MINUTES
REGU=
LAR
MEETING
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2006, 7:30 P.M.
PRESENT: = &nb= sp; Elaine Adams
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Antonio Guerrera
&= 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; Raymond Primini
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Paul Rinaldi, Vice Chairman
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Jack Walton
ABSENT: &nb= sp; = Robert Kane
OTHERS PRESENT: Larry Black, Fire Marshall
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mary Colangelo, Board of Education
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Peter Dzioba, Public Buildings Committee
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Joseph Erardi, Superintendent of Schools
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Chuck Frigon, Town Manager
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Anthony Fusco, Public Buildings Committee
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Fred Khericha, Kaestle Boos Associates
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Dave King, Kaestle Boos Associates
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Trish
Kropp, Chairman,
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Chris Lafferty, Board of Education
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Tom Lambert, Board of Education
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Robert LeBlanc, Public Buildings Committee
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Todd LoFrese, Director of Operations, Board of Education
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Richard
Mazzamauro, Board of Education
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Frank
Nardelli,
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Franklin Pilicy, Town Attorney
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Robert Porter, Chairman, Public Buildings Committee
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Denise Russ, Chairman, Democratic Town Committee
1.&nb= sp; Call Meeting To Order
Mr. = Pawlak, Chairman, Called the Meeting to Order at 7:32 p.m.
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 2
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 for the men and women who a= re serving our country.
4.&nb=
sp; Public
Participation
Don Stepanik,
Mr. Stepanik: I'm assuming from what I read that= our Town Manager will present to the Council tonight his recommendations as to = the best use of the $600,000 for improvement of athletic facilities, is that correct?
Mr. Pawlak: Yes.
Mr. Stepanik: I'm also assuming that the Council= will not act on these recommendations tonight?
Mr. Pawlak: We will send forth a recommendation= or request to the Board of Education if the Council agrees.
Mr. Stepanik: Can I assume also that there may b= e a public hearing pending on this so the public has a chance to speak?
Mr. Pawlak: Absolutely.
Mr. Stepanik: If at this public hearing will the= re be the opportunity to present, say Chuck presents A and B solutions or recommendations of what to do with the funds, but there are some people that maybe don't agree with those 2, but like C, at the public hearing is it possible to bring up a different recommendation?
Mr. Pawlak: It can always be brought up.
Mr. Stepanik: Will it come to vote?
Mr. Pawlak: Not at a public hearing, a public h= earing is one thing that's just for discussion.&n= bsp; You're talking about a town meeting or a referendum.
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 3
Mr. Stepanik: No, not a referendum.
Mr. Pawlak: Well either one, depending on wheth= er it gets petitioned as such, but it could be either one, most likely at town me= eting to decide how the money is spent.
Mr. Stepanik: Would it require a petition then f= or a new item to be put on to be voted upon?
Mr. Pawlak: No.
Mr. Nardelli: You'd have to have a special town meeting to appropriate the $600,000.
Mr. Pawlak: It's not a question of that, it's a question of which use it would be put to.&= nbsp; In other words we can come up with a recommendation for how we would like to see the money spent and put that to a town meeting. There may be other options, and we= know there are other options, and those are what we have evaluated and we're goi= ng to come up with something that we're going to present as our best thinking = with respect to as how it's used.
Mr. Stepanik: So those options are available for= us?
Mr. Pawlak: Yes.
Mark Fusco, 135 Straits Turnpike, =
Mr. Fusco: Has the Council reviewed the legal = opinion that was requested from the Town Attorney at the September 5th Council meet= ing with regard to sewer and water funding?
Mr. Pawlak: Yes, I believe so.
Mr. Fusco: So if the Council was presented wi= th a new funding resolution for the Straits Turnpike Project, would you be prepa= red to vote on that?
Mr. Pawlak: Sure, following that formula and th= ose recommendations, yes. Has that opinion been forwarded to Water & Sewer?
Mr. Frigon: Yes.
Mr. Fusco: Water & Sewer has reviewed that= also, Atty. Pilicy was there on the 8th of November and discussed in detail how various projects could be and have been funded, also legal precedent, as yo= u've seen in the package it was a very lengthy and detailed opinion. Basically you're just awaiting right now for a new funding resolution to be presented and then you'll make= a decision on whether to accept that or send it back.
Mr. Pawlak: That's correct.
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 4
Robert LeBlanc,
Mr. LeBlanc: 2 weeks ago I was questioned the condition of Griffin School, and one of the Council members asked if I had a deed with me, and I said no, but I said I would bring a portion of the deed with that codicil that says what they have to do with the appearance of that building and now if I may, with permission, may I hand out the deeds?
Mr. Pawlak: Sure.
Mr. LeBlanc: #1 on this deed, it says the façade of this building shall not be altered unless the grantor gives permission, I'm shortening this up for the audience, and at the end it says= if they do alter it, they shall restore the façade to its all original condition and appearance. Now= last week I made a little wager that if it didn't say appearance I would not com= e before the Council again, it says appearance, I can talk. My question is= are we gong to do anything about the façade of that building. It's a disgrace. 1,00 pe= ople in Town signed to keep it, somebody saw fit to sell it, and now it looks like a backhouse. I think the Town s= hould do something about it, if they can. It doesn't say in the warranty deed who will enforce it or what we c= an do about it, it just talks about the historical tree, i= f they touch the tree it costs them $2,000.&= nbsp; I hope my friend Elaine Adams is satisfied now. It says appearance. Not all of you have to apologize .= . . . just . . . . my next issue is I asked another qu= estion about can a person serve when their time limit is up and there's some quest= ion about Mr. Rinaldi that some things were done in the past, past precedence, = and all these fancy words, the Zoning Board does have a clause in their by-laws that says somebody can serve beyond their time limits, but according to the Town Charter, any time somebody does that they're usurping the privilege of= the Town Council because it says here only the Town Council appoints people and keeps the m on the committee and not some commission or committee, and my question to the Town Council, and you probably know I'm going to court over this anyway, did you read 111, Planning and Zoning, Section 402, Page 11, it says how these people are put in office.&n= bsp; It's the prerogative of the Town Council, not some by-laws of any commission, it's you people that put these people on and you people must reappoint them, the way I read it, and I have a question of somebody servic= ing beyond their time limits, and I will apologize if I'm wrong.
= ; Mr. Rinaldi: I did say we've = done that traditionally, I didn't say that makes it right. I mean you and I both know from Pl= anning and Zoning that just because you do things that = set precedent doesn't mean it's legal.
= ; Mr. LeBlanc: Well sometimes I= get a burr under my saddle about things like this and it just bothers me as long = as it continues, and I will continue as long as you people continue.
Mr. Walton: Back to the school façade, doesn't that mean front only?
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 5
Mr. LeBlanc: Let's take that into consideration,
we'll say if it's just the front, but that school fronts on 3 streets. Now where is the front? They had to get permission, every =
time
they went to Planning and Zoning they said it was the front of the building=
, so
it was
= ; Ms. Adams: One pf the concern= s I had when we were looking to sell Griffin for elderly housing was that I felt anyway the land was probably worth more than the building considering the location and the size, and I really pushed for this because I just didn't w= ant them to tear it down, so by putting in the restrictions of having the façade being unaltered we prevented that, unless of course the Counc= il allowed them to do that, but that was a big concern of mine, I did not want= to see that torn down.
= ; Mr. LeBlanc: But supposing th= is building deteriorates as our own Town Hall has, and they say we just can't = do it, now what do we do? Then w= e tear it down, they sell the land for $500,000, cuts 1,800 square feet off and gi= ves it to the bank for parking, this is a game they're playing.
Mr. Pawlak, Chairman, Closed Public Participation at 7:50 p.m.
5.&nb=
sp; Minutes
&= nbsp; A. Regular Meeting Minutes – November 6, 2006
= ; &n= bsp; MOTION: (Mr. = Mancini, sec. Mr. Walton) to Approve the Regular Meeting Minutes dated November 6, 2006 as presented.
= ; &n= bsp; Discussion: Ms. Adams:
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
6.&nb= sp; Chairman’s Report
A. Correspondence
We
did receive a letter from a couple on
= ; Mr. Rinaldi: It should go to = Public Works.
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 6
Mr. Pawlak: We also received information regard= ing the electric rates and I'm sure many of you saw it mentioned on TV last week where Northeast Utilities is going to DPUC requesting a rate increase which= for residential owners will probably add up to 8.3% starting January 1st if they get their way, and for organizations like the Town, I think we're talking b= out an 18% or 19% increase in electric rates.&= nbsp; I wouldn't say that’s the good news, but it gets worse because= if I remember correctly they're also talking about going back again in June fo= r a second round of increase din July which will probably affect all of us, so that doesn't look like it's going to change or get any better.
Frank, do you have any numbers you wanted to report with respect to the fund balance? I know it's not exac= t, but are we ahead of last year?
Mr. Nardelli: Yes, we are, I have a preliminary = number of about $4,185,000 fund balance at the end of June. Our investment income was much hig= her than we had anticipated, and of course the tax collections came in at 99.1% which is phenomenal, that's probably the highest in the State, so we did ha= ve a good year.
Mr. Pawlak: What was the fund balance for 05?<=
/p>
=
; Mr.
Nardelli: About $3,200,00=
0. =
; Mr.
Pawlak: So we're about $9=
00,000
ahead? =
; Mr.
Nardelli: Since then, don=
't
forget we spent about $400,000 for Murtha property, the Route 6 sewer proje=
ct,
so that has come down substantially cause we appropriated money out of that
fund balance, but yes, we had a very good year. =
; Mr.
Pawlak: Did we ever get
anything back from the State with respect to the court on the $10 surcharge=
? =
; Mr.
