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PLANNING COMMITTEE MINUTES
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of the previous minutes please contact Sally Johnson at
Phone: 203-854-7810 x 6778 or Email sjohnson@norwalkct.org
CITY OF NORWALK
PLANNING COMMITTEE
PUBLIC HEARING
APRIL 5, 2006
ATTENDANCE: Matthew Miklave, Chairman; William Krummel, Douglas
Hempstead, Nicholas Kydes, Carvin Hillard (8:10 p.m.)
STAFF: Tim Sheehan, Norwalk Redevelopment Agency
OTHERS: Laurel Lindstrom, Eastern Norwalk Neighborhood
Association President; David Park, Dr. Sal Corda,
Norwalk School Superintendant; Kate McFarland,
Norwalk High School Student Government President;
Bruce Nyen, Norwalk Federation of Teachers; Donna
Riddel, Marija Bryant, Norwalk Historical Commission;
Leigh Grant, Norwalk Association of the Silvermine
Homeowners (NASH) President, Lee Levey, NASH Board of
Directors and Norwalk Library Board of Directors, John Lister,
Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Center for Contemporary
Print Making, Ralph Loomis, Executive Director - Center for
Contemporary Print Making; Diane Lauricella. Sharon Cadden, Hal
Alvord, Department of Public Works Director; Denis McCarthy,
Norwalk Fire Department Chief, Michael Mocciae, Recreation
and Parks Director
CALL TO ORDER
Mr. Miklave called the hearing to order at 7:20 p.m. He briefly reviewed the hearing procedure for those present.
Let it be noted that the following comments and remarks by all speakers have been summarized and are not necessarily verbatim.
Ms. Lauren Lindstrom, Eastern Norwalk Neighborhood Association (ENNA) President, introduced herself to the Committee. She addressed the issue of Strawberry Hill Avenue and the problem with speeding on that road. Ms. Lindstrom asked if there was a design in place for Strawberry Hill Avenue and stated that there are federal grant funds available. She informed the Committee that there was a Safe Routes to School Program that would be an excellent source of funding, particularly since there are three schools located on Strawberry Hill Avenue. If there is a design in place, additional funds might be available through that program.
A second concern that Ms. Lindstrom expressed was as the City moves forward with different types of traffic calming on Strawberry Hill Avenue that careful consideration be given to what is installed, so it will not have to be removed at a later date because it does not fall into the criteria guidelines for Safe Routes to Schools. Recently, the ENNA held a traffic safety forum specifically to Strawberry Hill Avenue because of the number of residential homes located on the Avenue itself and adjacent side streets. Enforcement is effective but the amount of enforcement is just not adequate. The Slow Down Week was helpful, but it is only a limited time period. Ms. Lindstrom said that there have been numerous times when she was on Strawberry Hill and other vehicles passed her on the right or left or were tailgating. She mentioned that there was a great deal of discussion regarding the effectiveness of speed bumps and noted that speed bumps would not be permitted on the Avenue because it is a secondary road. She encouraged the Committee to try other traffic calming methods.
Ms. Lindstrom stated that she had sent a letter to the Council and stated that she had copies of the letter if anyone on the Committee needed them. She thanked the Committee for their time.
Mr. Park introduced himself to the Committee and stated that he lives at 66 Strawberry Hill Avenue, directly across from the old Fitch School. Mr. Park stated that according to his rough count, he believes there are somewhat between 140 and 150 residents on the road between Fitch Street and Route 1, which gives a fair idea of the density on that road. Mr. Park reminded everyone that there is a proposal to put in condominiums at Norden Place, to which he is opposed because of the additional traffic, and there is a possible proposal to build condos at the Fitch School site combined with another additional two lots immediately south of the property. He stated that the volume of traffic is going to get worse before it gets better. He admitted that because it is a wide road, people tend to get a momentum going and find it hard to obey the speed limit. This contributes to the difficult in pulling onto Strawberry Hill from a driveway or side street. He commended both Mayor Moccia and Police Chief Rilling about the Slow Down Days and the police enforcement. He feels that traffic calming measures would help.
