ENFIELD TOWN COUNCIL
MINUTES OF A SPECIAL MEETING
NOVEMBER 28, 2001
A Special Meeting of the Enfield Town Council was called to order by Chairman Vayda in the Enfield Room of the Enfield Town Hall, 820 Enfield Street, Enfield, Connecticut on Wednesday, November 28, 2001 at 7:07 p.m.
ROLL-CALL Present were Councilmen Edgar, Egan, Falk, Fiore, Hall, Mangini, Strom, Tait, Tallarita, and Vayda. Councilman Kaupin was absent. Also present were Town Manager, Scott A. Shanley; Town Clerk, Suzanne F. Olechnicki; Assistant Town Attorney, Maria Stavropoulos; Director of School Facilities, Arthur Pongratz; Director of Enfield Head Start, Barbara Wachala. Assistant Town Manager, Daniel Vindigni entered at 9:40 p.m.
RESOLUTION #5559 by Councilman Hall, seconded by Councilman Strom.
APPROVAL/SITE PLAN AND BUILDING DESIGN
FOR HEAD START FACILITY
WHEREAS, on November 19, 2001, the Town Council, of the Town of Enfield, exercising its authority under State Statute 8-2(a) exempted Municipal Property from local zoning regulations; and
WHEREAS, the Town of Enfield as represented by the School Building Committee has completed design and engineering work for the construction of the “Head Start” building on the Enfield Street School property; and
WHEREAS, the site plan and building design have gone through a public hearing process with a number of adjustments to the original plan made to accommodate the concerns of neighbors, specifically, extensive drainage reworking, buffers and lighting analysis; and
WHEREAS, when the Planning and Zoning Commission voted to not approve this project, it also rejected a condition that the vote would serve as an 8-24 approval (denial); and
WHEREAS, the Town Council, of the Town of Enfield, having reviewed the record and understanding the process undertaken to this point, finds it in the best public interest to approve the “Head Start” facility on the Enfield Street property;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Town Council, of the Town of Enfield, does hereby:
1. Approve the site plan and building plans for the “Head Start” facility on the Enfield Street School Property with the following conditions:
a. The plans shall be revised to reflect staff recommendations.
b. The detail for the concrete sidewalk shall be revised to call for full expansion joints at a maximum of 20 feet on center.
c. The plans shall be revised to indicate where the different types of curbs start and end.
d. A detail section for the dumpster pad shall be added to the plans.
e. A detail for the retaining wall with guardrail at the Enfield Street School addition shall be added to the plan.
f. All final plans and drainage calculations should be signed and sealed by the professional engineer who designed the site improvements.
g. The existing conditions survey should be signed and sealed by the licensed land surveyor who performed the site survey.
h. For all sewer pipes, the drawings shall show the length, diameter, slope, location and type of pipe; for inverts show elevation in and out, and for frames show elevation at the top. Sewer system shall conform to Town of Enfield subdivision regulations, and to Public Works Department drawings entitled “Typical Details I, II and III.”
i. Plans shall include a note stating that “WPC shall be notified 24 hours in advance for all inspections required for installation of sewer system. Please call (860) 253-6450-if no one is there, please leave a message.”
j. WPC shall be provided with a full set of plans with details of the sanitary sewer trench, sanitary manhole, cleanout and grease trap.
k. The plans shall be revised to show that sanitary sewer line #4 needs to be 6 inches in diameter.
l. Plans should show details for fire lane signs.
m. Plans should show connections for fire sprinklers.
n. All plans submitted for signature shall require the seal and live signature of the appropriate professional(s) responsible for the preparation of the plans.
o. The conditions of this approval shall be binding on the applicant, land owners, and their successors and assigns.
p. The buffer of blue spruce trees shall be replaced with arborvitae six feet tall, four feet on center.
q. A maintenance and inspection schedule for the drainage structures is to be shown on the plans and logs kept of such inspections.
2. The Town Council authorizes the development of bid documents for the
“Head Start” project.
3. The Town Council seeks to supercede the Planning and Zoning Commissions disapproval of the project for the purposes of Connecticut Statute 8-24 advice, with a two-thirds majority vote of the Council.
Present for this discussion was Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the School Building Committee, Randy Daigle and Douglas Maxellon. Present from Jeter, Cook & Jepson was Bruce Kellogg.
