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MINUTESOFTHETOWNCOUNCILMEETINGOFTHETOWNOFSOUTHINGTON

July14, 2014

TheTownCounciloftheTownofSouthingtonheldregularmeetingonMonday, July14, 2014attheMunicipalCenterAssemblyRoom, 196MainStreet, Southington, CT. MichaelA. Riccio, Chairman, calledtheregularmeetingtoorderat7:00o'clock, p.m.

ThefollowingCouncilpersonswerepresent, viz:

JohnN. Barry* CherylLounsburyChristopherJ. Palmieri TomLombardiStephanieA. Urillo VictoriaTrianoPaulW. Champagne DawnA. Miceli

MichaelA. Riccio, Chair

Ex-officiomemberspresentwereasfollows, viz:

MarkJ. Sciota, DeputyTownManager/TownAttorneyGarryBrumback, TownManager

Aquorumwasdetermined.

Arrivedat7:06pm.

AprayerwasrecitedbyDawnMiceli, Councilwoman.

ThePledgeofAllegiancewasrecitedbyeveryoneinattendance.

Therewereapproximately35otherpersonsinattendance

MICHAELA. RICCIO, Chairman, Presiding:

II. MINUTES

Dr. Urillomadeamotiontoapproveaspresented. Ms. Trianoseconded. MotionpassedonamajorityvoicevotewithMs. MiceliandMr. Palmieriabstaining.

III. COUNCILMANICCOMMUNICATIONS

A. PresentationtoGirlsSoftballTeam – StateChampions

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Mr. LombardireadaProclamationtotheGirlsSoftballTeam. Everyonecongratulatedthegirlsontheiraccomplishment.

Attachment #1

Applause, applause)

Mr. Barryarrivedatthemeeting.)

B. DesignationofVeteran’sServiceCommittee

Mr. Brumbackadvisedthetowndesignatedacommitteeandliaisonandsupportforcommunityveterans. Volunteerswereeverywhere. WenarroweditdowntoRachelWache, BobKlezun, JohnDeMello, Sr., JoeDellaPorta, E. RichardFortunato, IginoTorroneandIamheretosupportthem. Itissolelyforthepurposeofprovidinginformationandsupporttobothveteransthatarereturningandthenthosethatarehere. WeareaskingthatyoudesignatethiscommitteeastheVeteran’sCommittee.

Itwasaconsensusinwholebythecommissiontosupportthis.

Dr. UrilloreportedthatthisWednesdaynightthePlainvilleSouthingtonRegionalHealthDistrictinvitesthepublictoattendanopenhouseonpublichealthinourcommunity. Itisgoingtobeheld

thrightherettheMunicipalCenter, Wednesday, July16 from5:00pmto7:00pm. Itisaninformationalpresentationonwhatispublichealth. Whatisleadinpublichealthandhowitworksandwhatthepubliccangainfromitandeveryoneisinvited.

Ms. MicelireportedwithregardtotheSouthingtonDriveIn, wehavegarneredsomuchpresencethisyear. Weareveryexcited. WewerefeaturedinYankeeMagazinewhichisveryexcitingforourcommunity. Also, inConnecticutParentMagazine. Ourdriveinisdoingfabulous. Wehad400carstherethisweekendandathousandwalkin. Lotofinterestingscuttlebuttontheinternet. Itisgreatfortheeconomyofourcommunityandforourresidents.

Secondly, theChamberofCommercehelditsannualwalkthruofourdowntownareaacoupleofweeksago. Iwantedtogiveashoutouttoourtownmanagerandourpublicandparksdepartmentmembersbecauseafterthatwalkthrutherehavebeenseveralthingsthathavegoneondowntown. Alotofweedsdowntherehavebeensprayedandtrimmed. Thereweresomeissuesonthesidewalkswithplywoodonthesidewalkthathavebeentakencareof. Alotofgoodstuffhappeningasaresultofthewalkthru.

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SheaskedthetownmanagerforanupdateofourPhaseIDowntownRehabstartinghopefullythissummerwiththemoneyapprovedinthe

stJuly1 budget.