Mr. Park stated that he had sent letters regarding the number of car accidents in front of his house to Mayor Esposito, and member of the Common Council for District C and members of the Police Department. Late evening excessive speeds are particularly dangerous. When the southbound traffic crosses the Thruway bridge, the road slopes downhill, curves to the right but also slopes to the left. Excessive speeds on the portion of the road, drivers lose control and crash, particularly in the area of Roxbury Road. Mr. Park sent a letter to Police Chief Rilling two weeks ago about this matter and at 11 p.m. on Thursday night, March 23rd, a southbound car had a head on collision with another vehicle. Mr. Park submitted copies of the newspaper photo of that accident to the members of the Committee for the record. He explained that this was the danger that he was trying to communicate. He also stated that he had a petition from some of the area residents. Mr. Park submitted a petition for inclusion in the record.
Mr. Miklave stated that Dr. Corda, the Superintendent of Schools would have to leave for another meeting and asked Dr. Corda if he would speak now.
Dr. Corda introduced himself and thanked the Committee for taking into consideration his other meeting and allowing him to speak. He distributed copies of his report to the Committee. Dr. Corda informed the Committee that the school system has used whenever possible a planned scenario that enables them to connect instructional objectives with the costs associated to them. Technology is not an exception. The Committee might recall that in reviewing the appropriations for technology over the past few years, the appropriation of $875,000 was appropriated each year. He explained that State Law requires the school system to develop a plan for technology including instructional objectives and identifying the costs of implementing the plan. Dr. Corda stated that this proposal has been presented to the Planning Commission. In the Capital Plan for the 2006-07 school year, the Board approved a recommendation of $875,000, which is consistent with the past appropriations. He stated that he was quite surprised to see that the Committee had only approved $600,000. Dr. Corda stated that he did not meet with the Mayor to explain the status of the technology plan at that time. He stated that the school needs the $875,000 originally requested. He referred to the handout and stated it would identify the various areas where the money would be spent in the elementary, middle school and high school levels. Dr. Corda stated that the computers at Norwalk High School are now four to five years old. He stated that the schools have used a pilot approach to implement the technology at the elementary level, which is believed to be very effective in all of the elementary schools in Norwalk. Mobile Labs would be purchased for the middle schools, which brings the computers right into the classroom. He hoped that the Committee would see the validity of the plan and appropriate the full $875,000 to the Board of Education for the Technology.
Ms. McFarland approached the podium and identified herself as a senior at Norwalk High School and also as the Student Government President. She stated that she was present to go into more detail about the situation at Norwalk High School. She stated that Norwalk High received their accreditation three years ago and are scheduled for an update at the end of this year. She stated that nine items were highlighted by the accreditation team, two of which have to do with the technology. Ms. McFarland reported those items were “Ensure an adequate and dependable source of revenue to provide and maintain an appropriate school program, personnel, services, facilities, equipment, technological support, materials and supplies for student learning. Second, provide adequate technology resources to support the implementation of the curriculum.” She stated that these problems have not been corrected. There are five resource centers and 1,800 students, 28 students per class. In the English resource center, there are 28 computers which were installed in 1999; 24 of them work on a regular basis. There are two printers, but only one works. In the Social Studies resource center, the computers were also installed in 1999 and only 20 of the 28 computers work. In the science resource center, there are 10 computers dating from 1997, 5 of which work and one printer. In the World Language Department, the 24 computers date from 2000, 20 of which work and only one printer. In the Math Resource Center, there are 20 computer, 14 of which do not Internet access, and 12 do not have Word. There is no printer available. In conclusion, Ms. McFarland stated that there are 110 computer that are always available to the students and on average, 77 of them work.
Some of the problems are: the computer screens don’t turn on, keyboard failures, too old for new systems, which prevents updated software being installed because of memory limitations. The memory is only cleared once a year, which slows down the processes, the units take 10 to 20 minutes to boot up, and there is no CD ROM access. There are problems with Internet blocking, where sites that should be blocked are not and sites that are used for educational purposes are blocked and therefore inaccessible. Students who don’t have computers at home rely on the computers at school. Ms. McFarland state that the $875,000 that Dr. Corda had requested would be greatly appreciated and instrumental to the education of the Norwalk High students.