Mr. Kellogg stated over the past year, the Head Start Building, which is located on the Enfield Street School property, has gone through several different designs trying to best locate the facility. He noted as the design process went on, the Head Start ultimately ended up being located in the current location. He stated as the process continued, they designed this and responded to concerns that were raised at Administrative Review Team (ART) meetings and Planning & Zoning meetings. As concerns drainage, they learned they could take about eight areas of site drainage on Enfield Street and drain it through the high school property without any impact to the high school property, and this eliminated the need for large retention ponds. He pointed out they now end up with a very minimal retention pond in the corner of the site.
Chairman Daigle stated they designed the Head Start building so it can be expanded without any major site renovations.
Mr. Kellogg stated wetland permits are not required for this site. He went on to note a substantial amount of plantings have been included along the border between this property and the residential properties to create a nice buffer. He noted there is also a nice green open space where the ball field is located.
Chairman Daigle stated they came prepared to adhere to every Planning & Zoning regulation that they required on all the previous projects. He stated they were also going to adhere to the trees and maintenance schedule as mentioned in p. and q. in the resolution. He emphasized they are not looking to be exempt from anything that they would have done for anyone else for any other project. He pointed out these are the same procedures and steps that they would have taken if Planning & Zoning approved it.
Chairman Daigle stated the play scape will be located in an area where the children will not have to cross a street to access the play area.
Mr. Kellogg stated by virtue of this plan they solved the drainage issues that came up and this was presented to Planning & Zoning. He added the landscaping was added for a buffer area and supplemented from what was there originally. He stated site lighting was another concern. He showed an illustration to show lighting arrangements. He noted the trees and plantings will filter out some of the light.
Chairman Daigle stated the lighting layout and landscaping was redesigned to address the actual light concern of Mr. Dugan, a nearby resident.
Mr. Kellogg stated the Head Start building itself is a 13,000 square foot structure consisting of six classrooms with about 20 students in each. He pointed out this is a single story, brick building with a pitched roof. He noted they tried to keep the scale of the building residential. He stated they also wanted to be sensitive to the Enfield Street historic district.
Chairman Daigle stated this design has been modified several times from each submittal to Planning & Zoning and each design incorporated their recommendations.
Councilman Tait questioned if the principle barrier is arborvitae and will that primarily deflect the light from the site. Chairman Daigle stated there isnt that much light being refracted in that area due to the layout of the lights themselves.
Councilman Tait questioned how many years will it be before that shrubbery has grown enough so that it does the job its intended to do. Chairman Daigle stated apparently there are pine trees there that are over 18 feet tall. Councilman Tallarita interjected that through his experience he estimates arborvitae grow about six inches a year if theyre fertilized and maintained. He added sometimes they die.
Councilman Fiore referred to Item d. regarding a dumpster pad and questioned where the dumpster and pad will be located. Mr. Kellogg pointed to the location on an illustration. Councilman Fiore questioned whether any detail will be added. Chairman Daigle stated a vinyl privacy screen fence will be included.
Councilman Fiore referred to Item e. regarding the retaining wall and requested clarification. Mr. Kellogg stated his belief this retaining wall is located along the edge of the slope. He noted this is a lower wall. Chairman Daigle estimated its about 30 inches high.
Councilman Fiore referred to Item j. and noted he was glad to see a grease trap included for the Head Start building.
Councilman Fiore referred to Item m. regarding fire sprinklers and questioned whether the plans had connections for fire sprinklers when they went before Planning & Zoning. Chairman Daigle noted this is a standard list of general conditions, and is the list they get on all the schools. Mr. Kellogg noted the fire department wants to be sure they have a connection on the side of the building.
Councilman Edgar questioned when the pick up would be for the dumpster. Mr. Pongratz stated typically school trash is picked up by the Town of Enfield, and he believes the earliest they are at the schools is between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m.
Councilman Edgar questioned whether its a requirement that the state and local fire marshals are on the scene when fire sprinklers are installed. Chairman Daigle stated periodic inspections are required.
Councilman Edgar referred to q. and questioned who will be responsible for maintenance and inspection of drainage structures and keeping a log. Chairman Daigle stated that will be the schools responsibility.
