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ENFIELD TOWN COUNCIL
MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING
MARCH 6, 2000
Before the Regular Meeting was called to order State Representative Peggy Sayers presented an official state citation to wrestling champion, Michael Powers. Mayor Strom presented a proclamation to Michael Powers from the Town of Enfield in recognition of his accomplishments as a wrestling champion.
A Regular Meeting of the Enfield Town Council was held in the Council Chambers of the Enfield Town Hall, 820 Enfield Street, Enfield, Connecticut on Monday, March 6, 2000. Chairwoman Strom called the meeting to order at 7:37 p.m.
PRAYER - The Prayer was given by Councilor Surapine.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE - The Pledge of Allegiance was said.
ROLL-CALL - Present were Councilors Dodd, Egan, Falk, Fiore, Hall, Kaupin, Mangini, McGuire, Strom, Surapine, and Vayda. Also present were Town Manager, Scott A. Shanley; Assistant Town Manager, Daniel Vindigni; Town Clerk, Suzanne F. Olechnicki; Town Attorney, Christopher W. Bromson; Sr. Assistant Town Attorney, Maria N. Stavropoulos; Director of Finance, Gregory Simmons; Director of Public Works, John Kazmarski; Assistant Director of Public Works, Carlo Bonavita; Director of Community Development, Debbie Oppermann.
MINUTES OF PRECEDING MEETINGS
MOTION #4482 by Councilor Falk, seconded by Councilor Mangini to accept the minutes of the Special Meeting of February 22, 2000.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #4482 adopted 8-0-3, with Councilors Hall, McGuire, and Vayda abstaining.
MOTION #4483 by Councilor Kaupin, seconded by Councilor Egan to accept the minutes of the Regular Meeting of February 22, 2000.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #4483 adopted 8-0-3, with Councilors Hall, McGuire, and Vayda abstaining.
PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS & PETITIONS
Frank Jedziniak, 232 Abbe Road
Referring to the amount of people attending Council meetings, Mr. Jedziniak stated his belief it appears people dont seem concerned about where their money goes or how its being spent.
He questioned when budget talks will begin between the Enfield Board of Education and Town Council. Mr. Shanley responded there will be a formal meeting between these two bodies on a Saturday in April.
Robert Tkacz, 1300 Enfield Street
Stated the town of Seymour apparently had a $4.5 million dollar budget surplus, and they considered themselves in good shape. He noted an audit discovered theyre facing a $3.5 million dollar shortfall.
Mr. Tkacz spoke about starting times for Town Council meetings. He stated his belief starting on time is the exception, not the rule in his analysis of the minutes for the last two years. He noted several meetings started 15 minutes to three-quarters of an hour late. He stated several minutes did not have a starting time. He noted the December 21, 1998 meeting started at 8:45 p.m.
COUNCILOR COMMUNICATIONS & PETITIONS
MOTION #4484 by Councilor Kaupin, seconded by Councilor Hall to take two items out of order:
Move Items a. and h. from Items for Discussion to follow Item b. 14 under Old Business.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #4484 adopted 11-0-0.
Councilor Mangini noted shell be participating in the upcoming MS Walk, and she encouraged everyone to participate or make a donation.
Councilor Falk noted in last years budget, the Council approved funding for a study on PVTA. He questioned the status of this. Mr. Vindigni stated he has been in contact with the Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG) to review what theyre trying to assess regarding the bus service between Springfield and Enfield. He noted theres a possibility they may be able to get some recommendations from CRCOG that will result in not having to have a consultant study. He stated he has some follow up to do, and theyre looking to provide the Council with a report sometime in April.
Councilor Falk questioned whether there will be funding regarding PVTA for next year, and Mr. Vindigni stated there will be funding necessary to pay for PVTA service thats being delivered right now. He noted there may be some subsidy from the Town to PVTA.
TOWN MANAGER REPORT & COMMUNICATIONS
Mr. Shanley questioned when the Council would like a presentation from the consultant regarding parks in Enfield. It was the consensus of the Council to schedule this for April 4th or April 5th.
TOWN ATTORNEY REPORT & COMMUNICATIONS
There was no formal report this evening.
