Margerie Reservoir Trail Advisory Committee - Regular Meeting

I AM CALLING THIS 18TH MEETING OF THE MARGERIE RESERVOIR TRAIL ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO ORDER AT 630. THE PURPOSE IS TO REVIEW AN UPDATED TRAIL PLAN AND THE FEASIBILITY MEMO AND SEE IF THERE'S ANY OUTSTANDING GRANT REPORTING OR FINANCIALS THAT WE NEED TO GET DOWN TO SUBMIT TO THE STATE. I WILL TAKE A ROLL CALL. I THOUGHT DAVID WAS COMING. DAVID, I THINK KENTON IS OUT OF OFFICE. Yeah, he's an alternate. Peter Hearn is here, Jeff Main, Joe Mortellini. Did I say that right? You did, yes. Okay. And Holly Robinson is chair. I looked through the packet. We had minutes from last meeting. It was a short administrative meeting. Are there any corrections to the minutes? I think the next action.

Oh, there he is.

And just note for the record, it's 6.31 and David Day has arrived. David, we're on the minutes from last meeting. Is there any motion to approve the minutes from meeting number 17 as they exist in the packet for today? Are there any corrections to the minutes? I started saying that. Yeah. If there are no corrections to the minutes, do I have a motion to approve MOTION TO APPROVE. ANY DISCUSSION ABOUT THE MINUTES? HEARING NONE, I'LL TRY YOUR MINDS. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? NO. THANK YOU. SO FROM OUR LAST MEETING, WE HAD A BACK AND FORTH WITH THE CONSULTANT AND LOOK TO FIND A WAY TO INCLUDE NEW FAIRFIELD IF FEASIBLE IN THE PLAN. SO NOT MUCH HAS CHANGED WITH THE PLAN ITSELF OTHER THAN, I BELIEVE, SINCE OUR LAST MEETING, THE EASIEST WAY TO DO IT IS TO SHOW THE TWO TRAIL HEADS. SO I'LL GO BACK ONE. AND THIS IS GOING TO BE AVAILABLE ONLINE. I HAVE PRINTED PACKETS FOR EVERYBODY. AND I BELIEVE THAT EVERYONE HAS SEEN THIS PREVIOUS TO TODAY. BUT ESSENTIALLY, THE THOUGHT PROCESS NOW IS THAT IF WE COULD START AT BOTH ENDS AND WORK OUR WAY TOWARDS THE MIDDLE. AND THAT WAY, WE CAN START CONSTRUCTION, WE CAN CONSERVE THE EAGLE SPACE FOR NOW UNTIL WE'RE ABLE TO SECURE MORE FUNDS TO CONNECT THE TRAILS, AND THIS WILL CONTAIN TWO LOOKOUT POINTS, ONE FROM EACH DIRECTION. I THINK, AS I'LL GO INTO SOME DETAIL A LITTLE BIT FURTHER, THE GOAL IS TO HAVE A JOINT WORKSHOP WITH BOTH THE TOWN OF NEW FAIRFIELD BOARD OF SELECTMENT AND THE CITY OF DANBURY CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS IN MID-SEPTEMBER. I BELIEVE THAT WAS ALREADY SCHEDULED IN MID-SEPTEMBER SO THAT BNL CAN BE THERE TO ACTUALLY ANSWER QUESTIONS AND TALK THROUGH THIS A LITTLE MORE IN CASE THERE IS ANY DISCUSSION AND INTERPRETATION OF THE MAPS THAT WE'RE PRESENTING TODAY. SO SINCE OURS IS ADVISORY IN NATURE, WE'RE PRESENTING THIS TO THE CITY COUNCIL OF DANBURY AND THE BOARD OF SELECTMENT IN NEW FAIRFIELD FOR THEIR NEXT STEPS, WHICH WOULD PROBABLY BE TO JOIN THE WORKSHOP IN SEPTEMBER AND THEN PUT IT ON THEIR AGENDAS GOING FORWARD.

I THINK WE'RE TRYING TO FINALIZE THE DATES AND THERE'S AN EMAIL CIRCULATING. OKAY. SO I'M NOT SURE WE HAVE AN EXACT DATE, BUT I THINK ALREADY MID-SEPTEMBER.

MID-SEPTEMBER. OKAY. AND ESSENTIALLY THAT WILL THEN RESULT IN FAIRFIELD HAS THE GRANT FUNDS RIGHT NOW. EACH TOWN WILL BE ABLE TO MAKE THEIR DETERMINATION AS FAR AS MOVING FORWARD. SO AGAIN, I THINK THAT THE THOUGHT PROCESS THAT IN THE BRIEF CONVERSATIONS WE HAD WITH BNL, OBVIOUSLY WE'LL TALK TO THEM IN THE WORKSHOP, IS THAT AT THE END OF EACH current planned uh lookout point there will be some information about the trail um some maybe a qr code for learning more about the trail and the work that went into it and the overall goal is to be able to expand it and connect them at some point so um are there any questions about the revised plan yes

Peter and I have been talking about it. One of the things right away is the material that's being used for the trail. Because asphalt as opposed to stone dust, I mean, the bridges over the wetlands, the walkways, obviously that's going to be that lumber stuff, that fake lumber. But that's what you would put in. But the thing about having asphalt is you create the opportunity for an aggressive use of the trail. You know, I worked for Parks in Westchester for 46 years, and we did put in a number of trails, some of which were on old railroad beds. And the use of those trails became rather, you know, controversial because there would be people on bicycles speeding, you know, on, you know, rollerblades speeding, you know, even skateboards speeding. And now, in my town, the access that young people have to electric bikes that they're riding all over the place. They're not obeying, you know, traffic regulations on our roads. And I'm just thinking like, boy, if you've got that there, here's another opportunity for them to be able to go and do that. And I, you know, I just, so that's my concern. It's a mile and a half trail. People are going to want to walk for exercise. It's not a place where people are going to want to speed bike because you wouldn't be on it for very long. You know what I mean? It just doesn't make sense. So to me, to say we're doing asphalt for access for people with bicycles and stuff, I think it's a mistake.

I have been in meetings all afternoon. I apologize. Do you want to?

Yes, I'll summarize. So the plan says that allocates $173,000 to New Fairfield for its sidewalks. And the way New Fairfield did its sidewalks was asphalt. And then they marked the asphalt to make it look like brick. So maybe there, asphalt would be appropriate. And then there are places where the trail comes up next to DOT property. And asphalt might be appropriate there for aesthetics as well as for who knows who's going to maintain it. Maybe DOT would lend a hand. But I have to agree with Jeff that part of the reservoir, stone dust is much more appropriate for the aesthetics. You know, you go out for a nature walk, if you're walking on dust, it's a little bit nicer than walking on asphalt. And it's also less expensive to install and easier to repair.

