Legislative Council

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING COUNCIL CHAMBERS, 3 PRIMROSE STREET, NEWTOWN, CT WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 2021 MINUTES PRESENT: Jordana Bloom, Alison Plante, Ryan Knapp, Judit DeStefano, Paul Lundquist, Dan Wiedemann, Cathy Reiss, Andy Clure, Dan Honan ABSENT: Chris Smith, Phil Carroll, Chris Eide ALSO PRESENT: First Selectman Dan Rosenthal, Selectman Maureen Crick Owen, Selectman Jeff Capeci, Finance Director Bob Tait, Economic Development Commission Chair Wes Thompson, Deputy Director of Economic and Community Development Christal Preszler, Community Center Director Matthew Ariniello, Director of Human Services Natalie Jackson, Director of Public Works Fred Hurley, Co-owner of Kimball Midwest Brendan McCurdy (via teleconference); 5 public, 1 press CALL TO ORDER: Mr. Lundquist called the meeting to order with the Pledge of Allegiance at 7:32 pm. VOTER COMMENT: None MINUTES: Mr. Honan moved to accept the minutes of the June 16, 2021 Legislative Council Regular Meeting. Seconded by Ms. DeStefano. All in favor. Motion passes (9-0). COMMUNICATIONS: None COMMITTEE REPORTS: None FIRST SELECTMAN’S REPORT: First Selectman Dan Rosenthal reported that the road work from last year has been completed. They are progressively working on trying to get more done. At the last BOS meeting, they discussed the sale of 6 Commerce Road. The animal sanctuary has begun with some clearing and they are in the process of constructing a driveway. The town owned land is about 41 acres which was given to the Town by the State of CT with the intent to be developed on. About 8 or 9 acres will be built on. Mr. Knapp asked about whether the chip sealing road work had been completed. The First Selectman replied that, in this budget year, we plan to fog seal and sweep now that the chip seal is down. Ms. Reiss asked if the lines will be repainted. Mr. Hurley said about 40 miles of lines will be laid down this year. All of this went through the police commission and are doing all the line striping that has been authorized by them. Mr. Honan asked if any roads will have rumble strips. Mr. Hurley said that rumble strips were brought upon by the State and roads need to meet certain criteria such as width and amount of traffic. NEW BUSINESS Discussion and Possible Action  Business Incentive Program Request for 14 Prospect Drive – The Board of Selectmen will be present to take action on this item. Mr. Thompson introduced Kimball Midwest as a large company in the Columbus area who is looking to open a Northeast regional distribution center. They are interested in the property located at 14 Prospect Drive. Mr. Preszler then shared her presentation on the requested business incentive program.  See attachment A. The situation is unique in that Kimball Midwest has already purchased the property. The sellers and prior occupants, Hubbell, needed to close on a sale by March 2021 in order to close out their fiscal year which presented an attractive selling price. The decision to purchase the property was not a set deal in bringing their distribution center to Newtown. We would like to solidify the incentive in hopes of bringing their business to town. In their application, Kimball Midwest is proposing several renovations and improvements including clean-up of the property. This would increase the assessment of the property significantly. Mr. McCurdy then spoke briefly on his company. Kimball Midwest is a maintenance, repair and restoration company. They stock over 50,000 products in four warehouses across the US. They spend over 80% of their inventory spending on American made products. First Selectman Rosenthal commented that initially, he pledged to them that we would bring the incentive forward in exchange for recruiting their business here. He had hoped it would not just be a property flip. He is pleased to see how far it has progressed and thanked everyone for taking this up. Mr. Thompson urged the Council to look at their website, most notably, the contributions to the towns where they are housed. He noted that a training center would be part of the property and Sales Reps would love to make Newtown their home. Ms. DeStefano asked in terms of staffing, whether they anticipate relocating existing employees or hiring new ones. Mr. McCurdy replied that they normally bring on a couple of managers from other warehouses to start the process but for the most part, they would be mostly new hires. Ms. DeStefano then asked since this is located on a residential road, would it pose a traffic issue with trucks. Mr. McCurdy described the traffic as being more LTL's and they are nowhere the same size as Hubbells'. In fact it would be less truck and trailer traffic moving in and out of their docks. They plan to have one shift during normal business hours from 8am-5pm. Ms. Plante asked for clarification on the incentive amount. Ms. Preszler referred back to her presentation noting that the estimated annual tax payment would