MINUTES
REGU=
LAR
MEETING
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2006, 7:30 P.M.
PRESENT: = &nb= sp; Elaine Adams
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Robert Kane
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Carl Mancini
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Joseph Pawlak, Chairman
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Suzan Plowman
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Raymond Primini
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Paul Rinaldi, Vice Chairman
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Jack Walton
ABSENT: &nb= sp; = Antonio Guerrera
OTHERS PRESENT: Mary Barton, Town Planner/Zoning & Wetland Enforcement Officer
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Roy Cavanaugh, Director of Public Works
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Frank Nardelli, Assistant Town Manager/Finance Director
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Franklin Pilicy, Town Attorney
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Meredith Robson, Town Manager
1.&nb= sp; Call Meeting To Order
Mr. = Pawlak, Chairman, Called the Meeting to Order at 7:33 p.m.
2.&nb= sp; Roll Call
Ms. LaForme, Board Clerk, executed the Roll Call.
&= nbsp; Mr. Pawlak, Chairman, led the Pledge of Allegiance.
&= nbsp; Mr. Pawlak, Chairman, asked for a Moment of Silence in honor and respect for al= l of our service personnel who are serving us overseas.
&= nbsp; Mr. Pawlak, Chairman, Recessed the Regular Meeting at 7:34 p.m.
&= nbsp; Mr. Pawlak, Chairman, Reconvened the Regular Meeting at 8:08 p.m.
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 2
4.&nb=
sp; Public
Participation
Mark Tecescco,
Mr. Tedesco: Last Wednesday we had a Planning and Zoning Meeting and it was a rare meeting, it was only 5 minutes, it was jus= t a technical reason, and I found myself with a little extra time on my hands s= o I went to the Police Commission meeting.&nbs= p; I've been to probably 1 or 2 of their meetings and I'll tell you I walked out of there pretty alarmed at some of the things I heard. And I know just for the Council me= mber's facts, I'm not here, I didn't know these police officers were going to be h= ere tonight, I came on my own volition, but I heard that in 1974 we had 34 poli= ce officers in this Town and here we are in 2006 with 5,500 more residents, an= d I know what's in front of my Board as a Planning and Zoning Commissioner, we = have another 440 over 55 units possibly coming into Town and right now there are another 150 home sites coming into Town, most of them already approved on t= he home sites, so I'm sure there's going to be better speakers than me tonight that are coming up that can explain things a little bit better, but not as = a commission member, but just as a resident, I was alarmed and this needs to be addressed. To put it bluntly = 34 officers now, we have after 20 years and another probably 6,500 residents coming in, we have 2 extra officers in only that 20 year span. It just doesn't add up. That's about it. Thank you.
Jean King,
Ms. King: I just want to speak very briefly a= bout an item that I believe is last on your Agenda tonight, which is the discuss= ion about temporarily protecting the Town Hall roof, Item #12 something. I would just like to urge the Coun= cil to take some action on that part. You know there are a number of people who are working very hard to help save the Town Hall and find some ways to preserve it in some fashion, but meanwhile = it is in dire threat from the thing that threatens all buildings most, which is water, and this would be a first step, which is to put some kind of protect= ive covering, probably a bright blue tarp, I don't know, do they only make those tarps in blue or something, but something like that I would hope that the Council would take action to begin to protect the building so that it doesn= 't fall down before we can save it. Thank you.
Mark Fusco, 135 Straits Turnpike, =
Mr. Fusco: I'd just like to ask the Council wh= en they'll be taking action on the Hearing that was held prior to tonight's meeting? I would like to see = this added to tonight's Agenda as an item. Thank you.
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 3
Mark Raimo, Master Sergeant, Union=
President,
Watertown Police Department
Mr. Raimo: I provided you with a package; I'd = just like to go over that package. The issue that we're bringing to you tonight is over manpower, which I know you= ’re already aware of. I just want= ed to share something with you, in 1973 the Waterbury Little League Giants won the pennant. Why is that important? I was 9 years old;= I was on that team. 1973, 34 office= rs in the Watertown Police Department. 1984, I entered into the Army, 34 officers in the Watertown Police D= epartment. 1994, I have 6 years on the job, 34 officers in our Department. 2= 004, I'm a Master Sergeant in the Police Department with 20 years on the job, 35 officers on the Department.
Over
the last 32 years are calls of service have substantially increased, our
maintenance training, which is what we need to keep our certification, has
reached 80 hours, that's just for us to stay certified to act as a Police
Officer in the State of
Our response to services in the Town are starting to deteriorate. We're not investigating motor vehi= cle accidents as we used to. We'r= e not investigating a lot of calls as in depth as we used to. Our dispatchers are handling thing= s that should be handled by an officer to keep us free to answer the calls that ne= ed to be answered on the street. We have detectives that now take the majority of our investigations from us wh= ich has increased their workload to keep the officers free, and we’re sti= ll not answering our calls. Last= year we didn't answer 36 medical calls, and those are just the calls that myself= and the lieutenant on days have recorded as not being answered. The Watertown Fire Department, tremendous organization, they have a great response time but they’re still not out there trained and on the road driving around like we are. We’re not out there answering those calls. Everybody read i= n the newspaper, if it's my mother I'm going to be pretty upset about it if we do= n't have response to my mom's house.
I
just want to go through this packet with you. On Page 1 it just gives us our cal=
ls of
services. In 1994 we had 15,1=
57
calls. In 1999 we increased to
16,098. In 2004 we increased =
to
17,530 calls. Our statistical=
information
is as accurate as possible. W=
e had
a system crash in our computer in 1994 and we did the best job we could to =
give
you this statistical information.
Any one on the Town Council is welcome to come to the Police Departm=
ent
and look at our records to compare. We underestimated our numbers becau=
se we
did not want to put any fluff in our review of the information. These are all factual statistics.<=
/p>
Regular Meeting February 21, 2006 Page 4 Page
2 just goes over our arrestees as far as residents. In 2004 54% of the people who were=
arrested
in our Town were Page
4, I know our community is interested in motor vehicle enforcement. We've heard it a lot through the P=
olice
Commission. Just for your inf=
ormation,
if an officer goes to an accident with an injury, the average time for the
officer out of service, not available for any other call is 40 minutes. If the accident has no injury it's=
33 minutes. Now that means this officer is not
leaving that scene, he can't go to a heart attack, he can't go to a bar fig=
ht,
that's it, he's out of service. A misdemeanor
summons, which is issued quite often in the Department for motor vehicle
violations, that takes the officer 24.9 minutes. That does not include him filling =
out
our computer information and the statistical reporting information that we =
need
to complete for the State, so these times are on the low side. An infraction, 14 minutes. Written Warning, 11 minutes, and a
verbal warning 7 minutes. The
reason why these times are important is this officer is not available to an=
swer
any other calls. Page
6 and 7 go into our D.W.I. investigation.&=
nbsp;
I thought it was important for everybody to understand that when an
officer makes an arrest for D.W.I., it's not a 15 minute intervention with =
somebody
that he has stopped. The aver=
age
time for a D.W.I. arrest is well over 2 hours. The officer is unavailable for any=
other
calls. =
; Mr.
Pawlak: There is also a s=
econd
officer involved. How much ti=
me
would he normally spend if he has to witness a refusal? Is that in there? =
; Mr.
Raimo: It is, on Page 8 it
addresses that a primary officer is involved in a D.W.I. arrest for
approximately 2 hours. The co=
ver
officer who assists is tied up for 45 minutes. We have to wait for the tow truck =
or
search the vehicle or complete the paperwork that needs to go into that
officer's responsibilities. T=
he
Supervisor is also tied up. H=
e's
either at the scene making sure calls are being completed, or just as a bac=
kup
officer because we don't have enough officers for backup officers. And we took a few averages over th=
e last
couple of years and it averaged out to over 2 hours in time for the officer=
. I
know that we think Regular Meeting February 21, 2006 Page 5 In
2003 officers feloniously killed, there was 25 officers who were alone when
they were murdered and 25 officers had backup when murdered, for a total of,
I'm sorry I didn't total that, so for 2003 there's a breakdown of the offic=
ers
who were killed. I apologize =
for
not having that totaled. =
; Ms.
Adams: You do. 147. Total line of duty deaths in 2003.=
=
; Mr.
Pawlak: 52 by felonious.<=
/p>
=
; Mr.
Raimo: I didn't think I w=
as
going to be nervous but I am a little nervous to be perfectly honest with
you. On Page 10, based on
population, it just goes to show you, if we put Watertown, from which I
understand is in the 22,000 population range, you had over 21 officers kill=
ed
between 1995 and 2004 comparably speaking to population. On
Page 12 which is something that we find very important and very scary to us=
is
that On
Page 11, officers assaulted in 2004, looking at population-wise there was a
little over 4,000 officers in a Town of population of 10,000 to 25,000. On
Page 13 it just goes ahead and reaffirms what we said about us, On
Page 14 you can see in 1974, 34 officers.&=
nbsp;
In 2006, there are 36 officers and 1 of those officers is not fully
rained yet, he's not on the road yet, so we’re working with a staff of
35. At the end of this year 2=
006, 8
of those officers are eligible for retirement. In 2012, 15 officers are eligible =
for
retirement. =
; Mr.
Pawlak: In addition to th=
e 8? Regular Meeting February 21, 2006 Page 6 =
; Mr.
Raimo: Total 15. I spoke to Ms. Robson regarding fo=
rming
some type of exit committee to address the issues of our officers exiting o=
ut
and having new officers hired back into the Police Department. If you look on Page 15, it takes a
little over a year and 3 months to have an officer apply for a position and
actually be on the road working.
One of new officers who was hired recently, this is actually his
timeline. Starting in October=
22,
2004 when he applied for the job, to the time when he was completed and
actually on the road answering calls by himself, January 15 2006. When I came on the Police Departme=
nt,
they put me on the road probably within a couple of weeks I was riding by
myself. I didn't even know wh=
ere
the boundaries were. Now it&#=
8217;s
a bit different. We have to l=
ook at
how are we going to get our officers out into retirement and new officers i=
n if
we're not making plans. Mr. Pawlak: The roster that you show on 2006, =
is
that by seniority? =
; Mr.
