John Rathgeber

The CBIA (Connecticut Business & Industry Association), the largest business association in Connecticut issued an open letter to Governor-Elect Malloy yesterday, Monday, January 3, just two days before he officially takes over as our new governor.

The CBIA said about its letter: “As Dan Malloy becomes Connecticut’s new governor this week, we are congratulating him in an Open Letter and wishing him success in tackling the big challenges he and the state now face. We believe Gov.-elect Malloy’s leadership will be crucial to driving renewed economic growth and job creation in the state, as well as in transforming state government. He deserves the help and encouragement of all of us in this difficult time.”  Following is the Open Letter:

Dear Governor-Elect Malloy:

On behalf of our 10,000 members, I want to congratulate you on becoming Connecticut’s 88th Governor and wish you success in addressing the serious economic and policy issues facing our state.

As it was in Stamford, your leadership is critical in convincing leaders of businesses, small and large, to grow their companies in Connecticut, to invest in new products and services, and to create and keep jobs here.

Connecticut’s economic renewal is not just important to the men and women working in our state, the young people seeking employment here, and the 100,000 who have lost their jobs in this recession. It also is critical to our ability to solve our budget problems and provide essential public services.

We applaud your commitment to honest, transparent budgeting. We urge you to take this opportunity to transform state government and encourage municipalities to work together in finding efficiencies and reducing the costs of delivering important public services.

Your commitment to public education is very encouraging, and we ask that you establish goals to close the achievement gap and make Connecticut schools the best in the nation. The Connecticut Commission on Educational Achievement provides a detailed blueprint for action.

And, we urge you to make Connecticut’s economic recovery your administration’s overall priority. Working with employers to solve problems and accomplish regulatory goals will unlock good ideas and improve business confidence in our state.

As you know, when the national recovery strengthens – and it will – Connecticut cannot afford to be passed by. We look forward to working with you, your administration, and Democratic and Republican legislators in making Connecticut a leader again in economic growth and job creation.

Respectfully,

John R. Rathgeber
President and CEO
Connecticut Business & Industry Association

Editor’s Note: As a small business in New Hartford and a member of the Board of Directors of the New Hartford Business Council, NewHartfordPlus fully supports the sentiments expressed by Mr. Rathgeber.  We also urge our local government to adhere to the same principles as outlined in the letter in order to deliver essential services in town in the most cost-effective way by streamlining them and cooperating with our neighboring towns as much as possible, and to actively pursue the economic development which our new wastewater treatment plant has made possible.  With fiscal prudency on one hand and an assertive push for economic development on the other, New Hartford can again position itself as one of the most desirable locations in the state to do business in as well as to live in.

Following is the latest wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) construction progress report #11, emailed to us by Denton Butler of the Building Oversight Committee (BOC)

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TO: Board of Selectmen
FROM: WWTP – Building Oversight Committee (BOC)
SUBJECT: Project Status Report #11
DATE: June 24, 2010

(1) Item: Construction Progress

Status: As of June 23 the WWTP upgrade is 413 days (56%) into the allotted 2-year contract period. The project is estimated at 86% completion (in the amount of the revised contract value of $7,213,480. This reflects the adoption of (3) Change Orders totaling $415,743.  A total of $6,239,057 has been expended to date. (Please refer to the financial summary at the end of this Report.)

(d) Automated screen mechanism

On May 25 all sewage processing equipment required to meet the provisions of the NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permit were placed into service and the new WWTP was made operational. Following an “all go” operation of the new Plant for approximately one week, the old processing plant was decommissioned. The nearly (60) year-old metal sedimentation tanks were drained, washed and crushed. Subsequently, two 12′x60′ cement EQ (equalization) tanks were set in place. (See photos.) The equalization tanks hold partially treated influent that is sent through the filtering system and UV processing before being released into the Farmington River. The footings for the last of our prefab buildings (lab/admin) were poured this week. Frost walls will be poured within the next (10) days and the lab/admin building set in place during July.

CHN  (C. H. Nickerson) will be seeking status of “partial completion” from the Feds and Engineers and New Hartford, as the Owner. Three stages of completion will be recognized in this project: Partial, Substantial and Final Completion. Partial completion status starts warrantees for those mechanicals placed in service and requires the Town to provide insurance coverage under its policy. Substantial completion will provide for all systems operational with only minor “punch list” items to be completed. The Town’s Building Inspector will then do a “walk-through” and submit regulatory standard forms to the design engineers to substantiate compliance with acceptable practices and building codes. Final completion as the name denotes is Contract Completed.

Our continued thanks to John Chudzik, CDM for taking the pictures accompanying this report.) (a) Sludge Tank Removal; (b) Aeration Tank Disposal; (c) New EQ Tanks; (d) Automated Screen Mechanism.

Item #2:  Change Orders And Credits

Status: A series of PCOs (Proposed Change Orders) have yielded Change Order #4 to include: an outdoor lighting change; influent manhole replacement; replacement hot water heater; and a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) for the EQ Pump. A series of other job credits offset all but $5,648.86 of the additional cost. Further reductions in the value of the contract from engineering and construction costs are expected and will be projected in the next BOC progress report.

(3) Item: Buy American Provisions

Status: The BOC prevailed in its appeal for a waiver for non-American made heating/air-conditioning units. Our analysis of the last American manufactured product yielded a review that showed an inflated price; a less than high quality product and possible issues involving ongoing replacement parts. USDA concurred.

(4) Item: Funding Initiatives – USDA Application Status

Status: NO COMMENTS

(5) Item: Near-term Project Look Ahead

Status: The immediate look ahead includes: pouring frost walls – lab/admin building; bank stabilization; lab/admin building placement; old lab building refurbishing; placement of crushed stone; establishment of walkways; driveway blacktopping; and landscaping.

(6) Item: Integration of A Plant Operator

Status: Three interim Operators have been qualified in the operation of the WWTP systems until such time as the WPCA approves a new Operator for the Plant.

Financial Summary As of June 23, 2010

(a) Sludge tank removal. Â Photo: John Chudzik

(b) Aeration tank disposal. Photo: John Chudzik

(c) New EQ tanks. Photo: John Chudzik

For all the best reasons in the world ~ or the worst, depending on which side of the table you’re sitting on ~ our reporter has fallen behind on writing up reports of meetings she has attended. She has now been instructed to catch up through a series of meeting briefs over the next several days, which she will attempt to do. As always, please be sure to read the official minutes of meetings which are posted in the Minutes/Agendas section of the town’s municipal website when they become available.

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At its May 11 meeting, the main business of the Board of Finance (BOF) members was handled at the end, when, under item ‘VIII. Other Items to Come Before the Board,’ they set the mill rate for the upcoming fiscal year, beginning July 1, 2010. Before that, some of the other items discussed were:

Agenda Item #I. Superintendent’s Report Dr. Philip O’Reilly, Superintendent of New Hartford Schools, reported to the BOF on the items contained in our May 8 report …BOE Looks To Next Year….

Those items included reinstating positions that had been cut due to savings the schools had been able to realize partly through two retirements of veteran teachers and by signing a new 5-year contract with Dattco, the bus company. Philip also reported on the boiler replacement at Antolini which was also expected to cost less than had been previously projected. BOF questions were centered on whether the schools had enough money to cover the personal day/sick day buyouts which Philip said they did, and on details of the boiler installation.

Agenda Items #V: Opportunity for Public to Speak; and VI.WPCA Update

Noting that no representative from the WPCA was at the meeting to give an update, Denton Butler, BOC (Building Oversight Committee) member expressed his strong concern about the way the WPCA was operating which, he said, “was not proceeding in a manner and at a speed to benefit the town of New Hartford.”  Saying that the wastewater treatment plant would reach substantial completion by the end of June, Denton laid out a number of his concerns to the BOF members, including:

• there was still no quotation for an operator for the plant;
• reporting to the DEP was still deficient and without that reporting the DEP will not release any money;
• funding opportunities for sewer extensions would expire in July and the WPCA has not pursued that funding;
• and that user fees can’t exceed 2% of residents’ median income, limiting the amount that can be raised from users which may then come back on non-users.

Ben Witte, BOF chairman informed the other members of the Board of Finance that Bill Michaud of the WPCA had emailed him to let him know that he wouldn’t be able to make the meeting.  Ben then said: “There seems to be conflict between the WPCA and the BOC. Any time they have brought up issues here the conflict seems to subside and then rise again.” Jim Fitzgerald commented: “It’s a business, and they need to run it as such. We have asked for a 5-year projection and we still don’t have that.” Jim ended by saying he “would have the Board (WPCA) step up or resign and elect someone else who’ll do it.” Dan Jerram, First Selectman added his viewpoint: “I can’t contest what Denton has said. It’s not like any other enterprise ~ it’s a “fee for service” enterprise. The ability to meet deadlines is becoming a greater and greater concern. The request for proposal for operator ~ they kicked it to a consultant and paid $8,000 to do it. They could have done that last year.”

