[0:00] roll. In the 7th, 17th of 3 a.m. on Sunday, September 8th, I call into to

[0:06] consideration, commission meeting to order. Kathy, can you take roll, call please? Chair

[0:12] Cody? I am here, Commissioner Little Plant. Here, Commissioner votes here. Commissioner

[0:20] Dunlia? Here. Commissioner Feiffer Hall? Here. Commissioner Dugas here.

[0:27] Commissioner

[0:27] Commissioner Kelly is absent. Commissioner Sayed.

[0:32] Absent.

[0:35] Commissioner Wuska.

[0:37] Here.

[0:38] And we have Christian Dan Antonio, our PCC liaison,

[0:43] and Rebecca Jones, our recording secretary.

[0:46] And?

[0:47] And?

[0:50] Jeffrey.

[0:51] Oh.

[0:51] Oh my goodness.

[0:52] And we have, yeah, no, we have Jeffrey Erugoni

[0:55] as assistant town planner.

[0:58] All right.

[0:58] I'm going to give him credit for being here. He won't get paid overtime.

[1:04] Next item on the agenda is approval of meeting minutes from July 4th.

[1:10] Can't get a motion to approve the minutes.

[1:13] July 14th.

[1:17] Motion to approve.

[1:18] Karen made motion, seconded.

[1:23] Seconded by Mike. Any discussion?

[1:25] I didn't see anything,

[1:33] no

[1:38] discussion, I'll approve in a minute, I want to stay, Nancy.

[1:47] So we get that, whatever it is, everybody's yes except Nancy.

[1:51] Six.

[1:53] All right, public hearings, we have no public hearings and we have no public participation

[1:57] as of yet, maybe at 7.30.

[2:01] correspondence and staff report. Anybody have any correspondence?

[2:07] Well, I was watching the this has already been done so the planning and zoning meeting

[2:15] the other night and it was on that right next to Putter Hall or brewery that guy down

[2:21] in the hole. And nobody even mentioned the salt shed down there. I think no, maybe it was

[2:28] Maybe it was the wetlands meaning not planning and zoning. I'm sorry because they were they were called in for a violation

[2:35] Yes, five or four has an avenue. Yes, yes, yes, it was under the

[2:41] Seas and assists, right, Michelle, you wrote them for that was a zoning violation, right

[2:47] So that's being handled through or that's going to be handled through PCC

[2:52] Oh, it's a PCC thing to solve shed. Yeah, because that was something that the wetlands would have had to have approved

[2:58] Yeah, but why didn't they take think anything of it? I think it may have been out of the

[3:07] Upper area

[3:09] It's right next to the brook

[3:11] Next to the brook, right next to the brook

[3:14] So which flows into the scanning yeah, and then your fish that come up that river and and I don't think there's any town agency that's dumping

[3:22] Stuff along the river. It's got to be it's DEP property. They're not town property

[3:28] Yeah, so it might be someone else that's doing it. Yeah, what's that going on? What's going on? There

[3:35] woodships and stuff are being dumped along the Terry brook

[3:39] How far up from the river by I think I think beyond them

[3:43] He claimed he claimed when he was there the guy that was representing the owner. He claimed that it was

[3:52] being dumped

[3:54] By the town the woodships and it's like

[3:58] The town doesn't even belong down there, and it's all state property, beyond that gate.

[4:04] And we know what trouble he gave us on the splash, you know, just to open the gate and

[4:09] clear all his vehicles out of the way so we could have the spring have access to the

[4:14] state park.

[4:14] We have to have the have to have emergency access there.

[4:18] That's the stoker's rapid.

[4:20] Right.

[4:20] But we are aware of the salt 10 Yeah, it was I'll over the place. Yeah, the storage of vehicles as well

[4:29] There's a weapon he's got he's got his gun Michael limping they have multiple violations issued and we are working on it

[4:38] I can't speak on it right now. Yes, yes, but we will have updates at the next wellness meeting and the next PCC meeting

[4:44] So I encourage you guys to wash those or come to those and

[4:52] Yeah, there's something to say now.

[4:54] Well, it's been a mess down here for a while.

[4:56] And there's stuff that's more than the vehicle.

[4:59] There's vehicles right right right right right right right there.

[5:01] There's with puppy leakin' oil and other stuff.

[5:04] And then they have plows and stuff just, you know, everywhere over there.

[5:08] And it looks like DEP was the one that actually complained.

[5:12] Oh yeah.

[5:12] Send it to us and we have sent multiple.

[5:18] So we're working on it, and there will be updates at the next, both of those meetings.

[5:23] Mike is stuff leaked, does that stuff run into the book?

[5:28] I could be.

[5:29] Yeah, I would think.

[5:30] Yeah.

[5:31] And then there's the book empty into the scanner.

[5:33] It's shared up.

[5:34] Yeah.

[5:34] Right below there.

[5:35] Yeah.

[5:36] And they put that fish ladder there.

[5:38] The fish ladder's above there.

[5:39] Right.

[5:40] Yeah, they have L wives and stuff to try to bring back.

[5:45] That is one of the things that they've gotten rid of.

[5:49] Could you keep with the fish like this?

[5:51] So I guess our messages stay on them.

[5:55] Yeah.

[5:56] Don't believe everything he tells you.