Mr. Brumbackreportedthecouncilapproved $25,000expresslytostartanEightPhaseProjectofkindofarefurbishingofdowntown. Itis10to12yearsoldandisinneedofsomework. Thatincludesthestreet, furniture, lightpoles, bricks, granitecurbing, etcetera. WehaveaRFPthatwillbeadvertisedtomorrowandweexpectitbackinabouttwoweeks. TheworkshouldbestartingbythefirstweekorsoinAugust. This $25,000isthefirstofwhatweexpecttobeeight. Wewilladvertisethissothatwedoitasarenewableifthequalityoftheproductisgoodandwedoitforthenextfewyearswecanjustrenewtheproposalsowedon’thavetogothroughtheadvertising. Wehadtowaitasthemoneywasn’tavailableuntilJuly

st1. Thisisthefirstiteration. Itisagoodboosttodowntown.

Ms.Micelialsonotedsomechippedpaintonthelamppoles. Someoftheparkbenchesalsohadpaintchippingsandbrokenlegs. Justlittleoddsandends. Itisimportanttothehealthandwellbeingofourdowntownareaforeconomicpurposesandaestheticpurposes.

Also, Iwouldliketomentionourongoingvandalismcampaign. We’vebeenworkingonthisseveralmonths. Wearenowworkingonaposterorflyerthatwillbesentouttobusinesses/residentsandputuparoundtimeremindingpeoplewehaveananonymoustiplinetocall: 860-276-1234.

Ms. TrianosaidshewantedtobethefirstonetocongratulateGenoAuriemmaformakingaverywisechoice. WewelcomehimwithopenarmstoSouthington. Welcome, CoachAuriemma, toSouthington!

Ms. LounsburywantedtosaythanktoourownMaryBakerwhoseprojectthebridgewas. SheworksfortheDOTandthatwasherproject. ItwentflawlesslyandwealwaysknowMaryisexceptional, butsheproveditagainandagainwiththisproject. Congratulations, Mary. WearegladyouliveinSouthington!

Mr. Barryfolloweduponarequestmadelastmeetingconcerningthehospital. AttorneySciotasaidwearecheckingintothatwiththeprobatecourt. TheJudgeisreviewingthatmatter. Hereviewsiteveryyear, theTrust. Obviously, theyarefollowingtheTrustastherehavebeennoviolations. IwillgetacopyoftheTrustouttoyouassoonasIreceiveit.

Discussion.

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IV. ReportofSpecialCommittees

Mr. Champagnesaidthepublicworkscommitteedidnothaveameeting. ButwedoagainwanttothankourtownandstateofficialsfortheI-84bridgereplacementfromeveryendofit. AwordweuseattheYMCA: Awesomejob! Theydidanawesomejob. Thetrafficwasflowing. Theyusedthetermlikerippingoffaband-aidinsteadofathreeyearproject. That’sexactlywhatitwas. Theweathercooperated. Againagreatjobforeveryoneinvolvedinthatproject.

V. TownManager’sReportandCommunications

A. NutmegNetworkGrant ($24,100)

We’dliketoacceptthegrantfortheNutmegNetworkGrant. ItistheGovernor’sinitiative. Itallowsmunicipalitiestoconnecttothestateinternetnetwork. Ithasbeenofferedinschools, librariesandemergencyservices. It’sexpandednowformunicipalities. Thecosttohookupisabout $24,100andthathappenstobethegrantamountsothereshouldn’tbeanyoutofpocketexpensestothetown. We’regoingtorecommendyouacceptthatgrant.

B. Resolution: DOTMasterAgreementforRightofWayprojects

ThisistheannualresolutionthatDOTasksustosigntopartnerwiththeminworkingonrightsofway. Thisismunicipalmasteragreementforhighwayprojects. Thatisanannualthingwe’reaskingyoutoapprove.

C. Resolution: CalendarhouseDOTSection5310Grant

ThisisagrantforaDial-A-Ridebus. It’sabout $53,000andwesorelyneedthatbus. TheDOTisaskingyoutoresolveandallowmetosignthepaperwork.

D. Resolution: BRRFOCLegalIssue

Wehandlewasteintwoparts: municipalsolidwastewhichisa20yearagreementwithCovantainBristolandthentherecyclingpiecehastraditionallybeendownwithMurphyRoadRecyclingServices. InthispastcontractthatweenteredintowithCovantawasthattheywouldhaveafirstrightofrefusaltodotherecyclingservices. Sothecollectionoffourteentownsthatmakesuptheoperatingcommitteewhenoutforproposalsandwegotonebid --- thatwasMurphyRoad.

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CovantahadanopportunitytosubmitbasedonthefirstrightofrefusalandtheydidbutitwasdeemednotasadvantageousasMurphyRoad, sowerejectedthat.

