[0:00] Okay, buddy.

[0:01] Okay, thank you. Um, I'm

[0:03] going to call a

[0:04] meeting of the

[0:05] full Committee for

[0:07] Monday, September 28,

[0:08] 2026. Um, Madam

[0:09] Secretary, could

[0:10] you please announce the list

[0:11] ?

[0:11] Mayor Russ, Deputy

[0:12] Mayor Sheffield, Councillor

[0:13] Miguel Roy, Councillor

[0:14] Piazza, Councillor Jones.

[0:15] Present.

[0:16] Thank you. Um, the first

[0:17] item on the

[0:18] agenda is the Giordano Family Foundation

[0:19] . Um, we have the

[0:22] Eastern

[0:23] Connecticut Community Foundation here tonight. If you

[0:24] guys want to

[0:25] come up, we have Megan

[0:26] Brown, the COO

[0:28] , and Lauren Parda, our

[0:29] immediate

[0:30] development director,

[0:31] not ours, but theirs. Um, and

[0:33] Director Juhasz

[0:34] will provide an overview. Thank you,

[0:38] ma'am.

[0:41] Good.

[0:42] Thank you.

[0:50] So, I believe the

[0:51] board may have known

[0:53] about it, but, um, if

[0:54] not, we were a

[0:55] beneficiary or a

[0:56] trustee of, um, the

[0:58] Sharon

[0:59] Giordano Trust. Um, this

[1:01] trust was set up by

[1:02] Sal, um, with

[1:04] her daughter, who

[1:05] was the

[1:06] trustee. Um, Sharon

[1:09] died in March

[1:11] 2026, which was then

[1:12] entered into the

[1:13] probate case, and

[1:15] the city ended up receiving

[1:16] approximately $3.8 million

[1:17] , the interest and

[1:18] dividends of which

[1:19] could be

[1:20] used for certain,

[1:22] um, things that were

[1:23] designated in the trust:

[1:24] meaning training

[1:25] programs for city

[1:27] employees, um,

[1:28] tuition assistance

[1:29] for

[1:30] city residents,

[1:31] improvements to

[1:32] Eastern Point Beach, and

[1:34] recreation programs

[1:35] and improvements to

[1:36] Washington Park. The way it works is

[1:42] that the money

[1:42] is transferred to the

[1:44] Community Fund,

[1:45] which will control

[1:46] it, and then they, in

[1:47] turn,

[1:48] will pay

[1:49] dividends to the city annually from the

[1:51] interest accrued on that money

[1:52] . Now I have

[1:55] more to say about this

[1:56] .

[1:58] Of course. So, we

[2:01] call this a

[2:01] trust fund, which

[2:03] means it's what

[2:04] we call the

[2:05] spent

[2:07] fund balance. Am I

[2:08] okay?

[2:09] Yes, we have a

[2:12] spent

[2:13] fund balance that will be there

[2:14] every year. Our board

[2:15] sets our

[2:16] spending rule

[2:17] each year. It is usually

[2:20] between 4 and 6%.

[2:22] You can now

[2:23] expect about 4%

[2:24] of the fund's value.

[2:27] It works so that

[2:29] at the end of the year,

[2:30] our

[2:31] investment

[2:32] return is calculated and all of

[2:33] our investments are

[2:34] pooled together. After

[2:37] calculating

[2:38] the return, each

[2:39] of our 650 funds

[2:41] receives a share of the

[2:42] income based on the

[2:43] size of their fund.

[2:46] And it will be the same with

[2:47] this fund. Typically,

[2:50] you know, our investment returns

[2:53] fluctuate from year to

[2:54] year, but over a 10-

[2:55] year period, you

[2:57] can expect a

[2:58] 7 to 8% return.

[3:01] This will be the median

[3:03] rate. So, when the

[3:08] year-end investment return is calculated, we

[3:09] usually do it in

[3:11] January, and you can

[3:12] expect to receive a

[3:13] grant check

[3:14] around the beginning of

[3:15] February for that 4%, depending

[3:17] on the value of the trust.

[3:20] This will probably be

[3:21] a little over 100,000 per

[3:22] year indefinitely. And

[3:25] the fund will be in the fund, and

[3:26] then it will be

[3:27] financed and

[3:28] grow indefinitely

[3:29] . So, this amount

[3:31] will only increase over time.

[3:35] Do you have any questions or

[3:36] comments? Um,

[3:41] Council Love joins us at 6:08. Are there any

[3:45] questions?

[3:46] Greetings. Um, I'm here

[3:48] . I apologize for

[3:49] the delay. Um, between

[3:51] switching

[3:52] phones, it says 5

[3:53] hours.

[3:55] Thank you. We work for the

[3:58] Giordano family trust. Um, we just

[4:00] got a review of the sums.

[4:04] Um, deputy mayor.

[4:09] Um, yes, that is, um, out of, I

[4:11] think, 3.8 2 million,

[4:13] um, that is, dividends on

[4:15] average 4% of this

[4:17] 3.28 will be, um, for

[4:19] each January, I think,

[4:21] going to the city. Yes,

[4:26] continue.

[4:27] And the goal is to keep

[4:29] that 3.8 growing over

[4:31] time.

[4:31] Good.

[4:32] So as it grows,

[4:33] the amount you

[4:34] receive will likely

[4:35] grow as well.

[4:37] Good. And your

[4:38] dividends, um, are they, I

[4:40] think, annual or, you

[4:41] know, quarterly

[4:43] dividends? How is the

[4:45] trust financed, guys?

[4:48] Yes, the investment

[4:50] return

[4:50] is calculated

[4:51] annually, and then we

[4:52] send, um, what

[4:54] we call the

[4:55] expense portion of the

[4:56] fund. We usually

[4:57] do this around the

[4:59] first week of

[5:00] February. So you can

[5:01] plan for this check

[5:02] every year, and like

[5:03] Megan said, it will grow

[5:05] over time.

[5:06] Good. And to you, Ron,

[5:08] I wonder if this money will go

[5:10] into the general

[5:11] fund or something, or you

[5:12] said that...

[5:13] Uh, the plan right now

[5:14] is to create a

[5:16] special

[5:17] revenue fund in the city. So

[5:18] these dividends

[5:19] will come in, and it

[5:20] won't be a budget

[5:21] fund in the general

[5:22] fund as such, but this

[5:23] money will

[5:24] be in a

[5:24] special revenue fund

[5:26] designated for the

[5:27] purposes that the trust has identified

[5:28] . This way,

[5:29] if a larger

[5:30] project arises for which we

[5:31] want to accumulate

[5:32] dividends over a couple of

[5:33] years, we can

[5:34] do so by leaving

[5:35] them in a special

[5:36] income fund.

[5:39] Thank you.

[5:41] Are there any more questions?

[5:43] Councilor Piazza.

[5:45] Thank you. Thank you.

[5:46] Yes, um, more of a

[5:47] comment. Um, I just

[5:49] want to thank

[5:50] the family for being

[5:51] so kind and generous

[5:52] to the city of Groton. I

[5:53] think it just

[5:54] shows the love that, um

[5:55] , the family has for the

[5:56] city of Groton, and that in

[5:57] itself speaks volumes

[5:59] . So I just want to

[6:00] thank them. You know, I mean

[6:01] , money is a

[6:03] wonderful gift. I

[6:04] mean, but I think it

[6:05] all comes from the

[6:06] heart, obviously, and

[6:07] their kindness. So I

[6:08] just want to

[6:09] thank my family. Are

[6:11] there any other

[6:12] comments? Question?

[6:16] Advisor Bois. Uh,

[6:20] thank you, Madam Mayor. Uh, I

[6:25] apologize for not being here

[6:26] on time, but,

[6:28] um, I think, looking

[6:29] at our agenda package

[6:31] and what

[6:33] this community fund can be used for, is

[6:35] it the community, uh,

[6:36] fund that will determine what

[6:38] happens, or

[6:40] should the city, uh, council, uh, meet

[6:41] to determine what

[6:43] action plan we're going to

[6:49] use these

[6:50] funds for in the future? The

[6:54] trust document

[6:55] outlines how these funds are to

[6:56] be

[6:57] used. Uh, yeah, I

[7:00] forgot your name. As you

[7:03] said, uh, it

[7:05] outlines how these funds

[7:06] should be

[7:07] used. The

[7:08] trust document

[7:09] is always the lead

[7:10] document and the

[7:11] Attorney General

[7:12] will contact the

[7:13] Public Trust

[7:14] so that we can

[7:15] report to them that

[7:16] they are

[7:16] being used

[7:17] appropriately when

[7:19] we provide them to you. So

[7:21] we ask you to report this to us,

[7:22] perhaps annually

[7:24] . We provide, uh,

[7:26] send you

[7:27] grant funds. You

[7:30] determine how you

[7:31] use them, and

[7:32] then if you

[7:33] report back to us briefly, we

[7:34] can share

[7:35] that with the

[7:36] Attorney General.

[7:41] Good, because, again

[7:43] , what I see in the

[7:44] documents provided

[7:45] are the curriculum

[7:46] and

[7:47] information, the

[7:48] tuition assistance,

[7:49] these recreational

[7:50] programs at

[7:51] Eastern Point Beach in

[7:53] Washington Park. That's a

[7:55] summary of what

[7:58] these

[7:59] funds can be used for, right?

[8:01] Yes.

[8:04] Okay, so I think

[8:05] one thing I'm asking

[8:07] through the mayor is do

[8:08] we need to determine as a council

[8:09] and mayor

[8:10] what our action plan is

[8:11] for using

[8:12] these funds? Again

[8:18] , should we

[8:19] reach out to the

[8:20] finance department

[8:21] to see what

[8:22] our action plan is for

[8:24] using them? I wouldn't

[8:27] want these things

[8:28] to drag on and then

[8:29] say, "Oh, suddenly

[8:31] we have money."