[5:59] Unless he can prove them.

[6:02] That's my two cents.

[6:29] So there are a couple of things coming up, so there being applications are being received.

[6:35] and I think some of them we should be aware of, 130 Shaker Road, the mulching

[6:44] operation for Joseph Rashi. Apparently it's a SPR coming up and I looked at the

[6:54] application. Yeah, I looked at the application and pull

[7:12] it out. And he talks about, he says

[7:16] there's no wetland area there. It's right along the brook. His property is right along

[7:21] the brook. And I don't know how he can say, there's no, it says here, he's got the map where

[7:32] where all this stuff is, and he's got mounds and stuff that are supposedly protecting,

[7:37] you know, nothing's running into the brook, but he stripped everything out down there,

[7:40] and it doesn't even show the brook on the map.

[7:42] And on the application, it says, are there any wetlands involved, and he says, no.

[7:48] But he's, you know, that's, and on this map, there's no elevations.

[7:52] So how can you tell if this stuff is going down or not?

[7:55] Not.

[7:58] This specific application is coming in for a well-in's permit.

[8:02] They are going through the application process.

[8:05] Now, they were in there.

[8:06] So why is planning and zoning going to seem in there?

[8:09] So soon before you guys have even looked at it,

[8:11] I know wetlands has to go first.

[8:13] I think wetlands are receiving them next week.

[8:17] But yeah, they were in our office,

[8:19] and they know the process that has to go through.

[8:22] Even if there was no wetlands, it was just the brook with no wetlands.

[8:28] There's a minimum of 100 foot upland review area when I was on a concert on wetlands.

[8:36] We had expanded certain water courses, and I believe that that was a lot of them that

[8:48] we expanded to 200 foot per video, but could have been changed.

[8:54] Yeah, and he's talking as if it should be grandfathered in because pot moody ran a tree removal

[8:59] who won fire service on the property for many years,

[9:03] but he went belly up and died, right?

[9:09] And it wasn't operating for a while,

[9:14] and he had, he was shooting one night at the cops.

[9:18] I remember that, but he went to jail,

[9:22] and I don't know if that was pop moody or if that was his son.

[9:25] I can't remember who it was, but anyway.

[9:30] because he's claiming it's it was already he was grandfathered because it was

[9:34] already going on and what's the limitations on that

[9:44] well it's conservation of a wooded area

[9:47] the point is if we want to comment we don't know if we're going to get an

[9:53] opportunity because it's not saying it's going to be a public hearing it's an

[9:57] an SPR?

[9:59] Let me see, is it a public hearing?

[10:04] No, it's an SPR. Does the SPR require a public

[10:07] hearing? No, I'm just pulling up the app. I mean, for the app, you should have checked

[10:11] all special needs permit as well as they can. Yeah.

[10:17] Yeah, because he's only coming in because

[10:20] he was violated. That's what I read. So also 100 bright matter boulevard, applications

[10:28] to develop the apartments, commercial space, townhomes, and associated

[10:32] improvements at 100 bright metal associates, is that going to be Jeffrey, is that

[10:36] going to be it in wetlands also? I think it is done in wetlands. Don't quote me on that.

[10:46] Yeah, that was in the paper the other day. There was a viral about that.

[10:49] Was there? Yeah, I think 100. Yeah. Because there were a lot of. 100 bright

[10:54] Madam was heard under IW number 75, so now they're going to PZC.

[11:00] No public hearing?

[11:04] What?

[11:05] There's no public hearing.

[11:06] Because we were so concerned about the wetlands before.

[11:08] Yeah, we were up down there.

[11:09] Yeah.

[11:10] About the brunal pools and everything.

[11:13] So I don't know.

[11:14] I just wanted everybody to be aware that it's going on.

[11:17] So it

[11:20] looks like La Corrie's still missing out.

[11:28] And there is also an 824, which maybe you know, the 824 for Long Hollow Road question.

[11:37] Do you know if that's going to be a public, it's not a public hearing anymore?

[11:42] It used to be.

[11:43] Referrals?

[11:44] We don't, we don't open them up for public comment.

[11:49] Yeah, I don't know what the legal status of those is being.

[11:55] Yeah, I think that change when Laurie started yeah, I mean I because they always allowed us to speak at those

[12:03] For something like that

[12:13] For 60 long hauler road. Yeah for the

[12:19] And it's coming up on Thursday night. So

[12:27] I mean, I thought I saw it as well with the referral from town council for the purchase

[12:32] of 16 line hauler road for preservation of open space.

[12:36] I think we should write up as

[12:40] conservation commission.

[12:42] I think we should support it and send a letter to that vet just in case they decide that

[12:47] it shouldn't be, you know, they don't have anything from us that says we want it to happen,

[12:53] especially if they don't give a positive referral.

[12:59] What's the reason it goes to planning and zoning state law?

[13:03] The state law, the what are you looking at when it was the reason to refer to planning and zoning?

[13:10] Any time.

[13:11] Let them finish.

[13:15] No, I mean, the reason would come from council in

[13:25] terms of why would the town want to buy this land?

[13:28] and that would come to town council,

[13:29] could I have an issue with it, right?

[13:32] But does the town council have a file to say?

[13:34] I thought the town council, yes, they do.