Nardelli: Yes, we got a c=
heck
for $900 for the first quarter on speeding tickets, at $10 per speeding tic=
ket. 7. =
Town
Manager's Report =
Mr.
Frigon read aloud the following report: Happy
Thanksgiving! Report dated November 17, 2006: It didn’t occur to me until now=
to
keep the original reporting highlighting any new developments. I, halfway t=
hrough
this report started this practice. <=
/span>As
a result some older information was deleted. From this point forward, curre=
nt
information will be inserted in bold. Regular Meeting November 20, 2006 Page 7 Retirement – Richard Fusco, =
Building
Official: Richie has recently announced his
retirement, which is anticipated for February 20, 2007. Richie, a lifelong
resident and business owner in Watertown, as well as a former Town Council
member, has served in his capacity of Building Inspector since 1986. Filling
Richie’s shoes will be a difficult task as he has been a close friend=
as
well as valued co-worker to so many. Moving forward, a written test is bei=
ng
prepared in conjunction with a modified job application. We anticipate advertising the posit=
ion
the week of December 4th. All applicants will be required to
schedule a written test to be taken at the Annex. A short list will then be interview=
ed by myself and two members of the Building Officials
Organization. The plan is to =
have
someone on board by late January. Deputy Fire Marshal More good news, Doug Halliwell has
successfully completed and has obtained certification of the Connecticut Fi=
re
Marshall/Inspector program. H=
is
completion immediately allows Doug to officially carry out his duties as De=
puty
Fire Marshall/Inspector. Murtha
Property Phase I Environmental Update: An appli=
cation
for the Phase I environmental review of the Murtha property was signed and
forwarded pursuant to Town Council authorization provided October 16, 2006.=
An
access agreement has been forwarded to Transfer Station Update: The Roll off container truck is sched=
uled
for delivery to the town DOT B=
us
Facility: No addit=
ional
details have been provided by the State on the progress of the design. It is
anticipated that the town will be responsible for the cost of increasing the
water and sewer pipe sizes to meet the town’s potential development of
the Route 262 corridor. The c=
ost is
presently projected by the State at anywhere from $167,000 to $400,000.
Status of Greenway Project:
Chuck Berger, Town Engineer is the
individual that will provide an update on the Greenway project. He has been
invited and is expected to report to the Town Council at the December 4
Status of Water Storage Tank Clean=
ing:
The status of scheduled maintenance f=
or the
Scovill tank remains on hold. The issue is not with the Water & Sewer
Authority but with the firm contracted to perform the work.
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 8
Contracting the required work on the
Straits tank has been delayed as a result of a critical shortage of manpowe=
r.
A purchase order to Underwater Solutions Inc. of Mattapoisett=
e MA.
has been issued for the underwater cleaning of t=
he
Scovill tank on
The Stra= its tank will be approached differently. It is agreed between Frank Jodaitis and I t= hat this tank will be drained, dry cleaned, structurally tested, disinfected and then refilled prior to Thanksgiving. This approach will allow bidding requi= red rehabilitation over the winter with work to be performed in the spring of 2= 007.
Mr. Pawlak: You said we have 4 employees out, = are they on vacation, sickness, etc.?
Mr. Frigon: No, our utility maintainer left ma= ybe 5 or 6 weeks ago. His replaceme= nt is expected to be hired sometime this week.&n= bsp; The boo9kkeeper II left to take the Treasurer's position. We have one employee that is in es= sence on comp, and the Assistant Superintendent hasn't been filled yet.
Mr. Pawlak: Do you have a restructured schedul= ed for Straits Turnpike?
Mr. Frigon: Frank and I discussed it briefly <= span class=3DGramE>today, we're going to discuss it at length next week. = We're hopeful that he will have both the Bookkeeper II and the Utility Maintainer= II position hired within the next week.
Mr. Pawlak: Cause that was scheduled for Thanksgiving or before.
Mr. Frigon: Yea, that's what we were hoping fo= r, that's what we're shooting for.
Statu=
s of
We have contacted the State Department of Transportation to initiate the required permit process. Preliminary discussions indicate that it will be the State’s recommendation that the Town install permanent high visibility signs at all cross walks. If = the State permits the signs, the permit process will then be directed to the Po= lice Commission.
Economic Development Coordinator:<=
/u>
Joe Seacrist is making considerable progress in creating this new position. Presently there are three areas tha= t Joe is focusing, inventory and the further development of ideas for our web sit= e, scheduling and follow-up on calls from perspective investors as well as mee= ting with key representatives from various support agencies. I continue with optimism in my beli= ef that Joe will be a valuable asset to the town.
Mr. Rinaldi: I would think we should go back to = the computer program that was done maybe 15 years ago as far as . . .
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 9
Mr. Frigon: We've already extracted it fro= m the mainframe, we've converted that information over to Excel and we're now in = the process of taking that information and transferring it into the GIS data ba= se, so that's on-going a sis the web site, company visits that he's been making almost daily.
Town Hall:
Calabrese Associates has conducted th=
eir
physical analysis of the Town Hall. The data and information collected is b=
eing
analyzed. A final report is promised for completion in December.
Air quality testing continues on a
quarterly schedule. The most recent test was performed October 25th.
Results have been attached to this report.
Mr. Pawlak: when is it due, what is the drop de= ad date on it?
Mr. Frigon: I would say December 3rd.
A reques= t for 8-24 approval for the sale of town owned property located at the corner of Evelyn Street at Davis Street was forwarded to the Planning & Zoning Of= fice 10/30/06.
.
Motor Vehicle Auction:
Town Fuel Dispensing System:
Responsibilities for the centralized =
fuel
dispensing system have been transferred to the Public Works/Engineering off=
ice.
While training, we discovered a malfunction that requires a professional
service call which has been scheduled, however, I am uncertain of the date.=
Town = Motor Vehicle Policy:
Chairman=
Pawlak
has recently asked that I review the Town’s Motor Vehicle policy. I am preparing a questionnaire that w=
ill be
completed by all department heads describing all relevant data along with a
“how, why and by whom” the vehicles are used. It is from this
information I will be prepared to structure a responsible analysis of our
existing policy for Town Council review.
Mr. Pawlak: More controls?
Mr. Frigon: Yes, far more control= s. The equipment is capable of a prog= ram called reasonableness. If you= have a vehicle that is programmed to get so many gallons per day, if you go over that, it won't allow you, you have to put your mileage in, it helps you with the maintenance schedule, none f that has been programmed in because we did= n't have the time to do it, that's now being instituted that's where they were running into some trouble.
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 10
Town Managers Office Secretary II:=
The Managers Office has recently hire=
d into
the position of Secretary II. Kathleen Tobin will begin work on Monday,
November 20, 2006. Kathy comes to the town with knowled=
ge and
background in workers compensation administration, health insurance, OSHA
reporting and benefits administration along with impressive experience of
general office duties. We look forward to her arrival.
Winter Snow Removal Planning:
Mr. Pawlak: The winter storm protocol that you = set up, I assume that there was less enforcement last yea, is that what sort of gleaned with respect to the street parking bans, etc.?
Mr. Frigon: That's correct. Perhaps less enforcement, but maybe better yet more communication amongst departments, so I believe that will be resolved this year.
Buildings Appraisals:
The firm of Nocera, Dillon and Diorio=
LLC
has been authorized for Phase I appraisals of town facilities as directed by
Town Council.
A question was raised in public
participation as to the legality of the boarding up of
8.&nb=
sp; Subcommittee
Reports
&= nbsp; A. Public Works Subcommittee
=
Mr. Rinaldi: There is a drainage problem on
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 11
= ; Mr. Pawlak: If you happen to = have a catch basin in front of your house, would you please, if it's safe, just ta= ke the time to look at it, and if it's stuck to the leaves just use a little i= nitiative to free them so that we don't have these drainage problems and if we get so= me freezes, like tonight we're supposed to get down into the low 20's , we can have some water on the road, so anything we can do as citizens of the Town = to help with the drainage situation and make sure the roads are as safe as possible it would be appreciated, not only by the Town Council but I'm sure= by the Department of Public Works.
&= nbsp; B. = Business Development Subcommittee
= ; Mr. Guerrera: We've been meet= ing with the Economic Development Commission and there were a number of items t= hat we've been working on. I was = happy to see at the last meeting we finally hired an Economic Development Coordin= ator and I think that's a great addition to the staff and I'm confident that som= e of the issues that are currently being discussed and no resolution is arrived = at will be resolved shortly, so as Mr. Frigon reported he is already following= a few leads so I think it was a great move to have somebody on staff at all times= .
&= nbsp; C. Finance Subcommittee
= ; Mr. Mancini: No report.
&= nbsp; D. Ordinance Subcommittee
= ; Ms. Plowman: I have nothing a= t this time. I'm waiting to hear fro= m the Subcommittee Meeting before the Council meeting tonight.
= ; &n= bsp; Mr. Pawlak: The tax review, i= t's going to take a little more time than we thought but we're going to get it done.
=
C=
huck,
you mentioned we got a copy of the complaint system that we have in
= ; Mr. Frigon: Yea, presently we= 're operating a complaint system that we purchased through QScend which is our internet provider. We're goin= g to be rolling out a new system and I don't want to call it a complaint system,= it's more of a project tracking system, although it's= main function initially was for complaints.&nbs= p; That's being delivered to us through Tye & Bond who provided our= GIS services for us or who continues to provide those services. It's a tremendous product, it's co= mplete and we'll be rolling it out very shortly and we'll be presenting it here at Town Council as well so you can see how it works, and I'm sure there will b= e a lot of clever ways in which we can use that system.
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 12
=
; &n=
bsp; Mr.
