MINUTES

WATERTOWN TOWN COUNCIL

PUBLIC HEARING

WATERTOWN HIGH SCHOOL

TECHNOLOGY ROOM

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2006, 7:00 P= .M.

PRESENT:      &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;          Elaine Adams

= ;            &n= bsp;            = ;            &n= bsp;         Robert Kane (arrived at 7:17 p.m.)=

&= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;         Carl Mancini

&= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;         Joseph Pawlak, Chairman

&= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;         Suzan Plowman

        &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p; Paul Rinaldi

        &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p; Jack Walton

ABSENT:       =             &nb= sp;           Anto= nio Guerrera

&= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;         Raymond Primini, Vice Chairman

OTHERS PRESENT:      = ;      Mary Barton, Town Planner, Zoning Enforcement Officer

        &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p; Frank Jodaitis, Superintendent, Water & Sewer

= ;            &n= bsp;            = ;            &n= bsp;         Khrystyne Keane, Chairman, Water & Sewer Authority

        &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p; Meredith Robson, Town Manager

        &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p; Robert Smith, Registered Sanitarian, Torrington Area Health District

1.&nb= sp;        Convene Public Hearing - 7:00 P.M.

&n= bsp;

Mr. Pawlak, Chair= man, called the Public Hearing to order at 7:00 p.m.

=

Mr. Pawlak, Chair= man, read aloud the following Notice of the Public Hearing for the record:

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

TOWN COUNCIL

TOWN OF WAT= ERTOWN

FEBRUARY 21, 2006

The Watertown Town Council will hold a Public Hearing on Tuesday, February 21, = 2006 at 7:00 p.m. in the Watertown High School Technology Room, 324 French Street, Watertow= n, CT, to hear public commen= t on the proposed sanitary sewer extension on Straits Turnpike from Carvel to 700 feet south of Oak Drive.

= Watertown Town Council

Public Hearing

February 21, 2006

Page 2

Dated at Watertown, Connecticut this 15th day o= f February, 2006.

   =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;              &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;

   =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;      Meredith S. Robson, Town Manager

   =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;      Town of Watertown

RETURN OF NOTICE

TOWN OF WATERTOWN

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

I = hereby certify that on February 15, 2006 I left a duplicate copy of the attached N= otice of Public Hearing, Town of Wat= ertown, CT with Virginia Stewart, i= ts Town Clerk, to be held on February 21, 2006.

I = further certify that I caused a copy of said Notice of Public Hearing to be publish= ed in REPUBLICAN AMERICAN on February 16, 2006, which newspaper has a substant= ial circulation in said Town.

I = further certify that on February 25, 2006, I caused to be set upon the signpost or = other exterior places nearest the Office of the Town Clerk and all other place and signposts designated by the Town, a written copy of said Notice of Public Hearing signed by the Town Manager of the Town of Watertown.

I = further certify that all of the above acts were done at least five (5) days before = the holding of the Public Hearing on February 21, 2006.

Da= ted at Watertown, Connecticut, this 15th day of February, 2006.

        &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;         &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;

        &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;             = Meredith S. Robson, Town Manager

        &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;             = Town of Watertown

TOWN CLERK’S CERTIFICATION AS TO

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING AND RETURN OF NOTICE<= /p>

I HEREBY CERTIFY that the attached Notice of Public Hearing of the foregoing Return = of Notice of Public Hearing are duly recorded in the records of the Town of Watertown, Connecticut, and that Meredith S. Robson was Town Manager on the= date the Notice and Return of Notice were signed.

Dated at Watertown, Connecticut, this 15th day of February= , 2006.

        &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;         &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;

        &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p; Virginia M. Stewart

        &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p; Town Clerk, Town of Watertown

Watertown Town Council

Public Hearing

February 21, 2006

Page 3

            Mr. Pawlak: The Meeting is now open for public comment. I would just ask tha= t you bear in mind that there are probably many people who do want to speak, both= for and against, and if you have something to say we welcome it. I would ask also that you say ever= ything you have to say when you get to the podium and hopefully you don't have to = come back up to add something. Who= would like to speak? Just state you= r name and address.

<= /p>
            Gene Nadeau, Watertown, CT 06795=

      = ;      Mr. Nadeau: I'm speaking on b= ehalf of my mother, Jennie Nadeau, she's 90 years old and couldn't attend. As far as the proposed sewer line = goes, we don’t need it, we don't want it, and we actually can't afford it.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> From the numbers I've been hearing= , it's just outrageous. The big prob= lem we have, that little brick house, the brick house built on a fieldstone foundation, that foundation sits on ledge.= Years ago they built a house across the street (inaudible) about 400 feet up the hill, they were blasting the foundation, we got windows shatter= ed that far away. Now (inaudible= ) 1 foot deep trench, about 50 feet away, I can't imagine what kind of damage (inaudible). Thank you.

<= /p>
            Nick Mancini, 32 Oak Drive, Watertown, CT&nbs= p; 06795

<= /p>
            Mr. Mancini: I believe I have the same concerns = as the gentleman before me. I am a b= rick house too. The last time we b= lasted on Oak Drive= when they put the extension that went all the way around, when they blasted they cracked all my brick work too. And not only that but we couldn't get compensated for it because the contractor went broke, so were left holding the bag over there and I couldn= 't get, as far as I'm concerned I don't need that sewer line up there, and if I wanted to tie in I could probably tie into the existing line that's up there. (Inaudible) myself are= up on top of the hill and I believe I can tie into the existing line that’s= up on 32 Oak Drive, there, just over the other side. Thank you. So I'm not = for it.

