Public Works & Facilities Commission

PUBLIC WORKS & FACILITIES COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING WEDNESDAY October 13, 2021 TIME: 6:30 P.M. Via WebEX.com MIDDLETOWN CONNECTICUT Members Present: Councilman Gene Nocera Councilman Ed McKeon Councilman Darnell Ford Councilman Edward Ford Jr Councilman Philip Pessina Staff Present: William Russo, Director of Public Works Christopher M. Holden, P.E., Deputy Director of Public Works Cathy Lechowicz, Director of Recreation Kimberly O’Rourke, Recycling Coordinator Others Present: Michael Doherty- SLR International Corporation (formerly Milone & MacBroom) Councilman Nocera opened the Public Works & Facilities Commission meeting at 6:30 P.M. Councilman Nocera requested a motion to approve the minutes dated September 8, 2021. Councilman McKeon made the motion to approve the minutes. The motion was seconded by Councilman Pessina and passed unanimously. PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS: No Public Comment CORRESPONDENCE: Middlesex County Historical Society- Antique Car Show. The car show went really well, palmer field draws people in and the Legion concession stand made about $1200.00. There was a craft/ flea market addition this year. Parking was not an issue. NEW BUSINESS: a. T2 Sustainable Winter Operations Training- Christopher Holden. Councilman Pessina made the motion to approve. The motion was seconded by Councilman Ed Ford Jr. This training provides updates on current technologies used by the State of CT on more sustainable ways to treat the roads. The motion passed unanimously. b. EBC Solid Waste Webinar- Kimberly O’Rourke. Brings in haulers, businesses and stakeholders regarding solid waste. Councilman Ford made a motion to approve and Councilman Pessina seconded. It passed unanimously.  c. National Zero Waste Virtual Conference- Kimberly O’Rourke. Councilman McKeon made the motion to approve and was seconded by Councilman Pessina. This conference brings together communities from all across the country and they talk about the different projects they are working on. Information and ideas for how to move our community forward. It passed unanimously. OLD BUSINESS: d. Food waste update. Since starting in July 2021, the restaurants participating in the sanitation district has diverted almost 50,000 pounds of food waste. Working with slightly over 30 restaurants. Averages about 2 tons per week. More information available on the website. Had restaurants that declined and didn’t want to participate. There are a lot of restaurants in the sanitation district that do not use sanitation services. There is a lot of community support for this effort. There will be an effort to work with the schools. Recycling prices have become more favorable and we are no longer paying for recycling. Market is up and down for recycling. Work is being made to include manufacturers to include them in the financing the recycling programs for their products. Discussion coming up this year about extending producer responsibility in packing materials so that the burden doesn’t fall on municipalities. Councilman Nocera suggested that the City does some type of recognition that the restaurant gets for doing the food waste program. A flyer will be distributed at the Farmers Market. Table tent cards were provided to participating restaurants as well as stickers. Councilman Pessina requested that the list of restaurants be sent out to the commission. e. Recreation Center Update- Deputy Director Holden spoke regarding the plan for rehabilitating the building. A more detailed evaluation was done and in that discovered the roof was in poor condition and needed to be added to the project. The budget for the 21st Century infrastructure bond was limited to $1.5 million. $500,000 to $750,000 estimate to complete roof. Working with Energy services company that included the CHP, which creates both electricity and heat. Funding should be available to cover costs of this project. Pending bids which should be received by the end of October 2021. Demo is out and foundation is in. Lobby framing is up. f. Veterans Pool and Splash Pad Update – Mike Doherty spoke regarding the design and that they received Planning and Zoning approval. They have been digging into more detailed design items. Submittal will be by the end of October or early November. Councilman Pessina asked what the status of the bridge connection is. Mike stated that nothing has been moved forward because they are still waiting on the PO. Field work will still need to happen after contracts are set up. Final product of the pool is anticipated for 2023. Deputy Director Holden stated that the PO was approved two weeks ago and a copy will be sent to the company so that work can start. Discussions have started about potentially making road a one way or how to reduce the speeds of traffic in this area. g. Harbor Park Boardwalk Update – Wall resurfacing started. The railing installation will be five days after wall resurfacing is completed. Small cleanup work needs to happen but most of the project in that section is complete. Councilman McKeon questions the washout area. Mike Doherty stated the best approach may be to install an oversized grate and pipe it underneath and push it out into the river. The perforated system will remain to address  ground water. This seems to be a collection point for surface water from the tunnel and Route 9. Director Russo stated they are in touch with DOT to see if new drainage could be added to help address the water issue. Councilman Pessina questioned if this same area is where the wall collapsed a few years ago and if so, wasn’t the Army Corp supposed to come up with a mitigation plan. This area is more North from where the wall collapsed but the firm Mike works for is addressing it. No headway has been made with the Army Corp even though they’ve been petitioned. Director Russo stated that the new owners of the Harbor Park restaurant want to incorporate the boardwalk concept into their deck. The contract has been extended to Mike’s firm. Benches have not been ordered at this time. They don’t necessarily need to be ordered through contractor. Cement bench pads will be replaced. Benches will be purchased internally. Restrooms will be bid potentially in November. Permanent restrooms will be put into Butternut Park, Snow School and Harbor Park. Restrooms will be updated at Crystal Lake lifeguard station. h. Multiuse Trail Updates- Refining alignment and grading as well as drainage and clearing certain areas. Private property easements need to be nailed down. i. Old Road Drive- Private to Public update- Fire Marshal stated that they will have no issue with getting to these houses in the event of an emergency. The work requested can potentially be added into a road bond. The cost could be upwards of $1.5 million dollars. This should be readdressed if there is ever an open road bond. Add to next meeting updates on active road bond and update on Saybrook Road sidewalks. j. September 2021 Public Works Overtime Report- the Public Works Commission reviewed their monthly reports. Work was completed under road bonds. The work our employees completed will be a large savings versus contracting that work out. k. September 2021 Building Permits- the Commission reviewed their Building Permits. There has been $326,333 worth of Building Permit. Potential for $1.087 million for the year. OTHER: a. September 2021 Monthly Reports- Highway Division- the Public Works & Facilities Commission reviewed their monthly reports for the Highway Division. Leaf collection will be started November 1, 2021. b. September 2021 Overtime Reports-Parks Division – The Public Works & Facilities Commission reviewed their monthly reports for the Parks Division. Parks asked Xavier to move the game from Palmer Field due to the damage the field sustained with the storms. Work will be done for Westlake Park including bridges, water quality, aerators, etc. PUBLIC COMMENT ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS: As there was no further discussion, a motion was made to end the meeting by Councilman Nocera. The motion was seconded by Councilman Pessina and approved unanimously. The Public Works & Facilities Commission meeting adjourned at 7:39 PM.