[8:32] Let's spend them

[8:34] on this. Let's

[8:35] spend it on that." I

[8:37] think it would be

[8:38] prudent for us

[8:39] to have an action plan

[8:40] or at least identify

[8:41] some need in these

[8:42] four areas. Um,

[8:48] so that we have a

[8:49] strategy for the

[8:50] future, so that we

[8:51] can determine

[8:52] what we want to

[8:53] use these

[8:54] funds for with the trust that has

[8:56] been, um,

[8:56] blessed to the city of

[8:58] Groton.

[9:01] Hmm, thanks for

[9:03] the question. So the idea

[9:04] was that,

[9:06] um, the money

[9:06] would come to the

[9:07] city. As soon as they

[9:09] come to the city,

[9:10] um, before that, we will

[9:11] create a committee in the city of

[9:13] non-partisan, um,

[9:14] parties, so that the people who will

[9:15] not

[9:16] benefit from this

[9:17] will consider all the

[9:18] options, um, and then

[9:20] we will be happy

[9:20] to inform you of

[9:22] what that committee

[9:23] proposes to

[9:24] give you

[9:24] recommendations on

[9:25] how this money

[9:26] will be used. And

[9:29] then the idea is to

[9:32] budget it every year so you

[9:33] know exactly where that money is

[9:34] going. But we want to

[9:37] make sure that

[9:38] we can review

[9:39] all the information and

[9:40] all sorts of requests from

[9:42] department heads about

[9:43] how this could be

[9:44] used

[9:45] before we develop a plan

[9:47] for council consideration.

[9:50] And Madam Mayor, will you be the one

[9:52] to organize this

[9:53] committee?

[9:54] Yes.

[9:56] What are your considerations

[9:57] regarding the structure or

[10:03] people who would be

[10:04] involved in the work of

[10:05] such a committee?

[10:09] These will be our

[10:10] employees. We

[10:14] will ask if

[10:15] they are interested in

[10:16] being part of this

[10:17] committee, but we

[10:18] want to make sure

[10:19] that these are people who will not

[10:20] benefit from

[10:22] this money so that we

[10:23] have a broad idea

[10:24] of how this can be

[10:25] done.

[10:31] And we have an

[10:32] ethics committee, so that gives us a

[10:33] certain amount of

[10:34] safety net to

[10:35] make sure that

[10:36] individuals are not

[10:37] benefiting from

[10:38] this conflict of

[10:39] interest or anything like

[10:41] that, so I

[10:46] would agree with your

[10:47] point on that,

[10:48] Madam Mayor.

[10:49] Absolutely. Thank you.

[10:52] Madam Mayor.

[10:53] Yes.

[10:54] I also want to briefly

[10:55] note that many

[10:56] trust documents

[10:58] actually name

[10:59] the amounts or percentages to be

[11:01] used for

[11:02] each item.

[11:04] Since this

[11:05] trust document

[11:06] does not do this, it

[11:07] means you can

[11:09] use it

[11:10] at your discretion,

[11:11] deciding how you

[11:12] want to

[11:12] distribute it. So in

[11:14] certain years you may

[11:15] want to do all

[11:16] four things, in other

[11:18] years you may not

[11:18] want to, but we don't

[11:20] mind you

[11:20] using your

[11:21] discretion, for the city

[11:22] to use its

[11:24] discretion.

[11:24] Thank you. Thank you for this

[11:26] clarification.

[11:27] To the Deputy Mayor.

[11:28] Um, and Ron, again

[11:30] , the money that

[11:31] comes in every year doesn't

[11:32] need to be spent.

[11:33] Right. They

[11:34] remain in this

[11:35] special fund.

[11:36] They don't need to,

[11:37] you know, be spent

[11:38] every year.

[11:39] Right. This would be the

[11:40] purpose of contributing to a

[11:41] special

[11:41] revenue fund so that it can

[11:42] accumulate if there is a

[11:43] larger project.

[11:44] But as the mayor said, we will

[11:45] make sure that these

[11:46] amounts are

[11:46] presented

[11:47] during budget

[11:48] season, just to be on

[11:49] schedule.

[11:50] They won't be

[11:51] part of the

[11:52] general fund budget

[11:53] because of the timing of

[11:53] dividends and

[11:55] just the timing of

[11:56] anything that can be

[11:57] cut with the budget.

[11:59] But, like I said,

[12:00] if we want to

[12:01] do a bigger

[12:02] project on the beach or in a

[12:03] park, that could

[12:04] take a couple of

[12:05] years. But we want to

[12:07] make sure we

[12:08] use it

[12:10] according to the trust

[12:11] and distribute it

[12:12] according to the

[12:13] wishes and purpose.

[12:15] And just to

[12:16] clarify, you said

[12:17] that the community foundation

[12:18] doesn't mind if we

[12:19] send a note

[12:20] saying that we're

[12:21] saving this money

[12:22] for a special

[12:23] project in the

[12:24] future.

[12:25] I think if there is a

[12:27] plan, of course.

[12:28] Good. Thank you. Are there

[12:31] any other questions or

[12:32] comments? Okay, not

[12:35] seeing any, I'll make a

[12:36] motion

[12:37] to move this to the

[12:38] mayor and

[12:39] council meeting. I do this

[12:40] every year in October. Is it

[12:44] October 5th? Let

[12:45] me make sure

[12:46] I understand everything correctly

[12:47] . October 5.

[12:49] So, it is proposed.

[12:50] So, the proposal.

[12:52] Second.

[12:52] And the second. Hmm, are there any more

[12:54] questions or everyone

[12:56] who is "in favor", sorry.

[12:57] Yes.

[12:58] Is

[12:59] anyone against it? Did anyone

[13:01] abstain? Most of

[13:02] the proposals were adopted

[13:03] unanimously. Hmm,

[13:04] next–update of

[13:05] data from

[13:06] traffic cameras.

[13:07] Captain, thank you very much for being

[13:08] here.

[13:10] Captain Lita and

[13:11] Officer Rosa.

[13:23] Good evening.

[13:25] Madam

[13:27] Mayor, you're welcome. As you

[13:31] know, our program

[13:32] was a kind of

[13:33] aggressive campaign

[13:34] to inform

[13:35] the public and

[13:37] make them aware of the

[13:38] condition of our cameras; but

[13:39] I thought it would be appropriate to

[13:40] reach out to you

[13:41] to make sure

[13:43] you understand what's

[13:44] going on, because

[13:45] sometimes residents

[13:46] come to you with

[13:47] questions. Our

[13:52] cameras started

[13:53] working on October 11 and 14

[13:55] . So, on October 11th

[13:57] , I believe it was

[13:59] Thames Street and

[14:00] CBS Highway, and then

[14:02] Mitchell Street went live on

[14:04] October 14th. Or

[14:05] September 14th, sorry.

[14:07] Running ahead. Er,

[14:09] so it's September. This is our

[14:11] notice period,

[14:12] our 30-day

[14:13] notice period, okay?

[14:16] Uh, so on October 11th and 14th,

[14:17] violators

[14:19] will be issued

[14:20] fines, okay? Uh,

[14:25] right now, I think we've

[14:26] observed

[14:28] about 11,000

[14:29] violators. Uh, so

[14:33] together, uh, at all

[14:35] intersections, so

[14:37] in 2 weeks?

[14:38] 3 weeks. In 3 weeks,

[14:40] okay? So, as you can see

[14:44] , hopefully, and

[14:45] again, our goal is to

[14:46] reduce the number of

[14:48] violators.

[14:51] I hope as soon as

[14:53] people start

[14:53] getting

[14:54] warnings. They,

[14:57] um, haven't received

[14:58] any yet due to

[14:59] fixing some

[15:00] bugs in the system.

[15:02] So, they should be

[15:04] getting...I think

[15:05] Officer Rosa just

[15:06] looked at a few of

[15:07] them. So, they're out

[15:10] this week. And, once

[15:12] they start

[15:14] getting

[15:14] warnings,

[15:15] hopefully they'll

[15:16] reduce the number of

[15:17] speeding violations

[15:19] . And from October 11 and 14, there will be

[15:24] no more warnings. Violators

[15:27] will receive fines at

[15:29] that time. Good?

[15:32] Do you have any questions or

[15:33] comments? Councilor

[15:34] Jones, thank you. We've

[15:42] met a few times about this

[15:43] , and I think the

[15:45] board as a collective has a

[15:46] pretty good understanding of

[15:47] the goals and, um, the

[15:48] importance of this. But

[15:53] just for the heck of it,

[15:54] could you do

[15:55] me a favor and

[15:56] explain, because I think

[15:58] the public

[15:59] might be a little

[16:00] confused about

[16:01] what exactly the difference is between a

[16:03] speed camera and a

[16:08] speed enforcement camera?

[16:09] Please.

[16:15] Speed cameras are

[16:16] only active when there is a

[16:17] violation, if you

[16:18] exceed the

[16:19] speed threshold. We are

[16:23] recording data at this

[16:24] time.

[16:26] Speed cameras are

[16:27] more of an

[16:28] investigative tool. They

[16:32] record license

[16:33] plates that

[16:34] pass through a

[16:35] certain location. OK? And

[16:37] this is constant. This is an

[16:39] investigative tool and is

[16:40] not related to

[16:42] speed cameras. He is

[16:43] separate. It is

[16:45] governed by, ahem,

[16:46] different laws than

[16:48] speed cameras. OK? It's

[16:52] not like

[16:53] people think, it's not our

[16:54] attempt to track

[16:55] people unless they've

[16:56] committed a crime using a

[16:58] speed camera.

[17:02] OK? We have one

[17:05] speed camera in the city of

[17:06] Groton. Speed cameras

[17:09] capture violators.