Repair, yeah.

So we could, I mean, we may get to later to making motions about suggestions.

Yeah, I mean, I think that this is... WHAT I THINK IS GOING TO HAPPEN, AND ESSENTIALLY IT'S THE FEASIBILITY PIECE OF IT THAT'S REALLY OUR TASK, RIGHT? THE ACTUAL, WHEN THIS GOES TO EACH TOWN, I THINK THAT SOME OF THESE THINGS ARE GOING TO BE WORKED THROUGH A LITTLE BIT MORE. I MEAN, I AGREE WITH YOU GUYS, I THINK, AS FAR AS THE ASPHALT I THOUGHT WAS OUT. NOW IT'S BACK IN. I DIDN'T CONSIDER IT A MAJOR ISSUE BECAUSE IT'S NOT, THE PLAN THAT'S GOING TO GO TO RFP IS WHAT THE TOWNS DECIDE THEY'RE GOING TO DO WITH IT. WHAT I ENVISION HAPPENING, AND JOE CAN CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, IS THAT THIS WILL EITHER, THE WORKSHOP WILL HAPPEN, BOTH TOWNS WILL BE ABLE TO ASK QUESTIONS AS FAR AS WHY WHAT WAS THE BASIS FOR THIS PARTICULAR PLAN, WHAT EDITS CAN BE MADE, ET CETERA, ET CETERA. AND THEN I'M ASSUMING THAT WILL PROBABLY BE HANDED OFF TO EITHER AN AD HOC OF EACH COUNCIL OR TO THE ENGINEER OF THE TOWNS, WHICH IS ANTONIO, CORRECT? AND IN THIS SITUATION, HAVING ANTONIO BE AWARE OF BOTH NEW FAIRFIELD AND DANBURY, THAT BID, THE SUBMISSION FOR THE RFP WILL BE CHANGED BASED ON WHAT THE NEW FAIRFIELD BOARD OF SELECTMENT AND WHAT THE DANBURY CITY COUNCIL WANTS TO DO WITH IT. SO, I MEAN, I THINK WE CAN MAKE EDITS TO IT, AND I THINK WE CAN MAKE COMMENTS TO IT, ESPECIALLY THINGS LIKE THIS. BUT I DO THINK AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT WILL BE THE BOARD OF SELECTMENT AND THE CITY COUNCIL THAT CAN MAKE THOSE FINAL CHANGES TO THE RFP ASK. SURE.

And we can also amend our memo as well, or to put some changes to either send a memo to be an L saying that at this meeting, these concerns, and they should be alerted to the fact that they might come up again.

I think there might be, I'm gonna guess there's going to be some more changes to the plan after the workshop that's going to happen between the two municipalities. Because, I mean, there are probably perspectives that we're not thinking about THAT OTHER PEOPLE MIGHT BRING TO THE TABLE. SO I THINK MY PERSPECTIVE IS THAT WE CAN HAND THIS OFF, MAKE EDITS TO THE MEMO ITSELF, OR MAKE EDITS TO THIS, OR MAKE NOTES TO IT, AND SAY, YOU KNOW, INSTEAD OF BNL REDOING THIS PLAN BEFORE THE WORKSHOP, THAT THEY WILL INCORPORATE ANY ADDITIONAL CHANGES OR BACK AND FORTH THAT HAPPENS FROM BOTH TOWNS. IT MAKES SENSE. YOU DON'T WANT TO FLY THIS UP AGAIN. NO. AND I THINK THIS IS REALLY FOR THE PURPOSE OF WHAT WAS POSSIBLE AND WHERE, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE MAPPING COULD LOOK LIKE. I THINK, I MEAN, I KNOW THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER CONVERSATIONS ABOUT FUNDING THAT COULD BE FOR SIDEWALK AREA THAT WOULD MAYBE BE TAKEN OUT OF THE GRANT FUNDING FOR THIS. I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT OF MOVING PARTS THAT I THINK WE DON'T HAVE, I DON'T HAVE AWARENESS OR INSIGHT INTO.

It's certainly appropriate for this committee to make recommendations coming out of this meeting, you know, either to revise the, you know, the presentation that BINL has made or to make suggestions on how they can modify the trail system. I mean, we're basically functioning like an advisory committee.

And I think that there's, based on Peter's history with this and Jeff's knowledge as well, I mean, I would like to think that they have the ability to, you know, even though they're not on A CITY COUNCIL OR BOARD OF SELECTMENT, THEY CAN STILL BE AVAILABLE FOR INPUT AS BEING, YOU KNOW, SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS IN THIS AREA. WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST THEN IS BASED ON, YOU KNOW, AND WE CAN DO IT ONE AT A TIME, A BEING THE MEMORANDUM, A BEING THE PRESENTATION AND B BEING THE MEMORANDUM IS BASICALLY SAYING WE CAN APPROVE TO SEND IT FORWARD TONIGHT TO EACH LEGISLATIVE BODY AND THEN GIVE ANY, YOU KNOW, ANY inconsequential or I'll say I'm unsubstantial or immaterial changes based on suggestions for going forward I don't think that that changes the scope of the intent my yeah yeah or you can you know the motion could be to submit these materials right subject to additional recommendations yeah to examine you know asphalt versus other And I also think that the RFP, like Antonio and Kenton, might have different suggestions for materials in other aspects of the trail as well. I don't, that's not my expertise, but do you have any other questions about, do you feel comfortable with that if we?

Yeah, yeah. I would say that. Yeah, as long as change, you know. THERE'S A CHANCE FOR SOMEBODY TO REVIEW IT BEFORE IT MOVES FORWARD TO MOVING ON IT.

I THINK IT MAKES SENSE TO HOW, IF I BACKED UP FOR A SECOND, I WOULD SAY THAT WE WILL, WE ARE APPROVING, WE'RE RECEIVING AND ACCEPTING THE REPORT FROM BNL AND THAT THERE MIGHT BE ADDITIONAL COMMENTS THAT WE WANT TO MAKE DIRECTLY TO BNL. BASED ON SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR MATERIALS OR THE LIKE, THAT WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO MAKE THAT WITHOUT HAVING TO COME TOGETHER AS A GROUP. EACH INDIVIDUAL CAN SEND SUGGESTIONS TO B&L. AND ALSO, GOING FORWARD, I THINK INDIVIDUALLY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SUGGEST AS WELL.

