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Board of Selectmen Minutes 02/16/2016
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
Meeting Minutes                                                                 February 16, 2016
Common 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 6:30 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 regular minutes of February 1, 2016 with the following edit:  under First Selectman Status Report/Old Town Hall Add $42,500 was appropriated from LoCIP at a Town Meeting on 6/23/15   after the 2nd sentence.  Also change the amount of $43,500 to $39,900 to read: the painting project has cost $39,900.  
Selectman Blessington seconded the motion.
Vote:  3 Yes (Mailhos, Kowalyshyn & Blessington) 0 No.

Selectman Kowalyshyn moved to approve the special minutes of February 1, 2016 as written.
First Selectman Mailhos seconded the motion.
Vote:  3 Yes (Mailhos, Kowalyshyn & Blessington) 0 No.

Selectman Kowalyshyn moved to approve the minutes of February 9, 2016 as written.
Selectman Blessington seconded the motion.
Vote:  3 Yes (Mailhos, Kowalyshyn & Blessington) 0 No.

Present to Speak:

Tyler Millix, member of the Willington Fire Department #1 was present.  He stated that the members of the Department read the minutes of the last meeting, and stated that the BOF and BOS are always welcome to discuss the finances with the department at any time.  They welcome emails or telephone calls to answer any questions.

Correspondence:

A list of correspondence was available at the meeting and in the Selectman’s office.  

First Selectman Mailhos noted a letter that came in from the U.S. Department of Justice.  It is in regards to a lawsuit naming all Connecticut towns.   First Selectman Mailhos stated that it is a blanket lawsuit; regarding towns not being in compliance with ADA policies during voting events.  There is no need to be alarmed at this point.  She added that CCM is working on a response to it, and we (being members of CCM) can join the group.  In the meantime, she has forwarded it on to our Town Attorney to look into it.  

Another item on the list is a letter from UCONN reminding us that we still need to find a Tree Warden.  
First Selectman Status Report

First Selectman Mailhos stated that she did not have a chance to prepare a report, because we had a flooding issue in the lower level today (in Planning & Zoning) and she was attending to the water coming in.  The issue was that water had pooled up against the building, leaving the water to seep in through the side wall because the ground was frozen.  Public Works came to install a longer pipe to divert the gutter runoff away from the building.  Needless to say, it took up most of the morning, to clean up the water in the office.   Also, later on, the TOB, along with almost of Willington ended up losing power for a few hours.

Public Works:

Derek reported that the crew has been busy with the following:
  • Vehicle/equipment repairs
  • Trim brush along roadside
  • Roadside mowing
  • Plowing/sanding roads
  • Make sand/sand mix
  • Push up salt deliveries
  • Sign replacement
  • Fill in at Transfer Station
First Selectman Mailhos noted that we have a few vacancies at the Transfer Station.  The closing date for applicants is Friday, February 26, 2016.   We are looking for 1 full time and 1 part time employee.  First Selectman Mailhos noted that both of the positions require working on weekends and are union positions.

  •  Clarification of availability of Salt and Sand to residents
First Selectman Mailhos stated that salt/sand mix is always available at the Transfer Station during operational hours.  As per Town Policy, residents are allowed to take one 5 gallon bucket per snow event from the Transfer Station.

We had noticed a few weeks ago that someone had gone to the Public Works salt shed and took a substantial amount of sand/salt mix.  The cameras at the garage caught the person, who has confessed and will be paying for the material that was taken.   First Selectman Mailhos reiterated that taking material from Public Works is not allowed.

New Business
  
  •  Proposed Ordinance concerning the length of term for Registrar of Voters
Christine Psathas and Suzanne Chapman, Willington Registrar of Voters (Democratic & Republican, respectively) were present.   The Registrars jointly sent a letter to the Selectmen regarding creating an ordinance to change the term of office for the Willington Registrars of Voters.  Ms. Psathas clarified that State Legislation passed a law, requiring Registrars of Voters to become certified (by taking 8 classes) in the course of 2 years. This is in addition to other training that they already have to comply with.  In addition, the courses they must take cost around $1,600 per Registrar.   Willington’s current Ordinance for Registrar of Voters is a two year term.  Suzanne Chapman stated that if the term were to remain at two years, we could end up with a Registrar who is never certified; not to mention that it can become costly, by paying $1,600 in class fees every two years; potentially. She added that it just does not make sense any other way.   Christine Psathas added that Willington has been fortunate over the years, to have had long-term Registrars; and it would be beneficial to up the terms to 4 years.  