be $112,000 with an estimated annual tax abatement of $5,500 making the estimated incremental annual taxes about $18,000. Mr. Lundquist asked about timing to move in. Mr. McCurdy responded that they recently met with the architect, contractor and other vendors. He would anticipate operating out of the building sometime next year - either late in the first quarter or early second quarter. Selectman Capeci asked to confirm that they will make all these investments before they start making business on the site. Mr. McCurdy confirmed that would be correct. BOS: Selectman Crick Owen moved to approve the business incentive program request for 14 Prospect Drive as presented. Seconded by Mr. Capeci. All in favor. Motion passes (3-0). LC: Ms. DeStefano moved to approve the business incentive program request for 14 Prospect Drive as presented. Seconded by Ms. Plante. All in favor. Motion passes (9-0).  Glen Road/Sandy Hook Heritage Park & Trail STEAP Grant Acceptance Ms. DeStefano moved to accept the Glen Road/Sandy Hook Heritage Park & Trail STEAP Grant. Seconded by Mr. Honan. All in favor. Motion passes (9-0). Ms. Preszler spoke on the property located at 7 Glen Road and shared a handout. See attachment B. SHOP has a lease of the property now and has been fundraising for this Heritage Trail and the STEAP grant is in support of this project. The award is $128,000 plus an additional $12,000 from the Town. This will be done through DEEP. Ms. Reiss asked about the pavilion being proposed on the property and who will be responsible for maintaining it. First Selectman Rosenthal responded that it would fall on SHOP to maintain it based on the original specs of their lease. There are certain things that will be the responsibility of the Town, like being able to use the parking lot, snow plowing, and potentially putting in a few electric charging stations, which would come from a federal settlement with Volkswagen. Mr. Lundquist noted that he is in favor of this and noted that this would only include the pavilion, parking lot and immediate surrounding sidewalks. Ms. Preszler said it will be done in three phases – this would be part of phase one. Mr. Thompson noted this would clean up the messiest spot in the area. Mr. Knapp said it will be great to see the area improved. From a tax perspective, it will make a big difference in the whole area. OLD BUSINESS Discussion and Possible Action  Proposed Ordinance to Create a Community Center Commission Mr. Knapp began the discussion by noting the public hearing held prior to this meeting. Per the Charter, we have 30 days to act on the ordinance once the public hearing is held. This proposed ordinance will codify what is currently a committee and turn it into a formal commission. This would define their role, membership, purpose and duties and the dynamic between the commission and the Community Center. Upon looking at other commissions, they looked at how they would interact the with Community Center director and that he would still be the direct contact to the First Selectman. What we tried not to do was to get too busy in the language. We had discussion on the grant, process, involved the role of the committee in helping to get the building off the ground. They agreed on seven members. The purpose of the current committee was key on capital improvement, improving the Community Center, involved in the Capital expenses that exceed $50,000, and that the initial intent is followed. Mr. Lundquist suggested that the Council hold off on taking action until the next meeting so they have more time for discussion among themselves. Mr. Honan disagrees with the suggestion made by FONS about having a permanent seat at the commission. The BOS appoints everyone else and they should be consistent in keeping it that way. Ms. Bloom believes the Community Center is separate from the Senior Center and believes this commission should solely be involved with the Community Center. Mr. Wiedemann said we currently have a Commission on Aging which works directly with the Senior Center and does not feel we should entertain mixing the two. Ms. DeStefano agrees as well, and said that she feels taking a different approach would create issues down the line. Mr. Knapp said one of the concerns was the dynamic between the two facilities and asked Mr. Ariniello and Ms. Jackson, who is housed in the Senior Center, how they feel about the collaboration. Mr. Ariniello said that currently, him and Ms. Jackson have a great working relationship. They have landed in a good place working together on programming and scheduling within both facilities. The Community Center has a facilities manager that oversees both locations as well. Ms. Jackson agreed with Mr. Ariniello and that they are constantly trying to help promote the multi-generational focus. She is also committed to being a part of the Commission meetings and providing information from the Senior Center, while Mr. Ariniello is also present at the Commission on Aging meetings. Mr. Knapp wanted to