BOARD OF SELECTMEN
Meeting Minutes
Regular Meeting October 20, 2014
Lower Level Conference Room 6:30 P.M.
*Minutes are not official until approved at the next regular meeting
First Selectman Mailhos called the meeting to order at 6:35 P.M. with the following in attendance: Selectmen Kowalyshyn & Blessington and residents. First Selectman Mailhos led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Approval of Minutes:
Selectman Kowalyshyn moved to approve the minutes of October 6, 2014 with the following edits:
Under Status report: * Sidewalk Committee – the Sidewalk Committee met on September 30th (remove will meet); and *Fire Fighter Tax Abatement; should read that the Treasurer was in attendance at the meeting to discuss the next steps.
Selectman Blessington seconded the motion
Vote: 3 Yes (Mailhos, Kowalyshyn & Blessington) 0 No.
Present to Speak:
Robin Campbell stated that she had received some feedback regarding the minutes of October 6th that need clarification. Three people contacted her and asked her to correct them. They are listed here under present to speak because the minutes reflect what was actually said at the last meeting. The requests were as follows:
- The discussion under Hall’s Pond Lease, last paragraph (discussion sentence in the motion) read that a check in the amount of $17.00 would be sent to the property owner, however, Teri Gareau pointed out that the amount of the check will actually be $18.00; adding that the lease payments of $1 will cover the last 18 years.
- Under Old Town Hall Update, third paragraph reads that the Town paid the Town Engineer an additional $8,000. Betsy Acimovic called to clarify that the Town actually only paid the Town Engineer $2,800 for services rendered for the Old Town Hall project.
- Lastly, under Fire Department Member Tax Abatement Definition Discussion, Amanda Palotti stated that she and Tish Ignatowicz have discussed this and it was determined that each person receiving the abatement would be issued a 1099 from the Town, rather than a W-2. If this is correct, the people receiving the abatement will need to complete and return a W-9 form to the Finance Office so they have the information they need to complete and issue the 1099s to them.
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:
* Senior Housing Phase III – Senior Housing Cottages – The lot has been cleared; but they have run into a problem with the access road, as it is slated to go over the existing water main. The water main is only 3’- 4’ deep in that area; and in order to put the road there, the main will need to be lowered an additional 4’. First Selectman Mailhos clarified that the Housing Authority knew all along where the access road was going to go and she was not sure why the water main was installed that way. The H.A. is getting estimates to lower the water main. She then clarified that the Housing Authority is managing this project; and we do not have much information on it, other than what is brought to our attention.
* Old Town Hall Renovations – We have received a temporary C/O. The bathroom window covering was installed today and the contractor will be in on Thursday to install the paper towel dispensers. The asphalt will be fixed next week (as the slope is not high enough to meet code; Public Works will do the work) and at that point we are hoping to receive the final certificate.
*Polster Bridge – The contractor continues to move the project along on schedule.
*Turnpike Road; Phase 3 / 4 – we are still waiting for the executed agreement from the State. In the meantime, the Public Works crew will shim one section of the road before winter.
*Tree removal on Michalec Road – the 8-24 requests will be discussed tomorrow night at the Planning & Zoning meeting. First Selectman Mailhos clarified that the money was approved at Town Meeting last year to appropriate funds for Engineering of the road. She added that the Town Engineer will draft a letter suggesting to cut the trees that have been discussed, which will allow a snow shelf as we had originally planned on doing. Also, we have received feedback from a few concerned Stafford residents who live along the road and they are opposing us cutting the trees. The Stafford Public Works Director has informed us that the road is listed as a “scenic road” and they have an Ordinance against cutting trees along scenic roads, but First Selectman Mailhos clarified that Willington does not have an
Ordinance against it; and our portion of the road is not listed as scenic. In the meantime, Stafford’s Zoning Agent is researching that portion of the road to make sure the town line is accurate (which is believed to be in the middle of the road). There are letters regarding this going back to 1989.
*Sidewalk on Route 32 – The final report will be discussed under Old Business.
*Land Purchase –The Attorneys are working on the paperwork and are setting up a closing date.
*MS4 Permit Changes – First Selectman Mailhos will work with the Public Works’ Director to get the testimonies done for the Public Hearing on December 17th. All three Selectmen plan to attend the hearing.
