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ENFIELD TOWN COUNCIL
MINUTES OF A SPECIAL MEETING
JANUARY 29, 2001
A Special Meeting of the Enfield Town Council was called to order by Chairwoman Strom in the Enfield Room of the Enfield Town Hall, 820 Enfield Street, Enfield, Connecticut on Monday, January 29, 2001 at 7:04 p.m.
ROLL-CALL Present were Councilmen Dodd, Egan, Falk, Fiore, Giddings, Hall, Mangini, Strom and Vayda. Councilmen Kaupin and McGuire were absent. Also present were Town Manager, Scott A. Shanley; Assistant Town Manager, Daniel Vindigni; Town Attorney, Christopher W. Bromson; Town Clerk, Suzanne F. Olechnicki; Deputy Director of Public Works, Geoffrey McAlmond; Director of Community Development, Laura Watson; Recreation Supervisor, Mary Keller
MOTION #5066 by Councilman Falk, seconded by Councilman Vayda to suspend the rules to address Item 2b first on the agenda.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #5066 adopted 9-0-0.
DISCUSSION RE: HUD HOUSE
Mr. Shanley explained this is an opportunity for the Council to determine whether or not they wish to move forward with this item. He noted the Town Attorneys Office researched the liability issue as requested, however, that memorandum is unavailable this evening.
Photographs of the house were distributed.
Mr. Shanley stated they received one opinion regarding the resale of a completely rehabilitated home, and Community Development is seeking a second opinion.
Chairwoman Strom stated she did have a discussion with a representative from People for People and that group will be having a meeting next Thursday evening. She noted she will attend that meeting to discuss the types of programs available and whether People for People might look into rehabbing single-family homes to get them on the market. She questioned whether they could get more than one realtors opinion. Mr. Shanley stated that could be done, however, the time frame is very narrow.
Councilman Vayda questioned what other options are available if People for People isnt interested. Chairwoman Strom stated she doesnt know if People for People is looking to get into the mix. She noted at this time, if the Council said yes, it would be the Town taking it on, doing the rehab work, and putting it on the market.
Mr. Shanley stated whatever decision the Council makes, they should assume that the Town will be the "private developer" doing rehab work and selling the property. Chairwoman Strom added at this point she does not want to represent to anyone that People for People is going to do this, however, theyre willing to discuss this.
Councilman Egan stated if People for People became involved, would they be responsible for addressing code violations in the house. Chairwoman Strom responded yes. Mr. Shanley stated the estimated cost to address code violations would be the same for anyone rehabbing the home unless its done with the "Habitat for Humanity" approach whereby "sweat equity" is used.
Chairwoman Strom stated if it were a non-profit organization doing this, would the lead abatement requirements be the same. Ms. Watson stated the house would have to be lead safe. She added as of September 15, 2000 there are new regulations that say if you are using federal funding you have to adhere to very strict lead abatement standards.
Councilman Dodd questioned the age of the home, and Mr. Shanley responded it was built in 1848.
Councilman Giddings questioned if there are lead pipes from the road to the house, would that be part of the Towns responsibility if the Town purchases the house. Mr. Shanley responded he didnt know.
Councilman Mangini questioned who does the research regarding the lead abatement, and Mr. Shanley responded the Community Development office.
Councilman Falk stated at the last meeting there was discussion about hiring someone to do some tests. Ms. Watson stated they did do that and that is where the lead costs in the memorandum came from.
Councilman Dodd questioned whether the water was tested for lead content, and Ms. Watson responded no, that was not taken into consideration.
Councilman Giddings questioned whether theres any asbestos, and Ms. Watson stated unless they are looking at more than five units, it doesnt have to be looked at.
Councilman Falk questioned where they stand with this, and Mr. Shanley stated nothing can happen unless Planning & Zoning acts. He noted this can be pulled off the Planning & Zonings agenda if the Council wishes.
Chairwoman Strom questioned if this has been placed on the Planning & Zoning agenda, and Mr. Shanley responded this item is on this weeks Planning & Zoning agenda.
Chairwoman Strom stated if this is put on the Planning & Zoning agenda for the first week in February, they could at least have time for a discussion with People for People which would tell them whether they could turn this property over to them. She noted this time frame is very tight. She suggested perhaps they should tell HUD this will not be on the agenda until the February Planning & Zoning meeting.