[17:11] Anyone going

[17:12] 11

[17:13] miles over the

[17:14] speed limit. Does

[17:17] this answer your

[17:18] question?

[17:20] Yes, and I asked about

[17:21] this a few months

[17:22] ago, but just so

[17:23] we can get it on the record again

[17:24] . We do not

[17:27] collect license

[17:28] plates. This is not something that

[17:30] is stored. We can't

[17:33] really

[17:34] dig in and

[17:35] see that, oh, there was a

[17:36] suspect or

[17:37] someone who committed

[17:38] something other than a

[17:41] speeding ticket here, right?

[17:43] We can't

[17:44] use these

[17:45] images to

[17:46] piece something bigger

[17:47] together or anything like that

[17:48] for

[17:49] investigative purposes,

[17:50] right?

[17:50] This is only related to

[17:51] speed. Speed cameras are

[17:54] not used

[17:55] for investigations.

[17:56] Good. Thank you very much.

[17:58] Good.

[17:59] I appreciate it.

[17:59] Something else? Deputy

[18:03] mayor? Have

[18:06] you been approached by

[18:07] people outside of the city of

[18:08] Groton about these cameras

[18:10] and, you know, their

[18:11] impact on, you know,

[18:12] they say you

[18:13] guys shouldn't

[18:15] do this and,

[18:16] you know, our community that

[18:17] we're fighting with, like

[18:19] East Lyme, I think is a

[18:20] perfect example. Is

[18:24] there a comparison like,

[18:26] you know, like the city of

[18:27] Groton and so on? Is this

[18:31] some kind of negative

[18:32] reaction, I should

[18:33] say?

[18:36] For the residents of the city of

[18:37] Groton, the majority of

[18:38] residents are “in favor.”

[18:41] OK. Every now and then

[18:44] we meet

[18:45] someone who is

[18:46] against cameras, and they

[18:47] cite

[18:48] privacy–that’s the

[18:49] most typical

[18:50] argument. Again

[18:53] , we are not looking,

[18:54] these

[18:55] speed cameras are not

[18:56] for

[18:57] investigative purposes. Your

[19:00] license plate

[19:01] only appears

[19:02] if there is a violation.

[19:04] OK. Speed cameras

[19:06] are something else entirely, and

[19:07] like I said, we

[19:09] only have one camera in the city of Groton

[19:10] , and it's

[19:11] for

[19:12] investigative purposes, so...

[19:13] Okay.

[19:14] So we also... We were

[19:15] told that the cameras wouldn't

[19:16] even turn on.

[19:18] They are turned off

[19:19] unless a radar-

[19:21] triggered event occurs

[19:22] . So at this

[19:23] point, the

[19:24] vehicle that violated the

[19:25] rules will be

[19:26] tracked.

[19:28] So the advisor, um,

[19:29] activates the camera,

[19:30] essentially.

[19:31] Right. Yes.

[19:32] OK. Yes. OK.

[19:36] Councilor Piazza.

[19:37] Thank you, Mayor. Um, on the

[19:38] cameras themselves, so is there

[19:39] something that actually

[19:41] flashes, otherwise the person would

[19:42] n't even know

[19:43] they were taking a picture of the

[19:44] back of a

[19:44] vehicle

[19:46] ?

[19:46] So, we have

[19:46] warning

[19:47] signs in advance.

[19:48] Good.

[19:49] Uh, there

[19:50] are several

[19:50] warning

[19:51] signs in front of each camera.

[19:52] Hmm.

[19:52] Um, there might be

[19:53] a flash or

[19:54] overexposure,

[19:55] but I'm not sure

[19:56] they meant to

[19:56] set them up next

[19:57] to the

[19:58] light poles.

[19:59] Good.

[19:59] Reason.

[20:01] And how long does it take, uh,

[20:02] if someone breaks the

[20:03] speed limit for

[20:05] it to actually

[20:06] record it? So, the camera

[20:08] is in one

[20:09] place, how long does

[20:10] it take to capture the

[20:11] vehicle?

[20:12] It captures the rear of the

[20:13] vehicle

[20:14] , so you drive

[20:15] past the camera.

[20:16] Good.

[20:17] And then she fixes

[20:18] you. I don't know the exact

[20:20] distance.

[20:21] Good.

[20:21] Um, but it

[20:23] captures the rear

[20:23] license plate.

[20:24] Good. And I know

[20:26] when the public

[20:27] here was debating

[20:28] their pros and cons

[20:29] on this,

[20:30] some people were

[20:31] concerned, especially

[20:32] in Clarence B, about two

[20:33] cars together, are

[20:34] they really going...

[20:35] Yeah, so

[20:36] get the right

[20:37] car? So if you

[20:38] could just

[20:38] explain that. Sorry?

[20:40] The system

[20:40] is calibrated for

[20:41] this. The stripes

[20:42] are measured.

[20:42] Good.

[20:43] Uh, and then there's a

[20:44] computer program

[20:45] that, you know, you

[20:46] input

[20:46] the measurement into, and it

[20:48] calibrates itself for

[20:48] that.

[20:49] Good.

[20:50] So Clarence B has

[20:51] two cameras, one

[20:52] for each... That

[20:53] 's right. Yes, I

[20:55] noticed that. Uh, I have

[20:56] one more question. What is the

[20:57] approximate

[20:59] monetary penalty?

[21:01] The receipt itself costs

[21:03] $50. There is a

[21:09] $15 processing fee, which

[21:10] makes the total $65. A second

[21:11] violation costs

[21:13] $75, and again

[21:14] , that processing fee

[21:17] is added to it as well.

[21:20] Okay, so the total

[21:21] penalty amount that

[21:22] a person will see on

[21:23] their bill will not

[21:24] be

[21:25] $50, it will

[21:26] include a

[21:30] $15 processing fee, so that's an

[21:32] addition.

[21:33] And you can

[21:33] pay for all of this online, right?

[21:35] Uh, you can do it

[21:36] online, completely

[21:37] online.

[21:38] Okay, thank you. Are there

[21:41] any more questions?

[21:43] Mr. Councilor Jones.

[21:45] I would just like to

[21:46] have one more comment

[21:47] . If, theoretically, as

[21:53] you know, the same

[21:54] people who complain

[21:55] about violations, maybe

[21:57] with these cameras,

[21:58] maybe they can

[21:59] track themselves

[22:00] much more effectively

[22:01] , driving with a cell

[22:03] phone, because

[22:04] they bounce

[22:05] off cell towers

[22:06] and all sorts of

[22:07] other things... We

[22:09] track

[22:10] geolocation quite easily

[22:11] with GPS. Just

[22:15] wanted to let you know.

[22:17] Could you

[22:18] confirm this as well?

[22:21] Yes, that, and we were just

[22:22] talking about easy

[22:23] passes. You know,

[22:26] right before

[22:27] this...

[22:27] Your cell

[22:28] phone

[22:28] will track you

[22:29] much better than a

[22:30] black camera or a

[22:32] speed camera.

[22:32] Yes, it's more like

[22:33] point-to-

[22:35] point tracking.

[22:36] Yes. Stay tuned to

[22:39] Dateline, thank you.

[22:44] Are there any more questions? Oh,

[22:47] Councilor West.

[22:51] Uh, Captain Officer,

[22:53] thank you for providing this

[22:54] information. I think

[22:58] the update will be

[22:59] important

[23:00] moving forward,

[23:01] at least in the

[23:02] initial stages. I

[23:05] appreciate you bringing

[23:06] attention to the

[23:07] back of the

[23:08] car, because I know

[23:09] that during the public

[23:11] hearings, people were

[23:11] worried about

[23:13] seeing mobile

[23:14] spaces and other

[23:15] things like that.

[23:18] Hypothetically, if

[23:19] someone was caught speeding on the

[23:20] Gold Star Bridge

[23:23] and

[23:24] received a warning

[23:25] , that would include the

[23:26] rear of the

[23:27] car. The only thing that

[23:31] concerns me, and Officer

[23:32] Rose Rose, you've already

[23:33] raised this

[23:34] issue regarding

[23:35] calibration. I

[23:37] just want to

[23:38] make sure we are

[23:39] ensuring the

[23:40] correct

[23:40] calibration. I don't

[23:41] think it's up

[23:43] to you all, is

[23:44] it? Does it depend

[23:45] on the firm that

[23:50] actually holds

[23:51] the cameras? And the reason

[23:54] I mention this is because

[23:57] we have a big

[23:58] problem with

[23:59] traffic on the Gold

[24:00] Star Bridge right now, and one of the things

[24:02] I see is that the

[24:03] traffic cameras

[24:04] are working when the

[24:05] traffic lights are flashing. And if it

[24:09] happens

[24:10] north, and it doesn't

[24:12] happen. So,

[24:16] if some people

[24:17] see that they

[24:18] have been issued a

[24:19] warning or a

[24:20] fine for a

[24:22] traffic violation, I pay attention every day to see

[24:23] if that

[24:24] light is flashing. And we don't have

[24:31] that problem

[24:33] because you gave

[24:33] the public two

[24:34] warnings before

[24:36] going

[24:37] north and south

[24:38] on Clarence B.

[24:39] Sharp Highway to say, "

[24:40] Hey, you're going to get hit

[24:41] if you cross the

[24:42] threshold." Is that correct?

[24:48] Yes.