[13:36] But I was told that the only reason

[13:40] is referred to planning and zoning

[13:42] to make sure there's no zoning violations

[13:45] or issues with the property.

[13:47] That's not what the state statute said, I don't think.

[13:49] I don't think it's got anything to do with that.

[13:51] I know of it as far as it goes to the planning,

[13:56] like that's our acting as the planning commission, not the zoning commission or would be looking at long term planning of the town, not regularly, not immediate.

[14:10] The application of the railing, yeah, not regularly.

[14:13] It's got anything to do with the town buying or selling real estate, great question?

[14:19] Yes.

[14:21] Any time in the town buys themselves, they have to respond.

[14:25] They have to what?

[14:26] It has to go through a referral, through planning and zoning, for approval.

[14:32] I'll just read real quickly.

[14:34] This is what they're with the referral sentence.

[14:36] Per CGS 8.24.

[14:38] The following commission is required to do all sales purchases and municipal improvements to ensure

[14:43] that they conform to the adopted plan of conservation and development.

[14:48] So yeah, so we're looking at it with regards to the view of the PLCD.

[14:55] And just for transparency, this is public information.

[15:00] At the August 24th, special meeting, town council made the resolution, resolution to refer to the purchase. The purpose is to preserve the site from development and to the CT's Guantate River State Park as open space. This needs to go from the POCD of open space conservation and preservation. And then there's a specific sentence in the POCD. So that's why it's coming to us and that's what the Planning Commission will be.

[15:30] So Karen, is that open to the public?

[15:36] Well, open to the public.

[15:38] To hearing?

[15:40] Yeah.

[15:40] Well, planning and zoning meeting is, but no, there's no public

[15:44] input.

[15:46] We could make a comment under public participation, you know,

[15:51] at the zoning meeting, but they usually say you can't speak

[15:54] about anything under public participation if it's on the

[15:58] agenda.

[15:58] Right.

[15:58] So, I'm saying if they don't have a letter in writing in their hands from Conservation Commission

[16:07] saying that we

[16:09] think might should we write a letter?

[16:11] Yeah, I think we need to do something out.

[16:13] We can't speak yet.

[16:15] I don't think we need to do anything.

[16:18] I think we do.

[16:20] This would give them, you know, our opinion.

[16:23] A lot of times have an open space committee.

[16:26] And it makes decisions that I'm open space not planning zoning or in a make it with their town council

[16:31] Maybe but if they approve it

[16:34] Usually goes forward

[16:36] Here it seems like it's got to go to town council planning. I don't see why we would be silent on it

[16:42] I mean, it's what one of our purviews is open space. My only statement was I

[16:50] Don't think I'm trying to be diplomatic care

[16:56] It is going to planning zoning because it's a requirement

[17:01] Right?

[17:02] Okay.

[17:03] Right.

[17:04] But if planning and zoning doesn't give a positive response, because, hey, we didn't

[17:10] get anything from conservation commission who's to say they're in charge, they're in

[17:15] favor of this.

[17:16] You know, there's nothing on the record though, is what I'm saying.

[17:20] So there's nothing on the record.

[17:22] I'm only asking Karen, please.

[17:23] I'm only asking people what they think.

[17:25] Okay.

[17:26] I know what you think.

[17:27] Okay.

[17:28] So I'll take a while to see.

[17:30] On

[17:34] the one hand, it doesn't hurt to send a letter,

[17:38] but if

[17:41] we send a letter for everything all the time,

[17:45] is it less powerful?

[17:49] In other words, it's a legitimate question.

[17:53] How much does it align with our goals?

[17:56] This is pretty high up on it.

[17:59] It's pretty high on our goal

[18:00] And it fits into the plan of conservation and development for preserving open space land.

[18:06] It could be just as simple as that, the letter, just to say, hey, it's within our interest.

[18:12] Yeah, we would just like to comment and we're all for this, so we're really very sure.

[18:16] Yeah, great.

[18:18] Not too short.

[18:19] I mean, you can say that it's within the Scandinavian greenway, which is all part of the

[18:26] within the, uh, but yeah, well, it's, it, it, it's been targeted in our farmland and

[18:35] of the space. It's, it's, it's one, maybe two pair of brands, same where some of

[18:40] them are. Just want to make sure that you say these things and get it on the right

[18:44] Yeah, I mean, yeah, that makes sense.

[18:47] That's meeting for a year or so.

[18:50] PMZ is one, Karen.

[18:52] Thursday night.

[18:54] So we can, can we get something?

[18:56] You still get something in?

[19:00] Yeah.

[19:01] We email it to Lori.

[19:03] She's got it.

[19:04] Lori is on vacation this week.

[19:06] So you can send it to me and Steven as long as it's in before it

[19:11] has to be in tomorrow because it's 24 hours before the meeting.

[19:14] OK.

[19:15] And then we can add it.

[19:19] And what I'll take back, I'll go ask the chair to in terms

[19:24] of clarifying this public comment.

[19:27] I know that what you said about public comment

[19:31] for anything called in that agenda.

[19:33] And yeah, that is what said.

[19:34] But would that apply to non-applications?

[19:39] That might just be like a broad, hey,

[19:41] just it's easier to say broadly and say.

