[Part II of this report is in the process of being edited and will be published on Thursday. Thank you for your understanding; 9:00 p.m., Wednesday, July 21]

[Addition: We have added the Building Inspector's position in the section 'Other Cuts in Personnel' since the status of that position was changed from a part-time position to a contracted service, resulting in a cut in the funding for that position; many thanks to a friend of NewHartfordPlus who pointed out this omission in our report; 10:00 p.m., Wednesday, July 21]

[[Correction: The wording of the notice originally quoted at the beginning of this article is the wording in the Notices/Announcements section of the town's website. The notice on the doors at Town Hall is worded slightly differently. We have also added the wording of the notice on the doors to this article. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused; 9:30 p.m., Wednesday, July 21]

By: Maria Moore

With the Jerram administration now well into its 7th month in office, that is, over a quarter through its term, NewHartfordPlus is looking at the functioning of Town Hall to see what that might tell us about the current administration. Following is Part I of  a two-part report that looks at the changes in the staffing of Town Hall and the way the Jerram administration has handled those changes.  This report follows up on our June 29 report Notices and Help Wanteds: Town Hall.

If you have had occasion to go to Town Hall in the last month or so you will have been met by a notice prominently displayed on the doors of the building that says:

“NOTICE:

Please be advised that summer vacation schedules may have an impact on daily office staffing.

It is always best to call ahead to insure that staff in a certain office will be available to assist you if you have business to conduct that is of a specific nature.

If you have a question or concern, and no one is available to assist you, please stop by the Selectman’s Office.

We thank you in advance for your understanding of employees’ vacation schedules.”

A similar notice is also posted on the town’s website:

“NOTICE:

Town Hall office staffing may be impacted by summer vacation schedules. If you have specific business to conduct that requires the assistance of specific personnel, it is advised to call ahead to ensure that someone with the expertise required will be available to assist you. We thank you for your understanding of summer scheduling.”

Our reporter didn’t remember seeing a sign like this at Town Hall in previous years and she checked around informally to see if anyone else remembered such a notice in the past.  None of the half-dozen residents she asked could remember such an occurrence either.  On checking with Christine Hayward, the First Selectman’s Administrative Assistant, Christine said that there had been such a notice before and that perhaps people just hadn’t noticed it in the past.   The notice itself may be a moot point: if someone has gotten to the doors of the Town Hall to read the notice, then they may already have made that trip for naught if the person they need to see is out.  The notice is also posted on the Town’s municipal website under Notices/Announcements; however, someone interested in talking to the Assessor, for example, might not think of looking in another section for information pertaining to the Assessor’s Office.

During our own trips to Town Hall over the last couple of months we noticed the following disruption in the service of several offices:

• the Land Use office was unstaffed between Thursday afternoon and the following Tuesday morning during the Memorial Day weekend.  Rista Malanca, who was the only employee who would have been available to staff the office during that time was taking a combination of comp time and a vacation day during that holiday weekend period;
• during the 4th of July, a notice on the door of the Assessor’s Office informed the public that the office would be closed two days during that week.  Laura White was on vacation that week and Beth Paul, the town Assessor was working at the Burlington Town Hall.
• on a Friday morning, the general contractor for the St. John’s Episcopal Church addition was using the credenza in the reception area of the First Selectman’s Office to go through the plans for the addition that he would be leaving with Christine Hayward since the Land Use Office was unstaffed that day.

The service provided by some of the municipal offices has definitely been impacted; however, that is due more to the cuts in the hours and in the personnel of those offices than in the fact that it is summertime.  In the past, each office at Town Hall has been staffed by two employees who staggered their vacation times so that each office was staffed by a member of that office.  With the recent turnover in employees and cuts in the number of hours staff work, it is inevitable that service to the public should suffer.

Since last December 1, when the present administration came into office, the changes in staffing at Town Hall are as follows:

Terminations/Resignations:

1. January 6: Dan LeGeyt, full-time Highway Superintendent was suspended without pay while police investigated the larceny of town money and/or town property.  Dan LeGeyt’s employment was terminated on March 26 for thefts totalling approximately $3,500 over a three-year period.  Dan LeGeyt was one of the highest paid employees on the Town Hall staff with a salary of $63,116.66.  For the specific reasons given for Dan’s termination,  see our March 29 report Town Terminates Employment of Former Highway Superintendent…
2. February: Norm Paul, part-time custodian at the Town Hall, resigned after having been asked to change his work hours from early morning to coincide with the hours Town Hall is open. Norm and the First Selectman were not able to arrive at a mutually-acceptable work schedule and Norm resigned.  Norm earned $17,000 for his part-time position.
3. March 29: Karl Nilsen, full-time Land Use Officer, was suspended without pay while an internal investigation was being conducted into allegations of time card fraud.  Karl submitted a letter of retirement to the town effective April 22. On June 6, the Town reached a settlement with Karl whereby Karl gave up accrued benefits due to him and his retirement was backdated to March 29, the date he had been suspended without pay.  Karl was also one of the highest paid employees at Town Hall with a salary of $61,516.
4. May: Roxanne Helt, part-time Bookkeeper’s Assistant, resigned her position in May for personal reasons.  Roxanne worked 15 hours per week at a salary of $12,573.

Positions Eliminated/Unfunded/Cut In Current Fiscal Year’s Budget:

The following positions were eliminated by the First Selectman in his budget for the current Fiscal Year 2010/2011 which began on July 1, 2010:

1. One full-time road crew position was eliminated.  No-one was laid off due to the move of a crew leader into the Highway Superintendent’s position.
2. One full-time Administrative Assistant position in the Land Use Office was eliminated.  Rista Malanca, who was due to be laid off on June 30 was not laid off due to her move into the Land Use Officer position.  A part-time, 15-hour per week Administrative Assistant has recently been hired for this position.
3. One part-time Administrative Assistant position in the Rec Department was cut from the budget.  Christy Tellier, who works 15 hours per week, is being paid directly by the Rec Department out of its operating budget.  This effectively cut the Parks and Rec budget by $14,000, the amount of Christy’s salary.

