Draft Copy

East Haddam School Building Committee Meeting

Regular Meeting Minutes

AprilApril 14, 2004, 1 2004

Call to Order

The meeting was called to order by Todd Moss at 7:026 p.m. at the Nathan Hale High School – Room 117.

Roll Call:

Attendance:

Members present

Todd Moss Dana BarnesCraig Parker – arrived 9:08 p.m.– arrived 8:10 p.m

Kerri Willis Budzik Melissa Ziobron

Craig ParkerDana Barnes Mary Beth Mordecai

David Lafemina David Lafemina John Gibson -Alternate John Gibson -Alternate Denise Gable-Alternate

Members absent: none

Others present:

Robert Carroll, Central Office, Board of Education Business Manager

Pete Govert, Board of Selectman

Pamela Gourlie, Board of Education Chairman

Dr. Steve Durham, Superintendent of schools

Wyley Peckham

James Ventres, Land Use Administrator

Bob Mather, Board of Education

Mary O’Brien, At Home Realty, LLC

Jacqueline Michael, At Home Realty, LLC

Shirley Judge

Nancy Mackinnon

Approval of Minutes

Motion by Dana Barnes to approve the minutes of the April 27^th, March 24^th, 2004 meeting amended as follows:

· Strike the word “accessed” through out and replace with “assessed”. strike the word “Board” and replace with “Committee” throughout..

· 5^th page, 1^st paragraph “a letter was sent to Mr. Ventres asking him to come back to the next meeting to discuss other potential sites for consideration”.

· 3^rd page, first motion should read, “ Motion by Dana Barnes to a Public Hearing pending the outcome of availability for Wednesday, April 28^th Amend the second paragraph on page 3 to read, “Craig Parker voiced concern with Kaestle Boos ability to be properly staffed before the referendum stage to meet the committee’s schedule.”

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Seconded by Mary Beth Mordecai and carried by unanimous vote.

Motion by Todd Moss to alter the order of the agenda and proceed with item 5a, review of site, second by Dave Lafemina and carried by unanimous vote.

Audience of CitizensNew Business

Review of Potential Sites- James Ventres

Todd Moss discussed correspondence with the Committee members forwarded from Deb Denette, Town Clerk which pertains to Audience of Citizens protocol.

Wyley Peckham handed out a letter to the editor dated April 12, 2004. Mr. Peckham summarized his letter, requesting the Committee revisit their criteria.

Shirley Judge and Nancy Mackinnon introduced themselves and offered their help in any outreach or preventative discussions with the community. They asked that the Committee consider having members contact residents on North Moodus Rd to listen to any concerns.

Mr. New Business

Milone & MacBroom Update

Mr. Moss distributed and discussed the following document to the Committee:

A letter addressed to Mr. Brad Parker from Milone & MacBroom in regards to a proposal of subsurface sewage disposal feasibility analysis of Sillimanville Road East Haddam, Ct. The letter explains Milone & MacBroom’s scope of services for the site including preliminary investigation, site testing, performance of site analysis and feasibility study report. The letter also includes professional fees, standard terms and conditions as well as exclusions and limitations.

Mr. Pete Govert informed the Committee that Milone & MacBroom would be on site to dig test holes, April 22^nd and 23^rd and have a prepared report for Committee review on April 29^th. The Committee discussed urgency in receiving the test pit report earlier than April 29^th.

KBA - Pre Referendum Services

Mr. Govert discussed contract options. The Committee decided that a subcommittee would be formed to negotiate and address KBA’s contract. It was confirmed that KBA would be receiving pre-referendum fees.

Public Meeting Preparation

Mr. Govert discussed the following attached document:

A Draft document dated 4/14/04 with objectives and other thoughts pertaining to the Public Hearing.

Mrs. Melissa Ziobron discussed the following attached document made available by the Board of Education:

A Draft document labeled 4-8 School Building Project Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and a suggestion that the Committee members add questions to the list. A mailing or hand out at Public Hearing of the completed list was also discussed.

The Committee discussed the documents and how they pertained to the upcoming Public Hearing and the desire of Dr. Durham’s attendance. The Committee discussed a public relations effort. Working in conjunction with the Open Space Committee was reiterated or the option of the town purchasing the additional land for later use.

Motion by Dana Barnes to have the Public Hearing on April 29^th pending further discussion, seconded Mrs. Ziobron.

The Committee discussed concern of Milone & MacBroom’s testing not being done in time for this hearing date and wanting more time to work on public relations before the Hearing date.

FAVOR:  Moss, LaFemina, Barnes, Ziobron

OPPOSED:  Mordicai, Buczik, Gable

MOTION FAILED:

Further discussion was held regarding a date and time for a public hearing that would allow sufficient time for preparation. 

Ultimately a motion was made and duly seconded, establishing May 5^th, 2004 as the Public Hearing date, location to be determined.

FAVOR: Mordicai, Willis Budzik, Gable, Moss, Lafemina, Ziobron

OPPOSED: Dana Barnes

Motion carried. 

The following lists of objectives were decided to be focused on during the Public Hearing. Committee members agreed to prepare a presentation on each topic.

