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Health Welfare and Public
Safety Committee Actions
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AUGUST 23, 2007
ATTENDANCE: Rev. Phyllis Bolden, Chair; Doug Sutton
STAFF: Tim Callahan, Health Department Director; Lt. David Wrinn, Norwalk Police Dept.
OTHERS: Joanne Romano, Dianne Lauricella
1. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 7:40 p.m. by the Chair.
2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF JULY 26TH, 2007
? In the footer, “Norwalk Fair Rent Commission” should be changed to “Norwalk
Health, Welfare, Public Safety and Emergency Planning Committee”.
? On page 4, Section c., line 1, on page 5, second to last paragraph and second
and third to last lines, “Commission” should be changed to “Committee”.
? On page 7, “Bolton” should be changed to “Bolden”.
Minutes were approved as amended by chair.
3. POLICE DEPARTMENT
a. Portable Video Assessment System
Lt. Wrinn said that there was a Homeland Security / Buffer Zone Protection
Grant that became available and which was nearing its deadline. He said that
he wasn't aware of this grant until just recently and that part of it was a
video assessment system. He said that the system would include quick response
cameras which were able to be set up with no technical personnel. He said that
the cameras would be very mobile and could be put into a command car so when
an event occurred, video could be requested for it. Lt. Wrinn said that there
was already a proposal for this project from Digital Back Office who’d done
the previous system so this system would build on the existing one. He added
that city funds would not be used because it would all be paid for with Homeland
Security Grant funds and there would be no licensing fees or other recurring
costs. He said that the $16,500 would allow the city to get two separate systems
which would fall into the same procedures as the existing ones except that the
new ones would be more for use at the scenes of major accidents or other major
events. Lt. Wrinn asked that this item be moved to Council.
Rev. Bolden asked how far cameras could see from the Police Station.
Lt. Wrinn said that the camera was able to see as far as Baker Funeral Home (nearly 400 feet away) but that the cameras pan away so they rarely catch anything as it happens.
Rev. Bolden said that there was regular illegal activity occurring at the Laundromat in that area and wondered if the cameras were catching it.
Lt. Wrinn said that that could not be seen by the cameras at the Police Station.
Rev. Bolden said that they would move this item onto the Council.
4. HEALTH DEPARTMENT
Mr. Callahan reviewed his report, which was included in the agenda given to Committee Members. His review included the following items:
? Sickle Cell Disease: September 2007
? Influenza 2008
? Renewal of Sole Source Vaccine Purchase
Mr. Calahan asked that this item be moved to Council.
Rev. Bolden approved.
? Public Health Emergency Preparedness Funding
Ms. Lauricella asked if there was a written emergency plan available.
Mr. Callahan said that there was and agreed to make that available to her.
? Nondiscrimination Resolution Requirement for State Contracts
Rev. Bolden said that she didn’t think that the addition of Civil Unions to protected classes was fair because she felt that Civil Unions infringed on some people’s religious beliefs. She clarified that it was not her intention to mistreat or discriminate against anyone or to not approve this item but that as a Minister, she would probably comment at Council.
5. FIRE DEPARTMENT
Rev. Bolden said that there was no representative present from the Fire Department but that a private entity, Baker Funeral Services held a Community Back to School event on the Saturday prior to this meeting which representatives of the Fire Department attended with the Safety Truck and Trailer Sparky the Fire Dog to educate the community and give away free smoke detectors. She said that the children and adults alike had a great time and that she spoke with Inspectors Hall and Stewart who enjoy participating in these events very much.
6. OTHER BUSINESS
Mr. Callahan reviewed the Norwalk Health Department Preparing for Accreditation Project report which was provided to Committee Members and asked that the following be moved on to Council:
1.a) Authorize the Mayor, Richard A. Moccia to execute any and all documents necessary to apply for and accept grant funds from the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) for the Accreditation Preparation and Quality Improvement Demonstration Sites Project.
1.b) Authorize the Mayor, Richard A. Moccia to execute any and all agreements, documents, instruments or amendments as may be necessary to implement the Accreditation Preparation and Quality Improvement Demonstration Sites Project.
Rev. Bolden agreed to move these items on to Council.
Mr. Callahan said that there were still dumpsters on the property on Chestnut
Street but that they were empty. He said that there was a court date scheduled
with the Zoning Department the week following this meeting and that it would
probably be ruled that the dumpsters will have to be removed. He said that the
Health Department’s involvement was complete as they’d complied with their requests.
Rev. Bolden was glad to hear this news and said there was another spot down
the street which she thought Mr. Callahan was probably aware of.
Mr. Callahan said he was aware and that he believed that the last time they spoke, the trash heap was across the street from it’s location at the time of this meeting. He said that he wasn’t sure what occupied the building that the trash was in front of but that there were some apartments upstairs a storefront downstairs. He said that he went by the site earlier on the day of this meeting and that he spoke to Hal Alvord and that the owner of that building will be cited.
Rev. Bolden said that there were a couple more complaints on the other end
of Chestnut Street closer to Belle Avenue on the side of the factory there.
She said that there were dumpsters there that everyone seemed to be using.
Mr. Callahan asked if the dumpsters were for the building or were being stored
there by another entity.
Rev. Bolden said that she thought they were for the building but that they were being used by everyone and it’s becoming a real nuisance
Mr. Callahan said he could see why this was a popular spot for dumping and how it’d become a problem since it was a remote area.
Rev. Bolden said that she’d attended the press conference for the fuel tank storage on behalf of the City, this Committee, and her Constituency in District B. She said that the site was inappropriate for fuel tank storage due to several reasons including it’s having never been cleaned up from the previous owner and possible toxic waste contamination, the dense and increasing population, it’s proximity to a school and the condos and co-ops slated to be built there and it’s designation as restricted zoning. She said for these reasons she was happy that the Constituency that was present was against it.
Ms. Romano said she was born and raised in Saugatuck where the company came
from and her whole family worked for them since they started the business. She
said that her problem was that the company intended to use Norwalk as a storage
facility but use their property in Saugatuck to develop non-affordable housing.
She said that they’d already displaced three quarters of that community because
they can no longer afford to live there and that they were now going to build
a multimillion dollar condominium complex.
Rev. Bolden said that this business would create a nice tax incentive but that
this just wasn’t the right place.
7. ADJOURNMENT
This meeting was adjourned at 8:26 p.m. by the Chair.
Respectfully submitted,
Jessica Schroder
Telesco Secretarial Services
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