[24:49] we have it

[24:50] 24/7. So we

[24:53] don't need

[24:54] flashing lights to

[24:55] tell you the

[24:56] camera is working. She

[24:59] works constantly. Um, the

[25:02] bridge was actually

[25:02] blinking this

[25:04] morning when I

[25:04] arrived. So it

[25:06] seems like it's

[25:08] active now. Um, regarding

[25:12] calibration, uh, we

[25:13] have received

[25:14] calibration certificates, which we

[25:16] will publish on the

[25:17] website. So we will

[25:19] also

[25:19] be posting

[25:20] updates, any

[25:21] updates that we

[25:22] can, will also be

[25:24] posted on the

[25:25] website. Uh, because

[25:26] we want to

[25:26] ensure complete

[25:28] transparency. So we

[25:30] will publish the reports and the

[25:32] calibration documents will be

[25:33] there. Also, when you

[25:36] get a quote, uh,

[25:37] there will be a link

[25:38] to check the

[25:40] calibration certificate, uh.

[25:43] Good. And again,

[25:44] uh, just as a

[25:45] follow-up to this,

[25:47] uh, thank you. I

[25:48] mean, 11,000

[25:49] speeding violations

[25:50] over a 3-week

[25:52] period is pretty

[25:53] significant. Uh, I have to be

[25:56] honest, it was a big

[25:58] cue for me to

[25:59] step on the pedal,

[26:00] seeing those two

[26:01] signs there, and that camera

[26:02] there, even though it was during the

[26:04] warning

[26:05] period. Uh, but

[26:08] some people, I can see

[26:09] why they're having a hard time

[26:11] , but

[26:12] hopefully this will

[26:16] solve the problem

[26:17] that the

[26:18] camera was supposed to create, which is what we

[26:19] talked about from the

[26:20] beginning, which is to

[26:21] increase safety

[26:22] on the highways of the city of

[26:24] Groton. So, uh, thank you

[26:27] all for that. I appreciate it.

[26:29] Yes, sir.

[26:30] Good. Thank you. Are there

[26:32] any more questions? Yes.

[26:35] Thank you, mayor. Uh, the same thing as

[26:37] losing my train of

[26:38] thought. Uh, what did I want

[26:42] to ask? What would...Are there

[26:50] any...Well, I'm

[26:51] sure there would be,

[26:52] but what would be the

[26:53] typical argument that

[26:55] someone gets a

[26:56] violation? Whatever the

[26:59] argument is, they'll

[27:01] say, "Oh, it's not me,"

[27:02] either it's because of that, or

[27:03] we had a storm up

[27:04] north, you know, that

[27:06] came in during the

[27:07] storm and maybe

[27:08] adjusted the

[27:09] calibration. I'm

[27:11] just wondering what

[27:12] you think would be the

[27:13] main argument

[27:14] that someone could

[27:15] say that could

[27:16] make us

[27:17] reach out to the

[27:18] company and say,

[27:19] "Hey, we get

[27:20] a lot of the same

[27:21] questions about this

[27:22] ."

[27:25] So, there is an

[27:26] appeal procedure. The first step of the

[27:29] process is for

[27:30] them to

[27:30] call the

[27:31] number and explain

[27:32] their reasons. Hmm, that

[27:34] will be tested at

[27:35] this level. Hmm, then

[27:36] they have the option to

[27:37] actually come in to

[27:38] talk to

[27:39] the inspector who

[27:40] is conducting the hearing

[27:41] to appeal it.

[27:42] OK? And if they're

[27:44] still not satisfied,

[27:45] then they can

[27:45] go to...it

[27:46] can be appealed to the

[27:48] state courts.

[27:49] OK? The vehicle owner is

[27:52] responsible for the

[27:53] fine. OK? So,

[27:56] here's how it works.

[27:58] OK?

[27:59] And my other question is, uh

[28:01] , will there be a report that

[28:02] you're going to put out on the

[28:03] website about the

[28:04] benefits of it, like,

[28:05] "Since we

[28:06] installed the speed cameras,

[28:08] we've had fewer

[28:09] violations and

[28:10] fewer

[28:11] accidents," and will

[28:12] any of that be

[28:13] published so

[28:14] the public

[28:15] can see the benefits of it?

[28:18] So, now we are

[28:18] looking at what

[28:19] reports we can

[28:20] generate

[28:21] using this

[28:22] system. Uh, I can

[28:24] track

[28:26] first-time offenders

[28:27] and repeat offenders

[28:30] or more.

[28:32] The goal, obviously, is to

[28:34] reduce the number of

[28:35] these habitual

[28:36] offenders, first.

[28:38] And then, you know,

[28:39] see a decrease in

[28:40] the number of first

[28:41] violations. So,

[28:43] overall, the goal is to

[28:44] reduce

[28:46] speeding,

[28:46] to

[28:47] enforce, uh,

[28:48] speed limits.

[28:50] And, uh, but what if,

[28:51] by reviewing and

[28:53] studying the various reports,

[28:54] we published everything we

[28:56] could. Just

[28:58] so the public

[28:59] can see what's

[29:00] going on, uh, and

[29:02] how it works.

[29:04] Thank you.

[29:05] Yes.

[29:08] I will say that I have received,

[29:09] ahem, quite a few phone

[29:10] calls from

[29:11] residents who are still

[29:13] concerned about

[29:14] speeding in their

[29:15] neighborhoods. Hmm, some of

[29:17] them concern these

[29:18] areas, some of them concern

[29:19] nearby or other

[29:21] areas. Hmm, people who

[29:22] asked, "Can

[29:23] I install speed cameras

[29:25] on my side of town

[29:26] ?" Hmm, so in total, I

[29:28] think I've gotten two

[29:29] phone calls

[29:30] from people who are

[29:31] concerned about, um,

[29:32] cameras, mainly

[29:34] flood control cameras.

[29:35] Hmm, hmm, no, when I

[29:36] was explaining about

[29:37] speed cameras,

[29:38] it wasn't as

[29:39] big a

[29:39] concern as

[29:41] flood cameras. So, um, that's the

[29:42] feedback I have on this

[29:44] . There are

[29:47] no other questions. This was

[29:48] just informational,

[29:49] so thank you.

[29:50] Okay, please.

[29:51] Thank you. Good.

[29:55] Hmm, next–acceptance of

[29:56] state guarantees.

[30:00] Hmm, so

[30:01] the backstory is

[30:03] that in February

[30:04] 2025, um, GG GZA, um,

[30:06] noticed that the pier at

[30:07] Grizold Point was in a

[30:09] state of distress. So

[30:13] the city, um, asked

[30:15] them to assess its condition,

[30:17] um, um, and on October 6, 2025,

[30:19] the city received

[30:20] that assessment. The assessment

[30:22] showed that the pier

[30:23] was in very

[30:25] poor condition. Hmm,

[30:27] we were offered

[30:28] three options for repairing the

[30:29] pier. Hmm, just

[30:32] to make repairs–that’s,

[30:33] um, let me

[30:34] make sure I’m

[30:35] calculating

[30:37] these numbers correctly. I should have

[30:39] re- Hmm, the first

[30:42] option was to just

[30:44] repair the pier. Hmm, and it

[30:47] was worth between

[30:49] $700,000 and $900,000. Hmm, it

[30:55] cost between $1 and

[30:57] $1.5 million to clean up the pier and do nothing. And

[30:59] then to replace the pier,

[31:00] they estimated it at

[31:01] $3.5 million. From

[31:03] 2 to 3.5 million

[31:05] dollars. Hmm, so I

[31:06] got this report

[31:07] shortly after I

[31:08] became mayor. Hmm, and

[31:09] I knew we didn't have

[31:11] $3.5 million to

[31:12] repair the pier. Hmm, I

[31:14] felt like it was us,

[31:15] as a team, that felt it was

[31:16] very important

[31:17] to replace this pier.

[31:18] It has quite

[31:19] historical significance.

[31:20] It was part of the

[31:21] original

[31:23] Griswold Hotel. Hmm, so I started

[31:24] looking into

[31:25] financing options. Um,

[31:27] after a while, um, the

[31:29] initial request

[31:30] I made was

[31:31] rejected. Um, I

[31:33] went to the state and

[31:34] had to ask for

[31:35] $3.5 million. Um,

[31:37] but it didn't work. It

[31:39] was because of the bonds.

[31:43] Um, and so I continued to

[31:44] , um, work with

[31:45] our

[31:45] state representatives

[31:47] , um, with the Democratic bondholders

[31:49] in the House of

[31:50] Representatives and um, with the

[31:51] governor's office

[31:52] and a lot of people in the

[31:54] state. So, um, a

[31:56] huge thank you to

[31:58] everyone. Um, but we

[31:59] found out, um, a few

[32:00] weeks ago that we

[32:01] received $3.5 million

[32:03] from the

[32:08] Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, um,

[32:09] through grants and

[32:11] state bond assistance.

[32:14] Um, and I'm here to

[32:15] ask for your

[32:16] approval to

[32:17] accept this

[32:18] grant. Um, the steps

[32:20] are that

[32:21] we need to

[32:22] approve this grant.

[32:24] This will be the first step.

[32:25] We need to

[32:26] get some

[32:27] paperwork done for...Um,

[32:28] while we're looking for

[32:29] grant funds. So,

[32:30] additionally we are looking at,

[32:31] we have applied for

[32:33] , um,

[32:34] $150,000 in a

[32:36] small vessel improvement grant, a

[32:39] small harbor improvement grant

[32:40] through the

[32:41] Connecticut Port Authority

[32:42] for design,

[32:43] engineering,

[32:44] environmental

[32:45] review and permitting

[32:46] for this pier. Um, and once

[32:48] we

[32:48] know that, um,

[32:50] hopefully we'll

[32:51] get it. This is a

[32:52] matching grant.

[32:55] The goal is to

[32:56] do all of this and

[32:57] then consider the

[32:58] groundbreaking work.

[33:00] Um, the goal is to

[33:01] complete

[33:03] this by October 2028.

[33:05] Um, but my first

[33:06] step is to get a $

[33:08] 3.5 million grant

[33:10] from the state. Are there

[33:12] any questions?