After more discussion Ben suggested putting together a subcommittee to address the matter, but Dan Jerram said he wasn’t sure if he could do that. He said the selectmen could put it on their agenda. Jim proceeded to give more input but Ben responded: “Let the selectmen have a try at it.” And he told Jim to go to the Board of Selectmen if he had any more input. “Ben’s last words on the matter: “I’m just frustrated we keep talking about it!”

As his final Public Comment, Denton said: “I urge you not to increase taxes but draw down reserves to cover any increase in taxes.” Our reporter seconded that request.

Agenda Item #VII, Reports

Treasurer’s Report: Gordon Ross, town Treasurer reported that the town had received the ECS (Education Cost Sharing) money from the state, and that the town’s tax collection rate was 98%, which he said was good.

First Selectman’s Report: Dan Jerram reported that there had been a low turnout for the budget referendum but that it had passed the first time. On the line item transfers, he said Chip (Roraback, the town’s attorney) was considering his position about the line item transfers. Asked about the washout, Dan said that the Inland Wetlands (Commission) has revised it (the plan) a bit and that a second soil scientist was looking at it (the washout area).

Laura Sundquist brought up the fact that the town has two polling stations and that, in talking to Daria and Lila (the town’s Registrars of Voters) they don’t want two. Reggie Smith Jr. said he likes his polling station exactly where it is (Reggie votes in the South End Firehouse); Jim Fitzgerald said there should be only one and that it should be in Bakerville, which has the greater population. Gordon Ross said that in Canton they had passed their budget at a town meeting. Both Dan Jerram and Ben Witte were of the opinion that they had a bigger turnout (with a referendum) compared to a town meeting. Reggie, thinking back to his time as First Selectman in the early 90s with a very active Taxpayers’ Association said: ” I have seen 20 people (at a town meeting) or 500 ready to lynch you!”

Agenda Item #VIII. Other Items to Come Before the Board

The Board of Finance members then discussed setting the mill rate which Ben said they had to do at that meeting in order to get the tax notice out to the taxpayers. Without a copy of the mil rate calculation sheet ~ there were just enough copies for the Board of Finance members ~ and without other visual aids, our reporter had a difficult time following the technical part of the mil rate discussion. The final outcome of the discussion is as follows, as emailed to our reporter by Ben Witte on May 12 in his correction to the figures she had incorrectly reported in our May 12 Grapevine:

“The tax increase is 0.42% (not 0.1%). The mill rate is 0.10 mils increase. This is identical to what was presented at the budget hearing (0.33% tax incr, 0.08 mils & 96% collections), with a slight change to the grand list based on BAA (Board of Assessment Appeals) appeals settlements subsequent to the hearing.”

Following is some of the discussion surrounding the setting of the mill rate.

Ben asked the question: “What do we want to set for the mill rate and for the collection rate?” And then he went around the table getting each BOF member’s response:

• Roy Litchfield: Roy said: “”I’d like to go to zero and would like to see us discuss zero increase in the mill rate. we can do that by adjusting mill rate, and have the opportunity to finance any shortfall shoul it materialize. I really think we started at zero, came close, can keep it at zero.”
• Reggie Smith, Jr.: Reggie asked if anyone had a list of the collection rate over the last 5 years and Ben answered: “The collection rate has been over 98%. We can do anything we like with it.” Ben then cautioned that there was a tight collection rate coming up, that they hadn’t adjusted for appeals.   Reggie asked about moving money from the surplus fund.  ”We can’t move money from surplus after the budget is passed, correct?” Ben agreed, saying the only thing they can change is the collection rate.  Reggie said that they had told voters they would take an additional $30,000 (out of the surplus?) to get to zero.  Ben calculated what the collection rate would have to be to get to zero, and he came up with 96.4.  He said: “If we go at 96, we can put that as a hedge for next year.”  Reggie’s final word: “I’m very concerned about the revenue from the state. I support support 96.4%.”
• Laura Sundquist: ”I admire going for 0%. We’ve passed it and I would rather keep it for insurance for next year.”
• Alesia Kennerson: Alesia agreed with Laura, supporting a 96% collection rate.  ”I accept the figures as on the sheet (mill rate calculation sheet), and keep it as insurance for next year.”
• Jim Fitzgerald said: “(The difference is) so small, and based on what we said, stick with it.”
• Gordon Ross said: “Nobody would really notice it.”
• Ben said: “We will want to budget 97% for next year.   I recommend (we) take 96 and go with that.”
• Dan Jerram said: “It wouldn’t bother me either way.”
• Jim Fitzgerald asked what the collection rate had been over the last two years and Gordon answered: “98.6% Annie (Witte, the town Bookkeeper) told me today.”

Ben then proposed a motion based on a collection rate of 96%.   However, before it could be voted on, Denton Butler asked to speak and in a very forceful tone of voice, he asked whether they had considered how it would be interpreted by their constituents, when they came in with an increase?  ”The last time the collection rate has been at 96% was in ’91-’92.”  He pointed out.     “The bigger issue is if you have the fortitute to stand your ground.” Denton went on. “I defended you through this process. You lost, and now you’re dinking around over the collection rate.”

Denton’s remarks led to another round of discussion over the collection rate.  Jim asked Ben directly what the collection rate is and Ben answering: “98% plus if it makes a difference to you!”  The Board touched on the fact that they had initially said 0% and then had presented 0.8%, which the voters had approved. Ben said that they had been very open at public meetings, and that the additional funds (collected) always go towards funding the next year’s budget.  Never one to like to pay taxes before they’re due, our reporter commented that as a taxpayer, she’d rather the town collected only the taxes needed to fund the budget, rather than to keep collecting more and then putting it towards next year’s budget.

With everyone having had an opportunity to have their say, Denton said: “It’s a philosophy.  I’ve had my say ~ move to a vote.”  Reggie also asked they move to a vote, which the Board did.  Roy who is an alternate on the Board, did not vote. All the other Board members, with the exception of Reggie Smith Jr., voted in favor of the motion, which set the mill rate at 0.08 mils based on 96% collections.

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Board of Finance Meeting, Tuesday, May 11, 2010

AGENDA

I.Seating of Alternates
II.Adoption/Revision of Agenda
III.Superintendent / BOE Report – Dr. O’Reilly
IV.Approval of Minutes a.3/9/10 – Regular Meeting b.3/13/10 – Special Meeting c.3/23/10 – Special Meeting d.4/6/10 – Special Meeting e.4/13/10 – Regular Meeting
V.Opportunity for Public to Speak
VI.WPCA Update
VII.Reports: a.Bookkeeper’s Report – Annie Witte b.Treasurer’s Report – Gordon Ross c.First Selectman’s Report – Dan Jerram
VIII.Other Items to Come Before the Board
IX.Adjournment

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

A Note from the NewHartfordPlus crew: A comment was made at the end of this meeting to the effect that NewHartfordPlus would misreport the meeting anyway.  For the record, our reporter does her best to report on the wide array of topics discussed in the many meetings she attends ~ and not always with the benefit of documents handed out to board members.  If you are aware of an error in our reports, please let us know and we will publish the correction, clarification,  etc. as soon as we become aware of it.  Our corrections are noted at the top of the report in question.  The only corrections we are not able to make are those that would knowingly favor one political viewpoint over another, or one group of residents over another.  As Bob, our techie, is fond of reminding us: “We want to stay playful at this!”

By: Maria Moore

Yesterday evening’s Board of Selectmen meeting at 5:30 p.m. was a brief one, with the Selectmen moving through the agenda items at a steady pace and ending by 6:05 ~ just in time to get home to dinner for those who were not staying for the 7:00 p.m. Board of Finance meeting.

Following is a report on some of the items on the Selectmen’s May 11 meeting agenda; the full agenda is listed at the end of this article.  As always, please be sure to read the official minutes which will be posted on the town website once they become available.

3.  Operations

Budget Referendum: First Selectman Dan Jerram said that the budget referendum had gone well, with a 2:1 approval by the voters of the budget on the first try.  He added the head moderator’s sheet of the vote count to the record of the meeting.

Roads: Dan said that guard rail posts are now being worked on by the road crew.  He also said that Glasso (company) is specing out the roads to be worked on ~ Southeast, Burwell, Steele and Kinsey ~ and then they’ll figure out the chip sealing.   Regarding the West Hill Road overlay, Dan said two bids had come in.