Other Cuts In Personnel:

Other cuts in the hours of Town Hall employees made by the First Selectman in addition to the cuts outlined above and which were not part of the new fiscal year’s budget are:

1. The full-time Assessor’s hours available to service the Town’s needs have been cut from 35 hours to 15 hours.  Beth Paul, the Town Assessor has been contracted out for 20 hours per week to the town of Burlington.  When our reporter asked about the arrangement, she was told that Burlington pays a pro-rated amount for Beth’s services.  Beth continues to receive all full-time benefits from the Town of New Hartford, including being enrolled as a full-time employee in the Town’s pension plan.
2. The Tax Collector’s Assistant position has been cut back from 20 hours per week to 12 hours per week.  This means that Debbie Ventre, the assistant in that department is no longer eligible to be enrolled in the Town’s pension fund.  To be eligible for a town pension, the employee must work at least 1,000 hours per year which breaks down to approximately 20 hours per week.
3. The Bookkeeper’s Assistant position has been cut back from 15 hours per week to 10 hours per week.  However, Lila Tuxbury, who is now filling this position is now eligible to be enrolled in the Town’s pension fund because she also works 15 hours per week as the Republican Registrar of Voters; the hours of the two positions combined total 25 hours, more than the approximately 20 hours per week needed to qualify for a town pension.
4. The Building Inspector’s position was changed from a part-time position to a contracted service; see our report of the March 23 Board of Selectmen meeting that includes the First Selectman’s announcement that the Building Inspector’s position had been modified.  As a contracted service provider, Paul Volovski, the town’s long-time Building Inspector was to limit his hours to no more than 15 hours per week at a rate of $40 per hour.   This reduced his salary of $40,558 as a part-time employee to a maximum of $31,200 as a contracted service provider.

These, then are the cuts that have been made to the staffing levels of the different municipal offices.  Part II of this report will look at how staffing decisions have been made by the Jerram administration.

The notice on the right advises visitors that not all Town Hall services may be available due to summertime staffing. Photo: Maria Moore

By: Maria Moore

Tax Collector’s Office Closing At 12:00 Tomorrow, Wednesday

June 30 is the end of the fiscal year for the town of New Hartford. We received the following notice from Linda Sheffield, Tax Collector:

The Tax Collector’s office will close at noon on Wednesday, June 30th for end of fiscal year accounting. The office will resume normal business hours on Thursday, July 1st.

If you are planning to stop by the Tax Collector’s Office, please remember that the office opens at 9:00 a.m., not at 8:00 a.m.  You may also call Linda or her assistant, Debbie Ventre at 860-379-5795, or you may email Linda at lindasheffield@town.new-hartford.ct.us or Debbie at debbieventre@town.new-hartford.ct.us.

To view your taxes online and pay your taxes online: (a charge applies) please see the Tax Collector’s section of the town’s municipal website.

Have You Licensed Your Best Friend Yet?

We mean your dog, of course! We recently received a card from the Town Clerk’s Office reminding us to license our dog by June 30 ~ tomorrow. Beginning July 1, late fees will be assessed for delinquent dogs ~ although, really it should be for delinquent owners!

Town Clerk Donna LaPlante has made it super-simple to license or renew your dog’s license: you may download a Dog Licensing Form from the Town Clerk’s section of the municipal website and you may mail in the licensing form together with the payment due or you may bring the form to the Town Clerk’s Office at Town Hall. Be sure to bring proof of a current rabies certificate and proof of neutering or spaying. The license fees are $19.00 for a male or female and $8.00 if the dog is neutered or spayed.

Your best friend a cat? Then you’re in luck: you are not required to license your cat/cats.  Enjoy your feline best friend!

For more information about licensing your dog: please visit the Town Clerk’s section on the municipal website, call Donna LaPlante at 860-379-5037 or stop by the Town Clerk’s Office to see Donna or her assistant, Nancy Eldridge.

Help Wanteds, No Layoffs Foreseen At Town Hall

This past week we checked in with the First Selectman’s Office to ask about the potential hiring of new staff to replace those who are no longer employed at Town Hall, i.e. the Assistant Bookkeeper, the Custodian and the Land Use Officer. We also asked about the possibility of layoffs since two positions, that of the Administrative Assistant in the Land Use Office and that of a road crew member, have been cut in the budget for the new fiscal year beginning Thursday, July 1.

Regarding new hiring, Christine Hayward, Administrative Assistant to First Selectman Dan Jerram, said that the town was placing two Help Wanteds in this past Sunday’s Register Citizen, one for a part-time Administrative Assistant in the Land Use Office and one for a seasonal part-time Custodian. Following is a copy of those Help Wanteds, for our readers’ information:

HELP WANTED:
Part Time
Clerical Assistance, Town of New Hartford; 15 hours per week, Computer skills a must. Applications available at First Selectman’s Office, New Hartford Town Hall, 530 Main Street, New Hartford, CT or call (860) 379-3389 and ask for Christine.
An EOE/Affirmative Action Employer

HELP WANTED:
Part Time
Summer Custodian, Town of New Hartford Town Hall; 15 hours per week. Applications available at First Selectman’s Office, New Hartford Town Hall, 530 Main Street, New Hartford, CT or call (860) 379-3389 and ask for Christine.
An EOE/Affirmative Action Employer

For more information or to apply for either of the above positions, please call Christine at 860-379-3389 or stop by the First Selectman’s Office at the Town Hall. Christine told us that she hopes to begin interviewing applicants for these positions next week.

As far as the Assistant Bookkeeper position vacated by Roxanne Helt in May, that position is currently being filled on a trial basis by Lila Tuxbury, the Republican Registrar of Voters.  We were told that Lila is trying out the position “to see if it’s a good fit for her and for the town.”  Lila’s husband, Steve Tuxbury is the Vice Chairman of the Republican Town Committee.