[33:15] To the Deputy Mayor.

[33:16] Again,

[33:17] these are not bonds. This is a

[33:19] grant. I just want

[33:21] to make sure of

[33:22] the decision.

[33:22] Grant.

[33:23] Good. This is great.

[33:27] Yes.

[33:28] I know it's far in

[33:29] the future, but once

[33:30] it's

[33:31] completed, um, because I don't

[33:32] think anyone will

[33:33] actually be able to

[33:35] access it right now.

[33:36] Right?

[33:36] You cannot

[33:37] access the north

[33:38] part of the pier. You

[33:39] can

[33:40] access the southern

[33:41] part of the pier.

[33:42] So what do we plan to

[33:42] use in

[33:43] the future regarding the

[33:44] pier?

[33:44] Hmm, it

[33:45] will continue to be a

[33:46] fishing pier.

[33:47] It will be

[33:48] ADA compliant. That was

[33:49] one of my main

[33:50] push points, um, is that

[33:51] this is really our only

[33:53] accessible

[33:54] fishing pier in the city of

[33:55] Groton. In addition, it is an

[33:56] incentive for

[33:57] economic

[33:58] development. Hmm, I

[34:00] spoke to the

[34:00] owner of Ken's Tackle who

[34:02] said that between

[34:03] the closure of Streeter Pier

[34:04] and the partial

[34:05] closure of this one, and

[34:06] it was closed for

[34:08] quite a while

[34:09] during the

[34:10] seawall project, um,

[34:11] her business was

[34:12] struggling and she

[34:13] reported it to

[34:14] the governor, um, and I

[34:16] think that

[34:16] helped. Um, um, and that

[34:21] it

[34:21] will definitely meet

[34:23] ADA requirements. This will be a

[34:24] place where you can

[34:25] fish. You can

[34:27] have a relaxed,

[34:28] passive vacation,

[34:29] um, on this pier.

[34:30] Perfectly.

[34:31] Hmm.

[34:31] Thank you.

[34:32] Yes.

[34:34] Councilor Jones.

[34:37] Yes, I just wanted to say

[34:38] hello. I know

[34:41] you lobbied for this, as did

[34:42] , um, you know, other

[34:44] people in our

[34:45] district. So, um, thank you.

[34:50] Um, and I know, you know, I

[34:51] understand that there's probably a little bit of

[34:53] concern when

[34:55] people hear that we're

[34:56] going to do some

[34:57] building there. Um, but as

[35:01] for the grant, I

[35:05] fully support it.

[35:06] Um, I think it's going to be

[35:08] really good for

[35:09] the area, and, um, I

[35:10] think this council might

[35:12] be a little more

[35:13] knowledgeable about

[35:14] some of the questions that

[35:15] we're probably going to need to

[35:17] ask when it

[35:18] comes time for

[35:19] engineering work, and,

[35:20] um, but yeah, I'm a little

[35:21] excited about it. So

[35:24] congratulations.

[35:25] Thank you. Are there any other

[35:27] questions or

[35:28] comments? Mr.

[35:30] Councilor Embry.

[35:32] Thank you, Madam Mayor. Um,

[35:34] again, I, um, echo

[35:35] the sentiments of, um, Councilor

[35:37] Jones, and, um, thank you to

[35:38] our

[35:39] state representative

[35:40] for, um, getting

[35:42] this

[35:43] grant funding, and also to you for

[35:46] working hard to

[35:47] try to solve

[35:51] this problem. We, um,

[35:53] solved one

[35:54] problem. We

[35:55] needed to

[35:56] solve this other

[35:57] problem. I guess the

[35:58] question I have

[35:59] now is, will

[36:03] this solve the problem

[36:05] with this grant that we're

[36:06] getting? And if

[36:11] there are some

[36:12] anticipated

[36:13] cost overruns,

[36:14] who will bear the

[36:15] burden of those overruns

[36:22] if for some reason

[36:23] we have to

[36:24] revisit what

[36:25] we have dealt with in the

[36:26] past in this area

[36:27] ?

[36:32] So when we

[36:33] look at the

[36:34] design and

[36:35] engineering of this

[36:36] project, um, it's well

[36:37] known how much

[36:38] money we have for this, and we're going

[36:40] to support it, we're going to

[36:41] do it a little bit in

[36:42] reverse, in that this is what

[36:43] we have, and we're not

[36:44] going to

[36:46] go over that amount.

[36:48] Hmm, so what can you

[36:49] do with that

[36:51] amount of money?

[36:53] Good. Hmm, my

[36:56] follow-up on this is

[36:58] that I would like

[37:00] this pier, as

[37:01] historic as it is

[37:02] , to be extended,

[37:03] if possible, in

[37:04] some way, for

[37:05] example, at this

[37:07] stage of design.

[37:13] Hmm, and the reason I

[37:14] say this is on the

[37:15] southwest

[37:16] point, if you

[37:17] throw out the moorings

[37:18] for casting, you

[37:19] deal with

[37:20] rocks and a lot of

[37:21] other, um,

[37:22] problems. If we

[37:32] could extend this,

[37:33] uh, southern point of the

[37:34] dock further, it could

[37:35] reduce the impact of

[37:36] stormwater,

[37:37] at least on the

[37:39] Shore Avenue side that has been

[37:40] restored and

[37:41] replaced. I'm not saying

[37:51] that on the

[37:51] southernmost point

[37:53] we still have

[37:54] issues with where there's

[37:55] some

[37:56] stormwater runoff that

[37:57] runs onto Shore Avenue from

[37:58] that end, but I, I,

[38:00] if there's an opportunity for

[38:01] us to extend that

[38:02] pier, uh, further, I would

[38:03] fully support

[38:05] it for a couple of reasons.

[38:09] Fishing, and also, uh

[38:11] , the environment.

[38:12] Good.

[38:14] Thank you.

[38:15] Of course. Are there any other

[38:16] questions or

[38:17] comments? Okay, not

[38:19] seeing any, I will make a

[38:20] motion

[38:21] to move this to the

[38:22] mayor and council on

[38:23] October 5th.

[38:24] So, it is proposed.

[38:25] Second.

[38:26] So, the proposal and the

[38:28] second. Everyone who is "in favor"?

[38:30] Yes. Yes.

[38:31] Is

[38:32] anyone against it? Did anyone

[38:34] abstain? Adopted

[38:35] unanimously. Okay,

[38:37] moving on to the

[38:38] Planet

[38:39] Fitness donation. Uh, the city of Groton

[38:42] has had

[38:44] exercise machines in our

[38:45] basement for quite some time. Uh-huh. Um, it

[38:48] was in pieces, I would

[38:50] say, um, that's the

[38:51] best way to put it

[38:52] , brought,

[38:53] um, from different

[38:55] people's homes, different places.

[38:57] Um, but after all,

[38:58] most of it is

[38:59] already out of

[39:00] service. Um,

[39:04] our, um...So one

[39:06] day

[39:06] someone

[39:08] from Planet Fitness called me, a manager from

[39:09] Planet Fitness, and um, in a

[39:10] follow-up

[39:11] email,

[39:12] asked if

[39:13] they would ever get rid of

[39:14] , um, the

[39:15] exercise machines. This

[39:20] started a very

[39:21] long conversation between the

[39:22] two of us, and, um, we were

[39:27] offered, um,

[39:29] some, fitness

[39:30] equipment. Um, the city is

[39:33] currently finalizing its

[39:36] equipment usage policy. Um, it's

[39:38] not

[39:39] finalized yet, um, but it

[39:40] will be done before

[39:41] we bring

[39:42] the equipment into the

[39:43] building. We're working

[39:44] on a place in the basement,

[39:46] um, to house

[39:47] this equipment, um,

[39:48] and also on

[39:48] the possibility of

[39:49] putting some of

[39:50] the equipment in our

[39:51] fire stations

[39:52] so they don't have to

[39:53] come here to

[39:54] use it

[39:55] because they have some of the

[39:56] equipment at the

[39:57] fire station.

[40:01] So, we're asking for, um,

[40:02] a resolution, um,

[40:03] approval of the will

[40:04] from the board to accept a

[40:06] donation from Planet Fitness

[40:07] in the form of exercise equipment.

[40:12] To the Deputy Mayor.

[40:14] Um, it won't be

[40:15] specific dollars, it's

[40:16] pure equipment. It's

[40:17] just

[40:18] pure equipment. Yes

[40:20] , they don't donate

[40:21] money, they donate

[40:22] equipment. Yes, the

[40:26] council square.

[40:27] Thank you, mayor. So, will there be

[40:29] any

[40:30] equipment testing? Would anyone

[40:31] really jump on a

[40:32] treadmill or

[40:33] elliptical trainer

[40:34] to make sure

[40:35] it works? Does

[40:36] it have to go through this

[40:37] process before we

[40:38] receive it, or do we

[40:39] just take it as

[40:40] is?

[40:42] Um, we can

[40:42] confirm that everything

[40:44] works. Absolutely.

[40:51] Mr. Councilor Ambo.

[40:54] Thank you, Madam Mayor. Is this what

[40:56] we want? I

[41:03] think I...Is it something that's

[41:05] needed and wanted,

[41:06] or is it something that, uh, you

[41:07] know, we just

[41:09] perceive as...uh...I

[41:10] ...I...I do it all

[41:11] the time. This...I love the

[41:15] grant. I love all

[41:17] things gift-giving, but

[41:19] , uh, is this something that's

[41:20] needed or, you know,

[41:21] requested?

[41:24] Hmm, that's what they asked for. Hmm,

[41:27] there were comments that

[41:29] our training

[41:30] equipment, which

[41:31] was used

[41:32] primarily by our

[41:33] police department but

[41:34] also by other departments,

[41:36] hmm, had seen better days.

