City Council

JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH SEPTEMBER 16, 2024 The regular meeting of the Council of the City of Norwich was held September 16, 2024 at 7:30 PM in Council Chambers. Present: Mayor Nystrom, President Pro Tem DeLucia, Ald Singh, Ald. Gould, Ald. Bettencourt, Ald. Hayes and Ald. Nash. City Manager John Salomone, and Corporation Counsel Michael Driscoll were also in attendance. Mayor Nystrom presided. Please be advised that meetings of the Norwich City Council can be viewed in their entirety on the City of Norwich website “norwichct.org”. Ald. Hayes read the opening prayer and Ald. Singh led the members in the Pledge of Allegiance. Mayor Nystrom called for citizen comment general. Pietro “Rocky” Camardella, 79 Lambert Dr., referred his certified copy of the Council’s Rules and Procedures of 2023-2025, stating that it doesn’t require a person to state their name or address when speaking. He also referred to a personal exchange after the meeting of August 19, 2024, with a Council member and asked for a public apology. Susan Jacobson, 256 Lawler Ln., spoke about a drainage problem at the end of her driveway and asked whom she needed to address to get it rectified. Brian Kobylarz, 16 Hobart Ave., asked about the status of the suspended Superintendent. He requested that the Council request an Executive Session with the Board of Education and see what is happening. He feels that taxpayer money is being thrown away paying for two “paid administrative leave” employees, two interim employees and the NFA superintendent. Norwich Resident – refused to say her name and address stating she did not feel safe. She was appalled at the behavior of the Council member that the first speaker (Pietro “Rocky” Camardella) requested an apology from. Joanne Philbrick, 10 Elm Ave., defended Mr. Camardella’s position. Stating that the Council works for the people and the Council should not be allowed to speak in a derogatory manner to the people. MaryAnne McNally, 6 Washington Pl., commended the wonderful work being done with City Cleanups. She also expressed her disappointment in not being able to participate because it is on the weekends. Janis Sawicki, 39 Andrea Ln., spoke in shock and shame for the lack of decorum displayed this evening. She congratulated the Council for all they do, and feels they are doing a good job. She also wanted to make it clear that she does not agree with the audience’s behavior and is ashamed. Susan Jacobson, 256 Lawler Ln., she appreciates what the Council does for the people and was hurt by the Council members response to Mr. Camardella’s request. She is hoping for a resolution to this problem and that we can all work together in peace in the future. There being no further speakers Mayor Nystrom declared the citizen comment closed. Mayor Nystrom called for a public hearing on the following resolution, introduced by Mayor Nystrom, Pres. Pro Tem DeLucia, Ald Bettencourt, Ald. Gould and Ald. Nash. 1 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH SEPTEMBER 16, 2024 WHEREAS, the Council of the City of Norwich proposes to discontinue the use as a highway of a portion of Lawler Lane from the Northwest corner of 185 Lawler Lane to the Southeast corner of 256 Lawler Lane, a distance of approximately 1,500 feet; and WHEREAS, pursuant to Connecticut General Statute §13a-49, the City Council may discontinue any portion of a road; and WHEREAS, pursuant to Connecticut General Statute §13a-49, due notice will be given to all Landowners abutting the proposed portion of Lawler Lane area to be discontinued; said notice to be published in a newspaper of general circulation in Norwich and a sign will be posted at the location of the discontinued portion; and WHEREAS, the Council of the City of Norwich will refer the matter to the Commission on the City Plan for appropriate review and report. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Norwich, authorizes and directs City Manager, John Salomone, to provide it necessary assistance as it undertakes the process to discontinue a portion of Lawler Lane from the Northwest corner of 185 Lawler Lane to the Southeast corner of 256 Lawler Lane, a distance of approximately 1,500 feet to be shown on a survey map to be prepared by Boundaries, LLC, reserving to the City of Norwich and to the Norwich Department of Public Utilities all rights to enter upon the same to maintain and install drainage and to maintain and install other public utilities, said process to be in accordance with the procedure as set forth in Conn. Gen. Stat, Section 13a-49, et. Seq; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Council of the City of Norwich that this resolution be referred to the Commission on the City Plan for appropriate review and report, and the date for action by the Council of the City of Norwich be established as September 16, 2024. 