Public Works & Facilities Commission

PUBLIC WORKS & FACILITIES COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES WEDNESDAY February 14, 2024 TIME: 6:30 P.M. Via WebEX.com MIDDLETOWN CONNECTICUT Members Present: Councilman Gene Nocera Councilman Tony Gennaro Councilwoman Leslie Spatola Councilman Darnell Ford Staff Present: Christopher M. Holden, P.E., Director of Public Works Howard Weissberg, P.E., Deputy Director of Public Works Public: Kristen Rzasa, Jenn Greenberg, Tyler Eckstrom, Jessica B, BMC, Tim Hollister, Liz, Ray Blaney The meeting was called to order by Councilman Nocera at 6:30 p.m. Councilwoman Spatola moved to approve the Meeting Minutes dated January 10, 2024. Councilman Gennaro seconded the motion. The motion was approved. PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS: Kristen Raza of 54 Dora Drive- She is hoping the commission approves the request for a city dog park. Jenn Greenberg of 34 Evergreen Avenue- As she understands it, there is still no funding to fix the dam. She is hoping that the commission will reconsider keeping the pond. She would like to know the risks associated with the dam, what the ecological benefits of restoring the dam are, and information on where the cost of dam replacement was compared to the cost of dam removal. She hopes these questions can be explored. Tyler Eckstrom of 20 Lakeside Ave- He states a lot of the questions Ms. Greenberg have been asked and have been answered and he has a letter where he addresses many of them, which can be submitted to the committee. He states that Pamechea Pond has been a thriving area for wildlife. He said that investing money and saving the dam should give residents an access point to the pond. Tim Hollister of 1000 Chamberlain Rd- Is checking on the status of the Chamberlain Hill Road project. To date he has not received copies of plans that were presented and requested a few months ago. He stated that the same issues with ice are still ongoing. CORRESPONDENCE: None. NEW BUSINESS: a. Dog Park Presentation- Deputy Director Weissberg gave an overview of the presentation as provided in the packet. Councilman Nocera said that the parks bond referendum was passed in 2016 by voters. There was a $75,000 appropriation for a dog park before the parks bond. It has been an issue the commission has been talking about for a long time. Deputy Director Weissberg went over draft layouts for specific locations based on what the working group identified. Councilwoman Spatola expressed her support for the project but questioned which site would be the best option for the City to develop for this purpose. Councilman Nocera said that the Long Hill site is attractive to him as it can be connected to the multi-use trail system. Deputy Director Weissberg suggested the commission take a field trip to some of these sites. Councilman Gennaro believes it should be a stand alone location. He stated the Long Hill location has a lot of traffic already. He does not feel comfortable recommending or agreeing to next steps without additional information. Deputy Director Weissberg will try to set up a site visit. b. Pine Street Drainage Issue- Director Holden shared that the City Engineer went out and sketched a plan. It will be addressed when there is better weather. This will remain on the agenda for an update. c. River Road Issue- Director Holden shared a photo of a land slide that went down on the side of the road in this area. There are many utilities in the area. There was a meeting with all the utility companies. Eversource had clear cut part of the slope as part of vegetation maintenance. Frontier has secured the utility pole via an access road at the bottom of the slope. They are working with Sneider Engineering to repair the issue. There will be an emergency appropriation once there is a cost estimate. They are trying to determine what caused the issue. Concrete barriers will be put in to protect the area. It is a minimal traffic area. They think it is a relatively isolated incident that shouldn’t cause other issues along the road. d. Springside Lane Numbering- Director Holden stated that the plan was presented to the developer. There is a question regarding the pool house and they are actively working with Public Safety to address this issue. OLD BUSINESS: a. Smith Park Playground – Director Holden showed an updated rendering which added a shade structure to allow for cover from the elements and a picnic area for residents to sit. Even with this addition, it is still under the amount of money earmarked for the project. Councilwoman Spatola made a motion to approve the plan to move it forward for next steps. Councilman Ford seconded the motion. The total amount projected for the project is $517,566.00. The motion was voted on and passed unanimously. b. Westfield Safety Concerns- Deputy Director Weissberg stated that the no thru trucks signage will need to be approved through State DOT. He will be confirming this is forthcoming. Additional signage will be put up. White edge lines will be put on Country Club Road in the spring. This should assist in speed reduction. c. Chamberlain Hill Rd Update- Deputy Director Weissberg shared that Eversource has been doing a lot of work to address a lot of the drainage issues on the road. Eversource liaisons should be providing a timeline of future events to address these issues. Drainage contractor looked at a number of areas and will address the pipe network. Contract is going out for the gravel road maintenance assessment. d. Saybrook Road Update – Deputy Director Weissberg shared that Public Works staff is working with the contractor on finalizing plans. They are also working with the Water Department about scope of work on Wall Street that connects to the work needed for Saybrook Road. e. Sanitation Update- Director Holden stated that a camera will be connected to a computer to analyze what types of bags are being used so that efforts can be focused on the residences that are not complying with the program. There were 5-8 members of the public who came to the advisory committee. They spoke about how to improve communications to sanitation district residents. They will be doing a direct mailer. They are trying to reach as many residents as they can about the program to provide education and guidance. f. West Lake Park- Director Holden said the request for proposals are still being developed. g. Pameacha Pond- Director Holden said that they are still working with the consultant. He said more information can be shared in a few months. h. Route 9 Update- Director Holden shared dates DOT will be available at City Hall for the public to have questions about the Route 9 project answered. Deputy Director Weissberg said that DOT has been very willing to work with the City, Chamber and surrounding communities about concerns. OTHER: Reported on by Christopher Holden a. January Department Updates- Director Holden gave thanks to Public Works employees for their hard work during the most recent storm. b. January 2024 Monthly Report Highway – Nothing additional to report. c. January 2024 Monthly Report Parks – Nothing additional to above. d. January 2024 Public Works Overtime Report- Nothing additional to above. e. January 2024 Building Permits – Permit totals are around $1,100,000.The department has been very busy working OT to be able to perform more inspections and review plans. PUBLIC COMMENT ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS: None Adjourn – As there were no further questions the meeting adjourned at 8:15 p.m.