[41:40] Hmm, besides, there

[41:41] was a

[41:42] renovation there, and part of

[41:44] it was covered in, hmm,

[41:45] just garbage, and

[41:46] now it's just not

[41:47] in very good condition

[41:48] . Also, our

[41:51] fire stations

[41:52] have simulators, but

[41:54] I don't know how much of

[41:55] it has been purchased, and

[41:56] how much...sorry, I'm

[41:57] looking at our

[41:58] firefighters in the

[41:59] back row and

[42:00] how much of it

[42:01] has accumulated in the

[42:02] process. Hmm, so

[42:05] hopefully we

[42:06] can give

[42:07] employees

[42:08] the opportunity to

[42:09] train, hmm, to

[42:10] improve their

[42:11] physical fitness

[42:12] for work. Councilor

[42:17] Jones:

[42:19] Yeah, I can't not that

[42:21] I'm not that I'm

[42:25] plugging Planet Fitness,

[42:26] but I go there

[42:27] a few times a

[42:28] week and they just had

[42:30] all their

[42:31] equipment inspected. So

[42:33] I guess

[42:34] a lot of

[42:35] things come from there. They

[42:37] replaced everything, and I

[42:38] mean, I've been working there for

[42:40] years, and

[42:41] before they

[42:42] replaced it, everything was in

[42:43] pretty good

[42:44] shape. Yeah, back then,

[42:46] you know, there were a few

[42:47] weird exercise machines

[42:48] that, you know,

[42:48] needed repairs,

[42:50] but it's not that

[42:51] we don't get

[42:52] junk, you know. That's exactly what it is

[42:58] .

[42:59] Planet Fitness regularly

[43:00] replaces its

[43:01] equipment. So, that's how

[43:05] this conversation started,

[43:06] that they reworked the

[43:08] equipment in Groton,

[43:09] and unfortunately we didn't

[43:10] get it. We didn't know it was

[43:13] happening

[43:15] until they

[43:15] invited us to the

[43:16] grand opening.

[43:19] So, but that's exactly where the

[43:20] conversation started. Yes

[43:26] , Councilor Piazza.

[43:27] Thank you, mayor. I just

[43:29] think it's a great

[43:30] idea, especially if the

[43:31] staff reaches out

[43:32] to us. And I

[43:33] mean, who can

[43:34] fight? Like,

[43:35] health above all else,

[43:37] you know? We

[43:38] don't have healthy people,

[43:39] otherwise we can

[43:40] do our

[43:40] job, you know? I

[43:41] mean, the physical

[43:43] turns into

[43:43] the mental when you

[43:44] do the exercises.

[43:45] So, I think this is a

[43:47] great benefit for

[43:48] employees.

[43:49] Thank you.

[43:49] Hmm. Are

[43:52] there any other

[43:52] questions or

[43:53] comments? Seeing

[43:55] none, I will make a

[43:56] motion to defer

[43:57] this matter to the

[43:58] Mayor and Council on October 5th.

[44:00] So it's included.

[44:01] Second.

[44:01] There is a second proposal.

[44:03] Everyone who is "in favor"?

[44:04] Yes. Yes.

[44:05] Is

[44:06] anyone against it? Are there those who

[44:08] abstained? This

[44:09] was adopted unanimously

[44:10] . Good. Next, um, Graton

[44:14] Sub Vets asked for

[44:15] donations. Hmm,

[44:18] Ron, can you explain

[44:20] that?

[44:21] I will explain.

[44:22] You can explain not just the

[44:27] donation request itself, but

[44:28] where the

[44:29] money comes from.

[44:34] So, in your package of

[44:35] documents was the

[44:36] initial resolution

[44:37] that established

[44:39] donation procedures, um,

[44:40] for this city council

[44:42] , which allocates

[44:43] $5,000 annually for

[44:44] donations to

[44:45] be distributed

[44:46] upon your approval.

[44:49] This can be up to 20% per

[44:50] donation,

[44:51] so the maximum

[44:52] donation can

[44:53] reach thousands of

[44:54] dollars for any

[44:55] one donation.

[44:56] As I said, it is

[44:57] limited to 5,000 per

[44:59] fiscal year. This

[45:01] money, ahem, comes from the

[45:03] community development fund,

[45:06] whose source of income is the

[45:07] C-Max generators. This

[45:09] money goes there,

[45:10] so it's not money that

[45:11] comes from the

[45:11] general fund. This is

[45:12] money that is

[45:13] set aside in a

[45:14] special

[45:15] revenue fund. So that's where the

[45:16] money comes from, and

[45:17] then I, the mayor, can

[45:18] look into this

[45:19] donation request in more detail. And

[45:20] one more quick

[45:21] question before I

[45:22] sit down at your desks, and

[45:23] we can also

[45:23] send this via

[45:24] email.

[45:25] This is the history of all

[45:26] the donations we have

[45:28] made from these funds

[45:30] since 2015. So, you'll

[45:31] see all the

[45:32] organizations we

[45:33] donated to, in

[45:34] dollars, for each year up to the

[45:35] current one. And

[45:36] so far, in 2027, we have

[45:38] only made one

[45:39] donation, and that

[45:40] was for a $

[45:42] 500 bus to the Carter Art Museum

[45:43] . So there are still $4,500 in donations left for the

[45:44] fiscal year

[45:48] .

[45:48] Thank you. So, if

[45:50] you look back,

[45:51] starting in 2019,

[45:53] we gave, um, veterans -

[45:54] Saturday workers, we gave

[45:56] them $300, then

[45:57] again in 2021 we

[45:59] did $500, and then

[46:00] over the last 2

[46:01] years we did

[46:03] $1,000. Um, and

[46:04] actually the

[46:05] donation amount is up

[46:06] to you. Um, the request was

[46:07] made to

[46:08] their

[46:09] Gratitude,

[46:10] Caring, and

[46:11] Sharing Committee. Each year, the

[46:12] Groton

[46:13] Subbotniks

[46:13] host a

[46:15] Thanksgiving dinner at

[46:16] their club for

[46:18] active duty sailors, their

[46:19] friends and family, as well

[46:20] as veterans,

[46:21] rescue workers and

[46:22] others during the holiday. In

[46:23] 2025, they provided

[46:26] over 2,700 meals.

[46:28] Councilor Piazza and I were

[46:29] there in the distribution line.

[46:31] It's just a constant

[46:32] stream of "yes-yes-yes-yes." Um,

[46:34] and how great that it

[46:35] gets to everyone

[46:37] who can't

[46:38] come there, they

[46:39] deliver. Um, they

[46:41] also deliver it to

[46:43] the rescuers and

[46:44] then, um, serve the food right

[46:45] there. Therefore. Are

[46:48] there any

[46:49] discussions about this

[46:50] ? Yes.

[46:52] Well, like I said,

[46:56] $1,000 last

[46:57] year, was that

[46:58] enough to

[46:59] cover

[47:00] food costs, or were we,

[47:02] you know, short,

[47:03] you know?

[47:04] So they get

[47:05] donations from other

[47:06] people besides, um, the

[47:07] city council.

[47:08] The most we

[47:09] can give them is

[47:10] $1,000. You have a choice

[47:12] whether you want to give them something

[47:13] or not. So it's

[47:14] really a council decision.

[47:16] 1000 dollars is a fine.

[47:19] We're doing it again

[47:20] this year, so...

[47:21] Any other comments?

[47:23] Yes.

[47:23] Just a note:

[47:25] I really

[47:25] like it. We

[47:26] do this with my, um,

[47:27] kids and I, and I

[47:29] think it's an

[47:29] amazing thing.

[47:30] And the people who

[47:31] run it are amazing.

[47:34] They are a well-oiled

[47:35] machine. A

[47:36] well-oiled machine,

[47:37] that's true. So

[47:38] if anyone here wants to

[47:39] help, it's you who won't

[47:40] get into chaos. It's a

[47:42] very well-oiled

[47:43] machine and it just

[47:44] moves, moves, and

[47:45] moves, moves, It's a great

[47:48] thing, and then

[47:48] getting ready for

[47:49] dinner, it's really

[47:50] nice. Therefore.

[47:52] I will say that, um, it's not

[47:53] worth completely

[47:54] overshadowing Subvets, but

[47:55] they are also always

[47:56] looking for

[47:58] Thanksgiving desserts. So, if

[47:59] you don't have a free

[48:00] Thanksgiving morning

[48:01] and can't

[48:02] volunteer, you

[48:03] can always donate,

[48:04] um, pies or other

[48:05] Thanksgiving desserts

[48:06] . Um, and they

[48:07] also accept

[48:08] monetary donations for

[48:10] this. So, um, if this is

[48:11] something that anyone in

[48:12] the public

[48:13] is interested in. Any

[48:16] other questions or

[48:17] comments? If you

[48:19] want to do...Oh,

[48:20] yes. I

[48:20] just want to

[48:21] make sure before that that we

[48:22] reach a consensus

[48:23] on the dollar amount

[48:24] because at this

[48:24] point we don't have anything

[48:25] . I know I've heard

[48:26] some numbers, but

[48:27] just to

[48:28] make sure. Is

[48:29] there any other amount

[48:30] you would like? Okay,

[48:33] then I'll ask you

[48:34] to make a donation, um,

[48:36] you'll make a donation.

[48:37] If you want to

[48:38] make, um,

[48:39] an offer.

[48:40] Um, yes, for $1,000.

[48:42] Yes, I will make this

[48:43] suggestion.

[48:44] Bring this up for

[48:45] consideration by the mayor and council on

[48:47] October 5th?

[48:48] So, a suggestion.

[48:49] Second. Do you have any

[48:51] questions or comments?

[48:52] Okay, I see, no.

[48:54] Everyone who is "in favor"? Hmm, yes.

