NewHartfordPlus.com

By: Bob Moore

Following is a video recording of the public comment section at the beginning of the Brodie Park South Study Group/Committee held on February 24 on the third floor of the Town Hall. A large number of New Hartford Football supporters, as evidenced by their Wolverines red sweatshirts, attended the meeting as well other members of the public.

Members of the Study Group initially sitting at the conference table at the front of the room were (from left to right): Rick Berneike (Youth Sports), Alison Murdock (Conservation Commission) and Dan Eddy (Chairman of the Study Group and Rec Commission member). Shortly after the start of the meeting they were joined by Corina Hughes (Friends of Brodie Park) and later former First Selectman Bob LaGoy (sitting in for Jean Cronauer of Open Space Preservation). Absent from the meeting were John Maschi, Rec Commission Chairman, and a representative from the Senior Center Board.

Dan Eddy recapped the work of the Committee for the audience, followed by First Selectman Dan Jerram, who presented figures obtained from Youth Sports of the numbers participating in each of the various sports in New Hartford. The floor was then given over to members of the public for their comments and questions.

The Friends of Brodie Park have issued their position statement as members of the Brodie Park South Study Group/Committee. The Brodie Park South group was convened in March of 2010 by the Recreation Commission for the dual purpose of 1) clarifying the status of Brodie Park South and 2) determining how and where to best accommodate Youth Sports’ need for an additional playing field in town.

Briefly, the Friends of Brodie position is that:

• This location (BPS) lacks necessary supporting infrastructure.
• One field will not fill even the immediate needs of youth sports.
• FOBP believes that the town needs to locate a parcel of land… big enough to meet the growing needs of youth sports… and maybe even adult sports.
• FOBP believes that it is unwise to sacrifice this parcel when it will not meet the future needs of youth sports.
• It is the recommendation of FOBP that the town put out a public, town wide search including all parties involved, to seek out a larger location nearer to a main artery, 202/44 or even rt.4.
• FOBP came to a unanimous decision to recommend that the parcel at Brodie Park South not be developed for a multipurpose field at this time.
• We would like to support efforts to push forward on protecting some, or all of the parks land especially that at BPS through zoning changes and with a Conservation Restriction or a Deed of Conservation Restriction Easement.

Following is the full copy of the Friends of Brodie position statement:

To read the February 23 Open Space Commission position statement see our February 25 report Brodie Park South Study Group/Committee: Position Statement Of Open Space Commission.

To read the Senior Center Board position statement of June, 2010 see our February 24 report Brodie Park South Study Group/Committee Special Meeting This Evening At 7 PM; Seniors’ Position Statement.

To see Youth Sports’ preliminary plan to locate the athletic field at Brodie Park South see our January 13, 2011 report Preliminary Plan For Athletic Field At Brodie Park South Made Available By Youth Sports.

To read the Rec Commission’s press release regarding their efforts to find a location for a new sports field and their focusing on the open field area at Brodie Park South as the possible location for the new sports field, see our January 6 report Brodie Park South Study Group Meeting Wednesday The 12th To Include Public Input: Press Release.

To read the May, 2010 baseline study by the Northwest Conservation District, see our July 13, 2010 Brodie Park South Baseline Study, V.2 Now Available. This study was commissioned and paid for by the Recreation, Open Space Preservation and Conservation Commissions.

To read our full coverage of the Brodie Park South Study Group/Committee see our Brodie Park South section.

The end of the trail at Brodie Park South brings hikers to the open meadow area bathed in sunlight in this July 2010 image. Photo: NewHartfordPlus archives

By: Maria Moore

Last night’s Brodie Park South Study Group/Committee meeting drew a large crowd of New Hartford Football supporters as evidenced by the red Wolverines sweatshirts among the audience. Irrespective of the colors on display,  everyone gave their personal input while acknowledging the needs of the community as a whole. Bob Moore, NewHartfordPlus techie, captured the whole on video and he will post that footage on NHPlus within the next couple of days.

In the meantime, in the absence of Jean Cronauer, the Open Space representative on the Study Group/Committee, former First Selectman Bob LaGoy, a member of the Open Space Commission, said a few words about the Open Space position statement that had been emailed by Bill Michaud, Open Space Chairman to Dan Eddy, Chairman of the group, on Wednesday, February 23. The Open Space position statement was not read into the record of the meeting; we are therefore publishing that statement so that it might become part of the information available to our community as the members of the study group/committee continue the twin discussions of 1) the status of Brodie Park South and 2) how and where to best accommodate the youth sports’ need for an additional playing field in town.

Briefly, the Open Space Commission’s position is that:

1. OSPC believes that the Town should pursue both open space and active recreational priorities and that neither should be pursued at the exclusion of the other.
2. OSPC believes that it is premature to make a recommendation regarding the future development land on Brodie South for playing fields.
3. OSPC agrees that it would be extremely valuable to obtain public input regarding the development of new playing fields in New Hartford, though we believe that an alternative approach to that proposed at the last meeting is needed.
4. OSPC believes that development of new playing fields, at Brodie South or other locations, should consider low impact development (LID) approaches in all phases.

Following is the full copy of the Open Space position statement:

To review the information on the Brodie Park South Study Group/Committee see our Brodie Park South section.

Many Thanks to the Friends of NewHartfordPlus for providing us with a copy of the Open Space position statement for us to make available to the New Hartford community.

