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ENFIELD TOWN COUNCIL
MINUTES OF A SPECIAL MEETING
FEBRUARY 10, 2004
A Special Meeting of the Enfield Town Council was called to order by Chairman Tallarita in the old senior center on High Street in Enfield, Connecticut on Tuesday, February 10, 2004 at 7:00 p.m.
ROLL-CALL - Present were Councilmen Crowley, Dodd, Edgar, Fiore, Kaupin, Reveruzzi, Tait, and Tallarita. Councilmen Egan, Mangini, and Peruta were absent. Also present were Town Manager, Scott Shanley; Assistant Town Manager, Daniel Vindigni; Town Clerk, Suzanne Olechnicki; Director of Public Works, John Kazmarski; Assistant Director of Public Works, Colleen Brand; Director of Finance, Gregory Simmons; Town Engineer, Jeffrey Bord
TOUR OF THE OLD SENIOR CENTER
The Council toured the old senior center.
Chairman Tallarita questioned when the roof will be completed. Mr. Kazmarski estimated a few more weeks.
Councilman Reveruzzi questioned whether they considered including the flat section in the back of the building, and Mr. Shanley stated they are trying to address the immediate needs of the main roof. Councilman Reveruzzi stated his belief it might be wise to have the current roofing contractor look at the flat section to get an idea of cost.
Councilman Dodd questioned the work needed in the lavatories. Ms. Brand pointed out the mens bathroom requires more work than the ladies bathroom.
Councilman Dodd questioned whether any consideration was given to having this building included in the national historic registry, and Mr. Shanley noted they can check into this.
Councilman Kaupin questioned whether a punch list of items to be done, as well as costs, is being developed. Mr. Shanley indicated that can be ready for the Council's next discussion on this item. Councilman Fiore stated he would like included in that list a cost to address the flat portion of roof in the back of this building.
Councilman Reveruzzi stated he would like to see specifications included with the budget for this building.
Chairman Tallarita stated his belief that before they come up with some numbers, they would need to know what the building will be used for.
Councilman Tait questioned whether outside work is mainly cosmetic. Mr. Kazmarski stated there are some intrusions from the outside, i.e., squirrels and dry rot. He added those problems have to be evaluated more closely. He noted the shingles are asbestos, therefore, they have to be careful when working in that area.
Councilman Crowley questioned whether Council or Commission meetings could be held in this building, and Mr. Shanley responded that is something that could be considered.
Some discussion followed regarding parking across the street, and it was noted there has not been any problems with usage of that parking.
Kenneth and Celeste Estvanik, representatives of the Valley Repertoire Theater were present to discuss that group's use of this building.
Ms. Estvanik explained the arrangement that existed in the past between the Enfield Senior Center and her theater group. She noted they are hoping to audition for a show in February. She added in the past they've had two shows per year and in the future they envision two major and two minor productions per year.
Councilman Fiore spoke about the idea of a community center with five different groups using this facility. Ms. Estvanik stated they would need to have a calendar that is managed. Councilman Fiore asked how Ms. Estvanik felt about other groups having a key to this building and Ms. Estvanik stated it's worrisome, however, that would not be under their control. Mr. Estvanik added they would need to be cautious about their theater equipment. Ms. Estvanik pointed out her theater group has always maintained the space they used in the old senior center.
Mr. Shanley stated there are currently a lot of keys out there for this building, and this building should be re-keyed.
Mr. Estvanik stated this theater group has given back to the community with these productions. He added they also made financial contributions to Kay Tallarita's senior citizens program for the use of this building. Ms. Estvanik pointed out the theater group does not have a guaranteed income.
Councilman Reveruzzi stated his belief they need to learn if there's interest by other organizations and they would need to look at scheduling as well.
Chairman Tallarita stated his belief the community center activities would be something that might take place in the back half of the building with cultural arts activities, such as the theater group, utilizing the front part of the building. He stated his belief that if everyone has a desire to see this work, things can be worked out with scheduling.
Chairman Tallarita suggested staff put together some preliminary numbers on work that could be done on this building. He suggested that perhaps through the media and word of mouth they could look for interest from the community as to who has an interest in using this building.
ROAD 2005
Mr. Shanley displayed a current map which showed roads which are good, very good or in excellent condition. He noted this is very encouraging compared to 1997. He noted there are still areas that need addressing and he displayed maps illustrating those areas.
Mr. Kazmarski referred to Section 2 of the proposed Road 2005 program and noted the estimated cost for this section is about $7 million dollars. Mr. Shanley emphasized these are preliminary estimates with absolutely no engineering done on any of these roads.
Councilman Fiore stated at the last discussion regarding roads, there was a bottom line worked out between Mr. Kazmarski and Mr. Simmons that included doing Green Manor Road. He noted he was not clear whether that estimate also assumed that the Town was again funding the extra $550,000 out of budget this year. Mr. Shanley noted it does not assume that.
Councilman Kaupin stated he's concerned no work will be proposed for the Green Manor area. He questioned the additional cost for those large neighborhoods. Mr. Shanley noted they could look at another $3.5 million dollars to see what they could accomplish. He added they could run the numbers at $20 million dollars to see what else could be picked up.
Councilman Kaupin stated whatever they do with the Green Manor section, they need to do something regarding the sidewalks even if it's only to get rid of the dangerous walkways.
Councilman Crowley questioned how much has been spent on the Green Manor area, and Mr. Shanley responded $2.8 million dollars at this point.
Chairman Tallarita questioned whether the Raffia Road estimate includes any alterations to the sidewalk in that area. Mr. Kazmarski responded no. Chairman Tallarita requested an estimate be supplied for sidewalk work in this area.
Mr. Bord pointed out these are all general estimates. He noted every road has different considerations, i.e., sidewalks, drainage, etc.
Councilman Crowley stated businesses should be notified when a big road project is to be done in their area so they can be prepared.
Councilman Fiore stated if the referendum passes, there still will be about 13 or 14 more isolated roads that are not getting picked up anywhere. He noted some of those roads require major reconstruction. He questioned what will be done about those roads over the next six years. Mr. Bord stated his belief they should come up with another estimate concerning these types of roads.
It was agreed this item will be discussed again in March.
GOALS
Councilman Tait stated his belief the Town Manager did an excellent job in organizing the list of goals.
The Council held a discussion as to the best method of prioritizing the goals list.
Mr. Shanley stated his impression from the last consensus was not to have up to 15 dots for prioritizing this list. He suggested one red dot for the absolute highest priority; two blue dots for serious priorities and three or four green dots for important priorities.
Councilman Tait stated he envisions goals being something that can actually be accomplished, not necessarily a way to keep track of things.
Chairman Tallarita suggested possibly they could decide what the three or four top priorities are and then perhaps the Council could prioritize how they achieve those goals as a group.
There was no Executive Session this evening.
ADJOURNMENT
MOTION #7004 by Councilman Kaupin, seconded by Councilman Crowley to adjourn.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #7004
adopted 8-0-0, and the meeting stood adjourned at 9:20 p.m.
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