Certainly, any citizen has the ability to make suggestions to B&L, with perhaps not as much force behind it as if this committee, which is going to end tonight, makes some suggestions in a written form. And, you know, they could be questions, it could be suggestions, but I think it's worth... HAVING THEM GO TO BNL IN SOME FORMAL FORMAT, WHATEVER THAT IS.

I THINK THAT'S FAIR. I THINK THAT WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST IS WE WOULD PUT THAT IN AN ADDENDUM THAT THIS COMMITTEE WILL PREPARE THROUGH E-MAIL COMMUNICATIONS, AN ADDENDUM TO SEND BACK TO BNL, AND THAT THAT WILL BE SUBJECT TO OUR APPROVAL. SO I'M ASSUMING, JEFF, THAT YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THIS. DAVID, IS THIS YOUR FIRST TIME?

YEAH. I MEAN, I KNOW WHAT THIS IS, YEAH. SEE, WE'RE IN NUMBER 2C. YOU CAN SEE WHERE IT SAYS DISCOURAGED SPEED EFFECTS AND ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF.

SO I WILL, I MEAN, WE WILL SUBMIT A COPY OF THIS FOR THE RECORD AND JUST FOR FOR PERSPECTIVE OF READING THIS OUT LOUD, THERE'S DISCUSSIONS FOR TONIGHT'S MEETING THAT THE ADDITIONAL TRAIL CONSTRUCTION ON THE RESERVOIR PROPER, THERE ARE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS WHICH WOULD BENEFIT THE MUNICIPALITIES. THEY TOTAL OVER $360,000, WHICH IS CLOSE TO 23% OF THE ESTIMATED CONSTRUCTION COSTS. Trail will include sidewalks and will abut Route 37 and those sections and asphalt surfaces appropriate choice. For the trail segments inside the reservoir, a stone dust surface has multiple advantages. Less expensive to install, easier to repair, discourages speeding bikes, skateboards, etc. It is more aesthetically compatible with a nature walk. THIRD ITEM IS BNL REPORTED THE TRAIL TRAVERSES THE SEWER RIGHT-OF-WAY, ALTHOUGH IT'S DIFFICULT TO IDENTIFY THAT PORTION ON THE PROPOSAL MAPS, USE OF THAT RIGHT-OF-WAY SHOULD BE MAXIMIZED IN THE DESIGN CONSTRUCTION TO SAVE MONEY, AND IT SHOULD BE DIFFERENTIATED FROM THE REST OF THE TRAIL ON THE PROPOSED MAPS. Some has expressed the desire to locate the trail closer to the reservoir at the new Fairfield terminus. It should be made clear that the decision to route the trail in front of gills instead of behind it and the adjoining houses was due to the water company's desire to maintain a 250-foot buffer whenever possible, if that is the rationale.

Is that correct? Well, yeah, 250 feet from Class 1. Yeah. That is correct.

Okay.

I believe that's misstated in the report. It is. It talks about 200 feet.

200 feet, okay. So we'll make sure, and then the Danbury Dog Park would be extended and paved to accommodate the expected increase in demand, and the existing stone lot is perfectly serviceable now. Could it be expanded without paving, bringing up capital for EIE if required, or other contingencies if needed, like stormwater controls? So I think I have no objection to adding this to the report as an addendum to B&L's SUMMARY. I THINK THAT I WOULD INCLUDE, IF WE MAKE A MOTION TO DO THIS TONIGHT, THAT I WOULD INCLUDE THAT WE CAN PROVIDE ADDITIONAL COMMENTS BACK TO B&L AS A COMMITTEE, EVEN IF WE ARE NO LONGER MEETING, BECAUSE WE HAVE... UNTIL THE COMMITTEE IS FORMALLY

DISPANDED, RIGHT?

THAT HAS TO BE DONE BY THE MAYOR IN THE FIRST ELECT FORM.

RIGHT. SO IF YOU WANTED TO SEND SOMETHING TO BNL, WE WOULD HAVE TO PROBABLY GO TO ONE MEMBER OF THIS COMMITTEE SO WE DON'T HAVE A MASS TRANSMISSION.

OKAY. SO I WOULD...

I WOULD ACTUALLY SAY THIS MEMORANDUM BE A SEPARATE SUBMISSION, NOT EVEN AS AN ADDENDUM. OKAY. IT COULD JUST BE A SEPARATE ITEM THAT WE TRANSMIT.

OKAY.

And it could be readdressed to them and not to Holly.

Yeah, and I would suggest based on probably knowledge and insight that maybe Peter or Jeff be the contact person and not me. Okay.

Even just the transmission of this document, it doesn't matter that it's only addressed to Holly as chair of the committee. As long as this body is transmitting to the town hall. COUNCILMAN FAIRFIELD, TO BNL, TO THE CITY COUNCIL. AS LONG AS WE'RE JUST DOING THE ACTIVE TRANSMITTING, IT'S OKAY, WHATEVER.

WHATEVER THIS IS ADDRESSED TO. DO WE NEED TO INCLUDE THE TYPO QUESTION MARK THAT'S UP THERE ABOVE THE BOX?

NO, WHAT WE'LL DO IS WE'LL SUBMIT THIS TO THE RECORD AS IS. AS IT IS, YEAH. AND WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST IS THAT WE CAN MAKE A MOTION RECEIVING AND ACCEPTING THE BARTON AND LAGUIDAS MARGERIE RESERVOIR TRAIL PRESENTATION ON ITS FACE AS A COMMITTEE. AND THEN WE WILL ALSO APPROVE A MEMORANDUM THAT WAS DRAFTED BY JEFF AND PETER TO SUBMIT BACK TO BNL. AND THAT COULD BE PETER HEARN AS THE AUTHOR, AND HE CAN BE THE MAIN POINT OF CONTACT WITH BNL FOR ANY CLARIFICATIONS OR ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS THAT ARE SUBSTANTIALLY RELATED TO WHAT IS IN THIS INITIAL MEMO. SURE.

SO MOVED.