Former First Selectman Bob LaGoy (lower right) listens as First Selectman Dan Jerram runs through some sports numbers during his input at the Brodie Park South meeting on Thursday, February 24. Photo: Maria Moore

The Brodie Park South Study Group/Committee is meeting this evening at 7:00 p.m.  in the Senior Center at Town Hall.  According to the agenda for the meeting, there will be one hour allocated at the beginning of the meeting for public input “on agenda items ONLY;” see the agenda at the end of this report. It has been rumored that the public input section will be moderated by someone outside of the Study Group/Committee’s membership but we have not been able to get confirmation of this from the Chairman, Dan Eddy.

Seniors’ Position Statement

We are able to confirm that the Seniors will not be represented at the meeting. They have withdrawn from the Study Group/Committee because the seniors felt, as a Senior Center Board member told our reporter today “we were spinning our wheels.” Asked whether they had submitted a position statement to the chairman of the committee, the Senior Board member said that they had submitted their statement in June of 2010 and nothing came of it. Following is a copy of the Seniors’ position statement submitted last year:

We hope to publish the position statements of the remaining groups represented on the Study Group/Committee after this evening’s meeting.

To review the background of the Brodie Park South Study Group/Committee see our Brodie Park South section.
_______________

Brodie South Study Group Meeting
Special Meeting
Thursday, February 24, 2011
7:00 PM
Town Hall

AGENDA

1.) Research reports from Members
2.) Public Comment on agenda items ONLY limited to ONE HOUR maximum
3.) Members comments, questions, discussion of past/current topics
4.)Discussion of minutes
5.)Projects for next meeting
6.) Schedule next meeting

Respectfully Submitted,

Dan Eddy, Chairman

A view of the woods at the edge of the field area at Brodie Park South. Photo: NewHartfordPlus archives

By: Maria Moore

It appears that the next meeting of the Brodie Park South Study Group Committee will be held on Thursday, February 24 according to a memo from Youth Sports that has been circulated among “active sports” participants. We received a copy of the memo from a friend of NewHartfordPlus who wished to have this information publicly available; below is a copy of that memo. We emailed Dan Eddy, the Chairman of the Study Group Committee this past Thursday asking if a date had been set for the meeting and we have not received any response to our email. Town Clerk Donna LaPlante confirmed to us yesterday, Friday that she has not received any information about the next meeting of that group. We will of course confirm the meeting date when that information becomes officially available.

We have blacked out the names of the volunteers mentioned in the memo other than that of Dan Eddy who has served as the group’s spokesperson to the media.

To read our coverage of the Brodie Park South Study Group Committee see our Brodie Park S. category.

To the Editor of NewHartfordPlus,

A lot of information and disinformation has been going around regarding the potential future use of Brodie Park South. I have been reluctant to address the issue publicly because the BPS Study Committee’s charge and authority is still being determined, the process by which any decisions will be made is still being formulated, and we have not yet made any formal recommendations. That said, I feel I need to address one of the remarks I have heard:

The claim is made that “only 10%” of the acreage has potential to be disturbed. This gives the impression that any part of the property is worth the same as any other part. The fact is, the property is not homogenous. The “only 10%” is actually 100% of the open area; the remainder is forested and is already subject to a stewardship plan that was accepted by the BOS several years ago, rendering moot further discussion of its use and disposal. Despite (or maybe because) of this, the BPS Study Committee agreed several months ago that we would recommend protection of the entire forested area. There were no minutes taken, so I hope the rest of the committee will corroborate my memory.

The “only 10%” encompasses the ground-nesting bird habitat that is home to bird species of special concern and has been regarded as protected through a long-standing agreement brokered by the Conservation Commission and supported by the BOS and the Rec Commission. I am not so naïve as to suppose that unofficial agreement would stand up to a serious challenge, but it certainly argues for the existence of intent to permanently protect that area in the future (or at least as long as the birds continue to return each year).

The “only 10%” also provides habitat for many different creatures, including Box Turtles (another species of special concern). The US Department of Agriculture classifies the soil as “Prime Farmland Soil” and “Statewide Important Farmland Soil”. This type of soil is the most valuable and the most rapidly disappearing in CT; once it has been compromised, it cannot be restored.

The entire parcel contains soils and topography rated as priority for protection by the New Hartford’s Natural Resources Inventory, the Northwest Conservation District Benchmark Study, CT Department of Environmental Protection studies, and the US Congress’ Highlands Conservation Act.

I would like to see some statistics about how many users would benefit from the development of this “only 10%”. My guess is that it would be much less than 10% of the interested stakeholders, even if we only count people (hard to represent the animals that depend on it for habitat; they don’t get a vote).

So, are we going to destroy prime farmland, open space and wildlife habitat for “only 2%” of the potential users?

I hope this information illustrates the complexity of the issues we are dealing with here. Attempts to oversimplify the questions does a disservice to the land and its inhabitants.

Respectfully submitted,
Alison Murdock
Chair, New Hartford Conservation Commission

The open field area at Brodie Park South photographed in May 2010

We received the following Letter to the Editor from Dan Eddy at 11:06 p.m. yesterday evening, Friday, January 22. We are publishing it below in its entirety.

Letter To The Editor

In response to the articles and flurry of comments lately about the potential use or uses of Brodie South I would like to address some of the procedural issues and again invite the public to attend the meetings so you can make up your own minds based on your perception of the meetings. The issues I will address are three, Agenda, public input, and meeting minutes.

This letter in no way represents an opinion on how various groups handle their affairs. I have nothing but admiration for all those volunteers.

First let me be clear all the organizations are manned by volunteers. If you check my research you will find the same names appearing again and again. This town can not function without these volunteers. The fact that they may not dot every I or cross every T is very understandable. Besides giving huge amounts of time to this community they have families, jobs and homes to attend to.

All my research was done throughout the day, today January 21, 2011 on the town web site. Anyone wishing to check my facts need only peruse that source.

