Board of Selectmen Minutes - September 20, 2007

Present: First Selectman Woody Bliss; Selectman W. Glenn Major; Selectman Richard Miller; Town Administrator Tom Landry; Administrative Assistant Judy DeVito, Residents and member of the press.

Discussion/decision regarding the appointment of Danielle Marshak and Conor Russo as student commissioners to the Children and Youth Commission for a term to expire June 30, 2009. Danielle Marshak was unable to attend and her interview was moved to October 4^th. Conor Russo said he was 16 years old and has lived here his entire life. He felt that being on the commission would be a good way to voice his opinion. He is on the Ski team and for the last two summers he has gone to Ecuador on a mission trip with Norfield.

Mr. Miller made a motion to appoint Conor Russo as student commissioner to the Children and Youth Commission for a term to expire June 30, 2009. Mr. Major seconded and the motion passed unanimously.

Discussion/decision regarding the appointment of a new committee the Select Committee for the Lachat house. Mr. Major made a motion that the Board of Selectmen appoint an advisory committee of three members to analyze and make recommendations regarding the maintenance and stabilization of the Lachat homestead.

The Select Committee will review existing conditions of the main house, together with the costs associated with the required maintenance/repairs. In addition, they will estimate on going maintenance costs.

It is anticipated that the committee will make its report concerning the immediate repairs to the board no later than November 4, 2007 and its report concerning long term plans and repairs by January 31, 2008. Mr. Miller seconded and the motion passed unanimously.

Discussion/decision regarding the appointment of David Coprio, Paul Deysenroth and Robert Uzenoff with Robert Uzenoff as the chairman to the Select Committee for the Lachat house for a term to expire December 31^st 2009. Bob Uzenoff said he served on the Select Committee for the Heady House. Has lived in Weston since 1983 and is a member of the Parks & Recreation.

Paul Deysenroth has lived in Town since 1965. Served on the Heady House Committee and he feels the dwelling is of great concern if we let it go. He is willing to serve on the committee to make sure this does not happen.

Mr. Miller made a motion to appoint David Coprio, Paul Deysenroth and Robert Uzenoff with Robert Uzenoff of the chairman to the Select Committee for the Lachat house for a term to expire December 31, 2009. Mr. Major seconded and the motion passed unanimously.

Discussion/decision regarding the Lachat property and Nature Conservancy. Mr. Major said in the spring a committee met and put together a proposal which was sent on to the Nature Conservancy. The proposal was a modification of what the original plan had been which was put together by the Lachat committee. The Nature Conservancy rejected the plan and said they had no interest in the educational component of using the Lachat property and basically walked away.

Mr. Major said he meet with Steve Patton and expressed his concern about that position. He did so having reviewed all the documents associated with the purchase of the property along with the life estate that was given to Leon and the various agreements that were in place between the Town and the Nature Conservancy. Mr. Patton did not seem to waiver much from the Nature Conservancy’s position that there has been general shift in their philosophy from education to land acquisition. They want their dollars to go to acquiring additional properties and not the educational component. He said he reminded him of their relationship which had historically been a good working relationship and we wanted to keep it that way.

Mr. Major said he asked Mr. Patton to put together what the Nature Conservancy would consider to be the minimum that they would need to basically go forward with something other than keeping this property in their back pocket as having been preserved but nothing further. He said it was a frustrating conversation for both of them because he feels that they went out and did everything that was asked of them when the last proposal was put together and was so quickly rejected by the public. Mr. Major said at this point they need to get the proposal to us which should be in the near future.

Mr. Major said that there is a lot less money in the maintenance fund than he thought there was when we last spoke. There was almost $550,000 in the endowment fund and he did not understand how that was going to work. There is approximately another $100,000 to go into the fund. The town owes $50,000 which is there last payment and the Nature Conservancy has the same. The total fund at this point is $647,000. The fund that they now have to use towards the maintenance and upkeep of the property is 5% of that annually. At this point there is $8,865 in the fund that is available to maintain the property. He said they need to be aware of that number, which does not necessarily mean that there would not be more dollars available, but it means that they would have to fund that.

Mr. Major said that when the contracts were written it was at a time when everyone anticipated that there was going to be an Education Center there and therefore the obligations of each of the parties were written defining there rolls based on that component being there. Without that component being there, it shifts the responsibilities. He said once we have what the Nature Conservancy foresees the property to be that we may then have to sit back down and have some discussion with the Nature Conservancy going forward as to the allocation cost.

Mr. Major said up to now all of the rent that has been paid, has been paid to the Nature Conservancy. They have been paying all of the utility bills and doing the mowing around the main house. Mr. Patton said they would provide an accounting statement.