Pawlak: One thing I negle=
cted to
mention, I'm not sure if everyone got a copy of this, a Pearl Harbor Day
Ceremony, please accept our invitation to participate in the 2006
Watertown/Oakville Veteran's Council Pearl Harbor Day Ceremony. Service will take place on the Oak=
ville
Green on Thursday, December 7th, at 11:00 am. Parking is available on
9.&nb=
sp; Departmental
Report - Public Buildings Committee
&= nbsp; A. Status Report on Fire Department Project and Swift Renovation Project
= ; &n= bsp; Mr. Porter: The Firehouse, we= 're at about a 52% completed basis on dollars and we're about a 57% on contract ti= me completed. We have about 6 to= 7 months left to complete the project. It appears the brick work will be finished the end of December, first week of January, th= at means the building will be enclosed. Once enclosed t= hey can provide heat and finish off the inside of the building.
= ; &n= bsp; Mr. Pawlak: Right now does th= at mean there is no heat in the building at all?
= ; &n= bsp; Mr. Porter: In the new additi= on and the second floor there is no heat, that was demoed, and the new building you can see the windows are not in. The windows are supposed to be in the end of this month, the doors the middle of December.
&= nbsp; = ; Mr. Pawlak: But there's heat = in the main truck bays?
&= nbsp; = ; Mr. Porter: Yes, in the main = truck bays the unit heater has been put in, so those 3 bays are maintained at 68 degrees, if I'm not mistaken, so that is being heated, but the existing bui= lding is not, that's why it needs to be closed in as soon as they can and then provide temporary heat to take the dampness out of the building to continue on. So as I said we're about = 50% a little bit better, and about 6 to 7 months, depe= nding on how things go, to complete that project. Any questions?=
= ; &n= bsp; Mr. Guerrera: Is that on sche= dule, ahead of schedule?
= ; &n= bsp; Mr. Porter: We're on schedule, we're within budget as we speak tonight. And hopefully by the time the proj= ect is completed we won't find any more surprises.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; As far as Swift, it appears that they're going to (Tape #1, Side A ended - may have missed some) that will free up a po= rtion of the building for a swing space to go into another portion of the renovat= ion. The building is being done in phas= es, the portion that they're going to take over next, the students and such will move into the new building and then when that's renovated, the last set of students will move into the renovated area and they'll finish the 3rd portion. There's about 18 mon= ths left to finish the Swift project, June of 08 is what's anticipated. We are on schedule, we are within budget, and both projects seem to be going along smoothly.
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 13
&= nbsp; = ; Mr. Pawlak: Anything that giv= es you cause for concern down the road, any particular section of part of the proj= ect that causes you to lose some sleep?
= ; &n= bsp; Mr. Porter: No, as the theory= goes, once you're out of the ground, that's where the surprises are. We had additional work at the Fire= Department for underpinning the same issue at Swift.&= nbsp; Once those were finished and the steel started going up, that gave u= s a better feeling. Asbestos has = been abated at Swift and also will be more done this Summer<= /span>, but as far as big surprises, we can't anticipate at this point any big surprises coming. Any questions?
&= nbsp; = ; Mr. Rinaldi: I drive by the Firehouse all the time, I don't do construction, but where the new addition= is from the road to the new addition, it's been backfilled and I'm assuming th= at's going to be asphalt going into the building there for the trucks.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Porter: Yes, but it hasn't been comple= tely backfilled.
&= nbsp; = ; Mr. Rinaldi: Correct, when do= you think they’ll be putting that asphalt in?
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Porter: We're hoping that the base course = is done prior to the plants closing this Winter, th= ere's no guarantee that's going to happen but it's our concern that it does happe= n.
&= nbsp; = ; Mr. Rinaldi: From my own pers= onal experience, what are the chances of that ground eventually dropping and hav= ing the asphalt falling?
&= nbsp; = ; Mr. Porter: Having a gap? As it's being backfilled it's being compacted. Any areas that are compacted have special testing the soil for compaction is tested.
&= nbsp; = ; Mr. Pawlak: The closing of the asphalt plants is basically weather dependen= t, isn't it, there's no set schedule as long as it stays warm they'll run?
= ; &n= bsp; Mr. Porter: 10th to mid Decem= ber as a rule, but if the weather stays good like it did last year, they'll stay o= pen longer. There is no set date = that says December 10th they're going to close; it's based upon weather.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Pawlak: What's the schedule now for gettin= g that base coat down, is there a schedule?
= ; &n= bsp; Mr. Porter: We're hoping it w= ill be done before the plants close in December.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Pawlak: Okay, but you don't have like = the week of December 7th?
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 14
= ; &n= bsp; Mr. Porter: No, I don't. This is what we're being told. We did run across some bad soil conditions at the back of the fire station, which was no surprise to anybody and that has been addressed, they're bringing stone in now so once that's in then they can grade it. One i= ssue that's stopping the paving, the base coat at least the scaffolding on the b= uilding, when you come up Main Street you can see scaffolding on the south side of t= he building, well that extends all the way around the back of the building, th= ey have to finish the course of brick, wash it, then they can move the scaffol= ding and that impedes the ability to grade and pave, that's being addressed now.=
&= nbsp; = ; Mr. Rinaldi: That road that's= down from the, is that going to be the new access road I hope?
=
; &n=
bsp; Mr.
Porter:
=
; &n=
bsp; Mr.
Pawlak: That's the one th=
at's a
little bit further up
= ; &n= bsp; Mr. Porter: Yea, right at the= end, where you come around the corner, the stone wall ends and the driveway is r= ight there, it's taking your life in your hands.
&= nbsp; = ; Mr. Primini: Is there anything being addressed for parking for the firefighters? It's getting to the point where we= have to carpool to get parking places down there.
&= nbsp; = ; Mr. Porter: It's a concern of= ours too, Ray. It's been addressed= at meetings. There are job site meetings once a week, they're held on Thursdays. Swift's meetings are held each Wednesday. The concern, I'm s= ure the Chief will back this up, the concern was to keep the site clear as best they can, it's a tight site, there's a lot of equipment back there, they're trying to get it moved to open up as much space as possible, and until this= is completed, until that parking lot is done, it's an on-going issue. There isn't much room to store any= thing.
= ; &n= bsp; Mr. Pawlak: Is that going to = be one of the last things that's going to be addressed,= Bob, the parking lot, or is that going to be addressed before the snow flies?
= ; &n= bsp; Mr. Porter: If they're able t= o get the grading done and the base course down, then that can be used before the snow flies. There is no guara= ntee it's going to be done, but that's what's we're hoping is going to be done.<= /p>
10.&n=
bsp; New
Business
&= nbsp; A. Consider Appointments to Boards and Commissions
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; None
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 15
&= nbsp; B. = Consider an Appropriation in the amount of $20,000 from the General Fund for an architectural analysis and engineering review of the Sealy Mattress Company site for a possible conversation to a Town Hall/Government Center
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:2'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION: (Mr. = Mancini, sec. Mr. Rinaldi) to Appropriate $20,000 from the General Fund for an architectural analysis and engineering review of the Se= aly Mattress Company site for a possible conversation to a Town Hall/Government Center.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Discussion: Mr. Primini: Is this proper we're spending this= kind of money on something we don't even own?
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Pawlak: I don't think it's improper or illegal. We want = to evaluate the property before we go ahead.&= nbsp; I wouldn't want to buy it without having an evaluation done on it.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Mr. Primini: I just thin that= 's an awful lot of money to spend on something we don't own.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Mr. Pawlak: My concern is eve= rybody I'm sure here and most people in Town are aware of the sad conditions we ha= ve at the Town Hall, the publicity that we received, it's a building that has acknowledged problems of one sort or another for probably 40 or 50 years and quite frankly it's never been addressed and in my opinion, I think the next= big project that this Town has to tackle and solve is the Town Hall, and we hav= e to take a first step, and if this is the first step we do to figure out if tha= t's going to solve our problems for us, then I'm in favor of doing that. We have our gentlemen from K.B.A. = are here. In your packet you had a letter which was put together based on a site visit that we took back in Oc= tober, which pretty much spelled out some of the information that they saw and the= ir observation is and there was another report that was done also, I believe C= huck back several years, 2 or 3 years ago or more?
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Frigon: Ames & Whittaker performed an analysis of the building some 6 or 7 years ago, and in regards to that Kaes= tle Boos is aware of the study that was performed at the facility and they have acknowledged that they will use that study as a basis for their work to be = performed, so that work isn't going to go unused and hopefully it will be very useful.=
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 16
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Mr. Pawlak: Another point I w= ant to make in case I'm sure the Council members are aware of this, the total to develop a facility for the Town Hall, and I think we worded it Town Hall or government center and that is in fact what we want to do, we want to try and get a facility where we have every function in Town located in one building= so we're not located across the geography of Watertown/Oakville and the partic= ular site we're talking about is I think nicely located, there is about 12 plus acres involved in the total package, plenty of land out in front for an extension of an Elaine Adams Green down in Oakville, plenty of parking, a v= ery nice facility, very high visibility, it has the potential, it's about 96,000 square feet I believe under roof, and if we can utilize that space then I w= ould like to, hope that we can make some decisions and get that started and done= .