[19:45] Okay, because the public obviously has a right to comment on public non-regulatory matters.

[19:55] You know, if the commission was discussing regulations, they have a right to share opinion

[20:03] on the regulation.

[20:11] But yeah, I think the simplest thing for everybody to say is just okay with a letter or more.

[20:15] So I guess we're in agreement, we want a letter.

[20:19] Yes.

[20:20] Yes.

[20:20] Do we need a motion?

[20:24] I guess so.

[20:26] Can I have a motion to write a letter and get it to the planning department by two o'clock tomorrow?

[20:34] You need that to work for you?

[20:38] I'll make that motion.

[20:40] Motion by Gretchen, seconded by Michael. All in favor?

[20:44] Hi.

[20:46] Show a hand.

[20:48] Any

[20:52] against?

[20:59] I don't know. I'm not sure. It shouldn't be, you know, again, the letter is not going

[21:05] to be lengthy. It's, you know, the simple fact is it meets the, you know, it supports

[21:12] the plan of conservation and development. You want something right as far as? No, don't

[21:19] try to do it when I go home. Yeah, that would be simple. Say that the conservation

[21:22] contribution is, you know, and for the support of this, as it meets the, you know,

[21:27] supports the claim conservation development for the purchase of open spaces,

[21:32] it's continuous along the scenic River State Park.

[21:35] Greenway.

[21:36] The greenway is important because it's not mentioned in the resolution.

[21:43] It's the only greenway we have in town.

[21:46] We should at least try to preserve.

[21:49] Approval of invoices in other financial matters.

[21:52] No one voices anybody else got every financial matters.

[21:57] We afford to box to its committees and staff.

[22:01] So, nothing can bring to the table tonight, Michael.

[22:08] You had a meeting, right?

[22:09] Scandal of watershed.

[22:10] Watershed.

[22:11] Yeah, we had our annual full moon paddle back in August 20th,

[22:19] night or something and it was I thought as well we see a ton of people but it was a good

[22:28] amount of people and people seemed to enjoy it and the weather was perfect and the full moon

[22:34] came out at the end so it was kind of a very good paddle you know when we got back into

[22:40] the pond then it turned around and the full moon was right there it was beautiful so I thought

[22:45] it's good to have the full moon show up on a full moon battle and then we also have

[22:54] three two more benches still we have to install not the weather's getting cooler

[23:01] less bugs and stuff will probably be out there doing some some some of that

[23:07] work and then we also have Carl Tommy there's a couple of trees down along the

[23:12] trails, and there's a couple in the river, so we have some work ahead of us there, and

[23:21] also, there's still plenty on this streamwalk, that's kind of with, can I get some other group

[23:32] playing in it, but the watershed is also being very involved in that, and I think the

[23:40] was to give it a talk sometime this week about the state of the skin. I'm not sure when

[23:46] it is. I think it's sometimes September. I can get the date. Yes, but about you.

[23:55] You accept the development? Well, we're not any meetings. However, I did get an email a few

[24:04] days ago from from here and then update on things that have been happening. So the

[24:10] The restaurant, we're doing this restaurant week, unfortunately, we only have five restaurants

[24:14] that have signed up so far, and we need at least 10, but really like more than that,

[24:19] so tell

[24:24] you, the art tower and San Francisco tacos, teriyaki, mutton, and thatness, some of

[24:30] them, and figure out how they're

[24:38] going to submit the materials soon, so, and then we're doing

[24:42] in this small business passport thing

[24:45] that's in the works printing of the passport things

[24:51] that are delayed, the

[24:58] available.

[25:01] They're going to tell a council to borrow a signature.

[25:03] So you said to your town hall,

[25:05] the town council is going to be present.

[25:09] Oh, tonight, no.

[25:12] It's tomorrow, the night three.

[25:13] Yeah, it's a night.

[25:14] Oh, it is a night three.

[25:15] Tonight, the town council.

[25:18] The mall, no news, I guess there's an interest party, but they're doing their due diligence.

[25:25] On the top of the bill, DUT indicated that the contract will be awarded for the next

[25:30] week, September 22nd, they indicated for the train station and says that would put a notice

[25:39] to proceed on for early November.

[25:42] Sorry, where's that from?

[25:45] The train station.

[25:47] They're actually going to start building it?

[25:48] See if I'm doing it.

[25:49] Yeah, stay.

[25:51] That doesn't even have to go through you guys to approve it.

[25:55] A plan or anything?

[25:59] They're just going to build...

[26:01] No, thanks.

[26:02] No, I think I would...

[26:03] Well, how did they work done plans like forever and ever?

[26:06] I've seen a whole bunch of different plans.

[26:08] I don't think I ever saw a final plan.

[26:11] So what was it that was just what it says is DOT indicated that the contract will be

[26:17] awarded in the next week, except for 22nd, they indicated for the train station.

[26:22] That would put a notice to proceed down for early November.

[26:27] It doesn't say it's a planning contract.

[26:31] It doesn't say construction starting in November either.

[26:33] No, but notice to proceed kind of sounds like that though.

[26:36] Sounds like it might be, you know, it's like they do things up the prison and they don't have to come because it's a state project.

[26:44] Yeah, it's possible.

[26:45] So, do you know Jeffrey?

[26:47] I do not.

