City Council

Approved by City Council & WPCA MINUTES March 4, 2024 Vol 27, Page 315 CITY COUNCIL & WPCA Vote: Unanimous REGULAR MEETING City Hall Auditorium / Zoom February 20, 2024 A REGULAR MEETING of the City Council and Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) of the City of Torrington was held at the City Hall Auditorium on Tuesday, February 20, 2024. Present at the City Hall Auditorium were Mayor Elinor Carbone, City Councilors Stephen Ivain, Molly Spino, Paul Cavagnero, Purchasing Agent Pennie Zucco, and WPCA Administrator Ed Tousey. Councilor David Oliver, Director of Services for the Elderly Joel Sekorski, and Supervisor of the Litchfield Hills Northwest Elderly Nutrition Program Christine Trudeau-Brown participated via Zoom. Councilors Anne Ruwet and Drake Waldron were absent. Mayor Carbone called the meeting to order at 6:43 p.m. beginning with the Pledge of Allegiance. Public Comment On a motion by Councilor Spino, seconded by Councilor Cavagnero, the Council voted unanimously to open the meeting to the public, in accordance with Section 4(e) of the City Council & WPCA Meeting Rules of Procedure. No one from the public wished to speak. Mayor Carbone took a moment to recognize Director of Services for the Elderly Joel Sekorski and Supervisor of the Litchfield Hills Northwest Elderly Nutrition Program Christine Trudeau-Brown for Torrington’s Nutrition Program which has been offering nutritious and delicious lunches to our seniors for 50 years. Mr. Sekorski thanked the City of Torrington for supporting our program and seeing the value that it brings to the community. Ms. Trudeau-Brown thanked the City and said she was honored by the support from the Mayor and City Council. Approve Minutes On a motion by Councilor Spino, seconded by Councilor Ivain, the Council voted unanimously to accept the Regular Meeting Minutes from February 5, 2024. Bid for Diesel, #2 Fuel & Gasoline On a motion by Councilor Spino, seconded by Councilor Cavagnero, the Council voted unanimously to authorize the Purchasing Agent to enter a contract with East River Energy of Guilford, CT for Diesel Fuel for the sum of $2.7097 + .0072 fees for a total estimated annual cost of $164,644.14, if the price is no greater than 10% over the bid price as presented on February 20, 2024. On a motion by Councilor Cavagnero, seconded by Councilor Spino, the Council voted unanimously to authorize the Purchasing Agent to enter a contract with Dime Oil Company of Waterbury, CT for #2 Fuel Oil for the sum of $2.7871 + .0092 fees for a total estimated annual cost of $67,670.46, if the price is no greater than 10% over the bid price as presented on February 20, 2024. On a motion by Councilor Spino, seconded by Councilor Cavagnero, the Council voted unanimously to authorize the Purchasing Agent to enter a contract with East River Energy of Guilford, CT for Gasoline for the sum of $2.2798 + .2075 fees for a total estimated annual cost of $283,540.80, if the price is no greater than 10% over the bid price as presented on February 20, 2024. WPCA On-Call Engineering Services On a motion by Councilor Spino, seconded by Councilor Ivain, the City Council herein acting as the Water Pollution Control Authority, voted unanimously to authorize the Mayor to enter into contract negotiations with Wright-Pierce of Middletown CT, and Tighe & Bond of Middletown CT for On-Call Engineering Services, as further explained in the WPCA Administrators memo dated February 12, 2024. Councilor Ivain asked if there was a price limit on any of these per event, and exactly how this would work, Mr. Tousey said that there is no bid cap for projects and that the pricing comes later. Mayor Carbone explained that these are for on-call services that happen throughout the year. They would submit proposals with an hourly rate, what they expect their turnaround time to be. She said that because there are two on-call Engineering companies, they would get the scope of work for the project and solicit from each of them what the cost would be. Any reconstruction project would be in the capital plan, which comes from the budget and the Council approves. Councilor Cavagnero asked if the change orders sit solely with the Mayor, and do not need to be approved by the Council, Mayor Carbone told him that there has never been a change order that significantly changed the project or the price of the project. Safe Streets and Roads for All – Planning Grant – Consultant Selection On a motion by Councilor Spino, seconded by Councilor Ivain, the Council, on the recommendation of the Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant Contractor Selection Committee, voted unanimously to authorize the Mayor to act on behalf of the City to award, execute, and administer a contract agreement including all future task orders for a comprehensive safety action plan, to VN Engineers, Inc. of North Haven, CT, as MINUTES Vol 27, Page 316 CITY COUNCIL & WPCA REGULAR MEETING City Hall Auditorium / Zoom February 20, 2024 further explained in the Assistant City Planner’s memo