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &= nbsp; Ms. Adams: I think what else should happen at= the same time a study is being done is cost factors.= I mean we've talked about the money we'll save at Depot, we've talked about possible motor pools, we've talked about a lot of stuff, buy I haven't seen anything put down in writing that = says okay, these are the potential savings here whether it be a spread sheet or whatever, what we'd be looking at as a Town for the consolidation of the services, so I would ask that Frank or Chuck or whoever stat putting this d= own for us so we can see, not only us, but the taxpayers can see, is this the r= ight way for the Town to proceed. = It sounds like it is, but let's see it in writing.<= /p>
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Pawlak: That's a good poi= nt, there's a lot of duplication of services or square footage when you talk ab= out common areas in al the different buildings, and if you have one building wh= ere you have everybody there, the communication is much better, meetings are easier, it's a good suggestion.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Mr. Rinaldi: I agree with Ela= ine, as we go along we'll have to do that but I think it's kind of premature at thi= s point to get involved in that. As R= ay said, why spend the money if we don't own it, I think we should spend the m= oney at this point cause it's not going to service our needs then we don’t want to own it and I think that has to be looked at ahead of time, a plan h= as to be forwarded and we can make a sensible decision, but I think before we = go out to the public, yes, we're going to have to have numbers together and th= is will all happen between now and then.
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 17
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Primini: I just have a pr= oblem that we, it was like pulling teeth to have a study done on Town Hall, a building we all know needs some work, we pulled back the needs assessment m= oney on the Heminway School building that we do own, and now we're going to spen= d money on a building that we don't own, that we don't know if we will own or not, I still think it's putting the cart before the horse, that we should be taking care of our existing building before we start looking some place else.
] &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Mr. Pawlak: I look at this as= a sort of along the line, obviously there are a few more decimal points, it's moving to the right a little bit future, but when an individual goes out and buys a piece of property whether it's for a home or business, they have som= eone go out and do a building inspection, you have to pay for that to make sure = what is presented is in fact what you're going to get, so I think it's prudent on our part to invest the money and time up front to make sure that if in fact= we want to go forward with this, it's feasible, it's going to fit our needs an everything will work as we hope.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Mr. Primini: I would agree wi= th that in principal but I would think before I would go look t a new house I would get my own house in order, before I put my own house on the market.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; In Favor: &= nbsp; Ms. Adams, Mr. Guerrera, Mr. Mancini, Mr. Pawlak, Ms. Plowman, Mr. Rinaldi, Mr. Walton
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Opposed: = Mr. Primini
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Abstained: None
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION CARRIED (7-1-0)
&=
nbsp; C. Consider
Referral to the Board of Education Requesting the Endorsement of Alteration=
s to
the Athletic Field presently under Construction at
<=
span
style=3D'mso-tab-count:2'> &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; MOTION: (Mr. =
Mancini,
sec. Mr. Walton) to forward the request to the Board of Education to Endorse
the Alterations to the Athletic Field presently under construction at
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; Discussion: Ms. Adams: I think for purposes of the public= that we should have an overview of what we're looking for. We know what's here, but I think f= or the record and for the public, they need to know just what the Council is looki= ng to do.
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 18
= &nb= sp; = Mr. Frigon: Let me thank the Town Council for providing staff the opportunity to provide some input on this project. Staff looked at this project with 2 criteria in mind, cost and impact. <= /span>In regard to cost, we looked at this project as a $600,000 budget, we don't ha= ve monies in place to supplement it, we don't have a project in place that's before us at this point and with that said we have $600,000. Impact was something that we wrest= led with quite a bit, and our goal was to provide some immediate relief to the playing schedules right now on our fields.= In performing this analysis, we looked at what the $600,000 might bu= y us and provide that relief. We l= ooked at most of the properties, or at least those properties that we knew in Town that we might be able to purchase for either park property or at least one regulation sized playing field with parking. We've looked at the Plan of Develo= pment, we talked about properties that we're familiar with, we looked at most resources that we had available to us to identify properties and without specifically negotiating with any of the property owners, we didn't really = see where $600,000 was going to buy us both the property and the development to that property that would provide the immediacy of the relief that most of y= ou I believe are looking for, that's at least our understanding. So with that s= aid, we went and looked at how we might enhance some of the park property or athletic fields that we presently have that might also provide that immedia= cy or relief to your immediate problem. We looked at lights at Deland, we looked at lights up at Veteran's, = we looked at possibly purchasing a piece of property next to one of our school= s and creating a baseball field, we looked at relocating a driveway and increasin= g a field, we looked at just a number of projects, but none of those projects either came in at cost or really provided the relief sought.
= &nb= sp; = We then continued throughout this process to come back to the suggestion of tu= rf and we all believe that turf is the project that will provide the immediacy that you're looking for. We t= hen analyzed again the Mills Complex and with the Mills Complex we decided that that wou= ld not be our first recommendation for a number of reasons. One of those reasons is (a) we just completed the project, it has new sprinklers, new drainage, it has a new tr= ack surrounding it which is in question of jeopardy if we do some work on the field, and it's not paid for yet. It just seems, it doesn't seem right that we, at least from a staff point of view, now we're all going to have a different perspective on this, that we rip out something that we've just put in.
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 19
= &nb= sp; = And in recognizing that turf would provide that immediacy in terms of relief, we then went to Swift, which is virgin property, it's under contract to be bui= lt, and interestingly enough it's under contract to be built very much the same= as the Mills Complex, and what we want to avoid is being here in 2 years and saying boy we put it up at Mills and it's great, let's do it at Swift, or l= et's do it somewhere eels again. T= his is again virgin property, it's property that can be easily converted to turf r= ight now, we can provide a regulation sized field on the property, it would crea= te a regionally class middle school, it would make the project complete, it would provide the immediacy to what you're looking for and still provide us with = the basics for lights, it would provide us with concrete bases with conduit, it would = be a complete project with exception of the actual light standards. We also recognized that we do at s= ome point want to complete the Mills Complex, and we're hoping that when the Bo= ard of Education completes their project design of the high school, that turf w= ill be a part of that. It is a ve= ry viable project, it's a very desirable project and we'd like to see it happen. We just didn't recomm= end at this point given our charges in life, and as municipal = administrators we look at quality of life and we look at efficiencies and that's wh= at we try to provide to the public, and we do believe that this project, if it were to go forward, would provide both of those. With that said, Kaestle Boos is her= e to show us how that turf would fit on the property and there are some changes, alterations they would have to make to the existing, and Freddie or David or Joe, if you want to explain it.
=
&nb=
sp; =
David King, Vice President, Kaestl=
e Boos
Associates
= &nb= sp; = Mr. King: With me tonight is Joe DeCarlo, our landscape architect and Fred Khericha who is our construction administrator over at Swift and we'll try to explain in further detail what Chuck has proposed and answer questions.
=
&nb=
sp; =
Joseph DeCarlo, Landscape Architec=
t,
Kaestle Boos, Associates
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. DeCarlo: This is just sor= t of an orientation plan that shows the proposed field to the school. As you can see the field will fit = within the confines of the loop load and for illustration purposes we've shown a regulation sized soccer field because most other rectangular spots are less= in dimension than a soccer field so if we can get s= occer in there, we can get football, field hockey, lacrosse, on that sized field. We've also overlaid a baseball diamond and a softball diamond on this same surface so again they would fit in detail. This is = sort of a blowup of the same area, it shows in the da= rk green a regulation soccer field that's 200' x 360'.
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 20
= &nb= sp; = We've also shown an additional run out area all around it and soccer especially h= as a need for that, all sports have needs for a team to gather off to the sideli= ne (inaudible) and again baseball diamond with some good 325, 350 foot outfiel= d softball diamond and something that we recommend in the use and installation of synthetic turf, we normally recommend a small paved around it to separate natural turf from synthetic turf because it gives the lawn mower guy a plac= e to put his wheels, you're not getting the grass clippings going into your synthetic turf field, so that's also shown in dark grey around here, that's really an option that we added and we find it works well in keeping mainten= ance down on the fields. That's ab= out all I can tell you about the field at this point, unless there are any questions.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Rinaldi: I had a couple of concerns, this will be fenced in?
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. DeCarlo: Yea, the entire thing. Most of it is fenced n= ow. This end of the field as designed n= ow is simply a guard rail, we would have to continue t= his chain link fence across.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; Mr. Rinaldi: I'd hate to put = in a beautiful field like that and have kids running around with bikes. You did say that all the conduit a= nd concrete would be put in for the lights?
= ; &n= bsp; = ; Mr. DeCarlo: As part of the estimate we worked up, it would include the concrete base and the conduit f= or future lighting.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Pawlak: No problem with drainage over there contemplated?
= ; &n= bsp; = ; Mr. DeCarlo: Not a this point. These fiel= ds are normally constructed with a herring bone pattern of underdrains and some peripheral collector drains which would run to Wattles Brook, they advertise that they can handle 10 inches of rain per hour without any backup. And as the joke goes, if it's raini= ng 10 inches per hour, you're not worried about the field.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Primini: How is the parki= ng there? En= tranceways to the field?
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. DeCarlo: The parking faci= lities are as designed now, regardless of which way the field goes.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; Mr. Primini: How many vehicle= s can we accommodate?
= &nb= sp; = Mr. DeCarlo: I couldn't tell you off the top of= my head.
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 21
= ; &n= bsp; = ; Mr. Pawlak: Plus you have the parking up in front of the building too.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; Mr. DeCarlo: Right. I mean there's got to be about 100= , 150 I would guess.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; Mr. Primini: I wouldn't have = to worry about people parking in fire lanes.
&= nbsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; Mr. DeCarlo: I hope not, but I can't guarantee that.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Primini: Well I see that = at the high school all the time.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; Mr. Guerrera: In the lower le= ft corner there, on the field itself, is that softball or baseball?
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. DeCarlo: That's softball.=
= &nb= sp; = Mr. Guerrera: Is that going to be an exposed are= a, in other words can it be covered with turf?
=
&nb=
sp; =
Mr. DeCarlo: Well there are several options.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; Mr. Guerrera: So that would j= ust be a different color?
=
; &n=
bsp; =
; Mr.
