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ENFIELD TOWN COUNCIL
MINUTES OF A PUBLIC HEARING
DECEMBER 4, 2000
A Public Hearing was held in the Council Chambers of the Enfield Town Hall, 820 Enfield Street, Enfield, Connecticut on Monday, December 4, 2000. Chairwoman Strom called the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m.
ROLL-CALL Present were Councilmen Dodd, Egan, Falk, Fiore, Giddings, Hall, Kaupin, Mangini, Strom, and Vayda. Councilman McGuire was absent. Also present were Town Manager, Scott A. Shanley; Assistant Town Manager, Daniel T. Vindigni; Town Clerk, Suzanne F. Olechnicki; Director of Community Development, Laura Watson; Director of Public Works, John Kazmarski; Director of Finance, Gregory Simmons.
Chairwoman Strom read the following notice of Public Hearing which was published in the Journal Inquirer on November 13, 2000:
TOWN OF ENFIELD
LEGAL NOTICE
PUBLIC HEARING
MONDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2000
"The Enfield Town Council in conjunction with the Office of Community Development will hold a public hearing to solicit input on the FY 2000 Community Development Block Grant program for funding under the CT Small Cities program. The purpose of this meeting is to allow interested residents an opportunity to express their interests regarding the FY 2000 Community Development Block Grant for the Freshwater Pond Dredging Project.
The primary objective of the Housing and Community Development Act is the development of viable communities by providing decent housing, a suitable living environment and expanding economic opportunities principally for persons of low to moderate income. Activities must give maximum feasible priority to the following:
o Benefit low and moderate income persons
o Aid in the prevention of slums or blight
o Meet other unique community needs where existing conditions pose a serious threat to the Towns health or welfare
Any persons or organizations having questions or comments on this matter will have an opportunity to be heard. Any disabled person requiring special assistance or non-English speaking persons may contact Laura Watson at least 5 days prior to hearing. The Public Hearing is accessible for persons with disabilities
Mr. Kazmarski stated Baystate Environmental Consultants will make a presentation regarding the removal of silt from Freshwater Pond and Freshwater Brook.
Present from Baystate Environmental Consultants were Civil Engineers, Harry Jones and Michael Proctor.
Mr. Proctor stated Freshwater Pond has been adversely effected by the accumulation of silt. He noted the aim of this project is to restore the pond to its historical depth. He noted this project consists of three phases Phase I a dredging feasibility report, which was completed in January of 2000; Phase II watershed study, which was completed in March of 2000; Phase III theyre currently in this phase, which consists of the final design and the permits. He went on to note this project has four main elements:
· the excavation of 17,000 cubic yards of sediment from the Freshwater Pond
· reconstruction of the low level outlet to the dam
· construction of a sediment forebay (this will be located in the upstream end of the pond, which will collect sediment thats carried into the pond from the stream system)
· the removal of 1,400 cubic yards of sediment from Freshwater Brook between the pond and the bridge at Route 5.
Mr. Proctor stated the testing of this sediment for heavy metals and PCBs shows no problem for disposal. The estimated budget cost is $645,000.
He stated they anticipate beginning construction in November, 2001 with completion in February 2002.
Councilman Falk questioned if theres a diverter in the plans to keep sediment from settling on the northerly bank of the pond. Mr. Proctor stated the forebay will collect the sediment before it gets into the pond. He added theyre looking to create a preferential flow path to the southern end of the pond.
Councilman Falk questioned if they will be dredging deep enough to discourage the growth of algae. Mr. Proctor explained algae are smaller plants that live right on the surface of the water. He noted weeds are very much related to the sediment, and after cleaning the pond, the weed growth will be much reduced.
Councilman Dodd questioned the possibility of erosion on the southern end of the pond. Mr. Proctor stated the water does not move very fast in that area under any circumstances.
Councilman Dodd questioned if theres anything in the plan to re-establish the bank in a more permanent fashion so as to retard vegetation at the water line. Mr. Proctor stated that is not part of this plan.
Councilman Dodd questioned how this dredging will effect the bank above the water line. Mr. Proctor stated the bank above the water line will not be touched by the removal of sediment. He added there may be one or two areas where they will have to remove some vegetation to gain access to the water.
Councilman Giddings questioned what the material is at the bottom of the pond. Mr. Proctor stated they have not done actual borings to determine the base of the pond.
Mr. Shanley stated the restoration of the banks is not part of this project. He noted the Town will be working at putting together a proposal to work at removing brush and planting indigenous plants as part of the walkway project.
Frank Jedziniak, 232 Abbe Road
Questioned whether the flow over the dam will be increased after the project is complete. Mr. Proctor stated the flow over the dam will not be different after the project.
Margaret Jedziniak, 232 Abbe Road
Questioned whether there will be ice skating on the pond after this project is complete. Mr. Proctor stated that is a common result they have seen. He noted once the depth is increased, skating does seem to improve.
As no others wished to speak, Chairwoman Strom closed the Public Hearing at 7:22 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jeannette Lamontagne
Secretary to the Council
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By Suzanne F. Olechnicki
Suzanne F. Olechnicki
Town Clerk
Clerk of the Council
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