As far as layoffs, we were told by Christine Hayward, Administrative Assistant to the First Selectman, that no layoffs are foreseen in the Land Use Office since Rista Holda who is currently the Administrative Assistant in that office has been appointed Interim Land Use Officer for the town, a position left open by Karl Nilsen’s retirement; see our June 9 article, Zoning Officer’s Retirement Accepted, Both Parties Drop Claims. In the Highway Department, there are also no layoffs foreseen on the road crew since Doug Spencer, the road crew chief was appointed Interim Highway Department Foreman this past March; see our March 22 article … Doug Spencer Appointed Interim Foreman at Town Garage…

Editor’s Note: With Republican First Selectman Dan Jerram now completing 6 months in office ~ a quarter of his term ~ NewHartfordPlus will be publishing a follow-up article that looks at the recent spate of firings ~ and now new hirings  ~ at Town Hall to see what that may tell us about the functioning of the Jerram administration within the Town Hall structure.

Following are the Community Calendar listings for today in New Hartford, CT:

Thursday, May 20, 2010:

• New Hartford Senior Center activities: at Senior Center, Town Hall, 530 Main St., New Hartford. Activities: Line dancing at 9:30 a.m.; Fitness at 10:45 a.m. ($2.50 per person, per class, includes a fitness card which is stamped for every class attended; Bingo at 1:00 p.m.; Yoga at 4:00 p.m.
• Planning and Zoning Special Meeting: at 7:00 p.m. at the Town Hall. A new two year permit for the sand and gravel operation on Maple Hollow Road and discussion of Planimetrics bill and future action are on the agenda for tonight. To see the full agenda for this meeting, please see our Calendar.
• Special Town Meeting: to take action on easements related to two properties in Pine Meadow and a conservation easement for property located at Garrett Ridge Estates. For the full agenda, please see our Notices page.
• Thursday Night Gather With Friends at Passiflora: Lightarian © Reiki: with Laura Rose from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Passiflora, 526 Main Street, New Hartford. Join Laura Rose, Intuitive Medium, Usui Reiki Master, Lightarian Reiki Master, and owner of The Purple Rose Healing Center, as she shares this simple yet powerful healing technique. For more information, please visit Passiflora’s website , or call Passiflora at 860-379-TEAS.

Our Calendar section provides additional information about the events listed above and information on past, current and future events - a permanent record of events in New Hartford.

Tag Sale season begins! Check out our Classifieds Section for upcoming Tag Sales in New Hartford.

…NHGrapevine…

“We’ll collect our individual input so that Allison can present it to the committee”

Members of the Conservation Commission agreed after discussing the Brodie Park South study which they had helped fund. Allison Murdoch, chairperson of the Conservation Commission, is on a committee/study group that is putting together a plan for the future use of this town owned property.

Contribute to the …NHGrapevine… Let us know what you’ve heard - or seen - in town and we’ll add it to this listing, and also add it to the …NHGrapevine… section. So let’s hear what you’re hearing around town…

A scene from last spring's Farmers' Market. Get your shopping bags ready for tomorrow, Friday's opening day of our local New Hartford Farmers' Market. Photo: NewHartfordPlus archives

Doug Spencer Appointed To Interim Highway Foreman Position

Doug Spencer, a 37-year veteran of the town’s Highway Department, has been appointed as the Interim Highway Foreman, replacing Selectman Bruce Gresczyk who filled that position from Thursday, January 7 through Friday, March 12. Bruce was appointed by First Selectman Dan Jerram the day after the Highway Foreman Dan LeGeyt was suspended without pay while police investigated the larceny of town money and/or town property.  Doug’s first day as the Interim Highway Foreman was today, Monday, March 22.

Doug is a life-long resident of New Hartford; he was born in Bakerville and he continues to live in that part of town. First Selectman Dan Jerram, who happened by while our reporter was discussing Doug’s appointment with Christine Hayward, his Administrative Assistant, said: “That’s just the type of appointment we like to make!”

Our reporter called Doug at home and chatted for a few minutes about his appointment. He said he has worked in the Highway Department since 1973 and he is the road crew chief. At one time, he said there were two crew chiefs but after the other crew chief retired his position was never filled. Doug had turned down the Highway Foreman (”Foreman” he corrected our reporter, “not “Superintendent” because they only say that to sound important!”) a couple of times in the past but he decided to step up this time because, he said: “It’s good for my family, it’s good for the town and it’s good for the taxpayers.”

Asked if he’s going to take care of our roads Doug laughed and said there’s a lot of little things that can be taken care of, but they have to wait for the money to get to do the bigger things.  Asked if he had any words of wisdom for us to report, Doug said: “Not too many of those around ~ at least not that you can print!” We’ll have our ear to the tarmac, Doug…

To read the Memorandum of Understanding: That was signed on March 8 creating the position of Interim Highway Foreman, please see our March 14 report … Changing of the Interim Guard at Highway Department.

Our reporter/photographer almost snapped a photo of Doug Spencer about a year ago, except the town truck he was in made a quick getaway, just like this town truck appears to be doing. Photo: Maria Moore

Tax Collector’s Office Closed Thursday, March 25

We received an email from the New Hartford Tax Collector’s Office asking us to publicize the fact that the office will be closed this coming Thursday, March 25 for continuing education purposes. For the rest of this week, the Tax Collector’s Office will be open on Tuesday, March 23 from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.; on Wednesday, March 24 from 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.; the office will be closed Thursday, March 25; and will reopen for business on Friday, March 26 from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon.

If you have tax collection questions: Please email Linda Sheffield, Tax Collector at: lindasheffield@town.new-hartford.ct.us or you may call her office at 860-379-5795 or stop by her office during the hours outlined above.