Robert Jellen; Chairman of the Willington Democratic Town Committee and Peter Tanaka, Chairman of the Republican Town Committee were in attendance and are both in favor of the 4 year term.  Both Town Committees have sent letters in support to the Selectmen for their consideration.  

Robert Jellen stated the larger cities have had trouble; and he said he feels that this process is trying to have conformity across the state.  Peter Tanaka agreed, noting that a four year term would alleviate the $1,600 training cost to every four years, rather than every two.  He added that he sees this as another unfunded mandate by the state.  We need to do what we can to change the Ordinance.  

The Selectmen discussed sample ordinances that have been sent to them.  First Selectman Mailhos noted that the ordinance can be as simple as having one sentence.   First Selectman Mailhos stated that she will send a few of the samples over to the Town Attorney to review.  The Selectmen will add this to a future meeting to finalize.  Once finalized, it must go to Town Meeting.

  • Transfer Station Update
First Selectman Mailhos stated that she touched base on the vacancies under Public Works, but also wanted to talk to the Selectmen about the fact that it is hard to keep employees there.  She said it is because no one wants to work the entire weekend.  After discussing this with the Public Works’ Director, they thought about ways to make changes to attract help.  One of the suggestions was to change the hours to be open Wednesday, Saturday having a late night on Thursday and close it completely on Sunday.  Tyler Millix stated a few years back, when he was a Selectman, they were contemplating closing the Transfer Station on Wednesdays – and he received phone calls at his house of people in opposition.  Selectman Kowalyshyn said she is not in favor of having it open at night, as we would need to add lights up there, and we would have an extra electricity bill and it still could be dangerous, if it still wasn’t lit up enough.  

Peter Tanaka added that a part time Transfer Station attendant does not sound like a career choice, but rather a foot in the door.   Selectman Kowalyshyn suggested breaking up the full time positon into two part time positions, giving us three employees who could rotate the weekends, which would give each of the employees the third weekend off.  Bob Jellen suggested that a retired person might want the job; as weekends do not really pertain to someone who does not have ‘weekends’.    Robert Jellen asked if there was anyone who could substitute up there so the people can take a day off.  First Selectman Mailhos stated that we do have people that fill in up there, and we also have a few other employees who fill in there from time to time, but she warned that at least one person working  must be certified.

First Selectman Mailhos said she will look into our options a little further to see if we can figure something out.  She understands that it is not favorable of altering the hours at the Transfer Station.

  • Videotaping of Board of Selectmen’s meetings
Selectman Blessington stated that the Selectmen’s meeting minutes are thorough, and in addition, the Selectmen have been recording their meetings for the past 25+ years.  Part of his love for open government is to keep everyone informed.  We started with the cassette tapes, and have upgraded to digital recordings over the past several years.  He added that the latest thing to do is videotaping, and up until recently has been very expensive.  It seems it is getting cheaper to video tape.  He added that he would like to start with the Selectmen’s meetings being recorded, and then if it works, he would like to see the Board of Finance, Board of Education and Planning & Zoning Commissions videotaped as well.  Selectman Blessington introduced Stephan Schirmer, who he has recruited to help with the project.  Mr. Schirmer, who is an E.O. Smith student, will videotape the next 6 BOS meetings at no additional cost to the town at this time.  Selectman Blessington said he will look into running on the Charter public access channel 192.  He wanted to make sure there were no objections before we begin.   Selectman Kowalyshyn said she is ok as long as it is free.  Selectman Blessington said we will have to figure out the total cost, but a camera will be around $300; which isn’t that expensive.  He stated the problem may be finding someone to man the camera.   Jackie Silverstien suggested finding a student who is working on a senior project, or perhaps a UCONN student who is looking to get some hours in.  

Jackie Silverstien asked if there is a requirement to keep videotaping, once you start?  Selectman Blessington said no, however if you videotape a meeting, it becomes public domain, and must be available to the public.  Selectman Kowalyshyn added that there is a retention schedule of two years for the recordings, but the written minutes must be kept forever, however we still have tapes from when we began to record the minutes.

Selectman Blessington said that we will be able to copy the tapes for the public to obtain copies for a minimal cost.   Mr. Schirmer will be at the next BOS meeting to begin the videotaping.

  • Discussion with EDC regarding hiring / budgeting for part time help.
Jackie Silverstien, Chairman of the Willington Economic Development Commission was present.  She said that the members of the EDC had approached the Board of Finance back in the fall to get some guidance for possibly hiring a part time employee to help them out with some upcoming projects.  She stated that the Board of Finance directed them to approach the Board of Selectmen.   

