Public Works & Facilities Commission

PUBLIC WORKS & FACILITIES COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING WEDNESDAY December 8, 2021 TIME: 6:30 P.M. Via WebEX.com MIDDLETOWN CONNECTICUT Members Present: Councilman Gene Nocera Councilman Darnell Ford Councilman Ed Ford Jr Councilman Ed McKeon 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 Others Present: Michael Doherty- SLR International Corporation (formerly Milone & MacBroom) Paul Pizzo- Landmark Architect Councilman Nocera opened the Public Works & Facilities Commission meeting at 6:30 P.M. Councilman Nocera requested a motion to approve the minutes dated November 11, 2021. Councilman Pessina made the motion to approve the minutes. The motion was seconded by Councilman McKeon and passed unanimously. PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS: Krishna Winston called in to address the Recycling Commission update regarding EPR Packaging. The Recycling Commission voted unanimously to forward the resolution to Public Works Commission. EPR is expanded producer responsibility. The resolution will show that the Common Council supports legislation at state/federal level, to make producers of packaging responsible for what happens to the packaging. Passing the resolution will not make Middletown incur any additional expenses. The process of collection and processing will actually help save Middletown some money. CORRESPONDENCE: A letter was received from the Greater Middletown Military Museum President regarding changing Walnut Grove Road into a one way from the pool entrance east to Fischer Road. This is something that is only in the discussion phase now. It is under a current road bond. This would affect traffic through Vets Park. Many people use this as a cut through to beat traffic and this should remain a topic of discussion with the traffic division within the police department. The street should be wide enough for it to be two way traffic up to the parking lot and one way otherwise. Volumes of children and families will increase once the splash pad and pavilion are complete. NEW BUSINESS: a. Recycling Commission update regarding EPR Packaging-There are some EPR programs that already exist with the city, such as the mattress program. It promotes the manufacturer to become more aware of the end use of the product and hopefully inspires them to be more creative in the packaging, so that it’s either more easily recycled or reused. This could result in a reduction of cost for the City. Legal Department will help to ensure that the resolution is finalized. The motion to move this forward to the Council was made by Councilman Pessina and seconded by Councilman McKeon. The motion was approved unanimously. b. Connecticut Tree Protective Association Annual Meeting- Rick Romano- This is a program for the Deputy Tree Warden to continue his education and earn credits. A motion to approve was made by Councilman McKeon and seconded by Councilman Pessina. The motion was approved unanimously. OLD BUSINESS: c. Recreation Center Update- Gas line going into the ground, and should be completed by the end for the week. Close to finalizing multiple contracts. Letters of intent were sent to contractors. Paul Pizzo stated the corridor that O&G is working on will be completed by the end of 2021. A rendering was put on the screen. Murals will be on the South Wall. The first order of business will be the roof and the contractors will be on site soon. The goal is to get Recreation in the building in the summer. Materials may be an issue because of their ability to acquire materials. HVAC equipment is 16 weeks out. Fencing is a topic of discussion for the multi-purpose field. They are going to attempt to have the pool open for the summertime and it is also needed to get the lifeguard trained. d. Veterans Pool and Splash Pad Update – Mike Doherty spoke regarding the construction documents being 90% completed so they are almost ready for bid. Coordinate utilities and other disciplines because there are a lot of mechanicals that are needed for the pool and slash pad. It is estimated that construction may be completed November/ December 2022. Hydraulic modeling has begun for the pedestrian bridge connecting Walnut Grove Road and Jackson Street. e. Harbor Park Boardwalk Update – Progress is moving along but cold temps do not help the railing installation. The epoxy used for each post has to cure and the cold weather causes the cure time to be extended out. The remainder of the work will carry into the spring. There is still a small section cordoned off due to the water erosion undermining the boardwalk. Mike Doherty, and the Engineering Department are working on resolving this issue. f. Multiuse Trail Updates- Landowner for the adjacent property is in discussions with the City for a potential land swap. Routes will need to be adjusted if this happens. g. Saybrook Road Update- Plans were submitted to Regional Planning Agency who works with DOT for approval. Potential to go out to bid January/ February. Start with storm sewers and water line as that is heavy reconstruction. Then milling, paving and sidewalk construction. Could be a two season project. Saybrook Road is a priority. h. November 2021 Public Works Overtime Report- The Public Works & Facilities Commission reviewed their monthly reports.  i. November 2021 Building Permits- the Commission reviewed their Building Permits. There has been $458,725 worth of Building Permit. Potential for $917,000 for the year. OTHER: a. November 2021 Monthly Reports- Highway Division- the Public Works & Facilities Commission reviewed their monthly reports for the Highway Division. Leaf collection started in addition to work that has happened due to the two large rainstorms. b. November 2021 Overtime Reports-Parks Division – The Public Works & Facilities Commission reviewed their monthly reports for the Parks Division. PUBLIC COMMENT ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS: As there was no further discussion, a motion was made to end the meeting by Councilman Pessina. The motion was seconded by Councilman McKeon and approved unanimously. The Public Works & Facilities Commission meeting adjourned at 7:20 PM.