Prudential Committee Meeting
Committee Members Present:
Robert Ronzio, Chairman; Jerry Summit, Vice Chairman; Gilles Beaudoin; David
Bonney; Michael McEnerney; Marty Feit, Clerk-Treasurer
Public Present: Eva Bonney, Bill
Brownhill, Joyce Brownhill, David Devane, Nancy Devane, Paulette Feit, Deb
Fitzgerald, Murielle Forster, Jim Griffin, R. Guevin, Al Labombard, Sandra
Labombard, Dennis LaChapelle, Blanche Lennington, Howard Lerner,
Meeting called to order at
Mr. Bonney speaks of his
ongoing communications with the Attorney General and the District Attorney. He states
that the A.G. has told him that registered voters in the town are the only ones
who can vote on Road District issues. He says he has talked with the Town and
the Town says they won’t release any voting records or real estate records for
voting purposes and, if it does get that far, they will not release any tax
money. He says that the Road District’s attorney has never spoken with the A.G.
He adds
that he’s also discovered that the Prudential Committee should only be three
members – that the two non-resident members do not have the right to sit on the
Committee. He says that
Mr.
Ronzio thanks him and asks for it in writing.
Minutes of the March 7th
meeting are reviewed by committee members. <<Something
goes wrong with the tape here and when the recording resumes Mr. Ronzio says
there is a motion on the table and asks for a second.>> A second
is heard and the motion is approved unanimously.
Public Participation
Mr. Guevin asks about
insurance figures on the proposed budget. Mr. Feit says the cost is double
because the figure put in is for independently obtaining coverage rather than
going under the SFNA’s policy. Mr. Guevin asks what the insurance would cover
and is told it is for General Liability. There is discussion of insurance cost
and whether to continue under the SFNA’s policy or to obtain separate coverage.
Ms. Brownhill asks about there being a cap on the District’s liability. Mr.
Summit says insurance is needed for defense of any secondary suits which may be
brought. Ms. Devane asks a question about coverage. Mr. Lerner speaks to the
SFNA’s liability as owners of the roads and the possibility of subrogation to
the Road District in the event of a claim.
Mr. Bonney
asks if the police officer present is being paid to be here. Mr. Ronzio says
no, he is not, that he is present as an on-duty, on-call officer. There is
discussion of the need for police presence at Road District meetings.
Ms.
Bonney opines that the meeting held on March 24th was called because
Mr. Bonney was out of town and there is discussion of when, how, and by whom
Mr. Bonney was informed of that meeting.
Ms.
McGeer asks about signs at the entrances to the
Mr.
Guevin asks about Attorney Fees on the proposed budget, saying that the figure
seems to be going quite high. Mr. Ronzio says that the attorney needs to be
consulted for questions that come up at meetings. Mr. Bonney says he is looking
into misappropriations on this item.
Ms.
Devane asks for a notice to be posted outside the building when a meeting is
changed from upstairs to downstairs as this can cause extreme difficulty for
anyone with a disability.
Mr.
McGeer asks if the date of the Annual Meeting has been changed. Mr. Ronzio says
no. It is clarified that the upcoming Special Meeting is scheduled for
Mr.
Bonney speaks to the Freedom of Information Act and says that he requested to
view the District’s records ten days ago but that request has not yet been
granted.
Communications
Email from Joe LaCascia about
insurance.
DOR Re: End of year Close Outs 2005, 2006 – Mr. Ronzio reports that Mr. Feit talked to the DOR
regarding this in a conference call with the attorney.
Building Committee Report/Office
Storage and Equipment Purchase Feasibility Study (Bonney and McEnerney)
– Mr. Bonney says he needs the records to do the research on this.
Culvert Survey – Mr. Ronzio reports that there have been several
culvert failures in the past month or so. He says this will be discussed
further when the Road Superintendent gives his report.
Road
Abandoned/Unregistered Vehicles on
Public/Private Roadways – Mr. Ronzio says there doesn’t seem to be a problem
with this but there are still vehicles around on the road. Mr. Bonney notes
that there was a contractor’s tractor left on the side of Black Arrow all
winter. Someone says that it is gone now.
Winter Road Preparation – To be
discussed with the Road Superintendent.
Roads Resurfacing Projects – Mr. Bonney
asks if this will go to the people for a vote at any time. Mr. Ronzio says that
the projects were approved by the committee as a part of regular maintenance.
Road Maintenance Priorities – Not addressed.
Memorandum of Understanding:
Deteriorating Condition of the
Spillway – Mr. Ronzio starts to say this will be held, then
says that under New Business the problem of the plugged culvert at Lancelot
will be addressed. He says he mentioned this to the Conservation Commission and
may have to go back to them because the water is in the road. Someone asks if
it is plugged with ice. Mr. Ronzio says they have no idea what the cause is. He
says the head wall is completely under water – that there’s at least three feet
of water above the culvert right now. There is discussion of how long this has
been a problem. Mr. Ronzio says there is now a sink hole in the road. There is
discussion of whether the culvert is the responsibility of the Road District or
of the SFNA.
