Board of Selectmen Meeting November 28, 2016

Board of Selectmen Meeting November 28, 2016

Now that we have approved a Charter with a Town Manager, it is incumbent upon this board to start the search process for a professional Town Manager. The candidate, according to the Charter will be hired after December 2017. However, the process must begin with the Personnel Sub-Committee convening to establish the process for a search for the candidate,

This board should establish immediately whether Tom Cooke, First Selectman Lisa

Heavner’s Director of Administrative Services is interested in becoming a candidate for the position. If Tom Cooke is interested in the job, then he should recuse himself from participating in all aspects of the hiring process. Since this process requires a specific skill set, the Head Hunter should be selected with clients that have been Town Managers with lengthy resumes. The selectmen committee should consist of a Town Manager from the adjoining towns. The Personnel Board should set a time line for the process which should be completed before December 2017 with a Town Manager in place with the newly elected Board of Selectmen.

The Performing Arts Center Inc. is a private organization using Town land to promote and organize activities. Since this is a private organization and they should be charged for the use of the Meadows property. Concerts other than the Hartford Symphony should be eliminated as a town nuisance with excessive alcohol consumption and marijuana use. Tailgating prior to the concerts should be eliminated. The noise level at the concerts is a public nuisance. As a private organization they should not receive any tax dollars as they have in the past. The Meadows is owned by the taxpayers and private organizations should respect the residents’ concerns of noise and safety. Now that the contract is being renewed more stringent rules should be implemented. The taxpayers should not subsidize the SPAC’s Capital Improvements. The Performing Arts Center should pay to play and should conform to all the regulations of the town.

At the November 22 Planning Board Hearing to discuss the Affordable Housing Units on 80 Climax Road the Attorney for the applicant submitted a document summarizing the historical background of this project. According to the testimony of the applicant Hiram Peck, our past Town Planner encouraged the applicant to increase the density of the homes allowed on the property. Who was Hiram Peck working for, the residents or the developers? Under the direction and creativity of Town Planner Hiram Peck our Plan of Development became a Plan of Overdevelopment. It appears that Hiram Peck was working for the developers at the expense of the residents. Now that the Town is reviewing the Plan of Development it is important to reflect on the challenges of overdevelopment in Simsbury and the resources needed to maintain our quality of life.

Town staff is now being directed to renovate the Eno Hall for the continued use as a Senior Center. This is the appropriate time to move SCTV into the basement of the library which is the appropriate place for a media center. This can be done immediately while the renovation is in progress for efficiency. There are plans in Town Hall for the placement of SCTV that could be used at little or no cost. The town could move most of the furniture from Eno Hall to the library to reduce costs. If First Selectman Lisa Heavner is interested in efficiency and lowering costs, this is the appropriate plan. I would ask that this board make a recommendation to the Public Building Committee to review my proposal.

During the last budget process $550,000 was approved for a Streetscape on Hopmeadow Street. Raising the level of the sidewalks with the brick pavers over the cement sidewalks makes a difficult transition with utilities that have to be raised to level the walk.. Other transition areas require an engineering nightmare to make all transitions level. In a rush to complete the task to implement the $550,000 Streetscape, First selectman Lisa Heavner did not consult the Chairman of Aging and Disabilities who would have raised concerns about dangers of the uneven surfaces for the disabled and elderly causing tripping hazards and vibrations of wheelchairs. Many of the new brick pavers were compromised with broken bricks installed creating an imminent danger. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires continuous smooth surfaces for safety, not brick pavers on sidewalks. First Selectman Lisa Heavner spent the last meeting discussing her caring and needs of the senior community. There seems to be a huge disconnect with the unsafe brick pavers. Brick pavers require continual maintenance for safety. Anyone walking on Hopmeadow Street will notice the crumbling and uneven surfaces that increase the risks for tripping. My pictures show just a small area of hazards resulting from the brick pavers. The Board of Selectmen should evaluate the risks associated with brick pavers.