[48:56] Is

[48:57] anyone against it? Is there anyone

[48:58] who abstained?

[48:59] Adopted unanimously

[49:01] . Good. Next on the

[49:05] agenda is the

[49:06] donation we

[49:07] received. So, you

[49:09] accept the donation.

[49:11] Um, we talked about this

[49:13] at the last

[49:14] Committee of the

[49:15] Whole meeting, that we

[49:16] were having a holiday

[49:18] light parade and that

[49:19] we went out, um,

[49:20] to solicit donations from

[49:21] local businesses

[49:23] , and we got

[49:24] $1,000 from Karn's Automotive

[49:25] Sales and Services, and we

[49:26] got a

[49:28] sponsorship in the form of

[49:29] candy and treats.

[49:32] And then we also

[49:33] received a

[49:34] $500 donation

[49:36] from Outer Light Brewing Company. Are there

[49:39] any questions or

[49:40] comments about this

[49:41] ? No, I would like to

[49:48] thank them both

[49:50] . Hmm, that's really

[49:51] great. We are very happy about

[49:53] this. Hmm, this will be our

[49:54] first holiday

[49:55] light parade and

[49:56] tree lighting.

[49:58] So we are happy to do

[49:59] this with the help of our

[50:00] local businesses

[50:02] . Um, no questions or

[50:04] comments, I'll

[50:05] make a motion

[50:06] to move the donation

[50:08] from Karn's Automotive to the

[50:10] October 5th Mayor and Council meeting.

[50:12] So, a suggestion.

[50:14] Second.

[50:15] Everyone who is "in favor".

[50:17] Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Is

[50:22] anyone against it? Are there any

[50:25] abstainers? Mr.

[50:27] Councilor Embosse, I did not

[50:28] receive your

[50:29] vote.

[50:32] Maybe he moved away

[50:34] .

[50:36] Mr. Councilor Emboss?

[50:39] Sorry, I'm in favor.

[50:41] Oh, thank you. And then I

[50:44] make a motion

[50:45] to move the donation

[50:46] from Outer Light Brewing Company to the

[50:49] October 8th Mayor and Council meeting.

[50:51] So, a suggestion. On

[50:52] October 5th, I lied.

[50:54] So, a suggestion.

[50:55] Thank you.

[50:56] Second.

[50:57] There is a second proposal.

[50:58] Everyone who is "in favor".

[50:59] Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Is

[51:03] anyone against it? Are there any

[51:04] abstainers?

[51:05] The proposal was adopted

[51:06] unanimously. Thank you.

[51:08] Um, next up, we have

[51:09] Chief Tompkins,

[51:10] fire

[51:11] truck repair.

[51:22] Good. Good evening

[51:24] .

[51:24] Good evening.

[51:26] Uh, I believe

[51:27] your packages include, um,

[51:28] a list of repairs

[51:30] we need to make

[51:31] to the ladder cart. Um,

[51:35] this is G15. It's probably

[51:37] written here. Uh, every year

[51:38] we do, um,

[51:39] preventive

[51:40] maintenance on our

[51:42] carts. Um, and for a

[51:44] ladder cart, they

[51:45] also check the

[51:47] ladder part of it.

[51:50] Um, during this

[51:51] time they discovered, um,

[51:52] many, um, shortcomings,

[51:54] um, that needed to be

[51:56] fixed. Um, here's a

[51:58] list of various,

[52:02] um, things that

[52:03] needed to be

[52:04] addressed. Um, the reason

[52:05] we packaged this

[52:06] as a single unit, and I'm here

[52:08] before you today, is because

[52:09] it

[52:10] costs over

[52:11] $20,000. And therefore it

[52:12] needs your

[52:13] approval. Um, that's not

[52:16] something we can

[52:17] choose because it's, um, a

[52:19] Pierce ladder cart. And that

[52:22] 's why Firematic is the

[52:23] Pierce dealer in the area. Um

[52:26] , and they, um, are the ones who

[52:27] will do the work.

[52:30] Uh, most of this

[52:31] work here is on the

[52:33] ladder itself. If

[52:34] you look down at the

[52:35] hydraulic cylinders

[52:37] , the pulleys are part of the

[52:38] system that raises

[52:40] the ladder and extends it

[52:41] , etc. So, they would have to

[52:44] do the work. As

[52:46] you can see, that's

[52:48] over $29,000 in total.

[52:50] We have operating

[52:51] funds. The budget includes

[52:54] expenses for

[52:56] truck repairs and maintenance. So,

[52:59] for now, we will

[53:00] use

[53:01] these funds to

[53:02] pay for this. Are there any

[53:04] questions?

[53:07] I'll just repeat, these are

[53:09] essentially budget

[53:10] expenses for repairs.

[53:12] Good. Yeah, that's...

[53:15] out of my

[53:16] budget, but yeah. I have

[53:17] about

[53:18] $50,000 that I've already

[53:19] spent. But

[53:20] last year we

[53:21] were obviously in a

[53:22] difficult position.

[53:25] So, we put off

[53:26] a lot of things that we

[53:27] could have put off, uh

[53:28] , on this budget, and

[53:29] now it's starting to

[53:31] catch up with us. So, but,

[53:33] uh, we're on budget right now

[53:34] , and you

[53:35] know, I'm going to need to

[53:36] save in

[53:37] other places, if anything

[53:38] .

[53:40] We have done most of the

[53:41] preventive

[53:42] maintenance. So

[53:43] now, when something

[53:44] breaks, we have to

[53:46] fix it.

[53:47] So...

[53:48] Okay. Just, uh,

[53:50] wondering how long it

[53:51] will take to

[53:52] repair? How long

[53:54] will it be out of

[53:55] service?

[53:57] Uh, I don't really know.

[54:00] We...we'll plan it

[54:01] ...Hopefully, we'll,

[54:02] you know, go through this

[54:04] process...Uh, we'll

[54:05] plan it. They'll, uh

[54:06] , gather the materials

[54:07] and everything so that when

[54:09] we get it there,

[54:10] it takes as

[54:11] little time as possible. We will be

[54:13] on schedule. They'll have

[54:14] everything they need, and

[54:16] they'll, uh, and they'll

[54:17] do the repairs. But

[54:18] , I think, a week. But

[54:21] it happens, uh,

[54:22] regularly for us and

[54:23] for our

[54:25] mutual aid partners. So,

[54:27] we have

[54:27] mutual aid, and we

[54:28] will call

[54:29] them as needed.

[54:30] That was my question

[54:31] . I'm sure there's a

[54:32] backup plan, who do

[54:33] you know...

[54:34] Yeah. We don't have a

[54:35] backup engine, uh

[54:36] , ladder, but we would

[54:37] call Beacon Bridge

[54:38] or New

[54:39] London Mystic Subbase. Yes.

[54:40] We have...We have

[54:41] contingencies that we

[54:42] take advantage of

[54:43] all the time.

[54:43] Good. Good. Thank you.

[54:45] Councilor Piazza.

[54:47] So, this does not currently

[54:48] disable the ladder truck

[54:49] . Right?

[54:51] The ladder is working.

[54:53] She was taken up for

[54:53] preventive

[54:54] maintenance. These are

[54:56] the drawbacks, and, uh, it's

[54:58] working now.

[55:00] Good. Thank you. Anyone else

[55:05] ? Good. Seeing no

[55:10] other issues, I make a

[55:11] motion to move

[55:12] this to the

[55:13] October 5th Mayor and Council meeting. So,

[55:14] it's done. Second.

[55:16] Friend's suggestion. Who is

[55:17] for it?

[55:18] Yes. Yes. Is

[55:19] anyone against it? Did anyone

[55:21] abstain? Adopted

[55:22] unanimously.

[55:23] Next step. Um, we're

[55:25] bringing you an update

[55:26] on the

[55:27] West

[55:28] Pleasant Valley Fire District. You are here.

[55:33] Um, so, as you guys

[55:34] know, we passed

[55:36] an ordinance

[55:37] establishing

[55:38] fire

[55:39] marshal meetings in the city of

[55:40] Groton. The next

[55:43] step was

[55:44] to talk to West

[55:45] Pleasant Valley,

[55:46] as we provide

[55:47] fire services and

[55:48] fire

[55:49] marshal services for West

[55:50] Pleasant Valley.

[55:53] Chief Tompkins,

[55:54] Director Juhasz, and I

[55:56] met with the

[55:58] West Pleasant

[55:59] Valley Fire District Board of Directors. They were

[56:04] satisfied with our

[56:05] demands and

[56:06] signed the agreement. It

[56:10] stated

[56:12] August 26, 2026. It's

[56:15] in your package. Is there

[56:18] anything else? So basically,

[56:22] when someone in West

[56:23] Pleasant Valley

[56:24] goes to the

[56:26] city's building department, they're told

[56:27] that they also

[56:28] need to go

[56:29] to the

[56:30] city's building department, and they

[56:31] can pay, they'll

[56:32] eventually be able to

[56:33] pay them right

[56:34] online. Currently, online

[56:38] services are still

[56:38] being refined, but

[56:40] they can

[56:40] calculate how much you

[56:41] will need to

[56:42] pay. Did I

[56:45] miss something? Good.

[56:50] Any. Yes, Counselor

[56:52] Weiss.