Budget Preparation for FY 2008 – Mr. Feit says he doesn’t think there is enough
money in the proposal for Winter Roads, General Roads, or Engineering Expense.
Mr. Ronzio points out that the proposed increase is only 2%. Mr. Beaudoin says
it isn’t a matter of what percent the increase is, but rather it’s a matter of
the amount of the bottom line. He says what he hears from
Comments
start coming loudly and without regulation from the floor. Mr. Ronzio
recognizes Ms. Lennington who asks why there has never been a Moderator
appointed to keep order at these meetings. Mr. Bonney says that, according to
the bylaws there should be a Moderator. Mr. Ronzio says, “No, actually,
according to our bylaws there’s. . .” The
tape ends here. When the tape resumes Ms. Lennington is asking, “So having
a Moderator for these meetings is not an option?” Mr. Ronzio replies that it is
“not an option right now.”
Mr.
Ronzio recognizes Ms. Brownhill who opines that the dense grade, which is very
expensive, is not being properly applied to the roads. A discussion ensues
about the roads having no base.
The
figure for the Stabilization Fund on the proposed budget is discussed among
committee members, as well as the types of funds held by the District. Tax
collections are discussed. Mr. Bonney speaks to the funding of road resurfacing
projects and says he would like to see a separate line item on the budget for
this. Mr. Feit says he thinks this is a very good idea so that money doesn’t
get taken from General Roads and Winter Roads for these projects. Mr. Bonney
says perhaps there should also be a line item for Waterways. He says that Mr.
Summit, being an engineer, should have some input on this. Mr. Summit says this
was discussed in detail at the last meeting – that one of the reasons to hire
an engineer is to survey the roads and waterways and construction details. Mr.
Bonney asks Mr. Summit if he is a qualified engineer to do that and Mr. Summit
replies that, no, he is a Civil Engineer but that he is not qualified to do
roads. Mr. Ronzio says the money for an engineer was put in to hire an
independent engineer to independently look at the issues that appear.
The
level of background conversation on the floor grows progressively louder. Ms.
Lennington addresses the room, asking for all present to have the courtesy to
take private conversations into the hallway so that people who want to hear
what is taking place at the committee table can.
Mr.
Bonney asks about Contract Services. Mr. Feit says that is for any outside
people who do work for the District.
Mr.
Summit suggests that committee members go back and forth via email to finalize
the budget for the next meeting.
Contractors/Bid Proposals – Mr. Bonney says several different kinds of bid
proposal forms can be found at Staples. He also says that prices for materials
should be shopped.
Engineering Study - Mr. Ronzio says this has been sufficiently
discussed already.
Any Other Old Business – None.
NEW BUSINESS
Insurance Policy – Already discussed.
Any Other New Business
Letter to the town – Mr. Ronzio speaks about a letter he sent to the
town (to Mr. Fuller) on March 9th. He recalls that when he wanted to
send a letter to the DEP other committee members asked that the town be worked
with first. He says the town has not responded and he would now like to send a
letter to the DEP. Mr. Bonney says the letter was mentioned in the Board of
Health minutes but there was no detail on it. Mr. Ronzio says he sent a copy of
well decommissioning requirements with the letter. Mr. Bonney says he doesn’t
see what harm has been done. Mr. Ronzio says that the opinion of the board is
that there is a problem and that’s why the letter was sent to the town. He says
improper location of a well can potentially transmit contaminates from ground
water to the aquifer. Mr. Ronzio asks if anyone would like to make a proposal.
Mr.
Summit: “I would say that we do send a
copy . . .”
Mr.
McEnerney: “They’ve had enough time to
respond. It’s time to send it to the state. Send it to the state level; cc the
Town; send it certified mail, and we’ll see where we stand next meeting.”
Mr.
Ronzio: “Do we have a second on that?”
Mr.
Summit: “I second it.”
There
being no further discussion, Mr. Ronzio calls for a vote. Three “Ayes” and one
“Nay” are heard on the tape. Mr. Ronzio states that the “Ayes” have it and asks
Mr. Bonney if he would like to record something as to why he voted no. Mr.
Bonney declines.
Letter to recover money from Mr.
Sykes – Mr. Ronzio speaks of a
letter that was going to be sent to recover some money from Mr. Sykes for the
issue on Alan-A-Dale. He says the letter has not been mailed because he was not
able to get the billing information from the attorney yet.
Mr.
Ronzio recognizes Ms. Lennington who asks that it be stated for the record what
property was being discussed previously with the letter to the town. Mr. Ronzio
says he believes the number is
Work Orders – Mr. McEnerney has developed a preliminary form
which is discussed. Mr. McEnerney will make changes per comments made.
Road Superintendent’s Report – The Road Superintendent is not present.
Mr.