SO MOVED. THEY SURE QUALIFY. I'M NOT GOING TO SAY THAT AGAIN. SO ARE YOU, JEFF, ARE YOU MAKING THAT MOTION? SURE. DO I HEAR A SECOND? SECOND. OKAY. SO THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR IS TO ACCEPT AND RECEIVE THE PRESENTATION AND THEN ALLOW THE SUBMISSION OF THIS MEMORANDUM BACK TO BNL AND GIVE PETER HEARN OPPORTUNITY TO COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY WITH BNL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS RELATED SPECIFICALLY TO THOSE COMMENTS. AND IF THERE'S ANYTHING ADDITIONAL, I THINK THAT WE CAN... I'M SORRY, I'M AT THE DISCUSSION PHASE. THE MOTION'S STILL ON THE FLOOR. I THINK THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO IS IF WE... AND I'M JUST SPEAKING OFF THE CUFF HERE, JOE, IS THAT THIS COMMITTEE CAN BE PRESENT AND BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION AT THAT WORKSHOP. AND THE INTENTION IS TO BE ABLE TO UTILIZE WHAT WE'VE LEARNED IN THE LAST, I MEAN, THIS HAS BEEN, WHAT, TWO YEARS NOW, AND UTILIZE THE EXPERTISE OF JEFF AND PETER AND DAVID SPECIFICALLY, AND HOPEFULLY DAVID CAN MAKE IT AS WELL. I THINK THAT'S ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR INPUT. BUT I THINK THE INWRITING PIECE IS RELEVANT.

OKAY.

ARE THERE ANY OTHER?

THAT NOTICE HAS TO BE PUBLISHED, RIGHT? THE WORKSHOP NOTICE? RIGHT. WE HAVEN'T SUBMITTED THAT YET. NO. YOU COULD EVEN PUT IN THE NOTICE THAT THE COMMITTEE BE INVITED.

I THINK IT WOULD HAVE TO BE, I THINK THE INTENT IS THAT BOTH THE CITY OF DANBURY AND THE BOARD OF SELECTMENT IN NEW FAIRFIELD WILL HAVE IT ON THEIR AGENDA FOR THE FIRST MEETING IN SEPTEMBER. TO AGREE TO THE WORKSHOP. RIGHT. AND THEN THE WORKSHOP WILL BE NOTICED. THAT'S RIGHT. BECAUSE IT WILL BE ABOUT TWO WEEKS AFTER OR AT LEAST ABOUT TWO WEEKS AFTER THE MEETING.

OKAY.

ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR? THANK YOU FOR PUTTING THIS TOGETHER. I APPRECIATE IT. I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU BOTH. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION? AYE.

the opposed okay the motion carries thank you very much um before we go on to further business yes i just found it interesting i just feel like um i just want to note this that um that that 346 000 of improvements that are not in the reservoir property except for the um the stormwater control improvement to $73,000, making me think that BNL is politically astute. It's just so fair. I just wondered.

Maybe they didn't want to make a decision and have us fight it out at the table. I MEAN, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS, TOO, THAT WE HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND, AND I DON'T NECESSARILY KNOW ALL THE GOINGS ON IN NEW FAIRFIELD, IS THAT THERE IS OPPORTUNITIES TO UTILIZE MONEY FOR OTHER PIECES OF THIS AS WELL. SO I MEAN, THERE COULD BE HYPOTHETICALLY DOT MONEY FOR CERTAIN PIECES THAT MIGHT BE CONSIDERED PART OF SIDEWALK OR ABUTMENT AREA, THINGS LIKE THAT. SO I THINK THE OTHER THING TO KEEP IN MIND IS THAT HOW WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS FINANCIALLY DOLLAR TO DOLLAR FOR THE TRAIL DEVELOPMENT, I'M OPTIMISTIC THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO UTILIZE MORE FOR THE ACTUAL TRAIL BUILD AND HAVE OTHER DOLLARS COMING INTO EITHER MUNICIPALITY FOR EITHER THE ORIGINATION POINTS AT EACH END OR EVEN THE LOOKOUT POINTS. SO I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF MOVING PARTS THAT I CANNOT FORECAST. BUT I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT YOU GUYS PUT INTO THAT. SO THE, AND WE MADE THE ACTION ITEM AS FAR AS THE FEASIBILITY, I'M SORRY, THE TRAIL PLAN. Is there anything, Peter, from a perspective about signing items for administrative? Do we have any reporting?

The only thing that I'm aware of is the report to DEEP, the biannual report. And I submitted... Well, there were authorizations to pay some invoices, but they were so far back, I figured that they had to.

Oh, they were from.

But they actually, one of them, $18,000 hadn't been paid until this quarter, this semiannual report. So Adam, the accountant at New Fairfield, made that correction. So these numbers reflect New Fairfield's expenditures here. AND SENT TO THE DEEP.

OKAY. AND YOU'LL PROVIDE A COPY TO ALISA, OUR... THANK YOU.

I SENT THE COPY TO ALISA ALSO.

PERFECT. THANK YOU. LET'S MAKE SURE THAT SHE'S ON THE RECORD. THANK YOU. AND WILL THAT BE... I'M ASSUMING THAT ANY OTHER GRANT REPORTING REQUIREMENTS, AND MAYBE THIS IS A QUESTION FOR JOE GOING FORWARD, WILL BE DONE BY EACH TOWN I mean, New Fairfield, it has to come from New Fairfield, but I'm assuming that who from Danbury will be the contact person.

Fairport?

Yeah.

Has this gone through our grant office?

No, it has not, but we have, as a committee, we have given guidance to the New Fairfield Purchasing Office for expenses, and I'm assuming that, I mean, really, it's in control of this town of New Fairfield.

BUT THE GRANT DOCUMENT.

WE CAN MAYBE LEAVE THAT OPEN TO THE FIRST ELECT WOMAN AND THE MAYOR. OKAY. I JUST DON'T WANT THAT TO FALL THROUGH THE CRACKS. WE'LL INCLUDE THAT IN OUR REPORT THEN. I WANT TO JUST MAKE A NOTE THAT THE CONTINUING GRANT REPORTING IS PART OF THE MEMO THAT WE HAND OFF TO THE TOWNS.

THERE SHOULD BE REPORTING LANGUAGE IN THE GRANT DOCUMENTS THEMSELVES, WHICH WE HAVE TO COME THROUGH, BUT I'M SURE THERE'S... RIGHT. THE EXTENT THAT THE CITY IS OBLIGATED TO ALSO DO REPORTING, THAT'LL CERTAINLY...

OKAY. IS THAT ANYTHING ELSE AS FAR AS THE ADMINISTRATIVE... NOT THAT I'M AWARE OF, NO.

THERE IS THE NOTE HERE ABOUT REIMBURSEMENT. JEFF AND I WENT A NUMBER OF MONTHS AGO. WE WERE SPENDING SMALL AMOUNTS OF MONEY FOR PRINTING AND WE DROVE OFF TO SEE A TRAIL. AND THE ISSUE CAME UP, WE JUST DECIDED THAT THERE'S SUCH SELF-DEALING AND CORRUPTION IN GOVERNMENT, IT WOULD BE BEST FOR US NOT TO SEIZE ANYTHING AT ALL.

