Submitted by Ed Munster.
On, Dec. 5, 2019, this special meeting of the new Haddam Board of Selectmen, held in the conference room of the Town Office Building, was called to order by First Selectman Bob McGarry. Also in attendance were Selectmen Sean Moriarty and Kate Anderson.
After the Pledge of Allegiance Mr. McGarry opened the floor for public comment. Resident Alan Andeen asked for an update on the Dublin Hill Bridge. McGarry responded that according to information he received last week the bridge is expected to be complete and Dublin Hill Road would be open by the end of December. He said the road may not be paved at that time. Resident Mark Lundgren congratulated the new BOS and wished them well.
The first selectman pointed out that the only item on the special meeting agenda was a discussion of appointments for boards and commissions some of which will be on the agenda of the regular meeting of the BOS on Monday, December 9, 2019 at the Town Hall. McGarry pointed out that his assistant had sent out emails to all existing members of appointed boards and commissions to determine if they wished to be re-appointed. Except for previously known resignations no one had indicated a desire not to be reappointed so his recommendation was that they should be reappointed. Vacancies for which the BOS is not constrained by ordinance or town charter can be filled by unaffiliated voters. These will be announced on the town website to attract interested persons including independent voters who represent 44% of our voters.
Selectman Sean Moriarty asked about the mission of some of the committees and recommended that there should be written mission statements established for each of these.
- Established by ordinance is the Abandoned Vehicle Hearing Officer group which calls for two members one from each party both of which positions are presently vacant.
- Animal Control Officer Dawn Kowalski is scheduled to be reappointed.
- Director of Public Works Christopher Corsa is scheduled to be reappointed.
- The Building Board of Appeals has three vacancies.
- The Building Committee is one of several groups established by the BOS and which expire 30 days after the election and as such does not necessarily need to continue to exist. McGarry said this requires discussion and decision by the BOS.
- Charter Revision Committee is technically expired. McGarry suggested reestablishing the committee and appointing the present members.
- Committee 0n Aging is also technically expired. McGarry suggested continuing this committee and re-appointing the present members.
- Currently there are two vacancies on the Economic Development Committee to fill. Selectman Kate Anderson pointed out that there is another member who did not meet attendance requirements and has been non-responsive and cannot be re-appointed per their by-laws so there are three vacancies.
- McGarry suggested that the two present members of the Gateway commission be reappointed.
- The Infrastructure Committee is another which was established by the BOS and does not necessarily need to continue to exist. McGarry suggest we let it die and if we determine a need for it, we can re-establish it at that time.
- The Merit Service Retirement Board oversees the pension plans for the two fire departments. The two present members do not wish to continue. Tom Danaher from the Haddam Neck department and Peter Brown from the Haddam department have been proposed and when we (BOS) get their letters expressing interest they can be appointed as soon as our meeting on Monday.
- The Safety Committee is another which was established by the BOS but it is required because of OSHA. McGarry suggested reappointment. One member Rich Annino, the Fire Department representative, does not wish to continue so we need to solicit someone from the Fire Dept and also someone from the Ambulance Society as their representative. Asst Town Clerk Ann Riebold pointed out that Rich Annino had represented the Veteran’s Memorial building so there is a need for a representative for that.
- The Salmon River Watershed Partnership has two members. There was interest in knowing their mission and if this group is needed its members will be reappointed.
- The Street Naming Committee’s purpose is to assure that duplicate names are avoided as it makes it difficult for the safety purposes including the fire and ambulance groups when an emergency arises. This committee will be re-established. Chris Corsa, Asst Director of Public Works, needs to be on this committee as well as representatives from the fire and ambulance groups.
- The Sustainability Committee was established by the BOS but it is tied into statewide efforts. McGarry mentioned that there could be money from the state for their purpose and suggested reappointing the present members. Anderson pointed out that the group has had some nice events in the past year since they were established.
- McGarry suggested that the two law firms (the general counsel and the labor atty) which the town has been using should be reappointed as he felt they had been doing a good job.
- McGarry suggested that Chris Corsa be continued as Tree Warden
All appointments having been discussed the meeting adjourned. This meeting was recorded and is available to be viewed on VSCTV.