DeCarlo: It could either =
be a
different color synthetic turf or natural clay or skinned infield, it's just
that's a real maintenance headache and I don't think the school system would
want to look at that. This is=
a
picture that we just did for
= &nb= sp; = Mr. Frigon: Would the site be able to accommod= ate some bleachers at some future time?
= &nb= sp; = Mr. DeCarlo: Yea, the area from here to here is inside the fenced enclosure, it's natural lawn a= nd you could accommodate bleachers there. <= /span>Remember that the site up near the school is elevated, higher anyway so there is some natural sitting on embankments, and I suppose people hanging on a fence, and there is room on both sides, this other green area, tha= t would accommodate grandstand or bleacher type things.
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 22
= &nb= sp; = Mr. Guerrera: How is the mar= kings for the various sport activities going to be done?
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. DeCarlo: That's an option= that the school board will have to decide because you can obviously line the fie= ld for every sport that you want to play on it, but it starts to get a little confusing after you get more than 2. You can paint some of them, line some permanently and paint others.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> You can also just mark the corners= for all the fields permanently and then have the people who line fields anyway = line them as the games go. Then if= they do a light wash line, they can wash it off or the rain can take it off in a couple of days or play another sport with a different lining system so that= 's another option that can be discussed if this were to progress. As you see we've shown baseball do= wn here and we didn't show the skinned infield because that's another option, = you leave everything green and just line the infield as painted lines, is another option.
= &nb= sp; = Mr. Pawlak: What are the dimensions for th= e left field, right field lines? Did= you say 350?
= ; &n= bsp; = ; Mr. DeCarlo: For baseball dow= n the left field line you can get 350 to just about the skinned infield over here. It's a little shorter a= nd right field is only about 215, center field is about 300. Softball the left field line is on= ly about 245, 250 out to the curb line, it's 290 to center field and about 345, 350 down the right field line.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Pawlak: So you mentioned = that this is laid out for soccer?
= ; &n= bsp; = ; Mr. DeCarlo: This field here = is a soccer field, 200 feet wide by 360 feet long. So for instance football is 165 fe= et so lines for football would be narrower, but it's the same length, 360 and the other sports are similarly smaller.
= &nb= sp; = Mr. Pawlak: Lacrosse?
= &nb= sp; = Mr. DeCarlo: Lacrosse. Don't ask me g= irls lacrosse because they change the dimensions every year, but boys lacrosse i= s about 180 by 330.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; Ms. Adams: How would you inset football goal posts, soccer net, how does that work when you're dealing with artificial turf. I think ours= are probably in concrete now, but how would you do something like this?
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 23
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. DeCarlo: You have an opti= on of, they have combination football soccer goals that can be permanently left in= place, or you can put sleeves in the ground and remove the posts, and they have special cushioned caps that go on them so that no one will fall on them.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Pawlak: What we're lookin= g at here and I'm sure that the Council members have thought about this, I don't know about the public, but e have an option I think to take this $600,000 a= nd invest it at Swift and build this field the right way the first time, as opposed to entertaining the option 2, 3, or 4 years down the road or 5 years down the road and looking at it again and saying we should have done turf.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> We can do this field based on the estimates that we have for about $190,000 over the $600,000 that we have fr= om the State. That money would c= ome from the contingency fund for Swift. What is that fund, Frank, 5%, 10%, the contingency on Swift?
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Frigon: 5% of the total b= udget. It's about right now $900,000= with $300,000 remaining in the soft costs or FF&E.
= &nb= sp; = Mr. Pawlak: If we were to entertain the Mills Complex as has been talked about quite frequently, that would cost us about $600,000, $567,000, $570,000 whatever it is. What we would have in 3 or 4 years= is a turf field at Mills. As has b= een mentioned, the high school; is in the process of (Tape #1, Side B ended - m= ay have missed some)which will include exterior renovations and upgrades. At = that time the Town can look at the Mills Complex and putting turf on that field. I believe the formula,= Joe, for that upgrade will be a kick in on the part of the State of 60% to 65% of the costs, is that correct?
= &nb= sp; = Mr. Erardi: Interior yes, exterior a little bit less.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Pawlak: I pegged it at 65= % I think. It will throw my numbe= rs off a little bit but if we do that, if we do the Swift project the way we prese= nted it and when the Board of Ed does it infrastructure study and includes if it includes and I should think they would, the Mills Complex with a turf surfa= ce, based on the current cost estimates for Mills of about $570,000 I just pick= ed a number out and said it would probably cost about $700,000 when that report comes due, and we wanted to start the work, that's about a 23% increase from where we are now. I don't kno= w if that's going to be a good number. It could be high, it could be low, = it could be right on the button, but it's just a guess, so what we would end u= p at the end of 2008 or 2009 or 2010, we could end up with for about $435,000 no= t 1, but 2 turf facilities, state of the art; not 1 turf facility which will take care of football and soccer, but 2 turf facilities which will take care of football, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, baseball, softball.
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 24
= &nb= sp; = Not only would it help Swift, but it would help all the other athletic groups i= n town in the sports that they play, so for these reasons, that I would prefer tha= t we send this proposal over to the Board of Education to review it, and come ba= ck with a recommendation to go ahead.
=
&nb=
sp; =
Ms. Adams: I too have been giving this a lot =
of
thought. I never thought of t=
urf
until Bob Guerrera and his group came and said you know what,
we have problems here with fields.
I am looking at this and if these people in the room tonight, and th=
is
gets through the Board and it goes to a Town Meeting and they say no, we may
very well be in a situation where we're back to square one, which as we know
Town Meeting majority rules. =
Now we
talked tonight about the Board of Education. It's no secret that they're probab=
ly going
to be looking in the next year for a lot of work to be done at the High Sch=
ool
for accreditation and just because it needs works. I would think should this go befor=
e the
Board of Ed as a recommendation, that we should =
look
for some promises from the Board of Ed.&nb=
sp;
I have not spoken to any board members, I did speak to the
Superintendent yesterday at the Gridiron Club dinner that the Board of Ed be
kind of put on the map to say look, okay, this is what we will put as part =
of
this project, then obviously they can't go with the taxpayers and what they
will say you can't predict that, but at least make a promise to the people =
who
want turf at mills to be able to put that up for when the time comes. Should that all go through, now a
concern that I have is whenever you do something with a building like this =
is
generally you do not have use of your entire lot and facility and again I
remember I think we took all of our high school games and put them down at
Municipal Stadium when we were redoing the Mills Complex, and I think Pop
Warner went over to Veteran's which again is an upset there, and I think by
doing Swift, I don’t want to see it just soccer and softball. I think it should be a multipurpose=
field
with the ability for football, cause if this whole thing goes through at the
high school, I think Pop Warner and the High School, I<=
/span>
don't want to see them go out of Town again. I don't think that's fair to the
students playing or to anybody, to the fans. I think we should stay in
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 25
= &nb= sp; = I also would like to see if the Board of Ed would be willing, if the dollars = were there, my understanding is that Pop Warner built the concession stand at the High School and have an agreement that they = will run it and get all income from it. If we could find to be able to build a concession stand down there a= nd should everything go through at the high school and move the Pop Warner and= the High School games down to Swift, if that happens, I'm just trying to look a= head to the future, that the same agreement is made. I don't know how much that would c= ost, but I think, #1 it wouldn’t hurt to have it, and #2 to help the Pop Warner, its an expensive program to run. I can remember when my brothers we= re involved, a few decades ago, and it was expensive on the parents and on the groups to run and they need a source of income. So I guess what I'm trying to do h= ere is that I recognize that should this get as far as a Town Meeting that it could fail, but I would hope that the Board of Ed can make some promises and work with the organizations here so we can have a multipurpose field and be able= to still run your concessions if it comes down to that and hopefully I've cove= red everything, and if not, there is a second pubic participation.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Primini: I don't think we really had a lot of long term planning on any of the fields as far as even multipurpose. When we added Veteran's Park that finally gave us more fields= , cause we didn't have many fields at all. One thing I've learned since I've = been on the Council is the different dimension of al the field. You mentioned about woman's lacros= se changing every day, I didn't realize with baseball fields there are differe= nt levels for the mounds. I grew= up in the north end of Waterbury where we had Fulton Park, and that was it, we ha= d 1 field and we made due on that, but I've been hearing over the years that wo= men have different heights for the mounds, I never even realized it, we just ma= de due, but I think that's something we need to have long term planning on wha= t we can do. This kind of gives us= from what I'm seeing the best of both worlds right now, to take advantage of thi= s, when the high school comes around, hopefully we'll get a town hall before we do something with the high school, but some more long term planning like just = get more fields, if somebody is willing to donate some land for more ball fields I'm all for that too.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 26
&= nbsp; D. Consider an Appropriation from the General Fund in the amount of $5,790 for landfill container services operations during October, 2006
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:2'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION: (Mr. = Mancini, sec. Mr. Walton) to Approve an Appropriation fro= m the General Fund in the amount of $5,790 for landfill container services operat= ions during October, 2006.
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:2'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Discussion: None<= /p>
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
&=
nbsp; E. =
Consider
an Appropriation from the General Fund in the amount of $3,262 for disabled
accessible voting during the November 7, 20006 elections, funds
to be reimbursed by the State of
<=
span
style=3D'mso-tab-count:2'> &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; MOTION: (Mr.