THOSE ARE PROBABLY CONSIDERED APPROPRIATE EXPENSES UNDER THE GRANT FUNDING. I DON'T HAVE THE GRANT IN FRONT OF ME, BUT THAT IS YOUR PERSONAL CHOICE. I'M SURE YOU'RE ENTITLED.

I'LL JUST TAKE IT OFF MY TAXES.

DAVID, DID YOU HAVE ANY OTHER?

WELL, I MAY HAVE MISSED MY OPPORTUNITY TO ASK QUESTIONS, BUT THIS MEMO HERE, THAT'S WHAT WE APPROVED.

I HAVE NOT GONE OVER THE MEMO YET. OKAY.

I WANTED TO MAKE SURE I DIDN'T MISS THAT.

YEAH, SORRY. I HAVE...

I WASN'T SURE IF THAT WAS PART OF ITEM 3 OR NOT.

IT IS PART OF ITEM 3, BUT I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD THE INITIAL, BECAUSE I FIGURED THE MEMO WOULD PROBABLY TAKE LONGER. SO MOVING ON NOW, I THINK WE CAN MOVE ON TO THE MEMO ITSELF. ARE WE GOOD WITH THE ADMINISTRATIVE PIECE? YES, MR. DAY, WHAT CAN I?

DO YOU WANT ALL QUESTIONS NOW OR WE SEND THEM TO YOU LATER IN AN E-MAIL?

WE CAN TALK THINGS THROUGH NOW. I THINK IT MAKES SENSE TO DO IT ON THE RECORD. I MEAN, SOME OF IT IS JUST, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE.

WELL, ONE OF THEM I'LL START IS THIS BIG PICTURE, THE TOTAL COST OF THE WORK. THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO WRITE, I HAVEN'T SEEN A TOTAL CONSTRUCTION COST ESTIMATE. AND AT THIS STAGE, I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT. RIGHT, AND YOU PUT A CONTINGENCY IN THERE IF REQUIRED, BUT UNLESS I'M MISSING SOMETHING, I HAVEN'T SEEN. I'VE SEEN PRELIMINARY COST ESSENTIAL FOR CERTAIN PHASES, BUT WHEN WE DO PRESENT THE FINAL MEMO TO DAN BURRY AND NEW FERRIFIELD, I WOULD THINK WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO SAY IT'S GOING TO COST X, AND IT INCLUDES 10%, 25% CONTINGENCY, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER THAT MAY BE.

YEAH, AND I THINK THAT WE'VE HAD THE, THIS CONVERSATION SEVERAL TIMES, I THINK, IN THIS FORM, AND WE'VE HAD IT WITH BNL. AND I THINK THAT THE, WHEN I'VE GONE TO JOE AND I'VE GONE TO, YOU KNOW, HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH ENGINEERING FOLKS, THEIR THOUGHT PROCESS IS, WELL, THAT WILL BE PART OF THE RFP ITSELF, WHICH, I MEAN... RESPECTFULLY, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO PROVIDE CAPITAL BUDGETS PART OF OUR JOBS ALL THE TIME.

I MEAN, YOU CAN TAKE AN EDUCATED GUESS ON THIS, RIGHT? WE'LL START AT $10 MILLION. IT'S NOT GOING TO COST $10 MILLION, RIGHT? IT'S SOMEWHERE BELOW THAT. You know, don't put that on the record, but it's over a hundred thousand. We should be able to, they should be able to zero in and throw a contingency number at it. You know, we know what's going to be over a million dollars, right? So, so we should be able to, these guys, they do this all the time and it's okay to put a contingency in there based on the design level. I would tell them that, you know, but, but they should be able to give us a ballpark because it's going to be a lot easier for the powers to be to make these decisions when they know what's in front of us.

I think that that makes sense. I mean, we can either issue a communication back to B&L to have them update their documentation to support that or have it be in the request, be in the, what are we calling it, the memo that we're sending back to them. I think that can include the things that we want to make sure that they're revising or at least presenting.

Right, right.

I MEAN, IDEALLY, WE'LL HAVE IT IN OUR MEMO, SO WE HAVE IT BY, I BELIEVE, THE 24TH, AUGUST 24TH IS WHEN WE WOULD LIKE TO PRESENT OUR MEMO TO, FOR AGENDA ITEMS.

AND I WOULD EXPECT THEM TO SAY AT 30% DESIGN OR POLYMETER DESIGN, THIS IS STANDARD, YOU KNOW, ESTIMATING WITH PROPER CONTINGENCIES. THESE GUYS DO THAT ALL THE TIME. SO IT SHOULDN'T BE A PROBLEM TO PUT US IN THAT BALLPARK.

And we can make that inquiry.

Yeah. Yeah. And I think maybe maybe Peter, if there are certain communications that we want to send and include the memo, maybe we can make a list of items from the committee that we want to have them address before the agenda or before the workshop. Yeah. YOU HAD OTHER ITEMS. I SEE A LOT OF YELLOW.

AS FAR AS COSTS, IT'S GOOD TO HAVE A TOTAL COST. IT'S ALSO GOOD TO SAY, OKAY, WE HAVE THIS GRANT, WHAT WAS IT, A LITTLE OVER $2 MILLION TO WORK WITH, SPENT $300,000, AND CAN WE USE THE REMAINING OF THAT FOR DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION TO DO AS MUCH AS WE CAN TO WORK OUT THOSE ELEMENTS. I MEAN, I CAN JUST GO THROUGH SOME OF MY TABS, IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT ME TO DO.

YEAH, GO AHEAD.

