Special Town Meeting in East Haddam This Week

From the Town of East Haddam website:

All electors and citizens eligible to vote in town meetings of the Town of East Haddam, Connecticut (the “Town”) are hereby warned and notified that a Special Town Meeting of the Town is to be held at the Town Meeting Hall located on Town Street in East Haddam, Connecticut on Thursday, March 28, 2013 at 8:00 p.m., for the following purposes:

Item 1:  To consider and act upon the recommendation of the Board of Finance to approve a transfer in the amount of $45,520 from the Middle School Conversion Committee Fund and $20,000 from the Board of Finance Contingency Fund (704-588701) to the Capital Improvements Budget for the purpose of a Program Manager for Four Municipal Facilities Projects to include: Conversion of the Former Nathan Hale-Ray Middle School to Town Offices, Expansion of the Company One Volunteer Fire Station to an Emergency Operation Center, Reconstruction or Replacement of the Company Two Volunteer Fire Station and Renovations and Upgrades to the East Haddam Elementary School.

Item 2:  To consider and act upon the recommendation of the Agriculture Commission and the Board of Selectmen to approve an ordinance entitled “Right to Farm Ordinance”.  Copies of said ordinance are on file in the Town Clerk’s Office during normal business hours.
 Right to Farm Ordinance

Item 3:  To consider and act upon the recommendation of the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Board of Selectmen to accept the following certain conveyance, to wit:

A certain piece or parcel of land situated in the town of East Haddam, county of Middlesex and State of Connecticut, shown and depicted as “Conservation Easement Area” on a certain map or plan entitled “Record Subdivision Map ‘Morgan Estates’ Land Now or Formerly of Alan Hanks & Jeffrey Becker #30 Orchard Road East Haddam, Connecticut Robert R. Weaver, L.S. Connecticut Registered Land Surveyor Commercial – Residential 147 Parker Road, East Haddam, Connecticut 06423 Phone 860-873-2901 Fax 860-873-2902 Scale 1” = 40’ Dated Mar. 1, 2007 Revised 3-27-08 Per Town Comments Revised 5-28-08 Per Town Comments Revised 11-10-08 Per Town Comments Revised 2-26-09 Per P&Z Request Sheet RS-1 Sheet RS-2 Sheet RS-3,” said map being on file in the East Haddam Town Clerk’s Office and that the First Selectman is hereby authorized to execute into such Conservation Easement and Restriction on behalf of the Town.

Item 4:  To consider and act upon the following resolution as recommended by the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Finance:

RESOLVED: That a grant in an amount of $45,000 is hereby accepted from the State of Connecticut, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, BOR-Boating Division to design and install floating docks for transient dockage for transient boaters upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Personal Service Agreement and to approve a special appropriation in the amount of $15,000 to the Grant Fund (fund 79) for the purpose of matching grant funds for said grant (revenue account 79-431510-G1202 and expense account 79-541750-G1202).

In furtherance of this resolution, Mark B. Walter, the First Selectman, is duly authorized to enter into and sign said contracts on behalf of the Town of East Haddam.  Mark B. Walter currently holds the office of First Selectman and has held that office since November 7, 2007.  The First Selectman is further authorized to provide such additional information and execute such other documents as may be required by the local, state or federal government in connection with said contract and to execute any amendments, rescissions, and revisions thereto.

Item 5:  To consider and act upon the recommendation of the Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance to accept a grant in the amount of $20,000 from the State of Connecticut, Department of Agriculture, Farmland Restoration Grant Program, for the purpose of installing fencing around the cultivated parcels (revenue account 79-431510-G1301 and expense account 79-541750-G13012).