[26:49] So, I'll bring it up for another.

[26:52] At a two-list.

[26:54] There's an RFP for the former Strandt and the money center going out in October and November the latest.

[27:03] for the apartments to proceed with it.

[27:07] I don't know.

[27:08] This is an RFP.

[27:09] Okay.

[27:10] Press for proposals.

[27:12] So the housing control through?

[27:14] Oh, it did.

[27:15] I don't know why.

[27:16] I don't think they do an RFP.

[27:17] They already had a purchase.

[27:19] All right.

[27:20] Well, they're looking for proposals for...

[27:23] I mean, the land doesn't still belong to the town, right?

[27:26] I think the company bought the land.

[27:29] and now I don't think so.

[27:31] I think they have options and they pass the date without funding.

[27:37] I know they were struggling with funding.

[27:39] Well, plus the former council wasn't in favor of their proposal.

[27:45] Right.

[27:46] Yeah, I think they could have done it still,

[27:50] but I think the former council heard funding options

[27:56] from what I gather.

[27:59] The American 250 committees are acting at its work with the rededication of the Abbey

[28:04] Monument in October. There was a picture on Facebook. I haven't driven by it there.

[28:09] I did drive by there and I didn't even look at it.

[28:14] They were under a clear set of instructions.

[28:16] The, but their monuments or whatever cemetery monuments is doing the work and chairs are

[28:25] seats whatever bench moved and so they're cleaning it up but it looks like they're cleaning

[28:33] it next to my house yeah well I think it was sort of settling in that slide there hmm yeah I need a

[28:43] a little refreshing. Yeah. Some love. Some love. And then I guess he's just working on

[28:50] business retention and expansion and wants to meet some of our larger employers and if anybody

[28:57] has the contacts to let him know.

[29:03] Cool. So that's oh wait a minute. Well I didn't say anything

[29:09] about, I don't know, you want to talk about TIFF.

[29:14] Okay.

[29:15] So, Miss

[29:26] Quentin, Business Breakfast, October 1st, 830.

[29:32] So there'll be somebody from DOT speaking about their projects as well as the representative

[29:37] from Phoenix Manufacturing, says it will be an eclectic, a bit eclectic this year.

[29:44] and they were halfway through the point for registrations.

[29:50] They exactly have room for so many people, right?

[29:53] And okay, marketing and branding.

[29:56] The Tiff Committee allocated funds for a consultant to do some marketing.

[30:00] Branding work in the tip district. As we all know, the tip district encompasses the central business district, so whatever gets produced will inherently support all event field. It will likely lead to a stand-alone EDC recruitment website, and we will involve the committee after some of the initial drafts and conversations have happened. Is that right?

[30:28] Yeah, I mean, the couple of things going on with this, but nothing.

[30:33] The facade program for times and bills.

[30:37] Can you speak up Bill?

[30:40] That's how it is.

[30:40] Yeah, yeah.

[30:41] No, I'm sorry.

[30:42] I said TIFF is, there's a few things going on, but the biggest thing is the facade program

[30:49] in Thompsonville.

[30:53] So business, not business, but property owners can apply for a grant up to, I think, up to

[31:01] $50,000, which is after five years, it's not paid back at the grant, but it has to

[31:12] be with matching funds, and they have to put up a matching fund 50% or 50%

[31:21] That's a good idea, yep, that I have some skin in the game, yeah absolutely, it isn't just

[31:27] It's not a handout.

[31:29] To do the, you know, the, their facade, it's there,

[31:33] it's a way to promote them to do the facade

[31:37] and have something into it.

[31:39] And it's really coming down to that the last meeting was,

[31:45] you know, downtown Hamzaville has such a mixture of buildings.

[31:51] How do you get something that looks similar

[31:59] So that was really the discussion, and it's more on, you know, colors, or, you know, if

[32:07] you're going to paint, or if you're going to have onings, are they all similar onings,

[32:11] are they all similar colors, or the same colors, you don't want the same color, but you want

[32:16] similar type onings, so the discussion went in a million different directions.

[32:21] Well, I've seen some tells where they say, well, I mean, you just have a list of these

[32:27] early acceptable designs.

[32:30] Yes.

[32:30] And that's where we got to.

[32:32] Okay.

[32:33] It took a long time.

[32:34] That's where we got to.

[32:35] And another thing that I was saying is we have a lot of brick buildings in Thompsonville

[32:39] and they virtually all need to be repointed and it's very expensive to repoint historic

[32:48] buildings and to do it correctly. I know it because I have one. I'm not sure if you did it correctly

[32:54] because you're supposed to use a line-based mortar, not Portland cement because it will destroy the

[32:59] bricks and it's a lot of work and I mean you drag around and you look at these brick buildings and

[33:08] I mean our building, you could literally stick, I could stick my finger all the way through and most

[33:14] Most of these buildings are three bricks wide, I forget the word, but it's not good.

[33:25] Hopefully a lot of discussion, hopefully people will take us up on it.

[33:31] We have one application, one has been approved, and one is coming in discussion, and that's

[33:40] is the one that got into color?

[33:43] Well, what are we started talking about?

[33:45] Planning and zoning had in the regulations.

[33:48] I don't know if there's still there,

[33:49] but the top's of it.

[33:51] The design criteria.

