Special Meeting January 20, 2009
Killingworth Park and Recreation Commission
Special Meeting January 20, 2009
1. Call to Order
The Killingworth Park and Recreation Commission held a Special Meeting on Tuesday, January 20, 2009, at the Killingworth Town Office Building, 323 Route 81, Killingworth, Connecticut.
Members Present: Dan Colonia
Scot Thomas
Susan Dean
Glen Johnson
John Machold
Bill Silas
Members Absent: Chris Kelly
Visitors Present: Richard Otto
Chairman Dan Colonia called the meeting to order at 8:04 PM.
2. Pledge of Allegiance – The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
3. Minutes of Regular Meeting held December 8, 2008
*A motion was made by John Machold and seconded by Scot Thomas to accept the minutes of the December 8, 2008, meeting. Bill Silas abstained. Motion passed.
4. Communications, Bills and Applications
a. No communications were presented.
b. The following bills were presented:
Bill from Langer Contractors in the amount of $ 212.00 for weed and brush clearing along fence at Sheldon Field. Dan noted on the bill that the correct amount should be $ 200.00 because the Town is tax exempt,
Bill from CL&P in the amount of $ 76.56,
Second bill from CL&P in the amount of $ 37.70,
Third bill from CL&P in the amount of $ 75.89,
Bill from Dawn Mooney for clerical recording services in the amount of $ 46.62,
Bill from Anthony Carri for December (14 days) in the amount of $ 126.00.
*A motion was made by Susan Dean and seconded by Bill Silas to approve all of the above noted bills. Motion passed unanimously.
Weston & Sampson invoice in the amount of $ 5,512.50 (which was tabled at the December 8 meeting awaiting a bill breakdown) was re-presented with the breakdown received from Weston & Sampson. The breakdown was reviewed by the commission and Dan read an email he received from Chris Kelly (a copy of which is attached to these minutes) approving the
$ 3,712.50 amount. Discussion followed clarifying and approving the “Bidding Services” amount of $ 1,125.00 and requesting confirmation from Cathy Jefferson or Eric Auer of Weston & Sampson’s attendance at a second Planning & Zoning Commission meeting.
*A motion was made by John Machold and seconded by Glen Johnson to authorize $ 3,712.50 payment to Weston & Sampson. John then amended his motion to also approve $1,125.00 payment to Weston & Sampson for bidding documents bringing total payment to Weston & Sampson to $ 4,837.50. Motion passed unanimously.
*A motion was made by Susan Dean and seconded by John Machold to approve
$ 675.00 payment to Weston & Sampson upon verification of Weston & Sampson’s attendance at a second Planning & Zoning meeting. Motion passed unanimously.
c. An application was presented from KYL for use of the fields for the spring season. Dan suggested tabling the application until a later meeting to allow other organizations to submit applications as well. The commission agreed.
5. Treasurer’s Report
- Treasurer Bill Silas reported:
Starting account balance $ 22,094.77
Expenses $ 1,468.87
Ending balance $ 20,625.90 (20% of budget spent)
- Bill explained that the 2008 - 2009 operating budget was $ 25,850.00, and he would like to submit a 2009 - 2010 operating budget of $ 26,650.00, noting increases in the areas of recording clerk fees, electric bills and fuel consumption, and decreases in areas including repairs, maintenance and miscellaneous expenses.
*A motion was made by Bill Silas and seconded by John Machold to approve
$ 26,650.00 budget for 2009 – 2010 fiscal year. Motion passed unanimously.
- Bill would like to re-introduce the Kubota tractor and trailer, which was turned down last year, in the amount of $ 15,000.00.
- Sheldon design/engineering – Dan would like money in the budget to start the design process. Chris had presented figures to the State for the STEAP grant of $ 34,000.00 for Wettish Phase II and $ 28,000.00 for Sheldon and Dan suggested presenting these numbers to obtain “seed money” for the project. (Discussion followed between Dan and Bill clarifying a previous conversation in which Dan referred to $ 500,000.00 for a different figure.) Bill agreed to include the figures.
6. Old Business
a. Parks and Field Maintenance/Evaluations
- Sheldon Park - rocking animal – Dan noted that Susan Otto had spoken to Walter Adametz about the broken spring. The commission agreed that Bill Silas will be the new liason with Walter, and will address this issue.
- Bethke Field – gate – Chris Kelly took over project from Susan Otto. The commission noted that the pole is now painted green and there are new brackets. Dan will email Chris for clarification.
b. Wettish Property Development
- Dan presented the letter from Town Attorney Mike Wells that he had circulated to the commission together with the comments from himself, Chris and Glen. Since there were no further comments, Dan will summarize these comments and draft a letter to Weston & Sampson also incorporating the answers to Weston & Sampson’s questions of the Commission.
