time in September.
*Turnpike Road Extension – Bids are available through the Selectmen’s office for a $50.00 non refundable fee. There will be a pre bid meeting on July 26 at the site and the bids are due back no later than 1:30 on August 1.
*Burma Road – We were not able to get funding to repair the road from BOF. We have received a letter from Inland & Wetlands Commission that we are now in violation.
*Old Town Hall Renovations – First Selectman Mailhos met with an architect last week to work up an RFP to develop a needs assessment of the building. We will also seek additional grant funding from the CT Trust for Historic Preservation to cover some of the costs.
*Polster Road Bridge. – The bridge is on a watch list for the State and we are eligible for a DOT grant, however the bridge will need to meet specifications from the DOT. A meeting will be scheduled with DOT to work out the preliminary details of the project. There will be no financial obligations to the Town at that point, but it is worth looking into.
Selectman Millix moved to empower the First Selectman to engage with the appropriate officials in investing in the replacement of Polster Road Bridge.
Selectman Blessington seconded the motion.
Vote: 3 Yes (Mailhos, Millix & Blessington) 0 No.
*Turnpike Road – Phase I –Funding was approved at the last Town Meeting. The plans will be developed by the Town Engineer.
*Personnel Policy Review – we have received suggestions from the Department Heads. First Selectman Mailhos would like to have a special workshop for the BOS to review. The meeting will be after the regular August 15th BOS meeting.
*Salary/Job Description Study – First Selectman Mailhos is also working on the study as requested by the Board of Finance.
Public Works:
Lynn said the crew is sweeping and hopes to finish next week. The crew is still working on sight lines around Town.
We periodically get calls and emails about speeding on various roads around Town. A few weeks ago we received an email requesting to have speed bumps installed on Marsh Road. Robin requested Troop C to run surveillance on that road. We then received another email from the residents stating that after having the State Police sit out there made the matter worse and they would rather have speed bumps installed. John Patton said a speed bump committee was formed 10 years ago and it was found that speed bumps tend to force the speeding traffic on nearby roads that do not have them, creating new speeding problems on those roads. The other issue is that they cause problems when plowing in the winter as well as the added expense to have them installed. Selectman Blessington said if we put speed bumps on one road,
then residents on other roads will request to have them put on their roads, and so forth. We need to learn to live with certain things out here. Because it is sporadic, this is one of them. We will continue to request for Troop C to monitor the areas when we receive complaints.
The contract has been signed for the culvert lining and as mentioned in the status report, the bids for the culvert installation are available in the Selectmen’s office.
New Business:
First Selectman Mailhos moved to refund $1,839.01 to Brandon H and Shawn M. Munson; 179 River Road for an excess payment.
Selectman Blessington seconded the motion.
Vote: 3 Yes (Mailhos, Millix & Blessington) 0 No.
First Selectman Mailhos moved to re-appoint Wilbur Gangaway as a regular member of the Willington Housing Authority, effective August 1, 2011, expiring August 1, 2016.
Selectman Millix seconded the motion.
Vote: 3 Yes (Mailhos, Millix & Blessington) 0 No.
- Resolution – Historic Documents Preservation Grant
First Selectman Mailhos moved to adopt the following resolution:
RESOLVED, that Christina Mailhos, First Selectman is empowered to execute and deliver in the name and on behalf of this municipality a contract with the Connecticut State Library for a Historic Documents Preservation Grant.
IN WITNESS THEREOF, the undersigned has affixed her signature and the Town Seal this 19th day of July, 2011.
Selectman Blessington seconded the motion.
Vote: 3 Yes (Mailhos, Millix & Blessington) 0 No.
3 bids were received:
Jeffrey Rawson – Rawson Materials $15.60 per ton
Phil DeSiato – DeSiato Sand and Gravel Corp. $14.00 per ton
Diane Becker – Becker Construction Company $11.25 per ton
Selectman Millix moved to award the winter road sand bid to Becker Construction Company as per their bid of $11.25 per ton.
Selectman Blessington seconded the motion.
Vote: 3 Yes (Mailhos, Millix & Blessington) 0 No.