BUT I DID MENTION UNDER FEASIBILITY, THEY MENTIONED THE 200-FOOT SETBACK. I THINK IT'S MORE LIKE THE 250-FOOT SETBACK, YOU KNOW. THE OTHER THINGS. I mean, we talked about establishing the O&M budget. That's, I think, up front, that's going to be minor, but it has to be there, right? And so there has to be some estimates. Again, based on B&O's experience, you know, these do require O&M, whether, you know, Danbury has to, you know, somebody's got to assume something there, you know. UNDER MITIGATION MEASURES I DON'T SEE LISTED. I KNOW THAT THIS TRAIL IS FEASIBLE ALONG THE EAST SIDE OF THE MARGIE RESERVOIR WITHOUT ADVERSELY IMPACTING THE WATER QUALITY. I BELIEVE IT CAN BE DONE THROUGH PROPER PLANNING, DESIGN, AND CONSTRUCTION. BUT WITH THAT, I DO THINK FENCING IS LIKELY NEEDED BETWEEN THE WEST EDGE OF THE TRAIL AND THE RESERVOIR TO INHIBIT. I KNOW PEOPLE DON'T LIKE THAT IDEA. BUT WE DON'T WANT TO INVITE PEOPLE FROM GOING OFF TRAIL AND WALKING DOWN TO THE RESERVOIR. THAT'S JUST REALITY. BUT THAT'S JUST ONE OF MY COMMENTS THERE. WE WILL NEED, UNDER DESIGN AND PERMITTING, IT PROBABLY COULD BE BETTER WRITTEN, WE'RE GOING TO NEED WHAT'S CALLED A WATER COMPANY LAND PERMIT DUE TO CHANGE IN USE FROM THE STATE DPH. CAN I GET DPH DRINKING WATER? AND THAT'S SOMETHING THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE WATER DEPARTMENT HAS TO SIGN AND BE ABLE TO BACK. SO THAT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT THEY CAN JUST FURTHER CLARIFY THAT. I DID HAVE A QUESTION UNDER THE THIRD BULLET. I DON'T KNOW WHAT SHPO MEANS.

I THINK DAVID MAYBE WHAT MAKES SENSE IS THAT AS WE THE MEMO ITSELF IS TO PORTRAY WHAT IT IS THAT WE ARE YOU KNOW OUR CONCLUSIONS AND WHAT WE'RE RECOMMENDING BACK SO I THINK THAT WE'LL

YOU KNOW, SEND THESE COMMENTS INCLUDED INTO THE DISCUSSION THAT WE SEND BACK TO B&L. BECAUSE THE INTENT IS THAT THEY WILL ADDRESS THEM. I MEAN, CONCEPTUALLY, WE'RE IN AGREEMENT WITH THE PLAN ITSELF, BUT THERE ARE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS THAT I THINK NEED TO BE ADDRESSED EITHER BEFORE IT GOES TO EITHER COUNCIL OR BEFORE THE WORKSHOP ITSELF THAT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE IS INCLUDED.

AND THEN MY LAST QUESTION, JUST AS FAR AS FONDAL DESIGN, I GUESS I FORGOT A B&L SCOPE IS JUST FOR PRELIMINARY DESIGN, IS THAT CORRECT? YEAH. ALL RIGHT. ALL IN ALL, I THINK THE REPORT DOES A GOOD OVERALL JOB. IT DOES NEED SOME REVISIONS. THE BIGGEST ONE, I THINK, IS COST. WITHOUT COST, YOU REALLY CAN'T MAKE AN EDUCATED DECISION ON WHAT TO DO.

RIGHT, EXACTLY.

I MEAN, IT'S GOING TO HAVE TO BE PHASED, BUT IT DOES HELP TO HAVE THAT.

AND I THINK THAT BOTH LEGISLATIVE BODIES AND THE WORKSHOP WILL That'll be the number one question that will be asked by then. So mid-September, they should have an answer to most of these questions. If they don't already, that's fair. Do I need to, I mean, this is all, is this appropriate to just include these items in the email that Peter will send to B&L?

We should have that chronicled. SOMETHING SHOULD BE ADDED TO THAT MEMO, SO MAYBE INSTEAD OF IT BEING THE EXACT MEMO THAT YOU GOT TODAY, MAYBE WE SHOULD JUST CREATE A NEW MEMO. WE WILL, YEAH. AT THIS POINT.

YEAH, WHAT I THINK I'LL DO IS JUST TAKE THAT AND KIND OF SET THE MEMO ASIDE FOR RIGHT NOW, AND WE'LL TAKE THE ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN BROUGHT UP AND EMAIL BNL AND SEE WHAT THEIR TIMELINE IS FOR RESPONDING TO IT, AND THEN DO BASICALLY A REDRAFT OF THAT. THAT WAS BASICALLY AN INFORMATION DUMP.

And for moving to transmit the memorandum as well, right? Be the memorandum inclusive of. ALL COMMENTS IDENTIFIED, YOU KNOW, IDENTIFIED BY DAVID. I MEAN, WE COULD BASICALLY SAY THAT WE'RE INCLUDING ALL THESE ADDITIONAL POINTS AS PART OF THE MEMO TRANSMITTAL, THEN WE ACTUALLY FURTHER EMPHASIZE THOSE POINTS THROUGH OUR CORRESPONDENTS DIRECTLY WITH BNO. I THINK THAT MAKES SENSE.

OKAY. SO, AND IT WOULD GIVE GIVE ME THE AUTHORSHIP TO MAKE THE CHANGES BASED ON THE COMMUNICATIONS, AND THEN CIRCULATE THE MEMO TO EACH INDIVIDUAL MEMBER OF THIS COMMITTEE BEFORE SUBMITTING IT FOR APPROVAL. DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER?

NOT AT THIS TIME, BUT I MAY.

SO I THINK, AND THAT MAKES SENSE, BECAUSE IT IS KIND OF A COMPREHENSIVE MEMORANDUM, AND I THINK THE INTENT IS FOR IT TO BE FROM ALL OF US TO BE UNANIMOUSLY APPROVING WHAT WE'RE SENDING BACK TO EACH COUNCIL. SO WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST IS THAT WE WILL APPROVE, THAT THE COMMITTEE WILL APPROVE THE MEMO TO BE SENT TO THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN AND THE CITY COUNCIL PENDING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AS REQUESTED FROM BNL, AND THEN TO BE CIRCULATED AND APPROVED BY EACH MEMBER OF THIS COMMITTEE BEFORE SUBMISSION. Was that clear as much?

You could do it that way. You could also just have it be more general motion and say that the memorandum will include, I don't think we have any internal disagreement on the points that people want to raise collectively and individually. So I think he would just say that the motion would be inclusive of all recommended, all recommended, you know, issues to examine, right, by B&L, right?

Okay.

I don't say it exactly that way, but we basically have to incorporate by reference what David has in his report here in front of us.

So do I have a motion for this committee to submit this memo to the appropriate legislative bodies incorporating any recommendations from any members of this committee and responses from B&L?

Yes. So before we do that vote... Everything that was brought up are really issues that need to be addressed by B&L from us. Right. Is there a need to? I mean, your memo about feasibility seems perfectly acceptable. It's feasible. It is feasible. There are a few questions that remain unpresented in the plan that probably should go back to B&L. I don't know that it's necessary. I mean, they could be in the memo or it could be an interesting addendum. YOU KNOW, CAN ADDRESS THEM BEFORE THE WORKSHOP OR BEFORE THE COUNTS MEET.