- Discussion followed regarding Amendment #2 to Weston & Sampson’s contract. Dan will verify with Chris whether the Board of Selectmen must approve the amount as well as the commission.
*A motion was made by Bill Silas and seconded by John Machold to approve Amendment #2 to Weston & Sampson contract in the amount of $ 4,500.00 for design specs and front end documents. Motion passed unanimously.
Dan informed the Commission that the Board of Selectmen has changed the way they are approaching the bidding documents. The First Selectman would now like correct documents and a correct line item be presented to them at an upcoming meeting, and then presented at a Town Meeting, before the project goes out to bid. Dan would like to present the $1.3M figure, including the contingency and irrigation as separate items, with all specific details, to illustrate the design is very lean and efficient. Dan asked for discussion. Discussion followed regarding the plan, and noting that specific detail was not included in the prior presentation. Dan reiterated that the Board of Selectmen was not previously presented with an engineering report but rather with a summary.
The Commission then discussed this complete reversal of direction from the Board of Selectmen regarding the bidding process for the Wettish Project. Dan explained that he had contacted First Selectman Richard Cabral for authorization to contact Attorney Wells for approval of the Wettish bidding documents, and Richard was quite upset that the Board of Selectmen and the Town had not yet approved the documents, reversing the directive given at the November 10, 2008 Board of Selectmen meeting. Richard informed Dan that the plan and budget must be presented to the Board of Selectmen and then at a Town Meeting before the project could go out to bid. The minutes of this meeting as they pertain to the Wettish Project were then read to the Commission, as follows:
“Selectman Dudek asked if it wouldn’t make more sense to bid this
out first so the town would know what the dollars would be before
going to Town Meeting. Mr. Colonia asked if the BOS would give
its okay to start bidding this project. Mr. Auer noted it would be a
tremendous help to bid before going to Town Meeting. With the
current economic times, he anticipates there will be many bidders.
It was the consensus of the Board of Selectman that Park & Rec go
out to bid for this project. The line item is already in place.”
This a complete contradiction of the direction now being given by Richard.
Dick Otto then summarized that the Board of Selectmen had given a clear directive to the Park and Recreation Commission and had now changed that direction. He expressed his and the entire Commission’s frustration with the interruptions and now complete reversal of direction. He further stated that he was not surprised by the suggestion of the Town Meeting, but had thought the Board had established in principle what they were ready to approve and now reversed that. The Commission discussed this reversal and concurs that the Board of Selectmen’s redirection must be given in writing.
*A motion was made by Bill Silas and seconded by Scot Thomas to approve written communication with the Board of Selectmen asking for a official change of direction regarding the Wettish project bidding from their November 10, 2008 Board of Selectmen’s Meeting. Motion passed unanimously.
The Commission then discussed Weston & Sampson’s document and the numbers to present to the Board of Selectmen, noting the contingencies. The group agreed that if the Selectmen had been clear at their November 10 meeting, Park & Recreation would have already presented the plan and been before a Town Meeting. But the Commission agrees it is now incumbent upon them to present the plan and numbers.
*A motion was made by Bill Silas and seconded by Scot Thomas to present the November 28, 2008 Weston & Sampson engineering documents to the Board of Selectmen. Motion passed unanimously.
Dan informed the group of a $ 787.50 statement from Gould, Larson, Bennet, Wells & McDonnell, for Attorney Wells’ 5.25 hours to review the bidding documents.
*A motion was made by Susan Dean and seconded by Bill Silas to approve approximately $ 800.00 to be paid to Gould, Larson, Bennet, Wells & McDonnell, PC, if necessary.
- Dan informed the Commission that Sima Well Drilling had drilled the well yesterday. They drilled to a depth of 300’ but did not hit water. Eric Auer and Weston & Sampson authorized the drilling to continue. At 415’ – 425’ the water flow was approximately 3 gal/min, so they continued to 500’ where they hit approximately 30 gal/min. Dan stated that there would be an additional drilling expense because of the extra depth, but he noted that the output was excellent. Discussion followed regarding reaching the well location, the structure on the property and the restricted area.
Dan noted that currently all documents from Weston & Sampson are going through Bill Silas. The Commission then discussed naming Glen Johnson as the point of contact for Weston & Sampson noting his expertise and notable experience in the field.
*A motion was made by Scot Thomas and seconded by Susan Dean to designate Glen Johnson as point of contact with Weston & Sampson for the Wettish Project. Glen Johnson abstained. Motion passed.
7. Adjournment
*A motion was made by Susan Dean and seconded by Scot Thomas to adjourn the meeting at 9:32 PM. Motion passed unanimously.