*Transfer Station Operation Manual & Procedure- (TSOMP)– The Solid Waste Advisory Commission (SWAC) met last week and made edits to the Policy. First Selectman Mailhos will make the final changes and then the SWAC will present to the BOS at a future meeting.
Public Works:
Derek reported that the Crew has been busy with the following tasks:
- Back-filling FEMA curbing that is now complete.
- Push up winter sand deliveries.
- Repair plows, all are ready for the first snowfall.
- Vehicle maintenance.
- Clear guardrails of over growth.
Also the crew shimmed Phase Two section of Turnpike Road, the shimming was necessary to stop further deterioration as the paving of phase One & Two was not able to be done before winter.
Derek added that Public Works received the new plow truck last week. The truck was dropped off to have the town logo installed and once it is returned, the 2-way radio will be installed. At that point the truck will be put into service.
New Business
First Selectman Mailhos moved to refund $590.48 to Nissan Infiniti; Dallas, TX 75265-0214 for a sold vehicle.
Selectman Kowalyshyn seconded the motion.
Vote: 3 Yes (Mailhos, Kowalyshyn & Blessington) 0 No.
- Capital Improvement Program Committee calendar discussion.
First Selectman Mailhos stated that we currently have 3 vacancies on this committee. We already had one vacancy; and another will be for Chairman, Jim Bulick’s seat, who is no longer able to commit to the meetings due to his job; and lastly, Tyler Millix has also resigned, as he has moved out of town. First Selectman Mailhos added that this time, each year, we send out letters to each of the political parties asking for candidates to sit on the Committee. We received a response from the Democrats in 2011 and also the following year that they were not interested in participating in the committee as they felt there is no transparency and also felt that certain items get ignored, while others go on the list without even being discussed. In 2012, they declined once again, noting they felt the
intent was to re-appoint existing members.
Selectman Kowalyshyn asked First Selectman Mailhos if she thinks she would like to try again. First Selectman Mailhos agreed and added it would be nice to have someone from each political party on there; we need diversity. Selectman Kowalyshyn then asked why Peter and John were not re-appointed. Selectman Blessington stated that this was a large bone of contention last year; Peter wanted to stay on the Committee, but was not re-appointed. First Selectman Mailhos clarified that Kelly Trueb came forward and was then appointed. Selectman Blessington then said that Mr. Latincsics is no longer interested in pursuing it and added that the Republicans might not have anyone to nominate, but will let the Selectmen know.
The plan will be to send out a public notice asking for volunteers. First Selectman Mailhos noted we have never done that before. She then clarified that it isn’t about political parties, it is about people sitting on an advisory board and weighing in on their opinion of what is really needed for the Town. She added that our Chronicle reporter, Chris Dehenel has offered to write an article as well; about our need for volunteers. Selectman Blessington stated that it is getting more and more difficult to find people. First Selectman Mailhos will also send out a letter to the political parties as she has traditionally in years’ past. She added that she believes the minutes submitted from these meetings have improved since they have a lot of detail now and should reflect more transparency as
requested.
The Board of Finance met and agreed on their budget calendar. The CIP plan is on the BOF schedule for February 19th with the BOS budget. The budgets are requested to be submitted the week prior (so the BOF has a chance to review them before the meeting). First Selectman Mailhos clarified that the CIP plan is always incorporated in the Selectmen’s budget, therefore, that should be presented to the Selectmen by February 2nd.
First Selectman Mailhos clarified that the CIP Committee usually begins to meet in December, sometimes as early as November and hopefully we will have people ready to serve. She added that Chairman Bulick usually sets up the first meeting, but she thinks he will not be available to; so the Selectmen can set it up. The first meeting will be Monday, November 24th, which will give them a little over 2 months to work on the plan. The Board of Selectmen will need to appoint members at the November 17th meeting.
Old Business
- Final report submitted by the Sidewalk Committee
Selectman Blessington presented the final report from the Sidewalk Committee.
Selectman Kowalyshyn said that the Committee did a phenomenal job on the report. Selectman Blessington clarified that Ralph Tulis prepared the report using data from the meetings. Selectman Kowalyshyn stated that the report had a lot of detail and the conclusion read that we should either try to get a grant or remove the sidewalks.