Raimo: Yes, it is. I will be one of the officers leav=
ing in
2012, not a day longer. On Pa=
ge 16,
17, and 18, these are just scenarios that have taken place in recent histor=
y of
our Department where there was no protection to our Town whatsoever. All officers are tied up. This hap=
pens
on a weekly basis on every single shift.&n=
bsp;
If the Town does not want to give us more officers, they do have to
realize that we cannot answer the calls as they come in. We have commitments. Once we're committed to a situation
we're unable to break away. A=
s a
supervisor I'm concerned some day that there's nobody to be available to se=
nd
on a call and I'm going to choose to take the call, and I'm going to respon=
d by
myself. I shouldn't have to b=
e put
in that position, but we took on this job to protect our citizens, and we w=
ant
to do that. It's very difficult not to respond somewhere. Just last week we had a fire on
Buckingham Street, we had 4 officers working, 3 officers tied up at the fir=
e cause
we had to block off the road, and a car comes down Buckingham Street and dr=
ives
up underneath a tractor trailer. We have a serious accident with injuries.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>
In
the back of your package I stuck in there a photograph of an accident on
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 7
I skipped over a page, and this is written by an unknown author and it's titl= ed "Police Sacrifice". It will only take me a minute to read, and if you don't object I'd like to read that.
= ; Mr. Pawlak: Go ahead.
= ; Mr. Raimo: Thank you:
"While you sleep, we're there.
When you're sitting down to Thanksgiving Dinner or celebrating Christmas, we're there.
When it's raining and cold and you're glad to be in your home with your family, we're out there.
When it's your children's birthday, we're out there.
When it's our children's birthday, we're still out there.
You put on a suit and a dress to go to work, we strap on a ballistic vest and a gun.
There's little room for error in your job, in ours there is none.
An error by you means a demotion, an error by us means a funeral.
When
you tell your families see you tonight as you leave for work, you mean it.<=
/p>
When
we tell our family that, we pray we will. At
your job you strive to succeed. At
our job we strive to survive. In
your job one bad person is the talk of the office. In
our job one bad officer makes the news and suddenly we're all bad. In
these headlines it's not what good we've done, but how much better it could
have been done. When
you're scared, you call us. When
we're scared, and it happens, we must carry on. While
you're eating a home cooked meal, we're having another hamburger. While
you're asleep with your spouse, ours is asleep alone. So
the next time you're out with your family or friends, and you see a patrol =
car
go by, Remember
the incredible sacrifice made by these officers every day. Inside
that car is a person who sacrifices his or her life both professionally and
personally every day." Regular Meeting February 21, 2006 Page 8 =
; Mr.
Raimo: And the reason why=
it
was important for us (inaudible) is that I know that
On the last page of your document this page was intentionally left blank in ho= nor of the 17,954 police officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Thank you for your time.
Gary Stewart,
Mr. Stewart: I am also the Chairman of the Police
Commission. I'll try to keep =
this
very short. Basically I want =
to say
that as a commissioner for a number of years now, the figures detailed in t=
his
report are factual. While it'=
s not
the Commission's report we do find it, through experience, to be very factu=
al,
so I think that that goes a lot towards the credibility of the report itsel=
f,
because I have not talked to a commissioner thus far that disagrees with an=
y of
the figures in the report. As
everyone in
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 9
Ms. Adams:
= ; Mr. Stewart: 2.
= ; Ms. Adams: Requesting 2?
Mr. Stewart: Yes.
= ; Ms. Adams: To get things roll= ing?
=
; Mr.
Stewart: Well we hope.
Mr. Primini: What I'd like to see some figures =
on,
something that you didn't give me, is through the Town Manager, I know the =
last
couple of years we had some worker's comp injuries, long term worker's comp=
injuries
that also added to this, I'd like to know if we could get figures as far as=
the
replacements to that and also training requirements, a lot of us don't real=
ize
you have mandatory training to keep your certification, that also puts a da=
mper
on it, and the last thing I'd like to point out, I think in this Town we've
gotten spoiled with your service.
It's pretty well known if we make a call, somebody will show up to t=
he
house. Just this past year I =
was
involved in a car accident in
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 10
Mr. Raimo: From what I'm getting is that you =
want
to support us. I'm getting th=
at
from your conversation, but there are a lot of issues that we can't
control. There's still going =
to be
overtime within the Police Department.&nbs=
p;
Our officers are still entitled to vacation, sick, and personal time
that contractually we take that time.
There are big issues with arrests that we've made where we end up ha=
ving
to hire more officers in to cover these staffing issues. If we send a prisoner down to
= ; Mr. Primini: I understand what you're saying, but you have m= inimum staffing requirements you have to keep, whatever, 3 or 4 guys on the road, = and I know it's not done all the time. There are times when you are down a couple of guys.
=
; Mr.
Raimo: Our average is 3 o=
fficers
on the road; 2 officers and a Supervisor.&=
nbsp;
It doesn't take long to go through those officers. We need to have our staffing bumpe=
d up,
to where we have 3 officers on the road and a Supervisor. And of course that's not enough but
we're sensitive to the needs of the Town not having the money, but we do ne=
ed
to increase our minimums staffing level, that's one of the issues we're hav=
ing. And that is an expense to the
officers. We talked about thi=
s as a
Mr. Pawlak: At the last Police Commission meet=
ing I
attended, in January, we had a discussion regarding the budget, because we =
were
given the budget in December and had the opportunity to review that for a
month, and during that Police Commission meeting I made the comment, and I
still stand by it, I shouldn't say still, I stand by it, I told the Chief a=
nd
the Deputy Chief when it comes to the Police Department particularly this y=
ear,
I would much rather have personnel included in the budget than equipment
because if we don't have the personnel we can't put somebody in the seat.
Mr. Raimo: Our equipment is still important t= o us.
= ; Mr. Pawlak: We understand tha= t.
= ; Mr. Raimo: If I have to have = an officer take a foot beat up to Bassett Road it's going to take him quite aw= hile to get there, so we'd like to keep them in a car, although a few of us could use the exercise, but we'd still like to keep them in the car.
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 11
=
; Ms.
Robson: If I might I just=
want
to applaud the work that was done by the Police Union. I've been at this for about 18 yea=
rs and
this is probably one of the best documents that I've seen in terms of
supporting a need that's out there, ands there's no question in my mind, I
think there's no question in anyone's mind that there is a need out there.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Unfortunately as we all know fundi=
ng is
always an issue, but I just did want to compliment the
= ; Mr. Pawlak: Agreed.
Kevin Ferrucci, Watertown Police D=
epartment
Mr. Ferrucci: I've been on the force for about 4 =
years,
on the 2-10 shift presently. I
think a lot of what we gave you shows a lot of worse case scenarios and I d=
on't
want that to be the only thing in your mind and leave here with that. I'll give you a scenario that happ=
ened
within the past 2 weeks - I came to the shift and it's something that I've =
seen
too many times, is the minimum, which means there's 1 guy in Watertown and 1
guy in Oakville, and that's it. I conducted a motor vehicle stop in which t=
he
operator was suspended and the vehicle was using mis-used plates. That's going to tie me up now. There's 2 people in the car, that =
ties
up the second officer. There =
is
nobody left in Town. This isn=
't an
accident, it's not a stabbing, it's just an every day occurrence. I pull cars over every day and this
happens continuously. We're t=
rying
those people up for an extended amount of time, as long as it takes for the=
tow
truck to get there, run names, and then if somebody in that vehicle is foun=
d to
be wanted, that's going to tie me up again for an extended amount of time.<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Another thing is the drugs. I know we touched upon that. You've got to keep in mind,
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 12
Dr. Joedyer,
Dr. Joedyer: It's a very compelling reason = to support the Police and I hope the Council gets the support from the Town in= the referendums. I'm here to supp= ort the, sort of Norman Rockwell painting of the Town Meeting in which we speak= to preserve our Town Hall and I just wanted to ask you to think of this as bei= ng the blue tarp as a beginning of a desire to restore that building, which is= a beautiful building with palladium windows and has great merit to this Town, and in the long haul there should be I hope a support by the Town itself, the Council,= the budgeting and there's a large need for money which we're trying to raise fr= om other sources, grants, the State of Connecticut and preservation, but I'd l= ike to have the Town Council come out strongly in favor of a long term plan to restore the Town Hall. Thank = you.
Mr. Pawlak, Chairman, Closed Public Participation at 8:45 p.m.
5.&nb=
sp; Minutes
&= nbsp; A. Regular Meeting Minutes – February 6, 2006
= ; &n= bsp; MOTION: (Ms. = Plowman, sec. Mr. Rinaldi) to Approve the Regular Meeting Minutes dated February 6, = 2006 as presented.
= ; &n= bsp; Discussion: None<= /p>
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
&=
nbsp; B. =
= ; &n= bsp; MOTION: (Ms. = Plowman, sec. Mr. Rinaldi) to Approve the Special Town Meeting Minutes dated Februar= y 6, 2006 as presented.
= ; &n= bsp; Discussion: None<= /p>
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
&= nbsp; C. Special Meeting Minutes – June 20, 2005
= ; &n= bsp; MOTION: (Ms. = Plowman, sec. Mr. Rinaldi) to Approve the Special Meeting Minutes dated June 20, 200= 5 as presented.
= ; &n= bsp; Discussion: None<= /p>
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 13
&= nbsp; D. Joint Special Meeting Minutes – February 15, 2006 (no quorum)
= ; &n= bsp; MOTION: (Ms. = Plowman, sec. Mr. Rinaldi) to Approve the Joint Special Meeting Minutes dated Februa= ry 15, 2006 as presented (no quorum).
= ; &n= bsp; Discussion: Ms. Adams: I was at that meeting.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Ms. LaForme (Clerk): I've already added her name to the original sets of Minutes.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
6.&nb= sp; Chairman’s Report
= Mr. Pawlak: I'll try to keep it brief. The budget dates have been set for= the Subcommittee. Carl Mancini wi= ll probably mention that in his report.
= We have a total of 14 people being appointed to 18 positions on boards and commissions. I would just ask= that all of these people keep a couple of things in mind, that they take these appointments very seriously. I would urge them that participation is the key to membership on these boards= and commissions, and participation means attendance. I would hope that you remember tha= t and that you serve the Town in its best interests regardless of your political affiliation. I will congratul= ate all of you in advance of your appointment, soon to be made official.