At noon time today there were 14 scheduled meetings listed between January 5 and January 26. Seven of these had agendas attached so publishing agendas in certainly not universal. Of the seven that had agendas only 4 had allocated time for public input. Four published meetings out of 14, acknowledged that they would allow for public input.

Now for the real boring part. Published minutes, we will assume minutes were kept, but publishing them is the only way to be sure that they were kept. The number of months is calculated from June 09 to November 2010, 18 months. It does not appear as though any of December’s minutes have yet been published. A few committees appear to have met twice a month.

Pension board 18 months 4 published minutes, EDC 18 months 11 published minutes, Selectman 18 months 35 published minutes, Open Space 18 months 2 published minutes, RR#1 18 months 0 published minutes, WPCA 18 months (many times twice a month) 18 minutes, Conservation Commission 18 months 9 published minutes,
Stancliff Cove 18 months 2 published minutes, Board of finance 18 months 18 published minutes, Recreation commission 18 months 13 published minutes. I believe most of these groups have monthly scheduled meetings.

My point is that when you are reading things it is very important to know the context in which your article is set. It seems clear to me that the average committee in town does not publish an agenda, does not have a public input time as part of their scheduled meeting and does not publish minutes of meetings.

As I said earlier this is not to criticize, it is the way things go when there is so little time to get stuff done.

My research my not have touched on every group and perhaps I could have dug deeper, so to that extent this is an editorial, omitting available information is as much editorializing as asserting opinions. Anything omitted was not done intentionally I just have limited time like everyone else.

One final item, if you take the time to go to the P&Z office and look at the approved Browns Corner plan you will find there will be no more parking available, without modification of the plan and approval from P&Z. The entire area where the gravel is, is dedicated to flat grass playing area. It is not big enough to accommodate any regulation size field but would allow for warm ups, k-1 soccer, and T-ball. If more parking space is allocated, playing field space will be reduced.

Again I hope this adds depth for those of you following the Brodie South issues, and please make your judgements with consideration for what is the norm.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all those volunteers that make our wonderful community function so well and thank you to all the towns people who are interested enough to follow and comment on local issues.

Respectfully submitted,
Dan Eddy
New Hartford

Dan Eddy is the Chairman of the Brodie Park South Study Group Committee. To review the articles of this Committee on NewHartfordPlus please see our Brodie Park S. section. This section may also be accessed through the tab at the top of our home page immediately under our masthead.

Clarification: The Town of New Hartford does not post all agendas and all minutes of town boards, commissions and committees on the Town’s website.  There is the following disclaimer posted on the Meetings section: “The following is a partial listing of meetings that might be of interest to residents. This information is for convenience only, and is NOT the official record. A more comprehensive list is available in the office of the Town Clerk.”  The Town Clerk has copies of all agendas and minutes filed by the different groups as they are required to do.  NewHartfordPlus has requested copies of minutes for the Brodie Park South Study Group Committee from the Town Clerk and we were informed that no minutes have been filed for any of the Committee’s meetings.  This has been one of the complaints made about the proceedings of this Committee, The NewHartfordPlus Crew

A recent view of the field area at Brodie Park South. Photo from NewHartfordPlus archives

Following the publication of our January 11 report Charge Of Brodie Park South Study Group Committee Unclear To Both Members And Public the Register Citizen published a report this past Monday, January 17 on the same issue, Study group to look at 150-acre Brodie South parcel in New Hartford. Among the many comments from unidentified commentors there was one criticizing the NewHartordPlus article as an editorial, a criticism that had been made multiple times in private to us by an interested party on the Brodie Park South Study Group Committee. We had responded to that criticism in private when it was made to members of the Committee; once that same criticism was made in response to the Register’s article without the commentor identifying himself, we made the following response which we would like to add to our record of this issue on NewHartfordPlus:

“The article in NewHartfordPlus was written after countless hours collecting data and input from all of the groups represented on the Brodie Park South Study Group Committee (other than the Friends of Brodie – our apologies). In the past year we have published the Eco Baseline Study by the Northwest Conservation District, copies of two preliminary plans for a football field (at Antolini and Brodie Park North) and the latest for an athletic field at Brodie Park South. The article referred to is our second on the BPS Study Group Committee, the first was published in May 2010 and recorded residents’ input on how they would like to see Brodie Park South used. We stand by our article.”

In our private response we ended by saying:

“We hope that the article highlights the diverse voices in town with recreational needs. We would love to see Rec undertake a survey of the interests and needs of the different demographic groups in town in order to develop a blueprint of future recreational needs as Barkhamsted is currently doing. This blueprint could serve as a foundation for development of a Master Plan for all the parks in town including Brodie Park South.”

Cross country skiers avoid the goal posts and used tires left behind by football.

By: Maria Moore

We received an email from the Youth Sports representative on the Brodie Park South Study Group Committee with a copy attached of the preliminary plan for an athletic field* at Brodie Park South and as promised, we are publishing this plan as we have previously published the preliminary studies by Lenard engineering locating the football field either at Antolini School or at Brodie Park North; see our January 9 article Antolini, Brodie Park North Locations…

The email with the preliminary plan for the athletic field was sent to all the members of the Brodie Park South Study Group Committee as well as to NewHartfordPlus with the following note:

“…Thought all of you might like to see the field and parking plan (in its conceptual phase) for BPS. This plan was produced by Bob Green Associates; Surveyors and Engineers at the request of me. Bob likes to do work for youth organizations at little or no cost and was kind enough to do quite a bit of preliminary work at no cost to the town. As noted, this is preliminary. Location and scope of the construction is still to be determined. Also note that I have included a siting location based on the best use of current topography and minimal impact to the park…”

Brodie Park South

• Preliminary plan and sketch of proposed athletic field at Brodie Park South: Preliminary Plan and Sketch of Location of Athletic Field at Brodie Park South, Youth Sports (180)

Many Thanks to Youth Sports for providing us with a copy of the preliminary plan and the sketch of the proposed athletic field at Brodie Park South so that we might make it available to our readers.