Councilman Edgar questioned the actual height of the building vs what the maximum height can be. Mr. Kellogg stated the maximum height can be 35 feet, and the actual height is 34 feet, 8 inches.
Councilman Edgar stated his understanding they will be installing a 24” drainage pipe. He questioned if they will have to consider the 18” pipe that runs through the easement through the backyards onto Riverview Street. He stated his understanding those people would have a legitimate lawsuit against the Town if there is any major change in drainage. Mr. Kellogg stated his belief the Towns zoning regulations say theres a zero percent increase in off site runoff, therefore, whether it goes through the 18” pipe or through the high school, they have to justify that they are not adding to the runoff off site. He pointed out those calculations have been run, and thats one reason they still have the small retention pond so as to delay the water going off the site so that they are not increasing it.
Councilman Edgar questioned if from an engineering standpoint, they are satisfied that the 18” pipe complies with their standards. Mr. Kellogg responded yes, it complies with the Planning & Zoning standards. Chairman Daigle stated based on the calculations, they achieve that even without increasing to a 24” pipe. He noted that was done based on additional direction from Planning & Zoning. Councilman Edgar stated he agrees with the 24” pipe because he recalls when there were no buildings in this area and this was a wet area.
Councilman Edgar questioned if the concrete sidewalks are on the north end of the school. Chairman Daigle responded there are sidewalks that come around and connect for ADA requirements.
Councilman Edgar questioned if all the surveys theyre referencing are complete, and Chairman Daigle and Mr. Kellogg responded yes.
Councilman Edgar noted he does not have a copy of the referendum question, nor a copy of the minutes of the Public Hearing on the referendum, nor a copy of the minutes from the Building Committee with their reason for the change and he would like a copy of these items. He stated he does have a copy of the opinion of the Bond Counsel. He questioned whether Bond Counsels opinion has been reviewed by the Town Attorney. Mr. Shanley stated the Charter requires the Town Council to use Bond Counsel for these issues.
Councilman Edgar read correspondence from Shipman & Goodwin dated January 8, 2001 “if you would like us to review this with the Town Attorneys Office, please let me know”. He noted this says to him this is an invitation from that firm to the Town Attorney that they would like to have a look at this. Assistant Town Attorney Maria Stavropoulos responded to her knowledge it has not been reviewed by the Town Attorneys Office. She added she is not aware of that correspondence. She stated because this is a referendum matter, Bond Counsel is required, by Charter, to look at this.
Councilman Edgar stated now that the Assistant Town Attorney is aware of that invitation, he would like the Town Attorneys Office to look at this. He stated he wants everything to be technically correct. He added he would also like this referred to the Attorney General to have this looked at.
Councilman Falk questioned the hours of operation for Head Start. Director of Head Start, Barbara Wachala, responded 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Councilman Falk stated his belief they would then not be operating in the evening when headlights from cars would be flashing into the windows of nearby residences.
Councilman Falk questioned if parking lot lights will be on all night long. Mr. Kellogg stated typically lights would be on sensors whereby after a certain hour they would turn off. He noted for security purposes, the lights could turn on if someone drove into the parking lot. Chairman Daigle stated there would be just enough illumination for safety.
Councilman Falk reviewed some of the reasons as to why this facility did not get attached to Enfield Street School. He stated his understanding there would have been a traffic problem around the end of the building as well as a grade issue. Chairman Daigle then reviewed how they moved the building from place to place to find the best location.
Councilman Falk questioned how they arrived at the parking arrangement. Chairman Daigle stated Mr. Dugan did not want to see the backside of a building, but he would much rather see a parking lot. He noted based on that, Planning & Zoning directed the School Building Committee to explore the options. He stated for $18,000 in redesign costs, they moved the building over.
Councilman Egan stated when she read the Planning & Zoning minutes, she believes one of the Commissioners had requested a stop sign. Vice-Chairman, Douglas Maxellon, pointed out that stop sign has been included.
AMENDMENT #1 by Councilman Tallarita, seconded by Councilman Fiore to amend the third paragraph of the resolution as follows:
WHEREAS, the site plan and building design have gone through a public hearing process with a number of adjustments to the original plan made in an attempt to accommodate the concerns of neighbors, specifically, extensive drainage reworking, buffers and lighting analysis; and
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared AMENDMENT #1 adopted 10-0-0.