= I have the overtime for January of 06. It looks like the overtime was about $97,000 most of which came in the Highway = Department snow, which was up about 54% over December and the Police Department was do= wn about 47%. So we’ll see what happens in February.
MOTION: Mr.
Mancini, sec. Mr. Rinaldi) to Add Agenda Item 14C, following Executive Sess=
ion,
Discussion and Possible Action on a Settlement in Byrne versus the Town of =
Discussion: Ms. Adams: Is that under Executive Session?
=
&nb=
sp; Mr. Pawlak: After the Executive Session. MOTION
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY &=
nbsp; A. Correspondence =
Mr. Pawlak: I have a letter from Joe McGrail,
Chairman of the Economic Development Commission, to myself dated 2/17/06:
Regular Meeting February 21, 2006 Page 14 =
&=
quot;Dear
Joe: =
At
our 02/16/06 meeting of the Economic Development Commission, members present
voted unanimously against the reorganization being proposed by the Town Man=
ager
as it relates to economic development.&nbs=
p;
Our concern is based solely on the belief that the proposal would cr=
eate
havoc if the person responsible for economic development matters also had
responsibility for planning and zoning, building inspection, and
engineering. We can clearly s=
ee the
potential for the charge of conflict of interest or preferential treatment
being lodged at some point in the future.&=
nbsp;
It is our firm belief that the Economic Development Coordinator posi=
tion
should be filled by a person with no affiliation to a land use commission or
authority. We do feel that a
candidate for the economic development position should be well versed in
matters of planning and zoning, but as stated, have no current affiliation.=
The Commission feels that given the
choice of an Economic Development Coordinator under the conditions being
proposed or keeping things as they are, we would choose the latter. For reasons stated above we see the
proposed position as one that would cause more harm than good. We can't stress enough the need fo=
r an
independent Economic Development Coordinator. The question being asked by the E.D=
.C. is
who in the Town will, or should act as the official Town spokesperson on
specific projects? In other t=
owns
or cities the Mayor or First Selectman is that voice. They speak for or against the proj=
ect based
on their informed belief as to its benefit or detriment to the community.
= R= espectfully,
= J= oe McGrail
= C= hairman
= E= conomic Development Commission"
B. = Citizen Recognition - Catherine Frigon and Sandra Kowalski - Hurricane Katrina Volunteers
= Mr. Pawlak: This is one that gives me great pleasure. Are either of these ladies here? Ms. Kowalski is = here, we’ll start with you.
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 15
"Citizen Recognition
Honoring
Sandra Kowals= ki
In recognitio= n of her volunteer efforts as an American Red Cross Volunteer
For the victi= ms of the Hurricane Katrina Disaster
Heartfelt appreciation is hereby bestowed upon
Sandra Kowals= ki
Dated at
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp;
= &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = Joe Pawlak, Chairman
=
&nb=
sp; =
&nb=
sp; =
&nb=
sp; =
Mr. Pawlak: Thank you very, very much.
Ms. Kowalski: Thank you very much, this is an ho= nor to be here. (Inaudible.) Thank you very much.
"Citizen Recognition
Honoring
Catherine Fri= gon
In recognitio= n of her volunteer efforts as an American Red Cross Volunteer
For the victi= ms of the Hurricane Katrina Disaster
Heartfelt appreciation is hereby bestowed upon
Catherine Fri= gon
Dated at
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp;
= &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = Joe Pawlak, Chairman
=
&nb=
sp; =
&nb=
sp; =
&nb=
sp; =
&= nbsp; Mr. Pawlak: Again, a wonderful effort and sense of responsibility for someone to drop everything and go do= wn there and pitch in. I really appreciate people like her doing that and I think many of us would have wis= hed to have been able to do that.
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 16
7.&nb=
sp; Town
Manager's Report
&=
nbsp; Ms.
Robson: Just to let you k=
now
most of what I've been working on lately is the budget, as I'm sure you all
know, and labor negotiations because one Union has started and another one =
will
start in a couple of months, so that has been the majority of the focus.
= Mr. Pawlak: I agree.
8.&nb=
sp; Town
Department Report - Public Works Director, Roy Cavanaugh
&= nbsp; Ms. Adams: Just for the recor= d, can we blame Mother Nature for that Highway Department overtime?
&= nbsp; Mr. Pawlak: Yea, I don't thin= k it was mismanagement.
&= nbsp; Mr. Cavanaugh: Our Winter operations, as you're well aware from looking at the budget, are in full sw= ing right now. I'm pleased to rep= ort that all of the major fleet pieces are operational and up and running at th= is time and we don't have any major issues with that. We do have enough materials, sand = and salt mix, and they're stockpiled in the bins for about 4 more events and we really haven't touched the $50,000 which was appropriated last meeting for material yet, although the prospects for this weekend don't look real promising. We're also pleased= to report that the new shelter over the sand pile up at the landfill is working well. The material is coming = out dryer, cleaner, better able to be spread and providing better traction, we think.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Also up there, while we're talking= about Winter operations, we did get hit pretty heavy with the Nor'easter that came through. We don't have the ex= act payroll report yet, but the guys were in over the weekend for in excess of = 30 continual hours of operation during the events, so we'll be talking about t= he overtime budget I'm sure in the near future. On the bright side I'm pleased to = report that Governor Rell has requested that the Feds declare the Nor'easter a fed= eral disaster so if that is granted by the Feds, of course we'd be submitting for reimbursement for all of the labor, equipment, and materials, which could be substantial.
= On the landfill end, Fuss & O'Neil is doing the receptive survey for the D= .E.P. (inaudible) Consent Decree up there, it's over75% done and we're hopeful to know what the impacts, if any, from the receptor survey are within a month = or so. Included in your packet t= onight there is a request or proposal or discussion item for proposed fee changes = up at the Landfill. The fees rea= lly haven't changed in several years despite repeated increases that we've incu= rred as operating costs. This has = been a topic of a lot of discussion with the Public Works Subcommittee and it's a = step that everybody is reluctantly proposing at this time.
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 17
= The Engineer Department is busy working on a lot of different project designs f= or roadway storm projects, both the bond projects and the in-house capital improvement projects over the year. We do anticipate a busy construction season with subdivisions. Mr. Tedesco alluded earlier to the= large number of houses underway right now; unfortunately most of those houses are= on roads, new roads, newly proposed roads, or newly built roads, and the Engin= eering Department will be inspecting the construction to make sure that they comply with our standards and after that the Highway Department is going to have to maintain them.
= Guernse= ytown Phase I - that's the big major construction project we'll be anticipating t= his year, over the next year and a half Guernseytown Road, between Route 6 and = East Hall is going to be undergoing significant reconstruction by State forces.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Dayton Construction was the low bi= dder, about $2.,400,000 and they anticipate starting within a month or so. The D.O.T. is handling the funding= on that project and they're handling the inspection and the scheduling.
= As far as the Highway Department goes, we've got a lot of work planned for us. In 2006 we're anticipatin= g on working on Section 8. In fron= t of you you have a Town map, the Town divided up into 9 different maintenance sections for our 9 year program which is entering year 18. Section 8 is the one we're finishi= ng up this year. Next year we're go= ing, which is in the southwest portion of Town. The following year we'll got to Section 9, which is the northwest pa= rt of Town and after that we're going to rotate back to Section 1 which is the Oakville section which we started the program back in 1988.
= We do anticipate a number of major projects later in the Summer. We'll be assisting the Firehouse in constructing their back entrance. We've got the new street signs in compliance with the federal mandat= es, for the larger retro reflective signs which we're putting up on all roads i= n Town which have a speed limit of 35 mph or greater. They're all State roads, so we are putting up new signs on State roads using Town funds in response to a feder= al requirement and we're not getting reimbursed for any of it. That's an editorial comment.
=
We
have a little more work to do on the Regular Meeting February 21, 2006 Page 18 =
And
we have a long list of projects being done this year. You can look forward to Falls Avenue
being milled and overlayed causing traffic delays all Summer long. That's arterial. We try to do one arterial road, on=
e of
the main Town roads per year. We've
done &=
nbsp; Ms.
Adams: That isn't tax dol=
lars,
that's money we get from the State, so we do manage to do something every y=
ear. =
Mr. Pawlak: Like a freebie? &=
nbsp; Ms.
Adams: Our tax dollars ba=
sically
coming back, a little allocation. =
Mr. Cavanaugh: We do have a number of other proje=
cts
which are going to be on the way.
Lower =
Mr. Pawlak: These are storm drains? &=
nbsp; Mr.
Cavanaugh: Storm drains, =
yes,
up the top of the hill. While=
there
are a number of other drainage projects, most of which being funded through=
the
2003 project, Rockland and Slate Avenue, Greenwood Street, Lexington, Conco=
rd,
Nova Scotia Road, which is a combination of bond money and using money from=
a
developer, Icehouse Road will be a small drainage project to replace a
collapsed culvert probably by Town forces, and then Hamilton Avenue and Mer=
riam
Lane in response to, again part of the bond project we're looking at doing =
some
improvements, lowering the road, making the road a little bit safer. =
Chip
Sealing, we're going to be doing the Jericho Road section of Town, Section =
7,
and then we're going down to Oakville, doing Mason Avenue, Capewell, Hubbell
section of Town, and then finally we have a couple of relatively quick and =
easy
site line improvements. We'll=
be
doing the green on Route 6, as you're looking left there's a site line issue
there and there's also a site line issue as you're coming out from Neill Dr=
ive
onto Route 6 looking right there, that hump in the bank. We've talked to the property owner=
and
we don't have D.O.T. permits for either of those yet but we are looking to =
do
some safety improvements. That
wraps up my report. =
Mr. Pawlak: You mentioned the replacement of t=
he
garage doors. Are those cover=
ed by
a budgeted amount? Regular Meeting February 21, 2006 Page 19 &=
nbsp; Mr.
Cavanaugh: Yes, we had th=
at
money budgeted in this year's budget as a scheduled replacement, it was goi=
ng to
be bid out in the Spring. The=
re's 5
major doors up at the garage, we've replaced 3 of them over the years and t=
hese
are the last 2. They were in =
this
year's budget, scheduled to be replaced, but they didn't make it through the
Winter. =
Mr. Kane: &=
nbsp; Mr.