NowCovantaisappealing. WhatweareaskinginthisresolutionthatwealongwiththeothertownscollectivelydefendagainstCovanta’sappeal. ThisistobeborneoutofthereservescurrentlyattheBRRFOC, sowearejustparticipatingwiththeothertownstodefendagainstCovanta’sappealoftheirfirstrightofrefusal.

LaterinthemeetingyouwillseewhereweaskyoutoapprovethecontractwithMurphyRoad.

E. PerformanceContractingIncentives

Thisisreallygoodnewswearegoingtoaskyoutoaccept. Weoriginallytalkedabouttheperformancecontractingprocess. Wetoldyoutherewereincentivesattachedtothat, CL&PandYankeeGas. Theincentiveswouldbeusedtodefraysomeofthecostsassociatedwiththeprojectswewereundertaking. Originally, weestimatedweweregoingtogetabout $860,000worthofincentivescombined.

Afterthefinaltallycamein, weendedupgettingapproximately1.337millioninincentives. Halfamillionmorethananticipated.

Goodnewsandweaskyoutoacceptthoseincentives.

Mr. Barrystatedinthelastcouncilhereceivedcommunicationaboutpublicaccessandcommunicationandtheysaidtheyweren’thavingaccesstothruAT&Ttothetownmeetings, etcetera, andIthoughtthatwasallset. Mr. Brumbackthoughtthatwasresolvedacoupleofmonthsago.

TheTownClerknotedapressreleasethatannouncedthatwiththeinstructionsonhowtoaccessthemeetings. AnyonewithquestionscouldcontacttheTownClerk’sOfficeforguidanceandinformation.

VI. TownAttorney’sReport

A. ContactwithMurphyroadRecycling, LLC

AttorneySciotanotedthisisacontractwithMurphyRoadweareaskingyoutoenterinto. It’snotnew. We’vebeenwithMurphyRoadforthelast20-oddyears. Thisparticularoneisforfiveyearswith

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amutualoptionforanotherfiveyears. Stillnochargetothecarriersasformanyyears, butthereisasmallkickertothemunicipalities, $9. Wesendabout2,000tonsperyearsoifyoudothemathit’salittleshyof $30,000comingbacktothemunicipality. Itisstable, theydoanicejob, we’reusedtogoingthere. We’rejoiningwiththeothertownsandwewillbewithMurphyRoadforanotherfiveyears.

B. MOUbetweenSCCAandtheTownofSouthington

About18monthsagoweenteredintoaMemorandumofUnderstandingwiththeSCCA. Ihadtheopportunitytomeetwiththemlastweek, togoovertheirpresentationtonight. Asyouknow, withtheMOU, theywereobligatedtodoseveralthings. Mr. Florian, whoisgoingtobethebuilder, ishere. IdoknowthatMaryandDaveareheretodothepresentationandMindyishere, also.

ShealsonotedaproposalreceivedfromFlorianPropertiesandthatwasexactlywhatwewanted. Weknowheissomeonewecanrelyuponandhehasdoneseveralprojectslikethisthatarethesamesquarefootage, etcetera, elevatorandrenovationallthroughthedowntownarea. Aperfectpartnership.

Discussion.

Sheexplainedthefiguresasnotedinthedocumentationsubmitted. Attachment #2

Ms. LounsburycongratulatedMaryonagreatjobdone.

Applause, applause)

Youwentaboveandbeyondwiththesupportinthecommunitywhichisoutstanding. Wearelookingforwardtothenextstageandseeingithappen.

Applause)

Thankyou, Mat, forsigningup. We’reproudofyou, too.

Mr. Lombardifeltitwasimportantforthepublictoknowthatthetownattorneyhadreviewedthedocumentationandthenumberswerethere.

Ms. MicelicommentedthatMaryDeCrocewasoneofthebestthingsthathappenedtothiscommunity.

Applause, applause)

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Intermsofthemuralsandalltheotherfacetsyou’reinvolved. Youarethego-topersonnowtocall. Notjusttheexpressionofart, butyouarenowintotheeconomicdevelopmentofourtown. IwasblessedthedayIeverheardyouspeakattheYMCA. Youareafabulouswomanandagemforthiscommunity!

Applause)

Thankyou.

Shenowwentthroughherpresentationtothecouncilwhichwasprovidedearlier.