* The sports field that is being proposed to be located at Brodie Park South has been variously referred to as a football field in Lenard Engineering’s preliminary studies, an athletic field by Youth Sports and a multi-purpose sports field by Rec. All three refer to an area that corresponds to a regulation sized football field.

Also see our January 11 article Charge of Brodie Park South Study Group Committee Unclear to Both Members and Public.

MEETING CANCELLED: The meeting for this evening, Wednesday, January 12 has been cancelled due to the winter storm.  The meeting has not yet been rescheduled.

CLARIFICATION: We have been asked to change the wording for the new sports field being proposed at Brodie Park South to “multi-purpose sports field” and not “football field.”  We based our name for the sports field on the fact that the size of the field proposed is for a regulation sized football field, football goal posts and equipment are actually being left at the proposed location for the new sports field and the preliminary studies by Lenard Engineering are labelled “Football Field.”  The proposal by Youth Sports, we learned after this article was published, is for an “Athletic Field”.  The proposed sports field is being referred to variously as a “football field”, a “multi-purpose sports field”, and an “athletic field”. All three names refer to the same proposal to set aside 5 acres of the open field area at Brodie Park South for sports that is being presented to the members of the Brodie Park South Study Group Committee.

By: Maria Moore

Is the charge of the Brodie Park South Study Group Committee to draw up a master plan for the town-owned property or is it to give its blessing to the decision to locate a regulation sized football field on that property?  Almost a year after Andy Riess of the Seniors Advisory Board approached the town’s selectmen for their approval to locate a new Senior Center at Brodie Park South which led to the convening of the Committee, the charge of that Committee is still unclear, even to its own members.  Some members of the Study Group Committee believe their mandate is to draw up a master plan for Brodie Park South, while others consider the drawing up of a master plan for the property as secondary to getting the Committe members to agree to locate a football field on the property. With a meeting of the Brodie Park South Study Group Committee scheduled for Wednesday evening during which the public will be allowed to give input, we give below a status report on the Committee’s work to date.

Initial Progress: Public Input Received, Eco Baseline Study of Brodie Park South Submitted

Pine trees cut back and football equipment scattered around at Brodie Park South

We have not reported on any of the Brodie Park South Study Group Committee (the Committee – see the note at the foot of this article to see the groups represented on this Committee) meetings since May 17, 2010 when we reported on the public forum held by that committee to collect residents’ ideas of future uses for the town-owned property known as Brodie Park South. At that time, residents were told that their input was being sought to help the Committee develop a long-term plan for the use of the park; see our May 17, 2010 report The Future of Brodie Park South: Residents Give Their Input. Subsequently, we published the Brodie Park South Eco Baseline Study paid for by the Committee and undertaken by the Northwest Conservation District; see the original baseline study we published on May 20, 2010 and the updated copy of the baseline study we published on July 13, 2010 with Jean Cronauer’s email explaining the updates that had been made. Jean is the Executive Director of the Northwest Conservation District and a New Hartford resident.

The Committee’s Work Since July 2010

Since last July we have received anectodal updates of the Committee’s meetings. We have not been able to read official minutes of the meetings since none are being filed with the Town Clerk. Our sources informed us of the upcoming meeting scheduled for Wednesday, January 12, which will include an opportunity for public input, unlike prior meetings where the public has been allowed to attend but not to offer input. We asked Dan Eddy, the coordinator of the Committee to update us on the Committee’s work and in response we received a press release which we published on January 6.

Old tires and crates line the edge of a wooded area at Brodie Park South

According to the press release, the Committee members are being asked to set aside 5 acres – the field area – of Brodie Park South to accommodate a regulation sized football field. They are being asked to do this because, the press release says, the Rec Commission has “identified an urgent need to locate approximately 5 acres of land for an additional playing field”. There is no mention of a master plan having been agreed upon by the members of the Committee prior to being asked to set aside the field area for football.

As a former First Selectman of 30-some years ago said when he heard of the contents of the press release: “That’s putting the cart before the horse!” And that appears to be the opinion of the groups represented in the Committee other than Youth Sports and Rec. “I thought I was going to participate in drawing up a master plan for Brodie Park South, not to find a playing field for football.” One of the committee members told our reporter, adding that they had no expertise to contribute to a sports endeavor.

After almost a year of meetings the committee does not appear to be any closer to a master plan than they were at the beginning of the process. After soliciting and receiving residents’ input at the public forum in May of 2010 on how to best use the Brodie Park South property, and after receiving copies of the Eco Baseline Study for Brodie Park South which the Committee had commissioned from the Northwest Conservation District to help guide them towards a master plan, the Committee appears not to have made any progress towards a master plan.

Unclear Charge, Lack of Information Hamper Committee’s Work

The main underlying problem appears to be that the Committee has not been given a clear charge. Half the committee members believe that they are there to produce a master plan for the town-owned property, while the other half believes they are there to secure a permanent home for a football field. And the First Selectman? His input during the public input session in May of 2010 was that with 150 acres there’s enough land there for a piece for everybody. It is unclear how this fits in chronologically with the drawing up of a master plan.