<= /p>
            Laura Smith, 279 Straits Turnpike,= Watertown, CT 06795=

<= /p>
            Ms. Smith: I'm speaking on behalf of myself an= d my husband Robert Smith. We're obviously against the proposed sewer project and for the following reasons:=

<= /p>
            1.         = The anticipated assessment costs are too high.

            2.         = Our septic system is fine.

            3.         = Potential damage to the house due to blasting.

            4.         = Traffic disruptions on Route 63.

    =         5.         = There's little or no evidence that this serves the greater good. We've heard about the wetlands bei= ng protected, well wetlands can just as well be protected with adequate septic systems.

Watertown Town Council

Public Hearing

February 21, 2006

Page 4

            I just need to air a little bit of frustration, so keep that in mind. One person started this, and he st= arted this by obtaining 10 signatures on a petition. And these people were asked whethe= r or not they would be interested in getting some information on a sewer line co= ming through. It seems like the ba= ll has been rolling ever since that time, and since that time I've obtained 22 signatures against the project, and that didn't seem to be enough to get th= is project squashed. I count 5 t= o 7 residents that are interested in the project and 15 to 17 that are against it. So these are pretty compe= lling numbers and that kind of leaves me wondering why we're still entertaining t= he matter. The burden of proof s= hould be on those who want the sewer and yet I feel like those who don't want it = are left with that job. So please= hear us now and don't spend any more time or money on the project. Than you very much.

<= /p>
            Sam McCleary, 200 Straits Turnpike= , Watertown, CT 06795=

<= /p>
            Mr. McCleary: Speaking on behalf of myself and my wife. As Laura stated the maj= ority of the people do not appear to want this.&= nbsp; Next item that I'm concerned about is this Town seems to be pretty g= ood with coming up with low ball numbers on projects. This project is estimated to be $1,050,000 I believe; those numbers were generated to the best of my knowle= dge over a year ago, so I'm going to guess that these numbers are probably obso= lete by now. Last year my property= taxes went up over $200. If this th= ing happens, it looks like on top of property taxes it would cost me between assessments and other additional costs, about $1,500 additional per year. Looking at the assessments if you = divide their fee that they say is going to be returned from assessments, if you di= vide that by 24 houses, it comes up over $13,000 so I'm going to guess that the = assessment that I would see is going to be in excess of $14,000. I think it's nice that the Sewer a= nd Water Authority wants to serve people, but I think perhaps they could serve people that need sewer and water more than people who don't want sewer and water. It seems like the Town= has some other priorities, possibly another Town Hall, possibly some more teach= ers and you people up there get saddled with figuring out how to spend a nickel that you don't have. A couple= of years ago when Pond View went in, the contractor put a water line in front = of my house that he paid for, but the Water & Sewer Authority turned around and assessed me $5,200 plus dollars for that, and I still don't know why th= ey were able to charge me for something the contractor paid for. It's also something I don't use. I didn't want it, but I got to pay= for it. If this project goes thro= ugh all the Town taxpayers are going to get their opportunity to see their prop= erty tax bills increase somewhat. = They list payment of this $1.05 million dollars to be made from $470,000 assessed to = the Town as a General Benefit, again I have no idea what general benefit the To= wn would receive from this. They= 're going to get $320,000 from special assessments; I assume that's the homeowners. If you divide that again, as I said before, by the 24 people that are affected one way or this, it's over $13,000. Then they = say that they're going to get $262,000 back from sewer fees. How the hell are they going to get $262,000 back from sewer fees, when only 5 people want to hook up to it. To me, that looks like they're dea= ling with something like $54,000 per home.

Watertown Town Council

Public Hearing

February 21, 2006

Page 5

<= /p>
            I asked a local contractor to give me an idea of what it would cost to hook u= p to this thing, he told me about $30 a foot, from my house to the sewer line. In my case that’s only over $7,000. I have an existing sy= stem that was well built by a local contractor that's in excellent shape, it's w= ell maintained, but should this thing happen, it looks like my cost over 10 yea= rs, should I hook up to it, would be in the neighborhood of $25,000, I think th= at's a little ludicrous. The Sewer= & Water Authority claims that this is going to add value to my property. Well real estate people that I've = talked to said not necessarily and the only way I would realize this supposed valu= e is if I sold my house. Watertown seems t= o be real good at approving through referendums borrowing, we borrow for this, we borrow for that, but then the bill comes due, and you people have to put it into the budget, and we all know how well budgets go over in this Town. Is this something else you want to= add into the budget? I think not.= I'm not sure that if city water us= e is a requirement for this or not. I currently do not have city water, although it is available to me. If it's a requirement to use this = sewer, how much more would that add. Again, I don’t need it, I'm not going to use it, but I'm just = wondering.

