Board of Selectmen Regular Meeting June 23, 2014-Approved
TOWN OF SIMSBURY- BOARD OF SELECTMEN
REGULAR MEETING MINUTES - JUNE 23, 2014
CALL TO ORDER
The Regular Meeting of the Board of Selectmen was called to order at 7:00 p.m. in the Main Meeting Room of the Simsbury Town Offices. Present were: First Selectman Mary Glassman; Board members Sean Askham, Cheryl Cook, Nancy Haase, Lisa Heavner and Michael Paine. Others in attendance included State Representative John Hampton, Tom Cooke, Director of Administrative Services and other interested parties.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Everyone stood for the Pledge of Allegiance.
Mr. Askham made a motion to amend the agenda to recognize Justin Fossum for his home design award. Ms. Cook seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed.
Ms. Glassman introduced Justin Fossum and said he won the Northwest Connecticut Home Design Award. He is loaning the Town this model in front of the Board.
Mr. Fossum said his design is of a Dutch Colonial house. There were three green building concepts to building this model. It is a 2500 sq. ft. house with three bedrooms and 2 ½ baths.
Mr. Fossum started by making a computer aided design drawing and then he built this model.
He will now be going to Alfred University in New York for mechanical engineering.
Ms. Glassman thanked Justin for giving his time on this project and for letting the Town keep it on loan for all to see. She wished him all the best in the future.
PUBLIC AUDIENCE
Robert Kalechman, 971 Hopmeadow Street, asked for a motion to discuss political issues as he saw the State Representative John Hampton was speaking at this meeting. There was no motion.
Mr. Kalechman said there are a lot of abuses in Town bordering on corruption. He said there is a lot going on with the Performing Arts and said there was an incident on Friday night. He said there is an ongoing investigation.
Mr. Kalechman said the State Representative and Senator will be holding and affair at the Simsbury High School and he read an announcement. He said his military record was impeded and doesn’t understand why at it is all there in his record.
Mr. Kalechman said the Performing Arts is now a 501c and therefore they can have more secrets. There are still special tickets and seats being given away and that shouldn’t happen. He feels this all needs to stop.
Joan Coe, 26 Whitcomb Drive, is also concerned about the non-profit organization for concerts. She said there were 4,000 - 7,000 people at two concerts and there were only 6 - 8 police officers. Also, there were 25 - 35 security agents at these concerts. She was not able to get the correct information. There are signs stating no smoking on site or in the parking lots. She said it was noted that there was smoking and excessive drinking at these concerts and she wants to know why.
Ms. Coe said there was an alleged assault at a concert, which is now being investigated by the Simsbury Police Department. She said an ambulance was called for abusive drinking. She said there were parties in the parking lot before the concerts began. She wants to know what the Town’s position is on "tailgating". She said there was a RV parking in a no parking spot during both of the concerts and she wants to know why. She wants an investigation on all these issues and wants to know if Simsbury is able to handle all of these people at these concerts.
Ms. Coe said there was an article in The Hartford Courant about "pot brownies" in the schools. One of the students had to go to the hospital for a reaction to these brownies. She said there was an article about edible marijuana out in Colorado and read part of the article.
Ms. Coe spoke again about the zoning violation at 730 Hopmeadow Street. The owner has a big fee for this violation. The same property owner owns land a 760 Hopmeadow Street which he purchased and said he could "flip it" for a new Senior Center. She feels the Town should not negotiate with this owner as he still owes the Town money for his violations.
Ms. Coe said Tom Garrity donated a lot of money for a fitness center at Simsbury High School. They now want the Garrity name on this room and she doesn’t feel this is proper. A donation of money should not be the standard for naming rights.
Sue Bednarcyk, 119 E. Weatogue Street, spoke about land use issues again. She said the Economic Development Task Force does have a lot of positives to it, but the residents do have issues with modifying the zoning issues. This all needs to be dealt with.
Ms. Bednarcyk said the Legislature never helped her with her mom or dad during their medical issues. They were eligible for this help, but no one would help her with what she needed. She feels they have screwed up the last six years of her life, but just not caring and feels it is a very bad process that people have to go through. This issue will not go away.
PRESENTATION
• Connecticut Still Revolutionary Fan Favorite Town
Dominique Avery said it is now time to vote for Simsbury for the Connecticut Still Revolutionary Fan Favorite Town on Facebook. This award is for a Town who best embodies the spirit of the State’s tourism Still Revolutionary Brand as a place for innovation and ideas.
Ms. Avery said there are many innovations in Simsbury and Simsbury is really the motto of Simsbury. This voting gives everyone a chance to get to know who Simsbury really is.