[33:53] The design district.

[33:54] Right.

[33:54] The design district, the criteria

[33:56] that Roger created when he worked here,

[33:59] and they, and for revitalization,

[34:05] committee suggested those changes.

[34:07] and then it was their job to approve those facade changes and then they

[34:14] turned it over when Roger was terminated they somehow got it into planning

[34:20] and zoning regs and but it was also in the last zoning regs the whole top

[34:26] and the thing there's a whole section about design stance so is the grant only

[34:32] developer for Thompsonville Village as of right now. So it's not like anybody else in

[34:39] the tip district. It's just the Thompsonville Tith district. Okay, so does that include

[34:47] the mall area? Okay, so it's anywhere. It's not just downtown. I just want to make

[34:55] because I hope that restoring work exterior is considered a facade improvement that money can have in terms of.

[35:05] I love it because the building starts falling down and you've got no building so.

[35:09] Right.

[35:13] It's a legitimate point,

[35:17] so yeah.

[35:18] And somebody could easily get the full 50,000 and that was 50.

[35:25] And might just do the front.

[35:28] All right. Moving on. So I'm finished business. So the first one came in a list of potential

[35:36] valued open space. You know, I looked at the GIS back in July and I still could get anywhere

[35:43] there. And that's when I actually have a worry about it. And she said that there's issues

[35:51] It's pulling data from it, the database.

[35:56] Either all hasn't been entered or it was, entered in.

[36:00] It's not populating correctly.

[36:03] So I didn't get a clear answer.

[36:06] But it's one of those two answers, still.

[36:10] So search for, submit a grant for natural resources.

[36:16] I did come across something.

[36:18] I don't think I brought it, but the state does have, there is a place you can go to

[36:29] get some support to do that, to create the list.

[36:34] So I'll investigate that as we go forward, creating

[36:42] a trail map and identifying the

[36:44] but as far as the list of natural resources, we've gone on to the second item within our list

[36:57] and have that tonight. I did try to print some stuff out for you guys, but my printer

[37:11] I think from lack of view quite honestly, so he's getting back at me.

[37:17] So I have to go through a cleaning process and really like that.

[37:20] The heads and everything.

[37:21] Yeah, because what was happening, the first error message I was getting

[37:26] is saying I was using the wrong side's paper.

[37:31] It's 8 by 11, you know, normal stuff.

[37:34] And then it started folding the edges and you can see it.

[37:38] kind of ate the paper, it ate the paper and it was only doing one side it wasn't doing

[37:44] double-sided. So there's information in here but I said you ignored me all this time and

[37:50] now you want me to work. Yeah I think that's what I wanted. And I got frustrated with it and

[37:56] I said how would you come back another day. So maybe once in a week. But we did the second section

[38:06] that it was on the aquifers, the watershed,

[38:11] the vernal pools, and soils, right?

[38:14] Megad had soils.

[38:16] No, flood plains.

[38:18] Huh?

[38:18] Flood plains.

[38:19] Flood plains, flood plains.

[38:21] Because we did the soil.

[38:22] The soil was the last time, right?

[38:23] So I think we've gone through about eight.

[38:26] Eight?

[38:27] Yeah, just about eight.

[38:28] Two topics, different things.

[38:30] So it still needs you to put together

[38:33] and formatted, so that it looks like the same thing.

[38:39] He's doing it, I'm doing it, and Megan's doing it.

[38:42] So when it comes back, formatted, but it's not always the same.

[38:46] And when I try to copy it, put it into what I have in my program.

[38:52] This is an helpful.

[38:54] But there's progress.

[38:56] That's good.

[38:57] There's progress.

[38:58] Yeah.

[38:58] Yeah, absolutely.

[38:59] So, you know, some very good information as I read through it, so what we'll do is once

[39:06] we get a little bit more, we'll try to get just to print some out for us and you guys

[39:14] can take them back home.

[39:17] There's some information you'll see that is duplicated in different sections, you know, can we remove

[39:23] Some of that, you know, or say reference back to the soils or, you know, flood plains or aquifers and watersheds or whatever it happens to me.

[39:31] So, you guys can help with that. And pictures, you know, when we finally go to do the pictures, I think Karen suggested it last time.

[39:40] You know, we want good sized pictures. So, when you get this booklet, you can actually see what you're trying to, trying to.

[39:49] So, I mean, here's a good example, right, I mean, there's a picture and this one you could probably figure out what you're looking at, if you knew what you were looking at, but if you did not know, you would have no idea what that is.

[40:02] And the only reason I know that's there is because it's Connecticut River right down through the middle of it.

[40:07] Right.

[40:08] Well, it's kind of like when you look at the POCD online, you try to zoom into those maps

[40:13] that they have, and they're terrible, and we commented on that before they published

[40:19] it, and she still didn't do anything about it.

[40:25] So, the subcommittee on aquifer protection, do you guys got anything?

[40:32] Well, we haven't met formally, Megan was on vacation, but we did have a, we don't

[40:40] want to tell me to speak about it, informal meeting, we had Kathy, who was involved with the

[40:51] street, and Carl Samson from the, president of the watershed, and my brother Jeff Daniel,

[41:00] who's also a member of the Skinner River watershed. We met with Alicia Sharamot. She's the head

[41:09] of the Rivers Alliance of Connecticut. We also met with Amber. Remember what her last name was? Amber.