Another underlying problem is the lack of information being made available to Committee members. Those members have asked for information regarding efforts to locate the football field elsewhere and also for locating it on Brodie Park South. Specifically, they have wanted to see cost benefit analysis that has been done for each of the alternate locations. This information has not been made available to them for any of the possible locations. This past Sunday, January 9 we published preliminary studies to locate a football field at the Antolini location and the Brodie Park North location. Those studies were carried out in 2008 at the request of then First Selectman Earl MacInnes and were paid for by the town. The studies are by the town’s consulting engineers, Lenard Engineering. Copies of the studies were obtained directly from the engineering company by one of the members of the Committee who has been asking for more information from the Committee without any information being made available. The Antolini and Brodie Park North preliminary studies have been released to the public over the last 4-5 days by the member of the committee who obtained them and we subsequently published them on NewHartfordPlus.

We checked in yesterday with Town Hall regarding the Antolini and Brodie Park North preliminary studies and Christine Hayward, the First Selectman’s Assistant said that she was unaware of the studies having being done by the MacInnes administration and she did not have copies of those studies. We checked in with Annie Witte, the Town Bookkeeper, to ask how much the town had paid for those 2008 studies and Annie has said it will take her a couple of days to come up with the information since those records are now in storage. We will publish additional information about those preliminary studies if and when it becomes available.

Where the Committee Now Stands

Without an agreed upon master plan for the property, more than half the committee members have voiced their reluctance to consider setting aside any part of the property for additional playing fields. Other ideas from residents for the use of the Brodie Park South property include locating a Senior Center there and continuing the current use of Brodie Park South for walking, hiking and cross-country skiing. It has also been suggested that the field area be used for community gardens, thus preserving that area as prime farmland as it has been identified in the Eco Baseline study. However, without a master plan many of the committee members are reluctant to consider any specific use for that property.

An “Urgent” Need For A Football Field?

It would be unfair to deprive the young people involved in the football program from being able to participate in their chosen sport. The Wolverines (New Hartford Football and Cheer) have been using Brown’s Corner for their Sunday games and, until recently, for their evening practices. It is being said that Brown’s Corner cannot accommodate football and that there is an urgent need to locate that sport elsewhere; however, no concrete evidence of this has been made available. In the past year, New Hartford has spent a great deal of money on Brown’s Corner to upgrade the sports complex and to enlarge the parking lot. Claims of there not being enough parking available appear to be premature; there is still a large amount of fill in the parking area and as that fill is removed, more parking spaces will become available. In the meantime, it has been suggested that better coordination of when games and practices are scheduled by the different sports at Brown’s Corner could help alleviate many of the problems now being reported. With the numbers of children in town decreasing – according to the enrollment numbers at New Hartford Public Schools – it is difficult to accept the anectodal “urgency” for the need for new playing fields without concrete evidence being made available.

On closer examination we may find that the urgent need for a regulation size football field may be a regional need for such a field. The Wolverines are a regional organization, with players drawn from Barkhamsted, Colebrook, Hartland, Norfolk and Winsted/Winchester; see the statement at the foot of that organization’s website which reads:

“NHYFC: TOWNS WE SERVE: New Hartford is proud to partner with the following communities to build our program’s strength and longevity. Barkhamsted, Colebrook, Hartland, Norfolk & Winsted/Winchester.”

These are precisely the same towns from which the players of the Gilbert/Northwestern Football team are drawn.  The Wolverines are considered the feeder program for the Gilbert/Northwestern Football team and have been credited with providing a ready pool of talented players for the high school team.

A Taxpayer’s View From One Of The Six Towns Served By The Youth Football Program

As a taxpayer in New Hartford, one of the six towns served by the youth football program, it is difficult for our reporter to understand why only New Hartford is being asked to accommodate the need for a regional football field. It would be fairer for all six towns to be asked to participate in identifying an appropriate space for the football field and then to share in the cost of constructing and maintaining the field.

Such a regional effort would also provide an opportunity for Northwestern Regional #7 to have access to a football field in its own school district and potentially bring that sport home to our regional high school. Currently, the majority of the Gilbert/Northwestern players are from Regional # 7 and Gilbert recently increased dramatically the amount it charges Regional #7 for each of its players to participate in the Gilbert football program.  At its September 1, 2010 meeting the Regional # 7 Board of Ed agreed to increase the amount paid to Gilbert for the Northwestern players to be able to continue playing football with Gilbert. The Board also agreed for Superintendent Palmer to schedule a meeting with Gilbert to discuss the future of the cooperative arrangement between the two schools; see the Gilbert Football discussion in the September 1 minutes of the Regional #7 Board of Ed, of which New Hartford First Selectman Dan Jerram is a member.

In our opinion, it would be premature at this time for the town to take on the responsibility and the expense of providing a football field for the youth sports football program without first thoroughly investigating a regionalized solution to this regional need.

Looking Towards The Committee’s Wednesday, January 12 Meeting

We hope that Wednesday evening’s meeting of the Brodie Park South Study Group Committee will address the concerns of some of its members and of the community at large as reported above.  We also hope that the Committee’s leadership will take this opportunity to refocus on the original charge of the Committee: that of crafting a master plan for Brodie Park South that will take into consideration the property’s unique characteristics as well as the recreational needs of the community as a whole.

___________

The Brodie Park South Study Group Committee members represent the Conservation Commission, the Open Space Preservation Commission, the Friends of Brodie, Youth Sports and two members of the Rec Commission. The Seniors Advisory Board is no longer represented on the committee; their representative withdrew from the Committee because, as the members of the Advisory Board told our reporter: “We felt like we were spinning our wheels” after they were redirected from their proposal to build the new Senior Center at Brodie Park South and were asked to consider the Brodie House location, or even the Field House. “We’ve been that route before!” The Advisory Board members said, adding that this is the third administration that the seniors have approached for help in finding a permanent location for their senior center.