REPORT OF SPECIAL COMMITTEES OF THE COUNCIL
Councilor Mangini stated the Revitalization Committee had a presentation regarding the Northgate Plan at their February 10th meeting. She noted the Hazardville and Thompsonville Village Subcommittees presented their current status. As concerns Hazardville Village, Mr. Ladd is working with the merchants and trying to bring forward some positive economic results. She noted Susan Read is working on different presentations, one dealing with signage, and she will come back with more details at later meetings.
As concerns the Prison Liaison Committee, Councilor Mangini stated Commissioner John Armstrong is planning to attend a session with the State of Connecticut on March 17th to discuss overcrowding at the prison.
Councilor Falk reminded everyone they can call Kathy Thomson should they wish to attend the spring concert of Voices, Inc.
OLD BUSINESS
APPOINTMENTS (TOWN COUNCIL)
MOTION #4485 by Councilor Fiore, seconded by Councilor Mangini to remove Item #2 from the table.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #4485 adopted 11-0-0.
NOMINATION #4486 by Councilor Fiore to appoint Kathy Sarno (D) to the Town Green Advisory Committee for an indefinite term.
MOTION #4487 by Councilor Kaupin, seconded by Councilor Falk to close nominations.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #4487 adopted 11-0-0.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared Kathy Sarno appointed to the Town Green Advisory Committee by an 11-0-0 vote.
MOTION #4488 by Councilor Kaupin, seconded by Councilor Falk to remove Item #7 from the table.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #4488 adopted 11-0-0.
NOMINATION #4489 by Councilor Kaupin to appoint Paul Smith (R) to the Ethics Commission
as a full-time member for a term which expires 10/31/2001.
MOTION #4490 by Councilor Vayda, seconded by Councilor Egan to close nominations.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #4490 adopted 11-0-0.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared Paul Smith appointed to the Ethics Commission by an 11-0-0 vote.
All other Town Council appointments remained on the table.
APPOINTMENTS (TOWN MANAGER)
All Town Manager appointments remained tabled.
SCHOOL BUILDING COMMITTEE REPORT
Present from the School Projects Building Committee were Cindy Andersen, Randy Daigle, Kimberly Knapp, Charles Ladd, Douglas Maxellon, Kenneth Morgan, and Donna Szewczak and Liaisons Roger Jones, Mary Heidi Tibbetts. Also present were Director of School Facilities, Arthur Pongratz and Assistant Director of Public Works, Carlo Bonavita.
Chairman Daigle reviewed the following tasks which have been accomplished by the Committee:
o established an internal working structure of the Building Committee
o established a Rules Subcommittee
o established a Communications Committee
o compiled documents and advertised an RFP for architectural services
o received proposals, reviewing those proposals, and on March 9th will select the firms which will come before the Building Committee for a formal presentation
o conducted a pre-submission meeting for an architectural RFP
o compiled documents and advertised an RFP for a construction management service
o compiled documents, advertised an RFP for a project manager/coordinator services
o performed site visits on all nine school facilities
He stated they also asked the architect to offer a fee for project management services. He noted the Committee is trying to determine the most economic way to achieve supervision of the construction.
Councilor Falk questioned when will plans be submitted to the state. He stated his impression the committee is operating in a tight window. Chairman Daigle stated the Committee is trying to maintain an aggressive schedule for several reasons because they dont know if the economy will go up or down. He added the longer the project takes, the longer inflation will take away from those available funds.
Councilor Falk stated his understanding most of the schools are getting an additional two classrooms, with the exception of Stowe, Hale, Enfield Street School, and Crandall. Chairman Daigle stated he will qualify the use of each classroom and get back to the Council.
Councilor Kaupin stated hes a liaison for this Committee, and hes found it a pleasure working with this group.
Councilor Fiore commended the Committee for the amount of work done in a short period of time.
Councilor Fiore questioned how schools were chosen for Phase I, and Ms. Knapp stated originally they were going to have three phases, however, due to the tight economy, they decided to get as much done as possible by breaking the project into two phases. She noted they looked at breaking up the projects evenly as far as costs, and they also looked at which schools are currently inadequate. She noted Memorial is not getting as much work done to it as some of the other schools. She added Enfield Street School will be addressing Head Starts needs.
Councilor Hall stated the addition of Head Start to Enfield Street School will free up space at Enfield High School. She noted the Committee wasnt working geographically.
Councilor Fiore agreed with the reasoning for the selection of projects for Phase I.
