Common Council MTG 9/08/09

Attending: Potts, Serasis, Brown, Duleep, Lindstrom, Hilliard, Geake, Moccia, Maslan, Bolden, Bondi, Straniti, Conroy, Bonenfant,� Kydes, McQuaid

A moment of silence for Kendall Turek who passed away last week.

Public Participation:

Andrew Pforzhiemer: Owner of Barcelona, speaks about downtown restaurant business in SoNo, and speaks in favor of the SoNo Hotel because of the decline of daytime business.

M???? : And Company owner supporting FD Rich venture. Says he’s been on Washington Street 22 years.

Resignations & Appointments:

Paul Cifatte appointed to the Oak Hills Authority unanimously voted. (replaces Arthur Goldblatt)

Moccia speaks about Goldblatt’s contributions to the authority and has been term limited out.

Craig Pattengill � Fair Rent Commission Alternate, voted unanimously.

Moccia accepts the resignation of John Hamlin from ZBA:

Mayors Remarks:

Moccia: Last week the final document and Doug Peoples owns the second house at Fodor Farm. Thanks everyone involved on this project from Parks & Rec to the Historic Commission. Says that Norwalk was awarded $500k grant for mentoring and gang intervention, that the grant will provide 60 children a year, after school and mentoring programs at the YMCA. Thanks Katherine Pytleski and the Y and Brenda Penn Williams for their hard work on it.

Council President remarks:

Bolden: Reads the Consent Calendar.

First Item is on purchase of 100 Desktop computers.

Brown: Asks staff if the list of the schools for where these computers are going. David Hopp explains that they are replacing computers that are coming off warranty.

Brown: Asks why the computers need to be purchased right now.

David Hopp: They know that they have Dell computers falling out of warranty.

Brown:� Asks about what computers are working or not.

David Hopp : Says that they are still working are still used, but thers are broken for parts.

There’s more discussion about this, basically the staff person can’t identify where these computers are being replaced and Brown is following up on why he doesn’t know where these computers are going.

Conroy: Gets feeling that they are creating ad hoc reports. Asks why there isn’t a property database, where the machine was purchased, what the status of its warranty is and

David xxx: The database they had was never properly updated. Says they are trying to rebuild it. What they have is purchase lists they bought.

Conroy: Does the database exists.

David Hopp: Says they created an Access Database.

Bondi: Confirms that there is no inventory of every computer in the schools.

David Hopp: They have a list but its not updated.

Bondi: Says how can we operate without knowing where these computers are, if they are broken etc.

David Hopp:� Tap dances on why he can’t provide the information.

McQuaid: Says that David is new on board, that Ralph has left and the people before never did the work. Says that information wasn’t available before. Says that David is working hard, and that in the past someone from Oxford would recommend �where there were parts and computers would be purchased on that.

Brown: Says she appreciates that David is new, but that he had mentioned that he said there he had some idea where they were going. She is concerned that the computers all don’t go to the same school.

David Hopp: Explains that the computers will go to where the older computers are is elementary schools and that they will spread out.

They vote unanimously.

The next item is on laptops.

Brown: Asked if this is the same deal as the desktops.

David Hopp: Said yes, but mostly it is administrators who have laptops and teachers. But they will be going to replace laptops that are falling apart.

Hemptstead: Thinks it would be appropriate that when the capital budget rolls around that there is a list of computers and that now the IT committee signs off on purchase requests where that hasn’t happened before.

Kydes: Asks about software asset management system.

David Hopp: Says that Microsoft licensing is somewhat different but that they are tracking in asset inventory.

Kydes: Says that these computers are really for break/fix issues and that he can’t tell where the computers will break, that this is a stockpile to replace computers that break.

Potts: Asks about whether they are purchased in bulk or as needed.
David Hopp: Sasy it makes more sense to buy in bulk to speed

Potts: Asks about how many need to be replaced in a year.