Dr. Urilloaskedwithregardtothelettersofintenttoleasespace, thegrantrequiresthatthespacebemaintainedasanartsfacilityfortenyears. And, withregardtotheMOUtothetown, itdoesstatenoexpensetothetown. Doyouhaveacostestimateonhowmuchcostitwillbetokeepthefacilityandopenandwhattheleastpersquarefootagewillbe? Ms. DeCrocesaidtheinformationwouldbesenttoeveryoneonthecouncil. Sheaddedthattheleasingspaceisfiftypercentofwhatcomesinandafterthattheclassesandeventsandthatisnormallyhowacenterisrun. Dr. Urillocommendedherfordoinganexcellentjob. Itisayeoman’sjobtodowithgovernmenttiesandabuildingthatisrelatedtothehistoricdistrict. Ithinkyoudidagreatjob.

TheChairthankedMaryandDavid, intheaudience, too.

AttorneySciotaaddediftherewerenootherquestions, wewillbelookingtomoveforwardwithParagraph6oftheMOUwhichistopreparethelease.

VII. PublicCommunications

PamelaDelahunty, 54DelahuntyDrivereadapreparedstatementwhichisannexedhereto. Attachment #3

ArthurCyr, 103BerlinAvenuespokeaboutdowntownSouthington. HewentonthewalkthruwiththeChamber. Wehaveatrafficproblemandwe’veacknowledgedthatforthepastfive, six, sevenyears. Wespent $25thousandonaNorthMainStreetCorridorStudythatstartedatthelibraryandwenttoOakHillCemetery. To-datenothinghasbeendone.

Discussion.

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TheYMCAisexpanding. We’vegotarestorationprojectatthebottomofCenterStreetwithGreenwayCommons. ImadethisrequesttothePoliceCommissionersandI’llmakeittoyou, regardingMerrillAvenue. ThatisabigcontributingfactortothetrafficproblemwehavefromtheTownGreentotheFireStation.

Discussion.

MysuggestionisweneedtomakeMerrillAvenueonewayattheend. ExplainedifwedidthesamethingtoMerrillAvenuethatwedidtoCenterStreet (makeitonewayattheveryend) wewouldsolvealotofproblems. ThisisoneoftheeasiestwayswithverylittleexpensetosolvethetrafficproblemsthatclogupNorthMainStreetfromtheTownGreentowellpasttheFireStation. IaskthatstaffdiscussthiswiththeBoardofPoliceCommissionerswhoarenowourlocaltrafficauthority.

Discussion.

Iaskyoutoconsiderit.

Thankyou.

VIII. OldBusiness

A. ActiononNutmegNetworkGrant

Mr. Palmierimadeamotiontoapproveaspresentedthisevening. Ms. Trianoseconded. Motionpassed9to0onarollcallvote.

B. ActiononResolution: DOTMasterAgreementforRightofWayprojects

Ms. Trianomadeamotiontoapprovetheresolutionaddingthewording: annualagreement. Ms. Lounsburyseconded. Motionpassed9to0onarollcallvote.

C. ActiononResolution: CalendarHouseDOTSection5310Grant

Mr. Palmierimadeamotiontoapprove. Mr. Champagneseconded. Ms.LounsburyaskedforanamendmenttothemotiontoincludethatitisfortheDialARideProgramattheCalendarHouseandDr. Urilloaskedforthedollaramounttobeincluded. Mr. PalmieriagreedwiththeamendmentsasdidMr. Champagne. Motionpassed9to0onarollcallvote.

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D. ActiononResolution: BRRFOCLegalIssue

Dr. Urillomadeamotiontoacceptaspresented. Ms. Lounsburyseconded. Motionpassed9to0onarollcallvote.

E. AcceptPerformanceContractingIncentives

Dr. Urillomadeamotiontoacceptaspresented. Ithinkitisgoodnewsforourtown, sheadded. Mr. Palmieriseconded. Motionpassed9to0onarollcallvote.

F. ActiononMurphyRoadContract

Ms. LounsburymadeamotiontoaccepttheMurphyRoadcontractaspresented. Ms. Trianoseconded. Motionpassed9to0onarollcallvote.

G. AuthorizingthedraftingandexecutionoftheSCCAlease

Ms. MicelimadeamotiontoauthorizethedraftingoftheSCCAleasefor $1ayearwiththetown. Mr. Palmieriseconded.