Cavanaugh: You're right, the actual snow fall totals haven't been all t=
hat
high. Total precipitation tot=
als
have been actually in exceedance of average; the problem with that is it tu=
rns
to ice. And we've been respon=
ding
to a lot of call outs for ice. One
of the other problems we experienced, and again it's a timing thing, for
instance this Nor'easter we had last weekend occurred on a holiday weekend,=
we
paid double time for Saturday, Sunday, and Monday for all of that, so we're
getting hit with weekend and overtime costs. And the other problem, well it's n=
ot
really a problem is the way we set up the budget. Traditionally what we do is we too=
k the
low (inaudible) 5 year average, rolling average for the last 5 years of
overtime cost, we increase it by the contractual pay rate increase, so we k=
now
built in there's going to be a 50/50 chance we may or may not be exceeded, =
but
it's one method of setting a budget, and one of those years was very, very =
low
so . . . . . &=
nbsp; Mr.
Kane: So you're suggestin=
g this
past year we went on a low figure? &=
nbsp; Mr.
Cavanaugh: No, I'm sugges=
ting
this year we went on the average of 5 years, the previous 5 years knowing
there's a 50/50 chance it may be right, or may not be right. Here we are we're looking at the m=
iddle
to the end of February which is coming up on the end of snow season and we'=
re
coming up on the end of the budget, so unless we really get hammered we rea=
lly
may or may not be that far off. As
you know, you were Chairman of the Budget Committee, it's not an exact scie=
nce. &=
nbsp; Ms.
Adams: It's best guess at=
what
you think, and you try to put a little mathematics to it and as you said it=
's
50/50. 9.&nb=
sp; Subcommittee
Reports &=
nbsp; A. Public
Works Subcommittee =
Mr. Rinaldi: We had a meeting last Tuesday nigh=
t and
the residents of Regular Meeting February 21, 2006 Page 20 =
We
also discussed the rates at the transfer station. A copy is in the packet tonight =
; Mr.
Primini: $3.00 for 30, $2=
.00
for 15 gallons. =
; Mr.
Rinaldi: Which would pick=
up
some revenue for the transfer station. =
Mr. Pawlak: Strictly voluntary on the part of =
the
residents. =
Mr. Rinaldi: Yes, and that hasn't been finalize=
d yet
at this point, we're just talking about it. =
; Mr.
Pawlak: The Belgium Blocks, they're like rumble strips? =
; Mr.
Rinaldi: They're like the=
side
of the highway, like little rough spots and when they put them down the cen=
ter
of the road, if someone is speeding it will have a tendency to slow them
down. Also from what was talk=
ed about
we can plow over the Belgium Blocks, that's not a problem. There won't be a raised island in =
the middle
of the street so people can turn left or right out of their driveways, it
seemed to be a fair settlement for everybody concerned. &=
nbsp; B. =
Business
Development Subcommittee =
; &n=
bsp; Mr.
Pawlak: I'm going to skip=
over Business
Development; Tony is absent today. &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Mr. Kane: Have they met? =
Mr. Pawlak: Not that I know of, I don't have a =
report
from him so I'm not sure. Ray,
you’re on that Subcommittee, did you have a meeting yet? =
; Mr.
Primini: No, we haven't m=
et at
all yet. Actually Tony (Tape =
#1,
Side B ended - may have missed some). &=
nbsp; C. Finance
Subcommittee =
; Mr.
Mancini: We haven't met y=
et but
we received notices that our meetings will be starting on: Regular Meeting February 21, 2006 Page 21 &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Date =
&nb=
sp; Time =
&nb=
sp; Department &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; 03/07/06 &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; 7:00
p.m. &nb=
sp; =
Public
Works &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; 8:00
p.m. &nb=
sp; =
Planning
and Zoning &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; 03/08/06 &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; 7:00
p.m. &nb=
sp; =
Library &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; 7:30
p.m. &nb=
sp; =
Fire
Department &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; 8:30
p.m. &nb=
sp; =
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; 03/14/06 &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; 7:00
p.m. &nb=
sp; =
Communications &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; 7:15
p.m. &nb=
sp; =
Police
Department &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; 8:15
p.m. &nb=
sp; =
Parks
and Recreation, &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; 03/15/06 &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; 7:00
p.m. &nb=
sp; =
Board
of Education &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; 03/22/06 &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; 7:00
p.m. &nb=
sp; =
Building
Inspection, Historic District, Town Clerk, Elections, and Probate &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; 7:30
p.m. &nb=
sp; =
Water
& Sewer Department &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; 03/28/06 &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; 7:00
pm. &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; Finance
Committee Budget Review Session &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; I'm
just giving everybody notice. &=
nbsp; D. Ordinance
Subcommittee &=
nbsp; =
; Ms.
Plowman: Nothing yet at t=
his
time, but there should be at the next meeting. 10.&n=
bsp; Consider
Appointments to Boards and Commissions A. Consider the Nominatio=
n of
Jim Morrow, MOTION: (Mr. =
Rinaldi,
sec. Mr. Mancini) to appoint Jim Morrow, &=
nbsp; Discussion: None<=
/p>
&=
nbsp; MOTION
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY Regular Meeting February 21, 2006 Page 22 B. Consider the
Nomination of Kenneth LaRosa, MOTION: (Mr. =
Rinaldi,
sec. Mr. Mancini) to appoint Kenneth LaRosa, &=
nbsp; Discussion: None<=
/p>
&=
nbsp; MOTION
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY C. Consider the Nominatio=
n of
Gerald Langlais, MOTION: (Mr. =
Rinaldi,
sec. Mr. Mancini) to appoint Gerald Langlais, &=
nbsp; Discussion: None<=
/p>
&=
nbsp; MOTION
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY D. Consider the Nominatio=
n of
Robert LeBlanc, MOTION: (Mr. =
Rinaldi,
sec. Mr. Mancini) to appoint Robert LeBlanc, &=
nbsp; Discussion: None<=
/p>
&=
nbsp; MOTION
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY Regular Meeting February 21, 2006 Page 23 E. Consider the
Nomination of Robert LeBlanc, MOTION: (Mr. =
Rinaldi,
sec. Mr. Mancini) to appoint Robert LeBlanc, &=
nbsp; Discussion: None<=
/p>
&=
nbsp; MOTION
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY F. Consider the
Nomination of Peter Dzioba, MOTION: (Mr. =
Rinaldi,
sec. Mr. Mancini) to appoint Peter Dzioba, &=
nbsp; Discussion: None<=
/p>
&=
nbsp; MOTION
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY G. Consider the Nominatio=
n of
Mario Orsini, MOTION: (Mr. =
Rinaldi,
sec. Mr. Mancini) to appoint Mario Orsini, &=
nbsp; Discussion: None<=
/p>
&=
nbsp; MOTION
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY Regular Meeting February 21, 2006 Page 24 H. Consider the Nominatio=
n of
Gary Swingle, MOTION: (Mr. =
Rinaldi,
sec. Mr. Mancini) to appoint Gary Swingle, Discussion: Ms. Adams: If memory serves me correctly, Gary
Swingle had a lawsuit against the Planning and Zoning Board of Appeals. What is the status of the lawsuit,=
only
because we took a lot of heat putting somebody on the Water & Sewer Aut=
hority,
Nick Biello, when he had a lawsuit against the Town, so I was just wondering
what the status is of that, has that been settled, still in the process or =
. .
. . =
&nb=
sp; Mr. Rinaldi: Well as I said about Nick Biello, =
just
my $.50 worth, anything that comes up relative to any lawsuits, they're goi=
ng
to have to recuse themselves. =
&nb=
sp; Ms. Barton: (Inaudible) myself and Atty. Pilic=
y my
understanding is we're in the process of settling litigation. Mr. Swingle sued the Zoning Board =
of
Appeals but it hasn't been finalized.
Is that correct, Mr. Pilicy? =
&nb=
sp; Atty. Pilicy: That's correct. =
; &n=
bsp; =
; Mr.
Kane: Sued for what? He's suing the Town? =
&nb=
sp; Ms. Barton: He did sue the Town, it's probably=
the
longest running case, (inaudible) Stop & Shop, I think it's been over 2=
or
3 Town Attorneys and 6 to 8 years, somewhere along that line, but we're at =
the
point where we should have it resolved in another month or two, I'm thinking
hopefully. He sued the Zoning=
Board
of Appeals over a decision they made regarding upholding an enforcement ord=
er
that I issued him based upon use of residential property to act (inaudible)=
. I don't know if that (inaudible).<=
/p>
=
&nb=
sp; Mr. Primini: I just want to mention that if he'=
s an
Alternate, he's not going to have a voting . . . . =
&nb=
sp; Mr. Pawlak: Normally. Regular Meeting February 21, 2006 Page 25 In
Favor: &=
nbsp; Mr.
Kane, Mr. Mancini, Mr. Pawlak, Ms. Plowman, Mr. Primini, Mr. Rinaldi, Mr.
Walton Opposed: =
None Abstained: Ms.