2 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH SEPTEMBER 16, 2024 Susan Jacobson, 256 Lawler Ln., raised concern for the brown water that would be associated with this project. She is concerned about what will be seen from her home and is worried about people using the dead ends as a place to “get high”. Nola Oldfield, 185 Lawler Ln., she echoed the sentiments of the previous speaker Susan Jacobson and would like the dead end to be moved down a little, so it is not in front of her property. Frederick Browning, 671 Scotland Rd., believes that four to five families will be impacted by this proposal and would like to have a meeting with the Public Works to discuss the plan. He is also concerned about the emergency services response times and the water runoff. John Cherrick, 252 Old Canterbury Tpk., performed some of his own run times in respect to emergency response times. He wanted to know why this is being done and thought that the residents would have more of a say about this. Timothy Merchant, 45 Hansen Rd., spoke as a concerned resident asking why is $5,000,000. to $10,000,000 going to be spent to rebuild a church and two houses. 3 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH SEPTEMBER 16, 2024 Don Surprenant, 43 Wales Rd., spoke of the importance of this road. Why is it this parcel being the first to be developed on the property? He feels the people are being taken advantage of. Mary Ann Suprenant, 43 Wales Rd., spoke in concern of emergency services and asked for the Council to think of the people first. Chris Burdo, 74 New Village St., spoke about the wetlands in this area. Why are we taking out an access road? He would like to know if this is a done deal? Frederick Browning, 671 Scotland Rd. questioned the alternative of not developing this parcel at all. If this were to stay undeveloped the closure of this road would not be necessary. This property is environmentally sensitive. Kevin Brown, President of NCDC, reinforced the fact that people have and can come and talk to me about any issue. There are certain topics that are considered “business confidential” that can’t be discussed. This is a preliminary process and that it is clear and understood that life, health and safety is an important matter. There being no further speakers Mayor Nystrom declared the public hearing closed. Upon a motion of Ald. Hayes, seconded by Ald. Gould, on a roll call vote it was unanimously voted to accept the following petition and communication. 4 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH SEPTEMBER 16, 2024 5 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH SEPTEMBER 16, 2024 City Managers Report To: Mayor Nystrom and members of the City Council From: John Salomone, City Manager Subject: City Manager’s Report Date: September 16, 2024 Meetings attended were Southeastern Council of Governments Meeting (SCCOG), Connecticut Interlocal Risk Management Agency (CIRMA) Investment Committee, Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM) Board of Directors Meeting and Legislative Committee, NCDC Executive Board of Directors meeting. NPU-City Coordination and CIF Stakeholder Meeting. Norwich Human Services’ Collaborative Case Management model was noted as a best practice and is being scaled up, State-wide, in partnership with the 119k Commission of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities. CCM 119K Commission was formed to address at-risk and disconnected youth and brings together municipal leaders from across the state to address Connecticut’s unspoken crisis which threatens every town and city. The DEEP will be holding a press conference on September 18th to announce funding for an assessment grant that was awarded to Norwich in the amount of $64,250 to update the environmental assessment work at the Capehart Mill Riverfront Park project. The funding will allow the City of Norwich to update the remedial plan necessary to redevelop the 6.05-acre property into a municipal riverfront park. The environmental clean-up of the former YMCA property has been completed and Public Works crews have completed backfilling areas of the site in preparation for continued development. Governor Ned Lamont announced the City, in partnership with Mattern Construction Inc. was approved for a $2,000,000 CT Communities Challenge Grant for the former YMCA property in April of 2022. There is 1.5 million remaining for construction after the remediation. Tanice Doman, Assistant Zoning/Blight Officer in conjunction with Otis Library, has been promoting the City's Bulky Waste Pickup Program, and educating on what property owner and occupant responsibilities are in maintaining their property to the curbside. Five volunteer community cleanups have been scheduled for September 14th, 20th, 21st, 25th, and 28th. The United Way of Southeastern CT awarded Norwich the City Partner of the Year Award on September 12th at their Annual Celebration. Human Services’ Prevention Council was awarded a 5-year, $625,000 grant from the CDC to continue their impactful substance use prevention work in Norwich. My assistant, Jacquie Barbarossa, who is also the City’s Municipal Liaison for the Neighborhood Assistant Program has notified the applicants of the approvals received from the Department of Revenue Services. Corporations can submit pledges to the Department of Revenue Services electronically between September 15th and October 31st. Congratulations to our newly promoted Police Officers, Lieutenant Scott Meikle and Peter Karasuk. 