Spring Road Sweeping Begins

Spring road sweeping has already begun, according to a notice on the town municipal website. Following is a copy of that notice:

The sweeper has already begun to clean streets of the excess sand that has accumulated over the winter. Property owners are asked to begin clearing their lawns of debris. You may sweep/rake the sand into the roadway, but PLEASE remove any sticks or twigs as these can damage the sweeper. Also, please note that the sweeper is not designed to pick up large amounts of leaves. Leaves should NOT be placed into the gutters of the roadway. There is no “schedule” of sweeping. Sweeping occurs in areas as time and weather permits. If you have any questions regarding the process, please call the First Selectman’s Office at 860-379-3389.

By: Maria Moore

Flex Time Is In The Air At Town Hall

Our reporter met with Dan Jerram this morning to check in on the status of the town hall operating hours now that he has received the employees’ input. Dan had mentioned in a previous meeting that he had asked for the input of employees and, for unionized employees, that of their union, by the 15th of January so that the new hours of operation could be in place by the beginning of February.

Dan said that he had received the union’s input late in the day yesterday, Thursday, January 14 and had not had a chance yet to review it and to come to a decision. He told our reporter that his goal is that of improving service without incurring additional cost. He said that he’d asked union employees to consider something new: using flex time to expand the number of hours they are available to provide service to residents. Union employees work 35 hours per week with two hours’ unpaid lunch and their contract provides an option for flexible scheduling of work hours (flex time). Dan said he was very pleased that employees had been willing to step up and try something new. He said it was as a positive message for employees to be sending, especially in such a tight budget environment.

The hours of operation that were mentioned were for Town Hall to be open 4 1/2 days per week, with perhaps 3 days when offices would be open later (than 4:00 p.m., as had been the case when Town Hall had previously been open on Friday mornings).  One of those three days Town Hall would be open until 6:00 p.m. Dan said that he’d like to try the expanded hours for a period of time and then evaluate whether they are being utilized by residents.

There are two offices whose heads are elected officials and can therefore set their own hours: that of the Town Clerk and that of the Tax Collector, Dan emphasized. The Town Clerk has a full-time assistant who is unionized; the Tax Collector has a 12-hour per week part-time assistant who is not unionized. The Town Clerk’s Office has traditionally kept the same hours as the rest of Town Hall, while the Tax Collector’s Office has set its own hours. Our reporter suggested supplementing the Tax Collector’s Assistant’s hours, so that office would be able to be open the same hours as the rest of Town Hall, something that a number of residents have told our reporter they would like to see happen. However, again because of the current budgetary constraints, this increase in hours does not appear to be an option.

We will post an update to the Town Hall hours of operation when further information becomes available.

Road Crew: “Doing Very Well”

Steve Joseph

Our reporter mentioned that she had seen the road crew cutting trees down on Stub Hollow Road.  She had stopped to snap several photos of trees being cut, and the road crew member happened to have been Steve Joseph.  Dan said there was no problem with her using the photos, and when asked how things were going with the road crew, he answered: “The road crew ~ all of them ~ are doing very well!”  Dan said the road crew had been out cutting trees for several days now, especially along Stub Hollow.  He also mentioned that Bruce (Gresczyk, Selectman an Interim Highway Superintendent) was taking care of repairs to town vehicles and other items that had been described as “deferred maintenance” at this past Tuesday’s Board of Selectmen meeting.  Asked about the ongoing investigation, Dan said there was nothing that he could add at this point to what had been said in the official statement of Thursday, January 7.

On that note, our reporter left the First Selectman’s Office and Dan joined Bruce to go on a survey of town roads.

Town Meeting Set To Approve Funds For West Hill Road Overlay

A Town Meeting has been set for Tuesday, January 26 at 6:30 p.m., immediately preceding the Board of Selectmen meeting at 7:00 p.m.  The purpose of the Town Meeting is to approve the appropriation of up to $164,986 for pavement repairs and the application of a microsurface overlay on part of West Hill Road beginning at the intersection with Stub Hollow Road and for a distance of approximately 6,000 ft.  This amount will be reimbursed by an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (”stimulus”) grant that the town has been awarded.  See a copy of this Notice of a Special Town Meeting in our new Notices section; the legal notice will be published in the Hartford Courant on Tuesday, January 19.

A dead tree being cut down by road crew member Steve Joseph on Stub Hollow Road today. Photo: Maria Moore

In this section we will be posting town-related Public Notices that we believe may be of interest to our readers.

Disclaimer: These are NOT paid notices. For paid, legally-required notices, please consult the municipal website’s Notices/Announcements section on the town’s municipal website, the Notices sections of the local print media, or contact the appropriate department at Town Hall.

[This report has yet to be completed;  last worked on Dec. 10]

The newly-elected Board of Selectmen met on Monday evening, December 7, and immediately set its own course.  Following are items discussed at last night’s meeting, not necessarily in the order that they appeared on the evening’s agenda (see foot of report.)

As a general note, First Selectman Dan Jerram informed everyone that agendas will from this point on include items that have been carried forward from previous meetings, and those items will remain on the Board of Selectmen’s agenda until each item has been resolved.

Agenda Item #1: Discussion of Meeting Dates and Times For 2010

The meeting dates for the BOS for 2010 have been changed to the second Tuesday of the month at 5:30 p.m. and to the 4th Tuesday of the month.  This is to allow the BOS to meet in its first meeting of the month on the same evening as the Board of Finance.  The BOS will meet at 5:30 p.m., leaving open the possibility of the selectmen meeting with the BOF at 7:00 p.m. if necessary.  Both Tom and Bruce supported this change in the meeting times and the 2010 BOS meeting schedule was approved unanimously.

Agenda Item #3.  Operations Updates (First Selectman’s Report):

Dan informed the other selectmen that he was carrying out a review of the finances of all the boards and commissions.

Pension Board: Dan said he had been to the Pension Board’s meeting the previous week and he said that Board had been happy with the performance of its investment portfolio; the value of the investments were almost back (down 1%) from when the Board had moved its portfolio from the Bank of America to its new advisors 18 months before.