Discussion was held on the sidewalks, their condition and who should pay for them. First Selectman Mailhos stated that the initial idea was to add them to the CIP, but cautioned that if we were to do that, or even if we applied for and got a grant to fix them, that would mean that we are taking ownership /responsibility. Selectman Blessington added that these sidewalks were installed even before the road was put in.
Selectman Kowalyshyn asked why we even need them; noting that there are some that do not go anywhere. Selectman Blessington noted that the one sidewalk the committee felt is necessary is the one in front of the church. He then cautioned that it could become costly to remove others; as some have retaining walls attached to them. Removing the sidewalk will entail either repairing the retaining wall, or removing that as well. That could be costly. He then added that the retaining wall in front of Lyon Manor is granite – it is most likely a historical XXX. He suggested we look into getting a grant in the future. First Selectman Mailhos cautioned that if we apply for a grant, we need to have a plan with the details of what we plan to do.
Selectman Kowalyshyn suggested if we were to get grant money, perhaps the Town would be able to maintain them. Discussion was held on maintenance of the sidewalks, noting that snow removal is the responsibility of the property owners; which is state law. First Selectman Mailhos suggested contacting the property owners to get their opinions. We could make sure they are aware that they are responsible for snow removal; and perhaps we will find that they do not want them after all.
Selectman Kowalyshyn asked what if we removed the ones in places that we don’t see a need for them; especially where they don’t have a purpose or go anywhere; that way we aren’t wasting grant money – if that is the avenue we decide to take. We should then look into getting a grant to fix those that have a need to be there. The Selectmen were in agreement and looked at the report (which is attached to the minutes in the Town Clerk’s office) to determine which sidewalks would be candidates for removal and which would stay. Selectman Blessington added that the driveway aprons should also be taken into consideration, as there are several driveways that cross the sidewalks. He noted that the aprons would be the expense of the property owners and he is not sure they would be willing to pay for that.
The Selectmen will go to review the area at their leisure and will discuss it again at the next meeting.
First Selectman Mailhos and Selectman Kowalyshyn thanked the Sidewalk Committee for their work.
Good & Welfare
Robin Campbell thanked the Willington Fed Ex facility, who held a food drive and donated 6 boxes & 2 bags of food to our food pantry this past week.
First Selectman Mailhos reminded everyone that the Mill Works is hosting a brownfields development workshop on Thursday, October 23, from 1PM – 4:30 PM.
The Selectmen’s Office has received some complaints of people blowing leaves in the road; and noted that we have an Ordinance against putting debris in the road; which could incur a $50 fine. She added that leaves that are blown in the road end up in the catch basins.
First Selectman Mailhos thanked Alan Ference; who will be Willington’s representative on the Region 19 teacher contract negotiation team.
First Selectman Mailhos moved to add Executive Session to the Agenda
Selectman Kowalyshyn seconded the motion.
Vote: 3 Yes (Mailhos, Kowalyshyn & Blessington) 0 No.
Selectman Kowalyshyn moved to go into Executive Session for a personnel matter at 8:12 P.M.
Selectman Blessington seconded the motion.
Vote: 3 Yes (Mailhos, Kowalyshyn & Blessington) 0 No.
Selectman Blessington moved to come out of Executive Session at 8:30 P.M.
First Selectman Mailhos seconded the motion.
Vote: 3 Yes (Mailhos, Kowalyshyn & Blessington) 0 No.
Selectman Kowalyshyn moved to have First Selectman Mailhos go to notify Board of Finance, based on the recommendation of the Board of Selectmen, that they will promote Robin Campbell to be the Office Manager as of January 1, 2015; and with that comes a $1.75 per hour raise as well as a 5 hour increase to 40 hours equaling $4,452.50; and request an approximate transfer of $3,000 from the health insurance line item.
Selectman Blessington seconded the motion.
Selectman Kowalyshyn stated that this is deserved as she is currently making less per hour than the other administrative assistants.
First Selectman Mailhos stated that she has taken on more responsibilities in the 5 years she has been here and is the person who deals with all the facilities issues.
Selectman Blessington stated this raise will be justified because becoming the Office Manager will increase her responsibility and her authority will have increased as well.
Vote: 3 Yes (Mailhos, Kowalyshyn & Blessington) 0 No.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:37 P.M.
Attachment: Sidewalk Committee Final Report
Respectfully submitted,
Robin Campbell
Administrative Assistant
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