make clear that all decisions would remain under the purview of the town executive, the First Selectman. The First Selectman agrees with all the sentiments. He feels there are ways to facilitate what FONS is asking and that they are reflective of the community demographic. Based on some past experiences, when the Senior Center was in a different location, different staff, etc, things have changed since then. Now they have a great working relationship. The buildings are town owned and all decisions remain under the BOS. Mr. Lundquist asked if FONS or the Commission on Aging have been active and attended meetings. Mr. Ariniello stated that while he had attended their meetings early on, only the Commission on Aging Chair has ever attended the Committee meetings – no one from FONS. Ms. Jackson added that she believes that FONS' intent is to make sure all voices are heard and Seniors have input. Mr. Clure asked to clarify that this commission will only be involved with the Community Center and how would paying for expenses among both facilities work. Mr. Tait replied that the expenses are tracked on a spreadsheet and is basically day to day operation expenses and nothing about it should be noted in the ordinance. Ms. Bloom expressed concern that both commission and FONS share the same members which may make things complicated to the Community Center Commission. Mr. Wiedemann clarified that FONS is a private club. Mr. Knapp feels that all commissions should have a voice. With respect to the building, anything large would go through the CIP process. While he is ok with further discussion among the Council, he does not feel it should go back to the committee. VOTER COMMENT: Don Lococo, 27 Hi Barlow Road, Newtown – Mr. Lococo asked for an update from the Ordinance Committee on the firearms ordinance. He has not heard any updates since February and just wants to make sure they are going forward. What was also discussed in February was the petition that was sent around and wanted to make sure the Ordinance Committee had a physical hard copy. Mr. Lundquist confirmed that he will make it a point to get an update from the Ordinance Committee at the next meeting. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Mr. Lundquist announced that Mr. Wiedemann will be leaving the Council effective July 21st and moving to Southbury. First Selectman Rosenthal made everyone aware that Jim Taylor is the new reporter with the Newtown Bee. EXECUTIVE SESSION  To Discuss Response to Bid Solicitation Issued by the Public Works Department First Selectman Rosenthal certified that per statute, the public interest in disclosure of such bid responses is outweighed by the public interest in the confidentiality of such responses. Mr. DeStefano moved to enter Executive Session to discuss responses to bid solicitation issued by the Public Works Department and invited the First Selectman and Fred Hurley to attend . Seconded by Mr. Clure. All in favor. Executive session was entered into at 9:02 pm and returned to regular session at 9:52 pm with no motion taken. ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business, the regular meeting of the Legislative Council was adjourned at 9:53 pm. Respectfully submitted, Rina Quijano, Clerk THESE MINUTES ARE SUBJECT TO APPROVAL BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AT THE NEXT MEETING. Attachment A Town of Newtown Board of Selectmen/Legislative Council July 7, 2021 Business Incentive Request – Kimball Midwest 14 Prospect Drive, Newtown, CT  Current Google Maps photo of property – 6/15/2021 Highland Plaza  Newtown Economic Development Commission Meeting June 15, 2021 Kimball Midwest (KimballMidwest.com) Brendan McCurdy • Distributor of maintenance, repair, operations (MRO) supplies • Hubbell corporate decisions impacted use of site • Various interested parties • Purchased 14 Prospect Drive for $4,400,000 • Possible repairs/upgrades to the facility costing between $1.6 and $2.3 million • Consider awarding business incentive in hopes of bringing Kimball Midwest’s NE operations to Newtown • Create 30 new jobs • Kimball Midwest is considering other locations for their operations • Incentive would be contingent on Kimball Midwest opening distribution operations at 14 Prospect within 18 months of the incentive being approved Selectman memo highlights: • Kimball Midwest took advantage of an attractive purchase price – March 31, 2021 • Determining if company would make capital investment and set up operations in Newtown, or resell • Newtown interested in recruiting the business to Newtown, thus pursuing incentive Application – Kimball Midwest Assessor memo highlights: • Purchase 14 Prospect Drive for $4,400,000 – March 31, 2021 • Current assessment $2,868,025 • Estimated assessment after potential repairs and upgrades $3,080,000 - $3,710,000 (mid-range = $3,395,000) • Estimated increase in assessed value = $526,975 Kimball Midwest Estimated Tax Abatement Calculation Graphical Representation of Tax Abatement Impact Attachment B