Bruce asked when the last actuarial valuation had been done, and Dan said it had just been received.  Tom said that the fact that the portfolio value was almost back to where it was (18 months before) was good news.

Brown’s Corner ~ Rec Commission: At the BOS meeting were John Maschi, Dan Eddy and Rick Berneike.  Dan said he had attended the Rec Commission meeting this past Wednesday and Rec had presented a plan for fencing at Brown’s Corner.  He also said that members of the Rec Commission, Tim Traub of Hemlock Construction and he had gone on a site visit of the playing fields this past Saturday.

Dan invited Rick Berneike, who had made the original presentation to the Rec Commission, to present the project to the BOS.  Rick said that because of activities in the parking lot at Brown’s Corner when noone was around, Rec was proposing to install post and rail fencing ~ the same that is already in place in one area of the parking lot ~ to limit access to the park.  The additional fencing would be put in around the periphery of the parking lot back to where the trees impede access.  The work would cost about $10,500.  Dan said he wanted to take the plan to the Board of Finance and then to Inland Wetlands.

Bruce said it made sense but they had to look at the numbers.  Tom also said his one concern was how it was going to be paid for.

John Maschi informed the selectmen that Rec had $50,000 in their budget for this year, plus a rollover of $14,000 +/- from last year.

Another project Rec felt it was necessary to do was to replace the heating system at Berkshire Hall.  Despite the heating system being relatively new ~ it was installed in 1998 when Berkshire Hall was renovated ~ the system has been jerry-rigged from oil to propane and different inspections had concluded that the system could fail at any time, causing considerable water damage to the building.  Dan asked Rec to call one more person to carry out an inspection of the furnace.

Both projects are being brought to the Board of Finance to make sure that there’s no objection after the fact, Dan said.

Town Hall Operating Hours for 2010: Dan said that according to the agreement that had been signed shifting the operating hours to 4 days, the operating hours can return to 5 days with the appropriate notification.   He said he will be discussing that with the union, but he wants to try to return to the 5-day work week  at the beginning of the year after the holidays.  He asked the selectmen for their thoughts and Bruce said it was his (Dan’s) call.  Tom concurred.

Town Clerk Donna LaPlante, who was at the meeting, said that the Tax Collector had already sent out notices with the 4-day work week hours and that it may be February before any change could be made.  Dan responded that since different offices were working different hours ~ for example, the Land Use office tended to start earlier in the day ~ he would look into the issues.  Dan said it was a services issue. “I would love to have it open longer hours.”  Dan said.

In the interim, the First Selectman’s Office will be open on Fridays.  Dan mentioned how three of the town’s top taxpayers had come looking for services this past Friday when his office was open.  ”Reopening on Fridays will be a shift in direction.  We’ll be working on that.” Were Dan’s last words on this agenda item for that evening.

Agenda Item #11: Executive Session Re. Pending Litigation

The public portion of the Board of Selectmen meeting ended with the board going into executive session to discuss pending claims.  The board gave no indication of which of the pending claims against the town that had been carried over from the previous administration it would be discussing.

The first meeting of the newly-elected Board of Selectmen on Monday, December 7. Shown in the photo (from left to right): Christine Hayward, Tom Klebart, Dan Jerram and Bruce Gresczyk. Photo: Maria Moore

The agenda for the above Board of Selectmen Meeting is as follows:

Board of Selectmen
Regular Meeting
Monday, December 7, 2009

AGENDA
5:30 PM
Town Hall
1.)Discussion of Meeting Dates and Times for 2010
2.)Approval of Holiday Schedule for 2010
3.)Operations Updates (First Selectman’s Report)
4.)Review and possible re-allocation of capital budget items
5.)Review Annual Appointments
6.)Appointment of First Selectmen to Farmington Valley Health District Board
7.)Appointments to Low Impact Density Task Force
8.)Request for Tax Refunds
9.)Correspondence
10.)Any Other Business to Come Before This Board
11.)Executive Session - for the purpose of discussion regarding strategy/negotiation with respect to pending claims

WATER MAIN FLUSHING AND HYDRANT TESTING

is scheduled for New Hartford Water Customers

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2009 through FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2009

between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Customers are encouraged to avoid using washing machines, dishwashers or other water using devices during flushing operations. Briefly running the cold water tap may help to clear discolored water.

If discolored water or low pressure persists after several hours, call Connecticut Water Company, Unionville Division at (860) 673-0079.

_____________________

Disclaimer: NewHartfordPlus is providing the above information to our readers because we believe the information may be of interest to New Hartford residents. The above is not an official notice. To read the official notice please visit the Notices section of the town’s municipal website.

By: Maria Moore

Town Elections Scheduled for Tuesday, November 3

Elections for municipal offices are scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, from 6:00 a.m. through 8:00 p.m. Polling locations are:

• District 1: Town Hall in the Senior Center, 530 Main Street, New Hartford;
• District 2: South End Firehouse, Antolini Road, New Hartford.

If you have any questions regarding the district that you will be voting in, please call the Registrars of Voters at 738-9721, or the First Selectman’s Office at 379-3389.

___________________

Absentee Ballots Available From Town Clerk’s Office

Absentee ballots are now available from the Town Clerk’s Office. If you will be out of town on election day, Tuesday, November 3, you may still vote in the election by obtaining an absentee ballot from the Town Clerk. Absentee ballots are available until Monday, November 2 at 5:00 p.m., the day before the election.

The Town Clerk’s Office is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, from 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. and Wednesday from 8:00 a.m. through 6:00 p.m. The office is closed on Fridays.

If you have any questions regarding absentee ballots, and deadlines to obtain an absentee ballot, please call the Town Clerk’s Office, at 379-5037, where Donna LaPlante, Town Clerk, or Nancy Eldridge, Assistant to the Town Clerk, are available to answer your questions.

You may also email the Town Clerk’s Office at nhtownclerk@town.new-hartford.ct.us

For more information: about the Town Clerk’s Office, please visit the Town Clerk’s section on the town municipal website.