Councilman Mangini stated she will vote favorably for this resolution because Head Start is a much needed program for the children and because the voters passed the referendum for this project. She noted the Town Council owes it to the voters to carry through with every project theyve started. She stated she does not have the desire to assume the responsibilities of the Planning & Zoning Commission. She noted this town has a system of checks and balances, and she feels they should be respecting different commissions as such. She concluded that under these circumstances, the Council has its back up against the wall, therefore, she will support this.
Councilman Tallarita questioned the status of the extension for the $205,000. Mr. Pongratz stated the reason they requested the Council to exempt themselves from the Planning & Zoning regulations was so that they could request the rollover of the $205,307 in federal grants. He noted the reason they asked the Town Council to do that last week and are back here again this week is that they are hoping to have this situation settled by November 30th so they do have ample time to request the rollover from the grantor for a grant thats due to expire on December 31st.
Councilman Tallarita questioned if they have requested the extension as of right now. Mr. Pongratz responded they did not do that because they do not have a building yet, therefore, they have to have something to request the grant for.
Councilman Tallarita questioned if there was anything that precluded them from acting on both measures this evening, as opposed to acting on State Statute 8-2(a) last Monday and then coming back this evening and acting on 8-24. He questioned whether it could have been done altogether. Mr. Shanley stated he could not have been prepared with this for the last meeting. He noted they could not have gone through the process and the detail to make sure that the Council had ample time to have all these requirements in place. Chairman Daigle stated there is still one more step involved, and that is the review of the actual plans.
Councilman Tallarita questioned if they had tabled the discussion or the vote last Monday and waited until tonight, could they have been prepared tonight to vote upon both issues because it seems one of the reasons for moving last week was so that they could get this extension request moving. Mr. Shanley stated the timing issues were not his decision. Councilman Tallarita questioned whether it could have waited until this evening to resolve both issues. Mr. Shanley responded theoretically it could, however, on the other hand, had not the Council gone on the affirmative on the exemption, all of this work would have been a moot point.
Councilman Tallarita questioned what is the status with regards to the Town Halls action in setting up a procedure for dealing with the action that they took last Monday. Mr. Shanley stated he met with staff on Monday morning of this week, and he also met with representatives of the Planning & Zoning Commission on Monday afternoon. He stated from a staff perspective, the handling of these projects will be identical to the way theyve handled them in the past. He noted the only difference in this project is that should the Zoning Enforcement Officer determine theres a violation of one of the requirements and he requires a stop work, the stop work order would be issued through the Town Managers Office rather than through the Zoning Enforcement Office. He stated the management requirement and the oversight inspection is all the same procedure. He noted he initiated discussions with the Planning & Zoning Commission on the going forward basis and if there are ways they can work with them on other buildings and other projects that are coming forward to make sure that they are keeping their procedures very similar.
Councilman Fiore questioned when they can legally rescind this and give 8-2(a) back to the Planning & Zoning Commission. Mr. Shanley stated they are having those discussions and asking those questions and are trying to figure out the best way to do that. Councilman Fiore questioned if its conceivable that the Town Council could have zoning responsibility for municipal projects for the next two years until a certificate of occupancy is granted for the new Head Start building. Mr. Shanley noted he cannot comment on that.
Councilman Edgar suggested directing Councilman Fiores question to Attorney Stavropoulos. Attorney Stavropoulos stated since the Council has voted to exempt municipal property, they have been in touch with CCM and at this point theyve only learned of four other towns that have done this. She noted they are still researching this to see exactly at what point in the process the Council might want to rescind that vote.
Councilman Edgar stated Shipman & Goodwins correspondence of January, 2001 has raised another concern to him in that theyre basing their opinion upon minutes they reviewed and not on the referendum that was put to the public. He stated he would like this reviewed. He added he will vote for this tonight, but he will vote with all of these reservations because he can see the Town Council and the Town of Enfield being subject to several lawsuits if they dont have all the answers.
Mr. Shanley stated the Bond Counsel did have the referendum question. Councilman Edgar pointed out that is not the way the letter is worded. He reiterated he would like this reviewed by the Attorney Generals Office. Attorney Stavropoulos stated the Charter is very clear on what duties belong to the Town Attorney and what belongs to Bond Counsel, and she would not want to be in the position of second guessing Bond Counsel whose job it is to work with the referendum. She pointed out she will bring all of this back to the Town Attorney. Councilman Edgar clarified if the Town Attorneys Office cant answer this, he would like this referred to the Attorney Generals Office for a proper answer. He added hes concerned about potential lawsuits.