<= /p>
            Then we get into how much disruption of quality of life and traffic is going to happen. This is going to be d= one in the middle of Straits Turnpike, I'm sorry, in one lane of Straits Turnpike.= They're talking about making in so= me places a trench up to 20 feet deep. A trench that deep does require a trench box for the men working in = the ditch. That means it's going = to have to be 6 or 8 feet wide. = That means that much additional material will need to be blasted. Now having owned a quarry and know= ing a little bit about blasting, one of the fun things about blasting for a trenc= h is that there's no place when the rock explodes to move, it can't go out like = in a quarry, it can only go up. It= has a tendency to increase ground vibration.&nbs= p; I'm not going to sit here and say that it will cause damage, but it's likely. The Sewer & Water= Authority Superintendent had said well the contractor can use a demolition hammer. Well I used to own the two biggest= ones in the State. They're not pra= ctical to use for trench excavation. If you get a rock in the trench that's big and the excavator can't handle it, = yes, the demolition hammer can deal with it, but it's not something you would use for mass rock excavation, therefore the contractor in a job like this is go= ing to try to drill and blast the rock and make it as small as possible, to mak= e it as removable as fast as possible. Also going to require some large excavation equipment. When you have to reach down 25 fee= t in a ditch, you need a big excavator that when it comes out of the hole with a bucket has to swing. When it = does it's going to take up most of Straits Turnpike. Another interesting factor is you = have a blast all loaded, the holes are all drilled, the dynamite is in the holes, = the mat is on top of it, and now we have a fire emergency and traffic is stoppe= d on Straits Turnpike. Nice possibility. Remember no traf= fic is going to pass when a guy has his finger on the button ready to push it.

Watertown Town Council

Public Hearing

February 21, 2006

Page 6

<= /p>
            The other good thing about this is it puts us more at the mercy of the City of = Waterbury. Waterbury's water and sewer system is not as of late been noted for reliability. Just the other day they blew up a = line right in front of their own Water Department. We all remember when it blew up ri= ght in front of Carvel. What happens= when D.E.P. comes along and says hey City of Waterbury guess what? You've got to put= some kind of new thing on your treatment plant and it's only going to be $20,000= ,000 and Waterbury says hey Watertown, here's your share. Who pays for it? The users. What if Waterbury decides it wants to sell its = water department like they've been talking about. We've been told that septic system failure is "inevitable". Well I would disagree with that.&nb= sp; I'd say that all mechanical systems will fail at some point, but I wouldn't say that a septic system that's properly maintained is any more li= kely to fail than a sewer system. I think we had a referendum today to replace part of the piping on a system that's failing that was put in 50 years ago. But we have Town farmhouses in thi= s Town that are well over 100 years old that have no problems, so I would counter = that the inevitability of the failure is not something that really holds a lot of water. In closing I'd like to= say that for me personally, I'm a little bit sick and tired of having project a= fter project that I have to pay for that I get no use from jammed down my throat. Thank you very much.<= /p>
<= /p>
            Eileen DiLucia, 259 Straits Turnpi= ke, Watertown, CT 06795=

<= /p>
            Ms. DiLucia: My husband Chris. I couldn't say it any better. There's not even much more to say = except I don’t want it, I have my own working system. It works wonderfully. I too have the same problem with t= he ledge. My entire house is bui= lt on it. I live exactly right acro= ss from Oak Drive. There is always an accident, const= antly an accident, always cars stopped. If there was any kind of situation on that road at any time, no one would get through. I have a h= ard time getting my mail, I have a hard time even getting out of my driveway. I can only imagine if they decided= to do any kind of construction on that road, just trying to go about my every day business. So again all I can = say is I do not want it, period.

<= /p>
            Robert O'Donnell, 241 Straits Turn= pike, Watertown, CT 06795=

<= /p>
            Mr. O'Donnell: Speaking for myself and my wife, Ca= rol. Again we don't want it. I've been there since 1968 and my = septic system has been working fine. There's just the 2 of us, I'm retired, I don't need all of this extra money. I spent most of my wor= king time fixing my house so that I didn’t have to spend any money after I retired, now I'm going to get this jammed down my throat. I don't need to repeat everything = that everyone else has said, but I don't want it. Thank you.

Watertown Town Council

Public Hearing

February 21, 2006

Page 7

<= /p>
            Tim Hart, 43 Oak Drive, Watertown, CT&nbs= p; 06795

<= /p>
            Mr. Hart: As many of the other people said, I= 'm against the project. I haven'= t had any septic system problems, and as Mr. Mancini said were right off the circ= le on Oak Drive= , so if we had to we probably could connect into there some day in the future= if I did have a problem. And I certainly don't have $10,000 or more that you're talking about for an assessment to spend on something that maybe I might possibly use some day in the future, and I don't see from what I've heard tonight and what I've heard at an earlier meeting, how anybody can say that they represent the citizens of this Town and push this project forward when= the vast majority of people directly affected do not want the project, and how = any residents directly affected want any of their taxes going to a project that= the majority don't want, is beyond me. Thank you.

<= /p>
            Francis Gee, 295 Straits Turnpike,= Watertown, CT 06795=

<= /p>
            Ms. Gee: I live with my husband and son. We are definitely against this project. First of all my husb= and's family has been there since 1940. We're well acquainted with the area, we know that there is lots of l= edge, we know the traffic getting in and out is horrendous. Sometimes it takes me 5 minutes to= get out of my driveway with the traffic. As everybody else has said, this construction is going to tie up the road horrendously. Also when we hooked into city wate= r, oh maybe 20 years or so ago, I had to have it blasted from the road to my hous= e I don't feel I can afford to do th= at again with the sewer. Another thing= too is the fact that with all the extra expenses everybody is going to entail w= ith this, we can't afford this. We don't need it. Everyone who h= as been on the Turnpike has maintained their property, has maintained their se= wer and water systems, we just don't need that extra horrendous traffic and ext= ra expenses. Again, we're all ag= ainst it. Thank you.

