Public Works & Facilities Commission

PUBLIC WORKS & FACILITIES COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES WEDNESDAY December 13, 2023 TIME: 6:30 P.M. Via WebEX.com MIDDLETOWN CONNECTICUT Members Present: Councilman Gene Nocera Councilman Tony Gennary Councilwoman Leslie Spatola Councilman Grady Faulkner Staff Present: Christopher M. Holden, P.E., Director of Public Works Howard Weissberg, P.E., Deputy Director of Public Works Public: Deborah Shapiro, Todd Berch, Tim & Joy Hollister, Ethan Bennett, Dan Penney, John Hollerbach, John Mills, Arthur Hayden, Mick Bolduc, Darryl Evans, Lynette Lockhart, Simon Skymba. The meeting was called to order by Councilman Gennaro at 6:30 p.m. Councilman Gennaro moved to approve the Meeting Minutes dated November 8, 2023. Councilwoman Spatola seconded the motion. The motion was approved. PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS: Todd Berch- of 1646 Country Club Rd requested the item titled Preston Avenue Safety Concerns be renamed Westfield Safety Concerns of Country Club Rd, Atkins St and Preston Avenue. He stated in the previous meeting there were discussions about the 691/91 merger, which impacts all of these streets. Todd spoke a second time in regards to Chamberlain Hill Rd. He stated there used to be a grant that took care of the grade of that road. It is a persistent problem. He thinks a permanent solution is paramount for the residents who live in that area. Ethan Bennett- is looking to purchase property on North Stantack Rd. He would like the commission to vote on giving him access to the road. Deborah Shapiro- of 55 Clover Street noted the old business item to amend the street naming ordinance to create an honorary street naming program. She clarified this isn’t to change the name of a street, but to create an honorary name for a street. She gave a brief history of Prince Mortemer and that they would like to have Rapallo Avenue have an honorary street name for him. Dan Penney- Stated that the south end of Chamberlain Hill Rd is going up Chamberlain Hill Rd and the North end is going down towards Chamberlain Rd. He would like to hear a comprehensive engineering plan to address the issues they have been having. He said there is limited drainage. 1080 and 1122 Chamberlain Hill pick up the run off from the top of the hill. The culverts have failed and the storm drains are blocked. There is a swale close to where Chamberlain Hill meets Lyceum that needs to be cleaned out. Tim & Joy Hollister- 1000 Chamberlain Hill Rd. He stated he has been on meetings for about 7 months to get an update on what is going to happen in the area to address existing issues. He mirrors concerns that Dan Penney shared. He is looking for plans that were presented at the last meeting. Arthur Hayden- Training Hill Rd. He wanted to comment that when Training Hill comes up near MXCC and takes a left down the hill towards the reservoir, it turns into a gravel road until it hits Brooks Rd, which is paved. All the roads in the area are paved other than this area. The wash out this last weekend has made a mess and the road takes a severe beating with all the rain. Simon Skymba- He stated that there has been a decent amount of additional traffic on the street. He said that even since the last meeting, there have been instances of people have been on the road and almost running cars off the road due to excessive speed. CORRESPONDENCE: Petition on Training Hill Rd. This will be discussed under new business. NEW BUSINESS: a. Newfield Street Development- Street Naming- This is a private development that is going up on Newfield Street. They want their street to be named Springside Lane. There is generally a list of names that are picked from. Councilman Gennaro made a motion to table this item until the next meeting. Councilwoman Spatola seconded the motion. The motion passed. Councilman Nocera was able to join the meeting and spoke to this item. Councilman Nocera supports the naming of Springside Lane. Councilman Gennaro made a motion to discuss the item again. Councilwoman Spatola seconded the motion. The motion passed. Councilman Nocera made a motion to approve the naming of the street within this development as Springside Lane. Councilman Gennaro seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. b. Training Hill Rd- Director Holden stated this has been a long standing section of an unimproved road. There is currently no plan or funding to do any paving or improvements out there. It is maintained on a regular basis to make sure that any potholes or other issues are addressed. Councilman Gennaro made a motion to table this item until the next meeting. Councilwoman Spatola seconded the motion. The motion passed. c. 2024 Public Works Commission Schedule- Councilman Gennaro made a motion to approve the schedule. Councilwoman Spatola seconded the motion. The motion passed. d. Veterans Monument Maintenance- Councilman Gennaro made a motion to add this item to the agenda. Councilwoman Spatola seconded the motion. The motion passed. This has been done in the past with the veteran organizations. It is not in the budget for this year but they were looking to have this added. It is roughly $30,000 to maintain all of the monuments this year. Councilman Gennaro made a motion to table this item until the next meeting. Councilwoman Spatola seconded the motion. The motion passed. Councilman Nocera was able to join the meeting and stated that in the past, Public Works has been able to do the cleanup. His understanding is that we don’t have the  full amount of money in the budget needed to complete the project but we could start. This item will still be on the agenda in January. OLD BUSINESS: a. Smith Park Playground – Director Holden stated that the playground is in need of renovation. They have gotten a few proposals and the one presented is the best. There is a set up for different age groups as well as a sensory area. John Hollerbach spoke to the plan that was presented. He stated that you can meet needs for children of all ages and abilities. Todd Berch requested that a shaded area be added to the plan for the playground. b. Preston Avenue Safety