A meeting of the Stony Creek Association Executive Board was called to order by President Peter Brainerd at the Willoughby Wallace Memorial Library at 7:36 pm on Tuesday, February 6, 2001.
Present: David Bailey, Treasurer; Jake Greenvall, Tax Collector; Board Members: Dan Bullard, Sandra Fischer, Dottie Leachman, Linda Meyer, John Opie, Judy Robison, Nina Smith, Jonathan Waters, Marvin Zimmerman, Vice President
Absent: Peter Brainerd, President; Stan Fisher
Public: 0
Minutes: A motion was made/seconded and unanimously approved to accept the minutes as mailed.
Treasurer’s Report: David distributed the Treasurer’s report as of January 31stth. A motion was made/seconded and unanimously approved to file the report for audit. Total Cash: $38,359.15. Total Income January: $823.49. Total Income YTD: $13,111.33. Total Expenses January: $874.24. Total Expenses YTD: $7,590.83. Tax receipts to date: $13,043.20. [Signed audited copies of the June 30, 2000 Balance Sheet, and the July 1999 through June 2000 Profit and Loss Statement were mailed to board members and are on file in the secretary’s book.]
Bills: Motions were made/seconded and unanimously approved to pay the following bills:
CL&P 46.68
CIRMA (Liability Insurance) 625.00
CIRMA (Workers Compensation) 102.00
Nina Smith, secretarial 36.00
Total $809.68
Tax Collector: Jake reported that taxes are still coming in. Liens will be filed in April for outstanding taxes.
Legal and Zoning: Marvin reported there were no new requests for variances filed for the upcoming Zoning Board of Appeals meeting.
Police & Traffic: Regarding show removal, there is the ongoing problem of Andy clearing walks and then town snowplows come through and pitch snow back on them again, plus they tear up grass.
Maintenance: Nina displayed a sign for Thimble Islands Road from Seton. Some felt the sign was too large, but we will check it against size of existing ones. Also we will check with United Highway Sign Company to see what they offer. Seton signs come in 24”, 30”, and 36” lengths x 6” depending on the number of letters. Sandra gave Ed Masotta a notice reminding him to encumber money for the sidewalks for the incoming money. No bill has been received from Paul Riccio yet.
John reported the amendment he brought before the Rules & Ordinance Committee was well received. He is hopeful that within two months it can be moved through the committee and on to the RTM. Summarizing: The section in the code book that says that it is the property owner’s responsibility to repair and replace the sidewalk would be removed and there would be a line put in that any substantive repair needs would be reported to the public works director, and it is his decision as to whether they should repair or replace it, and it would be at the town’s expense. Also it defines that wherever there is a driveway that is coincident with the sidewalk, the town would put the sidewalk in and any extra concrete needed to accomplish the driveway would be the responsibility of the property owner. [The current ordinance and changes are quoted in January minutes.]
David brought up the ongoing problems at 309 Thimble Islands Road. Drains put in many years ago are crushed and non-functioning in addition to TIR drains being clogged. The problem appears to be that the town says that the drainage needs to be solved, and it’s a big job, prior to repairing sidewalks otherwise any replaced sidewalk will just disintegrate again. However the drainage never gets repaired, so the sidewalks never get repaired. This has been an ongoing problem for years. Moisture needs to be drained from the 309 TIR problem area directly to the storm drain and not piped under the sidewalk into the street as the pipe quickly gets clogged and crushed. David will personally write a letter of complaint to Ed Masotta copying Unk DaRos. In addition John will draft a letter from the board. Sidewalks will be walked prior to the next meeting so that we can get on the top of the town list for repairs and 309 will be addressed in their recommendations.
Administration: Nina distributed and read a report for the Administrative Committee. Nina, John, Linda, Marvin and Dottie met regarding the SCA conforming to rules and regulations regarding posting of minutes, agendas, etc. All our meetings are public and we would fall under FOI due to taxing and because membership in the association is not voluntary. In order to follow the spirit of FOI the following were recommended: to file dates of meetings for calendar year with the Town Clerk noting that minutes are posted and also on file at the WWML; to attach an agenda to the minutes with calendar items for upcoming month listed under “new business” or sub-categorized under committee reports; to note on the agenda that it can be changed up to 24 hours before the meeting. Any agenda changes could be changed by hand on the Bulletin Board. It was suggested that calendar items for upcoming months be read as part of the Administrative Committee report. Also suggested was that the board might brainstorm on what the board actually does and create a list for public information. A motion was made/seconded and unanimously approved to accept the report of the Administration Committee [attached in file] and to follow the guidelines set forth. Regarding brainstorming, Marvin asked board members to write down what the board’s present-day responsibilities and functions are and bring them to the next meeting. The budget was tabled until the March meeting. Board members need to be prepared with line-item budget recommendations as the budget will be finalized and voted upon at the next meeting. Nina noted we are having problems with the tape recorder and it is more cost effective to replace it than fix it. A motion was made/seconded and unanimously approved to purchase a new tape recorder. Calendar items were reviewed and some changed.
MARCH CALENDAR ITEMS:: 1) complete and vote on budget; 2) check and report on condition of sidewalks, beach and parks.
Old Business: None
New Business: Nina noted that Kurt Ramshaw passed away and Stan had suggested writing a letter on behalf of the board to his family and also consider some sort of memorial to him. Stan will write the letter. An ad hoc committee of Dottie and Judy will explore some sort of memorial and check with garden clubs to see if they would be interested in maintaining Kurt’s gardens. Jake will check the maps to see who owns the strip of land along TIR where the gardens are. John reviewed his suggestions for improvements, 2nd District Polling Place, which he is proposing to Marion Burkard, Registrar of Voters to help alleviate problems at the polls during national elections. In essence they are to 1) have Branford Police temporarily make School Street “one way;” 2) establish alternate parking in the railroad lot and request the police station a crossing guard at the TIR/School St. intersection to help voters cross; 3) request the Department of Public Works deploy some form of temporary lighting in the RR lot and at it’s entrance to make pedestrian traffic safer; 4) evaluate the possibility of an exit door from the polling place such that the narrow access ramp does not need to be bi-directional. A motion was made/seconded and unanimously approved that the board concurs with these recommendations. The board is exploring where to hold meetings during the WWML renovations. Possibilities are the Land Trust building, Church of Christ, or the Firehouse. A decision will be made well in advance of the start of the renovation.
At 8:30 pm a motion was made/seconded and unanimously approved to adjourn the meeting.
Respectfully submitted,
Nina N. Smith
Secretary Pro Tempore
The next meeting of the Stony Creek Association Executive Board will be held on Tuesday, March 7th at 7:30 pm at the Willoughby Wallace Memorial Library.
All residents are invited to attend.