David Hopp: Says in the past 2 years 1200 computers were put in. No plans for this year to do bog deployments.

Brown: What is the general number of computers they have replaced in a given year.

David Hopp: Says it a hard number to give her. Says that they replaced a lot of whitebox computers but doesn’t know the exact number. Says that he would not leave unused computers in storage that they would be rolled out.

Brown:� Asks about a plan being in place to determine a roll out of computer replacement.

David Hopp: Hasn’t planned that now, but� describes the process they are going through.

Next item wiring installation of wiring for the Cisco phone system at Briggs

Brown: Asks about 24 actual phones that need to be replaced, why is it $12,968.

David Hopp: It’s cat-5 wiring.

They vote unanimously

They next item is the Cisco phone system for $70,367.33

David Hopp: Says that all the gear in the building needs to be replaced including switching and phone systems.

Brown: Asks how long it will take.

David Hopp: It will be done on a weekend and on one day.

Potts: If you were going to design a phone system for a school system would this be it.

David Hopp: Yes.

There’s some discussion on the “good answer” of saying yes.

They voted unanimously.

Next item is on the City Hall Cupola repair project.

Brown: Asks about the cost of the repainting being $131k. Is it a must do repair.

Loh: The cupola was last painted 10 years ago, and that there is a lot of water damage. Thinks it was important enough to stop the destruction. Goes into details.

They voted unanimously.

Next up the installation of playgrounds at Naramake and Rowayton Schools.

McQuaid recuses himself.

An explanation was needed and didn’t come through the committee. Says that the item originally was 70k but Mike Mocciae they could do it in house for less. Says that the parents knew of this.

They vote unanimously.

McQuaid returns

Next item is the Tiger Grant

Nick Kydes recuses himself

Bonenfant: Asks about the project for what the grant is funding.

Sheehan: Asks Munro Johnson to join him.

Bonenfant: Asks about the angling the parking spaces and aks if it will be one way.

Sheehan: The intent is to keep it two ways. They have been working with DPW and the Transit District to improve the safety of the area near Belden.

Bonefant: Asks about the automated parking garage monthly fee going form $45 to $145

They all look for the reference.

Sheehan: Says that is incorrect.

They find it on page 15. They figure it out that it is the number of permits is 145.

Hempstead: The rates that are being charged are competitive with the Parking Authority.

Bondi: Asks about the traffic merging on Belden.

Sheehan: Says the turn will be allowed but that the merge that currently happens will not happen.

They discuss it further in detail.

Lindstrom: Is glad that something is being done and that there’s been a public hearing.

Sheehan: Business community was concerned about loss of parking.. There is a net increase of 4-5 spaces.

Moccia: Said there was 2 public hearings and that it was primarily businesses who spoke.

Lindstrom: Asked if there were public information meetings when the plan is going through final approval.

Sheehan: Says they have a long way to go.

Serasis: Asks about parking that is angled away and if that means parkers have to back in. Says that it is difficult to back in now and that it looks like with will be chaos.

Johnson: Says that the configuration was vetted extensively by DPW staff. That this is the safest configuration for on street parking. Why it is because the it is half of the parallel parking maneuver. When you pull out you are going forward. For families with children, getting out of the car the doors shield the children from getting out of the car.

Serasis: Our DPW did the study?

Johnson: They compiled reports, there is no back in angled parking.

Serasis: Asks about traffic speed reductions because people won’t allow the space to back in.

Sheehan: Says that this is DPWs plan, not RDAs plan.

Moccia: Says that the problem exists now when cars are pulled up behind. Says that businesses thought this was a good idea. Reminds them that they are voting on the grant not the plan.

Serasis: Says he wasn’t finished.

There’s some discussion of what a U-turn when going into a parking space versus going in the other direction.

Moccia: Says that they are going off track.

Bolden: Says that the grant is RDA and the plan is DPW. Moves the item for a vote.