I THINK THAT'S A VALID POINT BECAUSE THE MEMO ITSELF IS BASICALLY OUR CREATION WAS TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY AND TO GET TO A POINT OF DESIGN INTENT, RIGHT, AND TO BE ABLE TO DETERMINE FEASIBILITY, WHICH WE HAVE DONE. I MEAN, THERE'S STILL OUTSTANDING QUESTIONS REGARDING MATERIALS AND CONFIRMING PERMITS AND CERTAIN, AND FENCING AND THINGS LIKE THAT, WHICH I THINK ARE, WITHOUT SOUNDING GLIB, I MEAN, ARE MORE MINUTIA PIECES BEYOND THE BASIC FEASIBILITY OF THE TRAIL ITSELF. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO IS, GIVEN THE ABILITY TO KIND OF, YOU KNOW, HAVE EACH PERSON APPROVE THE MEMO, is that maybe one of the things is we take out details and just give our overall assessment of what we've reviewed, what steps we've taken, and the feasibility based on certain things that we're still trying to get. Do we still want, do you feel comfortable, and I guess, David, approving a memo that we don't have responses yet from BNL?

I think the biggest thing is cost. I think given the work they've done, they have to be able to put, for me, a total construction cost estimate on it with an explanation of the contingency put in there. I KNOW THESE GUYS ARE ENGINEERS. I KNOW THEY CAN DO THAT. IF THEY SAY NO, THEN WE GOT TO GET THE ENGINEER THAT CAN DO THAT, BECAUSE I KNOW ENGINEERS DO THIS. SO I'D BE SURPRISED IF THEY CAN'T. I MEAN, I GET WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. WE'RE SAYING IT'S FEASIBLE, BUT WE'RE GIVING A, I DON'T THINK IT'S RIGHT TO GIVE A DOCUMENT WITHOUT THAT TOTAL CONSTRUCTION COST.

RIGHT, BECAUSE WE KNOW WHAT THE COST IS.

THAT IS MY VIEW ON IT.

SO HOW DOES THAT AFFECT WHAT WE'RE SENDING?

WELL, WHAT I WOULD DO IS I THINK, I DO THINK THAT THE COST ITSELF AND SOME DETAILS THAT WE'VE ALREADY GONE OVER IN THE MEMO, I GO BACK TO MY INITIAL, MY SUGGESTION IS GO BACK TO MY INITIAL THOUGHT PROCESS IS THAT THIS MEMO WILL BE FAIRLY INCLUSIVE OF SOME OF THESE ITEMS. WE CAN GET QUICK RESPONSES FROM BNL ON, WHICH THEY SHOULD HAVE. OTHER THINGS THAT MIGHT BE LONG, LIKE IT MIGHT TAKE THEM TWO WEEKS TO RESPOND, LIKE, WHICH I DON'T THINK ANYTHING YOU SAID, DAVID, WOULD TAKE that long to respond.

The other items, I mean, whether the material is asphalt or stone dust or even the fencing and all that, I mean, that can all be worked out, those details. For me, the biggest thing is the cost.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST.

TOTAL COST.

TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST.

TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST. TOTAL COST. TOT

COLLECTIVELY THAT INCLUDES AT A MINIMUM THE CONSTRUCTION COST AND PHASED COSTS COMPARED WITH THE REMAINDER OF THE GRANT MONEYS THAT ARE SITTING IN THE FAIRFIELD. AND THEN IF WE HAVE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT CAN BE CORRECTED FROM BNL BEFORE THE SUBMISSION DEADLINE OF THAT MEMO, WE WILL DO SO OR WE'LL JUST REMOVE THE THINGS THAT WE CONSIDER IMMATERIAL. SO I THINK WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST AND MAYBE JOE CAN CORRECT ME IS THAT AS A COMMITTEE WE CAN MAKE THE MOTION TO FINALIZE THE MEMO VIRTUALLY, INDIVIDUALLY AMONGST EACH OTHER THAT HAS SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME MATERIAL PURPOSE OF THE FEASIBILITY, BUT SHOULD INCLUDE PROJECT COST UPDATES FROM B&L, AS WELL AS ANY OTHER CORRECTIONS OR SUGGESTIONS MADE BY ANY OF THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS BETWEEN NOW AND WHEN IT'S SUBMITTED.

YES, I WOULD JUST QUALIFY THAT BY SAYING IT'S NOT JUST TO EMED, BUT THEN TO ALSO TRANSMIT. TO TRANSMIT. SO WE WOULD REVISE AND TRANSMIT THE MEMO THAT WAY we don't reconvene just to make another motion to transmit this amended memo out in the bodies.

Okay. So the motion would be, it's been a long day. So the motion would be to accept the memo, make any necessary amendments and edits as a group based on what has been discussed tonight and transmit the final approved memo, which will be approved by each member of this committee via email before it can be submitted. AND TRANSMIT IT TO THE CITY.

AND TRANSMIT IT, YES.

THE CITY OF DANBURY AND THE BOARD OF SELECTMENT IN NEW BEARFIELD.

YES, IN SO MANY WORDS.

ANYONE WANT TO MAKE THAT MOTION? YOU CAN JUST SAY SO MOVED. SO MOVED. SO MOVED. SECOND. SECOND. OKAY, MOTION MADE BY DAVID DAY, SECONDED BY PETER HEARN. ANY ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION ON THE ALPHABET SUP I JUST THREW OUT?

JUST TO... to be clear obviously the amended memo once once adjusted by this body reviewed individually and then under this motion transmitted out to the City Council on the Board of Selectmen obviously at that point the amended memorandum certainly is a public record as much as everything is in front of us here so that'll go before the bodies it can be that's a record that's available to the public even though it's not coming back in front of this committee it's it's certainly ABSOLUTELY.

YEAH, AND I THINK THAT THE INTENT IS TO PROVIDE AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY TO EACH LEGISLATIVE BODY, NOT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF SHOWING WHAT WORK WE'VE DONE AND TRYING TO GIVE, YOU KNOW, THE HIGHLIGHTS OF WHAT THE PLAN IS WITHOUT HAVING TO GO THROUGH EACH PAGE OF THE POWERPOINT. THE INTENT IS NOT TO SAY WE INDIVIDUALLY OR AS A GROUP THINK IT HAS TO HAPPEN OR DOESN'T HAVE TO HAPPEN, BUT WE HAVE ANSWERED THE QUESTION OF WHAT THE COMMITTEE WAS ESTABLISHED FOR, MEANING is feasible we believe it's feasible based on this information that we have and and here are the costs of it and then basically what each town selectively respectively does with it that's that's that's on that's outside of our control that's right we're simply simply an advisory body right making recommendations to the respective municipalities right on how they want to handle this project from there So, I mean, when I use the word memo, I just want to be clear this is really just an executive summary of sorts, a cheat sheet to explain what it is that we did here.