Item 6:  To consider and discuss (but not vote on) a resolution:

(a) to appropriate $474,000 for costs related to the acquisition of approximately 98.22 acres of land or rights therein located on Clark Hill Road and Florida Road (also known as the Zeiller Associates property) in East Haddam, Connecticut, shown and designated as Lot 030 on the East Haddam Assessor’s Map #12 (the “Property”) for open space purposes (the “Project”), including, without limitation, the costs of land acquisition, site work, demolition and removal, easement acquisition, engineering, legal, administration, temporary and permanent financing and any other costs and expenses related thereto; (b) to authorize the Town to issue and sell its notes and bonds pursuant to the Connecticut General Statutes, as amended, or any other provision of law thereto enabling, in an amount not to exceed $474,000 (or so much thereof as may be necessary after the deduction of grants or other sources of funds available therefor, including, but not limited to, a grant from the State of Connecticut in the amount of $232,500, general fund monies and/or capital reserve funds); and (c) to authorize such other actions relating to the foregoing as may be necessary or appropriate.
Board of Selectmen Resolution Board of Finance Resolution

Item 7:  To consider and discuss (but not vote on) a resolution:

(a) to appropriate $1,007,500 for costs related to the acquisition of approximately 238 acres of land or rights therein located on Mill Road and Parker Road (also known as the Pages property) in East Haddam, Connecticut, shown and designated as Lot 023 on the East Haddam Assessor’s Map #20 (the “Property”) for open space purposes (the “Project”), including, without limitation, the costs of land acquisition, site work, demolition and removal, easement acquisition, engineering, legal, administration, temporary and permanent financing and any other costs and expenses related thereto; (b) to authorize the Town to issue and sell its notes and bonds pursuant to the Connecticut General Statutes, as amended, or any other provision of law thereto enabling, in an amount not to exceed $1,007,500 (or so much thereof as may be necessary after the deduction of grants or other sources of funds available therefor, including, but not limited to, a contribution from the East Haddam Land Trust in the amount of $35,000 and a grant from the State of Connecticut in the amount of $464,000, general fund monies and/or capital reserve funds); and (c) to authorize such other actions relating to the foregoing as may be necessary or appropriate.
Board of Selectmen Resolution Board of Finance Resolution

The full text of the foregoing authorizing resolutions, the contracts and other documents related to the foregoing acquisitions and more detailed descriptions of the subject properties are on file and open to inspection at the office of the Town Clerk, Town Hall, East Haddam, Connecticut for the use or inspection of any interested person.

All electors and persons eligible to vote in town meetings of the Town are hereby further notified that pursuant to Section 7-7 of the Connecticut General Statutes, as amended, the Board of Selectmen of the Town has removed the above items numbered six and seven on the call of this Special Town Meeting for submission to the electors and citizens of the Town who are eligible to vote at town meetings by voting machine.  The aforesaid items shall be placed on the voting machines under the following headings:

SHALL THE TOWN APPROPRIATE $474,000 FOR THE ACQUISITION OF APPROXIMATELY 98.22 ACRES OF LAND ALSO KNOWN AS THE ZEILLER ASSOCIATES PROPERTY LOCATED ON CLARK HILL ROAD AND FLORIDA ROAD FOR OPEN SPACE PURPOSES AND AUTHORIZE THE ISSUANCE OF BONDS AND NOTES OF THE TOWN IN THE SAME AMOUNT, OR SO MUCH THEREOF AS MAY BE NECESSARY AFTER THE DEDUCTION OF GRANTS OR OTHER SOURCES OF FUNDS AVAILABLE THEREFOR, TO FINANCE SUCH APPROPRIATION?

SHALL THE TOWN APPROPRIATE $1,007,500 FOR THE ACQUISITION OF APPROXIMATELY 238 ACRES OF LAND ALSO KNOWN AS THE PAGES PROPERTY LOCATED ON MILL ROAD AND PARKER ROAD FOR OPEN SPACE PURPOSES AND AUTHORIZE THE ISSUANCE OF BONDS AND NOTES OF THE TOWN IN THE SAME AMOUNT, OR SO MUCH THEREOF AS MAY BE NECESSARY AFTER THE DEDUCTION OF GRANTS OR OTHER SOURCES OF FUNDS AVAILABLE THEREFOR, TO FINANCE SUCH APPROPRIATION?

The vote will be conducted on Tuesday, April 9, 2013, during the hours from twelve o’clock p.m. to eight o’clock p.m. at the Town Meeting Hall, Town Street, East Haddam, Connecticut.  Absentee ballots will be available from the Town Clerk’s Office.  Voters approving the resolution will vote “Yes” and voters opposing the resolution will vote “No”.

Item 8:  To consider and vote upon a resolution to adjourn the special town meeting to a vote by voting machine on the above questions to be held on the date, during the time and at the noticed polling place referred to above.