[41:19] She's with the Connecticut River Conservancy. Yeah, she's our, the Connecticut Repräsentative.

[41:30] So they both came up and took a tour of some property along the Scannic, that's maybe

[41:40] for future development, and it was pretty informative hype through the woods.

[41:48] And they recommended that if there's an application in front of wetlands or in zoning,

[42:02] that we ask for a geological, hydrological study of the area, it's very sensitive area.

[42:12] And so how do we do something like that, Gretchen?

[42:17] And how do we ask for the higher experts to do that?

[42:23] Is there a formal way of doing that?

[42:27] I think you have to be an intervener to be able to require that.

[42:31] Commission, if I may, the wetlands applications

[42:33] do require a soil science report and a drainage report.

[42:39] I'm not sure if that fully encompasses all things

[42:41] that you were just talking about.

[42:42] But that is something that all of the applications do require.

[42:45] But you can hire your own expert, the town can hire an expert, because the developer

[42:53] will probably have his own soil scientist and whatever, but the town itself needs

[42:59] to have somebody to, and you know, it has to be able to absorb a hundred-year storm

[43:08] and Kathy lives up to street and she can tell you that every time it rains,

[43:13] that road floods gets dirt all over it, you have to call the town back to take the dirt off and the sand comes down out of the solar panels and just along the edge of the road it's all sandy there.

[43:27] And so any disturbance to the soils there is going to be a problem.

[43:34] So we talked to them, and they were very informative, and they also said that this, of course,

[43:42] I was reading in a plan of conservation and development of sensitive areas, in addition

[43:49] to floodplains aquifers, wetlands, and so many natural features and habitats that are sensitive

[43:54] and needed to be protected.

[43:57] For example, steep slopes, hierotable slopes, terrors, discartments, and here's the big thing,

[44:04] the state and actual diversity database area is part of this development, and if that's

[44:10] the case, they have to get a special permit from the DEP before they can disturb anything,

[44:16] And it also may be a more crucial myodiversity area, closer to the scaric, and it may be,

[44:31] it would probably disturb that also, and that's even more of a sensitive area than

[44:39] and even a natural diversity area which can contain special threatened locations of endangered

[44:47] threatened and special concerned species and significant natural communities in Connecticut

[44:53] And on the map it does show, in a kind of a plan of conservation.

[45:00] The development, a biodiversity area, right in that area, so they would have to get a special permit from DEEP before it can even... And the town can request a report from the National Diversity Database People at DEEP. They should definitely request that report. If it's in their regulations, I believe that the commission can hire their own...

[45:30] expert. Expert witnesses and they can make the applicant pay for it but it has to be in the regulations and it was at one time. How do you ask for that?

[45:42] Can you go to court? Can you have a political hearing? Can you ask them to do that?

[45:45] We can't ask for it. We can ask them to ask.

[45:49] observation can sure we could okay, but they've got a vote on it. They've got to be the ones that approve it

[45:56] sure and unless unless they in their regulations and I'm not sure that it is they may have removed it from it was in the

[46:03] regulations at one time most have it most towns did

[46:09] this is for well with this an echo for protection area also but unfortunately the

[46:15] the aquifer protection regulations wouldn't necessarily cover what they're doing.

[46:23] Unless the sand is going into the river when they take down all those trees right along

[46:28] the river, that doesn't do with the aquifer protection regulations.

[46:34] The aquifer protection regulations are a use regulation and so it's how you're going to use

[46:44] the property. You know, there could be a thing about the vehicles and the loaders and

[46:51] things with oil and so forth. That could be a thing. But I don't know if they would

[47:00] really even, I doubt if Laurie would even require an aquifer protection.

[47:06] So they might need a blasting permit. Where's that come from? Is that coming from the town?

[47:11] from that come to the planning department or I don't know from the the

[47:15] the excuation of that kind of material I can't believe it wouldn't be a

[47:19] mining operation and I don't think there's any regulations

[47:22] what is that? Is that anything over 600 cubic yards

[47:29] right right right well it's way over that yeah what about the 46 trucks a day

[47:36] for six years right 60 trucks a day for five years right going up and down the

[47:41] Street. Has that in the sand that comes off with those trucks and the exhaust?

[47:48] I'm commissioners. Can you remind me of the address that we're talking about here?

[47:52] Cooper Street. Cooper Street, Potter Hill Road.

[47:59] It's owned by LLC.

[48:00] 1.385 cubic yards.

[48:06] 95 per street.

[48:22] There was a, there was a, back in March, there was a meeting with the owners and they presented this idea, and we're really concerned with it.

[48:37] about it. So I guess we want to stay on top of this. Right. And hasn't come to

[48:44] fund a planet in Germany or wetlands yet, right? The developer will acreage of the

[48:49] 23 acre parcel excluding 25% of the slopes in excess of 25% is approximately 21.5

[48:55] which is under the MF HD regulation allows up to 43 units. So they're talking

[49:01] about after they excavate all this they're going to put in housing.

[49:07] There's going to

[49:08] be some awful steep slopes there. There's no sewer, there's no water there. And I guess

[49:15] the town wasn't even aware the sewer didn't cross the river.