EDC Chairman Silverstien added that the EDC would like to add the part time (6 hours per week) employee/position at $19 per hour; totaling around $5,700 per year.  They also prepared a job description, which is as follows:

  • Work on the business directory
  • Coordinate and schedule business network meetings
  • monitor chamber of commerce meetings and events and promote them to our businesses
  • Email correspondence and update the EDC facebook page
  • Answer phone calls and emails
  • Create welcome baskets
  • Update the EDC website as needed
  • Update and maintain business database
Ms. Silverstien added that they just spent $15,000 on a market study and would like to move forward with the recommendations (which will be brought to a future BOS meeting

First Selectman Mailhos asked if such an employee exists in other towns?  Selectman Kowalyshyn said that the town of Tolland has employees who do the committee’s work, rather than the committee.  

Selectman Kowalyshyn (who is also a member on the EDC) stated that a lot of the members on the EDC have a lot going on and most of them cannot devote that much time in the projects right now.  She added that they lost two of their alternate members, so they are down to five; and out of the five members, 4 of them work full time.  The EDC members need to find the time to work on the projects.  Chairman Silverstien said they have come a long way, and they really worked hard to get where they are at, but they just have the time to get the things done.   

Selectman Kowalyshyn added that the ideal time to communicate with the businesses is during the day, when the businesses are open, but that is when the majority of the EDC members are at their jobs.   By having someone in the office would be helpful for them to do that and allow them to maintain a professional appearance. Chairman Silverstein added if they had an employee to help out, the EDC members don’t plan to walk away from their duties as they are still very busy.  

Selectman Kowalyshyn added that they may want to incorporate this employee with the land use position, as they know that Land Use has been asking to fill the vacant position for a few years.   She added that they haven’t spoken with anyone downstairs in land use yet; because they wanted to hold discussions with the Selectmen and seek support first.  

Selectman Blessington asked if they could purchase a dedicated phone line and have someone check the voicemail periodically.  Chairman Silverstien said that they had looked into purchasing a phone line, but it ended up being too costly.  

Discussion was held on the position, and who the employee would answer to.  First Selectman Mailhos warned that a zoning enforcement agent may not be the ideal person to help the businesses.  Robert Jellen suggested looking for a UCONN student.  Selectman Kowalyshyn cautioned that could end up being temporary – you end up training them, and then school ends, and they leave.  

Chairman Silverstien added that the EDC has incorporated the $5,700 employee cost into their budget (which will be submitted to BOF shortly).  First Selectman Mailhos said to leave the number in the budget.  It is a small price to pay to take real steps forward; getting business in this town is our only hope.  

First Selectman Mailhos moved to empower the First Selectman to write a letter to the Board of Finance in support of the idea of a part time position for the EDC.
Selectman Blessington seconded the motion.
Selectman Blessington clarified that the letter should be drafted in support of the positon.  First Selectman Mailhos agreed b to be created for The EDC it will be good for the town and the selectmen will be available as a resource in the hiring process, if needed.  
Vote:  2 Yes (Mailhos & Blessington) 0 No.  1 Abstain (Kowalyshyn)

Old Business

  • WFD#1 Fire Apparatus Repair Request
First Selectman Mailhos noted that the Board of Finance had discussed the request at their last meeting and requested for the BOS to call a town meeting.  She said the only issue is that we don’t have anything else to add to the Town Meeting agenda at this time, and was wondering if the Fire Department could wait until April 19th, which is the next scheduled meeting.   

Tyler Millix, who is a member of the WFD #1 Fire Department, stated that the truck has been out of commission for quite some time.  He respectfully requested to have the meeting called earlier than April 19th. By that time they will have the bid documents done and prices ready to go.   

First Selectman Mailhos said that she has been planning to get the Old Town Hall electrical renovations on a future agenda (but needs to discuss with the Board of Finance prior).

The Selectmen said they could call the meeting at the next Selectmen’s meeting, which will be March 7th.  The meeting could be held as early as March 22nd or March 23rd.  


  • Proposed State Police Firearms Training Facility Discussion
First Selectman Mailhos stated that she does not have anything new to report at this time.