Disclosure: Our reporter is a member of the New Hartford Senior Center; she is part of the 23% of the New Hartford population (according to the 2000 Census) who are eligible for membership in the Senior Center, a large constituency of taxpayers who make few demands for town services.

Cross country skiers avoid the goal posts and used tires left behind by football in this communal recreation area at Brodie Park South

The images with this article were photographed at Brodie Park South this past Sunday and show football's presence at the town-owned property

By: Maria Moore

We have received copies of preliminary studies of two possible locations for a football field on town-owned land: the first at Ann Antolini School and the second at Brodie Park North. Both preliminary studies were done by the town’s consulting engineers, Lenard Engineering and were submitted to then First Selectman Earl MacInnes in February and March of 2008 with a request to forward copies of the studies to the town Recreation Commission.

We are making these preliminary studies available to New Hartford residents since they provide essential background information for the discussions now ongoing among members of the Brodie South Study Group/Committee who have been asked to consider allocating 5 acres of Brodie Park South (the field area) as a location for a football field. Members of the Brodie South Study Group/Committee have not been provided with concrete information about attempts to locate the football field on other town-owned properties with existing infrastructure; we are therefore making information available on the Antolini School and Brodie Park North preliminary studies in order to provide some of the necessary information on which the members of the Study Group/Committee may base any decision on setting aside for any specific group a portion of Brodie Park South as part of their development of a master plan for that area.

No preliminary plan has been made available for the proposed football field in the field area at Brodie Park South.  If a copy of that plan becomes available, we will publish it on NewHartfordPlus.

Ann Antolini School

• Letter from Lenard Engineering:  Antolini Football Field Letter and Design by Lenard Engineering (172);
• Field Walk Preliminary Sketch by Lenard Engineering (takes a minute to download): Antolini Field Walk Sketch (166);
• Football Field Design by Lenard Engineering: Football Field At Antolini - Football Field Design, Lenard Engineering (151).

Brodie Park North

• Letter from Lenard Engineering including Football Field Design by Lenard Engineering: Brodie North Design Letter (176)

To read more about the Brodie Park South Study Group Committee see our Brodie Park South category.

For information on the Wednesday, January 12th meeting of the Study Group Committee see the Brodie Study Group Committee’s press release.

Many Thanks to the Friend of NewHartfordPlus who provided us with copies of these important studies.

We received the following press release from Dan Eddy, member of the Recreation Commission, who is coordinating the Brodie Park South Study Group. The press release announces a meeting this coming Wednesday, January 12 at which the public is encouraged to attend and at which the public will have an opportunity at the beginning of the meeting to give their input; at previous meetings the public has not had the opportunity to give their input. Following is the press release:

The Brodie South Study Group is having a meeting on Wednesday, January 12 at 7:00 p.m. in the small conference room on the first floor [of the Town Hall]. As always the public is encouraged to attend. We will have a short period at the beginning of the meeting for public input.

The Recreation Commission has determined there is an urgent need to locate approximately 5 acres of land for an additional playing field. The size of the playing field should be 140 yards by 80 yards (approx. 2 1/2 acres) this will allow for spectators and a regulation size team sport field. This area must also be large enough to accommodate parking for team sports. As a comparison, I believe Brown’s Corner is about 18 acres.

Although there are no funds currently allocated to construct such a field, a location must be found prior to any other constructive pursuit of this goal.

The Recreation Commission has been searching for the last three years for such a location, identifying 5 or six spots and having studies done on same. Estimated construction cost of this project run from $200,000 to $300,000. This does not include the cost of land. The construction costs seem to preclude the possibility of leasing land. The Recreation Commission has looked at land at all three schools, Brodie North, and a couple of private sites of approximately 5 acres of open flat land. All have had significant enough development issues to eliminate them as possibilities. Brodie South is 150 acres of town owned land, some of which is being considered as a site to accommodate a new recreation field.

The commission is still looking for other town owned land, or private land the owner would be interested in donating or parting with for a nominal amount. If you have any interest in pursuing such a donation there may be federal income tax advantages, the rec commission would welcome the opportunity to talk to you.

We are a small town with a very active youth sports community. Price must be a very real part of any and all suggestions.

To read our reports about the Brodie Park South Study Group since its inception see our Brodie Park South category (below our masthead).

Football goal posts set up on the large field area of Brodie Park South bordering Niles Road; image from November 2010, NewHartfordPlus archives.

By: Maria Moore

We received an email from Jean Cronauer, Executive Director of the Northwest Conservation District on Friday, July 9 forwarding to us an updated copy of the Brodie Park South study by the Northwest Conservation District. In her email, Jean said the study had been updated to show the correct acreage, i.e. 152 acres and not 145 as reported in the original study. Jean explained the discrepancy in the acreage as follows:

“The acreage in the original Brodie South Report was based on the New Hartford Assessor’s parcel data.

Later, we learned a survey had been done for the land purchase. We obtained a copy from Dan Eddy and maps from Donna LaPlante. Therefore, we have updated the report to show 152 acres rather than the 145 used previously.”

Jean asked us to make the updated report available on NewHartfordPlus. Please click on the following link for a downloadable PDF copy of the updated report:

Brodie_Park_Baseline_V2.pdf

The Brodie Park South Eco Baseline Study was funded by the Rec Commission, the Conservation Commission and the Open Space Commission. The study provides baseline information to be considered by the subcommittee headed by Dan Eddy of the Recreation Commission as the members of the subcommittee work on establishing a master plan for Brodie Park North (on the shore of West Hill Pond) and Brodie Park South (on the opposite side of Niles Road).