Ms. TrianocongratulatedMs. Miceliforallherhardworkonthisproject. Itisrightshemadethemotion.

Motionpassed9to0onarollcallvote.

H. TabledAppointments:

1. CommissiononDisAbilities, 1member, fillvacancytoApril2015

Dr. Urillomadeamotiontotablethisappointment. Ms. Trianoseconded. Motionpassedunanimouslyonavoicevote.

2. ZoningBoardofAppeals, 1member, fillvacancytoNovember2015

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Ms . Lounsbury made a motion to table. Dr. Urillo seconded.

Motion passed unanimously on a voice vote.

3. Board of Park Commissioners, 1 member, fill vacancy toOctober 2015

Mr. Palmieri put forth the name of Bryan Meccariello to fill this

appointment. Ms . Miceli seconded. Motion passed unanimously on avoice vote.

IX. New Business

A. Tax Refunds

Ms . Miceli made a motion to approve the tax refunds as listed in

our packages, please. Ms. Lounsbury seconded. Motion passed

unanimously on a voice vote. Attachment # 4

Ms. Triano brought up School Street. There have been a lot of

questions and people contacting the council members and we' ve been

getting letters I would like us to be on the same page that we are

not going to do anything on School Street until we examine this andcome to a conclusion on it.

Consensus among the council)

Mr. Barry encouraged people to talk to some residents on SchoolStreet. There are a lot of concerns and it is kind of unusual where

most people want their roads paved and nice. I think there may be

good for the council to get some ideas of what the people really thinkon that street.

X. Adjournment - Executive Session: Real Estate

Ms. Triano made a motion to go into executive session excluding

the press and the public but including the town manager and the town

attorney and the full council to discuss real estate. Mr. Palmieri

seconded. Motion passed unanimously on a voice vote.

Whereupon, the meeting was adjourned to executive session at

7: 51 o' clock, p. m. )

ATTEST: RECEIVED & FILEDTOWN OF SOUTHINGTON

Larks ow Clerk JUL 18 2014

By / says,Town Clkrk

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EXECUTIVESESSION

TheSouthingtonTownCouncilenteredexecutivesessionimmediatelyfollowingtheirmeetingwiththefollowinginattendanceinordertodiscussrealestate.

ThefollowingCouncilpersonswerepresent, viz:

JohnN. Barry CherylLounsburyChristopherJ. Palmieri TomLombardiStephanieA. Urillo VictoriaTrianoPaulW. Champagne DawnMiceli

MichaelA. Riccio, Chair

Ex-officiomemberspresentwereasfollows, viz:

MarkJ. Sciota, DeputyTownManager/TownAttorneyGarryBrumback, TownManager

Nomotionsweremadeorvotestakenduringexecutivesession.

Ms. Lounsburymadeamotiontoadjournfromexecutivesession. Mr. Palmieriseconded. Motionpassedunanimously.

Executivesessionwasadjournedat8:14o’clock, p.m.)

REGULARSESSION

Ms. LounsburymadeamotiontoadjournthemeetingwhichwassecondedbyMs. Triano. Motionpassedunanimously.

Meetingwasadjournedat8:15o’clock, p.m.)

MarkJ. SciotaActingSecretary

Attachment # 1

robart of $ uut1 ingtnu

SOUTji\

niun Ciauutilin9 - 3-i

iAnton Manager

Michael A. Ricci° Chairman GARRY BRUMBACK

Cheryl Lounsbury Vice Chairman NECrl/ 060) 2768200

John N. Barry FAX ( 080) 628-4727

Paul W. Champagne

Tom Lombardi

Dawn

TOWN COUNCILa J. palmbriJ.Christopher

sephanieA OFFICIAL PROCLAMATION

Be it hereby known to all that:

The Southington Town Council hereby offers itssincerest congratulations to:

SKSS Cgirs SoftballTeam

Be it Known to all that the Southington Town Council offers its congratulations to

the Southington High School Girls Softball Team in recognition of winning the CIACClass LL Softball State Championship. This State Championship marks the 16thoverall for the Program.

The team achieved a perfect record of 24-0 and was the CCC Western Division

Champion. The team has continued a tradition of Blue Knights Softball being the topprogram in the State.

Be it Now Proclaimed that Cheryl Lounsbury, Vice Chairman, and Tom Lombardi,Council Member, along with the entire Town Council encourage all residents,businesses, civic organizations, and schools to recognize the 2014 Southington High

School Girls Softball Team for bringing great pride to our community, and we honorthem on this great achievement.