Mr. Nyen introduced himself to the Committee and stated that he was the President of the Norwalk Federation of Teachers. He stated that he was present to fully support the Capital Budget for Technology for $875,000 on behalf of the teachers. He commented that it was not just the teachers and the students, but also the secretarial support staff and everyone else that uses the technology in the school system. He stated that in a survey of the teachers and support staff, similar types of problems were mentioned with equipment, materials, and supplies. He stated that when the first plan was implemented in 1996, the request was 12 million dollars over a four or five year period. Ultimately, the prior administrations did not fund that at the 50% level. Since then, the school system has been trying to catch up since. Full funding for the technology is critical to the school system. It effects everyone and the entire operation of the school system. The $875,000 is paramount to continue keeping pace.
Ms. Riddel introduced herself and stated that she was from the Norwalk Federation of Educational Personnel. The Norwalk Federation of Educational Personnel fully supports the Board of Education Capital Budget request for 2006-07 and recommended that the proposed technology budget of $875,000 be approved. Ms. Riddel stated that this recommendation is part of a long range plan which was endorsed by the previous administration. She asked why Norwalk students must suffer with outdated equipment, lack of trained support, and a library automation system which will not be able to continue to provide support for the Norwalk Public Schools. Ms. Riddel stated that these students are the future of Norwalk and make the necessary adjustments to support the technology equipment and staff support.
Ms. Bryant introduced herself and stated that she was a member of the Norwalk Historical Commission. She stated that the Historical Commission was grateful that the Planning Commission, the Finance Department and Mayor Moccia supported the recommended the funds for the repair of the Carriage House at Lockwood Mathews Park. She stated that she hopes the Common Council will support that recommendation so that the restoration and repair of the building can move forward. Ms. Bryant stated that she had toured these buildings and seen the deterioration. The funding will allow both the Carriage House and the Gate Lodge to be stabilized and to move forward with a sensible preservation plan that will allow these buildings to be restored to be restored to represent Norwalk.
Ms. Grant introduced herself to the Committee and stated that she was President of the Norwalk Association of the Silvermine Homeowners (NASH). She stated that she knew the Commission was aware of the condition of the Perry Avenue Bridge at the Silvermine River and wished to ensure that the proposed recommendation stayed in the budget. Ms. Grant stated that she had a letter to submit to the Commission from Mary Ann Case on this subject and tended to the secretary for inclusion in the record.
Ms. Grant explained that there were strong concerns about the embankment just below the Perry Avenue Bridge over the Silvermine River. She stated that she believed this project was packaged with the Smith Street retaining wall. She urged that the Commission reconsider that project particularly if a school bus were to strike the guard rails where the bank is eroded, it could be a serious safety hazard.
Mr. Levey introduced himself and explained that he was speaking on behalf of two different organization. The first is as a member of the Board of Directors for the Norwalk Association of the Silvermine Homeowners (NASH). He reiterated the points Ms. Grant made about the Perry Avenue Bridge over the Silvermine River. He stated that the movement of vehicles between east and west over the Silvermine River has been difficult over the last four or five months. The school buses have been rerouted into Wilton over a one lane bridge. His second concern was the east embankment of Silvermine River just south of the bridge along Perry Avenue. The embankment has been deteriorating over the last five to six years. Mr. Levey stated that not repairing this eroded area of the embankment would probably result in a road collapse. Repairing this now would probably be easier than having to replace the western lane of Perry Avenue. He asked that the Committee consider this appropriation at this time.
Mr. Levey then stated he was going to speak to some issues that concern the Norwalk Library Board of Directors. He stated that he had been a member of the Board for the last six years and during the past eight years, the library has lost a number of full time positions, while the demands on the Library have increased. In July, the South Norwalk branch will reopen and the demand on the library staff will increase again. He thanked all those responsible for recommending that the appropriation be made for the part time positions requested, but a library does not run on part time help. Mr. Levey stated that at least two additional full time staff positions were needed. He stated that there was a commitment on the part of the City when it made the agreement with the Second Taxing District that the branch would be run with the same type of staffing available in the branch as the Main Library. Mr. Levey pointed out that having a new branch with updated technology, which was funded by public request for money from the Library, but only having limited staff would be counter productive. Mr. Levey asked that the Commission seriously consider the request for the two full time positions.
Mr. Lister, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Center for Contemporary Print Making, which is located in the Carriage House on the grounds of the Lockwood Mathews Park, introduced himself to the Committee. He stated that he was in support of the request for the money to repair the Carriage House, which is becoming a vital cultural center, along with the Mansion and Steppingstones. The building is beautiful and Mr. Lister expressed his concerns about further deterioration of the building, given the additional efforts that are being put into Lockwood Mathews Park.