Parking on Central Avenue: Dan said he has talked with the Beekley Library Board about using some of the Foothills land for parking and the Board members seemed receptive to it. They’re continuing to work on it.  The Foothills land is the grassy area between the old library building and the new library on Central Avenue. The Foothills Trader was located there when it was locally-owned.

Wastewater Treatment Plant: Selectman Tom Klebart asked when the sewer plant would be coming online and Dan said: “It’s ready to go” and mentioned the end of May.

5. Resignations from Boards/Commissions – WPCA, Conservation

WPCA: Dan announced that MaryBeth Greenwood, who has been on the WPCA for just over a year, has resigned due to personal reasons.  Steve Hanright was appointed to the WPCA on Dan’s recommendation.  Tom asked if there was still a vacancy on the WPCA, and Dan said there was, that they were waiting for the WPCA to complete the revision of their charter before appointing someone else.

Conservation: Chris James on the Conservation Commission is moving out of state and has resigned from the Commission.  The Selectmen will be looking for a replacement for Chris.

Commission on Aging: Dan proposed Penny Miller for the vacancy on the COA and the selectmen approved Penny for that Commission.

8.  Set Time, Date, Manner of Special Town Meeting

A Special Town Meeting was set for Thursday, May 20 at 7:00 p.m. to act on an easements from Mary Ann Gunning (Emergency Access easement) and St. John’s Church.  The easements are to allow the WPCA access to lines located near the walkway to be constructed as part of the new addition at the back of the church; see the April 12 press release from St. John’s.  To read a downloadable copy of the Notice of Special Meeting, please see the link at the end of this report.

10. Correspondence:

Paul Volovski, the town Building Inspector, sent in a letter saying that the Rec Commission wants to take out the boathouse at Brodie Park since it was unsafe.  Paul agreed that the structure was unsafe.  The selectmen approved taking down the building.

11. Any Other Business to Come Before this Board

Bill Baxter, former First Selectman, had come to the meeting with copies for the Selectmen of paperwork related to the Northwest Chamber of Commerce’s initative to set up an Economic Development District.  This district would include towns in Litchfield county and the northwest corner.   Bill Baxter had recently made a presentation to the town’s Economic Development Commission on the Chamber’s initiative and the town had contributed a small sum [$250? ~ to be confirmed] towards a study for such a district.  Bill told the Selectmen that state funding agencies would now be looking at funding on a regional, rather than a municipal level.  The state has also passed legislation limiting the number of regions in the state to 8, and Bill said that small towns in our area need to hurry, or they may end up being assigned to economic development regions with Danbury or Waterbury.  Tom expressed the apparent feeling of the Selectmen when he said: “I’d rather be absorbed by Torrington or Winsted, rather than Danbury!”  Dan said that the LHCEO (Litchfield Hills Council of Elected Officials had taken a little time to get on board) but they now saw the need for it.

LID (Low Impact Development Stakeholders’ Group): Tom said that the LID was progressing nicely and they were finding that it worked well with the new regulations (the proposed regulations that will soon come into effect.)

The meeting ended shortly after 6 and our reporter went home for a while, leaving Reggie Smith, Jr., the only other member of the public at the meeting, to relax a little in the conference room before the Board of Finance meeting at 7 p.m.

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To read a downloadable copy of the Notice of Special Meeting: Please click on the following link: Notice of Special Town Meeting, May 20 (197).

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Board of Selectmen
Regular Meeting
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
5:30 PM

AGENDA

1.) Minutes – April 13, 2010; April 20, 2010
2.) Opportunity for Public Comment
3.) Operations Updates
4.) Grants Updates
5.) Resignations from Boards/Commissions – WPCA, Conservation
6.) Appointment to WPCA – Steve Hanright
7.) Authorization to sign 2010/2011 Sand/Salt State Contract
8.) Set Time, Date, Manner of Special Town Meeting
9.) Request for Tax Refunds
10.) Correspondence
11.) Any Other Business to Come Before this Board

St. John's Episcopal Church in Pine Meadow with the red banner across the front announcing the building of its new addition. Photo: Maria Moore

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

Tuesday,April 20, 2010:

• Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) Building Oversight Committee (BOC) Meeting: at 8:30 a.m. at Town Hall, 530 Main Street, New Hartford. For the agenda for this meeting see our Calendar section.
• New Hartford Senior Center activities: at Senior Center, Town Hall, 530 Main St., New Hartford. Activities: Fitness at 10:45 a.m. ($2.50 per person, per class, includes a fitness card which is stamped for every class attended); Massage with Mindy Lee at 12:00 noon; Crafts at 1:00 p.m.; Cribbage ‘n cards at 1:00 p.m. For more information please call Jean Barnicoat at 860-379-3980 between 8:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays.
• Early Literacy Program: Comprehension Session: at 9:30 a.m. at the Beekley Library, 10 Central Avenue, New Hartford. For more information about this Early Literacy Program please see the flyer posted in our Bulletin Board or call the Library at 860-379-7235.
• Bakerville Library Story Time for 3 to 5 year-olds: at 10:15 a.m. Bakerville Library, 6 Maple Hollow Road, New Hartford. For more information about the library please visit the Bakerville Library website.
• Board of Selectmen Special Meeting : at 5:30 p.m. in the Sessions Conference Room at the Town Hall, 530 Main Street, New Hartford. For the agenda for this meeting, please see our Community Calendar.
• Low Impact Development Stakeholder’s Group MLUE Grant: at 7:00 p.m. in the Senior Center at the Town Hall, 530 Main Street, New Hartford. For the agenda for this meeting, please see our Community Calendar.
• Have a Spring-related business you want to advertise?: Check out our BRAND NEW Yellow Pages: an economical, simple way to get your business in front of our 32,066 visitors (this past March). Use the “Submit Your Listing” form to send us your information and we’ll list your business. Looking for a lawn care service? Check our Yellow Pages where we’ll be listing companies as soon as their info. is submitted to us.

Our Community 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. Also check out our Bulletin Board where you can see flyers on events happening around town, and where we have listed information on local non-profit groups.

…NHGrapevine…

“Excellent person involved!”

Said Wayne Conner to the Regional #7 Board of Ed members as they talked about Ken Chichester’s starting as the new High School Principal on July 1. Ken was sitting among the audience at last night’s Board of Ed meeting.

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 view of the the center of New Hartford along the banks of the Farmington River from the Route 219 bridge on Monday afternoon, April 19. Photo: Maria Moore

[Updated on April 15 to correct Alesia Kennerson's place of work to Waterbury; my apologies for the error, Maria]

By: Maria Moore

In a lightly-attended Board of Selectmen meeting last night, Tuesday, April 13 the two Selectmen present, First Selectman Dan Jerram and Selectman Tom Klebart disposed of the agenda items in less than an hour before going into executive session with Board of Finance Chairman Ben Witte. The executive session item was listed as “re. Land Use Administrator” and no information was given before the executive session and no outcome was announced after the session ended.

The two selectmen were the only ones sitting at the conference table since Selectman Bruce Gresczyk was absent and Christine Hayward was on vacation, and the meeting was more a briefing by Dan on the agenda items than one requiring action. The complete agenda for the Selectmen’s meeting is added below; this report includes the following items:

Items #6,Central Ave. ~ Traffic Complaints/Concerns, and #8, Appointment of Legal Traffic Authority

Dan informed Tom that he had received a letter from Jim Steadman, Chairman of the Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Commission expressing concern over the parking on Central Avenue and Bridge Street. P&Z said it feels the parking situation is causing Public Health, Safety and Welfare issues and needs to be addressed immediately. P&Z asked the selectmen to look into the parking situation and to take whatever action necessary to remedy it; a downloadable copy of the P&Z letter to the Selectmen is included at the end of this report.

Everyone present agreed that the traffic situation has gotten a lot worse since the old library building at 2 Central Avenue reopened and businesses had moved into it. Dan said that the concern was mostly for the on-the street parking on Central Avenue, a narrow road that connects Route 44 with Steele Road across Route 219. He said he’d watched the traffic from Frank Misiorski’s Corner House and he attributed part of the problem to the traffic turning from Route 44 into Central Avenue. “If there’s cars coming down Central Ave. they (the cars that had just made the turn from Route 44) have to stop and wait (for the other cars to complete coming down the road).” Those present at the meeting were all aware of the problem with that stretch of Central Avenue. Donna LaPlante, Town Clerk who was at the meeting, said that once when she had been driving down Central Avenue and there was a funeral at the Catholic Church (on the opposite side of the road from the old library building), people had parked on both sides of the narrow road.