___________________

Voter Registration Session on Tuesday, October 27

Daria Hart, Democratic Registrar of Voters, and Lila Tuxbury, Republican Registrar of Voters, will be holding an all-day Voter Registration Session to help residents answer any and all questions they may have about their registration to vote in elections in town. The details for this all-day session are as follows:

• Tuesday, October 27, from 9:00 a.m. through 8:00 p.m. at the Registrars’ of Voters Office located next to the Tax Collector’s Office on the ground floor of the Town Hall.

This is the second Voter Registration Session held by the registrars. The first session was held on October 17 from 10:00 a.m. through 2:00 p.m.

The deadline for accepting registrations by mail was yesterday, October 20. All registrations from today through Tuesday, October 27, must be made in person at the Registrars’ Office.

In addition to the full-day session on October 27, the registrars will be available during their regular office hours on Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. through 2:00 p.m.

If you have any questions regarding your voter registration status, please call the Registrars of Voters at 738-9721 and leave a message for either Lila and/or Daria. You may also email Lila and Daria at vr.newhartford@po.state.ct.us

For more information: about the Registrars of Voters Office, please visit the Registrars of Voters section on the town’s municipal website.

Did you know? Voter registration cards are available outside the Registrars’ Office, as are complete lists of voter registrations of New Hartford residents, so you can pick up a card or check your political affiliation any time Town Hall is open from Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. through whenever the last meeting being held at Town Hall ends ~ check our Community Calendar and if there is an evening meeting scheduled at Town Hall, the doors will be unlocked and you’ll be able to access the information outside the Registrars of Voters Office.

Editor’s Note: When was the last time you checked your voter registration status? On a recent visit to the registrar’s, our editor learned that her registration was not Democrat as she had assumed for years, despite her Independent voting record because of her fiscally-conservative vote which has been Republican in many cases. She is an Unaffiliated voter, and has been since 1996. As Daria pointed out to her, if you are registered as a Democrat, an Independent, or as a Republican you belong to an officially-recognized party in Connecticut. You do not belong to a party if your voter status is Unaffiliated. Your registration carries legal ramifications as far as your ability to vote in primaries, etc. If you have any questions, please stop by the Registrars of Voters Office this coming Tuesday, October 27.

To read more: about our editor’s, Maria Moore’s, recent visit to the Registrars’ Office, please see our report Maria’s “Duhhh Moment…” included in our October 16 News Updates…

Many Thanks: To Lila Tuxbury for correcting the last date by which residents may register or make changes to their registration information.  The correct date is Tuesday, October 27.

____________________

Testing of Tabulators on Thursday, October 22

In our recent conversation, Daria Hart, Democratic Registrar of Voters, also informed us that the registrars will be testing the tabulators on Thursday, October 22. The testing will take place in the lower-floor conference room, the “Jail Door” conference room. Residents are welcome to attend the testing.

Our reporter, who previously had no idea of all the behind-the-scenes work done by the registrars to get ready for elections, asked: “What does that mean?” Daria said:

“We are going to test the stack(s?) ~ verifying that the tabulators are working properly.”

Please call the registrars for more information at 738-9721. You may also email the registrars at vr.newhartford@po.state.ct.us.

Disclaimer: The above information was obtained by our reporter during her rounds at Town Hall and is correct to the best of her knowledge. It is not based on official notices from the Town Clerk or the Registrars of Voters. Please be sure to check with both those offices for official, official information, which always supercedes anything we publish. Thank you for your understanding of our volunteer efforts.

__________________

Keep The Cup: Daria’s Rallying Cry

Practically every time our reporter speaks with Daria Hart, Democratic Registrar of Voters, Daria will say:

“Remember now: Keep The Cup!“

Daria is referring to the Democracy Cup, which is displayed in the First Selectman’s Office, on top of the shelving unit on the right as soon as you enter the door into the office. This Democracy Cup was awarded to the town of New Hartford for having achieved the highest percentage voter turn-out in its category in the state for the 2008 elections ~ an achievement we can all be proud!

Daria and Lila ~ although in Lila’s case, in a little less vocal way, as is her style ~ are understandably proud of their role in bringing the Democracy Cup to our town, since it’s the result of not only having the highest percentage of town residents vote in its category in the last election, but it’s also due to their efforts in maintaining accurate, up-to-date records on the town’s voters.

While Daria acknowledges that it will be more difficult to achieve such a high percentage of voter turn-out for the upcoming election, she is determined to make it happen. So please turn out to vote this coming November 3 and help Lila and Daria keep the Democracy Cup in New Hartford!

Note: Also shown with the Democracy Cup are the framed prints of the floor plans for the two polling places in New Hartford, which were voted the best floor plans submitted at the ROVAC (Registrars of Voters Association of Connecticut) Conference this past May. Daria and Lila and their moderators attended the training session for registrars, after it was approved by two out of the three members of the Board of Selectmen, Bill Marchand and Phyllis Webb over First Selectman Earl MacInnes’ objections, at the May 4 Board of Selectmen meeting; see our May 5 report Registrars OK’d…

“We had a little fun with the plans.” Daria said about the little feet on the plans showing the route taken by voters in the polling places. What a fun team!

The Democracy Cup awarded to New Hartford for having the highest percentage turn-out of voters in its category in the 2008 elections. Photo: Maria Moore

[CORRECTION: The cost of the repair work to repair the Industrial Park washout reported by the First Selectman to the Board of Selectmen was $49,925+/-, and not the $29,900 that we reported in our original article. This higher figure was confirmed by two others present at the Board of Selectmen meeting, and by Christine Hayward, Administrative Assistant to the First Selectman, who had taken the minutes at the meeting.  The amount budgeted for the work was $50,000; 7:30 a.m., Friday, September 11.]