Mancini, sec. Mr. Walton) to approve the Appropriation from the General Fun=
d in
the amount of $3,262 for disabled accessible voting during the November 7,
20006 elections, funds to be reimbursed by the S=
tate
of
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:2'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Discussion: None<= /p>
<= o:p>
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
&= nbsp; F. = Consider a Resolution Authorizing the Transfer if Funds between Line Items
R= E S O L U T I O N
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; WHEREAS, expenses in the 2006-2007 fiscal year require the transfer of funds:
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, by vote of the Watertown Town Council, that the following actions are taken relative to the Transfer of Funds:
=
; &n=
bsp; GENERAL
FUND - Town Manager
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; AMOUNT: $1,306 &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; NO: 1
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; FROM: &= nbsp; 010-50690-046-0000 - Contingency
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; TO: &= nbsp; 010-50561-002-= 0153 - Computer
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; REASON: To purchase computer for Secretary
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 27
=
; &n=
bsp; GENERAL
FUND - Highway Department
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; AMOUNT: $5,000 &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; NO: 2
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; FROM: &= nbsp; 010-50526-031-2206 - Master Storm Drains
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; TO: &= nbsp; 010-50415-032-= 0000 - Equipment Parts
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; REASON: Due to numerous repairs that are needed for winter preparations
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Dated at
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp;
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Joe Pawlak, Chairman
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:2'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION: (Mr. Mancini, sec. Mr. Walton) to approve the resolution authorizing the transfe= r of funds between line items.
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:2'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Discussion: Mr. Pawlak: Charles, General Fund, Town Manage= r, 1306 for a computer for the secretary. From what contingency fund was that coming? Was it in the budget?
<= o:p>
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:4'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Nardelli: We had budgeted $35,000 a year for contingencies, so we're just taking some of that contingency money out to c= over that/
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Pawlak: We budgeted $35,0= 00?
<= o:p>
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:4'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Nardelli: Yes.
<= o:p>
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:4'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Frigon: You don't remember that, do you?
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Pawlak: No.
<= o:p>
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:4'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Frigon: We'll make sure you pay attention = this coming year.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Pawlak: And why are we ge= tting a computer? Did one die or wh= at?
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Frigon: We don't have one= . That computer went with Carol Roma= n when she took over Purchasing. The laptop that I had in Purchasing is quite old and it is a lap top so we're (inaudible) and the other computer in the office went to Joe Seacrist. We're down a computer basically.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Mancini: I was going to s= ay that in the budget this year there wasn't a request for a computer.
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 28
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Frigon: Right, but becaus= e Joe came along . . . .
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Pawlak: You have yours, t= hough, right?
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Frigon: Yes, we're all se= t.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Pawlak: Highway Fund, Pau= l that was what? General Fund $5,000?
<= o:p>
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:4'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Rinaldi: That's for parts for snow plow (inaudible).
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Pawlak: What do we have in there for equipment parts, $19,000, $55,000 in t= he budget.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Frigon: Correct.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Pawlak: Did we use it all= ?
<= o:p>
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:4'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Frigon: No. But it's going to be, and I think Paul can address that best as you alluded to earlier, you understand the transfer. I wasn't at that meeting. The reason for= the $5,000 additional.
=
; &n=
bsp; =
; &n=
bsp; Mr.
Rinaldi:
<= o:p>
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:4'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Pawlak: No, my question is there's a line = item in the D.P.W budget for $55,000 for equipment parts and it hasn't been used. Why are we transferring $5,000 from master storm drains to equipment parts? It doesn't make sense.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Mancini: I was going to s= ay the same thing. We did the same t= hing last year with the Police Department when they requested additional funds f= or the motors for the cars. We a= sked them if they used the funds that were there already and they said no, they = said they were going to use the funds so we told them to use those funds and if = you need more come back to us when you need the funds. If there are f= unds there now . . . .
<= o:p>
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:4'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Frigon: I'm not going to disagree with you= . This was presented to Public Works= Sub and . . . .
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 29
<= o:p>
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION: (Mr. Rinaldi, sec. Ms. Adams) to Table the Highway Department transfer only.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Discussion: None<= /p>
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY (excluding the Highway transfer)
&= nbsp; G. Consider a Resolution Authorizing a bid Waiver for the pu= rchase of #2 fuel oil as well as diesel and unleaded fuel in accordance with the recommendation of the Fuel Oil Consortium for a contract award through Augu= st 31, 2008
R= E S O L U T I O N
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; WHEREAS,
fuel oil and gasoline furnished to the Town of
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; WHEREAS, fuel oil and gasoline yearly purchases exceed $4,000= .
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; WHEREAS, Town Council authorization is required for any purchase exceeding $4,000, that has not been independently bid by the Town= 's Purchasing Agent.
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Purchasing Agent of the Town of Watertown, in cooperation with Regional Towns, Board of Education and School Districts, is hereby authorized to enter into an agreement for the purchase of #2 fuel oi= l as well as diesel and unleaded fuel in accordance with the recommendation of t= he Fuel Oil Consortium at the time of contract award through August 31, 2008.<= /p>
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Dated at
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp;
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Joe Pawlak, Chairman
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:2'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION: (Mr. = Mancini, sec. Mr. Walton) to Approve the Resolution Autho= rizing a Bid Waiver for the purchase of #2 fuel oil as well as diesel and unleaded fuel in accordance with the recommendation of the Fuel Oil Consortium for a contract award through August 31, 2008.
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:2'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Discussion: Mr. Primini: Do we have a price per gallon?
<= o:p>
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:4'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Frigon: No, this is just authorizing us to= once again participate with the consortium and they will go out to bid later this year for it.
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 30
<= o:p>
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:4'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Pawlak: So we're not locked in on anything= yet?
<= o:p>
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:3'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Mr. Frigon: No.
<= o:p>
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
&= nbsp; H. Consider A Temp0orary Wage Adjustment for the Assistant Town Clerk and the Secretary= II in the Town Clerk's Office and hiring a temporary Secretary II for the Town Clerk's Office for a period not to exceed three months effective November 2= 0, 2006
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:2'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION: (Mr. = Mancini, sec. Mr. Walton) to approve the temporary wage adjustment for the Assistant Town Clerk and the Secretary II in the Town Clerk's Office as outlined in t= he agreement with the CSEA Union. I further motion to approve the hiring of a temporary Secretary II for the To= wn Clerk's Office for a period not to exceed 3 months effective November 20, 2= 006.
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:2'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Discussion: Ms. Adams: As part of the motion, don't we ha= ve to include the amount that they'll be receiving?
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Frigon: Yea, we did the l= ast time.
<= o:p>
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:4'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Pawlak: And there is a reason for that.
<= o:p>
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:4'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Ms. Adams: It's very broad wording.
<= o:p>
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:4'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Nardelli: I have the figures for that. The Town Clerk's salary is $63,952= ; the Assistant Clerk is $39,151. T= hat's on an annual basis.
<= o:p>
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:3'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; = ; Mr. Pawlak: I think it's impo= rtant to understand also that both of these people are in fact performing those r= esponsibilities. The Assistant Clerk is now acting = as the Town Clerk.
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Frigon: Yes, she is assum= ing all of the duties of Town Clerk.
=
; &n=
bsp; =
; &n=
bsp; Mr.
Pawlak: And the Secretary=
II is
doing the Assistant Town Clerk, so what we want to do, the proposal, is to =
pay
them for the jobs that they are doing, and they have been doing since
March. This would replace the=
20%
that would go away that we had voted back then and this new salary schedule
would take effect starting November 20th, and as part of this Ginny Russo w=
ould
not be subject to overtime, however
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 31
= ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; Mr. Frigon: That's correct.
<= o:p>
<=
span
style=3D'mso-tab-count:4'> &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Ms. Adams: And the
<= o:p>
<= span style=3D'mso-tab-count:4'> &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Mr. Primini: It sounds fair.
<= o:p>
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
11.&n=
bsp; Public
Participation
Tony Fusco,
=
; Mr.
Fusco: In suing the Town,=
who
is the Town Attorney that defends the Town? Is it the Town Attorney or is it an
outside concern that comes in and does this? The reason why I'm asking is becau=
se I
live next door to a house that was built about 7 years ago and this house
hasn't been lived in for the past 5 years.=
It's on the corner of
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 32
When
he built the fireplace, it's terrible, they can'=
t burn
the fireplace because when he put the wall in downstairs in what's supposed=
to
be the ash pit, he didn't put any flue pipe in there for the chimney for the
furnace. Now the pipe goes in=
to the
wall, but it goes into a box, so there's no flue pipe there, so when the
chimney gets up to the top at the first floor, this is where he put the flue
pipe. Now that to me is a no/=
no, I
don't care who built the house and how you build a fireplace, but that's a
no/no. I asked the people whe=
n they
were living there did they get any kind of fumes in the houses, he said yea,
they used to wake up with headaches in the morning. I said you're lucky, cause that's =
all
carbon monoxide you were breathing in, you're lucky you're still around. =
; Mr.
Pawlak: The builder is be=
ing
sued? Mr. Fusco: The builder is being sued, the
people are suing the Inspector, who is my cousin, so I can't say too much in
court, so it's like a conflict of interest, but I would just like to know h=
ow
long this thing is going to drag on.
Before this house was built, the house down the street that I compla=
ined
about for 40 years, cause I lived in this Town over 60 years, I remember wh=
en
trolley cars ran through Oakville, that's how long I've been around, but
anyway, this is something like an eyesore there. We had the eyesore down the street=
, Konover
took over and knocked the house down, now I've got one next door to me. So I can't win. I just don't know how much longer =
this
is going to drag on. =
; Atty.
Pilicy: Mr. Fusco is correct, the case has been in a number of courts. It was scheduled for jury trial ab=
out 4
or 5 months ago and the same week the court issued a decision dismissing the
Town of Watertown from any liability, actually denied that motion and that
motion was appealed to the appellate court which rendered the same decision=
and
now that decision has been appealed to the State Supreme Court, so until the
State Supreme Court rules whether or not the Town of Watertown as a defenda=
nt
ought to be in the case or should be excused from the case, the rest of the
trail has been delayed. Mr. Pawlak: Reasonable estimate as to the =
length
of time before we know that? =
; Atty.