Inform the public of process or charge	Mr. Moss/ Mr. Barnes
BOE on need/ reasoning	Dr. Durham
Time Line – Board of Education	Dr. Durham, Mr. Parker, Mrs. Mordicai, Mrs. Ziobron
Site Selection/Criteria	Mrs. Gibson, Mr. Lafemina, Mr. Parker

Address N. Moodus Rd Concerns	Mrs. Willis Budzik, Mrs. Gable
Off site Costs	Mr. Moss
Pro’s of sites	Mrs. Gibson, Mr. Lafemina, Mr. Parker
Referendum schedule	Mrs. Ziobron

The Committee defined that the purpose of the Public Hearing was to educate the town people of their progress and how they came to the site selection, using the criteria. They also want the hearing to be an information gathering experience for the audience. Explaining the problem’s and facts, allow for public input and answering questions. The importance of the historical perspective was discussed in relationship to the timeline. The Committee members would like Selectman Brad Parker to attend. The Committee discussed having an attendance sheet, cards for questions and exit surveys. It was agreed to come back to the next meeting with draft presentations prepared for each topic.

Determination of Next Meeting

Motion by Mr. Lafemina to have a special meeting on April 21^st, 2004 at 7p.m. Seconded by Mr. Barnes and passed unanimously.

Other Discussion

Mr. Dana Barnes suggested imposing a time limit for Audience of Citizens. He expressed the Committee’s willingness to listen to citizens and of their appreciation of the public’s comments.

Motion by Kerri Willis Budzik to form a subcommittee to work on public outreach with N. Moodus Rd neighbors with Mrs. Mackinnon and Mrs. Judge. Seconded by Mrs. Ziobron and passed unanimously.

The following Committee members were chosen for the subcommittee:

Mrs. Ziobron

Mrs. Mordicai

Mrs. Gable

Ventres reviewed the criteria that the Committee established during the 3/24/04 meeting and the letter Todd Moss sent him dated March 26^th, 2004 requesting a review of the Committee’s potential 8 site selections. He described how the GIS program works to establish the maps used, as well as the accuracy of the map’s topography, water, buildings, roadways and soil surveys. He also stressed the importance of considering increased traffic on the sites.

Mr. Ventres distributed the following documentation to the Committee.

1)Correspondence addressed to Mr. James Ventres from Land-Tech Consultants, Inc. dated March 29^th, 2004 regarding Site No. 22 and 23 and it’s feasibility with respect to a field inspection of the existing road network. The inspection was to evaluate the effect of an estimated additional 200 car trips plus 16 – 20 school bus trips during the morning and afternoon.

1)Correspondence addressed to Mr. James Ventres from Land-Tech Consultants, Inc. dated August 13^th 2001, regarding the preliminary evaluation of the costs related to rock excavation on one potential site as being costly and recommending it would be an extremely poor choice for a school site.

1)A document prepared by Milone & MacBroom, Inc. for the School Site Study Committee dated May 28^th, 2003. It discusses the further development of the high school property for a new elementary school as being very limited by the insufficiency of the soil to support another large on-site sewage disposal system.

Mr. Ventres systematically reviewed each of the 8 sites and using the Committee’s criteria, documentation and established maps recommended the following 4 sites for further review: Site No. 18, Site No. 22 and 23, Site No 5.

Motion by Mrs. Ziobron to go into Executive session @10:02 p.m for purposes of discussing contract negotiations and property. Seconded by Dana Barnes and passed unanimously.

Motion made by Mr. Moss to come out of executive session. Seconded by Dana Barnes and passed unanimously.

No action or decisions were taken.

Motion to adjourn at 10:52 p.m. Kerri Budzik. Seconded by Mrs. Mordicai and passed unanimously.

Audience of Citizens

Mary O’Brien and Jacqueline Michael introduced themselves as associates with At Home Realty, LLC. They suggested 11 Johnsonville Road, as a site for the Committee to consider. They distributed a packet of information regarding the site for Committee to review. The Committee voiced concern of possible asbestos abatement from current buildings on the property, wetlands, inadequate land available, and the removal of structures on the land.

Wyley Peckham handed out a letter regarding his concerns of the selection of a site for the proposed 4-8 middle school. He summarized his handout and requested the committee to revisit their criteria.

Old Business

a.Election of Chairperson and Vice Chairperson

Motion by Mary Beth Mordecai to nominate Todd Moss as Chairperson, seconded by Melissa Ziobron and carried by unanimous vote.

Other nominations were sought.

Motion by Todd Moss to nominate Dana Barnes as Chairperson, seconded by Mrs. Ziobron.

Mr. Barnes asked for more background information about Mr. Moss in relationship to his specific experience and how this would benefit the Committee. Mr. Moss responded highlighting his experience with a large construction management company (Turner Construction) in similar fashion, Mr. Moss highlighted his credentials for the position. Mr. Barnes declined his nomination upon hearing Mr. Moss’s credentials for the position.

