BOARD OF SELECTMEN
Meeting Minutes
Regular Meeting November 21, 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:
Selectman Blessington motioned to approve the minutes of November 7, 2011 as written.
Selectman Millix seconded the motion.
Vote: 2 Yes (Mailhos Millix & Blessington) 0 No.
Present to Speak:
Superintendent Harding thanked Selectman Millix for his many years of service to the community.
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:
*Town Office Building Water Connection – the final hook up should be on Monday or Tuesday of next week. The contractor is waiting on a water report. Once it comes back, the contractor will finish the project and then abandon the old well. First Selectman Mailhos has been asked what will happen with the Village Springs delivery, once the water has been connected. She said she will wait for the test results, before making a decision. She also added that the old pipes in this building may not be suitable for drinking water. She may also look into installation of water fountains in the future. The last option will be to see if Willington Hill Fire Department is still interested in hooking up to the water main. There is approximately $18,000 left from the grant if they are interested in doing so.
*Facility Feasibility Study – Both Fire Departments have preliminary reports and plans. We need to set up a meeting to determine where we are on this project.
*Senior Housing Phase III – The Housing Authority presented their to Planning & Zoning meeting, however the P&Z Commission felt that some changes should be made at their last meeting. With the changes in place, they may also require the Housing Authority to seek Inland Wetlands approval. It may take longer than anticipated. In the meantime, the Housing Authority has asked to meet with the BOS to discuss the next steps to support the project. A meeting will be held with the new Board in a few weeks.
*Knowlton Property – The easement to CFPA has been granted and we should be receiving a check from them in the near future.
*Turnpike Road Extension – Lynn reported that the guardrails will be placed next Monday and the project will then be complete.
*Burma Road Repair – The contract will be awarded tonight and we are hopeful the project will be completed before winter.
*Performance Contracting – the project was awarded to CCM. The audits are scheduled to begin on December 1st.
*Old Town Hall Renovations – We have applied for a Historic Preservation Technical Grant to support funding for a needs assessment for the building. If we receive funds, we will be able to put the majority of the STEAP funds towards restoration.
*Polster Bridge – We recently had damage incurred from a tractor trailer accident. The guard rails were damaged. Lynn has received an insurance check from the truck for $13,600 for repairs. The insurance claim is still open, as she cannot assess the structure to see there was any damage because the water table is too high. If they find more damage, we will receive more insurance money.
*Turnpike Road – Phase I – The Town Engineer has completed the survey. Lynn will be meeting with him to finalize the plans to submit to Planning and Zoning.
*Transfer Station – we are still looking for members on the Solid Waste Advisory Committee. We currently have three members. First Selectman Mailhos would like to have this committee begin to hold regular meetings.
*Potter School Bridge – Lynn said the liner is almost done, but water level has been too high. She is hoping to have it done before winter.
Public Works:
Lynn reported that the crews are still on clean up duty from Alfred as well as still from Irene. They should be grading roads; however the clean up process has been very slow. The good news is CL&P is sending us one free week of tree service, which includes a boom truck and an operator. They started last week. Lynn has a route planned out; however residents are encouraged to notify us of any hanging branches to make sure we have them listed. First Selectman Mailhos also pointed out that our bus drivers have been helpful in pointing out trouble spots.
Old Business
A. Award Burma Road Contract
Lynn has recommended awarding Knight & Sons Construction the contract for Road Surface and Drainage Repairs of Burma Road in the amount of $36,699 as per their bid. Merritt Knight said they should be ready to start in about two weeks.
First Selectman Mailhos reflected back on the timeline of the project; figuring out the scope, and the first set of bids that came back were rejected by the Board of Finance; it was re-bid and approved at BOF in October, finally going to Town Meeting on November 15, and approved. Merritt Knight said that one of the stipulations on the bid was to have the project completed within 45 days; and cannot guarantee that, now that we are going into the winter season. Lynn said that they will be going over that at the contract signing and will waive the timeline of the project, due to the weather.