[49:21] We all have subject in

[49:24] the back, yeah, and wells in the front. I don't know how blasting would do without wells.

[49:31] Yeah, I don't think they're going to have to blast there. I don't think what? I don't

[49:36] they're going to have to blast there. I think it's all sand yeah. I

[49:44] think we should bring up,

[49:46] you know, the pollution problem as well, you know, those trucks going up to that. They have to do

[49:56] a traffic study. They would. Plus if they had 44 houses that had approximately 400 more cars a day on

[50:07] that road.

[50:10] They were hard again, repaving again. I saw the, I saw it was nice and paved.

[50:15] Yeah. There was a nice strip there now. Right by my house. Yeah. Yeah. Early this morning.

[50:20] Oh yeah. Repaving again. It's just, it's falling apart. Yeah. Well, you have six sicky drugs

[50:26] a day. Yeah. Oh, well, then I'm really falling apart.

[50:31] So I will, you know, I just stay on top

[50:33] right now, yeah, yeah, yeah, just, yeah, if you can, and we need to resolve the plan of action,

[50:44] right?

[50:45] What we can do, and if we have to go outside, which means we find an intervener, you know, but we need to put together, you know, six, eight steps, 10 steps.

[51:00] I need to go back to the watershed and see if they would be inter-fingered.

[51:06] You didn't see them like you were too thrilled last time.

[51:10] Not as crowd had to walk through it and everything he made.

[51:14] We also found a tubeless encampment up there.

[51:17] A homeless encampment.

[51:19] Did you?

[51:20] Yeah, had them.

[51:22] A bunch of junk.

[51:23] Up on top of the hill, Leo.

[51:25] Yeah.

[51:25] you walked up closer culture to you yeah your house how do I get up and

[51:32] back here I don't have no idea I didn't even try but you know I just no

[51:37] there's a piece of art from surgery so far it was pretty far it was that I get

[51:42] to do that in and out every day I don't know if you go again is that on the

[51:46] berry property this homeless encampment is that on the berry property no whose

[51:52] property isn't a buzzer in the league that was doesn't we weren't sure where

[51:57] the line was where the state owns a fascia radio that has to be figured out

[52:01] too the state supposed to post where the state park is I said probably don't

[52:08] have it posted or somebody's taken the letter to the parks director and there's a

[52:12] new park director yeah Tom Tyler retired and a new guy and he never know I

[52:18] I mean, but somebody might have pulled down the signs too, you know, if they were in there.

[52:23] There was never any real signs there.

[52:25] Okay.

[52:26] Trials that are marked with...

[52:27] All right.

[52:27] So next meeting, if you guys could start to formalize some type of...

[52:32] Okay.

[52:33] Playing.

[52:33] Yeah.

[52:34] All right.

[52:35] All right.

[52:37] All right.

[52:38] New business.

[52:39] Any new business?

[52:40] Well, do we want to talk about Dean?

[52:43] Yeah.

[52:44] Let's put Dean on your new business.

[52:45] Dean has resigned from the conservation and Dean Saeed, oh he did, he moved out of

[52:54] Enfield, I don't know, I don't know, he sent an email, said he's resigning, so,

[53:01] So, I assume we have to take that to the acting

[53:10] manager to that.

[53:11] Well, I think he needs to send the letter.

[53:13] It's an email, doesn't he?

[53:14] It should be, I sent an email back to you and Steve,

[53:19] that it should be forwarded.

[53:21] His resignation letter should be forwarded to the town clerk.

[53:23] Yes, I'm pretty sure our admins take care of it.

[53:28] So we have a permanent position open, but I believe in the past, in other commissions,

[53:44] they have a, if they have an open position for a regular member, someone can move up from

[53:57] the regular position. So we would, we might have to have someone resign from their alternate

[54:05] position and apply for the non alternate position, permanent position. And it seems complicated.

[54:16] Why can't we apply somebody? Yeah, we don't get to appoint them. Right. No, no, no, I can't

[54:20] Why can't we make them a permanent right or a permanent I know but

[54:28] So I already a member chair has to request

[54:33] Remember yeah, that's what I said. We yeah, we need to talk to

[54:41] Right, okay, do they show up?

[54:45] Is that person been here yet?

[54:50] I know there was some question if he was going to be here at certain meetings

[54:55] No, he was gone as 25th

[54:59] Okay, I saw him hand in his cable box to Cox

[55:03] Yeah, we were at the back place and he was coming out

[55:10] Let's finish up the meeting

[55:12] Just want to go back to the office of protection regulation.

[55:23] I think I missed the formation of that subcommittee.

[55:26] You guys are working to come up with recommended regulations to incorporate

[55:34] protection into planning its own aim.

[55:40] No, they were just looking into, I think, how the aquifer protection regulations might

[55:48] protect this piece of property.

[55:50] Yeah, yeah.

[55:51] Okay.

[55:53] Because it's a major watershed area.

[55:56] Because there is a goal in the POCD to incorporate aquifer protection into the zoning

[56:06] regulations. I thought perhaps that was no the context. All right. We have a motion to adjourn.

[56:19] Make a motion. Motion by Michael. Seconded by Nancy. All in favor. Hi. Hi.

Conservation Commission Regular Meeting

Transcript