Adams &=
nbsp; MOTION
CARRIED (7-0-1) I. Consider t=
he
Nomination of Joanne Pannone, MOTION: (Mr. =
Rinaldi,
sec. Mr. Mancini) to appoint Joanne Pannone, &=
nbsp; Discussion: None<=
/p>
&=
nbsp; MOTION
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY J. Consider t=
he
Nomination of Mary Miley, MOTION: (Mr. =
Rinaldi,
sec. Mr. Mancini) to appoint Mary Miley,
&= nbsp; Discussion: None<= /p>
&= nbsp; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
K. Consider the Nominatio=
n of
Steve Polletta,
MOTION: (Mr. =
Rinaldi,
sec. Mr. Mancini) to appoint Steve Polletta,
&= nbsp; Discussion: None<= /p>
&= nbsp; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 26
L. Consider the
Nomination of Lucio Tony DiBona,
MOTION: (Mr. =
Rinaldi,
sec. Mr. Mancini) to appoint Lucio Tony DiBona,
&= nbsp; Discussion: None<= /p>
&= nbsp; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
M. Consider the Nominatio=
n of
Anthony Gedraitis,
MOTION: (Mr. =
Rinaldi,
sec. Mr. Mancini) to appoint Anthony Gedraitis,
&= nbsp; Discussion: None<= /p>
&= nbsp; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
N. Consider the Nominatio=
n of
Salvatore LaRosa,
MOTION: (Mr. =
Rinaldi,
sec. Mr. Mancini) to appoint Salvatore LaRosa,
&= nbsp; Discussion: None<= /p>
&= nbsp; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
O. Consider the Nominatio=
n of
Gerald Langlais,
MOTION: (Mr. =
Rinaldi,
sec. Mr. Mancini) to appoint Gerald Langlais,
&= nbsp; Discussion: None<= /p>
&= nbsp; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 27
P. Consider the
Nomination of Jean King,
MOTION: (Mr. =
Rinaldi,
sec. Mr. Mancini) to appoint Jean King,
&= nbsp; Discussion: None<= /p>
&= nbsp; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
Q. Consider the Nominatio=
n of
Gary Swingle,
MOTION: (Mr. =
Rinaldi,
sec. Mr. Mancini) to appoint Gary Swingle,
Discussion: Mr. Kane: This is the same gentleman who's s= uing the Town, and we're putting him on a second commission?
= &nb= sp; Mr. Pawlak: Yes.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; Mr. Rinaldi: The reason being= there has to be someone on the Historic District Commission, I serve on that myse= lf, that has some architectural, engineering, some knowledge of historical restoration, and he has all those credentials.
= &nb= sp; Mr. Kane: I'm not questioning the gentleman's credentials, I'm sure he does but (sound system off at 10:00 p.m.; definite= ly missed some.)
&= nbsp; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
R. Consider the Nom=
ination
of Mary Miley,
MOTION: (Mr. =
Rinaldi,
sec. Mr. Mancini) to appoint Mary Miley,
&= nbsp; Discussion: None<= /p>
&= nbsp; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 28
Ms. Adams: Before= we go on, do we have any answer about the referendum today?
Ms. Robson: I tri= ed calling, but no one answered.
Mr. Pawlak: Tommy Valuckas was going to try and get up here after, but I don't see him.
11.&n=
bsp; Action
Items
= ; A. Consider Tax Refunds
R E S O L U T I O N
= &nb= sp; WHEREAS, Taxpayers have made application for the Property Tax Refunds in accordance = with Section 12-129, Refund of Excess Payment; and
= &nb= sp; WHEREAS, the Tax Collector recommends that the Refunds be made in accordance with the provisions of Section 12-129;
= &nb= sp; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Town Council approves the following Tax Refunds:
1990 Chase Man Auto Fin. Corp. = Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; = $56.15
=
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor; Acc= ount Prorated
1998 Countrywide Tax Service = Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; $1,395.62
= PO Box 10211 SV 24 &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Type: R
=
= Reason For Refund: Duplicate Payment
2000 Foran, Kimberly M. = ; &n= bsp; Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; $208.91
=
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Veteran Exemption App= lied
2001 MacSweeney, Steven M or Marcia Amoun= t of Refund: = &nb= sp; $11.19
=
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Prorated
2003 Saab Leasing
=
17500
Chenal Parkway #300 =
Type:
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Prorated
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 29
2013 Anthony, Michael or Eileen = Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; $154.39
= 60 Hedgerow Road = &nb= sp; Type: M
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Prorated
2014 MacKean, Molly= &nb= sp; = Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; = $64.98
=
c/o
= P.O. Box A
= Heighttown, NUJ 08520-0000
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Assessed Value Decrea= sed
2042 Camrac, Inc.&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; $220.40
8 Ella Grasso Turnpike = ; &n= bsp; Type: M
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Prorated
2043 Camrac, Inc.&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; = $21.43
8 Ella Grasso Turnpike = ; &n= bsp; Type: M
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Prorated
2044 Camrac, Inc.&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; $347.21
8 Ella Grasso Turnpike = ; &n= bsp; Type: M
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Deleted
2045 Camrac, Inc.&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; $171.78
8 Ella Grasso Turnpike = ; &n= bsp; Type: M
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Prorated
2046 Camrac, Inc.&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; $226.37
8 Ella Grasso Turnpike = ; &n= bsp; Type: M
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Deleted
2047 Camrac, Inc.&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; $265.48
8 Ella Grasso Turnpike = ; &n= bsp; Type: M
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Prorated
2048 Camrac, Inc.&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; $175.67
8 Ella Grasso Turnpike = ; &n= bsp; Type: M
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Prorated
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 30
2049 Camrac, Inc.&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; = $91.62
8 Ella Grasso Turnpike = ; &n= bsp; Type: M
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Deleted
2050 Camrac, Inc.&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; $408.60
8 Ella Grasso Turnpike = ; &n= bsp; Type: M
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Prorated
2051 Camrac, Inc.&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; = $73.78
8 Ella Grasso Turnpike = ; &n= bsp; Type: M
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Prorated
2052 Camrac, Inc.&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; = $62.19
8 Ella Grasso Turnpike = ; &n= bsp; Type: M
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Prorated
2053 Camrac, Inc.&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; $103.32
8 Ella Grasso Turnpike = ; &n= bsp; Type: M
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Prorated
2055 Camrac, Inc.&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; $171.82
8 Ella Grasso Turnpike = ; &n= bsp; Type: M
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Prorated
2056 Camrac, Inc.&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; = $45.55
8 Ella Grasso Turnpike = ; &n= bsp; Type: M
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Prorated
2057 Camrac, Inc.&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; $103.46
8 Ella Grasso Turnpike = ; &n= bsp; Type: M
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Prorated
2058 Camrac, Inc.&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; $178.05
8 Ella Grasso Turnpike = ; &n= bsp; Type: M
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Prorated
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 31
2059 Camrac, Inc.&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; = $80.22
8 Ella Grasso Turnpike = ; &n= bsp; Type: M
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Prorated
2060 Camrac, Inc.&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; $226.01
8 Ella Grasso Turnpike = ; &n= bsp; Type: M
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Deleted
2061 Camrac, Inc.&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; = $63.57
8 Ella Grasso Turnpike = ; &n= bsp; Type: M
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Prorated
2062 Camrac, Inc.&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; $145.46
8 Ella Grasso Turnpike = ; &n= bsp; Type: M
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Prorated
2063 Camrac, Inc.&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; $112.48
8 Ella Grasso Turnpike = ; &n= bsp; Type: M
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Prorated
2064 Camrac, Inc.&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; $107.72
8 Ella Grasso Turnpike = ; &n= bsp; Type: M
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Prorated
2065 Camrac, Inc.&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; = $86.31
8 Ella Grasso Turnpike = ; &n= bsp; Type: M
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Prorated
2066 Camrac, Inc.&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; $343.64
8 Ella Grasso Turnpike = ; &n= bsp; Type: M
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Deleted
2067 Camrac, Inc.&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; $260.39
8 Ella Grasso Turnpike = ; &n= bsp; Type: M
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Prorated
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 32
2068 Camrac, Inc.&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; $261.31
8 Ella Grasso Turnpike = ; &n= bsp; Type: M
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Deleted
2069 Camrac, Inc.&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; $226.37
8 Ella Grasso Turnpike = ; &n= bsp; Type: M
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Deleted
2070 Camrac, Inc.&n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; $171.82
8 Ella Grasso Turnpike = ; &n= bsp; Type: M
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Prorated
2072 Chase Man Auto Fin Corp. = Amount of Refund: &nb= sp; $168.43
= 900 Stewart Avenue = ; &n= bsp; Typ= e: M
=
= Reason For Refund: Per Assessor, Account Prorated
TOTAL FOR ALL REFUNDS: &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; $6,893.0=
6
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Dated
at
=
&nb=
sp; =
&nb=
sp; =
&nb=
sp; =
&nb=
sp; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp;
= &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Joseph Pawlak, Chairman
=
&nb=
sp; =
&nb=
sp; =
&nb=
sp; =
&nb=
sp;
MOTION: &nbs= p; (Mr. Rinaldi, sec. Mr. Mancini) to Approve the Resolution Authorizing Tax Refund= s as presented.
= ; &n= bsp; Discussion: None<= /p>
= ; &n= bsp; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
= ; B. = Consider a Resolution Authorizing an Appropriation for a Third Party Review for Conservation Commission/Inland Wetland Application #544, in the amount of $4,000
R E S O L U T I O N
=
&nb=
sp; WHEREAS,
the Conservation Commission/Inland Wetland Agency (CCIWA) has received an A=
pplication
#544 Bassett Hollow Subdivision on
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 33
= &nb= sp; WHEREAS, the CCIWA has requested that a Third Party Review be conducted in accordance with Section 1.1 and 2.2 of the Fees Ordinance which requires that the appl= icant pay for the Third Party Review; and
= &nb= sp; WHEREAS, the developer has provided a check in the amount of $4,000 for the Third Pa= rty Review which has been deposited into the General Fund.
= &nb= sp; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Watertown Town Council hereby authorizes= the appropriation of $4,000 from the General Fund for a Third Party Review for CCIWA Application #544 to line item 010-50310-011-0000.
=
&nb=
sp; Dated
at
=
&nb=
sp; =
&nb=
sp; =
&nb=
sp; =
&nb=
sp; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp;
= &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Joseph Pawlak, Chairman
=
&nb=
sp; =
&nb=
sp; =
&nb=
sp; =
&nb=
sp;
MOTION: &nbs= p; (Mr. Rinaldi, sec. Mr. Mancini) to Approve the Resolution Authorizing the Approp= riation of $4,000 from the General Fund for a Third Party Review for Conservation Commission Application #544.
= ; &n= bsp; Discussion: = ; Mr. Primini: I have no idea w= hat that's for.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; = ; Mr. Pawlak: That's money that= has been deposited already by the developer.
=
; &n=
bsp; =
; &n=
bsp; Ms. Barton: Yes, by the Fees Ordinance, when o=
ne of
these Commissions want to request a Third Party Review, an outside review, =
we
get an estimate from a consultant, they give us the money, we deposit it wi=
th
the Town, the check clears, then we send it along to the Council to appropr=
iate
the money. This is for a wetl=
and
review for the Curtiss Property off of
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Rinaldi: The check has to clear, right?
