Public Works & Facilities Commission

PUBLIC WORKS & FACILITIES COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 13, 2023 TIME: 6:30 P.M. Via WebEX.com MIDDLETOWN CONNECTICUT Members Present: Councilman Gene Nocera Councilman Ed McKeon Councilman Darnell Ford Councilman Mike Marino Staff Present: Christopher M. Holden, P.E., Director of Public Works Howard Weissberg, P.E., Deputy Director of Public Works Cathy Lechowicz, Director of Recreation Rohan Manning, Chief Management Analyst Public: Tim Hollister, Deborah Shapiro, Jody Cormack, Dennis, Mick Bolduc The meeting was called to order by Councilman Nocera at 6:33 p.m. Councilman McKeon moved to approve the Meeting Minutes dated August 9, 2023. Councilman Marino seconded the motion. The motion passed. Councilman Marino abstained from the vote as he was not present for the August meeting. PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS: Tim Hollister of Chamberlain Hill Road is in attendance to see what the plan of action is for addressing issues on Chamberlain Hill Rd. Mick Bolduc requested to speak after public comment was closed. The committee voted to allow him to speak. He spoke after the update on Chamberlain Hill Rd update. He stated that it sounds like the update is the same as it was earlier in the summer. CORRESPONDENCE: No correspondence. NEW BUSINESS: a. CT Recyclers Coalition Annual Meeting- Director Holden explained that this is an annual meeting to keep up with what is going on in the State. Councilman McKeon made a motion to approve. Councilman Marino seconded the motion. It passed unanimously. b. Tree Warden Fall Workshop & Picnic- Director Holden stated that this is a workshop to get continuing education on tree warden issues. Councilman McKeon made a motion to approve.  Councilman Marino seconded the motion. The motion passed. Councilman McKeon made mention of his concerns that we do not have a full time tree warden on staff. c. Saybrook Rd- Director Holden shared that the water line is being relocated, which is necessary for storm water improvements on the road. There was push back from residents on the street about the sidewalk project. Work is being done to see if narrowing the lanes can reduce the impact on resident’s properties. The hope is to have a draft plan ready in the next month or two to be able to update the commission. Deputy Director Weissberg stated there will be an updated public information meeting. Councilman Nocera shared his concerns about this area as being dangerous to pedestrians and vehicles traveling on the road. d. Smith Park- Director Holden shared that there have been maintenance issues at Smith Park. An area will be closed down to put in a new playground. More detail will be provided at the next meeting. At this point the playground is not usable. This will be placed on future agendas for updates. e. Skating Rink at Vets Park- Director Holden stated there will be some repairs to the skating rink. Director Lechowicz stated the skating rink was not opened last year due to construction in the area. There will be an update on its progress. It is typically opened the weekend of or before Thanksgiving. f. Concerns about 455 and 465 Middlefield Street- Councilman Nocera requested to have this item added to the agenda. Councilman McKeon made a motion to add this item to the agenda. Councilman Marino seconded the motion. The motion passed. Director Holden stated that the spray booth is in but it still needs HVAC and sprinklers to be installed. Permits were issued for HVAC improvements. They have not been inspected or approved. Nothing has been submitted for the sprinklers at this time. They are looking into whether or not the building department can issue a cease and desist. Councilman McKeon did think that there was a cease and desist already in place. Code enforcement has been addressing issues at this property for the better part of the year. Councilman McKeon suggested to the Mayor that a task force be put together to ensure the issues are dealt with. It is requested that this be on next month’s agenda for an update. OLD BUSINESS: a. Dog Park Update – Deputy Director Weissberg stated the working group has a presentation that can be shared with the Public Works Commission next month. b. Veterans Park, Pool & Splash Pad Update- Director Holden stated that the Vets Pool sign is up. Issues with the splash pad have been addressed. c. Proposed Paving Program Update- Deputy Director Weissberg stated that milling can be done in the rain but paving cannot be done in the rain. Because of the weather we have been getting, paving has been delayed and they have been trying to work with the contractor to reschedule these projects. He also noted that more signage has been posted to make the public aware of paving projects. d. Chamberlain Hill Rd Issues- Director Holden stated that there is a contract in place for a surveyor. Crews have been out trying to keep catch basins clear and the road maintained. It is being looked into whether or not additional catch basins can be put in on the road and try to discharge them before getting to the section of road that is experiencing the most issues. e. Honorary Naming of Existing Streets while retaining its actual name- Deborah Shapiro gave a brief update. She stated that she met with the City’s Attorney’s office. She provided legal with sample ordinances from other towns to look into. It was recommended to stay with an honorary naming rather than a total renaming due to the legal implications for all the people and businesses that reside on Rapallo Ave. Director Holden recommended a motion to have public works staff move forward with establishing a process for honorary naming of city streets and to move forward with this specific request. Councilman McKeon made a motion to move forward with this request. Councilman Marino seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. g. Raving Avenue Abandonment Update- Director Holden stated that they need survey work to be completed before any other work can be completed. The contract for the surveyor was only recently completed. h. Newfield Street Addressing- There is a request to name the street within a new development on Newfield Street as Springside Lane. Councilman Nocera stated that the request will be reviewed and placed under new business for next month’s meeting. OTHER: Reported on by Christopher Holden a. August Department Updates- The Sanitation District phase 2 of the co-collection program will be going into effect November 1, 2023. b. August 2023 Monthly Report Highway – Nothing additional to below. c. August 2023 Monthly Report Parks – Parks is ensuring baseball fields are up and ready to go, which has been challenging with all the rain storms. d. August 2023 Public Works Overtime Report- The highway department has been working overtime to keep up with paving program projects. e. August 2023 Building Permits – Building Department permit totals are at $135,000. The inspectors have been working overtime to keep up with inspection demands. PUBLIC COMMENT ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS: None Adjourn – As there were no further questions the meeting adjourned at 7:39 p.m.