By: Maria Moore

The Board of Selectmen meeting yesterday evening, Tuesday, September 8, started out with an item that was not on the agenda when, during the Public Comments item at the beginning of the meeting, Alesia Kennerson asked First Selectman Earl MacInnes for details about the town delivering free fill to anyone who asks for it - with no charge for delivery either! This “unadvertised special” as Denton Butler called it, elicited questions from the other two members of the board, who from their questions had apparently not not heard anything about it, and also from Town Treasurer Blake Hall and Board of Finance member Roy Litchfield.

Alesia asked about the free fill because she had seen trucks going by her home making deliveries in her neighborhood.  Earl confirmed that the town was delivering free fill to residents that ask for it, without charging for delivery.  This was being done to get rid of the fill that was piled up at Brown’s Corner, so that Hemlock Construction, the company hired by the town for the construction project at the playing fields, can complete the job.

“Residents are getting free yardage and free delivery?  What a deal!” Roy said at one point.

When questioned further, Earl confirmed that the deliveries were being made by tri-axle dump trucks that the town is renting because, he explained, they can haul 18 yards at the time, as opposed to the 6 yards that the town-owned trucks can haul in one trip.

Selectwoman Phyllis Webb said that she would like to look at other options of getting rid of the fill, and explore their costs.

“If you have any other suggestions then make them now.  If you want it stopped, then say so!” Earl responded.

Phyllis repeated that she would like to explore options, that it may be possible to charge something to help defray the cost to the town.

“What are those options?… What are they?”  Earl kept up the pressure on Phyllis.  ”He’s trying to back her into a corner to say something about stopping work at Brown’s Corner!” A member of the public was heard to say.  [Phyllis is running against Earl for the First Selectman position in this fall's elections - editor's note].

Phyllis turned to fellow selectman, Bill Marchand, who had been listening to the exchange, and asked: “Any thoughts, Bill?”

Bill asked Earl: “How many more (truckloads) are  left?”  Earl answered that there are many more left to haul.

“Did you look at other options?” Phyllis asked Earl.  ”No,” he answered, “We just need it out of there!”

Roy then asked what the town was paying for the trucks and Earl said $1,000 per day - per truck, he clarified, in answer to another question.  The money is being taken from the Highway Department’s budget, Earl added.

“We didn’t know this was coming?”  Roy asked, “Why are we being pushed to do it now?”  Earl explained that the deal struck  with the construction company was that they would use the fill for the bridge construction, for the new road bed, and that the excess was the town’s.  He said the original deal had been made by the previous administration.

“$1,000 is a bad price.” Roy said.  Roy works in construction management.

“I thought the town wasn’t going to be paying (to get rid of the fill).  I thought it was part of the compensation for doing the road.  It doesn’t make sense… we don’t know how much will be spent.  We won’t be repairing roads.” Blake said.

“We don’t know that!” Earl answered.

Phyllis commented that the scope of the work seems to have changed.  She said that this past Saturday she was watching the work going on at Brown’s Corner and was concerned at the cost.  Earl responded that the cost of the work going on last Saturday was Hemlock’s ~ the cost of the paving was the town’s.

“When are they paving?” Blake asked.  ”It will be done by the end of October,” Earl answered.

The discussion then turned to the effect that halting the work would have.  Earl said that if the work is halted, in 3-4 weeks, when football starts at Brown’s Corner, the number of cars will exceed the capacity of the parking lot.

“If you want to stop it, then just say so!”  Earl repeated.  Phyllis asked if it was possible to leave the fill there, to move it somewhere at the fields.  Earl responded that there was no spot for it.

Alesia asked if there was a demand from others asking for the fill, and when she was told that there was, she suggested coming up with an hourly rate to charge to cover the cost to the town.

“Is Hemlock charging for the fill?” someone asked and Earl answered: “No!”

“They did a few weeks ago!” Blake responded. As a result of her investigation today, Wednesday, it is our reporter’s understanding that through yesterday’s Board of Selectmen meeting, those that called Hemlock Construction directly through the number posted at Brown’s Corner were being charged for the fill by Hemlock, and those that called the First Selectman’s Office at Town Hall received the fill for free.

Denton Butler, who had been listening to the discussion, then said: “It comes across as an unadvertised special!”  He continued that putting the sign up at Brown’s Corner didn’t do him any good, since he hadn’t been down there for ages ~ primarily because of the deplorable condition of Steele Road.

“It’s been in the papers advertised,” Earl said.  When our reporter asked today (Wednesday) at Town Hall whether the free fill had been advertised, she was told that, to the best of their knowledge, there had not been any advertising done.  Our reporter also could not find a legal ad published advertising the fill.

“We need to examine these time-honored traditions of the town that don’t always work in the best interest of the residents,” Denton continued.  He suggested there be procedures to look at the terms of the agreements being made, that there should be a policy for administrations to follow.  He also suggested that the town  come up with a fixed fee for delivery to anywhere in New Hartford to recover some of the cost.

Phyllis asked whether any other trucking companies had been contacted, and she was told they had not.  Bill asked whether any of the money was recoverable from the Rec Commission and he was told it was not.

Bill then asked whether CVC (Canton Village Construction) had been contacted about the free fill, because, he said, a few years back they had taken free fill from the Satan’s Kingdom area.

“He sold it!” Earl said.  Bill answered: “It seems to be a savings to the town if they take it away for free.”

“What does the Board wish to do?” Earl asked.

Bill said that he didn’t want to spend any more money at this point.  ”The board has to have the fortitude to say why there won’t be parking there,” he added.  He also said they should get (Dan) LeGeyt (Highway Superintendent) to see how much it would cost to deliver the fill, and the town should expand the search beyond Hemlock and CVC to others.

Phyllis agreed that those were good options.  She also said to look at other trucking companies, who might take the fill away for free.  ”We don’t need to say we are shutting it down, we are looking at the options.”

Earl asked if they should continue with what they are doing, or if they should stop the work. Both the other members of the board agreed that they should stop the paid haulage by the town until they explore the options.

Christine Hayward, the Administrative Assistant to the First Selectman, asked whether that also applied to the 4 applications that had come in or whether they should be honored.