The accuracy of the original report had been questioned and First Selectman Dan Jerram had informed the Board of Selectmen at their May 25 meeting that the report was being reviewed to see if it was acceptable.

We will provide an update on the Brodie Park master plan as soon as more information is made public.

The meadows at Brodie Park South, an area that has been used by Youth Sports as practice fields for the past 15 years. Photo: Maria Moore

Note: We have updated the information in the photo caption to include the fact that the meadow area has been used as practice fields by Youth Sports for the past 15 years.

The following report is that of the BOS Meeting held on May 25. Please let us know if you believe there are factual errors in the report or if you believe you have been misquoted and we will make those changes we consider appropriate. As always, please be sure to read the official minutes of meetings which are posted in the Minutes and Agendas section of the town’s municipal website as soon as they become available, the NewHartfordPlus Crew.

By: Maria Moore

Three members of the Board of Finance (BOF) attended the May 25 Board of Selectmen (BOS) meeting, Jim Fitzgerald, Roy Litchfield and Alesia Kennerson. During the Public Comment section, Item #2, all three said they had come to the BOS meeting to express their concern with the lack of progress of the WPCA and with their ability to make payments in September and to repay the loan from the town. “Everyone is at odds with one another” is how Alesia characterized the WPCA based on her observation of the WPCA meeting on May 13, at which fellow BOS member Jim Fitzgerald was also present; see our May 28 report of that meeting No Special Exception for Canterbury Village… Jim, Roy and Alesia were asked by First Selectman Dan Jerram to give their input when Item #5, WPCA operations/general discussion would be discussed later in the meeting.

Item #3: Operations

Dan Jerram said that they were now very close to the end of the budget year (June 30) and that things were looking good. Selectman Tom Klebart asked whether there was anything unusual to get to a balanced budget, and Dan responded: “No.”

Dan reported that the police boat is now in the water and ready for use. He said that both Troopers Dan Janco and Trooper Rich Stolis have been certified to take the boat out. The First Selectman said they would be working on certifying a couple of members of the town crew as well. Tom Klebart suggested they have two members of the fire departments certified also, one from New Hartford and one from South End.

Dan then reported on his meeting with the Rec Commission. He said the Seniors want to go to Brodie. Regarding the Northwest Conservation District’s report on Brodie Park South, he said they were verifying the report with the state, that there were some inconsistencies from the state. He said they will review the report to see if it was acceptable. He gave as an example of the inaccuracy of the report that it said that the park was perpetually preserved. “They used the incorrect map.” He said. Tom Klebart, who is also a member of the Board of Directors of the New Hartford Land Trust, agreed that the park was not perpetually preserved. “We just want an accurate report.” Dan concluded the discussion.

Item #5: WPCA operations/general discussion

Dan said that the WPCA had come up at the last couple of Board of Finance meetings. He said that when he came in (to office last December) the issues were the RFP (Request for Proposal), etc. and now they’re almost at the same place, although the RFP was due to go out on the 27th (of May). They were also a “no show” at the last BOF meeting. Selectman Bruce Gresczyk suggested that for their next meeting they have the town auditor look at the WPCA’s books. Roy Litchfield, a member of both the BOF and BOC (Building Oversight Committee for the wastewater treatment plant), said that the auditor has said that there’s a problem for the last couple of years.

“Roy has gone through the auditor’s reports and they’ve only been profitable one year.” It was stated. Tom said: “I thought they were projecting an increase.” To which Roy responded: “They are!” Bruce said that they were at 25% capacity which wasn’t enough. Tom asked if they had a plan to increase that and he was told “No.”

Jim Fitzgerald said: ”They don’t have the modern skills and technology to do what they have to do.” He added that they had been asking for a 5-year plan, to see their revenue stream, and that they might not be able to increase the fees to users because of a “circuit breaker” that set a limit to the fees users could be charged. The term of the USDA loans were discussed, with someone saying that with the USDA it had to be 30 years, but someone else saying that there was no penalty for prepayment.

Jim again said that a 5-year plan is typical for a business and that the WPCA has to show beyond that how they’re going to get their revenues. There followed a discussion related to issues with the WPCA’s paperwork. Tom asked whether it would help to have a subcommittee of members of different groups to identify what the issues are. Jim’s input was that the BOC provide oversight of what they’re doing. Roy, a member of the BOC, said that he’d be more than happy to provide a list but “We don’t work well together!” Tom agreed, saying he’d been to a lot of meetings of the two groups. “Like oil and water!” Roy added.

“Maybe there’s other ways of improving the process.” Dan Jerram said. He added that he’d had to put an end to their (the WPCA’s) last-minute requests, that they had the subsidized services, but that they needed to have requests in two days before. Dan said that from the surcharge they were generating $80,000 in payments. “If it’s a 60/40 split, they’re close to getting what they need. They have a plan in place that’s getting close  ~ why not massage that?”

Tom suggested having members of the WPCA at their next (BOS) meeting, that they could be the only item on the agenda. Bruce said that one of the problems is that the state impels towns to overbuild sewers.  He said that every town with a new sewer plant has the same overcapacity. ”It’s the classic unfunded mandate.” Dan Jerram added. Bruce said they had a major default coming.  Tom asked whether they had enough members on that Board and Dan answered that they had 6, with only one seat empty. There followed a brief discussion of reworking the ordinance (of the WPCA) so that they could increase the ratio of non-users. They discussed the fact that there wasn’t one person on the WPCA who knew the system and that they’re not working together.

