ANNUAL BOROUGH & BUDGET MEETING

April 17, 2010 ~ 9 AM at Stonington Firehouse

Draft Minutes

The annual Borough meeting was called to order at 9:03AM by Warden Don Maranell with approximately 26 voters in attendance. Present were Burgesses Kathryn Burchenal, Paul Burgess, Jeffrey Callahan, Edward McCreary, Howard Park, Robert Scala and Clerk-Treasurer, Frederick Souza.

On a motion by Jim Hicks, seconded by Burgess Scala, Scott Bates was unanimously appointed moderator. Reading the call of the meeting was dispensed. The following is the call as printed in the New London Day on March 31, 2010:

This is to warn voters and taxpayers of the Borough of Stonington that the Annual Borough and Budget Meeting will be held on April 17, 2010, at 9 A.M. at the new Firehouse to approve the minutes of last year’s meeting, to hear the Warden’s report, to act on a budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010, to consider a Highway Department Capital Improvement Program, to select trustees for the Waldron Fund, and to consider such other business as may come before the meeting.

Approval of Minutes:

After the public was given the opportunity to review the minutes, Burgess Scala moved acceptance which was unanimously approved.

Warden’s Report: The following are highlights of the Street Comissioner’s (Warden Maranell) report:

à The School Street improvement project was partially completed during the year\

à Handicap accessibility to Wadawanuck Square was achieved by installing ramped sidewalks on the northeast and northwest corners of the square

à The cannons have undergone restoration, and it is anticipated that they will soon be installed on Cannon Square. Additionally, the Square itself is being upgraded and made handicap accessible.

à Several large trees have recently been removed and the two in front of the Post Office will not be replaced. This will mean that the sidewalk in front of the Post Office will require some repair and modification.

Public Buildings Commissioner (Jeffrey Callahan):

à Renovations to Borough Hall have been put on hold except for essential maintenance and the improvements made as part of the repair process. This included several modest, non-routine projects which included replacing the garage doors, excavation and rebuilding of the sanitation drainage between the building and the sewer line in the street, and repair and repainting of the stairwell and ceiling at the entrance to the building.

à With no significant renovation in the offing, the budget for fiscal year 2010-11 does not include any additions to the building fund. Prior to the repairs outlined above the fund stood at $243,701 and the fund now stands at $231,735. Of those funds, it is anticipated that the Borough Hall electrical system and in particular the lighting on the second floor will undergo upgrading.

à The firehouse is in good shape, and Bill Teixeira and Roger Collelo were applauded for their efforts in maintaining the firehouse and the Borough Hall on a daily basis. It was also noted that during the recent flooding, Sue Cordeiro and Roger worked diligently to protect the heating system from being flooded and ruined.

Fire Commissioner (Robert Scala):

à Appreciation was offered for the volunteers in the fire department who work so hard to keep us safe.

à It was reported that over 150 cellars were pumped during recent storms

à Chief Hoadley thanked the community for its continued support of the department.

Police, Public Affairs & Communication Commissioner (Kathryn Burchenal):

à In the area of Emergency Management, there has been good rapport developed with the Town Police department and there is ongoing dialogue regarding safety issues. Additionally, we are working to coordinate events so that insurance and police coverage are consistent.

à There is a four way stop being investigated right outside the Borough in an effort to curb speeding at the foot of the Viaduct where it intersects with Trumbull Avenue.

à Traffic control is also an ongoing issue which all of us must be conscious of.

à We are working to improve the Borough website for better communication, and while it has previously been suggested that email blasts would be helpful, when the information was requested only one person provided an email address.

à In closing, it was noted that there is a need for citizen involvement, and in particular for volunteers to serve on Borough commissions-of particular note, the Zoning and Zoning Appeals commissions are always in need of volunteers to serve.

Utilities and Sanitation Commissioner (Edward McCreary):

à There are few issues regarding sanitation and utilities except to note that the Water Company is seeking a rate hike and planning to do improvements to our system.