<= /p>
            Michele Daveluy, Straits Turnpike,= Watertown, CT 06795=

<= /p>
            Ms. Daveluy: Like everyone else has said so far,= I too and my husband are both against this project. When you put in the water system a= nd hooked up we were told that if we decided to hook up to it we would get a b= ill and we would pay over a 10 year period.&nb= sp; Well that never happened. When we did hook up to it I found a lien on my house for over $5,000= I found accidentally when I re-mortgaged my house, so that was another $5,000= I didn’t even know I owed at once rather than a 10 year period. We cannot afford another $20,000 o= dd dollars added for something we don't want. <= /span>And when you came down Straits Turnpike and put in the water system, the idiots that were doing the paving and putting the holes in took down the lines off= my house, I was without electricity for 5 days, because no one was paying attention when they were going across the road with their digger. And of course it happened on the d= ay we had that big wind storm a few years ago, so while the rest of Connecticut w= ere without power and they were getting their power, because we were the only o= nes on Straits Turnpike because of some stupidity, we went without electricity.= I do not want this project. We can't afford it, like everyone = else has said, our septic system is fine, we've had it analyzed every few years = to make sure it's maintained. Fo= r some they may need a new septic system and that's why they're for it, I feel for them, but right now I can't add any more money to our bills. Everything else is too darn expensive. Thank you.

Watertown Town Council

Public Hearing

February 21, 2006

Page 8

<= /p>
            Bob Evangelista, 228 Straits Turnp= ike, Watertown, CT 06795=

<= /p>
            Mr. Evangelista: Like everybody else I'm against this project. I'm worried about wh= at the blasting will do to the holes, the trenches to my foundation and everything else. Traffic would be a nightmare. Trying to get out = now, it's lousy. I think the asses= sment would be way too high, so I'm totally against this project.

<= /p>
            Mark Fusco, 135 Straits Turnpike, = Watertown, CT 06795=

<= /p>
            Mr. Fusco: I've been here many times before. I'm for this project. I want to address a few things tha= t were brought up from the previous speakers.&nbs= p; First of all I believe it was Ms. Smith that mentioned this came abo= ut because I went around with a petition.&nbs= p; Actually I've read this letter into the record at another Town meeti= ng prior to this, that's dated March 7, 2003, that's a year before I approached anyone regarding this project or this extension and if you go back to those records you'll see that the Sewer and Water at that time, as far back as Ma= rch of 2003 was planning on going forward with the sewer extension on Straits Turnpike. So I want to make that clear.&nb= sp; The signatures I gathered were from Carvel to McDonald Road. I live 2 houses before McDonald Road. Those were the signatures that I collected initially.

<= /p>
            As people in public office, that serve the public, you're going to be faced fr= om time to time with decisions that may or may not be very popular, but you al= ways need to do the right thing, the thing that serves the masses, the public, a= nd in a case like this where money has been allocated for this project for qui= te some time in the budget, Frank Jodaitis can probably speak more to that, and money has been spent on engineering and design I think to the tune of over $40,000. To ditch this projec= t now because of a lot of concerns about blasting, traffic, things like that, I t= hink is a waste of that money that has been spent and has been allocated.

<= /p>
            There are wetlands all along Straits Turnpike and with most of these systems, the= y're very old. Everyone says they = work fine. Some of these folks hav= e said they've never had a problem. = That's not necessarily true. There w= ere issues with Mr. Mancini's septic. It was repaired back in 1987 and there were no records of a permit b= eing pulled, so I wonder what type of repair or what that repair was all about.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> There are other issues, as far as repairs go where repairs have been made with no permits, repairs to systems that allegedly were working fine. And I think what people forget here is that if something does go wro= ng with the sewer line, as Mr. McCleary mentioned, it could happen, that burde= n of repairing it is going to be on the Sewer and Water Authority, not on the homeowner so it's not really a good analogy to say if one fails it's the sa= me, it's not. If your septic syst= em fails, the homeowner has to foot the whole bill, they have to get an engine= er in there, figure out what can be done, pay for the repairs.

Watertown Town Council

Public Hearing

February 21, 2006

Page 9

<= /p>
            A lot of these homes are in locations where they may be nowhere near the blasting, which seems to be a big concern here. Mr. McCleary, for example, he said= it himself, he's about 200 feet from the road. I really don't think any blasting = in the road is going to affect his home, which is 200 feet back. I'm not sure if the blasting is go= ing to take place directly in front of his home or not, but I think before people = jump to conclusions about blasting doing any damage, they should really know whe= re exactly the blasting is going to take place in relation it their property.<= /p>
<= /p>
            As far as the last speaker mentioning that some people may need the septic and that's why they're for it, I can tell you in my case that is not the case.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> I've had my property surveyed, I'v= e had my property inspected by two different septic installers, I have had an engineer out there and they actually designed and engineered a new system if that's the route I want to go, and that was all at my own cost, and I still think the sewer line would serve me personally much better, and I think som= e of the people here are being a little short sighted. I hope that you take all of these = things into consideration. As I said= before, sometimes there are tough decisions put before you and they're not always t= he most popular decisions, but in many cases you guys have done the right thing and I hope you do the right thing tonight.= Thank you.