Motion by Mrs. Mordecai to nominate Dana Barnes as Vice Chairperson, second by Mrs. Ziobron and carried by unanimous vote.

a.Election of Treasurer

Motion by Mrs. Ziobron to nominate Mary Beth Mordecai as Treasurer, second by Mr. Barnes and carried by unanimous vote.

General discussion of the treasurer’s duties ensued.

a.Discussion of Budget for Committee

Mr. Moss referred to a letter sent to him from Mr. Brad Parker dated April 1^st, 2004. The letter stated that there is currently a budget of $9,800 for the School Building Committee split as follows: The fiscal year ends 6-30-04.

Recording Secretary $ 800

Legal 8,000

Printing 1,000

Paid to date are

Map copies - 11.13

Milone & MacBroom 232.50

Leaving a balance of $9,556.37

The letter also noted that there is an outstanding bill from Land-Tech and that if additional funds are required, the Committee can address that with the Board of Finance.

a.Update of KBA and Newfield Construction

Mr. Moss told the Committee that he had called Kaestle Boos Associates “KBA” and Newfield Construction and made them aware of the Committee’s agreement to work with them. The Committee agreed that the sites chosen would dictate the design plans of the new school. Mr. Moss stated that David King from KBA had already started working on a plan based on site No. 22 and 23. He also stated that Mr. King is aware of the Committee’s time constraints. Mrs. Ziobron suggested that the Committee should have a public hearing. Dr. Steve Durham reiterated the letters attached to the March 24^th, 2004 meeting

1)Correspondence from the East Haddam Planning and Zoning Commission

1)An outline authorized by Dr. Durham outlining various criteria regarding the new school.

New Business

a.Discussion of North Moodus Road – Site No. 18, Site Investigation

The committee revisited the letter submitted by Mr. Ventres from Land-Tech Consultants, Inc, dated March 29^th, 2004.

a.Selection of Sites for Review

Mr. Moss distributed the following document to the committee

1)A document sent to Jim Ventres dated March 26^th, 2004 from Todd Moss. It states that based on the Committee’s criteria they had identified some sights that they would like to be considered for the new school. The letter requests that Mr. Ventres review the potential sites and present his findings at the April 1^st, 2004 meeting.

The Committee discussed all of the 9 potential sites. They also discussed the documentation received and after long deliberation, the group decided on the following 4 sites for further review: Site No. 18, Site No. 22 and 23, and Site No 5.

The Committee agreed that they needed to drive by or walk the Sites. Robert Caroll agreed to call the property owners of Site No. 22 and 23 to seek permission for the committee to walk the property on Saturday, April 3^rd and Sunday April 4^th and to contact KBA to do preliminary testing on the site. There was discussion of having the open space committee team with the school building committee in purchasing part of the unusable parcel, which would help maximize the reimbursement rate. The Committee also discussed the importance of getting an appraisal on the desired site. They also asked that KBA and Newfield Construction be asked to attend the next meeting.

Mrs. Ziobron emphasized the importance of a public hearing to show how the Committee went through the process of selecting potential sites the criteria and to invite the people to comment and ask questions. It was decided that a public hearing would be set as well as a press release after tests had been performed to make sure that the site is viable.

Mr. Barnes voiced his opinion on the selection process and only finding 1 suitable site. He suggested that all of the decisions were made before the Committee even met. Mrs. Budzik agreed with Mr. Barnes that the Committee did end up choosing the 1 site originally suggested by Mr. Ventres, however, the Committee chose the criteria, looked at all 98 map sites and came to the same conclusion on their own. With this in mind and after great deliberation and discussion, the Committee agreed that they would go forward with confidence in recommending the sites to the public.

Determination of Next Meeting

Motion by Mrs. Ziobron to have standing meetings on the 2^nd and 4^th Wednesday of each month at 7p.m to referendum, seconded by Mr. Barnes and carried by unanimous vote.

Motion by Mr. Moss for a special meeting Wednesday, April 7^th , second by Mr. Barnes and carried by unanimous vote.

Other Discussion

It was it was reiterated the importance of invitingthe Conservation Committee to the next meeting. Mr. Moss discussed a letter he had from Dr. Durham suggesting that the building committee attend an open house at the newly built Rham middle school in Hebron on April 30^th, time to be determined. This is a school that KBA worked on. It was also discussed that the Old Saybrook Middle School principal could be used as another point of reference.

Dr. Durham stressed to the Committee the importance of their charter. He explained that the work they are doing is a culmination of many years of work. He stressed that the new school is not about politics but a process with a very important end in mind. He stated that the current middle school is unacceptable . He told the Committee that the Board of Education toiled and deliberated for a long time over the 4 – 8 school concept. He explained the urgency to fix the schools over crowding conditions and the importance of the committee to get the school passed at referendum.

Mrs. Gourlie told the committee that there was a coordination of committees in town that had been going through this process for a long time, that no one is being deceitful and that a new school is needed for the children of our community.

Adjournment

Motion to adjourn at 10:21 made by Todd Moss 10:21 p.m. seconded by Dana Barnes and carried by unanimous vote.

Respectfully submitted,

E. Ruth Ziobron

Attachments

April 1^st , 2004 East Haddam School Building Committee Agenda

Filed at Selectman’s office