Pilicy: All of the briefs=
have
been filed in the Supreme Court case as of Friday, so it could be scheduled=
for
an agreement within 4 months. Regular Meeting November 20, 2006 Page 33 =
; Mr.
Pawlak: Then they have to=
mull
it over and you're talking late Spring, early Sp=
ring? Atty. Pilicy: You're looking at 6-8 months a=
t which
point I know that the Chief Judge of the Superior Court is very much aware =
of
this case and is anxious to have it tried, we'll probably go to trial almost
immediately after the Supreme Court decision, and that decision will leave =
the Town
either in or out as a defendant. =
; Mr.
Pawlak: So regardless of =
the
status of the Town, once that decision is made and we go to trial in the
Superior Court you said, what would you guess as far as timing on that one?=
=
; Atty.
Pilicy: The trial itself =
could
take about a week. My suspici=
on is
that it would probably get settled before it would actually be tried but it
would not be settled until it's determined as to whether or not the Town
remains in as a defendant, and that case is being defended by the Town's
insurance company and I am also involved, more monitoring than actively
participating. Mr. Fusco: Just to make matters worse, the fe=
llow
that built the house died last year. Bruce Cianciolo, =
; Mr.
Cianciolo: Is the $600,000
strictly for the athletic field or is it for any kind of cost overruns in t=
he
athletic field at Swift? Mr. Pawlak: No it's for the field. Mr. Cianciolo: So what was budgeted for the athle=
tic
field without this $600,000? =
; Mr.
LoFrese: I don't have that
answer now, it's part of the whole project. The site work was broken out, but =
again
it's for the entire project, it wouldn't have been down to the detai=
l of
the field. =
; Mr.
Cianciolo: So if we didn'=
t have
the $600,000 that athletic field wouldn't have been . . . . =
; Mr.
LoFrese: The athletic fie=
ld
would have been installed with grass and irrigation. =
; Mr.
Pawlak: Did you want us t=
o see
if we could get an answer on that? =
; Mr.
Frigon: There is not a sc=
hedule
of values that we're aware of specifically for that field being built as
grass. We know there's a spec=
ific
amount for an irrigation system, it's very similar to what the mills was I =
believe,
$75,000. There are other spec=
ific
credits that we'll be taking back, as a part of not constructing the field =
with
the grass, but the $600,000 is buying turf. Regular Meeting November 20, 2006 Page 34 =
; Mr.
Cianciolo: I would have to
disagree with your decision to put this at Swift and for some of these
reasons. The Superintendent h=
as mentioned
numerous times that we have to try and keep our biggest and our best and our
smartest students in the Town of Watertown and I can't think of any other w=
ay
of driving them to Watertown High School and seeing a crown jewel of a turf
field right here as you walk in.
Let's face facts, what are some of the attractions of coming to As
far as some of the things are going to happen if the Town goes this way and
wants to put it at Swift, the gentleman mentioned a lot of options. Well options t=
o me
means cost. (Tape #2, =
Side A ended - may have missed some.) His mother's mini van over here, s=
o that
means you're going to put up a net so the balls aren't going into the parki=
ng lot. Where are the bathrooms, I don't s=
ee
any? Bathrooms cost also. Is that part of the $600,000? We don't know that yet. As far as parking 150 cars, we're
talking about this going to be a highly trafficked area similar to Veteran's
Park, we can have band concerts out here, marching bands, etc., soccer game=
s,
like the gentleman said you can have a circular road put on here to have the
traffic cut down, there's not enough parking around here. If you go up to Veteran's Park whe=
n you
have some of the things that Lisa Carew and her group has up there with the
bands and soccer and stuff up there, that's not enough parking I think. Which way is north? The sun? We have a terrible problem at Muni=
cipal
when we play down there, we have to stop the game for 20 minutes cause the
pitcher and the sun is right into the batter's eyes here so we have to look=
at
the layout of where we're putting the ball diamonds. The gentleman also said that this =
could
be all turf here, again, we're talking about
options. If this is a woman's
softball field here, I think they play in shorts, I'm not sure, but I can't=
see
a young lady sliding into turf bases here and tearing up her legs, similar =
to
the baseball field, we played at tournament in Long Island and around the S=
tate
of Connecticut that around the bases are all turf and the kids are turning
ankles because their cleats catch into the turf and there's not enough give
away from the dirt. So again =
these
are all options that this gentleman is talking about but it all has to do w=
ith
cost. I think the biggest thi=
ng is
even though you talk about the conduit and all the lighting and stuff like
that, how long is that going to take?
Somebody a lot smarter than me said a bird in the hand is worth more
than 2 in the bush. Right now=
we
have $600,000 that we can make an effective change at Regular Meeting November 20, 2006 Page 35 Tony Guerrera, =
; Mr.
Guerrera: I want to just =
give
you first these letters that were signed, this i=
s just
from a day and half of asking people to sign, not even putting a lot of eff=
ort
into it yet of why the turf should be at the Mills Complex. Basically it says: I
support installing field turf on the John Mills Complex at Safer field environment for our kids to play on. Boost
morale and install pride in our local Town athletes. Reduce
the need for additional fields. Savings
on bussing costs for students, practices and home games. Increase
gate revenue from additional events to be used. Approximately
90% reduction in field maintenance costs. Eliminate
weather event cancellations. Ability to host jamborees, CIAC playoff games and special town
events. Attractive to the student/athlete. Adds
to the overall package of what the Don't
get me wrong, this is beautiful, but how long before that's complete, 2 yea=
rs,
1-1/2 years? =
; Mr.
Erardi: Next year. Summer of 2007=
. =
; Mr.
Guerrera: How do you figu=
re,
the questions we were asked every time we presented the Mills Complex was
replacement cost, what is the replacement cost, where is the money going to=
come
from to replace it? We had all
these answers with the Mills Complex, the gates are there, the lights are
there, just like Wolcott did hey held the NVL ch=
ampionship.
I think there was about 5,000
people there at $5.00 a head, there's $25,000. Could you do that at this field? Regular Meeting November 20, 2006 Page 36 We
have pushed this to save $67,000 a year for the Board of Education in bussi=
ng
costs. We pushed this to keep=
our
kids at this high school, top make the kids excited about coming to
Joe Erardi, Superintendent of Scho=
ols
=
; Mr.
Erardi: I'd just like to =
share
some information to give you a timeframe of when the Board of Education wil=
l be
looking at the facilities study that's been recently completed by Kaestle B=
oos
and Associates. It will be sh=
ared
with the Board of Education in 3 parts.&nb=
sp;
On November 27th the Board will have a presentation from Todd LoFres=
e,
our Director of Operations, along with Kaestle Boos on the compliance and c=
ode
issues that exist at the High School,
Mr. Pawlak: The 3 schools being the High Schoo= l, Swift, and Heminway?
Mr. Erardi: High School, Judson, and Polk. Swift is all set with what is taki=
ng
place there. I'd like to make=
some
additional comments on things that were stated this evening. I am very competitive in my believe that public schools work in
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 37
Lastly on an unrelated note, I'd like to take the opportunity to thank Fire and Po= lice, along with your Town Manager, Mr. Frigon who took a very active role and a supportive role on November 13th with the issue that we had for a school sa= fety issue at the high school. Thr= ough the cooperation of both fire and police, an all day building search on Sund= ay took place and it allowed us to have a very safe November 13th, and again t= hank you to all the staff members who were involved in that issue. Thank you.
Steve Martino,
= ; Mr. Martino: We've been follo= wing this around for quite some time now and it's my believe that 2 months ago o= r so many meetings ago a request from your Board went over to the Board of Educa= tion regarding turf at the Mills Complex. They received it, we've been to the Board= of Education meeting and asked for their response to get back to you guys so we can push this along. I'm gues= sing that was pretty much the same request that you're making for Swift now. Does that take the Mills Complex r= equest that you asked the Board of Education off the table, cause I know there's s= ome members over there still pondering that issue too, or is that still on the table and you want to hear basically both recommendations from the Board of= Ed, or am I off base here?
Mr. Pawlak: To be honest I'm not sure. I know that we forwarded our reque= st over to them about a month ago regarding the Mills Complex. Do you know the status of that?
= ; Mr. Frigon: No, we were looki= ng into some warranty issues relating to the track and if the placement of turf might jeopardize any warranty of the track itself. I know there were 2 other questions, I believe that there were 3.
= ; Mr. Martino: Yes, and they wa= nted to firm up on the price, etc. Now they've asked those questions back and they've never, we kind of confronted them at the last meeting and said you never gave us an answer, and they basically said because they haven't gotten any answers from the Town Council yet. Is that a dead issue, or= are you guys still going you give them those answers, or have they never come o= ut to you, or is there a miscommunication going on between the Board of Educat= ion or just my understanding of everything?
= ; Mr. Frigon: I don't know that= it was a miscommunication. I kno= w that I had some discussion with Mr. LoFrese regarding the warranty specifically.= I don't know if we ever pursued th= at a whole lot further, we would have had that been our recommendation. We were more focused on staff recommendation for this particular project than . . . .
= ; Mr. Martino: Yea, I think thi= s went over before you set up your Council so . . . .
= ; Mr. Frigon: Yea, it may have,= it predated me.
= ; Mr. Martino: You might not ha= ve even been here.
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 38
= ; Mr. Frigon: Yea, but I'm fami= liar with it, I've read it and I'm sure that that more or less went by the waysi= de in regard to our completing this report and staff's recommendation. If it comes back to us that this recommendation isn't gong to get consensus and we need to go back to the drawing boards then I guess that's something we're going to do.