<= /p>
            Bob Evangelista, 228 Straits Turnp= ike, Watertown, CT 06795=

<= /p>
            Mr. Evangelista: To counter what Mr. Fusco just said= , the majority do not want this. So serving the majority you'll turn this thing down. Blasting, the latest extension to = Pond View up behind Oak Drive, almost a quarter mile away from house, shook my house pretty good, let alone 200 feet. I'm sitting on ledg= e I had to blast for my foundation. An engineered system, cause I asked a local contractor, if I have a total syst= em failure, it goes totally away, and I've got to replace the whole thing, he = said figure $25,000 to $30,000 for a complete septic system. So if I'm going to spend $25,000 or $30,000 for a septic system, it might not be the best thing, but that's maybe. The sewer line goes by= my house, I'm going to spend the same amount of money even if I don’t wa= nt the damn thing, even if I don't hook up to it it's going to cost me. When my system was put in in 75 it= was done by a very reputable local contractor, it was done with the highest qua= lity materials, again I'm in the construction business, I know what I'm looking = at, I know how it was done, I watched what they did, I have no fears in it, I h= ave the thing pumped out every 2 years by Herb Shaw, he said there's not a hint= of a problem and no reason for it to go bad.

Watertown Town Council

Public Hearing

February 21, 2006

Page 10

<= /p>
            There is a way, my first choice for this thing to be just totally dropped, but there's a way to make everybody happy here, and that's for you guys to say = to the Sewer & Water Authority, cause the other day I got a chance to talk= to Jim Petroccia at the last meeting. <= /span>I said Jim, is there any reason that this thing can't stop with the last guy = on the line that wants it. He sa= id no, we used to do that all the time. Now the last guy that wants it, I believe, is a Mr. Egan. I don't kn= ow the man, he's the next house up from Mr. Fusco, so Mark would get what he wants, the rest of us would get what we want, and there would be no great loss to = all this engineering. Mark quotes= the $40,000 that was spent on engineering, well that's good, they can put the blueprints on the shelf, they're not going to go bad, they're not going to = wear out, they can build the project up to the last person that wants it, put a = cap on the line, job done. If in = the future (Tape #1, Side A ended - may have missed some) done the test boring, they know what's there, it will expedite the job, but it would seem prudent that if this thing was going to go forward at all to stop it at the end of = the job where people want it, and not force it down the throats of the people t= hat don't want it. Thank you.

<= /p>
            Mr. Pawlak: I'm going to Recess this becau= se we're supposed to bring then Town Council meeting into action and we'll come right back to you. So just si= t down for a second, I'll Recess the meeting.

<= /p>
Mr. Pawlak, Chairm= an, Recessed the Public Hearing at 7:32 p.m.

<= /p>
Mr. Pawlak, Chairm= an, Reconvened the Public Hearing at 7:34 p.m.

<= /p>
            Nick Mancini, 32 Oak Drive Turnpike, Watertown, CT 06795=

<= /p>
            Mr. Mancini: I'd just like to correct the record. I don't know where Mr. Fusco is getting all this information, but this is the second time that he's made comments about my septic system up there okay, and now I'm getting a little bit disgusted with him. The only thing I ever did to my septic system was replace a baffle and that goe= s in the line of maintaining it. I= 've been in the construction business for almost 50 years, I don't need Mr. Fus= co to come over here and tell me about my septics system. First of all I don't know why he g= ot a building permit, because he should have had a reserved area. When he bought his house down ther= e why didn't he get a reserve area and this would have eliminated a lot of these meetings here and everything else. He should have a reserve area. Where is his reserve area? Why don't he hook up into that if = he's got a problem with it?

Watertown Town Council

Public Hearing

February 21, 2006

Page 11

<= /p>
            Coreine Peluso, 365 Buckingham Street, Oakv= ille, CT&nbs= p; 06795

<= /p>
            Ms. Peluso: I remember about 28 y= ears ago we went through about this same thing, off of <= st1:address w:st=3D"on">Litchfield Road, and I can understa= nd the people are worried about their foundations being cracked. Who is going to fix them? Are we assured that the developer o= r the Town is going to fix these, and is that more money that the Town is going to incur that relatively will be sent back to the taxpayer? Now see a lot of people that don't= want the sewer and is there a lot of systems failing? I thought there had to be a certain amount of systems failing in an area and usually they would send somebody o= ut, it's been awhile since I was involved. I am Chairman of the Commission on = Aging right now. I had a senior, she asked me not to use her name and I will not, but she was concerned abut this. I mean it is an excessi= ve cost if the majority of the people, if there's not the need. I know you have to put a certain a= mount of lines in there, but are you sure there are other needs in Watertown that need sewers than possibl= y this area. Thank you.

<= /p>
            Mark Fusco, 135 Straits Turnpike, = Watertown, CT 06795=

<= /p>
      = ;      Mr. Fusco: I just want to add= ress Mr. Mancini's concerns regarding where the information was that I gathered.= That information was gathered dire= ctly from the Torrington Area Health District records, not something that I made= up, and I just wanted to make that clear. Also we've heard a lot of different figures here. We've heard as much as $25,000. That's the highest figure I've ever heard for this. At the origin= al Hearing at the Water & Sewer meeting back in May of 2004, I believe, the appraiser was there and I believe the figure he quoted was $12,000 average = assessment and that's based on market value. Market value fluctuates, as we know, it goes up and down so the actu= al assessment could be less, it could be more, but $25,000, I'm not sure where that figure is coming from. T= hank you.