dated February 20, 2024. Councilor Ivain asked if this studied specific roads and intersections, Mayor Carbone said that since traffic systems have changed significantly in the last 10 years, this is to identify where there are areas of safety concerns. Councilor Cavagnero said again that this is bypassing the Council, Mayor Carbone told the Council that there is a $250,000 limit and the City cannot spend more than that, as it was a grant received from the State. Councilor Spino asked what the timeframe for this study was, Mayor Carbone said they would go over the timeline and deliverables in the contract process; however, it is usually 6-12 months. Councilor Ivain asked if Migeon Avenue is too far along in the project for this study, Mayor Carbone told the Council that they are getting ready to go out to bid for the Migeon Avenue project. She said that they would include this area in the study to ensure that there are crosswalks, and lights where needed, along with being ADA compliant, these changes can always be made after the project is done. Conservation Commission Report On a motion by Councilor Spino, seconded by Councilor Cavagnero, the Council voted unanimously to accept the Conservation Commission’s Annual Report for 2023. Building Department Report On a motion by Councilor Spino, seconded by Councilor Ivain, the Council voted unanimously to accept the Building Department Report for the month of January 2024. Lien Releases On a motion by Councilor Spino, seconded by Councilor Oliver, the Council voted unanimously to release the liens listed in the Corporation Counsel’s memo of February 20, 2024. Tax Collector Refunds On a motion by Councilor Spino, seconded by Councilor Ivain, the Council voted unanimously to accept the recommendation of the Tax Collector and authorize the tax refunds indicated on the list dated February 20, 2024. Sewer Usage Refunds On a motion by Councilor Spino, seconded by Councilor Ivain, the Council voted unanimously to accept the recommendation of the Tax Collector and authorize the sewer usage refunds indicated on the list dated February 20, 2024. Business by Dept. Heads On a motion by Councilor Spino, seconded by Councilor Ivain, the Council voted unanimously to consider business by Department Heads. There was no business to be discussed. Business by Mayor & Members On a motion by Councilor Spino, seconded by Councilor Ivain, the Council voted unanimously to consider business by the Mayor and City Council members. Councilor Spino asked if Economic Development would be doing something similar for the Council as the Conservation Commission had done, Mayor Carbone told her that she would like to get quarterly reports from Economic Development regarding the ongoing projects. Mayor Carbone told the Council that the City will be bonding and borrowing $4 million in roadwork and the balance of that bonding is for the high school construction work. The bond rating call was Friday afternoon, and the bond rating company will have a response for the City tomorrow as to where the City will fall for the bond rating. The bond sale will take place next week. Mayor Carbone gave the Council an update on the Yankee Pedlar. She said that they had Court on February 6, 2024, at which time the Judge gave a 120-day extension for them to acquire financing. She explained that they will have a check-in with the City every 30 days, with the first one being March 4, 2024, and the 120-day extension is up on June 5, 2024. Councilor Cavagnero asked what the use of the building will be, Mayor Carbone told him that it will still be a hotel and that they currently have an agreement with Hampton Inn. Councilor Oliver told the Council that there is no way that the Pedlar would be able to afford an $11 million loan, the numbers don’t work, and there is no way that they would be able to make that monthly payment. Councilor Cavagnero asked if there is a need for tournament fields, and how would the City find out if there is a need for this, Mayor Carbone said that they have a feasibility study done on the expansion of some recreational facilities. From this study, they brought a request to the Council to purchase the property on Red Mountain Avenue to develop. She said that there is a demand for a sports facility and thinks that Torrington could help with that need. Mayor Carbone said that everything starts with a study, however, she would like to be able to jump to the end and build the thing in need. Public Comment (in-person only) On a motion by Councilor Spino, seconded by Councilor Oliver, the Council voted unanimously to open the meeting to the public to comment on agenda items only. No one from the public wished to speak. MINUTES Vol 27, Page 317 CITY COUNCIL & WPCA REGULAR MEETING City Hall Auditorium / Zoom February 20, 2024 Adjournment On a motion by Councilor Spino, seconded by Councilor Cavagnero, the Council voted unanimously to adjourn at 7:44 p.m. Respectfully submitted by ATTEST: Heather Abraham, Asst. City Clerk CAROL L. ANDERSON, CITY CLERK CAROL L. ANDERSON, CITY CLERK