Ronzio addresses the issue of the clogged culvert on Lancelot, saying that Sir
Galahad and Maid Marion are both in danger of flooding. He says there is also a
danger that the wheel of someone’s vehicle could drop into the sink hole. He
offers to call the Conservation Commission this afternoon to see if emergency
permission can be obtained to take care of the problem.
Mr.
McEnerney moves that Mr. Ronzio contact the Conservation Commission
requesting permission to repair the problem; a second is heard; Mr.
Bonney opposes due to questions of ownership. He says that he does not have
access to the District’s attorney to ask about it. He would like Mr. Ronzio to
ask the attorney where the responsibility lies. Mr. Ronzio says he will not be
able to get in touch with the attorney today but will be able to get in touch
with the Conservation Commission. Mr. Bonney asks if Mr. Ronzio didn’t contact
the Conservation Commission previously and Mr. Ronzio responds that he did and
that they said they would go out and take a look at it. He and Mr. Beaudoin
agree that it got better for a while but that now it’s worse again. There is
discussion among committee members of ownership of and responsibility for
inlets and outlets of the lakes. Mr. Ronzio says he will call the attorney to
ask about the issue.
<<Transcriber’s Note: No vote was taken on the motion.>>
Mr.
Ronzio recognizes Mr. Devane who asks if he has a cell phone number for the
Road Superintendent. Mr. Ronzio says he does, but it was disconnected as of
yesterday. There is discussion of the problem of the Road Superintendent
consistently not being present to give his report.
Mr.
Ronzio recognizes Mr. Barvenik who asks if the District will use the same
contractor year after year or if the contract will be put out to bid. Mr.
Ronzio says that is a discussion that the committee needs to have and he can’t
say what will happen.
Mr.
Ronzio recognizes Mr. Brownhill who asks why culverts which were just replaced
on Mystic Isle are on the side of
<<The recorded material on Tape #2 ends here;
Tape #3 opens with Mr. Bonney speaking>>
Mr.
Bonney speaks of Mr. Andrews having a conflict of interest being the Road
Superintendent and a principle in Andrews and Son. He also speaks to the issue
of unlicensed individuals operating equipment for Andrews. Mr. Summit asks how
he knows this and Mr. Bonney replies that he’s talked to the operators. He then
asks about the processed fill that the District is being billed for. There is
discussion of pricing and where materials come from, as well as of the District
looking into having its own land to store material. Mr. Bonney will look into
this further.
Mr.
Bonney, speaking to Mr. Feit, says that he needs to have access to the records.
Mr. Feit says that he certainly can have that access but needs to be
accompanied by himself as Clerk-Treasurer or another member of the board so
there is no question if something should happen to disappear. Mr. Bonney says
he needs access to the records in a location where there is a copier.
There
is a question of when the board went from three members to five and whether the
change was legal. Mr. Bonney says that is why he would like to look through the
records. There is heated discussion of legalities and much reading from the Act
and the Bylaws.
Mr.
Feit asks Mr. Bonney to set up a date with him to come to Town Hall and look at
the minutes for a period of up to two hours. He says he will be back from
vacation on April 21st and could be available with the records the
following week. Mr. Feit says he will email Mr. Bonney about this.
Mr. Feit notes that there is
currently $113,189 in the account at Legacy Bank and that the municipal money
market account has $61,939. The total in the treasury is $175,128. The warrant
to be approved at this meeting is for $37,764. After this month’s warrant is
paid, the balance in the treasury will be $137,364.
Mr.
Feit says that all of the money has been used from Winter Roads and that General
Roads is in deficit; there is a bit of an excess in Waterways. The bill just
came from the accountant and there will be a bit of an excess there. He says
really the balance remaining out of the operating budget is $11,743 and Spring
Roads have to be considered; the Road Superintendent told him that could run
anywhere from $30,000 to $45,000. He says therefore money will have to be taken
out of the Money Market to cover remaining expenses for the year. He suggests
considering the possibility of increasing the amounts in the new budget for
both Winter Roads and General Roads. He also speaks in favor of Mr. Bonney’s
suggestion to make a separate category for road changes.
Mr.
Feit reviews the warrant. Mr. Bonney refuses
to sign the warrant because he says the lawyer’s fee is a misappropriation.
Ms.
Devane asks why, with such a mild winter, the Winter Roads expense ran so high.
Mr. Ronzio says once the bad weather did hit there was a high demand for
services. There is general discussion of this. Ms. McGeer asks if she can see
the bills from Mr. Andrews for the year and is told that she can make an
appointment with Mr. Feit to do that.
There
being no other business to conduct, Mr. Ronzio calls for a motion to adjourn. A
motion is made to adjourn; a second is made; unanimous
approval.
Meeting adjourned
Respectfully Submitted
Marty Feit
Clerk-Treasurer
__________________________________
Robert Ronzio, Chair Date
__________________________________
Jerry Summit, Vice Chair Date
__________________________________
Gilles Beaudoin Date
__________________________________
David Bonney Date
__________________________________
Michael McEnerney Date
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