Good & Welfare

First Selectman Mailhos stated we received a resignation letter from Mary Huda, our Assessor today. ~Ms. Huda has accepted a position in South Windsor and her last day will be March 1st. ~It is a great opportunity for Mary, but we will miss her. The good news is that the Grand List is done, and the upcoming Board of Assessment Appeals meeting should be all set.~

First Selectman Mailhos stated that there was an article in the newspaper that (as part of budget cuts) Governor Malloy plans to close the rest area in Willington on the westbound side of the highway two months after it re-opened from being renovated. ~~First Selectman Mailhos noted that the recent renovations done to that facility cost $ 3.1 million, but the Governor says that the State will save $1.3 million by closing it.~

A few months ago, First Selectman Mailhos met with~liaisons~from Troop C to discuss several issues we have been having~around town. ~One of the items discussed stemmed from complaints received by residents on Latham Road regarding partying from UCONN Students as well as speeding. ~We received a letter from Sgt. Gridley,as a follow up from that meeting. ~ Sgt. Gridley stated that a trooper was on site a few weeks ago holding traffic~surveillance.  As a result, they cited 22 motor vehicle infractions at the intersection of Cisar and Burt Latham Roads as well as the Turnpike Road area. ~ Several of the infractions included speeding, and stopping violations. First Selectman Mailhos thanked Sgt. Gridley for bringing a presence there.   ~

At last week's Board of Finance meeting, (which First Selectman Mailhos was in attendance); the BOF received a letter from Superintendent Harding with an updated BOE budget.  . ~The BOF started to hold discussions about the BOE budget because it did not seem as if they were happy with the number that was submitted. ~First Selectman Mailhos cautioned the BOF that they should not be discussing it because it hadn't been added to their agenda and very few members of the public were in attendance. ~Furthermore, the Board of Education has a large following - residents will want to be present at the meeting,  they need to make their~discussions~ clear to the public. ~The BOF stated that they will probably not get to discuss the BOE budget until March 3rd or 10th. ~First Selectman Mailhos was disappointed to see that this was not in the BOF minutes at all. ~She added that the BOF minutes are very vague. ~Residents~want to know what is happening. ~ First Selectman Mailhos said she will be at the BOF meeting on Thursday and will voice her concerns. ~Lastly, she said that people who cannot attend these~meetings~need to be informed, and the minutes do not reflect what was discussed. ~ Selectman Blessington stated that he was disappointed with the Board of Education minutes the past few meetings, however the last set that just came out were very detailed, and the secretary did a great job.~

CCM will hold a legislative meeting on March 1, 2016. ~First Selectman Mailhos plans to attend.~

The CIP Committee still has not finalized the plan. ~According to our~Business~Manager, the Committee was going to finalize and vote via email to avoid having another meeting. ~As of today, we still have not heard from the CIP Committee. ~Donna is trying to reach out to Chairman Trueb to see where they are at.~

First Selectman Mailhos thanked resident Ralph Tulis for sending her and Stafford's First Selectman an email regarding a recurring problem on Polster Road. ~The new bridge has been~damaged~by large trucks traveling over the bridge. ~ Mr. Tulis suggested having signs placed on each end of the road "No thru traffic" to have trucks avoid that area. ~Derek, our Public Works' Director has been working with Stafford's Public Works' Director to get the signs in place. ~In addition, they are going to try to work with the GPS servers to take that road off of the shortcut route. ~

The sign at the end of the Senior Center (Senior Way) was recently vandalized. ~The bottom panel on the back side was pried off and smashed in the road. First Selectman Mailhos said in addition to getting the panel fixed, we may have to do something to alter the sign as it is, because it says 60 Old Farms Road, and it will be needed to be updated with the new name, Senior Way. ~It will be discussed further in the future. ~ If anyone has any information regarding the vandalism, please let the Selectmen's office know.~

First Selectman Mailhos stated that the Recreation office will be moving in the lower level very shortly. ~We would like to do some small renovations to the Selectmen's wing. ~Robin Campbell will move in the back office, and the Registrar's office will move in the admin office and a small admin desk /area will be made for pistol and Transfer Station permits. ~Derek thinks the renovations could cost around $7,500 including~sheet-rock, new carpeting and cosmetics. ~Selectman Kowalyshyn said that Robin should be closer to First Selectman Mailhos. ~

Selectman Blessington added that we still have a vacancy on the Planning and Zoning Commission.~

Selectman Kowalyshyn   moved to adjourn at 8:37 P.M.
Selectman Blessington seconded the motion.
Vote:  3 Yes (Mailhos, Kowalyshyn & Blessington) 0 No.

Respectfully submitted,
Robin Campbell
Administrative Assistant



Board of Selectmen
860-487-3100

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