6 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH SEPTEMBER 16, 2024 Upon Request of Ald. Hayes, City Clerk Muscarella, read the following emailed comment received for record on September 17, 2024 at 1:14pm, into the record. Dear Mayor and Members of The City Council, I am unable to attend the public hearing tonight regarding the closure of Lawler Lane. I want to express my concern about this decision and the probable impact on my neighborhood. As a resident of Deepwood Drive, I use Lawler Lane often to travel to Taftville, Occum and other areas near and beyond Moriarty School. I walk Scotland Road daily and the traffic is very "fast and furious!" As our group takes our early morning walks, we actually take our lives in our hands with the pace in which the many cars travel. Closing Lawler Lane will add to this traffic. I am also concerned about the families that live on lower Scotland/Hansen/White Plains Roads too. It is a long way around to get to Moriarty School and other locations nearby. My primary disappointment is that the original vote that took place concerning the Occum Business Park, which impacted neighborhoods, was a sound "no" by the residents. Why would Lawler Lane not be considered as part of this opinion to protect our neighborhoods? I do not feel that moving forward with Lawler Lane is an honest representation of the opinion of many that was heard before, concerning Canterbury Tpke. and Occum. I have always been in favor of increasing our tax base. I am proud to see the growth of our Business Park.There are other ways and places to grow our tax base. Have you considered all of the land adjacent to the former Consumers Interstate? There are hidden gems everywhere....so why do we need a business on Lawler Lane? Why must we close Lawler Lane? Sincerely, Abby I.Dolliver� Abby I. Dolliver� 6 Deepwood Dr Norwich, CT 06360 860.334.9126 Upon a motion of Ald. Hayes, seconded by Ald. Gould, on a roll call vote it was unanimously voted to adopt the following resolution introduced by Mayor Nystrom, Pres. Pro Tem DeLucia, Ald Bettencourt, Ald. Gould and Ald. Nash. WHEREAS, the Council of the City of Norwich proposes to discontinue the use as a highway of a portion of Lawler Lane from the Northwest corner of 185 Lawler Lane to the Southeast corner of 256 Lawler Lane, a distance of approximately 1,500 feet; and WHEREAS, pursuant to Connecticut General Statute §13a-49, the City Council may discontinue any portion of a road; and WHEREAS, pursuant to Connecticut General Statute §13a-49, due notice will be given to all Landowners abutting the proposed portion of Lawler Lane area to be discontinued; said notice to be published in a newspaper of general circulation in Norwich and a sign will be posted at the location of the discontinued portion; and 7 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH SEPTEMBER 16, 2024 WHEREAS, the Council of the City of Norwich will refer the matter to the Commission on the City Plan for appropriate review and report. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Norwich, authorizes and directs City Manager, John Salomone, to provide it necessary assistance as it undertakes the process to discontinue a portion of Lawler Lane from the Northwest corner of 185 Lawler Lane to the Southeast corner of 256 Lawler Lane, a distance of approximately 1,500 feet to be shown on a survey map to be prepared by Boundaries, LLC, reserving to the City of Norwich and to the Norwich Department of Public Utilities all rights to enter upon the same to maintain and install drainage and to maintain and install other public utilities, said process to be in accordance with the procedure as set forth in Conn. Gen. Stat, Section 13a-49, et. Seq; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Council of the City of Norwich that this resolution be referred to the Commission on the City Plan for appropriate review and report, and the date for action by the Council of the City of Norwich be established as September 16, 2024. 8 JOURNAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWICH SEPTEMBER 16, 2024 Please be advised that meetings of the Norwich City Council can be viewed in their entirety on the City of Norwich website “norwichct.org”. Mayor Nystrom withdrew citizen comment period as it was deemed not necessary. Upon a motion of Ald. Gould, seconded by Ald. Singh, on a roll call vote it was unanimously voted to withdraw the following new business resolution introduced by Mayor Nystrom, Ald. Gould and Ald. Singh. WHEREAS, the State of Connecticut has offered brownfield grant funding through the Department of Economic and Community Development; and WHEREAS, the Office of Brownfield Remediation and Development Round 20 grant applications for such funding are competitive and are due by September 27, 2024; and WHEREAS, the City of Norwich, acting in conjunction with its Department of Public Utilities, proposes to submit an application with respect to remediation and limited environmental site assessment of property located at 26 Shipping Street, owned by the City of Norwich, in the amount of $4,000,000; and WHEREAS, there is potential mutual benefit to remediating the 26 Shipping Street property as a site for a replacement wastewater pumping station which will allow for new economic development opportunities within the Shipping Street/Terminal Way corridor; and WHEREAS, the General Manager of Norwich Public Utilities is preparing the application. NOW THEREFORE, the Council for the City of Norwich hereby approves the submission of said application for funding through the Norwich Department of Public Utilities and further authorizes and directs City Manager, John Salomone, to sign and submit said application prior to the deadline on September 27, 2024. Upon motion of Ald. Gould, seconded by Ald. Nash on a roll call vote it was unanimously voted to adjourn at 8:43 pm. City Clerk 9