Ms. Avery said everyone needs to vote on Facebook by going to visit Connecticut, then on the toolbar to the left go to time line and then right click to hashtag CT fan favorite. You have to go through the pictures to get to the blue sign to vote. She said everyone could also put in their own photo, but this must be done before the voting.
Ms. Avery said if Simsbury wins we will not only get the bragging rights, but there will be promotional support, advertising support, etc. and she asked that everyone vote.
• Update on the Triathlon Event
Linda Schofield said this Triathlon was a great event for people from outside of Simsbury to see what Simsbury has to offer. She said the event is sponsored by the Town and didn’t cost the Town any money and it was put together by volunteers.
Ms. Schofield said usually Triathlons are running, biking and swimming, but this was running, biking and kayaking. Everyone attended with great enthusiasm and there were approximately 68.5% attendees from other towns, with 11% from out of state.
Ms. Schofield said a lot was learned this year and hopefully next year will be even better. She said next year they will use a professional race director. She thanked everyone for their help and support.
• Legislative Update from State Representative John Hampton
Representative Hampton gave the Board a package on the "Acts Affecting Municipalities" for their review. He said the budget held municipalities harmless. He said funding and grants were added.
Representative Hampton went through his package and said that Keno was removed and the water diversion from the Farmington River was also voted down by the Legislature.
Representative Hampton said there are a lot of opportunities available and said it was an exciting first term for him.
Ms. Glassman said the conference she attended was excellent.
FIRST SELECTMAN’S REPORT
Ms. Glassman said the emergency operations staff participated in this year’s statewide emergency preparedness and planning exercise earlier today. This gives the staff an opportunity to communicate with their state counterparts and gives us an opportunity to review our own preparations as we enter into the hurricane season. She thanked everyone for their help in participating in this drill.
Ms. Glassman said she was pleased to announce this year’s winners of the Top Dog Contest. They included Sherlock Pasquariello as the cutest dog; Labrador Retriever Davis as the most handsome dog; Cupie Lent who won the smallest dog; and Rosie Devlin as the winner of the cutest big dog. She thanked everyone for their participation.
Ms. Glassman said the Simsbury Recycling Committee is presenting "Let’s Talk Trash" with the Deputy Commissioner, Environmental Quality - Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. This event should be very informative and helpful as Simsbury continues to focus on recycling. This program will be held on Monday, June 30th from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. at Eno Memorial Hall in the Youth Room.
Ms. Glassman reminded everyone that one of the great Farmer’s Markets is open for the summer. It can be found at Simsmore Square every Thursday from 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. They will also have a wonderful series of events including "Guest Chef" days and "Sims-b-e-r-r-y Day." More information can be obtained on their website www.simsburyfarmersmarket.com.
SELECTMEN ACTION
a) Approve Tax Refunds
Mr. Askham made a motion to approve tax refunds in the amount of $561.61 as reviewed and recommended by the Tax Collector. Mr. Paine seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed.
Ms. Heavner recused herself from the meeting.
b) Review status of the proposed Zoning Regulation changes for The Hartford Property, 200 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury
Hiram Peck said The Hartford Property is a complex issue. He said the Town was notified that they would be leaving Simsbury in 2013. Therefore, the Town established a joint effort to expedite the planning for the 173 acres of that property. Consultants were interviewed and one was picked.
Mr. Peck said meeting and information on the property were open to the public so all aspects of concern would be heard. Also, information was put on the Town website.
Mr. Peck said there was a draft code made for this property in March with semi-final codes in April and May. May 12th was the final code, which was posed on the website and brought to public hearing.
Mr. Peck said the new code was produced specifically for The Hartford property, similar to the Town Center code. Mr. Peck gave the Board a handout of the Code structure, which he stated is also available to the public, either online or in the office. He said there are pictures that go with the charts. He said there were four different types of modifications.
Mr. Peck said adopted guidelines for community design are used as guidelines for this code. He said there are also architectural design standards throughout the code also. There are also features for greenway and traffic impact also.
Mr. Peck hopes this new code for The Hartford property site will go forward and be adopted on July 7th.
Mr. Peck said there was some question about using a PAD for this site. However a PAD doesn’t require a specific format or forms for any developer to use and everyone wants see what this property will actually look like. There is some flexibility with this code for this site also.
Mr. Peck feels this regulation overall is a very balanced, design oriented and economically viable code. He hopes this gets approved in July.
The Board is grateful for all the hard work put into this code and thanked everyone for attending the meetings for their input. The proposed code is available to all.
Tom Bartell, from The Hartford, said they have been very supportive of this whole process. It is very important to them to make sure that the property has a great buyer for the Town. He does like the new form-based code and feels it will help with a good purchase. He does hope this new code is adopted on July 7th. He feels that there are many developers and buyers looking at the new code at this point to see what will happen with this property.