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Ms. Barton: Yes.
= ; &n= bsp; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 34
= ; C. Consider a Resolution Authorizing a Bid Waiver for Garage Doors to be procured from Pearson Door Company at an estimate amount of $12,000
R E S O L U T I O N
= &nb= sp; WHEREAS, Town Council approval is required for waiving the bid process and awarding a contract to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder; and
= &nb= sp; WHEREAS, Town Council authorization is required for any purchase exceeding $4,000 th= at has not been independently bid by the Town's Purchasing Agent; and
= &nb= sp; WHEREAS, the Public Works Garage Doors #1 and #2 were replaced in 2004 by Pearson Do= or Company; and
= &nb= sp; WHEREAS, it is the desire of the Public Works Department to replace the remaining do= ors, one of which is not operable, with the same vendor to make the doors identi= cal.
= &nb= sp; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Watertown Town Council hereby approves a= bid waiver for two doors for the Public Works Garage to be furnished by Pearson Door Company for a total estimated amount of $12,000.
=
&nb=
sp; Dated
at
=
&nb=
sp; =
&nb=
sp; =
&nb=
sp; =
&nb=
sp; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp;
= &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Joseph Pawlak, Chairman
=
&nb=
sp; =
&nb=
sp; =
&nb=
sp; =
&nb=
sp;
MOTION: &nbs= p; (Mr. Rinaldi, sec. Mr. Mancini) to Authorize a Bid Waiver for Garage Doors to be purchased from Pearson Door Co9mpany at an estimated amount of $12,000.
= ; &n= bsp; Discussion: = ; None
= ; &n= bsp; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 35
12.&n=
bsp; Discussion
and Possible Action Items:
&= nbsp; A. Discussion and Possible Action on Authoriz= ing the Town Manager to Enter Into and Execute on Behalf of the Town of Waterto= wn a Certain Access Agreement Regarding Access Agreement Steele Brook Project
=
; &n=
bsp; MOTION: (Mr. =
Mancini,
sec. Mr. Rinaldi) to Authorize the Town Manager to enter into and execute on
behalf of the Town of
= ; &n= bsp; Discussion: = ; Mr. Walton: Do we have any liability or obligation, or does this cost us any money?
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Ms. Robson: No, we are going for a grant throu= gh the Valley Council of Governments for $20,000 for the assessment, $2,000 of whi= ch has already been received by the property owner for that 10% down payment t= hat we need to put down.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Pawlak: This is part of the greenway proje= ct?
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Ms. Robson: Yes.
= ; Ms. Adams: The referendum passed, like a 4.8%= voter turnout.
Mr. Pawlak: But the good news= is it passed. It could have almost = been a Town Meeting.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; = ; Mr. Cavanaugh: I do have one clarification of what Meredith said, we're not going for a grant. The Valley Council of Governments = has already approved or authorized the expenditure of a $20,000 investigation f= or Brownfield using money from the D.E.P. and the E.P.A.= Once we have an Access Agreement, if the Town Council approves it, t= hat is part of the submission of the package by the Valley Council of Governmen= ts which will go up to the E.P.A. who will release the actual, or authorize the actual release of the money. = Once the money is released then we'll be able to retain a contractor/consultant selected by Valley Council of Governments to perform the actual investigati= on at the property on the Pin Shop Pond to determine whether or not there are = nay environmental issues or liabilities associated with the property. We do have, the reason we have mon= ey from the individual property owners because the Valley Council of Governments requires that 10% of the grant amount for administrative fees, and in this case, Mr. Fabiani, who's here tonight, is covering the Town's portion of th= at, so that's a long way of saying there's no costs incurred by the Town or act= ual liability at this time.
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 36
=
; &n=
bsp; =
; &n=
bsp; Ms. Robson: If you'd like we can have staff go
through the project with you.
They've been asked to come up with some very conceptual, please don't
take this as these are done deals.
In fact I would assume that you'll want this to go before, for insta=
nce
the Park and Rec Commission, to take a look at and provide input on, but we=
've
taken a look at both parcels, both pieces of the project, and if you recall=
one
was at the Pin Ship which was the subject of this Access Agreement, and one=
was
at up at The Siemon Company property which they would donate to the Town.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; = ; Mr. Pawlak: This agreement we= 're talking about does not cover The Siemon Company property correct?
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Ms. Robson: No, this is just Pin Shop.
=
; &n=
bsp; =
; &n=
bsp; Mr. Cavanaugh: I'm sorry, I'm an engineer and eng=
ineers
come complete with easels and pictures.&nb=
sp;
The first part we're going to talk about tonight is the Pin Shop, wh=
ich
we can see is one of the gateways to
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 37
=
; &n=
bsp; =
; &n=
bsp; Conceptually
what we're talking about doing is returning the pond to a natural state, and
again this is a very preliminary discussion. There are two streams entering the
property from the west side, you've got the stream which comes under Rivers=
ide
and then the stream coming down actually from Wattles Brook, they join in t=
he
pond and then they discharge down into Waterbury. What we're talking about doing, th=
is
would return essentially to a native condition, which would have 2 streams
going through it. What we're
talking about doing is the possibility along the
&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Mr. Pawlak: The connection of= the two, Roy, would be roadbed, the abandoned roadbed, is that correct?
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Cavanaugh: Because I already have this all fig= ured (inaudible) delay that question let Mary come up.
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 38
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; The second part of the equation would be the Heminway Pond behind Siemon's which Paul alluded to earlier in his comments.&n= bsp; What we're talking about again with D.E.P., they're interested in returning that to a natural state. Siemon is interested in either abandoning, not abandoning the dam but not incurring the costs for removing the dam, so what we're talking about d= oing is the possibility of again diverting the brook which there is a ditch along here, Deland Field, well ditch, it's a former watercourse, so the stream ba= ck through here allowing this land to return to its natural condition. again, working with Siemon making sure there is no environmental liability. The D.E.P. has conducted some prel= iminary testing investigation up there and determined as far as they're concerned t= hat there is no environmental liability and we would be concerned, the Town Man= ager has made it quite clear that we're not going to be accepting any environmen= tal pigs in the pokes so there would be some protection if the deal was consummated, so what we're talking about, returning this pond again to a natural condition, we would have to receive again D.E.P. approval. Just because we got the environmen= tal cleanup approval doesn't mean we have the inland/wetlands approval, that's going to be a process we'll have to work through.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Taking a look at it very conceptually, again this would have to go through Park and Rec and the other commissions, one of the uses that we're constantly being asked about is a potential for ball fields or active recreation. We have determined, a very prelimi= nary estimate, there is probably enough room in the former lake, once it's dried= and turned into good condition, for at least one full sized football or soccer field, and probably another practice field adjacent to it. Again there are a lot of issues to= work through, parking, emergency access, vehicle access, and there used to be a former, some of the old timers may remember like a footbridge connecting De= land Field with the pond right there, the (inaudible) right there. It would be interesting to create something like that again as part of the Greenway Trails program which Mary= has been working on. So unless th= ere are any questions about the Heminway Pond issue I'd like to turn it over to Mary right now to answer Mr. Pawlak's question.
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 39
= ; &n= bsp; = ; = ; Ms. Barton: As you're aware w= e've been developing a Plan of Conservation and Development, hope to go to Publi= c Hearing relatively soon, I'm working on the final edits. This is a conceptual plan for the Greenway which was done by the Council of Governments and this actually goe= s as far up as when the Town was looking at acquiring the Rickivicius parcel, but that has to be changed. We do= have a northern portion of the Greenway that's actually under construction right= now on property that was deeded to the Land Trust as part of the Willowbrook Subdivision by Mr. Graziano, and he's hoping to have a Grand Opening or an Opening Ceremony, it's owned by the Land Trust but he's done really quite a nice job on the plaques, benches, but it's been snowing so they haven't been able to do the final installation. <= /span>And Mr. Graziano, who owns the abutting piece, which is the former Hopson prope= rty, has indicated a willingness to continue the trail all the way up, and that = may or may not be owned by the Town or the Land Trust, up to Butternut Lane, an= d we presently have a 3 lot subdivision on Butternut Lane, has indicated they wi= ll give us 6.6 acres of open space which will connect to the Town of Watertown= 's open space and the Honey Hill Subdivision and they will put in some portion= of the trail there for us.
=
; &n=
bsp; =
; &n=
bsp; On
the Advanced Auto piece along
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; As I said this is very conceptual right now.&= nbsp; We hope to have a better map, there's an intern doing some work that= would actually map it in a better location and tell us where we're going to do it= .
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Pawlak: Two things, Mary, where is the Adv= anced Auto . . . .
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Ms. Barton: Advanced Auto is right here, I'll = show you.
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 40
=
; &n=
bsp; =
; &n=
bsp; Mr. Pawlak: That's down in
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Ms. Barton: It's right here. It's between Rite Aide, the Salt B= ox and then Advanced Auto will be where the building is going to be torn down.
=
; &n=
bsp; =
; &n=
bsp; Ms. Adams:
=
; &n=
bsp; =
; &n=
bsp; Ms. Barton:
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Pawlak: Where is this Graziano parcel loca= ted?
&nb=
sp; =
&nb=
sp; Ms.
Barton: This access is of=
f of
Chestnut Grove, it's actually part of the Willowbrook Subdivision, the old
Christy property on
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Walton: (Inaudible.)
&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Ms. Barton: I'm not sure what= the dams, and we've had that discussion about that one at the Pin Shop and Hemi= nway Pond, and I think that's probably what's going to happen.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Walton: Does that include the berm all the= way across in the Oakville Pin?
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 41
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Cavanaugh: The Oakville Pin Shop dam, right n= ow correct me if I'm wrong, I believe we're talking about breaching the spillw= ay which is what you consider the concrete portion and the rest of the dam I believe at this point really hasn't been determined what Mr. Fabiani is goi= ng to do with the property.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; = ; Mr. Walton: Is he giving us t= hat property?
&nb=
sp; =
&nb=
sp; Mr.
Cavanaugh: Right now ther=
e is a
discussion giving us approximately 6 of those acres, yes, on the
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Walton: What's the acreage in there, the t= otal acreage, and what acreage is he talking about giving us?
&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Mr. Cavanaugh: The total of t= he parcel that we're talking about, total about 10 acres, of which about 6 is = . . . .