“If the individual wants to pay for haulage, they can pay for it.” Bill answered.  Earl asked who was going to do the hauling in those cases, the town trucks?

He was told to stop all of it, even the town trucks.

“Yes, because I’m going to complain, I’m not getting my fair share of the deal,” Roy said, repeating what he had said at the beginning of the discussion.

Bill made the motion to stop all hauling of fill from Brown’s Corner  in order to allow the Board of Selectmen to explore other options for removal of the fill.  Phyllis seconded the motion. Earl abstained.

Note: Earl also informed the Board during the meeting that the town had spent $17,000 so far on delivering free fill from Brown’s Corner.  This was a note at the end of our reporter’s notes at the end of this portion of the discussion, and is added as a note at the end of this section of the report.

A copy of an invoice from Hemlock Construction for 2 days of hauling of fill from Brown's Corner.

The huge piles of fill at Brown's Corner which the town has been trucking to anyone who asks for it free of charge - and with free delivery, even though, according to First Selectman Earl MacInnes, the town is paying $1,000 a day for each truck. Photo: Maria Moore

Operations Updates

Industrial Park Washout: Earl informed the meeting that the work at the Industrial Park washout had been completed at a cost of [ $49,925+/- and not the $29,900, we originally reported; we will verify this high amount on Monday, the 14th when Town Hall is open for business again.] The work had been carried out by CVC. Phyllis remarked that the bids had been very similar and Earl responded that they only had to go to the website to read the minutes to get the cost.

Hickory Knoll: Earl said they had to replace every catch basin and they had to reconfigure the road entrance to a standard entrance so that the plows could maneuver easily. Phyllis asked a question regarding the manpower available in the town’s Highway Department, and Earl said that the town doesn’t have the manpower necessary to do all the work themselves.

“Do we go out to bid?” Phyllis asked.  ”I hear CVC and Hemlock only.”  Earl responded: “We can look at other construction companies.”

Winchester Road Bridge: Earl said that bridge has the worst rating for a bridge and that the town was having an engineer look at it to see what has to be done.

Town Website: Earl said that there had been a lot of discussion when the town website was shut down, but now that it was back up again, they hadn’t heard from anyone.  Alesia volunteered that she liked it.

“The website will only be as successful as the information sent to us,” Earl said.  Denton asked how many hits the website received and Earl responded that he didn’t know, but that he knew that people were using it.

The suggestion was also made to announce the website in the next town newsletter, since that’s sent out to everyone in town, with Denton adding that it should be emailed to residents.  Earl also suggested to the reporters present, Kari Banach of the Republican-American and Maria Moore of NewHartfordPlus, that they write an article on the website.  Our reporter informed Earl that she has already interviewed Christine Hayward and Beth Paul for such an article, all she needs is the time to write it up.

Line Item Transfers: The Board looked briefly over the two pages of line item transfers and approved sending them to the Board of Finance later that same evening, Tuesday, September 8, for their review and approval.

Denton Butler - Change in Procedure For WWTP Paperwork

Giving a ‘Readers’ Digest’ report, Denton informed the Board of Selectmen that there has been a change in the procedure in the way in which the paperwork for the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) is processed in order to comply with Federal guidelines.  He said that change orders and the certified payroll have to be processed in front of a certified representative, which for this month will be on September 23.  The First Selectman is also required to be there.

So far, there have only been two change orders to date, Denton said, one for signage at the plant and the other to change the wording of the contract to accommodate the Federal guidelines.  Because of timing issues, he said they (the Building Oversight Committee) may not be able to get change orders to the BOS ahead of meetings.

Blake asked about the impact on payments to Nickerson.  Denton said that the next batch of bills will be for September, that they hadn’t done any for August.  Blake asked if he had any idea of how much the bills would be for, and Denton said he’d try to get the number to him by the end of the week.

Town Hall Hours

Earl said that at the staff meeting, the input from staff had been that they see more people in the extra hour from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. and that they feel they should continue the present hours (open until 5 p.m. and closed on Fridays.)  He said that since the tax payment notices for January had already been sent out with the Fridays closed hours, they should continue the present hours until a new administration comes in and reviews them.

He said that they were not aware of anyone complaining about the change in the hours of operation at Town Hall, except for Maria Moore.  [ Please refer to our August 15 report 80.65 Percent Want Town Hall Open On Fridays, in which we report that in a survey carried out by Town Hall employees asking for residents' input on Town Hall hours, 50 out of 62 respondents wanted to have Town Hall open again on Fridays].

Earl spoke briefly about the energy costs during the past year since Town Hall had been closed on Fridays (the original reason to try closing on Fridays was to see if energy costs could be cut).  He said the electricity costs were “all over the place” and he pointed to the electric heaters placed in the entrances  of the building as being the cause.  As far as oil consumption, Town Hall had saved 300 gallons over the one-year period.

Earl ended by saying that, as Donna had pointed out, other town halls were moving toward 4-day work weeks, and that New Hartford was “ahead of the curve.”

Phyllis said that one of her big concerns was the seniors, that they should have access 24/7.

“This is the town’s building!” Earl responded.  ”They have a contract!” Roy said.

Phyllis said that since the tax notices had gone out, she agreed to wait until there is a new administration in place.  She said that she had noticed that most town halls have Friday hours, which the NewHartfordPlus survey also found; see our August 28 report Hours of Operation of Town Halls in Litchfield County which found that 10 out of 11 town halls, not including New Hartford, that are open for at least 30 hours a week,  are open on Fridays.

“It’s silly to have activities going on here (on Fridays) and not have access!” Phyllis said.  She concluded by saying that it would be nice to have a half-day on Fridays and be open for 2 nights later during the rest of the week.

The selectmen agreed to leave the Town Hall hours as they are now until the new administration comes into office to review the issue.

Many thanks to Alesia Kennerson for asking the question that brought to light the free fill “unadvertised special.”