Mr. Martino: So as of now its off the table, is that kind of what we're saying here?
= ; Mr. Frigon: I don't want to s= ay anything is off the table, that's not my place.
= ; Mr. Martino: So if I went to = the Board of Ed meeting and brought it up again they're going to look at . . . = .
= ; Mr. Pawlak: Rich Mazzamauro, = can you fill in some blanks here as to where we are with Mills discussion that I know both the Board of Ed and Town Council has had. Did we supply the answers?
= ; Mr. Mazzamauro: There was no = formal response to the questions from the Town Council. We looked for some answers to those questions from the engineering studies, there were drainage, leg questions,= there were (inaudible) questions. There was a list sent out official= ly.
=
; Mr.
Pawlak: I remember there =
was a
question with respect to drainage, and I believe that was found to be not an
issue if I remember correctly. That
was tied directly into ledge, we didn't know if there was enough room below=
the
surface to put in the larger sized drainage pipes required, and I think
somewhere along the line that answer came back positively, meaning that it
would be okay. The warranty i=
ssue
is still a subject of concern because there is a warranty on that track.
] = ; Mr. LoFrese: 5 year warranty.=
= ; Mr. Pawlak: That would make i= t through what year?
= ; Mr. LoFrese: It commenced las= t June or July of 2005.
= ; Mr. Pawlak: So it goes until = 2010, so that's a warranty issue.
= ; Mr. Martino: Which we don't k= now if that's an issue, we just wanted to know if it hurt the warranty if we did t= he turf, so we don't know that it's a bad issue or not.
= ; Mr. Pawlak: But we also don't= know if the track were damaged during the construction or installation of turf, = that would probably void the warranty, I'm guessing. There was another issue with respe= ct to lighting.
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 39
= ; Mr. Mazzamauro: The other que= stion is cost. Cost seemed like a v= ery soft (inaudible) I believe from the original quote at the Mills Complex to = what the new price was, (inaudible) was several years down the road (inaudible) = and the question was how could there be such a delta given what we know about t= he price of raw materials and what's happened over the years, how could it be a couple hundred thousand dollars cheaper 3 or 4 years later.
= ; Ms. Adams: (Inaudible.) Less size, les= s turf.
= ; Mr. Martino: That question sh= ould maybe come up on this one too cause this is the same figure as the Mills Complex, and it looks like they're going to do more here actually, so I just wanted to clear that up cause I didn't want to embarrass myself mentioning = that to the Board of Education anymore if that was off the board. I have a quick point that I want y= ou all to consider . . . as beautifu= l as that is, it will be beautiful if they just do what they were going to do an= yway with grass. I'm not totally a= gainst it and I am trying to keep an open mind like we were asked and I think we a= ll should keep an open mind cause we're trying to do what's best of this Town,= and I know we all are trying to do what's best for the Town, I just think it's somewhat of a shame to have our high school kids have to go through a perio= d of time where they wish they were playing down on their middle school. They're going to go from middle sc= hool to high school and playing on a lesser field, and I just think that should = be put in the thought process and I think it would be, as awesome as a site it= would be having Swift with turf and the high school with turf in 4 years, and I a= gree with you the way you painted that picture, cause that's a beautiful picture= , I think it would be even more awesome to have that back field and front field= all turf, that bell rings at 2:00 and those high school kids just go and play.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Swift will not tear up their field, they're younger kids, less activity, if you give them grass fields just like you've got there, it' already in the budget, you don't touch the $600,000, = you're going to have a beautiful place. We're going to be proud at Swift whether it's turf or not, with the money you alr= eady have budgeted for it. I think= that would make Watertown, even better than pulling in with (inaudible) turf in = the back and in the front, and just do the same thing we were saying, and I thi= nk that would be the most awesome high school site, and we'd probably be talked about because we'd probably be the only high school with 2 turf fields and = then nobody gets bussed anywhere after school.&= nbsp; They go right outside field hockey, then can split that field, footb= all can play there I mean it would be awesome, so I just wanted to draw out that view. Thank you very much.
Sandy Greenwood,
Ms. Greenwood: The landscaper mentioned about the spectator part, I'd like to know how many spectators would be able to be se= ated in this area, and he also mentioned about standing to sitting on a hill, wh= at is the same amount of the spectators at John Mills Complex, would it be the same? How many cars could be = parked at Swift and how many at the High School?&= nbsp; How close up would they be cause it seeme= d like they'd be very far away.
= ; Mr. Pawlak: I don't know that= we have that information.
Regular Meeting
November 20, 2006
Page 40
= ; Mr. DeCarlo: I don't know wha= t the spectator seating is presently at the high school so I couldn't answer that comparative and similarly with parking.&nb= sp; It's funny cause I am working on the stud= y for the parking at the high school but I couldn't tell you off the top of my he= ad what the parking is here and I just took a guess that there are about 150 s= paces. I should also note that there= is room for overflow parking that is designed into this also there is some add= itional parking here too. Again spect= ator seating is 18" x 18" for each person, so I can see at least 1,200= if you really wanted to fill all that grass easily. The part about standing up, this d= own here (inaudible) and there is a wall so that in theory you could stand on t= his walk, which is about 4 or 5 feet higher than the field, which would give yo= u an advantage, but I would assume again if you were really having a competitive game, this lawn area would receive a grandstand, portable or permanent.
Mr. Pawlak: Is that a bank over here? That bottom section, that green?
=
; Mr.
DeCarlo: That's flat. There's a wall here. This is flat to a point and then it
curves down a little bit towards the road, but realistically it's only 18&q=
uot;
or 2 feet. =
; Mr.
Pawlak: What's the dimens=
ion
from the surrounding rack, or the paved area? Just the green, right where your f=
inger
is, go down, what's the dimension there and conversely on the other side.
=
; Mr.
DeCarlo: It's between 60 =
and
80'. Mr. Pawlak: And that would be roughly the =
same
or more up above? =
; Mr.
DeCarlo: Yes. Don Stepanik, Mr. Stepanik: Chuck, in your work on this field,=
was
your intent to play high school varsity sports here? Mr. Frigon: It wasn't my intent, it was our int=
ent to
accommodate as a regulation sized field on that facility that varsity sports
could be played. =
; Mr.
Stepanik: Been with the l=
imited
parking and spectators compared to Mills?&=
nbsp;
Locker rooms, bathrooms, etc.? =
; Mr.
Frigon: I don't know the
quantity of parking at either facility, I was as=
sured
that there was ample parking at both. Mr.
Pawlak, Chairman, Closed Public Participation at 9:30 p.m. Regular Meeting November 20, 2006 Page 41 11. &n=
bsp; Executive
Session A. Pending
Litigation - B. =
Pending
Litigation - Tello/Salazar versus Town of C. Pending
Litigation - Daniel Conron et al Versus Gary Swingle et al &=
nbsp; D. Pending
Litigation - Stewart Versus Town of &=
nbsp; MOTION: (Mr.
Mancini, sec. Mr. Walton) to enter into Executive Session at 9:30 p.m. for =
the
purposes of discussing Pending Litigation - John Trumbull Primary School
Construction, Pending Litigation - Tello/Salazar versus Town of Watertown, =
Pending
Litigation - Daniel Conron versus Gary Swingle, and Pending litigation -
Stewart versus the Town of Watertown.
In attendance will be the 8 members of the Town Council present, Chu=
ck
Frigon, Town Manager, Frank Nardelli, Assistant Town Manager, and Franklin =
Pilicy,
Town Attorney, and Robert Porter, Chairman, Public Buildings Committee. Discus=
sion: None<=
/p>
&=
nbsp; MOTION
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY &=
nbsp; Present
During Executive Session: &=
nbsp; Elaine
Adams &=
nbsp; Antonio
Guerrera &=
nbsp; Carl
Mancini &=
nbsp; Joseph
Pawlak &=
nbsp; Suzan
Plowman &=
nbsp; Raymond
Primini &=
nbsp; Paul
Rinaldi &=
nbsp; Jack
Walton &=
nbsp; Chuck
Frigon &=
nbsp; Frank
Nardelli &=
nbsp; Franklin
Pilicy &=
nbsp; Robert
Porter &=
nbsp; Mr.
Porter left the Executive Session at 9:40 p.m. &=
nbsp; Mr.
Pawlak, Chairman, Reconvened the Regular Meeting at 10:00 p.m. &=
nbsp; No
Motions Were Made; No Votes Were Taken. Regular Meeting November 20, 2006 Page 42 &=
nbsp; MOTION: (Mr.
Mancini, sec. Mr. Walton) to Add Agenda Item 12E, Authorize the Town Manage=
r to
file a written complaint to the Waterbury Judicial District State's Attorney
seeking removal of the Town Clerk pursuant to C.G.S. Section 7-22. &=
nbsp; Discussion: None<=
/p>
&=
nbsp; MOTION
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY &=
nbsp; E. =
Authorize
the Town Manager to file a written complaint to the &=
nbsp; MOTION: (Mr.
Mancini, sec. Mr. Walton) to Authorize the Town
Manager to file a written complaint to the &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Discussion: None<=
/p>
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; MOTION
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY 13. Adjournment =
; MOTION: (Mr. =
Rinaldi,
sec. Mr. Mancini) to Adjourn the Regular Meeting at 10:02 p.m. <=
/span>Discussion: None<=
/p>
<=
/span>MOTION
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY <=
/span>Regular
Meeting Adjourned at 10:02 p.m. Respectfully
submitted, Joseph
Pawlak, Chairman Approved: _______________________________ Lynn M. LaF=
orme,
Clerk