Mr. Shanley questioned whether this is a program that the Council wants staff to research and put together so that the next time an opportunity arises, they will be prepared. It was the consensus of the Council that this is a concept that theyd like to pursue.
Mr. Shanley questioned if the Council wants staff to try to have Planning & Zoning place this on their agenda in two weeks, and in the meantime provide more information. He noted if the Planning & Zoning Commission doesnt support this, this house can go back onto the market, and they can let the police officers and teachers know its available. The Council agreed with this suggestion.
Councilman Falk stated he does not believe the Town should be in the real estate business, however, he agrees the Town should act as a catalyst or partner to try and get the private sector involved.
CAMP, DRESSSER AND MCKEE RECREATION STUDY
Mr. Shanley noted the Council received a memorandum on Friday, January 26, 2001. He noted the Council had requested recommendations and thoughts on what the next steps should be. He stated this evening theyll specifically address those next steps and also the direction in which the Council wishes to go.
Mr. Shanley stated staff discussed the report and its many recommendations and talked about what they could or should move on quickly. He noted a lot of this is dependent upon what the Councils broader vision is. He stated should the Council be looking for a referendum in November on some of the larger issues, theyll need to get moving on some of the more detailed conceptual designs quickly. He stated some of the things staff is recommending include skateboard parks, which would be done modular, and its recommended these be located in existing tennis space where its not practical for tennis at this time because of the condition of the tennis courts. He went on to note they have a conceptual plan for VFW park that was done by CDM in conjunction with the study that currently has $50,000 funded, and with another $40,000 they believe they can do a very nice job on this park and have it quickly constructed this spring/summer.
Mr. Shanley stated if the Council wants better information on the premier facility concept, they need to spend more money on it. He noted they do have a conceptual design drawing, but they do not have enough detail to be able to provide the types of answers that the Council will want, i.e., the exact cost, layout, parking, etc. He noted theres currently money in the CIP for improvements to that field, and they could reprogram that money into design, and that could be done to provide better answers.
He stated staff believes the Council should move quickly on the additional soccer fields and spend some money on the design and engineering of that. He noted they do have an approved site plan for two additional soccer fields at the Shaker Complex for an estimated cost of $250,000.
Mr. Shanley stated staff recommends the Council should move forward on doing a much more detailed design as well as engineering work on Green Manor Park and the water attraction.
He noted one of the recommendations of the study was to add tennis courts to JFK Middle School and Enfield High School. He noted currently theres money in the budget to finish Enfield High and JFK and Mark Twain. He pointed out one of the suggestions is to delay Mark Twain, perhaps move some of that money into designing two more at JFK Middle School and Enfield High School and finish those at the size recommended in the CDM study and then move onto Mark Twain. He added this would be something they could move on in the next construction season.
Mr. Shanley pointed out the design of Brainard Park would probably be close to $150,000.
He stated they are doing some research regarding the Wallop School Park.
Councilman Falk questioned if the handball walls will be eliminated at Enfield High and JFK, and Mr. McAlmond responded yes. He noted the study indicated they were not getting the level of usage from those walls that they would get out of tennis courts.
Councilman Falk stated neighbors might not be happy with the elimination of the Green Manor pool and installation of sprinklers. He stated his belief the elimination of the Green Manor pool would be a tremendous loss for that neighborhood.
Mr. Shanley stated the study suggested a larger pool in a more central location, i.e., next to the new senior center.
Councilman Egan noted a lot of children walk to the Green Manor pool and take swimming lessons there.
Councilman Mangini stated her impression Green Manor people think theyre getting a new pool. She feels they need to approach that neighborhood to see how they feel about the plans for this park.
Councilman Mangini questioned why theyre identifying Parkman, Green Manor and Fermi as potential sites for skateboard parks. Mr. Shanley stated Parkman was identified in the CDM study and Green Manor has a tennis court thats closed. He noted there are a lot of skateboarders in the Green Manor area and this would provide a use for that space. He stated even in the current CIP tennis improvement plan, they will be doing JFK, Enfield High and Mark Twain first. He pointed out because the skateboard parks are modular, they can be re-located if desired.
A brief discussion followed regarding funding for playground equipment.
