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ENFIELD TOWN COUNCIL
MINUTES OF A SPECIAL MEETING
NOVEMBER 8, 2004
A Special Meeting of the Enfield Town Council was held in the Enfield Room of the Enfield Town Hall, 820 Enfield Street, Enfield, Connecticut. The meeting was called to order by Chairman Tallarita at 6:07 p.m.
ROLL-CALL - Present were Councilmen Dodd, Edgar, Egan, Kaupin, Mangini, Peruta, Tait and Tallarita. Councilman Crowley entered at 6:11 p.m. and Councilman Reveruzzi entered at 6:21 p.m. Councilman Fiore was absent. Also present were Town Manager, Scott Shanley; Assistant Town Manager, Daniel Vindigni; Town Clerk, Suzanne Olechnicki; and Town Attorney, Christopher Bromson.
DISCUSSION RE: COMMUTER RAIL STUDY
Mr. Shanley distributed a summary of the New Haven/Hartford/Springfield rail implementation plan. He noted the Department of Transportation and Transportation Strategy Board is sponsoring a public hearing in Enfield on November 17th to discuss the whole plan. He stated there is a recommendation to include a railroad station in Enfield. He noted the total cost for this plan is about $260 million dollars in capital investment with an annual operating cost of about $8 to $10 million dollars.
He stated it would be advantageous to come up with a parking scheme that took advantage of town-owned property so that they could move quickly on the parking requirements should this project move quickly. He noted the longer-term vision is to take advantage of the CL&P property and Mr. Levitz's property in that area.
He distributed a handout that identifies about 89 parking spaces on town-owned land that could service a commuter rail.
Mr. Shanley stated the House of Representatives highway bill includes $2 million dollars for a rail station for Enfield. He noted they once again wrote to their senators reminding them about this funding and reminded them to help keep that funding in place. He stated his belief it's important that the people responsible for putting this plan together know this funding is available because it does give Enfield some leverage with respect to moving forward.
He stated some issues that need to be addressed on November 17th, from Enfield's perspective, is the need to install the double track. He reminded the Council one set of tracks was removed in the 1980's. He pointed out this commuter plan would not be viable absent double-tracking. He noted about 15.5 miles of double track would be necessary from New Haven to Springfield in order to make this plan happen.
Councilman Tait questioned whether a certain number of parking spaces is required to have a railroad station in Enfield, and Mr. Shanley stated 120 parking spaces is what DOT believes is the appropriate amount of parking to make a station viable. He added eventually DOT would like to see well over 200 parking spaces.
Councilman Mangini stated her belief it will be necessary to "up" safety precautions with an increase in train traffic.
Councilman Dodd questioned whether this might be the time to apply for a walking tunnel further down the line. Mr. Shanley noted he would not want to confuse the issue at this point.
Councilman Crowley questioned whether this will make the Main Street railroad overpass bigger to better accommodate emergency vehicles. Mr. Shanley stated he did not believe that to be a good question of the consulting firm. He noted the issue on Main Street is the width of the trestle that goes over the road, and that needs to be expanded.
Councilman Crowley questioned whether there was any discussion regarding the possibility of a pedestrian bridge over the old bridge piers between Enfield and Suffield. Mr. Shanley stated his belief the consulting group was excited about the history of this particular location and the fact there once was a walking bridge over the river. He noted it's not included in this plan, however, it's a possibility in the future.
Councilman Peruta questioned what Enfield's investment is in this. Mr. Shanley stated that is not known yet. He added it's his hope that if Enfield is successful with the funds from the highway bill, that will provide some leverage locally to attract state funding. He noted the vision is that it be state funded and on the state-wide level there's a lot of discussion on how important is rail service and is it something the state should be proactive about and how is that funded.
Councilman Egan questioned whether transportation between the railroad station and main hubs will be provided in the larger cities. Mr. Shanley stated they are discussing that.
Councilman Edgar questioned how much property is owned by Enfield near the railroad tracks. Discussion followed about the areas owned by the town in the vicinity of the railroad tracks.
Councilman Edgar questioned where the railroad station would be located in Enfield. Mr. Shanley stated that is not a decision that has been made. He noted in this phase they are only looking at whether this is something the community is interested in and whether there's a state-wide motivation to make these investments.
Councilman Crowley questioned freight car traffic, and Mr. Shanley stated he has not heard any discussion regarding freight car traffic as it pertains to Enfield.
Councilman Mangini questioned if there's any way to receive information to learn what the outcome has been in different public hearings. Mr. Shanley stated this information can be found on the internet - nhhsrail.com. He added there might not be much information on the outcome of the different public hearings regarding this topic because those public hearings are occurring right now.
Chairman Tallarita questioned whether the railroad parking spaces would be metered or free, and Mr. Shanley stated his belief it would make sense to have free parking accommodations.
MOTION #7441 by Councilman Mangini, seconded by Councilman Kaupin to go into Executive Session to discuss Personnel Matters and Real Estate Negotiations.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #7441 adopted 10-0-0, and the Special Meeting was recessed at 6:37 p.m.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
The Executive Session of the Enfield Town Council was called to order by Chairman Tallarita at 6:38 p.m.
ROLL-CALL - Present were Councilmen Crowley, Dodd, Edgar, Egan, Kaupin, Mangini, Peruta, Reveruzzi, Tait, and Tallarita. Also present were Town Manager, Scott Shanley; Town Attorney, Christopher Bromson; Town Clerk, Suzanne Olechnicki
Chairman Tallarita adjourned the Executive Session at 6:53 p.m. He reconvened the Special Meeting at 6:54 p.m. and stated during Executive Session they discussed Personnel Matters and Real Estate Negotiations.
ADJOURNMENT
MOTION #7442 by Councilman Kaupin, seconded by Councilman Mangini to adjourn.
Upon a SHOW-OF-HANDS vote being taken, the Chair declared MOTION #7442 adopted 10-0-0, and the meeting stood adjourned at 6:55 p.m.
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