Brown: Asks about the attachments about the Tiger grant.

Sheehan: Says that there’s more work to be done to address the concerns that Serasis has.

Brown: Confirms that changes can be made,

Sheehan: None of these are defined improvements, they are preliminary plans to go with the grant.

Hempstead: Says that the grant is $7 million not painting stripes on Wall Street was in the packet.

They vote, everyone is for it except Serasis abstains.

The next items up the change to section 1b amendment 3.

Hempstead: Asks for explanation.

Sheehan: Says that there is a statuary requirements that says that amendments to master plan and that the RDA should undertake those actions before bringing the amendments to the planning committee. Said that Hempstead was concerned. They could just fall back on the statuary regulations.

Jack Burrit: Says that they failed to communicate what they wanted to. Section 8-136 talks about modifications to urban renewal plans. There are specific requirements to a substantial plan. It says that that significant changes must go through the same process as the original adoption of the plan. That would include the planning commission, the planning committee public hearings etc. What they said Thursday night, was that if only design review was instigated, that a change of what was being built because the change was due to economic reaspns that was shown that it couldn’t be built, then the RDA would consult with other parties to determine on what new construction would be required, then it would go through the entire process that was a statuary requirement.

Hempstead: Explains his concerns and asks Maslan if the language is okay.

Maslan: Says that he looked at it and thought it was a minor change. Says they are going about this improperly. Says whether RDA goes to other boards first or not, is irrelevant because his view is that it is a minor change (cites caselaw) and that it should

Hempstead: Asks should they be doing it this way?

Maslan: Repeats that it is a minor change.

There’s some discussion about the language and it seems there’s confusion about major and minor changes and what the review process is. Burritt attempts to explain what is a major or minor change in the context of this amendment. Says that the use is changed (adding a Hotel) and the height is changed.

Sheehan: The change of height and use are a major change and that the RDA has gone through the process. Other bodies have reviewed it and so it doesn’t have to go back through the process again.

Hempstead: Admits that some committee members want to hit him the head.

Sheehan: Explains that the this provision will run with this plan, but not across all other urban renewal plans. The exception will have to be noted and that an additional process needs to be gone through.

They vote unanimously

They now go to the approval of the change to South Main Street urban renewal plan (otherwise known as adding the SoNo Hotel)

Hempstead: Concerned with the height of the building. Says that the doesn’t like the height of the building. Says he will probably support it but is still concerned.

Hilliard: Says that with these economic times, that the business owners want it.

Brown: Really glad to hear that Hempstead is supporting the project. Brown said she spoke to business owners because they want the economic activity. Says its important to inject life in that area.

Bondi: Says he looked at Broad and Summer in Stamford and the Marriott. Says it’s the highest grossing Marriott. That it complements the area its in and hopes that the SoNo Hotel does the same.

Potts: Says that it will be a tremendous new asset to the area.

Serasis: Said the plans are beautiful, and said that the lack of lodging prevented him from opening a restaurant in the area. Said it will add jobs down there.

Bonenfat: Says he was concerned about the height, but everyone he talked to loved the project.

Moccia: Says that it will bring jobs and tourists to SoNo and that the Stamford site was a great example of putting a hotel on a small site.

They take a recess of 5 minutes and then plan to go to executive session.

They come back at 10:35 and no action was taken.

They move to approve the offer to accept the resolution to approve the term sheet.

McQuaid: Asks for 2 minute recess

Brown: Thinks it a good idea.

The reason for recess was so that McQuaid could get Brown pretzels. McQuaid returns with a package and gives to Brown.

THe do a roll call vote on the resolution to approve a term sheet for the aquisition of the Globe Theater.

Bondi Y

Brown P then Y

Geake Y

McQuaid Y

Deullep Y

Bonenfant Y

Serasis Y

Bolden Y

Hilliard Y

Lindstrom Y

Hempstead Y

Straniti Y

Potts Y

They adjourn.