Special Meeting January 20, 2009
1. Call to Order
The Killingworth Park and Recreation Commission held a Special Meeting on Tuesday, January 20, 2009, at the Killingworth Town Office Building, 323 Route 81, Killingworth, Connecticut.
Members Present: Dan Colonia
Scot Thomas
Susan Dean
Glen Johnson
John Machold
Bill Silas
Members Absent: Chris Kelly
Visitors Present: Richard Otto
Chairman Dan Colonia called the meeting to order at 8:04 PM.
2. Pledge of Allegiance – The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
3. Minutes of Regular Meeting held December 8, 2008
*A motion was made by John Machold and seconded by Scot Thomas to accept the minutes of the December 8, 2008, meeting. Bill Silas abstained. Motion passed.
4. Communications, Bills and Applications
a. No communications were presented.
b. The following bills were presented:
Bill from Langer Contractors in the amount of $ 212.00 for weed and brush clearing along fence at Sheldon Field. Dan noted on the bill that the correct amount should be $ 200.00 because the Town is tax exempt,
Bill from CL&P in the amount of $ 76.56,
Second bill from CL&P in the amount of $ 37.70,
Third bill from CL&P in the amount of $ 75.89,
Bill from Dawn Mooney for clerical recording services in the amount of $ 46.62,
Bill from Anthony Carri for December (14 days) in the amount of $ 126.00.
*A motion was made by Susan Dean and seconded by Bill Silas to approve all of the above noted bills. Motion passed unanimously.
Weston & Sampson invoice in the amount of $ 5,512.50 (which was tabled at the December 8 meeting awaiting a bill breakdown) was re-presented with the breakdown received from Weston & Sampson. The breakdown was reviewed by the commission and Dan read an email he received from Chris Kelly (a copy of which is attached to these minutes) approving the
$ 3,712.50 amount. Discussion followed clarifying and approving the “Bidding Services” amount of $ 1,125.00 and requesting confirmation from Cathy Jefferson or Eric Auer of Weston & Sampson’s attendance at a second Planning & Zoning Commission meeting.
*A motion was made by John Machold and seconded by Glen Johnson to authorize $ 3,712.50 payment to Weston & Sampson. John then amended his motion to also approve $1,125.00 payment to Weston & Sampson for bidding documents bringing total payment to Weston & Sampson to $ 4,837.50. Motion passed unanimously.
*A motion was made by Susan Dean and seconded by John Machold to approve
$ 675.00 payment to Weston & Sampson upon verification of Weston & Sampson’s attendance at a second Planning & Zoning meeting. Motion passed unanimously.
c. An application was presented from KYL for use of the fields for the spring season. Dan suggested tabling the application until a later meeting to allow other organizations to submit applications as well. The commission agreed.
5. Treasurer’s Report
- Treasurer Bill Silas reported:
Starting account balance $ 22,094.77
Expenses $ 1,468.87
Ending balance $ 20,625.90 (20% of budget spent)
- Bill explained that the 2008 - 2009 operating budget was $ 25,850.00, and he would like to submit a 2009 - 2010 operating budget of $ 26,650.00, noting increases in the areas of recording clerk fees, electric bills and fuel consumption, and decreases in areas including repairs, maintenance and miscellaneous expenses.
*A motion was made by Bill Silas and seconded by John Machold to approve
$ 26,650.00 budget for 2009 – 2010 fiscal year. Motion passed unanimously.
- Bill would like to re-introduce the Kubota tractor and trailer, which was turned down last year, in the amount of $ 15,000.00.
- Sheldon design/engineering – Dan would like money in the budget to start the design process. Chris had presented figures to the State for the STEAP grant of $ 34,000.00 for Wettish Phase II and $ 28,000.00 for Sheldon and Dan suggested presenting these numbers to obtain “seed money” for the project. (Discussion followed between Dan and Bill clarifying a previous conversation in which Dan referred to $ 500,000.00 for a different figure.) Bill agreed to include the figures.
6. Old Business
a. Parks and Field Maintenance/Evaluations
- Sheldon Park - rocking animal – Dan noted that Susan Otto had spoken to Walter Adametz about the broken spring. The commission agreed that Bill Silas will be the new liason with Walter, and will address this issue.
- Bethke Field – gate – Chris Kelly took over project from Susan Otto. The commission noted that the pole is now painted green and there are new brackets. Dan will email Chris for clarification.
b. Wettish Property Development
- Dan presented the letter from Town Attorney Mike Wells that he had circulated to the commission together with the comments from himself, Chris and Glen. Since there were no further comments, Dan will summarize these comments and draft a letter to Weston & Sampson also incorporating the answers to Weston & Sampson’s questions of the Commission.