Mr. Loomis introduced himself and stated that he was the Executive Director of the Center for Contemporary Print Making. Mr. Loomis stated that he had some photographs of the various areas of the Carriage House that need attention. (At the conclusion of the hearing, a storyboard with photographs attached to it was turned into the Chair.) There are rotting window sills, peeling paint, and doors that need repair. Mr. Loomis stated that they were grateful for the money appropriated and requested that the Committee support that line item. Mr. Loomis stated that the Center had logged about 200,000 visitors since it opened 10 years ago. He reiterated that the Lockwood Mathews Park was a destination for Norwalk visitors. He stated that restoring the building to it’s original beauty would be in the best interest of Norwalk.
Ms. Lauricella introduced herself and stated that she lives on Seaview Avenue. She stated that she was present to speak on various items in the Capital Budget. She stated that she would be brief and would submit back up materials at a later date.
Ms. Lauricella stated that her first concern was with the Public Works request and reiterated the points regarding the retaining wall on Perry Avenue embankment. She stated that it was important to the City not only from a liability standpoint if the guard rails fail, but the installation of the guard rails was only a band aid approach at the time. She suggested that the City consider applying for a River Erosion Control and River Enhancement Project, which could be combined with grants that are available on a federal level. By bolstering up the embankment, applying for the grants might allow the City to complete the project correctly.
Traffic calming for Strawberry Hill was also a concern for Ms. Lauricella. She stated that she lives in Eastern Norwalk and regularly uses Strawberry Hill Avenue. Ms. Lauricella stated that she was happy to see that the Department of Public Works was considering other methods of traffic calming rather than speed humps. She also suggested that there may be grants available for this project.
Ms. Lauricella stated that in regard to the Fleet Operations for Public Works that the DPW consider purchasing vehicles that have a improved fuel consumption rather than the proposed 20 mpg standard for cars.
Regarding building management, Ms. Lauricella requested that the City consider alternative energy sources for all new municipal building projects. She stated that some of the alternative energy source are eligible for grants.
Ms. Lauricella stated that in regard to Recreation and Parks, she favors and thanks all those who participated in retaining the proposed $35,000 for an environmental study, which is more of a natural resource study. This is only the first phase of a plan. The League of Women Voters has been advocating this for several years. Ms. Lauricella asked that this be expanded to include Woods Pond, which needs attention. She also mentioned the Open Space Fund, which is also under Recreation and Parks. She stated that there are new State funds for affordable housing, historic preservation and open space, that Norwalk needs to begin to look at innovative ways to fund this with real dollars to pay for pocket parks and serious open space purchases. She mentioned that in Nantucket, there is a quarter percent or half percent on certain real estate transactions, which painlessly funded the amount that the community was able to put aside for Open Space. She stated that the Norwalk Land Trust and the Norwalk League of Women Voters all support new ways of funding open space acquisitions.
Regarding the Fire Department budget, Ms. Lauricella stated that as a professional in the hazardous materials field, has been inside the Connecticut Avenue headquarters and feels that there is a need to fund the new headquarters. Having more satellite firehouses would not serve Norwalk well. The current structural problems at the Connecticut Avenue site preclude repairing the building. Ms. Lauricella stated that while she would love to see the removal of the old police headquarters from Lockwood Mathews Park, she feels that this should be postponed and turn the efforts towards construction a Fire Department Headquarters first.
Finally, Ms. Lauricella stated that she believes there are savings in the Board of Education budget that have not been explored. Because of the way certain expensive programs are being currently managed, Ms. Lauricella feels that waste management without enough recycling practices and other possibilities could yield savings to free up money for their computers.
Ms. Cadden introduced herself and stated that she lives on Saxon Road in Norwalk and was present to speak on the BOE request for the technology funds. She stated that many of those present have technology in their homes that is superior to the technology in the schools and by not funding this request, it denies the students of Norwalk access to the same technology. Having a five year plan was an illustration of forward thinking and the schools need to keep moving forward so that all students have access to this soon to be basic requirement for college students. On behalf of Nathan Hale Middle School, the improvements made there have radically changed the student’s abilities. At the High School, some of the computers are 486’s which are not able to run the more current programs. In the English Lab, the teacher has to boot up the computers twenty minutes before the class in order to have the computer up and running.