John McCormick, Executive VP of The Hartford, said he was very pleased to join in this process. He said it is great to try to involve all of the stakeholders and learn how to best look at maintaining the economic engine at this property. He said Simsbury has a key role in the most forward end of thinking on development. He read part of an article that said having a property development ready allows a prospective applicant to fast track thru and approval and construction process. He also spoke about other issues at other sites in Connecticut and feels Simsbury is doing things the right way. We need to create a blueprint which allows us to articulate what the Town’s issues are and where to go from here.
Ms. Glassman thanked Mr. Bartell and Mr. McCormick for their help and for attending this meeting with their input.
There was no motion at this time and Ms. Heavner rejoined the meeting.
c) Approve $7,000 transfer to the Recycling Committee utilizing rebate
Mr. Askham made a motion to approve the submitted budget for the Recycling Committee year 2014-2015 utilizing rebate from recycling. Ms. Heavner seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed.
d) Amend the project charge to the Public Building Committee for the design and construction oversight of the Henry James Main Office Security Project (Phase 1A) to include the Henry James Interior Hallway Project (Phase 1B)
Mr. Askham made a motion to amend the project charge to the Public Building Committee for the design and construction oversight of the Henry James Main Office Security Project (Phase 1A) to include the Henry James Interior Hallway Project (Phase 1B). Ms. Cook seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed.
e) Authorize the Board of Education to apply for Connecticut school construction grants for capital improvement projects at Squadron Line School and Henry James Memorial School
Ms. Haase read the following motion:
"RESOLVED, that the Board of Selectmen authorizes the Town of Simsbury Board of Education to apply to the Commissioner of Education and to accept or reject a grant for the Main Office Security Project at Squadron Line School and a grant for the Main Office Security Project and Interior Hallway Improvement Project at Henry James Memorial School."
Mr. Askham seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed.
APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS
a) Accept the resignation of Bertram Kaplan (R) as a regular member of the Conservation
Commission/Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Agency effective August 31, 2014
Ms. Heavner made a motion to accept the resignation of Bertram Kaplan as a regular member of the Conservation Commission/Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Agency effective August 31, 2014 with our thanks. Ms. Cook seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed.
b) Accept the resignation of Dominick Zackeo (R) as a regular member of the Conservation Commission/Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Agency effective June 10, 2014
Ms. Heavner made a motion to accept the resignation of Dominick Zackeo as a regular member of the Conservation Commission/Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Agency effective June 10, 2014 with our thanks. Ms. Haase seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed.
c) Appoint two Board of Selectmen representatives to the Board of Finance Long Range Plan Sub-Committee
Ms. Cook made a motion to appoint Lisa Heavner and Nancy Haase as Board of Selectmen representatives to the Board of Finance Long Range Plan Sub-Committee. Mr. Askham seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed.
OTHER BUSINESS
a) Gift and Naming Rights for the Proposed Thomas F. Garrity, Jr. Fitness Center at Simsbury High School
There was no action taken on this issue.
b) Joint Board of Selectmen/Board of Finance meeting to discuss Open Space scheduled for Tuesday, July 15, 2014 at 5:00 p.m.
Ms. Glassman reminded everyone that there will be a joint meeting of the Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance on Tuesday, July 15, 2014 at 5:00 p.m. to discuss Open Space.
ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES
a) Regular Meeting of June 9, 2014
Ms. Cook made a motion to approve the Regular Meeting Minutes of June 9, 2014. Mr. Paine seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed.
SELECTMEN LIAISON AND SUB-COMMITTEE REPORTS
1. Personnel - Ms. Heavner said there will be a meeting to interview labor counsels.
2. Finance - no report at this time.
3. Welfare - no report at this time.
4. Public Safety - no report at this time.
5. Board of Education -no report at this time.
Ms. Haase said the Hazardous Waste event was just a great event for everyone.
ADJOURN TO EXECUTIVE SESSION
a) Update on status of Police Union Pension and Contract Negotiations
b) Discussion and possible action regarding foreclosure of 23 Mountain Road, Simsbury
Mr. Askham made a motion to adjourn to executive session at 8:30 p.m. with Tom Cooke, Director of Administrative Services and Attorney Robert DeCrescenzo, Town Counsel, to update status of Police Union Pension and Contract Negotiations and discuss with possible action regarding foreclosure of 23 Mountain Road, Simsbury. Mr. Paine seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed.
ADJOURN FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION
Ms. Haase made a motion to adjourn from Executive Session at 8:55 p.m. Ms. Cook seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed.
ADJOURN
Ms. Haase made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:55 p.m. Mr. Askham seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion passed.
Respectfully submitted,
Mary A. Glassman
First Selectman