Chairwoman Strom commended the Committee for their hard work.
Chairman Daigle expressed his appreciation to the Council liaisons, Councilors Hall and Kaupin and Carlo Bonavita, the Assistant Director of Public Works.
DISCUSSION RE: DONATION TO ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME COMMITTEE FOR PURCHASE OF TROPHY CASE
Present for this discussion was Chairman Michael Cotnoir.
Mr. Cotnoir stated the Athletic Hall of Fame is expanding, and theyre requesting $500 to defray the cost of a new display case which is needed. He noted they had three fundraisers for the year. He left the Council with some documentation containing details.
Councilor Kaupin questioned how many years of trophies can the new display case accommodate, and Mr. Cotnoir responded two or three years for each case.
Councilor Fiore questioned how many members are on the Athletic Hall of Fame Committee, and Mr. Cotnoir responded 13.
Councilor Fiore questioned if the Towns contributions to this Committee have been minimal in the past, and Mr. Cotnoir stated as far as time constraints from the Town, it has been minimal. He noted early in 1996, he worked with Mr. Vindigni to get everything squared away, and the Town was gracious to supply a home for the Hall of Fame.
Councilor Fiore questioned whether the potential exists for the Committee to be able to meet this on their own without assistance. Mr. Cotnoir stated since hes been involved in this, the Committee has never asked the Town for financial assistance. He stated the fund raising has been limited to the extent of the people on the Committee. He pointed out theyre all volunteers. He noted a donation from the Town would help since they dont want to take away from the scholarships theyve been giving to the high schools for the last four years.
Councilor Mangini expressed her appreciation to the members of the Athletic Hall of Fame Committee for all their hard work.
Mr. Cotnoir stated Councilors Fiore and Kaupin have been very instrumental in helping his Committee through the process over the past four years.
There was a consensus to include this item on the next agenda.
Items c., d., e., f., g., and h. remained on the table.
MOTION #4490 by Councilor Kaupin, seconded by Councilor Surapine to remove Item i. from the table.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #4490 adopted 11-0-0.
RESOLUTION #4491 by Councilor Vayda, seconded by Councilor Surapine.
WHEREAS, the Enfield Town Council purchases sidearms for use by the Towns law enforcement officers; and
WHEREAS, the current standard issue sidearm is a 40 caliber weapon; and
WHEREAS, the Enfield Town Council has discussed with concern recent news accounts of weapons formerly in service in law enforcement agencies being sold on a secondary market and ultimately used in the commission of crimes; and
WHEREAS, the Enfield Town Council recognizes that weapon manufacturers allow for "trade-ins" when upgrading weapons which reduces the price of new weapons and provides for the secondary market; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Town Council of the Town of Enfield hereby determines that the public safety and public interest is best served by destroying the weapon so that it may not be available on a secondary market.
Councilor Vayda voiced his support of this resolution and stated his belief the Council should take this resolution to its neighboring communities and State Representative to try to convince them that the other communities in this region and across the country should also stop selling these used weapons.
Councilor Dodd stated he doesnt believe this will make an impact in reducing crime. He feels instead legislation should be introduced at the state or federal level which would make for stricter rules in the sale of used firearms at trade shows.
Councilor Mangini commended Councilor Vayda for his intent for public safety. She went on to state she sees underlying constitutional issues with this, and she feels theres an economic problem with this. She stated her belief the Town would be well-served economically to continue what theyve been doing, however, she believes the Town should enforce their already established gun laws on a state and federal level.
Councilor Kaupin voiced his support for this resolution. He noted this action could have a positive domino effect. He pointed out public safety should be their number one goal.
Councilor Surapine stated by this Council passing this resolution, theyre contributing to what is right. He noted they can set an example for surrounding communities to follow, as well as legislators acting on this example.
Councilor Egan agreed this has merit, however, she does not feel this will make a difference one way or another. She stated her belief if someone is involved in criminal activity, they will find a weapon one way or another. She noted the monies the Town realizes from this could be used in the pursuit of public safety.
Councilor Hall voiced her support of the resolution.
Councilor Fiore voiced his support of the resolution.
Chairwoman Strom stated her belief this is an excellent resolution. She noted if they destroy their used guns, that results in less guns selling at gun shows.