Councilman Fiore referred to $250,000 for the Shaker soccer fields and questioned if thats the total cost or the cost for each field. Mr. Shanley responded $250,000 total, and $15,000 needs to be spent on design and engineering.
Councilman Fiore questioned why four tennis courts arent being recommended at JFK, and Mr. Shanley noted this is the recommendation of CDM.
Councilman Fiore stated if they are going to build new fields, they should consider additional part-time staff for the maintenance of those fields. Mr. Shanley stated this needs to be addressed for the long term.
Councilman Fiore referred to the VFW Park, Wallop School Park, and Hazardville Center Park and suggested Whitacres Park be considered as well. He pointed out a lot of people use the Whitacres Park.
Ms. Keller stated all of the parks should be updated since the equipment is old, outdated, and there are safety hazards. She went on to explain the fall zone and noted that depending on the height of the equipment, there needs to be a safe fall zone and a certain depth of woodchips.
Mr. McAlmond pointed out Whitacres Park was not included because of needed drainage work.
Councilman Egan questioned if the town is legally bound to have woodchips. Ms. Keller responded not legally, however, if the Town were taken to court for an incident, it would not look good for the Town not to have safety measures in place.
Councilman Hall stated her belief staff did a good job with this list.
Councilman Hall questioned what the reaction was for having one facility for the high schools at Asnuntuck. Ms. Keller stated she did not receive any feedback. Mr. Shanley stated he talked with the Director of School Facilities, Art Pongratz and Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Gallacher regarding this, and they noted something similar to this was presented before, and they got the impression that this was a good idea.
Councilman Hall stated she would like to get a dialog going regarding the athletic fields at the high schools so that they can make long term plans for the two high schools. She went on to question if they have any idea of the cost regarding the JFK football field, and Mr. McAlmond stated they should have something by the end of the week. Mr. Shanley added they asked CDM to look at the cost to set up the field at JFK for the Ramblers Football Program.
Councilman Hall questioned the possibility of getting a design concept for a pool facility on the extra land next to the police station.
Councilman Vayda stated he would like to see some very definitive plans for a centrally located pool. He went on to note safety should be their first consideration. He noted he would like to see some focus on on-going maintenance. He added his belief the Hazardville play area should be addressed as soon as possible.
Councilman Mangini stated her belief they should first address unsafe play areas. She pointed out they must also meet handicap needs. Ms. Keller noted the handicap needs would be included in the design phase. She pointed out some of the schools have some handicap playground equipment.
Councilman Falk stated his belief they have to learn whether theyll be able to use the Asnuntuck fields before making further plans. Mr. Shanley stated they should have some plans when negotiating for this facility.
Councilman Falk stated his belief they should identify the needs and costs to make their parks safe.
Councilman Falk stated he would like to see more effort put into studying usage of the Frank Mancuso facility. Mr. Shanley stated his belief this study has made a big step in that direction. He noted this study identifies what the demand for facilities is in town, what exists, and what CDM recommends they should have in order to meet the demand. He noted the Mancuso site offers the space to be able to do that.
Councilman Giddings stated the VFW park is a good idea, however, people are using that area for parking at this time.
Councilman Giddings stated he spoke to two different companies who deal with water pools and parks and they both felt that for the size of Enfield there should be at least three pools before even considering a "spray" park. He stated his belief they wouldnt be serving the community the way they should be if they scrapped the idea of a swimming pool and went for a cheaper spray park. Ms. Keller pointed out CDM did not feel that the size of the Green Manor pool was suitable for what the town needed, and thats why they suggested another location. Mr. Shanley stated CDM wasnt visualizing building multiple pools, but rather their vision was to build a larger pool in a more central location. He noted recognizing there are a lot of children in the Green Manor neighborhood, CDM suggested putting in something fun for the children thats wet and cool in the summertime.
Councilman Vayda agreed the Town needs a Town pool of adequate size.
Mr. Shanley stated perhaps at the next meeting the Council can provide some specific direction on those items that they have a consensus on for the staff to move forward with. He noted in the meantime, staff can put together some information. He stated if the Council is considering a referendum issue for this November, they need to know that relatively soon so that they can accomplish the design work thats necessary.
There was no Executive Session.
ADJOURNMENT
MOTION #5067 by Councilman Egan, seconded by Councilman Mangini to adjourn.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #5067 adopted 9-0-0, and the meeting stood adjourned at 8:35 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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