Councilman Falk noted the retaining wall is part of the Enfield Street School, and he questioned if that is an item that the Council should be addressing. Chairman Daigle stated this is part of the same site.
Councilman Edgar questioned if the Town Council voted to exempt the municipal projects from Planning & Zoning does that mean the Council has to follow up with the Enfield Street School, JFK Middle School and any of the other projects. Mr. Shanley stated he discussed that with the Planning & Zoning Commission and P&Z agreed they would sign the mylars for the projects they already approved, and they would treat all of those projects as P&Z approved projects, just as they will treat this one procedurally as a P&Z project, but will have to make some adjustments because some of the authority shifts.
Attorney Stavropoulos stated one of the things that they have discovered in terms of contacting some of those towns that have exempted municipal property is that the process, as a practical matter, is handled by staff. She noted staff can handle a lot of the issues as to zoning compliance.
Councilman Edgar questioned if staff will then assume the responsibility for any amendments or changes to those projects that are deemed necessary, or does the Council have to. Attorney Stavropoulos stated her belief its whatever process the Council ultimately sets up. She noted from what other municipalities have reported to her, there doesnt seem to be that much of a deviation from whats already done when property is not exempt. Mr. Shanley stated they will have follow-up discussions on that. He noted his initial conversation with P&Z was to find out if they would be willing to act as a hearing committee in the process. He noted there was a mixed answer on that at the time. He added the Council may wish to create a subcommittee of the Council to act as a hearing body. He stated as he gets more information, they will come up with some options for the Council.
Chairman Daigle pointed out JFK Middle School already went through the P&Z process.
Councilman Edgar questioned whether the Council will be required to hold a public hearing on this evenings action under P&Z regulations. Attorney Stavropoulos responded the Council has exempted itself from anything under zoning. Mr. Shanley stated thats very relevant in other projects coming up, however, in this particular project there have been public hearings.
Councilman Tallarita commended the School Building Committee. He stated his belief they did a nice job with the plan. He added he was never opposed to the plan, and he felt it was a good building and a good location for the building. He stated he can sympathize with trying to accommodate all the requests and requirements and he understands why the Building Committee did what they had to do in the best interest of the Town. He noted he will be voting in favor of this resolution. He stated he believes in the Head Start Program, and he feels its a valuable thing for the community and a lot of people benefit from it. He stated the only thing he was advocating was that they take a short period of time, somewhere between seven and ten days in order to make sure they exhausted all their attempts to resolve this within the structure. He stated his belief its important they answer a lot of the questions still on the table, i.e., how can they rescind this; how will the Town deal with projects that come up before Planning & Zoning in the future; if its for a six month period or a two-year period, how will the Town protect itself and the citizens of this town. He stated his impression the Monday vote was made so that the extension could have been made in ample time so that they had the ability to get that extension, and the fact that they are discussing and voting on this tonight so that the extension can be put in, he believes they did themselves an injustice by allowing this ten-day window to elapse without being able to answer all the questions. He stated his hope in the future they understand all of the issues before they take whats been described by a supporter of this as a drastic move. He stated his hope they understand the moves they take in the future as a Council and they dont take a “knee jerk” reaction to things.
Councilman Fiore agreed with Councilman Tallarita. He stated he will be supporting this tonight because he feels they must move on. He stated his belief this is a good project, and he thanked the Building Committee for all their work.
Councilman Strom stated she would like to apologize to Councilman Tallarita if he felt this was a knee jerk reaction. She feels it was necessary to know the direction they were going in that evening in order to be able to sit here this evening with the information in order to be able to approve it so that they could meet that 11/30 deadline on the extension. She agreed this is drastic, and shes not happy to be in this position, however, its something theyre going to have to deal with. She stated hopefully the answer will be that they wont have to deal with this for the next two years, but rather it will be for a much shorter period of time.
Councilman Falk stated he was listening to Mr. Pongratz at the last meeting, and there was no confusion in his mind by what he meant, in that he could not apply for the grant unless he had approval of the building. He noted tonight is the night when they approve the building so that Mr. Pongratz can move forward.