Roy Litchfield, Board of Finance member also at the meeting, asked what the original plan was when the proposal for the rehabbing of the old library building had been presented. Dan said that currently there were no parking requirements for businesses in the central village area, something that is being looked at by P&Z in their ongoing revision of the zoning regulations. Donna said that part of the original plan of improvement for Central Avenue was to consider making the road one-way. In 1995, she said, the recommendation had been to close Central Avenue to traffic. “Common sense has not prevailed,” Donna said, adding that there is currently plenty of parking in town, but people take the closest base during the bad weather and then don’t park elsewhere later. “We’re fortunate not to have had any accidents there.” Donna concluded. Dan agreed, saying there were no accidents, but that ticketing had occurred.

Alesia Kennerson, Board of Finance member who was at the meeting, said that she has a 10-minute walk from where she parks for free in Waterbury to her office. She added there could be assigned parking to balance the need to keep the center viable.

Our reporter, speaking as a resident asked whether short-term, the town might approach the Beekley Library to allow parking in the empty lot (where the old Foothills Trader building had been located) between the old library and the new. Dan said: “That land belongs to the library.” And our reporter agreed but added that the town made a large contribution to the library and might be able to ask them to help out.

Our reporter also asked about the status of the $250,000 STEAP grant that the town has for the realignment of the Central Avenue intersection. That grant has most recently been looked at by the town to help pay for sewer line repairs in that portion of Main Street. Dan said that it was still open how to best use that grant, that it was something the BOC (Building Oversight Committee of the Wastewater Treatment Plant) would be taking up again soon.

Dan said he’d appointed himself the Legal Traffic Authority, adding that he, the selectmen and the police could all be appointed to handle the traffic situation.

Tom asked: “In the short term, are you looking at making it one way?” To which Dan answered: “I’m looking exactly at what P&Z asked us to do: to assess the situation.”

The matter was kept on the agenda for a future board meeting.

A view looking down Central Avenue towards the center of New Hartford this past March. Photo: Maria Moore

Item #5: Industrial Park Washout

The washout area in the Industrial Park seen from Route 219

Dan updated Tom on the Industrial Park washout.  He said this (second) washout was located in front of the Inertia property where Hitchcock Chairs had once been located.  He said there’s a Cease and Correct order in place and that the town has to develop a plan of action.  The large tree in the Carter Street property had been removed and he has an engineering bid from Lenard Engineering for $15,000 and a bid from a soil scientist.  He said the Wetlands alone will be about $8,700.  He emphasized that the order to correct was under the condition of “if feasible” and he will be going back to Inland Wetlands (Commission) for what’s feasible to the Commission.

Tom asked about the first washout and Dan said the prices included both washouts.  He said the soil was starting to erode at the first washout location and the fix for that washout was not if feasible, it was something that had to be fixed.

For a downloadable copy of the Cease and Correct order: for the washout, please see our report on the March 23 BOS Meeting Summary.

Operations ~ Brown’s Corner Concerns

As part of the Operations Update which Dan provided on the various town projects going on right now (Item # 4: Sand and Salt Shed: “we’re getting it off the mark”; West Hill overlay: “bids will be opened on the 14th”) and various grants updates, Dan LaPlante, Planning and Zoning Commission member who was at the meeting, asked whether the dirt piles at Brown’s Corner needed to be fenced in and, hearing that it wasn’t part of the work being done right now, Dan LaPlante asked: “If something happened would the town be liable?”   Going on to add that kids have been riding their ATVs all around the sand piles.

Roy filled in the history for those who might not have known it: that the former First Selectman had called the insurance company and had reported the situation to them.  Dan Jerram said he would look into the insurance situation.

Our reporter asked whether there was a Cease and Correct order issued by Planning and Zoning for Brown’s Corner and Dan Jerram said there wasn’t, that he’d had only received a note from Rista (Malanca in the Land Use Office) about the silt fence and soil that had washed onto Pine Hill Road during the recent heavy rain.

Item #7: Appointment of Deputy Fire Marshall

Dan announced that at the request of Bill Baldwin, the town’s Fire Marshall, he has appointed Bill Baldwin, a firefighter, as Deputy Fire Marshall.

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Board of Selectmen
Regular Meeting
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
5:30 PM
Town Hall

AGENDA

1.)Opportunity for Public Comment
2.)Operations Updates
Sewer plant financing
Budget Update
3.)Grant updates
4.)STEAP – sand/salt, ARRA- West Hill project
5.)Industrial Park Washout
6.)Central Ave – traffic complaints/concerns
7.)Appointment of Deputy Fire Marshal
8.)Appointment of Legal Traffic Authority
9.)Any Other Business to Come Before The Board
10.)Executive Session – re: Land Use Administrator

A view of the washout area from the Industrial Park road looking towards the two houses on Carter Street with Route 219 and Cottage Street in the background. Photo: Maria Moore

By: Maria Moore

In trying to keep up with our coverage of the budget process for the upcoming Fiscal Year 2010-2011, we find that we have not yet reported on the Board of Selectmen Special Meeting held on March 23, 2010. Below is our summary of that meeting which will continue unbroken our coverage of the town’s Board of Selectmen meetings for the past 14 months ~ that’s a lot of meetings under our expanding belt-line!

The March 23 meeting of the Board of Selectmen was moved to 5:30 p.m. from its regular 7:00 p.m. time slot so that First Selectman Dan Jerram could present the proposed Town Government budget to the Board of Finance Special Meeting held later that evening at 7:00 p.m.; please see our March 25 report of that meeting Board of Finance Almost Gets to Zero…

Item #4: Executive Session ~ Personnel ~ Building Inspector Negotiations

At the beginning of their meeting the selectmen went into executive session to discuss negotiations with the Building Inspector, Paul Volovski.  At the conclusion of the executive session, First Selectman Dan Jerram announced that the Building Inspector’s employment with the town had been modified; Paul would no longer be a part-time employee of the town but rather he will be a contracted employee at a rate of $40 per hour, not to exceed 15 hours per week.

Item #3: Operations Updates

2nd Industrial Park washout:

First Selectman Dan Jerram gave an update on the washout at the Greenwoods Industrial Park, the second since one occurred last year; see our August 5, 2009 report Industrial Park Washout Repair Work Underway, one of several reports on last year’s washout.

Dan said that a separate section had slumped into the wetlands, that emergency repairs had stopped the problem getting worse and that engineers and Planning and Zoning were evaluating the situation. Two out of the three discharge pipes have failed, Dan said, and the repairs to the original washout were not up to standard. Inland and Wetlands were asking the town to fix the situation. “It will be comprehensive and not cheap.” Dan said.

Note: On March 23 the town’s Inland Wetlands Enforcement Officer, Karl Nilsen, had hand-delivered a Cease and Correct order to the Town of New Hartford to cease and correct the situation; a downloadable copy of that Cease and Correct order is included at the end of our report on the Industrial Park washout.

On March 30 the Inland Wetlands Commission held a Show Cause Hearing for the Cease and Correct order at the Industrial Park.  The Commission “reiterated the need for the Town to communicate with the Inland Wetlands Commission prior to commencing work of this nature. Several members also commended the Town for addressing this issue promptly.”  The Inland Wetland Commission voted to continue the Cease and Correct order in the matter of Town of New Hartford, Washout and repair, Industrial Park Road, noting that the Commission is pleased with the Town’s efforts to date in addressing this issue, and requesting that the Town update the Inland Wetlands Commission as the work continues; to read the official minutes of that meeting, please see the Inland Wetlands Special Meeting 3/30/10 minutes in the Minutes and Agendas section of the town’s municipal website.

To download a copy of the Cease and Correct order: in place for the Industrial Park washout: Cease and Correct Order Industrial Park Washout, 03 23 10, p.1 (172), Cease and Correct Order Industrial Park Washout, 03 23 10, p.2 (164).

Personnel Changes:

• Dan informed the other members of the board that Doug Spencer had been appointed the Interim Foreman at the town’s Highway Department; see our March 22 News Updates: Doug Spencer Appointed Interim Foreman At Town Garage…;
• Dan also informed the other members of the board that the Town Hall janitor had resigned.  Our reporter later verified that Norm Paul, the part-time janitor at Town Hall had been asked to change his work hours and that the parties involved had not been able to arrive at a mutually-acceptable work schedule.

USDA/Wastewater Treatment Plant Funding:

First Selectman Dan Jerram gave a funding update to the other selectmen. He said he had met with the USDA to understand who would design the payment structure. He said the town has to send the USDA the parameters it wants for the payment plan and the USDA will then slot in the payments. Dan said he is looking at implementing an annual payment plan, with payments made in arrears so that the first payment would not be due until September 11, 2011. This means that the wastewater treatment plant will not impact the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, 2010-2011 (for the period July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011).

Item #6: K-12 Regionalization

Dan informed the other selectmen that the Regional #7 Board of Ed had considered the question of whether to undertake a self-study for a K-12 Regionalization plan.  The Regional #7 board had decided to table the matter until after the budget process was completed.  Dan said that the study would take time and that if the recommendation is for a K-12 Regionalization, then it would be brought to referendum.