Dan asked Alesia for her opinion and she said: “There’s a lot of people who don’t know what they’re doing.”  She suggested hiring someone who knows the system. Dan said that they’re hiring an operator and that not many civilians have a working knowledge of it, that it takes a lot of research. Tom said that they have lots of talent on that committee. Roy agreed that they have talent, and added that they have a businessman at the othe end of the table.

Tom said the issues needed to be addressed and that the BOF should also be at that meeting.  Dan said they needed to keep it positive and Tom agreed that he wanted to do that. Dan suggested they start their next meeting at 6:30 p.m. and have a joint meeting with the BOF, with a representative from the WPCA present. This joint meeting being discussed would be the June 8 meeting (meeting to be confirmed).

Item #6: Brook Street Sewers Engineering Agreement

The BOC recommended hiring CDM for the Brook Street sewer project, saying that they work very well together.  Bruce said: “Roy’s happy ~ so move forward.” Tom asked “Are you looking at anyone else?” Roy answered: “No, they seem to be the most helpful and reasonable.” Denton added that the DEP allows a choice on engineering and it will be paid through the grant.

The question then came up whether they would be doing an amendment to the contract for the wastewater treatment plant, something Roy said they had suggested as a way to reduce paperwork. However, the selectmen agreed to enter into a new contract with CDM for the Brook Street engineering work since it was a separate project from the wastewater treatment plant.

Regarding a second issue, that of amending the billing (from CDM?; not stated at meeting), the BOC said they were not ready to go there yet.

Item #7: Resignation of Inland Wetlands Chairman: Alden Ringklib

Dan Jerram read the letter of resignation of Alden Ringklib, Chairman and long-time member of the Inland Wetlands Commission. Alden said, in part, that it had been his pleasure to serve on the Commission. Bruce and Dan calculated that Alden had been on the Inland Wetlands Commission for at least 15 years.  The selectmen accepted his resignation with regret.

8. Correspondence

First Selectman Dan Jerram said that he had received another letter from the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z), the second such letter from P&Z over the last month; to review the first letter from P&Z expressing concern over the parking situation on Central Avenue and asking the selectmen to rectify the situation, see our April 14 report Selectmen Discuss Traffic Concerns On Central Avenue…

Dan read the current letter from the P&Z, dated May 6 which said that after discussing Outdoor Wood Furnaces (OWFs) at their April 28 meeting, the P&Z Commission made a motion to recommend to the Board of Selectmen that “it consider an ordinance to regulate or prohibit OWFs if, in its discretion, such an ordinance is desirable”; a downloadable copy of the P&Z letter is included at the end of this agenda item. Dan added: “For the record the BOS in its prior incarnation has allocated $65,000 to P&Z to rewrite the zoning regulations which they have expended.”  They regulate energy producing systems such as solar and wind, it was stated.

Selectman Tom Klebart asked why P&Z thought it should be an ordinance that regulates OWFs. Selectman Bruce Gresczyk, who owns a farm that utilizes an OWF, said: “The state has pretty good regulations which, if followed, there is no problem.” He added that: “All complaints are from pissed-off neighbors.”

Regarding state regulations, Bruce said that the state requires the OWFs to be located 200 feet from the property line, and if they’re within 500 feet then the stack has to be above the roofline.

Tom said that he didn’t think it was the type of thing the BOS had expertise in and he asked whether they were looking to ban them. Dan said that he’d had some calls, from Beth Terra for one. Bruce said: “She’s the one with 29 complaints, all unjustified.”

The discussion about OWFs continued. Tom said he’d like to have someone from P&Z come to their meeting to explain the P&Z’s view of the issue to them. Christine Hayward said that according to Paul (Volovski, the town’s Building Inspector), there are a couple of pre-existing, non-conforming OWFs in town. Bruce said that there is case law, that you can’t just ban them, that there are people who have made a considerable investment in them. Dan said that he has a neighbor with an OWF in a secluded corner and that he’s had no problem with it. Dan added: “(I’ve) said to Steadman (Jim Steadman, the P&Z Chairman), they could improve the state regs. if they see fit.” Bruce had the last word in the discussion, saying: “Personally, I don’t feel the town needs to do anything ~ there are state regs.”

The selectmen agreed to take up the issue of OWFs in two meetings ~ at their June 22 meeting.

To read about the request to the P&Z Commission by residents Beth Terra and Matt Urmaza, please read our March 25 report … Outdoor Woodburning Furnaces Issue Again Before P&Z.

To read a copy of the P&Z letter to the Board of Selectmen regarding OWFs, please click on the following link: P&Z Letter: OWFs (147)

9.  Any Other Business to Come Before This Board

Town Meeting: Dan said that the (Special) Town Meeting had gone well and that St. John’s (Episcopal Church) was now all set with their two easements and the building of the church’s new addition could take place.

Bakerville Library: A letter from Dianne Litchfield was read saying that she was pleased to inform the Selectmen that the Bakerville Library has been listed on the state Register of Historic Places. The Selectmen expressed their pleasure at the news and confirmed that the designation could help the library qualify for grants.

A view of Town Hall from under the fragrant tree in front of the Misiorski building across Route 44. Photo: Maria Moore

_______________

Board of Selectmen – Regular Meeting
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
7:00 p.m. at Town Hall
AGENDA

1.) Minutes
2.) Opportunity for Public Comment
3.) Operations Updates
4.) Grant Updates
5.) WPCA operations/general discussion-
6.) Brook Street Sewers Engineering Agreement
7.) Resignation Inland Wetlands: Alden Ringklib
8.) Correspondence
9.) Any Other Business to Come Before This Board