Councilman Egan thanked the Committee for their work. She noted Councilman Kaupin spent many meetings with this Building Committee and helped them with their project. She noted Councilmen Kaupin and Hall were the Councils key people that they were to listen to, and they were both saying something needed to be done. She stated even though they are all a little leery of this whole process, it was needed.
Councilman Hall stated her belief it was important to vote last week because staff needed to put this together for this meeting. She noted if there was no direction from the Council last week, they wouldnt be sitting here tonight with this in front of them. She stated her belief anytime they step onto new ground, theres always going to be questions that go unanswered, and she believes they could be into this project a year or six months and still have quite a few questions that need to be answered. She noted trying to get an answer for every “what if” and scenario before taking action might take them into March or June of next year and theyd be out of money. She stated her belief the Council took a step that none of them truly wanted to take, but she sees it as a necessity to move this program forward. She thanked the Building Committee, architects and School Board liaisons who spent countless hours on this. She concluded stating shell definitely be supporting this again tonight.
Chairman Vayda expressed his appreciation to the Building Committee, staff, and the architect for being here and all the time they spent making this possible. He stated his belief its very important they move forward with the Head Start facility.
Upon a ROLL-CALL vote being taken, the Chair declared RESOLUTION #5559 adopted 10-0-0, as amended. Councilman Edgar stated his vote is contingent on answers to his questions, however, his primary concern is for the families of the Head Start children and the children themselves, therefore, he will vote yes.
MOTION #5560 by Councilman Falk, seconded by Councilman Egan to take a brief recess.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #5560 adopted 10-0-0, and the meeting stood recessed at 8:20 p.m.
Chairman Vayda reconvened the meeting at 8:37 p.m.
GOAL SETTING WORK SESSION
Councilman Falk noted having a list of accomplishments sometimes helps identify goals. Mr. Shanley indicated that can be provided.
Mr. Shanley then reviewed the Enfield Town Council Goal Statement for 2001 as follows:
- Freshwater Pond Dredging and Bank Remediation project to begin in winter of 2002.
- Disposition plan for historic public buildings there have been a number of plans for the Higgins building, and they had a recent development that they have been working on and which will be presented to Council in Executive Session; Hazardville Institute-theyre currently conducting a structural analysis to be able to identify exactly what needs to be done to this building to keep it up.
- Streetscape plan for Hazardville Village and Northgate Hazardville Village is currently under construction; Northgate-the next neighborhood meeting is scheduled for December 5th,and they will be meeting with Radisson and Phoenix with respect to 7A (the Boulevard component) next Monday in advance of the public meeting so that the public meeting will present 7A and the Northgate project from that they will bring back final comments to the Council to learn what of those comments the Council wants to integrate into the plan.
- Records Management Facility They will eventually have Jean Blaser, the Records Manager, come in. Thousands of tons of records have been properly and legally disposed of the goal is to get down to the optimum amount of records that they need and must have before they construct something. Money is being set aside in the budget for this facility-schematic plans are already done
- Recreation Study a lot has been done in this area and there has been a lot of implementation
- Mancuso Park first they will optimize their existing parks, i.e., Brainerd and Shaker Parks, then they will turn to Mancuso Park to see what it is they cant accommodate elsewhere and how they might develop Mancuso
- Open space land acquisition related to waterfront opportunities-the acquisition of property along the Scantic River that the Council has been doing is directly related to Mancuso Park in that its expanding the boundaries of the park from 175 acres to about 225 acres, therefore, the opportunities for passive recreation are really present now.
- Roads and sidewalks projects are moving forward; school projects are
under constructions and the senior center is currently under construction
- Storm drainage installation in Roosevelt Avenue vicinity the first public
meeting was held on this; the design had been completed to about 45%
and the design is moving towards about 85%; a second public meeting
will
be held with plans to go out to bid next year.
- Family Resource Center this will be coming before the Council in
December
- Information Technology there has been some reorganization in
the budget to accommodate new demands and more will be done
in the upcoming budget
- E-Government Plan they have an E-Government team thats now
working; theyre working on credit card payments
(Councilman Fiore requested an overview of E-Government in early
2002).