=
; &n=
bsp; =
; &n=
bsp; Mr. Walton: Is he retaining some of the acreage
along
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Cavanaugh: No.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; = ; Mr. Walton: He's giving that = up completely?
= ; &n= bsp; = ; = ; Mr. Cavanaugh: He's retaining= the portion in the back along the railroad right of way.
&nb=
sp; =
&nb=
sp; Mr.
Kane:
&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Mr. Cavanaugh: That is one of= the impetus', yea.
&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Mr. Kane: But wouldn't that b= e a requirement of the owner of the property and not us?
&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Mr. Cavanaugh: Right, the D.E= .P., the repairs to the dam is a strict condition on Mr. Fabiani, it has nothing= to do with us, in fact that is one of the Brownfield's conditions that that is= not part of this project.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Walton: So we would acquire the land, and = we would own the dam , we'd have to take it down?
= ; &n= bsp; = ; = ; Mr. Cavanaugh: I don't believe that's the sequence of events we're talking about, no.
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 42
&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Ms. Robson: Any of the requir= ements on the property owner for improvement to Steele Brook, whatever they may be, would still fall with that property owner.= We would not take that liability.
&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Mr. Kane: But if we take the property, and it has contamination, don't we then take responsibility of (i= naudible)?
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Ms. Robson: We wouldn't take it until it's cle= ared.
&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Mr. Pawlak: That's why we wan= t to get it all tested first.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; = ; Ms. Robson: And that's what t= his access agreement will do, is do the testing.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; = ; Ms. Adams: This all came about with, remember we had Art Bogan here, he kind of confused us somewhat as fa= r as what needed to be done, but it's a cooperation between the property owner w= ho is reimbursing the Town for the Town's expenses, and the search for grants = that are out there that the Town needs to be the vehicle to obtain, but it's my understanding that Mr. Fabiani is taking the financial responsibility that = the Town would be responsible for, he is reimbursing us.
&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Mr. Cavanaugh: Right, so far = he has reimbursed the Town for all of the Town's share of the Brownfield's investi= gation. The whole purpose of the Brownfield investigation is to determine whether or not there is in fact any environme= ntal issues there, and if there are any issues, an attempt to identify the quant= ity, then come up with a remedial action plan (Tape #2, Side A ended - may have missed some) to identify these properties, identify the environmental liabi= lity, clean them up if necessary and put them back into productive use.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; = ; Ms. Robson: And Brownfield's funding is only available to, for instance the government, and so we are benefiting from this project if we go forward with this.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; = ; Mr. Primini: When this was go= ing to be cleaned up, it's going to be cleaned up to a stricter level which was residential?
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Cavanaugh: Right. There are two levels of clean up; = one is industrial/commercial and the other one, part of the scope of work that has already been discussed with the D.E.P. is to clean this up to residential, which is the most stringent requirement.
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 43
&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Mr. Primini: That will be tes= ted by D.E.P.?
&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Mr. Cavanaugh: No, it's not t= ested by D.E.P., it's tested by the consultant that would be hired by the Town on= the recommendation of Valley C.O.G, preselected by and is based on the scope of work, the investigation which D.E.P. approves and the whole purpose of gett= ing C.O.G. on board is to have a fixed target, it's not a moving target, well you've done this, now you have to do that.= We want to go in and know there is an end point. We have a definite program, this i= s what we have to do, and if we meet this criteria, then you will be satisfied.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; = ; Mr. Walton: If there is any pollution, the Sealy property over the years has polluted that pond if ther= e is any, and how is the Sealy property pollution testing going right now?
&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Ms. Barton: The last time I t= alked to George Carter from Facility Network, they're still waiting for the final signoff from D.E.P. They have= water monitoring wells on site. The= y have not yet received, and I spoke to him probably a month or a month and a half ago, they're still waiting for their final signoff from D.E.P. but they did clean it up to the commercial/industrial level, it's not cleaned up, the Se= aly property, to say a park or a residential level. I've been here 16 years, I've been working on this Greenway for 12, so that's how long, it started 12 years ago after the adoption of the prior Plan of Development, I've been working on it that long.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; = ; Mr. Walton: You said the Siem= on property, that's free too, they're going to give that to us?
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Ms. Barton: I believe so, but we haven't final= ized anything.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Ms. Robson: They've discussed the donation of a portion of that property to the Town.
=
; &n=
bsp; =
; =
; Mr.
Walton: That goes up to <=
st1:Street
w:st=3D"on">
= ; &n= bsp; = ; = ; Ms. Barton: Realize that some= of the Greenway may be along the public sidewalk along Main Street, it may not= be all along the brook, depending, in Oakville it may wind in and out depending upon where the final location of it is.
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 44
= ; &n= bsp; = ; = ; Mr. Rinaldi: I know we're sti= ll pending, the Pin Shop Pond and the amount of pollution there hasn't been de= termined yet, correct?
&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Ms. Barton: Correct.
&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Mr. Rinaldi: I understand tha= t the one by the Siemon property is pretty much okay, that's what I was told by t= he company, they had it all checked by D.E.P. and there's not really (inaudibl= e).
&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Ms. Barton: That's correct, t= hey have not found any pollution.
&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Mr. Pawlak: It's basically a (inaudible) operation.
&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Mr. Rinaldi: Also, correct me= if I'm wrong, that dam that's there started out initially under D.E.P. order t= o be repaired, but I understand that because of all the work done by the Corps of Army Engineers and blah, blah, blah, that dam is no longer needed as part o= f a flood control thing so . . . .
&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Mr. Cavanaugh: Right, now Sie= mon would like to do something with that dam, either breach it, remove it, or bypass it, and if we bypass it similar to what we're talking about into this channel over to the right right here, then the dam becomes no longer functi= onal and they're no longer obligated to do something with it, which means the To= wn would no longer be obligated to do something with it. It's not what they call a high haz= ard dam. In other words if it fai= led, that there would be severe loss of life and property downstream, it's not t= hat big a dam, but they'd like to get rid of the property.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Rinaldi: Well if we plan on using that for = a park or a ball field or something, that dam is going to have to be removed anyway isn't it, to get the water level down (inaudible)?
= ; &n= bsp; = ; = ; Mr. Cavanaugh: No, what they'= re talking about doing is actually diverting the water level up here, the stre= am into the channel up here, running off here and possibly breaching it around here where it used to be breached.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Walton: You're going to follow the old cou= rse?
&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Mr. Cavanaugh: Follow the old course, we're sending it back. That whole lake is artificially created, we're going to put the stream back to w= here it used to be.
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 45
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Rinaldi: So where is the old course?
= ; &n= bsp; = ; = ; Mr. Walton: It's way over whe= re it says Heminway, where it says "h" on Heminway.
&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Mr. Cavanaugh: Right along De= land Field, on the notation they call it a 7 foot ditch but there's actually no waterco= urse that parallels the tennis court and the field right so you're really going = up through the woods and it peters out up here. What we would do is send it back t= o its old course. You can't fool Mo= ther Nature for very long and we've done it for how long the dam was there.
&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Mr. Rinaldi: If we go back to= the old course, I can't see from here, is that pretty much a straight line out = of there, the old course?
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Ms. Barton: It will be a meander, we don't like straight streams, it's not good for wildlife or flood control, so we have it winding (inaudible) straight country (inaudible) wetland people don't . . .= .
&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Mr. Walton: That used to go h= ere.
&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Ms. Barton: Correct.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; = ; Ms. Adams: You can see how it= runs.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Walton: This is accidental. This was caused by years of neglec= t on this channel, it dammed up and it went through here. Originally all of this earthage yo= u see here wasn't there, it was all taken out.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Ms. Barton: Correct, there wa= s no maintenance on this channel here and they used it at one time for fuel lane= s on the mill and for fire protection and there is no longer a need for it.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Rinaldi: Well I'm just concerned because wi= th Turkey Brook, if you remember, they diverted that channel and that's what caused all the flooding cause water doesn't like to make right hand turns.<= /p>
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Ms. Barton: We'll make sure it doesn't make st= range turns.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; = ; Ms. Robson: We actually walke= d this site, was it last Summer, I've lost track of time, with a variety of D.E.P. officials, all from different divisions in D.E.P. to make sure that they we= re comfortable with what was proposed at the time, and what you're seeing is really the end result of those conversations and a lot of work since then a= nd a lot of work on Art Bogan's end of things in order to get the E.P.A. and the D.E.P. to buy into this.
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 46
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Walton: Will the federal government give u= s any money for the trail itself? Something similar to Middlebury?
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Ms. Robson: There actually is a Trails Grant t= hat Mary is working on that's due the first week in March.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; = ; Ms. Barton: Also because, not= this portion but along the old railroad bed, I've (inaudible) Rails to Trails, because it was a former railroad bed, even though we don't own it, it may qualify for funding. I've mad= e an inquiry to the person from Rails to Trails, which Middlebury used that, that was the old trolley line out to Quassy. Unfortunately when those railroad r= ight of ways were left to the Town, the Town didn't want them, whatever, that's = the way it goes.
&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; Mr. Walton: Yea, that was $1.= 00.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Ms. Barton: $1.00, and all I can say is that t= he Planning Commission at the time said we should take them, and that's all I'= ll say about that, but it may qualify because it was an old railroad bed, so I= 'm waiting to hear back from the Rails to Trails Coordinator which for this ar= ea may actually get additional funding if we own it. As you get parcels of land, when w= e get the easement from the Brody's, move along up, as long as you have on-going = activity the ability to get money is easier.
=
; &n=
bsp; =
; &n=
bsp; Mr. Cavanaugh: To follow up a little bit, one of =
the
issues that Art Bogan from Valley Council of Governments will be tasked with
after this, should we proceed with this, is to look for and advise us on ot=
her
funding sources for development of this whole program. This is a multiyear program, I mea=
n
= ; &n= bsp; = ; = ; Mr. Pawlak: Any other questions? I just want to say= that when I saw this I was really pleased, I mean I was surprised at the extent = and really excited about it, recognizing it's, well I didn't realize you've been working on it for 12 years, 14 years, but hopefully we can get this thing moving a little bit more quickly and we can get the funding we need to get = this someplace because I think it would really be a jewel for the Town if we can= get both ends of it and the middle all in tact.
MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 47
&=
nbsp; B. =
Discussion
and Possible Action on Referrin=
g to
the Ordinance Subcommittee Proposed Changes to the Watertown Code of Ordina=
nces
regarding a Tax Collector Administrative Fee to be charged for Delinquent M=
otor
Vehicle Taxes
= ; &n= bsp; MOTION: (Mr. = Mancini, sec. Mr. Rinaldi) to refer proposed changes to the Watertown Code of Ordina= nces regarding a Tax Collector Administrative Fee to be charged for Delinquent M= otor Vehicle Taxes to the Town Council Ordinance Subcommittee for review and recommendation.
= ; &n= bsp; Discussion: = ; None
MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
C. &nbs= p; Discussion and Possible Action on an Incre= ase in Transfer Station Fees
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION: (Mr. = Mancini, sec. Mr. Rinaldi) to Approve the Increase in the Transfer Station Fees as presented.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Discussion: None<= /p>
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION PASSD UNANIMOUSLY
D. &nbs= p; Discussion and Possible Action on Approvin= g a Job Description and Setting a Salary for a Deputy Fire Marshall
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION: (Mr. Mancini, sec. Mr. Rinaldi) to Approve the Job Description as presented, sub= ject to review by the Labor Counsel for the position of Deputy Fire Marshall at = the salary of $52,000.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Discussion: = ; Ms. Adams: You had emailed us= one, is this the identical to the one you emailed us?
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Pawlak: I believe it is. There was only one addition, I bel= ieve, that Larry made at my request, which was Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities, = and that regarded remaining current and up to date, basically the last sentence there.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Kane: I appreciate the wo= rk that our Fire Marshall has done on this, but at the same time it seems to me the emails that I saw are strictly going between yourself and the Fire Mars= hall and may have not gone through the Town Manager's Office, and I believe in o= rder to follow the Charter things should go through the Town Manager's Office and not directly to the Department Head. Can you address that?
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 48
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Mr. Pawlak: Yes, and I did in= clude Meredith on copies, so she did get everything that transpired between the F= ire Marshall and me, but the reason I addressed this directly to the Fire Marsh= all is because he is a Town Council report and appointee. The Fire Chief reports to the Town Council; for administrative purposes I would suspect that she has control o= ver him on a day to day basis, but the reason I took the initiative on this particular action item was because of the fact that it's a Town Council appointment and not a Town Manager appointment.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Mr. Kane: The Assistant Fire = Marshall?
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Pawlak: Yes. Any other questions?
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION PASSD UNANIMOUSLY
E. &nbs= p; Discussion and Possible Action on Temporar= y Repairs to the Town Hall Roof
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION: (Mr. Rinaldi, sec. Mr. Mancini) to discuss and possibly take action on the tempo= rary repairs to the Town Hall roof.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Discussion: Ms. Adams: There was nothing that goes along w= ith this. If I'm not mistaken, Ch= uck Frigon has had contractors up there, people he's spoken with regarding this. I think before we go any farther, I'm not saying that nothing needs to be done, that we bring in his expertise on this because I know he's done a lot of work on this.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Ms. Robson: We also had a rep= ort that the P.B.C. received regarding the conditions at the Town Hall that was about 2 years ago.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Pawlak: The reason I requested that this b= e put on the Agenda is that the Town Hall roof is continuing to leak. I'm concerned because it is a Town facility and we have Town employees in there and what I want to do is start= in motion the process of getting an estimate to do something to prevent further leaking just on a temporary basis, to prevent any further action. More permanent repairs is somethin= g that is a little bit further down the road, but I just want to take some action right now to prevent the on-going.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Rinaldi: How long do you = think time-wise it would take to get a solid price on a tarp for the roof?
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Ms. Robson: I don’t thi= nk it would take more than maybe 2 or 3 weeks.&n= bsp; We have the report on the replacement.
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 49
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Mr. Rinaldi: I know that.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Ms. Robson: But in terms of just getting an es= timate to repair, I don't expect that it would take more than a few weeks.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Pawlak: I think we're thinking more or les= s, I mean even if it just consisted of putting large tarps over the roof to prev= ent further incursion of (inaudible).
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Rinaldi: I know the last time I was up there there was flood conditions in the building. The crazy think is they don't know= where the water is going. I mean it= 's coming in by the buckets, but nothing is getting wet inside so that's pretty strange. On the other hand if= we can do this quickly in 2 weeks, I agree, I'm not going to vote on this unti= l I know what the cost is.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Ms. Adams: Well no, I just th= ink it's a matter of us, where we, basically I know he's the one, he's done a l= ot of research on this for the past couple of years, and bring him in, let's t= alk to him at our next meeting. I= mean if he says look, we can put tarps up there, it's going to cost $3,000, I th= ink we have to put it on the Agenda, appropriate the money and do it. It's not getting any better.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Rinaldi: I wouldn't wait too long cause eve= ry day wasted that place is getting worse and worse.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Ms. Adams: Exactly.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Pawlak: That's why I wanted it on the Agen= da.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Primini: This has been a pet peeve of mine = for a long time. I strongly agree w= ith you, but I really hate to see tarps put on there, along with the scaffolding out front, I mean we really have to do something to that Town Hall.
&= nbsp; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Mr. Rinaldi: I think that will identify the prob= lem.
=
; &n=
bsp; =
; &n=
bsp; Mr.
Primini: Yea, I mean just=
, we
keep putting temporary fixes and if I'm going to see blue tarps on top of t=
he
scaffolding, and I know if anybody has ever been up in that Town Hall, you =
can
literally go up there and start pulling bricks out from the inside, and whe=
n I
looked at that 4 years ago, there's sections where that building is subject=
to
collapse from the side and it's frustrating. I've been looking at this for over=
4
years and we really have to face facts and do something with this
building. We spend tens of mi=
llions
of dollars on new schools and we let this Town Hall go for over 100 years.<=
/p>
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 50
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Kane: Shouldn't this be something that t= he Public Buildings Committee addresses? I mean we've charged them with this once before, they had a study do= ne and it's come back to us and now I think it should be in the hands of those= who know.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Walton: Are you familiar with it? Did it come back to you?
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Kane: The study? Yes.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Walton: It did come back to you, so you're familiar with the study?
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Mr. Kane: Yes.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Rinaldi: I think that Rob's right, I think = that the report shows us long term preservation, the things that have to be done= to preserve the building. I thin= k what we're concerned about now is something immediate, not preservation, restoration. I mean there were concerns expressed by people who work up there and I have to agree with them. They're afraid if a lot= of snow got piled up on that roof the whole damn thing may cave in, and we hav= e 3 Town offices still working in there.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Kane: I agree, Paul, and that's why I be= lieve that the Public Buildings Committee should be involved in that process.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Pawlak: Okay, I don't hav= e a problem with that, Meredith. = Just work through them. I just wan= t to make sure that we get this thing going and we don't put it off any longer because it is a critical issue, I believe.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION PASSD UNANIMOUSLY
13.&n=
bsp; Public
Participation
Mary Barton, Town Planner, Zoning =
&
Wetland Enforcement Officer
Ms. Barton: (Inaudible) Town Hall, from somebod= y who's got 250 banker boxes and maps stored on the second floor of the Town Hall, = and I know Rich is not here, the Building Official, it's pretty terrible and it= 's deplorable. And I have to tel= l you just as an (inaudible) I don't know how many times people ask me a day, gee, what renovations are you doing at the Town Hall cause I see the scaffolding= . People think there's work going on= , just to let you know. Probably a c= ouple times a month people ask me that question.
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 51
= ; Mr. Pawlak There is work goin= g on, but it's inside the building.
Ms. Barton: They keep asking when the renovati= on is going to happen, but it is deplorable and you should take a walk through the second floor. I don't know wh= at kind of vermin dropping is there, but it's all around, and if the files get destroyed I'm going to get in trouble with the Public Records Administratio= n because I can't throw them away. I'm = just letting you know from someone who's got stuff, it is really deplorable.
Mr. Pawlak, Chairman, Closed Public Participation at 10:00 p.m.
14.&n=
bsp; Executive
Session
&=
nbsp; A. Discussion
Regarding Land Acquisition -
&=
nbsp; B. =
Pending
Litigation - Byrne versus Town of
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION: (Mr. Rinaldi, sec. Mr. Mancini) to enter into Executive Session at 10:01 p.m. for the purposes of discussing Land Acquisition on Old Baird Road and Pending L= itigation in the matter of Byrne versus the Town of Watertown with the 8 members of t= he Town Council, Meredith Robson (Town Manager), Frank Nardelli (Assistant Town Manager), Franklin Pilicy (Town Attorney), and Roy Cavanaugh (Director of Public Works).
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Discussion: None<= /p>
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Pawlak, Chairman, Called a 5 Minute Recess at 10:02 p.m. to clear the room.=
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Present
During Executive Session
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Elaine Adams
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Robert Kane
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Carl Mancini
&= nbsp; &= nbsp; Joseph Pawlak
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Suzan Plowman
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Raymond Primini
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Paul Rinaldi
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Jack Walton
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Roy Cavanaugh
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Frank Nardelli
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Franklin Pilicy
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Meredith Robson
Regular Meeting
February 21, 2006
Page 52
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Cavanaugh left the Executive Session at 10:35 p.m.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Pawlak, Chairman, Reconvened the Regular Meeting at 10:53 p.m.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; No Motions Were Made; No Votes Were Taken.
&=
nbsp; 14C. Discussion and Possible Action on a Settlement in=
Byrne
Versus the Town of
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; MOTION: (Mr.
Rinaldi, sec. Mr. Mancini) to Table the discussion and motion on Settlement=
of
Byrne versus the Town of
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Discussion: None<= /p>
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
15.&n=
bsp; Adjournment
= ; MOTION: (Mr. = Rinaldi, sec. Ms. Adams) to Adjourn the Regular Meeting at 10:54 p.m.
<=
/span>Discussion: None<=
/p>
<=
/span>MOTION
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY <=
/span>Regular
Meeting Adjourned at 10:54 p.m. Respectfully
submitted, Joseph
Pawlak, Chairman Approved: _______________________________ Lynn M. LaF=
orme,
Clerk