<= /p>
            Bob Evangelista, 228 Straits Turnp= ike, Watertown, CT 06795=

<= /p>
      = ;      Mr. Evangelista: I hate to be= a pest, but if you divide the number that the Sewer and Water Authority came = up with for the assessment, by the 24 people, it comes up to $13,300. Again, that was in May of last yea= r. My guess is it's probably just a li= ttle higher now. If I take that nu= mber and I add it to the estimate for connecting to the sewer that my contractor gave me, that's another $7,000. We were told a usage fee of about $385 a year, that's $38,050 over 10 years. $25,000.

<= /p>
            One other thought or one other question I had, and I'll ask Mr. Fusco this, I w= as told by one of the contractors in Town, I asked him if he had any idea why Fusco wants this sewer so bad, and he said yea, he wants to put an addition= on his house that requires sewer, and the addition he's putting on right now i= sn't what he wanted to put on. Now= I don't know if that's true or not, but that's what I was told.

Watertown Town Council

Public Hearing

February 21, 2006

Page 12

<= /p>
            Michele Daveluy, Straits Turnpike,= Watertown, CT 06795=

<= /p>
            Ms. Daveluy: In regards to what he said ear= lier, going up to Mr. Fusco's property doesn't do me any good because I'll still = have the bill at 77. I'm 2 houses = up from Carvel so I'm there's no way it's not going to not affect me. Where I got the figure from is the letter that I received in the mail, and I almost had a heart attack at 34 y= ears old, when I saw the figure that when it listed each house and what it was g= oing to cost after it got done, the bill that I was going to get. Not happening. I don't have the money. You can hook it up to my house but = you're not going to get a dime out of me cause I don't have it and neither does the bank, so go ahead do it, you're not going to get anything from me cause I d= on't have it.

<= /p>
            Nick Mancini, 32 Oak Drive Turnpike, Watertown, CT 06795=

<= /p>
            Mr. Mancini: Mr. Fusco keeps coming up with= Mr. Mancini here so I don't know what he likes about me, but when he bought this house here, didn't he know that he had problems down there. I mean buyer beware. I mean if you know you have all th= ese problems, what did you buy the house for?&= nbsp; Why didn't you go to Da= nbury or someplace and buy the house? Don't buy it over here on Straits Turnpike if he thought he had all these problems with it. I mea= n he's got to be a fool to do that.

<= /p>
            Frank Jodaitis, Water & Sewer Superintendent

<= /p>
            Mr. Jodaitis: I'd just like to address a few= of the items that came up during the public hearing. As far as blasting goes the contra= cts require, it's called a pre blast survey where a company comes in and photographs all of the houses as they exist long before any blasting is don. All the blasters have to= be registered or approved by the Fire Marshall in Town. And when the blasting occurs seism= ographs are placed around the blasting area to record how much shock is caused by t= he blasting. Trench blasting is = not much different than quarries. There's what they call a working face in a quarry, in a trench it happens to be the width of the trench which is 3 or 4 feet wide. Trench boxes were brought up, under= OSHA anything deeper than 4 or 5 feet depends on the soil conditions, requires a trench box. Sometimes in ledg= e if the rock is stable enough, trench boxes aren't used. There is a portion of the project = that's 20 feet deep. It's not a sign= ificant portion of the project. We bl= asted up on Oak Drive, on Oak Street 28 feet deep on Gilbert Lane the same depth. We had pre blast surveys. There were some folks that complain= ed about that. We put seismographs in = their houses. We didn’t have = any claims on blasting damages. I= n the cross town water main and the associated sewer that was built with it.

Watertown Town Council

Public Hearing

February 21, 2006

Page 13

<= /p>
            The assessments are based on real estate value. No one will know what the market i= s at the time the project is completed until the project is completed. That's the way we do assessments h= ere in Watertown, we do it through real estate appraisal of homes with and without sewers that a= re compatible to the houses that happen to be getting sewer service. People along Straits Turnpike were assessed for water on their project that was done for Pond View which basic= ally goes from Oak Drive down to Pond View Drive, I believe. That job was done jointly with the contractor, the contractor installed the pipe, the Town pa= id for the materials and some other portions of that contract, it was out of a stipulated agreement up at the Litchfield County Courthouse, and that accor= ding to the Town Attorney made the project assessable and that's why the water m= ains were assessed. As for the $26= 2,000 that comes from the Water & Sewer Authority funds, those monies are alr= eady in the budget, or were in the budget last year. That's money that exists for this project. So it's not money th= at's out there somewhere in the future; that's money that's actually sitting in = the reserve fund, the sewer extension fund allocated at this point in time for = this project.

<= /p>
            My understanding is a lot of these septic tanks go back to an era where there = was no requirement for reserve, a portion of the lot have a reserve area for another septic tank so I think my intent was to try and clarify what the circumstances are and there's a lot to it, I understand that, and I do this every day, and a lot of folks have just gotten introduced to it and at time= s it can be a bit confusing. If th= ere are any questions I'd like to answer them if that's possible, or is it okay= I just make a statement and move on?