- Improving hardware and software investments theyre re-deploying new
technology (about 90 PCs) to replace the ones they deployed about four
years ago.
- Retention and attraction of new businesses to the community - Ray
Warren will provide a report on Monday.
- Parking in Hazardville and Thompsonville Villages did not make
it to the budget last year
- Commissioning an inter and intra Town Salary Study a study has
been completed and will be presented to the Council in January or
February
- Professional development and training on-going
- Investing properly in the community while seeking a stable and
sustainable mil rate the Town Manager stated his belief they are doing
a lot with a relatively sustainable mil rate.
- Continuing ongoing support for the National Purple Heart Museum,
Save Our Strand and Athletic Hall of Fame Projects the Town Manager
stated he will leave it to the Council to determine whether or not theyve
properly supported the Purple Heart Museum, Save Our Strand and Hall
of Fame projects.
Councilman Edgar referred to the Freshwater Pond project and stated he would like to see the overgrown vegetation trimmed. Mr. Shanley stated one of the issues was the need to get a cutting plan approved by Inland/Wetlands. He noted its a very complex cutting plan because there are different kinds of flora and fauna and each type of flora and fauna needs to be treated differently. He stated $10,000 was budgeted to do engineering work on the bank remediation and Baystate has been asked to provide a remediation plan that will be part of the primary bid so they can replant indigenous, low-maintenance, slow growing vegetation, consistent with what the Inland/Wetlands will approve.
Following is a list of new goals raised by the Council:
Child Day Care
Historic Buildings
Continue to implement Northgate Streetscape
Pond walkways and improvements
Increase owner-occupied housing in Thompsonville Village
Prepare recreation referendum for November 2002
Boundless playground
Create master plan for Mancuso Park
Planning/implementation of Records Management
Control taxes
Facilities maintenance/building maintenance plan
Continue to explore Connecticut River waterfront acquisition and land acquisition
Road and sidewalks
Implement plan to fill empty storefronts
Blight property ordinance
Economic vitality retain and attract businesses
Business park development
Intra town transportation
Train stop in Enfield
Encourage independent efforts of private citizens dedicated to the enrichment of
the community by continuing ongoing support for the National Purple Heart Museum, Save Our Strand and Athletic Hall of Fame Projects
Vehicle equipment management plan
Complete veterans memorial monument
Complete design and begin implementation of storm drainage installation and
rehabilitation in the Roosevelt Avenue vicinity
EMS Study Recommendation
GASB Reporting
Analyze and budget parking for Hazardville, Thompsonville and Northgate
Completion of Family Resource Center
Explore property south of Parsons Road Boat Launch
Explore opportunities for access of riverfront public/private partnership
Continue to support plan of Conservation and Development
Complete Freshwater Pond project
Master Plan for Thompsonville sidewalks
Road 2000
BR-1
Training programs for board and commissions
More awareness of employment opportunities for Enfield residents
Green Manor pool, Brainerd Park, Powder Hollow, Fermi pool
Explore, understand, and educate regarding fire district structure and financing
Explore town-wide tipper barrel program
Assist in improving and restoring Fermi planetarium
Improve Powder Hollow Bridge
Improve retiree pension
K-9 Patrol
Improve employee morale
Expand Community Policing by two men from Grapebrook to Green Valley
Develop manual for building office
Bike path Town Farm Road/Post Office Road
Bike paths (CRCOG)
Mounted police
Town-wide retiree recognition program
Access to the dam
E-Government-more user friendly information website
Grant Manager/Writer
Extended library hours
Explore industrial use of current park mitigation
Board and commission recognition reception
Scantic River escarpment issues
Relocation assistance of Loaves and Fishes and Enfield Food Shelf
Continue to implement the condo trash issue
Assistance with transportation needs of After School Program
Improve communication with legislative representative/CRCOG/CCM coordination
Mr. Shanley stated he will place these goals in a format for Council review. He noted they can expand on these items and the last step would be to prioritize them.
There was no Executive Session this evening.
ADJOURNMENT
MOTION #5561 by Councilman Falk, seconded by Councilman Egan to adjourn.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #5561 adopted 10-0-0, and the meeting stood adjourned at 10:05 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jeannette Lamontagne
Secretary to the Council
Suzanne F. Olechnicki
Town Clerk
Clerk of the Council