Committee of the Whole

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE City Municipal Building | Council Chambers 295 Meridian Street, Groton, CT 06340 Monday, July 28, 2025 | 6:00 PM COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - Minutes Mayor Keith Hedrick, Deputy Mayor Gweneviere Depot, Councilor Erin Artale, Councilor Paul Norris, Councilor Tony Patterson, Councilor Christine Piazza and Councilor Stephen Sheffield and City Clerk Dani Baycura The following minutes meet all requirements under CT FOIA for public meetings and is not a transcript of the meeting. Please visit Groton Municipal Television on YouTube to view the meeting in further detail. I. CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL Meeting called to order at 6:09pm. Present: Mayor Hedrick, Deputy Mayor Depot, Councilor Piazza, Councilor Sheffield and Councilor Norris. Councilor Patterson via Zoom at 6:25pm. Excused: Councilor Artale. II. NEW BUSINESS OR REFERRAL A. Legislative Update – Representative Bumgardner, Representative Gaiewski, and Senator Somers State representatives discussed challenges of the recent legislative session, including budget negotiations and funding for education, healthcare, and public health initiatives. They highlighted successful outcomes, such as increased funding for school districts, support for pre-K education, and the establishment of an early childhood development trust fund. They also addressed environmental bills, including beneficial reuse and invasive species legislation, and discussed a new law aimed at combating AI-generated child pornography. A recently vetoed bill focused on local zoning control and affordable housing initiatives. There were concerns about the bill’s provisions, including the removal of minimum parking requirements, the establishment of homeless encampments on municipal property, and the fair share housing requirements. Representatives agreed the bill needed significant revisions and should be rewritten with more input from municipalities and the public. *Councilor Patterson exited meeting at 7:30pm. B. Public Works - Forklift Purchase Public Works Supervisor Ivory presented the need to replace the city’s 28-year-old forklift due to parts availability issues and mechanical problems. The forklift is used daily for various tasks including loading/unloading trucks, moving plows and sanders, and handling heavy equipment repairs. Deputy Mayor Depot thanked Supervisor Ivory for justifying funding. Councilor Piazza supported the explanation of usage. 1  COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE City Municipal Building | Council Chambers 295 Meridian Street, Groton, CT 06340 Motion to move to Mayor and Council meeting of August 4, 2025: Deputy Mayor Depot. Second: Councilor Piazza. Motion carried, 4-0-0. C. Groton Utilities 1. Seawall Gravity Sewer Line Relocation Water Operations Manager Pratt informed the council of the necessary sewer utility bypass required at the seawall construction site to keep the project moving forward. The gravity sewer line will have to be temporarily rerouted then additional work will be needed after the wall and road are complete. Motion to move to Mayor and Council meeting of August 4, 2025: Deputy Mayor Depot. Second: Councilor Piazza. Motion carried, 4-0-0. 2. Power Outage Review A recent power outage caused by an osprey nest damaging a 300-line power line, led to significant repairs and temporary solutions. The electric utility team successfully restored power after many hours of redirecting but identified further damage requiring replacement of conductors and bus work. Manager Robarge explained that the substation, built in 2001, had suffered significant damage due to moisture and flooding, leading to a failure of the bus duct. There was suggested talk of possibly building a new substation in future. He addressed the need to prevent future wildlife-related outages by considering insulated wires and other measures. 3. Tails Corner Substation Repairs i. MCM Wire Cable Groton Utilities General Manager Robarge presented the request for approval of an emergency purchase order for MCM cable from Wesco Receivables Corporation. After noting difficulty fielding this essential hardware, Manager Robarge explained they purchased the amount needed from the one company with the material in stock. Motion to move to Mayor and Council meeting of August 4, 2025: Deputy Mayor Depot. Second: Councilor Piazza. Motion carried, 4-0-0. ii. New Bus Duct and Equipping Breaker Cell The council was asked to approve an emergency bid for a replacement bus duct and material re-equipping from Powell Electrical Systems for approximately $550,000. Manager Robarge stressed the time sensitivity of the quote and jeopardizing the city’s power supply should the substation’s now lone remaining bus, suddenly also give way. 2  COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE City Municipal Building | Council Chambers 295 Meridian Street, Groton, CT 06340 Motion to move to Mayor and Council meeting of August 4, 2025: Deputy Mayor Depot. Second: Councilor Piazza. Motion carried, 4-0-0. D. Economic Development - Resilience Update Economic Development Manager Patrick presented an update on the 5 Corners stormwater project, which is currently in the assessment phase. They have partnered with The Nature Conservancy and hired a consultant to analyze flooding and heat vulnerability in the area. The team has conducted stormwater modeling and identified potential green infrastructure solutions, including tree plantings, bioswells, and retention planters. Upcoming events include a pollinator plant giveaway at City Day and community design charrettes on August 7th and September 11th. The city is also collaborating with Connecticut NERDS on a flooding reporting app called MyPost and has installed sensors in key areas to monitor weather conditions. III. ADJOURNMENT Motion to adjourn: Councilor Piazza. Second: Deputy Mayor Depot. Motion carried, 4-0-0. Meeting adjourned at 8:42pm. ATTEST: APPROVED: Dani Baycura City Clerk 3