Councilor Falk stated thousands of new guns are manufactured every day. He stated his belief every police gun in the country could be destroyed, and it wouldnt impact the supply of guns. He noted they have to address the cause of violent acts and look into more police enforcement, stiffer penalties for crime, tougher laws for restricting the sale of guns, and creating of more educational programs.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared RESOLUTION #4491 adopted 7-4-0, with Councilors Dodd, Egan, Falk, and Mangini voting against the resolution.
NEW BUSINESS
APPOINTMENTS (TOWN MANAGER)
The Commission on Aging vacancy will appear on the next agenda.
RESOLUTION #4492 by Councilor Vayda, seconded by Councilor Hall.
RESOLVED, that the Town Council of the Town of Enfield after receiving a request from the Director of Finance, authorizes the waiver of the bid process for Liability Insurance Agent for the Town of Enfield in favor of Ahrens, Fuller, St. John & Vincent, Inc. The Town Council deems it to be against the best interests of the Town to seek competitive bidding.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared RESOLUTION #4492 adopted 11-0-0.
RESOLUTION #4493 by Councilor Kaupin, seconded by Councilor Dodd.
RESOLVED, that the Enfield Town Council does hereby adopt the following job descriptions:
Eecutive Secretary
Executive Assistant
Collector of Delinquent Revenue
Technical Project Coordinator
Audiovisual Librarian
Accounting Clerk
Deputy Director of Child Day Care
Health Aide
Registered Nurse
Program Coordinator
Building Official
Councilor Fiore stated he will be abstaining from this vote since most of the job descriptions came up during negotiations with the previous Council, and he was not part of that process.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared RESOLUTION #4493 adopted 10-0-1, with Councilor Fiore abstaining.
Councilor McGuire left the meeting.
RESOLUTION #4494 by Councilor Kaupin, seconded by Councilor Dodd.
RESOLVED, that the Town of Enfield, under the provisions of Section 7-148 of the Connecticut General Statutes and Section 4 of the Enfield Subdivision Regulations, hereby accepts as a public street, a continuation of Laurel Street. The legal description of the right of way for the street is attached as "Schedule A" and shall be considered part of this resolution.
(Schedule A appended to minutes)
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared RESOLUTION #4494 adopted 10-0-0.
RESOLUTION #4495 by Councilor Kaupin, seconded by Councilor Egan.
RESOLVED, that in accordance with Chapter VI, Section 8(f) of the Town Charter, the following transfer is hereby made:
TO: Personnel ~
~ Acc. #1700-733 Furniture & Fixtures $120.00
~ Acct. #1700-734 Technology $600.00
~ ~ $720.00
FROM: Personnel ~
~ Acc. #1700-332 Legal Services $720.00
CERTIFICATION
I hereby certify the amount of $720.00 is available from Account #1700-332 Legal Services as of February 4, 2000.
/s/ Gregory Simmons, Director of Finance
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared RESOLUTION #4495 adopted 10-0-0.
RESOLUTION #4496 by Councilor Mangini, seconded by Councilor Kaupin.
RESOLVED, that in accordance with Chapter VI, Section 8(f) of the Town Charter, the following transfer is hereby made:
TO: Engineering ~
~ Acc. #3200-535 Postage $250.00
FROM: Engineering ~
~ Acc. #3200-340 Technical Services $250.00
CERTIFICATION
I hereby certify the amount of $250.00 is available from Account #3200-340 as of February 4, 2000.
/s/ Gregory Simmons, Director of Finance
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared RESOLUTION #4496 adopted 10-0-0.
RESOLUTION #4497 by Councilor Vayda, seconded by Councilor Kaupin.
RESOLVED, that in accordance with Chapter VI, Section 8(f) of the Town Charter, the following transfer is hereby made:
TO: Engineering ~
~ Acc. #3200-140 Salaries, Overtime $750.00
FROM: Engineering ~
~ Acc. #3200-340 Technical Services $750.00
CERTIFICATION
I hereby certify the amount of $750.00 is available from Account #3200-340 as of February 4, 2000.
/s/ Gregory Simmons, Director of Finance
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared RESOLUTION #4497 adopted 10-0-0.
MOTION #4498 by Councilor Falk, seconded by Councilor Hall to table Item h.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #4498 adopted 10-0-0.
ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION
DISCUSSION RE: SENIOR CENTER BUILDING COMMITTEE CHARGE
A brief discussion took place clarifying the resolution. Mr. Shanley suggested passing this charge after the site selection. It was agreed this item will appear on the next agenda.
DISCUSSION RE: PROPOSED ORDINANCE - ABATEMENT OF TAXES/VOLUNTEER FIRE PERSONNEL
Present for this discussion was Jack Flanagan from the Hazardville Fire Department.
Mr. Shanley stated he received this on Friday, and staff has not yet had the opportunity to review this. He suggested staff have the opportunity to review this so they can better discuss the details at the next meeting.
Councilor Falk questioned if this addresses only firemen and EMTs, or does it also cover auxiliary police, fish and game constables who also volunteer. Mr. Shanley stated his impression that was not the intent. He stated his belief the intent is clearly volunteer firefighters. He added he will check into this.
Councilor Kaupin stated he and Chairwoman Strom met with some of the leadership of the different fire departments about a week and a half ago. He noted this is based on years of service and percentage of drills that are attended and the percentage of calls. He noted this is designed to be goal oriented for a volunteer firefighter to achieve, but not necessarily something thats easy to achieve. He noted theyd be rewarding those giving their time to their fire department. He voiced support for doing something for volunteer firefighters. He stated his hope they can move forward on this.
Mr. Flanagan answered a few clarifying questions.
Councilor Fiore requested the Town Manager provide some comparative numbers, i.e., cost of full-time firefighters as opposed to similarly sized volunteer fire department. Mr. Shanley indicated those figures can be provided.
Councilor Hall requested some figures be provided from other towns that have done this.
Items d. and e. will appear under New Business on the next agenda.
DISCUSSION RE: PURPLE HEART MUSEUM
Mr. Shanley noted all Councilors received a copy of a letter from the Purple Heart Museum to the Attorney General along with the financial statements from the auditing firm. He noted also included is a list of all the procedures with their specific business plan through May with respect to the Executive Director. He stated if the Council is comfortable with this, perhaps they can direct him to work with DECD to try and release some funds at this point.
Councilor Falk indicated he feels comfortable with this, and he does not have a problem with the Town Manager working with the State.
Councilor Mangini commended the Town Manager for doing such a fine job in this area.
Councilor Vayda questioned whether theres a signed contract with the Executive Director, and Mr. Shanley stated he did not receive one, but according to the letter from the Purple Heart, they have negotiated a contract for the interim Director through May, and its their intent to conduct a search.
Mr. Shanley stated he would like to go to DECD and talk to them about releasing some small amounts of money to take care of some outstanding costs, i.e., accountant fees, telephone, and small operations costs.
Councilor Egan questioned if the Council could have a copy of the signed contract with the Interim Executive Director. Mr. Shanley stated he can request that.
It was the consensus of the Council that the Town Manager may go forward.
DISCUSSION RE: STATUS AND USE OF NORTH SCHOOL
Councilor Mangini stated she requested this discussion because they still have the situation involving the Enfield Food Shelf. She questioned if the Enfield Food Shelf could be accommodated on a short-term basis at the North School.
Chairwoman Strom stated her belief this needs to be discussed in conjunction with several other entities.
Mr. Shanley stated they dont have any architectural information with respect to its utilization. He noted they dont have good numbers in order to say what it would cost to make that building useable.
Councilor Mangini questioned how they can begin a feasibility study on the usage of the North School. Mr. Shanley stated he and the Assistant Town Manager have discussed this and have some ideas. He went on to note parking is also a factor at the North School.
Councilor Falk raised the question of what the North School could be used for in the short term without doing a full-blown renovation. Mr. Shanley stated that would have to be discussed with the fire marshal.
After a lengthy discussion about possible usage of the North School, it was agreed to look into what kinds of use can be made of that building. Chairwoman Strom suggested everyone can bring back some suggestions on this item.
MISCELLANEOUS
No items were raised.
ADJOURNMENT
MOTION #4499 by Councilor Falk, seconded by Councilor Surapine to adjourn.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #4499 adopted 10-0-0, and the meeting stood adjourned at 9:37 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jeannette Lamontagne
Secretary to the Council
By Suzanne F. Olechnicki
Suzanne F. Olechnicki
Town Clerk
Clerk of the Council
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