Selectman Millix moved to award the Burma Road project contract to Knight and Sons Construction in the amount of $36,699.
Selectman Blessington seconded the motion.
Vote: 3 Yes (Mailhos, Millix & Blessington) 0 No.
New Business:
A. Present GFOA award to Fiscal Office
First Selectman Mailhos presented the Governors Finance Officers Association Award to Donna Latinciscs, Town of Willington Business Manager and Tish Ignatowicz, Town Treasurer. The award reads “A certificate of achievement for excellence and financial reporting Presented to the Town of Willington, Connecticut for its comprehensive annual financial report for fiscal year ending June 30, 2010. Donna Latincsics said she and Tish are proud to receive it. It means a lot to her department as they work very hard to earn it, being they are a small department.
Selectman Blessington said he has been approached by a few people who are interested in joining the CIP Committee. First Selectman Mailhos said she has sent letters to the members of the committee to see if they were still interested in serving. She said we have received two responses back so far; Selectman Millix and Jim Poole. John Patton also said he is still interested in serving. Selectman Blessington invited Jim Bulick to the meeting, as Mr. Bulick is also interested in serving. Discussion was then held on the limitations of members and their terms on the commission. Mr. Patton suggested as there is no term limit, the reality is that the appointment should end
with the appointing authority (the Board of Selectmen). He then said there have not been any re-appointments on that committee in quite some time. He also suggested staggering some terms to keep a manageable number of members. Selectman Millix said if you haven’t received a response from those who have been on the committee, and there are new people looking to join, and then the interested parties should be appointed. Mr. Patton agreed and said that two people that really should be on are the First Selectman and the Chairman of the Board of Finance to execute the plan that is submitted. Selectman Blessington suggested that the new Board of Selectmen should name a new (CIP) Board at their next meeting. First Selectman Mailhos will submit a sample of a re-written committee description and will send the letter to the Town Committee Chairpersons, soliciting member suggestions.
First Selectman Mailhos added that she spoke with BOF Chairman, Schoppmann today. He said that he wants to focus on CIP requests this year. First Selectman Mailhos added that we have a lot of open spots on many of our committees. If anyone is interested in joining, please do not hesitate to contact our office.
Good & Welfare:
Robin Campbell reported that Alyssa’s Coat Closet was held this past weekend. Alyssa and Nancy Bailey collected 315 coats and distributed over 133 coats in a total of 6 hours (two nights – 3 hours per night). That is quite impressive!
Also, Center School held their annual food drive last week. Principal Stevens and Darren Duchaineau brought over a load of non-perishable foods on Friday to support the food pantry. The school also held a fundraiser where the students could purchase turkey feathers for .25 each, to cover a turkey costume worn by Principal Stevens sometime this week. The school received over 1,000 quarters, and will be donating an additional $250+ to the food bank!
First Selectman Mailhos said the Scouts held their annual food drive this past weekend, and were hopeful to get more food than in years past, as the need is greater than ever, however they did not receive as much as in years past. On a brighter note, thank you to everyone who has donated food. We were able to put together 27 baskets of food for less fortunate families. Also, thank you to Mary Bowen, Doreen Lyon and Marj Thompson for helping hand out food. Lastly, First Selectman Mailhos noted that Tara Bergeron is concerned about funding in the fuel bank as Federal Grant Funding is not available this year at the same levels as years past.
Today, the Old Town Hall has officially closed for the winter, with the exception of the Willington Nursery Co Op’s Holiday Bazaar, which will be held on December 3rd. The Federated Church will also have a bazaar across the street at their location.
Robin Campbell thanked Selectman Millix for his service and wished him well.
Selectman Millix motioned to adjourn the meeting at 7:06 p.m.
Selectman Blessington seconded the motion.
Vote: 3 Yes (Mailhos, Millix & Blessington) 0 No.
Respectfully submitted,
Robin Campbell
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