<= /p>
            Mr. Pawlak: Make a statement. I want to remind everybody, I've b= een remiss, I want people to speak to the issue. I don't want them to bring up individuals, let's talk about the sewer line in general.

<= /p>
            Jackie Lattanzio, 126 Straits Turn= pike, Watertown, CT 06795=

<= /p>
            Ms. Lattanzio: I'm speaking on behalf of my h= usband Steven and myself. We are absolutely for the sewer project for numerous reasons, and my septic system= is fine right now. So I just thi= nk it would be better for my home, my life style, and my family if we do this now, instead of opposed to doing it later. Thank you.

<= /p>
            Bob Smith, Registered sanitarian, Torrington Area Health District

<= /p>
&= nbsp;          Mr. Smith: I'd like to clear up a couple = of misconceptions about septic systems and the proposed sewer line. This is very similar to a situatio= n on West Road a= nd Hickory Lane. The folks there, after they voted i= t down, a lot of folks had to repair their septic systems at a cost that was more t= han their original assessment. An= d I'm haring a lot of that here this evening.&nb= sp; I'd like you all not to base your decision based solely on price. The septic systems that you have c= an limit what can and cannot be done on your property and that's the current l= aw, not when most of these homes were built, which would address your question = of reserve area.

Watertown Town Council

Public Hearing

February 21, 2006

Page 14

&= nbsp;          On these older homes and there is truly average life expectancy of 20 to 25 ye= ars for a septic system. There is= a misconception that because it's not failing, that it's functioning properly. And that truly is a misconception. On older homes= we've learned from experience that we didn’t necessarily do it right, and we may be prematurely introducing sewage to groundwater with an opportunity to contaminate, and there was a question too about property transfers and sept= ic repairs and that's also a time when a septic system has to be repaired and buyers and sellers and I do not get to make that call, that's a lending institutions call. I'd be hap= py to also answer any additional questions with regard to septic systems and the proposed sewer system.

        &= nbsp;   Ms. Adams: I'm kind of intere= sted, on Hickory and West, you said there was a = bond referendum went out for Hickor= y and West for a sewer system. = How long ago was that?

&= nbsp;          Mr. Smith: That was before Watertown joined the Torrington Area He= alth District. There were a couple= of folks that took this to a proposal to see if they could get municipal sewer extended down West and Hickory= . It was decided no.

        &= nbsp;   Ms. Adams: Decide by whom? The Water & Sewer Authority, t= he Town Council, or at referendum?

&= nbsp;          Mr. Smith: That was before me. But the decision was to not extend municipal sewer down West and = Hickory.

        &= nbsp;   Ms. Adams: Okay, so you don't= know exactly the history on just where the no came from?

&= nbsp;          Mr. Smith: I don't know where the no came= from, but I do know that after Watertown joined = Torrington and the systems on some of those roads started to fail, as they were repaired, seve= ral residents said to me I've spent more fixing the septic than if I had said y= es and hooked to the municipal sewer.

        &= nbsp;   Ms. Adams: How many had to be repaired?

&= nbsp;          Mr. Smith: More than half the homes on Hi= ckory which would put it at about 6, between 6 and 8, I can get you specific figu= res if you'd like, and on West Road there is at least 5 that I can come up with= off the top off my head.

        &= nbsp;   Ms. Adams: Since whatever thi= s time is but we don't know exactly when the voters said, or whoever said no.

&= nbsp;          Mr. Smith: Right, I've been in Town over = 10 years, so the question of extending municipal sewer was before Watertown joined the Torrington Area He= alth District.

Watertown Town Council

Public Hearing

February 21, 2006

Page 15

        &= nbsp;   Ms. Adams: I don't know, it's= just, I don't remember any kind of referendum and I'm one that votes in every referendum, and I can never remember voting on that. I don't know if it was 25 or 30 ye= ars ago. Who knows? People tend to stay in their house= s a long time and . . .

&= nbsp;          Mr. Smith: It may not have made it to ref= erendum, I just know that the Reber's undertook the process as the Fusco's did with = this one and they got more no thank you, I don’t need it, therefore I don't want it, and that's when it stopped.

        &= nbsp;   Ms. Adams: Well if you can co= me up with any information I'd be very interested seeing how long ago that was and who denied it, at what point, was it Water & Sewer, the Fire District, = the Town Council, or a referendum?

            Bob Evangelista, 228 Straits Turnp= ike, Watertown, CT 06795=

<= /p>
&= nbsp;          Mr. Evangelista: Are you aware of any failures at the moment?

            Gene Nadeau, Watertown, CT 06795=

&= nbsp;          Mr. Nadeau: Can you tell me when the last failure would have been on Straits Turnpike?

&= nbsp;          Mr. Smith: I'd have to look into the reco= rds, but I'd be happy to get that information to you, if you give me your name.<= /p>

        &= nbsp;   Mr. Nadeau: Well I think all = of these people would be interested. Cause we're the ones who have to pay the bill.

        &= nbsp;   Mr. Smith: Okay.

&= nbsp;          Mr. Pawlak: Could you also send that to the To= wn Council, and Town Manager please?