*this should have been listed on the agenda as award chip seal bids, as they were submitted to Public Works earlier from the state bid list and they were not sealed when they were received.
We received 4 bids:
Dosch-King - $3.60 per gallon plus added (daily rate) escalation fee (today’s rate is .47¢ per gallon)
All State - $2.99 per gallon plus escalation fee
Comer - $2.47 per gallon plus escalation fee
Gorman Group - $2.48 (same price as last year) with no escalation fee
Selectman Millix asked Lynn how much the escalation fees go up on average and to explain what the escalation is. Lynn said it depends, between 5 to 7 gallons. She said this is the first year she has ever seen the escalation fee. Gorman gave us the same price as last year and does not have to charge the escalation fee because they purchase in large quantities. She then explained that the escalation on the state bid if it goes over a certain number (like $5.00 per gallon) they are allowed to add on the escalation fee.
First Selectman Mailhos moved to award the chip seal bid to Gorman Group at a price of $2.48 per gallon with no escalation fee.
Selectman Millix seconded the motion.
Vote: 3 Yes (Mailhos, Millix & Blessington) 0 No.
- Award purchase of used pick up truck for Public Works Department
Public Works has a shortage of trucks for the two Transfer Station Operators when they are working on Public Works detail. The amount of $10,000 was approved on this year’s CIP by the CIP Committee, the Board of Selectmen, Board of Finance and at referendum. Lynn has found a 2001 4WD Chevrolet Silverado with a crew cab. It is a diesel and has the utility body built in for $9,244. Selectman Millix said he has reservations of the crew plowing with the truck, as it would drastically reduce the life of it and asked Lynn to reconsider plowing with it. First Selectman Mailhos said even if they use it to bring the snow blower around Town, it will be helpful. The primary purpose is to provide transportation to job sites.
Selectman Millix moved to purchase a Chevrolet Silverado truck for $9,244.12 for the Public Works Department.
First Selectman Mailhos seconded the motion.
First Selectman Mailhos stated that she was asked by one of the Board of Finance members to think about discretionary spending. To her this is not considered as discretionary, this is something we need and have needed for a few years.
Vote: 3 Yes (Mailhos, Millix & Blessington) 0 No.
- Schedule Personnel Policy workshop
First Selectman Mailhos would like to meet with the other Selectmen to review the policy. A meeting will be held in a few weeks.
Good & Welfare:
We received a letter from Senator Guglielmo, which included a copy of a letter he sent to OPM in support of our STEAP application.
We also received a letter from the Inlands Wetlands Commission which states that the Town is in violation of polluting wetlands because of the washout on Burma Road. Selectman Millix said we have been granted for a permit to fix the problem, but the BOF would not support it financially and now we are getting a violation because the problem is not being fixed.
The Town of Willington received a nice thank you letter from the Springfield Rescue Mission. It thanked our residents for their generous donations of food, water and items sent up to Monson, Massachusetts. We also would like to thank Village Springs, Chace Building Supply, Main Line Heating Supply, Kids Kingdom, the Willington Senior Center and the many residents who were exceptionally generous with their donations.
First Selectman Mailhos informed everyone that our Zoning Agent will be on vacation for 3 weeks, (July 20th until August 10th). Because the Assistant position was not filled, due to budget cuts, there will be a delay in processing applications.
Teri Gareau has accepted the position as Park and Recreation Director. When she was hired three years ago, she was hired as the assistant Park and Recreation Director, but has taken on more responsibility. This has also rectified the problem of not having a Department Head in that office.
First Selectman Mailhos held a Department Head meeting last Monday. The budget was discussed and there is a lot of uncertainty with where the state budget will come in. She thanked the Department Heads for their hard work and keeping Willington at heart.
Selectman Blessing thanked everyone for the cards and get well wishes.
Selectman Millix motioned to adjourn the meeting at 7:25 P.M.
Selectman Blessington seconded the motion.
Vote: 3 Yes (Mailhos, Millix & Blessington) 0 No.
Respectfully submitted,
Robin Campbell
Robin H. Campbell
Administrative Assistant
| 