Concerns- Deputy Director Weissberg stated that there is a request to the Office of State Traffic at DOT to make Preston Avenue a no through trucks road. The State is in agreement provided that the City of Meriden is in agreement. He reached out to the City of Meriden and are awaiting their reply. He will also be going out the area to look at signage with the Police Department. He stated that Country Club was striped for center lines. He has been working with the complete streets committee. c. Chamberlain Hill Rd Update- Deputy Director Weissberg stated that there is a four part process on this. Longest term are drainage improvements. Storm drainage contractors should be starting in the coming weeks to address some of the blockages. A gravel road expert will be brought in to see how it can be stabilized. They just met with Eversource to discuss the rutting in their access road. Because of this, none of the water sheds off to the side where the detention basins are. They are working with Eversource to develop a strategy for regrading their road and getting water into a proper detention basin. d. Veterans Park Pool & Splash Pad Update- Director Holden shared that there are still some punch list items being worked on. They just winterized the pool. A chlorine detector will be added per the Fire Department. e. Honorary Naming of Existing Streets while retaining its actual name- Director Holden stated that the ordinance is presented in the packet and he has reviewed it. There will be an application process developed as part of this program. Director Holden clarified that there will be a second sign, above the regular street name, which would be significantly different in design so that there is not confusion between the street name and honorary name. Councilman Gennaro made a motion to approve the ordinance and move it to the General Common Council for more discussion. Councilwoman Spatola seconded the motion. The motion passed. f. Saybrook Road Update- Deputy Director Weissberg stated that they are working on modifying the design. The initial design had significant property impacts. They are hoping to have a public information meeting mid-January and have construction start sometime in the summer. The first phase of the project will be water line work, which is being done now. On the south side of the project they have done a significant amount of crack sealing. They will be meeting with paving experts to see if the concrete section of Saybrook can be sealed and paved. g. 455/465 Middlfield Street Concerns- Director Holden stated that there has been an ongoing neighborhood concern. There is an additional code violation that there were apartments in the building. There was a cease and desist for that issue. There are many departments involved keeping an eye on these concerns. Councilman Gennaro suggested having the PD bring a drone in to monitor the property. h. Quinten “Q” Williams Multi-Use Field Scoreboard Update- Director Holden stated that he wasn’t able to get the rendering but is ready to be able to order the scoreboard for the field. He will keep updating on this item going forward. Councilman Nocera requested that a copy of the rendering be sent to Q’s family. i. Sanitation Update-Director Holden shared that they have gotten 75% participation with the program. About 8000 lbs of food waste has been redirected. Free starter kits of food waste and garbage bags are being given away to residents in the sanitation district. Councilman Nocera suggested that the free bags should be extended to those in the sanitation district for at least another year. He also suggested to help residents find other vendors to haul their waste if they opt out. j. Stantak Rd- Councilman Gennaro made a motion to add this item to the agenda. Councilwoman Spatola seconded the motion. The motion passed. Deputy Director Weissberg stated it is not a buildable lot because it does not front a road. It cannot be made a private road because it is a public right of way. He stated the determination needs to be made between Land Use and the Legal Department whether or not it is a buildable lot and then determine what to do about the public right of way. None of the road section North of Footit is considered a public road. Director Holden stated that about 20 years ago there was an outside legal opinion on several roads in this area. This was a road that was evaluated and he can send out a copy to commissioners. There isn’t a definitive answer at this point. Deputy Director Weissberg stated that once a determination as to what is required is made, the public works commission can choose whether or not to act on those recommendations. Director Holden asked Mr. Bennett whether it is being sold as open land or as a buildable lot. Mr. Bennett stated it is being sold as a buildable lot. Deputy Director Weissberg stated clarification with the Land Use Department should be had as to whether or not the lot is buildable. Councilman Nocera, as a side issue, requested that an update on the Route 9 project be added to the agenda for next month. OTHER: Reported on by Christopher Holden a. November Department Updates- Director Holden thanked Deputy Director Weissberg for a successful paving season. They will be working with paving experts to assess all roads in the City to see which roads should be done next and which type of process would be most efficient depending on its condition. Councilwoman Spatola complimented crews on a job well done. b. November 2023 Monthly Report Highway – A lot of curbing has gone in and backfilled with topsoil to finish paving projects. Two rounds of leaf pick up have been completed. c. November 2023 Monthly Report Parks – Parks put up decorations on the South Green and worked to ensure a great Holiday on Main event. d. November 2023 Public Works Overtime Report- Nothing additional to above. e. November 2023 Building Permits – Permit totals are around $775,000. There has been some overtime related to inspections. PUBLIC COMMENT ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS: None Adjourn – As there were no further questions the meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m.