Given the 14th day ofJuly, 2014

TOWN OF SOUTHINGTON, STATE OF CONNECTICI Ti

1 , ill

ji ° Cheryl Lounsbury Tom Lombardi

Vice Chairman Council Member

gag of PragressII75 Main Street P. O. Box 610 Southington, CT 06489

Attachment #2

SCCA' s Capital Campaign to Renovate Gura Building 7/ 7/ 14

Proposal from Florian Properties1, 271, 850— Attachment A

1, 017,480 - 80% of proposal

100,000 —Funds for Sustainability

1, 117,480— Total

List of Committed Funds for Renovation of Gura Building500, 000— State of CT Bond Issue

317,600— DECD Tax Credit Reservation

100,000— Monetary Pledges85,000— Goods and Services Pledges-

50,000— Community Foundation of Greater New Britain58, 000— Cash in restricted and unrestricted accounts20, 000— CT Trust for Historic Preservation

1, 130,600— Total

Other Funding PendingLowe' s Community Partner Grant-$ 100,000

Elks

Letters of Interest to Use and Lease SpaceAttachment I

Estimate Summary Harlan Properties

Area) Sf) 7614

Spec

Section Description

2 SITE CONSTRUCTION

02080 Hazardous Materials Abatement 75,000 j,J, `- -02500 Dewatering 5,000 TT i 1`- 1 M G Q 102225 Excavation& Backfill 5,000

02510 Paved Parking_ - y 2, 500 IHs

02515 Paving& Concrete,- 2,500

02720 Water& Fire Service 10000

02999 Building Selective Demolition 10,000

3 CONCRETE

03000 Foundation Walls& Grade Beams 25,000

03300 Slab-on- Grade 5.000

4 MASONARY

04200 IMasmnart 150,000

S METALS

05120 Structural Steel 25,000

05313 Metal Decking 3,000

05500 Metal Fabrication 40.000

6 WOOD AND PLASTICS

06105 Miscellaneous Carpentry 20,000-

06200 Architectural Trades 15,000

06402 Interior Architectural Woodwork 15,000

7 THERMAL AND MOISTURE PROTECTION

07100 Waterproofing& Caulking 10,000

07200 Building Insulation 35.000

07500 Membrane Roofing 60,000

8 DOORS& WINDOWS

08100 Hollow Metal Frames 8,000

08200 Hollow Metal,Doors 2,000

08205 Wood Doors 14,000

08510 Aluminum& Wood Windows 100.000

08710 finish Hardware 20.000

08800 Glazing 3,850

9 ANISIIES

09250 Gypsum Drywall/ Plaster 60,000

09300 Ceramic Tile 4.000

09500 Acoustical/ Gypsum/ Plaster Ceilings 35.000

09600 Resilient Roaring 35,000

09900 Painting 20.000

10 SPEOAUES

10100 Visual Display Boards 3,000

10150 Toilet Compartments 3,000

10200 Louvers& Vents 1. 000

10400 Identify Devices 7.000

10520 Fire Protection Eccessories 1,000

10650 Operable Partitions 2,000

10800 Toilet Accessories 5,000

12 FURNISHINGS

1284 Entrance Mats 3.000

12500 Window Treatment 2,000

14 CONVEYANCE DEVICES

14210 ( Passenger Elevator 75, 000

1S MECHANICAL

15300

IFUe Protection 50.000

15500 Plumbing 50000

15650 Heating Ventilation.Air Conditioning I0. 000

16 ELECTRICAL 65,000

5.70% General Contractor' OH& P 50,000

8.50% Professional Design Fees 40,000

Total Project Estimate - 1,271,850

Attachment #3

De Paolo Furniture, Inc.