Parks, Trees and Rights of Way Commissioner (Howard Park):

à The Cannon Square project is well on its way to completion and the various issues resolved.

à 4 Borough Trees were removed because they were dead or dieing and proving to be hazardous.

à There is a new organization in the community—the Friends of Wad Square which have been working carefully with the highway department to help with upkeep of the square.

Emergency Management, Sidewalks and Street Lights Commissioner (Paul Burgess)

à Residents were reminded that they can contact Paul or go to the CL&P website to report street light outages.

à Sidewalks have been repaired as needed and the commissioner is revisiting the issues involved in sidewalks damaged by trees.

à There was good compliance with snow removal this past winter

à Burgess Burgess is looking to begin restoration of the historic granite crosswalks that survive.

Further discussion of various points were as follows:

• A resident questioned the budget item for professional engineering services, asking if one was needed.
• A question regarding why there was no money included in the budget for the Stonington Ambulance was answered by the fact that they didn’t request any.
• It was noted that the Borough will soon have to consider the possibility of a full time professional fire chief as Chief Hoadley approaches retirement.
• In discussing the street plans presented, the School Street project is scheduled to be completed as soon as possible, but the Hyde Street repairs may have to be placed on hold pending resolution of drainage issues in the area which may undermine the proposed replacement. Consequently, repair may be more of what happens, but this is still being investigated.
• LoCip grant money will be used to improve streets and sidewalks as needed and the Borough is committed to improving and repairing seawalls.

Budget: A summary of the proposed budget follows:

Income

Grants and Reimbursements $173.693

Fire Protection Fees 106,347

Other Income 8,779

Property Taxes 687,170

Total Income $ 975,989

Appropriations

To Ordinary Expenditures

General Government 210,380

Boards & Commissions 43,740

Fire Department 195,194

Hydrants 41,000

Public Buildings 21,406

Street Department 174,517

Parks, Trees & Rights of Way 15,200

Sanitation 1,500

To Contingency Expense 25,000

To Debt Service 149,968

To Special Revenue & Trust Funds

Infrastructure Reserve Fund 93,870

Clock Fund 500

Sidewalk Fund 2,000

LoCip Grant (Tentative) 1,714

Total Appropriation $ 975,989

Burgess Callahan moved approval of the budget under consideration which was seconded by Burgess McCreary. The motion passed without discussion and the budget was approved as presented

On a motion by Warden Maranell, seconded by Burgess Callahan, the following highway capital improvement plan was brought to a vote for fiscal year 2010-2011:

2010-2011 School Street, Hyde Street, seawalls and needed sidewalks and curbs $120,000

2011-2012 Cliff and Omega Streets, seawalls and needed sidewalks and curbs 150,000

2012-2013 Grand and Temple Streets, seawalls and needed sidewalks and curbs 150,000

2013-2014 Denison Avenue & Wall Street, seawalls and needed sidewalks and curbs 200,000

2014-2015 Northwest & Front Streets, seawalls and needed sidewalks and curbs 200,000

Brief discussion on the motion followed centering on clarification of whether these numbers were to be considered “additional appropriations” or part of the regular budget. The answer was that these are included in regular budget numbers and the item for 2010-2011 is already considered in the budget just approved. Burgess McCreary also pointed out that in 2013, the debt on the firehouse will be paid off, hence the increased appropriation can be put to the repair of streets.

The motion was unanimously approved.

Waldron Fund:

On a motion by Warden Maranell, seconded by Burgess Callahan, the following were named as trustees of the Waldron Fund—Mary Nunes Maranell, Lisa Tepper Bates, and Kathryn Nason Burchenal..

Other Business:

Lisa Tepper Bates provided a public thank you for the efforts of Bob Abramson regarding the Cannon Square restoration project.

The meeting adjourned at 9:43 AM

Respectfully submitted,

Frederick J. Souza ~ Borough of Stonington Clerk/Treasurer