Committee of the Whole

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE City Municipal Building | Council Chambers 295 Meridian Street, Groton, CT 06340 Monday, November 24, 2025 | 6:00 PM COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - Minutes Mayor Jill Rusk, Deputy Mayor Stephen Sheffield, Councilor Jean-Claude Ambroise, Councilor Nicholas Johns, Councilor Christine Piazza, Councilor Paul Norris, Councilor Beverly Washington 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 Mayor Rusk called the meeting to order at 6:03pm. Present: Mayor Rusk, Deputy Mayor Sheffield, Councilor Norris, Councilor Piazza, Councilor Johns and Councilor Ambroise (via Zoom). Excused: Councilor Washington. II. NEW BUSINESS OR REFERRAL A. Public Works - Shore Avenue Seawall Public Works Manager Heidi Comeau and GZA Geoenvironmental Incorporated’s Matt Taverna, presented a change order for the remaining construction costs at the Shore Avenue Seawall. The project involved reconstructing a 350-foot seawall that was originally designed to be pinned to bedrock but required redesigning to a gravity wall due to deeper-that-anticipated bedrock. The wall is now complete with utilities being reinstalled. The project is expected to finish by early next spring, pending weather conditions. The additional $1.25 million request would include paving, grading, sidewalk installation and railing work. Significant project cost overruns were discussed as the original estimated cost of the project was $2.7 million. To date, including the current ask, total authorized amount totals approximately $12,060,000. Requests were made to provide council with the studies, boring results, permit approvals and previous council decisions that have all taken place since within last 10 years. Motion to move to Mayor and Council meeting of December 4th : Councilor Norris. Second Deputy Mayor Sheffield. Motion carried, 5-0-0. ( Motion to amend to Mayor and Council meeting of December 1st: Councilor Ambroise. Second: Deputy Mayor Sheffield. Motion carried, 5-0-0.) B. Electric Boat 1. Proposed Temporary Road Closure – Informational Only A pedestrian safety initiative spearheaded by Electric Boat was proposed to City Council. The suggestion is a 3 month trial period of closing Eastern Point Road in front of Electric Boat’s 221 building. The plan would include installing Jersey 1  COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE City Municipal Building | Council Chambers 295 Meridian Street, Groton, CT 06340 barriers and flexible stops to prevent through traffic except for first responders. Discussion ensued regarding changes to road access and safety measures. Specifically, the plans of redirecting approximately 30,000 vehicles regularly traversing the roadway each week. A traffic assessment during this closure was requested to monitor impact on nearby streets, local businesses and residents. The discussion concluded with Electric Boat representatives pledging to provide feedback and follow up with council on the following: conduct traffic count during 3-month trial period to monitor backup at Five Corners, complete safety alert to all 24,000 employees about pedestrian crosswalk education and traffic behavior, and also to follow up with Pfizer regarding traffic flow coordination during Eastern Point Road closure. C. Groton Utilities 1. Annual Lobbying Contract Renewal The annual lobbying contract renewal for Groton Utilities was presented. Mark DiBella of Medici Inc., spoke to city council regarding representing the utility's interests in Hartford. It was stated opportunities for income are not always the focus but rather, helping to prevent adverse legislation that would ultimately increase rates for city residents. Motion to move to Mayor and Council meeting of December 1st: Councilor Norris. Second: Councilor Piazza. Motion carried, 5-0-0. 2. NorthStar Billing System Annual Renewal Tina Daniels, GM of Customer Service, presented an update on the North Star Billing software system’s annual renewal. She discussed a 9-month delay due to software provider issues as well as the upcoming launch of a web portal on January 13th. Motion to move to Mayor and Council meeting of December 1st: Councilor Piazza. Second: Councilor Ambroise. Motion carried, 5-0-0. 3. Submersible Pumps Purchase Groton Utilities General Manager of Water and Wastewater Division, Mike Weber, sought approval for replacing three pumps at West Side Pump Station. Current pumps are past their lifecycle and not energy efficient. Typical lifespan of equipment is 25-30 years. Request qualifies for the Regional Green Gas Incentive conservation funds, allowing for reimbursement. 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 December 1st: Councilor Ambroise. Second: Councilor Piazza. Motion carried, 5-0-0. D. Police Department 1. New Mayor Public Safety Authorization Mayor Rusk described this as a routine administrative update which would allow Jill Rusk, as Mayor of the City of Groton, to enter into and deliver any such documents deemed necessary by the State Department of Emergency Services and Division of Homeland Security, on behalf of the City Council. Motion to move to Mayor and Council meeting of December 1st: Deputy Mayor Sheffield. Second: Councilor Piazza. Motion carried, 5-0-0. E. Council Rules and Regulations Deputy Mayor Sheffield, Councilor Piazza and Councilor Ambroise volunteered to serve on the Rules and Regulations Committee with the request from Mayor Rusk to establish recommendations on Rules of the Council for the next two years. Councilors are tasked with presenting to the mayor and remaining council, suggestions at the next Committee of the Whole meeting on December 8th. III. ADJOURNMENT Motion to adjourn: Councilor Piazza. Second: Deputy Mayor Sheffield. Motion carried, 5-0-0. Meeting adjourned at 7:59pm. ATTEST: APPROVED: Dani Baycura City Clerk 3