83- 95 Center Street

Southington, CT 06489

Phone: 860- 628- 4717

Fax: 860-628- 7733

depaolofurniture @sbcglobal.net

July 14, 2014

To: Southington Town Council

July 14, 2014Subject: Downtown Vandalism

My name is Pamela J. De Paolo, 54 Delahunty Drive, President De Paolo Furniture 83- 95Center Street. Good evening to the Town Council members .I would like to thank the Southington Police Department, Chief Daly, and the officers anddetectives who have responded very promptly and efficiently to our vandalism damage atour stores on Center Street. The repeated vandalism we have experienced, as have otherproperty owners

in the area, has caused a lot of frustration and the costs continue to mount as we have hadto remove graffiti from our trucks and buildings, and repair and replace broken windowsin our showrooms. We also had windows broken at one of our warehouses on

another street also in Southington. The police have responded quickly and have tried tohelp us detail and document the events so that the individual or individuals responsiblefor causing the damage can be identified and apprehended.The costs to our company have risen above $ 2500.00 since last year' s graffiti wasdiscovered, and additional vandalism has occurred this summer to compound the

problem. I have spoken to Gary Brumback, Mark Sciota, Chris Palmieri, DawnMiceli, Cheryl Lounsbury and Paul Champagne and they have kindly responded withconcern and have offered their help and have listened to ideas and suggestions we haveoffered as solutions to consider.Each one of them responded quickly and courteously toour problem. Also, a thank you to Mike Riccio for initiating the cleanup of the graffition the side of our 39 Center Street building.We had removed all of the other graffiti toour Main Store 83 Center Street property within a few days of the occurrence.Because this problem is continuing, it is our responsibility as downtown property ownersto constantly monitor through surveillance cameras and personal observation, andreliance on some of our neighbors who have kindly come forward to reportattempted break- ins and vandalism as it was happening.Without these eyewitnesses andother coordinated efforts with the police, we will not be able to solve these cases.

I believe the focus must be upon deterrence of these acts of vandalism, initiating propertywatch groups to watch out for potential vandals in our downtown areas, workingclosely with our police dept. to assist them in getting accurate information into theirreports and databases, reporting problemsand taking video surveillance promptly to police so their experts can process it. I alsothink it's time Southington instituted curfews so that young adults are not

out on our streets very late at night getting into trouble. Many communities and citieshave adopted curfews to curtail nighttime violence and property destruction. Why notSouthington? We know that the time line for these crimes is always after 11 pm and

before 3 am.. We need to be pro- active and engage our communityin discussions about how to prevent destructive behavior by stopping it before it happens.What we need to do cooperatively is give adequate support andattention to how to prevent property damage and how to protect what we value dearlyin a better way. How do we look forward to and plan so carefully townwide events andfestivals without also working to protect the buildings and properties within which theytake place? I think we need to pay more attention to this, and react more definitely withrealistic solutions such as curfews, increasing surveillance, and speaking up when weknow who is causing acts of vandalism.I would like to see the Town assist building owners with graffiti removal when possible,and leave it up to us as a responsible building owner to then work on the removal orcleaning process at our own pace. We appreciate the help we received with the recentgraffiti removal initiated by Mike Riccio and thank you. However, mandatory ultimatumsrequiring a property owner to clean graffiti within a short time period is not the answer.Perhaps a fund could be created by the Town to help offset the cost of removal and thebuilding owners should take responsibility to do the best they can and given latitude attheir discretion to handle the problem in the least expensive way possible. We welcomesuggestions by qualified people for any ideas to deterthese crimes and we are sure that the vandalism will subside if the steps we

have suggested are taken actively, and soon.We cannot afford to continue experiencing building damage of this kind and not have itdiminish our ability to maintain a standard of care for our buildings without help fromthose of you in the position to legislate and actively pursue this problem. The goal ofprotecting our employees, customers, residents and commercial districts from this type ofharm will show that our priorities are clear as a community and that we will not toleratedestructive behavior, and when it does occur, the cost will be on the shoulders of those

causing it.

Thank you.

Attachment #4

List of Reauests for Abatement or Refunds of Taxes - Town Council Meetina of July 14. 2014

Taxpayer's Name Reason for Refund Amount of

Financial Ser Veh Trust Assessor C/ C List# 60570, 60577 & 60578 M 2011 760.93

Financial Services Vehicle Trust Assessor C/ C List# 60562 M 2011 96.29

Financial Services Vehicle Trust Assessor C/C List# 60079 S 2011 144.41

Nissan Infinity Assessor C/C List# 140202 S 2012 65.85

Ryder Truck Rental Inc Assessor C/C List# 180267 S 2012 1, 526.72 *

Sullivan, Richard A III & Audra L Duplicate Payment List# 18004 R 2012 4, 143. 72 *

Vault Trust c/o Ally Financial Assessor C/C List# 230252, 230357& 230364 M 2012 890.04

VW credit Leasing Ltd Assessor C/C List# 230853 M 2012 209.52

explanation attached