Mr. Hillard arrived at 8:10 p.m.
Mr. Hempstead stated that he had several questions for the Board of Education about whether they have carefully reviewed the school budget to see if there are any funds that have not been used and which could be applied toward the technology funds. He also asked for a history of the last four years of school spending along with the number of dollars spent last year on revised requests. Mr. Sheehan made note of these questions as there was no one from the Board of Education present to answer.
Mr. Hempstead asked Mr. Alvord to approach the podium and answer some questions, which Mr. Alvord did. Mr. Hempstead asked about traffic calming and whether traffic signals would be the ultimate answer. Mr. Alvord replied that it would not, but that traffic signals in synchronization with other signals and other measures can be a traffic calming measure. He also stated that currently no streets have been approved for the installation of traffic calming.
Mr. Miklave wished to know if the Perry Avenue Bridge over the Silvermine River repair and the reinforcement of the bank of the Silvermine River could be combined into one project. Mr. Alvord answered no. He explained that they were two completely different projects and the bridge estimate was prepared based solely on the bridge. When asked if the bridge and bank could be packaged together, Mr. Alvord replied that one could package things in a variety of ways. Mr. Krummel wished to know what the other retaining wall project was. Mr. Alvord replied that it was the retaining wall at the intersection of Smith Street and Wall, which is at a risk of collapse. Smith Street can not be reopened until that retaining wall is repaired. When asked what it would cost, Mr. Alvord replied that the budget request was $50,000.
Mr. Krummel stated that Mr. Alvord had requested an integrated traffic study for traffic calming. Mr. Alvord stated that the City lacks a comprehensive plan for managing traffic in the City. This is a combination of deciding where the traffic volume should flow, over which routes and how that should be facilitated, which will reduced traffic in other parts of the City. It also concerns the emergency routes when I-95 shuts down. That starts the focusing process where the traffic calming becomes part of the equation. Mr. Krummel stated that he was impressed with Ms. Lindstrom’s suggestion of using Strawberry Hill as a model for traffic calming. Mr. Alvord stated that it was an ideal place to work on traffic calming. The State and federal government offer grants for the actual construction of traffic calming but a design plan is needed before one can apply for the grants. Mr. Miklave asked if $80,000 would help this process. Mr. Alvord replied that it would provide the study and the design which could be presented to the State DOT and apply for a grant.
Mr. Hempstead asked about the WPCA asked about the request for $250,000, which appears on one of the budget sheets as $350,000. Mr. Hempstead wanted to know if the allocation had been increased, or it was a clerical error. Mr. Alvord said he did not know, but would check into it. Mr. Miklave commented that the Charter states that the Committee could not increase requested amounts. Mr. Hempstead concurred, but stated that if it was a clerical error, it would affect the final total.
Fire Chief McCarthy was the next person requested to step to the podium. Mr. Hempstead asked him what amount of money would enable the project to move forward. Chief McCarthy replied that there were four or five phases to design and the first step was to evaluate the site at 100 Fairfield Avenue to confirm that the new headquarters would fit there, which would make the Connecticut Avenue property available. The next two significant phases would allow the Fire Department to project the amount needed for this project. After talking with John Hawley of Gilbane, the estimate to cover the cost of the design up to fit and finish work and final documents in the design phase would cost $600,000. If that was started on July 1st, the design would be far enough along to come back to the Council in January with a hard design number and potentially ask for the balance of funds. If the final number was acceptable to the City then, they could ask for the appropriation. The total cost to get through construction and the demolition of Fairfield Avenue, would be 1.7 million dollars, which is coupled with the $200,000. If the project moved forward and stayed on schedule the January request would be for the balance of 1.1 million. Mr. Krummel asked about documentation. Chief McCarthy replied that he has a number of documents for Thursday night’s presentation.
Mr. Mocciae was then asked to give a brief outline of the study proposed for Cranbury Park. He replied that it was as Ms. Lauricella stated, which is an environmental inventory of Cranbury Park before moving ahead with the master plan of the park. It is the first step in the planning process and should be done for all the parks. Mr. Mocciae stated that there are not enough fields for the number of soccer and lacrosse teams and other sporting activities.
Seeing that there were no other comments or questions from the Committee, Mr. Miklave adjourned the public hearing at 8:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted
Sharon L. Soltes
Telesco Secretarial Services
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