Dan asked whether the Board of Selectmen wanted to go on record as supporting the self-study plan.  Tom Klebart said he would go on record recommending it.  ”I want to see if there are financial savings and if there are benefits to have the same programs within the four towns (which make up the Regional #7 district).”  Bruce Gresczyk asked: “How many split school systems are there?” Referring to the local elementary schools being the responsibility of each of the four towns, while the middle school and high school are regionalized.  ”Not many!” Dan answered.

The selectmen voted unanimously to go on record in support of the Regional #7 Board undertaking a K-12 Regionalization self-study, the first step in any eventual regionalization of the elementary schools.

Item #5: Budget Review

In reviewing the Town Government Budget which First Selectman Dan Jerram was to present to the Board of Finance later that evening, a discussion ensued among the selectmen about the strategy to be implemented for the maintenance of the town’s roads.  In the town’s proposed budget the Chip and Seal line item is being increased 322.8% from $63,860 in the current year’s budget to $270,000 in the proposed budget for  upcoming Fiscal Year 2010/2011.  At the same time, the Asphalt/Bituminous Paving line item is being decreased  by 40%, from $250,000 in the current year’s budget to $150,000 in the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

Tom Klebart said this appeared to be a switch in philosophy from paving roads to crack and chip sealing them.  Tom referred back to a study that had been undertaken a few years back which had recommended moving away from chip sealing to paving roads.   The other selectmen asked who had done the study and Tom said he remembered that a group of townspeople in the industry had been members of the task force.

Bruce Gresczyk said that from his experience and from a course he had taken, chip sealing was the most effective way of maintaining roads.  Tom said he understood that the town hadn’t been doing any chip sealing in recent years and that the roads had to be in good enough shape to chip seal.  He said the study looked specifically at paving versus chip sealing.

The other two selectmen advocated for chip sealing the roads.  Bruce said: “I question the study.”  and Tom answered:  ”If we’re shifting philosophy, we should at least read the study and decide if it makes sense.”  Dan said he didn’t think there had been 2 miles of roads paved in town last year.  Tom agreed but he said that it had nothing to do with last year or the year before, that he just wanted to be sure they were doing the right thing.

Christine Hayward, the First Selectman’s Administrative Assistant, said that it might have been a Roadways Task Force set up by Bill Baxter that had come up with the study.  Tom said that group had shifted the philosophy away from chip and seal.  Bruce said: ”And they went to cold mix ~ a little bizarre. Nobody has had an understanding of maintaining the roads in the last few years.” Tom answered: “I happen to remember something (a study) was done. Before we do a flip-flop we should at least look at that and evaluate it.”

Bruce came back with: ”That philosophy hasn’t worked. I know sealing is the best way to go!”  Dan again said that if they paved, they would only end up doing 2-3 miles and that they could never keep up with it.  He said the CRRA money  ($148,000; see the Bookkeeper’s Report in our May 19, 2009 report of the Board of Finance meeting) could fund repairs to the lower portion of Steele Road, “from the corner at Lindell’s to Pine Hill.”  He added: “If you try to take the money out of the budget, the budget is gone!”  Tom responded: “As long as the chip seal is used for what it’s supposed to be used.  I don’t want to change philosophy if it’s not the right thing to do.”

Bruce said: “It costs $100,000 per mile” to pave a road, to which Tom answered: “Sometimes that’s what has to be done.” Dan’s last comment in favor of chip sealing was: “In terms of fairness to everybody, so every taxpayer has some money come back into their neighborhoods. So they can see we’re not just dumping it in one corner of town.”

“Let’s move on.” Tom said. And the board went on to discuss other aspects of the budget.

To read about Dan’s presentation of the Town Government budget: to the Board of Finance later that evening, please see our March 25 report Board of Finance Almost Gets To Zero…

To see the video presentations: of the three proposed budgets that make up the Town Budget ~ New Hartford Schools, Northwestern Regional #7 and Town Government ~ at the Board of Finance’s Budget Public Hearing on Tuesday, April 6, please see our report Budget Public Hearing Videos.  Bob Moore, our patient Techie, has uploaded 8 videos and he promises there are only 2 ~ maybe 3 ~ left to go.

____________________

Agenda for the March 23 meeting:

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED BOS MEETING FOR MARCH 23, 2010 AT 7:00 PM HAS BEEN CANCELLED AND THIS SPECIAL MEETING IS CALLED FOR 5:30 PM.

Board of Selectmen
Special Meeting
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
5:30 PM
Town Hall

AGENDA

1.)Minutes – March 11, 2010
2.)Opportunity for Public Comment on Agenda Items Only
3.)Operations Updates
Industrial Park Washout
Appointment of Interim Highway Foreman
Town hall janitor
USDA/WWTP funding update
Proclamation – Boy Scouts
4.)Executive Session – personnel- building inspector negotiations
5.)Budget Review
6.)K-12 Regionalization
7.)Recycling
8.)Request for Tax Refunds

Following is the latest wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) construction progress report #10, emailed to us by Denton Butler of the Building Oversight Committee (BOC).

_______________

TO: Board of Selectmen
FROM: WWTP – Building Oversight Committee (BOC)
SUBJECT: Project Status Report #10
DATE: April 8, 2010

(1) Item: Construction Progress

Installation of UV disinfection units. Photo: John Chudzick

Status: As of March 24, the WWTP (wastewater treatment plant) upgrade is 322 days (44%) into the allotted 2-year contract period. The project is estimated at 70% completion (in the amount of the revised contract value of $7,213,480. This reflects the adoption of Change Orders totaling $415,743.) A total of $5,006,574 has been expended to date. Please refer to the financial summary at the end of this Report.)

With the installation of blower pipes, the yard piping is now completed. The influent head-works channel has been prepped for the receipt of the automated screens, which should be delivered no later than April 15. Internal SBR piping is completed. The submersible mixers for the SBRs are also scheduled for delivery and installation. Processing filters and the UV units were also installed during this period along with SBR Aeration Blowers and the Scum Tubes.

The maze of electrical wiring continues as we approach the plant start-up operations, now scheduled to formally begin the week of April 19 and continue through May 7th. This start-up is not to be confused with the Plant becoming operational. As the name implies, this function is designed to selectively test each component of the operation, followed by integration of the components as a system and finally Plant commissioning which provides for full operation.

SBR Aeration blowers. Photo: John Chudzik

Our continued thanks to John Chudzik, CDM for taking the pictures accompanying this report.) (a) UV Disinfection; (b) Aeration Blowers; (c) SBR Scum-Tube.

Item #2 – Change Orders and Credits

Status: There were no Change Orders processed during this period. A PCO (Potential Change Order) for the inclusion of an additional fire hydrant was rejected by the BOC, following consultation with Chief Worsman, as cost prohibitive. A series of PCOs will be processed near-term for AC/Heating; lighting; influent manhole replacement; hot water heater; and a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) for the EQ Pump. Charges for these changes will be offset by job credits and are yet to be finalized.

(3) Item: Buy American Provisions

Status: Air conditioning/heating units continue to be the subject of an ongoing review for USDA waivers. The Lighting issue previously reported has been resolved with an added expenditure of $1,097 to Buy American.

(4) Item: Funding Initiatives – USDA Application Status

Status: The BOC remains concerned that the WPCA, which met with USDA in June of 2009, has failed to execute an application with the USDA for possible funding for line expansion. It is our understanding, from USDA, that access to available funds will terminate in July 2010. It’s our opinion that line expansion is critical to the long term financial viability of operations.

(5) Item: Near-term Project Look Ahead

Status: The immediate look ahead includes the CL&P changeover from temporary to permanent power panels; placement of the automated screens; UV wiring; submersible pump placement; wiring completion and Plant start-up as previously noted.

(6) Item: Integration of A Plant Operator

Status: As previously noted in this report: Co-Chairman Litchfield formally notified the WPCA in October 2009 of the pending schedule to bring the WWTP on line for the Commissioning Process. The Plant Operator RFP process has not yet been completed by the WPCA. In the absence of a WPCA selected certified operator, manufacturer’s training programs will need to be duplicated at a later date. The BOC has requested the oversight engineers to determine the additional expense involved in this activity.