            Jamie Mastrianni, 51 Straits Turnp= ike, Watertown, CT 06795=

&= nbsp;          Ms. Mastrianni: I'm speaking on behalf of my husba= nd, Richard. I am in favor of the project for all the reasons that were stated previously. My system is fine. I would not hook up to it right aw= ay, it just seems that it would be appropriate.&n= bsp; It makes sense to do it now. I'd rather see it done sooner than later and I just would like the project to go ahead. Thank yo= u.

        &= nbsp;   Mary Barton, Town Planner, Zoning = & Wetland Enforcement Officer

&= nbsp;          Ms. Barton: I just want to make one thing clear= . The Fusco's do have a wetland perm= it, they have received their zoning permits.&n= bsp; I have been here about 16 years.&nb= sp; I now periodically there have been some issues with the septics, and= as Mr. Fusco said there are wetlands along Straits Turnpike, so as Mr. Smith s= aid that maybe some of these systems may impact the groundwater into the road a= nd eventually that would impact the wetlands.= But he does have his permits, they did go to the Wetland Commission = in that respect. And if you have= any questions I'd be more than happy to answer it.

Watertown Town Council

Public Hearing

February 21, 2006

Page 16

        &= nbsp;   Khrystyne Keane, Chairman Water &a= mp; Sewer Authority

&= nbsp;          Ms. Keane: This started about a couple of year= s ago, Mr. Fusco came to our meeting and said what can we do to get some services = down Straits Turnpike, to which we said start a petition which he did. That's the only thing that's needed= to get the Water & Sewer Authority, as Mr. Rinaldi knows, involved in this. This has been through 1= or 2 public hearings and it was approved by the Water & Sewer Authority to s= end this here for a public hearing so it does have the support of the Authority, and we have heard heated arguments on both sides and we still feel as an Au= thority that this is the way to go. B= ecause there are times when septic systems do fail. I have a septic system, and I'm go= ing to knock on wood on that one, but there is a chance that something can happen,= but just because of that there, s= omeone said something to do with resale value, and yes you will realize an improve= ment on the cost of your home if you have services or you have access to those services. Excuse me, I'm sorry? I didn't hear that, ca= n you say that again please?

        &= nbsp;   Mr. Evangelista: Excuse me.

        &= nbsp;   Ms. Keane: They have 10 years= to pay the assessment. They can = pay it all at once or they can make equal payments over the 10 years. Frank, is there an interest charge= on the assessment on that one?

        &= nbsp;   Mr. Jodaitis: Same as the Town's bonding rate.

        &= nbsp;   Ms. Keane: Same as the Town's bonding rate. If there is a d= efault it goes to 18% per annum on that, if they don't pay. I know someone said they got the l= ien notice. There is a registered letter that goes out to each member which they have to sign for at the post office that says this is what your assessment will be. We have a list of things we have t= o do before we put a lien on the house, it's not something we like to do, but wi= th 10 years to pay with a very low interest rate, there are ways to do it. If the Council has any questions?<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Yes? No? Maybe?

            Laura Smith, 279 Straits Turnpike,= Watertown, CT 06795=

<= /p>
            Ms. Smith: I'm hearing a lot of if this happen= s, it might happen, we might have some failures, it might affect the water, wetla= nds, people might have to, you know what? I'm not convinced and I definitely don't want to have to pay the mon= ey because this might happen somewhere down the line and I don't think that's being short sighted. I think = we've got to look out for ourselves now. The economy is not so hot, we don't have the money and I think you're hearing that loud and clear form this group, so I think based on some maybes and mights, I still am not convinced that this is going to serve the greate= r good of Watertown. So I think the majority has spoken here, so I would also like to at this time just submit = my petition. Again I have told y= ou earlier that I was getting more signatures, so I'd like to submit this to t= he Town Council.

Watertown Town Council

Public Hearing

February 21, 2006

Page 17

<= /p>
            Ms. Adams: Joe, can you have Meredith give Town Council members a copy?

      = ;      Mr. Pawlak: Yes. Meredith, copies of that petition please.

<= /p>
            Bob Evangelista, 228 Straits Turnp= ike, Watertown, CT 06795=

<= /p>
            Mr. Evangelista: Possibly as Laura said, we're heari= ng the possibly and the maybes and the whatever, we haven't addressed the possibil= ity that should a system fail the homeowner can fix it or have it repaired or replaced. We've been kind of = led to believe that if your septic system should fail, your only recourse and the = only way out is with the miraculous sewer system. The septic system can be replaced,= with no input or aggravation to the Town. Thank you.

            Nick Mancini, 32 Oak Drive, Watertown, CT&nbs= p; 06795

<= /p>
&= nbsp;          Mr. Mancini: I heard tonight that the plans were drawn up for this project and they don't know what to do with them. Well I've worked on plenty of proj= ects where the plans were just shelved, and they're not going to go to waste. You can put them on your shelf and = leave them there for 50 years. When= you need it you have it. And ther= e's no harm in that. As someone said= they had about $300,000 something thousand dollars for this project that was in = the budget, maybe I misunderstood it, but I'm sure that the education department could use that, they're always short funded. There are other places in Town her= e where we could use that money that would probably be better used.

3.&nb= sp;        Adjournment=

Mr. Pawlak, Chairman, Closed the Public Hearing at 8:00 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Joseph Pawlak, Chairman

        &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;             = Town Council

&n= bsp;

A= pproved: _______________________________

      Lynn M. LaF= orme, Clerk