Mr. Harper asked about the agreement for the monies that were left for the maintenance of the Lachat property. Mr. Major said an October 9, 1997 co-operative agreement between the Town of Weston and the Nature Conservancy outlined it.

Mr. Patton said they would put in a couple of parking spaces and mow a path through the field so that someone could walk through the field. He very specifically indicated that it was not his immediate intention to have any connection between the Lachat preserve and the conservancy. Mr. Major said by the time they had finished the meeting, it was come back with your proposal and then we can talk about it. Mr. Major said his expectation is that it will be within a month that he will have something back.

Mr. Harper said that no one has been able to enjoy the property and that was not the agreement that was originally discussed with Leon, the Nature Conservancy and the Town. He is a little concerned that it sounds like the Town is being held hostage some what by Steve Patton and or the Nature Conservancy. He wants the selectmen to keep the pressure on to make sure that that property has exactly what it was designed to be.

Mr. Major said the agreement that he has do not put any specific burdens on the Nature Conservancy to develop at any particular level, the gateway to the preserve. Mr. Harper said that there is a legal issue and just because there was some loose language does not mean that the Nature Conservancy and the Town are not responsible for following through on a hand shake and on commitments that were given verbally at various meetings throughout the years that it took to negotiate this particular deal.

Mr. Major said lets wait until we hear back from the Nature Conservancy before we find out that we have a fight. Mr. Shupak said having been involved with the negotiations of the contract there are still some of us who know what the intent was and what transpired during the negotiations. He said Mark, himself and George were all involved and he was delighted that Mr. Major was taking the opportunity to investigate the situation. He said he feels the Nature Conservancy’s position flies in the face of the agreement. It does not comply with the intent of the agreement and what the project was to be. The Nature Conservancy was going to use the house and move off of Pent Road which is a hazard. He said the parking is not adequate where it is, the office is operating out of a house it is a home occupation which does not make sense. Mr. Shupak offered to help Mr. Major.

Discussion/decision regarding a resolution to participate in the FFY 2008 Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) Program. Sgt. Mike Ferullo said that fiscal year 2008 Emergency Management Performance Grant Program is being sponsored by Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. This grant will give us $3,000 a year towards Emergency Management. There are other grants that are available. Part of this program also will take his salary as a police sergeant and look at the amount of time that he spends doing emergency management and off set part of the cost toward his salary.

Because this is the first year that we are involved in this, we are also eligible for another $2,500 to start working towards the operation center which we very much need. Sgt Ferullo went through the significant changes for this year.

Mr. Major made a motion to authorize the First Selectman to sign the resolution attached to the invitation to participate in the fiscal year 2008 EMPG Program. Mr. Miller seconded and the motion passed unanimously.

Discussion/decision regarding supplemental appropriation of $14,420 for Interfaith Housing Association. Peter Powell said that based on the questions that the Board of Selectmen asked last year that he decided to keep a monthly database of people from Weston who use the Gillespie Center and Hoskins Place. Since last November there have been seven different men and one woman who were there from Weston. There have been as many as three at the same time.

Discussion/decision regarding setting the time for the October 4, 2007 Board of Selectmen’s meeting. Mr. Bliss said that night is the national energy awareness night and the selectmen are participating. That event starts at 7:30pm in the High School Cafeteria. Mr. Bliss suggested that they meet at 6:00pm. Mr. Major made a motion to set the time for the October 4, 2007, Board of Selectmen’s meeting for 6:00pm in the Town Hall Meeting Room. Mr. Miller seconded and the motion passed unanimously.

Discussion/approval of the Board of Selectmen’s minutes for the meetings of June 28, 2007 and August 8, 2007. Mr. Major asked that the minutes of June 28, 2007 be amended. He wanted anywhere Glen Werfelman was mention to take out the word Glen and make it Donna’s husband.

Page 2 last paragraph he is questioning whether or not a statement is accurate. He wanted to know whether in January of 2005 was the first time they budgeted for the position to be over 20 hours or is it the July 2005 budget which was presented in January 2005. Mr. Major wanted clarification on the sentence that “the reason he did not do that was because it would now make the position eligible for health insurance”. He said although he feels that that is an accurate statement his recollection is that there is more to that statement that he did not do it because of health insurance. He asked that we go back to tape and listen again. The minutes will be resubmitted to the next meeting.

Mr. Major made a motion to approve the minutes of the Special Board of Selectmen’s meeting of August 8, 2007 as submitted. Mr. Miller seconded and the motion passed unanimously.