Financial Summary As of March 31, 2010:

Installation of the SBR piping. Photo: John Chudzik

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

Tuesday,April 6 2010:

• Wastewater Treatment Plant Building Oversight Committee Workshop Meeting : at 8:00 a.m. at the Town Hall, 530 Main Street, New Hartford. For the agenda for this meeting, please see our Community Calendar.
• Litchfield Hills Council of Elected Officials and Northwestern CT Council of Governments Special Meeting: at 9:00 a.m. at the UCONN Extension Center, Univesity Drive, Torrington. For the agenda for this meeting, please see our Community Calendar.
• Early Literacy Program: Comprehension Session: at 9:30 a.m. For more information about this Early Literacy Program please call the library at 860-379-7235.
• Bakerville Library Story Time for 3 to 5 year-olds: at 10:15 a.m. Bakerville Library, 6 Maple Hollow Road, New Hartford. For more information about the library please visit the Bakerville Library website.
• New Hartford Senior Center activities: at Senior Center, Town Hall, 530 Main St., New Hartford. Activities: Fitness at 10:45 a.m. ($2.50 per person, per class, includes a fitness card which is stamped for every class attended); Cribbage ‘n cards at 1:00 p.m. For more information please call Jean Barnicoat at 860-379-3980 between 8:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays.
• Planning and Zoning Special Meeting : at 6:300 p.m. in the Senior Center at the Town Hall, 530 Main Street, New Hartford. For the agenda for this meeting, please see our Community Calendar.
• Board of Finance Special Meeting Annual Budget Meeting : at 7:00 p.m. in the Senior Center at the Town Hall, 530 Main Street, New Hartford. For the agenda for this meeting, please see our Community Calendar.
• Have a Spring-related business you want to advertise?: Check out our BRAND NEW Yellow Pages: an economical, simple way to get your business in front of our 32,066 visitors (this past March). Use the “Submit Your Listing” form to send us your information and we’ll list your business. Looking for a lawn care service? Check our Yellow Pages where we’ll be listing companies as soon as their info. is submitted to us.

Our Community 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. Also check out our Bulletin Board where you can see flyers on events happening around town, and where we have listed information on local non-profit groups.

…NHGrapevine…

“See you at the meeting.”

A resident emailed our editor. The meeting she was referring to is the Board of Finance Budget Hearing tonight, Tuesday April 6. See you all there!

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 cat named Sunflower enjoys reading Calvin and Hobbes. Photo: Christian Goddu

By: Maria Moore

At the end of a 2 1/2-hour long meeting, the Board of Finance members agreed on a budget to bring to their public meeting on April 6. The bottom line: The budget includes total expenditures of $21,201,878 which, assuming a 96% collection rate, gives an increase of 0.33% or 0.08 mil increase ~ an increase of $8 per 100,000 of assessed valuation.  The 0.33% is close to zero ~ but it’s not zero, a fact that prompted Reggie Smith Jr. to cast the only dissenting vote on the Board against the 0.33% increase. “We voted for a zero, and it should be zero!” Reggie reminded his fellow Board members during the discussions.

At the beginning of the meeting yesterday evening, Tuesday, March 23 the Board listened to residents’ comments which were limited to 2 minutes per person and to a half-hour in total.  There were residents who spoke in favor of the New Hartford Schools’ budget, including Principal Steve Nadeau who said that many parents he has spoken to credit the high quality of the schools in New Hartford as being the reason they moved to town.  Two residents, who also spoke very favorably of the local schools, asked the BOF members to come in as close as possible to a zero budget, both saying that in difficult times, communities need to pull together.

The most impressive turnout, however, was the one in favor of the library budgets.  First Selectman Dan Jerram had proposed cutting the libraries’ budgets by 15% in his 0% increase scenario which he submitted to the Board of Finance to illustrate how unacceptable a 0% increase budget would be.  The library funding was left intact in the 2.6% budget which the selectmen had agreed was their recommended proposed budget; see our March 14 report Regional #7, Town Government Present Budget Proposals at BOF Workshop. However, fearful that the Board of Finance might yet cut library funding, the Library Board of Directors and the employees of the Beekley Library showed up en masse at the BOF meeting.  Among those who addressed the Board of Finance were the retiring Director of the Beekley Library Betsy (Whittemore) Saunders, her successor Andrea Gaedeke, and Library Board members Annette Lombardi, Georgia Austin and Peter Anderheggen. They all pointed to the increased number of residents making use of their services in these hard, economic times. A cut, they said, would mean a reduction in the hours of operation of the Beekley Library, just at a time when their services are most needed. The Board of Finance members obviously agreed with them, since at no time in the discussions was there any talk of reducing the two town libraries’ budget; the only comment made about the libraries was by BOF Chairman Ben Witte who pointed out the unusual nature of our small town of 6,000 residents supporting two town libraries.  No more was said on the libraries’ funding.

Not so lucky were the capital budgets of both the Board of Ed and the town, both of which saw their capital budgets either cut, or covered by reallocating funds from other line items to capital.  The local schools saw their capital budget cut from $280,000 down to $225,000; after subtracting a $75,000 state grant for replacement of the boilers at Antolini, the town’s portion was brought down to $150,000.

The town government’s capital fund was also reconfigured with $30,000 which had previously been allocated for a new police car being reallocated to cover some of the anticipated expense associated with the second washout at the industrial park which occurred several weeks ago and which First Selectman Dan Jerram said the engineers were in the process of assessing.  The cost to remediate this second washout is yet unknown but Dan pointed to the $52,000 which the town paid last year to have the first washout corrected and said that it would probably be more.  BOF member Jim Fitzgerald said they should plan for that unknown expense and his fellow BOF members agreed that some money should be allocated for that expense.  Dan suggested they cover the expense by reallocating funds that had already been reallocated in the reallocated funds worksheet attached to the town government’s proposed budget; see Attachment A of the Town Budget Proposal (2) included as  a downloadable PDF to our March 14 report Regional #7, Town Government Present Budget Proposals at BOF Meeting.  Ben, however, said he preferred to call it capital, not reallocation so everyone would know where it’s coming from and where it’s going.  In the end, the decision was made to move the $30,000 allocated to a new police car to the expense for the second washout.

Other changes made by the BOF to the town government budget include the following changes to the town’s Highway Department budget:

• The sand and salt line items were each increased by an addition $15,000 from the $60,000 amount (which had already been increased by $10,000 each in the proposed budget) to $75,000 for each of the two line items.  This brought the line items up to a level where they are adequately funded, Reggie Smith said.
• The crack and chip seal account was reduced from $300,000 in the proposed budget (which had been increased from $63,860 in the current year’s budget) to $275,000.

Another change in the Town Government budget which was revenue neutral, Dan said, was the Building Inspector’s position which was no longer going to be a part-time position but instead would be a contracted service.  The Building Inspector will work a maximum of 15 hours per week at $40 per hour.  The $30,280 allocated to the Building Inspector’s Salary line item in the Town Government budget (page 9) was moved to the Legal and Professional Fees line item.

During the discussion of the capital expenditures in the Town Government’s proposed budget the subject of the Brodie House was brought up.  Referring to the $35,000 allocated to the Brodie House in this year’s budget which has been reallocated to the Brown’s Corner project, Jim Fitzgerald asked: “What happened to the Brodie House?  Has it gone away?”  Dan Jerram said that this was a different Board of Selectmen from last year, that the Building Inspector had give a positive report on the house, and as far as the roof that needed fixing, Dan said: “We own the roof shingles, we will allocate manpower to it.”  Presumably, the First Selectman was referring to allocating the road crew to work on the roof of the house which has been rented since April 1, 2009 without a lease by a member of the town crew at $400 per month in exchange for his providing labor for the house; see our October 8 2009 report Brodie House Lease, Cost of Moving Fill: Issues Recycle Through BOS meeting.  That report was on the last time this issue was discussed by the town’s selectmen when it was said that the tenant had refused the town’s offer for a one-year lease at $1,000 per month which the task force assigned to the issue had calculated was a fair rent and, when questioned about the work that the rentor was supposed to be doing in the house in exchange for the reduced rent, the prior First Selectman said that since the town had rescinded the lease, the tenant was not doing any of the work.   The Board of Finance at this year’s Tuesday night Special Meeting did not pursue this issue further, as it had in its March 17, 2009 Special Meeting, see our March 18, 2009 report True Zero It Is: Board Of Finance Agrees.

Board of Finance members also discussed the $50,000 capital allocated to Rec, with Ben saying that he felt that amount had been rich when it was originally allocated to Rec, and it was even more so now.  Dan Jerram defended the Rec capital allocation, saying that he was compelling them to allocate $30,000 of that for Brown’s Corner.  Dan offered that if any of the town’s capital budget was to be cut, it should be the $30,000 allocated to the police car.  The BOF members left the Rec capital item untouched; later they reallocated the $30,000 in the town capital budget for a police car to cover the industrial park washout.