- Discussion followed regarding Amendment #2 to Weston & Sampson’s contract. Dan will verify with Chris whether the Board of Selectmen must approve the amount as well as the commission.
*A motion was made by Bill Silas and seconded by John Machold to approve Amendment #2 to Weston & Sampson contract in the amount of $ 4,500.00 for design specs and front end documents. Motion passed unanimously.
Dan informed the Commission that the Board of Selectmen has changed the way they are approaching the bidding documents. The First Selectman would now like correct documents and a correct line item be presented to them at an upcoming meeting, and then presented at a Town Meeting, before the project goes out to bid. Dan would like to present the $1.3M figure, including the contingency and irrigation as separate items, with all specific details, to illustrate the design is very lean and efficient. Dan asked for discussion. Discussion followed regarding the plan, and noting that specific detail was not included in the prior presentation. Dan reiterated that the Board of Selectmen was not previously presented with an engineering report but rather with a summary.
The Commission then discussed this complete reversal of direction from the Board of Selectmen regarding the bidding process for the Wettish Project. Dan explained that he had contacted First Selectman Richard Cabral for authorization to contact Attorney Wells for approval of the Wettish bidding documents, and Richard was quite upset that the Board of Selectmen and the Town had not yet approved the documents, reversing the directive given at the November 10, 2008 Board of Selectmen meeting. Richard informed Dan that the plan and budget must be presented to the Board of Selectmen and then at a Town Meeting before the project could go out to bid. The minutes of this meeting as they pertain to the Wettish Project were then read to the Commission, as follows:
“Selectman Dudek asked if it wouldn’t make more sense to bid this
out first so the town would know what the dollars would be before
going to Town Meeting. Mr. Colonia asked if the BOS would give
its okay to start bidding this project. Mr. Auer noted it would be a
tremendous help to bid before going to Town Meeting. With the
current economic times, he anticipates there will be many bidders.
It was the consensus of the Board of Selectman that Park & Rec go
out to bid for this project. The line item is already in place.”
This a complete contradiction of the direction now being given by Richard.
Dick Otto then summarized that the Board of Selectmen had given a clear directive to the Park and Recreation Commission and had now changed that direction. He expressed his and the entire Commission’s frustration with the interruptions and now complete reversal of direction. He further stated that he was not surprised by the suggestion of the Town Meeting, but had thought the Board had established in principle what they were ready to approve and now reversed that. The Commission discussed this reversal and concurs that the Board of Selectmen’s redirection must be given in writing.
*A motion was made by Bill Silas and seconded by Scot Thomas to approve written communication with the Board of Selectmen asking for a official change of direction regarding the Wettish project bidding from their November 10, 2008 Board of Selectmen’s Meeting. Motion passed unanimously.
The Commission then discussed Weston & Sampson’s document and the numbers to present to the Board of Selectmen, noting the contingencies. The group agreed that if the Selectmen had been clear at their November 10 meeting, Park & Recreation would have already presented the plan and been before a Town Meeting. But the Commission agrees it is now incumbent upon them to present the plan and numbers.
*A motion was made by Bill Silas and seconded by Scot Thomas to present the November 28, 2008 Weston & Sampson engineering documents to the Board of Selectmen. Motion passed unanimously.
Dan informed the group of a $ 787.50 statement from Gould, Larson, Bennet, Wells & McDonnell, for Attorney Wells’ 5.25 hours to review the bidding documents.
*A motion was made by Susan Dean and seconded by Bill Silas to approve approximately $ 800.00 to be paid to Gould, Larson, Bennet, Wells & McDonnell, PC, if necessary.
- Dan informed the Commission that Sima Well Drilling had drilled the well yesterday. They drilled to a depth of 300’ but did not hit water. Eric Auer and Weston & Sampson authorized the drilling to continue. At 415’ – 425’ the water flow was approximately 3 gal/min, so they continued to 500’ where they hit approximately 30 gal/min. Dan stated that there would be an additional drilling expense because of the extra depth, but he noted that the output was excellent. Discussion followed regarding reaching the well location, the structure on the property and the restricted area.
Dan noted that currently all documents from Weston & Sampson are going through Bill Silas. The Commission then discussed naming Glen Johnson as the point of contact for Weston & Sampson noting his expertise and notable experience in the field.
*A motion was made by Scot Thomas and seconded by Susan Dean to designate Glen Johnson as point of contact with Weston & Sampson for the Wettish Project. Glen Johnson abstained. Motion passed.
7. Adjournment
*A motion was made by Susan Dean and seconded by Scot Thomas to adjourn the meeting at 9:32 PM. Motion passed unanimously.
