September 10 BOS Meeting
By Meghan Peterson, PhD
Editors Note: When official minutes become available, they can be accessed at www.haddam.org.
The Board of Selectmen (BOS) held a regular meeting on Monday, Sept. 10 at 6:30 p.m. in the Old Town Hall building. First Selectwoman Lizz Milardo and Selectman Larry Maggi were present. Selectwoman Melissa Schlag was absent. A couple dozen residents attended. Video of the meeting will be available on Valley Shore Community Television and at vsctv.org.
The Meeting was called to order, and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
During Public Comments, Tony Giamei requested a moment of silence for the Americans who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. Residents in attendance paused to pay their respects.
Minutes from both the July 30, 2018 and Aug. 21, 2018 BOS meetings were approved. Tax refunds were also approved.
For new business items, Milardo brought before the Board discussion about a resolution pertaining to sustainability: The Sustainable CT Municipal Certification Program. Sustainable Connecticut is an organization that works with all 169 towns/cities in the State to encourage sustainable infrastructure and goals for residents. Milardo spoke of putting a team together, bringing in members of the energy committee, which has taken a hiatus for the past year, members from the Economic Development Commission (EDC), Infrastructure Committee, and Planning and Zoning (P&Z) to focus on this initiative. Milardo noted that once the resolution is approved, all committee members will receive an email about the work that lies ahead for them. Twenty-five towns/municipalities have adopted this program thus far, according to Milardo. Part of this program includes assisting with keeping track of Haddam’s “carbon footprint,” as well as how to make the Town more efficient. Looking ahead to the BOS October meeting, Milardo said that once this resolution is set, she can continue compiling a list of people to be on this sustainability committee. The idea would be for the committee to meet on a monthly basis. A report would be due to the BOS on the committee’s progress by end of year. Milardo explained that the committee would need to hit certain “benchmarks.” She pointed out that New Jersey had successfully implemented this kind of program, and Connecticut did not have to “reinvent the wheel.” Milardo remarked that with respect to the “renewable energy programming…these are all really good” and “positive things for us all to do together.” Finally, Milardo read the mission statement of Sustainable Connecticut for the public record.
Next on the docket was discussion of the Nason Dam. Milardo reviewed how the Nason properties had come out of bankruptcy approximately 10 months ago. Through this legal process, the Town inherited open space as well as the remaining lots not sold at that time. Milardo explained that although the Dam has “nothing structurally wrong” with it, there is some concrete and mason work to be done. Additionally, there is overgrown brush. In effect, Milardo said that there are “safety components” that “need to be taken care of” and “cleaned out.” The dam was last inspected in 2012, according to Milardo. The Town engineers (Jacobson and associates), Department of Environmental and Energy Protection, and Milardo have walked the property and asked for a cost estimate on required work. The estimated cost is $83,000 with a 40% contingency. She will put the request before the Board of Finance on Monday, Sept. 17. Milardo said that she hoped selling off the remaining pieces of property at auction on Saturday, Sept.15 would help offset this expense. The previous auction produced no successful bidders. As a consequence, the BOS decided – in executive session – to hold the price at $50,000 for each lot but to broaden the scope of advertising. Thus, the Town advertised the auction in the Hartford Courant and the New Haven Register. Once the dam work is all set, Milardo said that the Town can look to complete an evacuation plan, per the State. The cost for gathering data on an evacuation plan is projected to be approximately $15,000. Milardo noted that there are funds for this in the budget. Maggi inquired about the costs for the plan. Milardo said that there is a lot of data associated with such a plan. Milardo does not want to request funding for the dam as of yet, because she wants to wait and see what the auction yields on Saturday, September 15. Editors Note: By press time, no lots had been sold at the auction.
The Board then discussed hiring Sabine Nyenhuis as a Transfer Station Attendant. The position opened as a result of Gunnar Grenman’s recent passing. Milardo noted how all of the workers at the Transfer Station have a “great rapport” together and are all very “close.” Nyenhuis is a retired Hartford police officer. The Board discussed how Nyenhuis will be a great addition to the team and help cut down on abuse of transfer station passes/stickers. The Board approved the hiring.
Ed Munster is resigning from the Nuclear Energy Advisory Council (NEAC). Milardo said that there are individuals who have expressed interest in the position and thanked Mr. Munster for his service. She noted that at the October meeting, she hopes that she will be able to discuss a person for that position.
As far as old business items the Board addressed, Milardo read e-mail correspondence from RSD17 Board of Education Chair Joanne Nesti that was in response to questions she had on behalf of the BOS. As explained in the letter, the board has not decided on a sale price for Haddam Elementary School (HES) yet. For upkeep costs of the building (were the Town to purchase the building from RSD17), the estimated amount is $75,000 a year – costs that do not include expenses covered elsewhere in the budget, as Nesti writes in the e-mail. Milardo noted that there were residents present at an earlier BOS meeting during the summer who voiced support for keeping HES. She said that it is too late for the matter to be on the Nov. 2018 ballot, but that it could be put on the ballot during the annual Board of Education budget referendum in May – without expense to the Town. Maggi inquired about access to the land behind HES, if the building were sold but if the Town kept the property behind it. The Board discussed how important the topic is for the Town and residents – and that residents will be kept abreast of updates.
The meeting was adjourned.
See you at the next BOS meeting, scheduled for Monday, Sept. 24 at 6:30 p.m. The BOS normally meets on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month.