BOF members Roy Litchfield and Reggie Smith spoke strongly in favor of trimming both budgets in front of them in order to reach a 0% increase budget.  At one point in the discussion, when told that the budget was within $80,000 of being at the 0% increase level, Roy Litchfield proposed cutting the amount proportionally from each of the two budgets: $29,000 from the town and $51,000 from the schools.  He and Reggie both failed to sway other BOF members, however and those final cuts were not made.  Ben again pointed out during the discussion that if the teachers of the local schools had decided to forgo their raises, the budget would have come in at zero.

A motion by Laura Sundquist accepting the budgets as they had been submitted was not passed by the Board.  Ben outlined the following scenario and brought it to a vote:

“Take the budget as presented, reduce the Board of Ed Capital to 150K, increase revenue by 30K from the Surplus Infrastructure Reserve Account, rename the police car capital to the industrial park washout, with a resulting total expenditure of $21,201,878 at a 96% collection rate: 0.33% increase budget, or a 0.08 mil increase.”  The Board of Finance members approved the motion, with only Reggie Smith voting against it.  This 0.08 mil increase works out to an increase in next year’s taxes of $8 per $100,000 of assessed valuation.

Note: The budget does not include any funding for the wastewater treatment plant, since Dan told the BOF members that the town is structuring the loan payments to be paid in arrears, so that the first payment will be due in September 2011 which will fall in the 2011-2012 Fiscal Year’s budget and not in the 2010-2011 Fiscal Year budget that is currently being worked on by the Board of Finance.

The Public Hearing for the proposed budget: The public hearing will be at 7:00 p.m.  on Tuesday, April 6 in the Senior Center at Town Hall, 530 Main Street.  This will be the last opportunity for residents to have their say on the 2010-2011 budget before it is brought to referendum.

By: Maria and Bob Moore

On a rainy, windy, morning this past Saturday, March 13 while most residents were lingering over their morning coffee, the members of the Board of Finance were gathering in the Senior Center for their annual Budget workshop meeting.

Presenting their proposed budgets were Northwestern Regional #7 and the town’s government. The New Hartford Schools presentation was made at the Board of Finance meeting on Tuesday, March 9; see our March 12 reports: the first report includes videos of the comments made by the public before Dr. O’Reilly’s presentation, and the second report includes videos of of Dr. O’Reilly’s presentation. The two presentations and the ensuing discussions ran from 8:30 a.m. to close to 1:00 p.m. By the end of the session, several different scenarios had been discussed, each with a different final tab attached to it. Tax increases ranging from 0.65% to 1.6% were discussed, depending on whether payments for the wastewater treatment plant would begin in the next fiscal year. The board made no final decision, but agreed to continue their deliberations and to vote on their recommended budget at their next meeting.

Following is a brief summary of those presentations. Bob Moore of NewHartfordPlus videotaped the whole proceeding but due to the atrocious acoustics which make videotaping in the Senior Center a challenge, the quality of the video is sketchy. Bob will be adding some video clips to this report, picking out the most audible.

Presentation #1: Regional #7 Budget

Molly Sexton-Read, chair of the Regional #7 Board of Ed presented the Regional #7 proposed budget for 2010-2011. She was accompanied by Superintendent of Schools Clint Montgomery, Business Manager Roger Newbury. New Hartford Board members First Selectman Dan Jerram and Rob Jerram also participated in the discussion of the Regional budget. The increase in the expenditures of the Regional #7 proposed budget is actually $308,041 which is a 1.75% increase over the current year’s expenditures. However, the increase in the assessment to the 4 member towns is $170,296 or $15,913,914 which represents a 1.08% increase over the current year.   New Hartford’s assessment of the total budget is $7,676,872, which is actually $15,460 less than the current year’s assessment, or a 0.20% decrease in the assessment. This is because the the number of New Hartford students enrolled at Regional in the coming year is projected to drop from 534 students this year to 521 students in the coming year.

Regional #7 Superintendent Clint Montgomery said that they still see 2-3 years of difficult times ahead and the budget presented by his team was based on that assumption.  Molly said that the reductions they’d made represented no erosion in the programs offered at the school.  First Selectman and Regional #7 Board member Dan Jerram said that the budget included no new programs or positions that would be funded by the school.

A large amount of the increase in the Regional #7 budget was due to the increase in Special Ed costs and to employee benefits.  To minimize the impact of these increases on the budget, there was a reduction in staff of 14.6 FTEs (Full Time Equivalents).  Out of this number, 6.1 FTEs were in certified staff; 5 FTEs were staff that took advantage of the early retirement offer, choosing to retire early in return for either a $10,000 payment or one year of paid health benefits.  Full-time positions were cut back to part-time, allowing the school to retain the positions and the employees concerned rather than just cutting them completely from the budget.

Following is a video clip of Molly’s presentation of the Regional #7 budget.  Unfortunately, the sound quality is poor for the video camera, as it was for members of the audience.

Presentation #2: Town Government

Please Note: The video for the Town Government proposed budget is of acceptable quality and we will be posting it in this article as time permits.  We will also be including a downloadable copy of the proposed Town Government Budget.

First Selectman Dan Jerram presented the Town Budget to the Board of Finance members. He was accompanied by Selectman Bruce Gresczyk. Dan presented the two budget proposals discussed by the Board of Selectmen at the special meeting this past Thursday, March 11. Those proposed budgets were for a budget with a 0.2% increase budget which the selectmen agreed they would not recommend, and a second budget with a 2.6% increase which the selectmen agreed was their recommended proposed budget; see our March 12 report of the Board of Selectmen special meeting where they discussed the two possible budgets.

The budget proposal with the 2.6% increase was not available to the Board of Finance as a separate document.  Instead, the 0.2% increase budget was handed out and items that had been included as cuts in the 0.2% budget and that were restored under the 2.6% budget were highlighted in yellow.  Those restored budget items were the state trooper for an amount of $79,350 (page 7); and the library budgets, $34,000 restored to the Beekley Library and $7,000 restored to the Bakerville Library (page 10).

In the debt service area (page 13) there was a $90,000 increase in the payment for the town hall construction bond.  The financing for the construction had been structured in such a way that the required payment on principal jumped from $115,000 in the current fiscal year to $205,000 in the coming fiscal year.  There was some surmising of why the financing might have been structured in that way, but no concrete explanation was forthcoming.

The Town Government proposed budget includes a major investment in town roads.  Dan and Bruce spoke at great length about the “ugly” condition of roads and the proposed budget has a large allocation of funds into the Crack and Chip Seal account; $236,140 was added, bringing the total allocation to $300,000, a 369.8% increase in that item (page 9).  The Asphalt and Paving account was reduced by $100,000 to $150,000, a 40% decrease.

Proposal to Use Reallocated Funds and CRRA Settlement Funds

Not included in the proposed budget per se, but discussed as companion pieces to the budget were the two following items:

Reallocated Funds: Dan attached a page to the budget showing $279,000 of reallocated funds from the current fiscal year (2010/2011)and a further $277,500 from next fiscal year (2010/2011).   The reallocated funds from this fiscal year would pay for the project at Brown’s Corner, as well as adding $81,000 to general operations; see the downloadable PDF below.

The reallocation of funds will be brought to a town meeting for approval; we will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.

CRRA Settlement Funds: Dan said that none of the funds that were being added to the Highway Department’s budget for road work would be allocated to Steele Road.   Instead, he proposed using the CRRA settlement funds this coming summer to effect repairs to Steele Road as well as other roads.   The Board of Finance members were noncommittal but they agreed to let Dan submit a proposal to them at a later date of how he would intend using the funds.

Debt Service For Wastewater Treatment Plant May Not Begin In Fiscal Year 2010/2011

Payments for the wastewater treatment plant will not begin until the fall of 2011, First Selectman Dan Jerram informed the Board of Finance members.  He said that within the last week the town had learned that the payment structure for the USDA funding for the plant was something that the town could design on its own.  The USDA only requires that the loan be for 30 years and that the interest on the loan be paid each year.  This came as a surprise to the Board of Finance members who had agreed that the wastewater treatment plant payments would be added into the coming year’s budget as a separate item from the Town Government budget.  The Board of Finance asked Dan to provide them with a payment schedule for the wastewater treatment plant.

Workshop Concludes

The workshop that had started at 8:30 a.m. ended at almost 1:00 p.m.  The First Selectman was asked to submit a copy of the 2.6% budget to the Board of Finance members.  A half-dozen members of the public who were at the meeting, including several department heads  and a team leader of municipal offices, were not invited to give input.  That opportunity, Board of Finance Chairman Ben Witte later told our reporter, would be available at the public hearing scheduled for April 6 at 7:00 p.m. at the Town Hall.