[56:54] Thank you, Madam Mayor, and I

[56:56] will say it again. Thank you

[56:57] , Madam Mayor. Thank you,

[56:59] Chief Tompkins,

[57:01] you know, you eradicated

[57:02] it. This is something that

[57:08] our

[57:09] public

[57:10] safety and

[57:10] public works committee has been working on in

[57:11] another area to

[57:12] try to improve

[57:14] our fire protection

[57:15] and bring in more full-

[57:16] time

[57:16] employees, and we

[57:18] were trying to find a

[57:19] source of revenue that

[57:20] we didn't really

[57:21] have. We haven't

[57:26] used it before. And I'm

[57:28] grateful to you guys

[57:29] for all of this hard

[57:30] work, and to the

[57:31] committee members for

[57:32] having these

[57:33] discussions to

[57:34] try to get to

[57:36] this point. Hmm, that

[57:41] includes not only the

[57:42] West

[57:43] Pleasant Valley Fire District, but also the

[57:44] new developments at Fairview

[57:46] Homes, right?

[57:51] Yes, any permits

[57:52] currently coming in

[57:54] West Pleasant Valley,

[57:55] including Fairview,

[57:56] will be subject

[57:57] to fees.

[57:59] Right. And again

[58:03] , I

[58:04] support this 110%. Um, you

[58:11] know, you guys, you

[58:12] and your deputy

[58:13] chief, you've

[58:16] worked hard over the years to

[58:17] make sure that

[58:19] any buildings that

[58:20] are built or

[58:21] renovated

[58:22] meet the

[58:22] fire

[58:24] safety parameters of the city of Groton.

[58:29] Hmm, and ensured that

[58:32] they were safe

[58:33] and secure. And I'm

[58:36] grateful that you guys are

[58:37] now getting a

[58:38] source of income for the

[58:39] hard work that you

[58:40] do, based on the

[58:43] Connecticut General Statutes, which we

[58:44] determined were, you

[58:49] know, designed to ensure that

[58:50] you

[58:51] get these

[58:52] sources of income for the

[58:53] work that you

[58:54] do. So,

[58:55] thank you for that. I

[58:56] appreciate it.

[58:59] Are there any other questions

[59:01] or comments? Again

[59:03] , this is just

[59:03] informational

[59:04] material, so we don't

[59:05] need to

[59:06] transfer anything. We just

[59:07] wanted to make sure

[59:08] you know that this

[59:09] matter has been finally

[59:10] agreed upon and that we are

[59:11] moving forward. Oh

[59:13] Councilor Mbuwa.

[59:15] Sorry. I I I I just a

[59:16] quick

[59:17] follow-up question. Hmm

[59:18] , do we need to

[59:19] hold a public

[59:20] hearing on this

[59:21] , or will this

[59:22] be

[59:23] brought up at our

[59:24] next, uh,

[59:25] mayor and

[59:26] council meeting and then we'll

[59:27] just approve it

[59:28] and then it'll be

[59:29] passed.

[59:30] He doesn't need to be

[59:31] approved by anyone on the

[59:32] council because he's approved by the

[59:33] West

[59:34] Pleasant Valley Fire District, er,

[59:35] West Pleasant Valley.

[59:41] So it's not

[59:41] brought before

[59:42] the mayor and then before the

[59:43] council. Good.

[59:47] Right. Seeing this,

[59:50] um, I make a

[59:51] motion to

[59:52] go into closed

[59:54] session pursuant

[59:55] to Connecticut General

[59:56] Statutes

[59:56] 1-206 a,

[59:58] regarding personnel and

[59:59] appointments for the

[1:00:00] fire department,

[1:00:01] including the council, the mayor,

[1:00:03] um, Chief

[1:00:04] Tompkins, Michael

[1:00:05] Page, and Richard

[1:00:06] Russo.

[1:00:09] So it is proposed.

[1:00:10] Second.

[1:00:11] Proposal and second.

[1:00:14] Everyone who is "in favor".

[1:00:15] Yes.

[1:00:16] Okay, we're in

[1:00:17] closed session.

[1:00:18] It is 7:05.

[1:00:20] Uh, Madam Mayor, I won't be

[1:00:22] able to attend

[1:00:23] because I have someone

[1:00:24] delivering documents.

[1:00:26] So I'll leave it to you

[1:00:29] , if you have the

[1:00:30] quorum. If not, then

[1:00:32] I have a quorum. I have a

[1:00:33] quorum. Everything is fine.

[1:00:35] So, Councilor Amboise

[1:00:36] leaves the meeting at

[1:00:37] 6:05, and there's nothing, well, there

[1:00:39] will be something from the closed

[1:00:40] session, but that's

[1:00:41] okay. We have a

[1:00:42] quorum.

[1:00:43] Thank you, Madam Mayor.

[1:00:44] Thank you.

[1:00:45] Good night.

[1:00:46] We

[1:00:49] need to wait a

[1:00:50] minute. We

[1:00:52] need to wait a

[1:00:53] minute. We're still on

[1:00:54] ...Can we

[1:00:55] do this? Um, we'll

[1:00:56] do them separately.

[1:00:57] Recording stopped.

[1:00:58] We will make them. Oh, do

[1:01:00] we need to

[1:01:01] go in and out

[1:01:02] if we...

[1:01:03] Yes, I suppose so.

[1:01:06] Oh, okay. Remind

[1:01:09] me. Hmm,

[1:01:10] I don't know if it's

[1:01:11] necessary.

[1:04:05] Thank you for noticing this. It's

[1:04:10] a shame I didn't

[1:04:11] notice either.

[1:04:15] Recording is in progress.

[1:04:16] Okay, we're back

[1:04:18] at 7:09. I'm going to, um, move to

[1:04:21] overturn

[1:04:21] the motion that's currently under

[1:04:23] consideration to go into

[1:04:24] closed

[1:04:25] session because we

[1:04:26] added both people

[1:04:28] together. So if you

[1:04:29] can, um, if the

[1:04:30] deputy mayor, if

[1:04:31] you agree to withdraw

[1:04:33] your proposal.

[1:04:34] Yes.

[1:04:35] And Councilor Piazza, if

[1:04:36] you agree to rescind

[1:04:38] your second

[1:04:38] offer.

[1:04:39] Hooray.

[1:04:39] Good. Um, so this

[1:04:41] proposal has been canceled

[1:04:42] . So I'll take

[1:04:43] the offer. Let's

[1:04:44] try this a second time.

[1:04:46] I make a motion

[1:04:47] to go into

[1:04:48] closed session

[1:04:49] pursuant to

[1:04:51] Connecticut General Statutes 1-206 a,

[1:04:52] personnel appointments,

[1:04:54] fire department,

[1:04:55] including mayor, council, chief

[1:04:57] Tompkins, and Michael

[1:04:58] Page.

[1:04:59] So, it is proposed.

[1:05:01] Secondly.

[1:05:01] There is a proposal and a friend

[1:05:03] . Everyone who is "in favor"?

[1:05:04] Yes. Yes.

[1:05:05] Is

[1:05:05] anyone against it? Are there any

[1:05:06] abstainers? 7:10.

[1:05:09] We are now moving into

[1:05:10] closed session. Just

[1:05:11] a moment until we

[1:05:12] get out of the cell.

[1:05:15] Recording stopped.

[1:09:04] Mhm.

[1:10:59] Good.

[1:11:27] Okay, we left the

[1:11:28] closed session

[1:11:30] at 7:16. I make

[1:11:31] a motion to

[1:11:33] move to a closed

[1:11:34] session pursuant

[1:11:35] to CGS 1-206 a, personnel

[1:11:36] appointments and

[1:11:37] appointments for the

[1:11:39] fire department,

[1:11:40] including the Mayor,

[1:11:41] Council Chief

[1:11:42] Tompkins, and Richard

[1:11:43] Russo.

[1:11:44] So, it is proposed.

[1:11:46] Secondly.

[1:11:46] This is a proposal and a

[1:11:47] friend. Have questions or

[1:11:49] comments? No, everyone

[1:11:51] who is "in favor"?

[1:11:52] Yes.

[1:11:53] Is

[1:11:54] anyone against it? Are there any

[1:11:55] abstainers?

[1:11:56] Unanimously. We'll

[1:11:57] return to

[1:11:59] closed session

[1:12:00] at 7:16, 7:17, sorry.

[1:16:44] Ahem.

[1:18:35] Good. It is 7:23, and the

[1:18:37] closed session

[1:18:39] is over. Um, I will make

[1:18:43] a motion to

[1:18:44] submit to the mayor and

[1:18:46] council on October 5th

[1:18:47] a motion to

[1:18:48] appoint Michael

[1:18:49] Page as fire chief.

[1:18:51] So it is

[1:18:53] proposed.

[1:18:55] Secondly.

[1:18:55] This is a proposal and a

[1:18:56] friend. Have questions or

[1:18:58] comments? Everyone who is "

[1:18:59] for"?

[1:19:00] Yes. Yes.

[1:19:02] Are there any objections? Are there any

[1:19:04] abstainers? Seeing

[1:19:07] that there is none, it is carried

[1:19:09] unanimously, and I will

[1:19:10] make a motion

[1:19:11] to appoint, um,

[1:19:12] Richard Russo as

[1:19:13] fire chief at the

[1:19:15] October 5th meeting of the mayor and council.

[1:19:18] So it is proposed.

[1:19:20] Secondly.

[1:19:20] There is a proposal and a friend

[1:19:22] . Have questions or

[1:19:23] comments? Everyone who is "

[1:19:24] for"?

[1:19:25] Yes.

[1:19:27] Are there any objections? Are there any

[1:19:28] abstainers? Seeing

[1:19:30] that there is none, it is adopted

[1:19:31] unanimously. I will make

[1:19:32] a motion to

[1:19:33] postpone the

[1:19:34] meeting.

[1:19:34] I will make a motion to

[1:19:35] postpone the

[1:19:36] meeting.

[1:19:36] Second.

[1:19:37] Everyone who is "in favor"?

[1:19:38] Yes.

[1:19:39] The meeting

[1:19:40] has been postponed.

[1:19:41] Thank you very much.

[1:19:42] Thank you.

City of Groton Committee of the Whole - 9/28/26

Transcript