The Board of Finance will meet on March 23 in a Special Meeting to discuss the proposed budgets for 2010/2011 that had been presented to them by the New Hartford Schools, Regional #7 and the Town Government.
Download Town Budget Proposal (171)
Town Budget Proposal 2 (163)

Additional videos will be added as time permits

Monday, March 15, 2010:

• New Hartford Senior Center activities: at Senior Center, Town Hall, 530 Main St., New Hartford. Activities: Fitness at 9:00 a.m. ($2.50 per class, includes a fitness card which is stamped for every class attended); Coffee at 10:00 a.m.; Advisory Council Meeting at 11:00 a.m. For more information please call Jean Barnicoat at 860-379-3980 between 8:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays.
• Board of Assessment Appeals: Preset individual appointments. For information, please call the Assessor’s Office at 860-379-5235.
• Car For Sale: Check out the new listing in our Classifieds section. Do you have a a vehicle for sale? Let us know and we’ll list it for FREE in our Classifieds.
• Do you know of an event that should be listed here and you don’t see it? Please email us the info. and we’ll add it! Send to newhartfordplus@gmail.com and write ‘Calendar’ in the subject line.

Our Community 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. Also check out our new Community Bulletin Board where you can see posters and information on local groups and events.

…NHGrapevine…

“It’s up to us how we structure the payments.”

First Selectman Dan Jerram told the Board of Finance members about the wastewater treatment plant payments which apparently won’t begin until the 2011-2012 fiscal year, a year later than everyone had assumed. Board of Finance members asked to see a payment schedule at their next meeting.

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 view of the trees in Callahan Park as seen from Route 219 during the rain at 7:30 a.m. Sunday, March 14. Photo: Maria Moore

Businesses Reap Tangible Rewards From Business Council

Membership in the Business Council now brings with it tangible rewards, as members found out when they opened their welcome letter that just arrived through the mail.  For tucked inside each letter, the Business Council had placed the following “goodies”:

• a membership sticker which the Business Council hopes members will display on the door or window of their place of business; membership stickers courtesy of Realty Works;
• a Member to Member Discount card which members can use to get discounts at 15 local businesses; M2M program thanks to the hard work of Ron Miller of Ace Marketing;  M2M listing printed courtesy of Dawn Whalen of COMPUTER EXPLORERS;
• a flyer from the Canton Chamber of Commerce which NHBC members can join at a discount and access the Chamber’s educational and training seminars, member-only health insurance, and many more member benefits;
• a web presence through a listing on the NHBC Members’ Directory on NewHartfordPlus.

As well as those tangible “goodies,” Mary Ann Gunning, Membership Chair welcomed members who, she said, had joined with 76 other businesses in the New Hartford area.  Mary Ann ran through a half-dozen opportunities during the year when Business Council members can participate in community events and showcase their businesses.  And, she ended the letter the way she had begun it:  ”I cannot emphasize enough how much we would like to hear your opinions, thoughts and ideas.”

Mary Ann, together with Co-Presidents Bart Baxter and Dawn Whalen all welcome contact from Business Council members and business owners who are considering membership.  Please contact Bart Baxter at 860-921-7149 or by email wbaxter1@metlife.com; Dawn Whalen at 860-238-7142 or by email dawn_ctce@charter.net; and Mary Ann Gunning at 860-379-1075 or by email chapinpark@sbcglobal.net

Many Thanks: To the Members of the Steering Committee who have been meeting regularly at Mary Ann’s Chapin Park Bed and Breakfast and through whose efforts the New Hartford Business Council is again becoming a driving force in the business community.

First Selectman To Speak On Business Climate In New Hartford At Steering Committee Meeting Tomorrow

First Selectman Dan Jerram will be the guest speaker at the New Hartford Business Council Steering Committee meeting tomorrow morning, Wednesday March 3. Dan has accepted the Business Council’s invitation to speak on ‘The Current Business Climate New Hartford.’ After an overview of the current business environment in New Hartford and the opportunities for economic development that the construction of the wastewater treatment plant will bring to New Hartford, Dan will answer questions from business owners at the meeting.

This meeting of the Steering Committee is open to all Business Council members. The meeting will be held at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow morning, Wednesday, March 3 at Chapin Park Bed and Breakfast on the Green in Pine Meadow.

For more information: On this meeting please contact Bart Baxter, Co-President at 860-921-7149 or by email: wbaxter1@metlife.com.

By: Maria Moore

With slushy snow on the ground and with more snow in the forecast, the selectmen met this past Tuesday evening, February 23 for a meeting that lasted just long enough to handle the business at hand.  Following is a brief summary of the items discussed at that meeting; for the agenda for the meeting, please see the end of this report.

Item #3: BOC (Building Oversight Committee for Wastewater Treatment Plant) Re. recommendation for sewer repairs

Our reporter was present at the meeting for part of the discussion on the BOC’s recommendation for sewer repairs.   When it became obvious that her presence was impinging on the ability of those present to discuss pricing associated with the BOC’s recommendations, she excused herself from the meeting.

The BOC went over the results of the video analysis of the different areas of the sewer lines they were reviewing to make a recommendation to the selectmen for an updated remediation plan; see our January 5 report BOC Meets, Starts Work on Assessing Sewer Lines.

The BOC recommended to the selectmen that the Brook Street line be rehabbed by installing short liners, grouting and standard manhole repairs.  This is projected to cost less than the $250,000 STEAP grant available.

The BOC also recommended a heavy washing and subsequent videotaping of the areas of the Main Street lines that were impenetrable to camera access during the recent video survey.

Another recommendation by the BOC was to pursue whether an additional $250,000 grant from the DECD (Department of Economic and Community Development) that was originally intended for the intersection of Central Avenue, Bridge Street and Route 44 might be changed to allow its use to undertake sewer pipe rehabilitation in that area rather than for paving and to make cosmetic changes as originally intended.

The selectmen approved the following motion proposed by Selectman Bruce Gresczyk: “To expand the scope of the BOC to include that they are authorized to act upon the recommendations made to the Board of Selectmen regarding the repairs needed for the Brook Street sewer line while continuing to research the western Main Street sewer line, including the heavy cleaning and additional camera observations of the line, not to exceed the $250,000 DEP STEAP grant.”

Item #4: Linda Sheffield ~ Tax Sale

Linda Sheffield, the town Tax Collector, had originally asked to bring this item to the Board of Selectmen because she believed that she would need to have funding approved by the selectmen to pay a real estate company to handle the tax sale.  However, she had found that state marshalls would handle the tax sale without upfront costs, and so she presented the item to the selectmen “as an FYI” as she told our reporter.

Linda said that as of the date of the selectmen’s meeting, February 23, there were 20 properties whose owners were severely in arrears with their tax payments.  The properties ranged from single-family homes to undeveloped lots.  Each of the properties had at least $10,000 owing in back taxes, with a total of $343,540 owed to the town.  She had been unsuccessful in collecting those back taxes and was now setting in motion the steps necessary to hold tax sales of the delinquent properties.

Linda had sent out letters informing the property owners that warrants would be issued on Wednesday, March 3 if they did not respond by that date.   The date she has set for the tax sale is June 9.

Our reporter checked in with Linda today, March 1, and she said that so far 4 of the property owners had come through, bringing the list down to 16.  She also confirmed that the last time the town had held a tax sale was 10 years ago.

We will update this item in a News Update when more information becomes available.

Item #5: Operations Update:  Interim Highway Superintendent Position Discussed With Union

The selectmen continued Bruce Gresczyk’s appointment as Interim Highway Superintendent until the next Board of Selectmen meeting.  This is to allow for discussions to continue with the road crew’s union to discuss leadership so that details might be completed.

Our reporter checked with the First Selectman’s Office today and she was told there was no additional news available either on the investigation or on the ongoing discussions with the union.

Addendum ~ Brodie House Lease

Our reporter also asked today, as she does periodically, whether there have been any developments in the lease negotiation between the town and Don Birden, the road crew member who is currently living in the Brodie House on the basis of a lease signed with former First Selectman Earl MacInnes on March 26, 2009 which was found to be invalid by the town’s attorney; see our October 8, 2009 report Brodie House Lease, Cost of Moving Fill: Issues Recycle Through BOS  Meeting, the last time this matter was discussed by the previous administration.  Our reporter was again informed by the First Selectman’s Office that there was no development on this issue either.

A view looking down Central Avenue towards the center of New Hartford. Photo: Maria Moore

____________________

Agenda
Board of Selectmen Regular Meeting
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
7:00 PM Town Hall

1.Minutes

2.Opportunity for Public Comment

3.BOC – re: recommendation for sewer repairs

4.Linda Sheffield – Tax Sale

5.Operations updates Grants Update – STEAP (sand salt shed)

6.Correspondence ( Girl Scout Proclamation)

7.Request for Tax Refunds

8.Any Other Business to Come Before This Board