SO THE INTENT IS TO GET OUT THIS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND THEN HAVE THE WORKSHOP, IS THAT CORRECT?

CORRECT, YEAH. I THINK THE, SO AS WE'VE GONE BACK AND FORTH, THAT THE, WE BELIEVE THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE AN ACTUAL, HAS TO BE ON THE AGENDA FOR EACH LEGISLATIVE BODY TO SAY YES TO THE WORKSHOP. SO I JUST THINK IT HELPS FOLKS WHO, YOU KNOW, SIT AND READ THROUGH EVERYTHING FOR THEM TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS IS ABOUT. WE HAVE SOME NEW MEMBERS IN THE COUNCIL. I THINK IT WILL BE HELPFUL. to have them understand it. And then again, it's just a summary of what we've done. I mean, any changes that happen to the plan itself are relevant to the memo after that. So I think that if since when we go to make a vote to approve this tonight, the motion that's on the floor, I think that the intent is that it's more administrative in nature, any changes that we make to the memo itself. to make sure that it's actually saying what we believe it should be saying.

The workshop, I think, is a great idea. But who formally sets that up? That's not us, is it? Or is that us?

It's sort of a jointly run public meeting under FOI. So in the past, we've done workshops here at City Hall.

THE INTENT, I THINK, IS TO HAVE IT HERE BASED ON SPACE.

I GUESS MY QUESTION WAS THE FORMAT OF THE WORKSHOP, HOW THAT WORKS. IS IT JUST THE PRESENTATION TO THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE FAIRFIELD SELECTION? IT'S CERTAINLY A PRESENTATION, YEAH. IS THERE A PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD OR IS IT JUST A PRESENTATION FOR THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE QUESTION AND ANSWERS? YOU CAN DO A PUBLIC COMMENT SESSION. I DON'T KNOW WHO SETS THOSE GUIDELINES. IT WILL PROBABLY BE

REALLY THE MAYOR AND THE FIRST ELECT WOMEN, I THINK, BECAUSE THEY'RE THE ONES THAT PUT THIS COMMITTEE TOGETHER. I MEAN, I THINK THAT THEY'RE... WE'VE DONE WORKSHOPS IN THE PAST HERE FOR TAX ABATEMENT, REAPPORTIONMENT, THINGS LIKE THAT. SO I THINK IT'S REALLY KIND OF UP TO... I THINK THE MAYOR OR MAYBE THE CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT.

I DIDN'T KNOW IF THERE'S A FORMAT OF THESE WORKSHOPS.

IT'S NOT REALLY UP TO US TO DETERMINE WHAT THE STRUCTURE SHOULD BE, BUT I WOULD BELIEVE THAT WE CAN RECOMMEND OR MAKE SURE THAT THE FIRST ELECT WOMEN AND THE MAYOR HAVE SPOKEN TO EACH OTHER OR THE the president of our city council and the first-elect woman. So as far as format can be.

Sometimes there are public speaking sessions at these. Sometimes it's just really presentation alone. The idea is for it to be somewhat interactive between the two municipal bodies. So there could be questions from Danbury to New Fairfield, New Fairfield to Danbury. But that'll all get identified in the agenda once we get the agenda together for the workshop. But yeah, we did one also for the elderly tax abatement program. So we then did all the ordinances for, I think Donna Murphy, our assessor, put on a presentation. Correct.

And then it was just a back and forth with the council members asking questions, which is essentially the format that we want. We want B&L to be in the room and then have both the Board of Selectmen and the council be able to PICK THIS APART, ASK QUESTIONS. AND NOT HAVE TO DO IT TWICE.

ARE WE PART OF THE Q&A, OR WE'RE DONE AND WE'RE JUST OBSERVED? HOW DOES THAT WORK?

WELL, IT MIGHT BE VALUABLE TO HAVE THE COMMITTEE THERE.

I THINK IT WOULD BE VALUABLE TO HAVE US THERE.

SINCE YOU'VE BEEN SO INVOLVED IN THIS, AND OBVIOUSLY, DAVID, YOU BRING DEPARTMENT EXPERTISE, AND WE HAVE OUR OTHER EXPERTS HERE.

I THINK THAT IF WE EQUATE IT SIMILARLY TO THE TAX, THE ELDERLY TAX CREDIT, WORKSHOP, I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD ALL BE THERE. AND THEN IF THERE'S A CERTAIN QUESTION THAT EXPERTISE CAN BE BETTER ANSWERED BY, SAY, PETER HAS THE EXPERTISE OR JEFF OR YOU OR THERE'S A WATER QUESTION, THAT WE CAN BE ON CALL TO STAND UP AND HELP RESPOND. I THINK THAT MAKES IT, I MEAN, I THINK THAT THE INTENT IS FOR THIS TO NOT BE OVERLY FORMAL, FOR THIS TO ACTUALLY BE REALLY AN INFORMATION SESSION SO THAT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS.

AND ELUCIDATING FOR DETAILS THAT MAY NOT BE CLEAR TO EVERYBODY.

YEAH. SO THERE'S STILL A MOTION ON THE FLOOR FOR THE MEMO APPROVAL AND SUBMISSION. ARE THERE ANY OTHER DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE MEMO ITSELF? WELL, THEN, I WILL TRY YOUR MINDS. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THAT MOTION, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? SO THAT MOTION CARRIES. SO WE WILL START, AND PETER, JUST FROM A LOGISTICS PERSPECTIVE, DAVID, IF YOU CAN SEND YOUR NOTES BACK TO THE COMMITTEE ITSELF.

SEND IT TO PETER. PETER'S MAKING A, HE'S GOING TO CORRESPOND TO BNL.

YEAH. SEND IT TO PETER FOR NOW SO THAT THE ITEMS ON THE MEMO THAT ARE RELEVANT TO BNL, PETER, DO YOU MIND including his comments. Copy you?

Yeah.

Copy me when you send it to B&L.

I'm thinking he should copy you also. He can do that. Oh, no, is that a FOI issue? No, you can't. Too many people on an email. Right, yeah, okay.

And I don't need to weigh in. Okay. And then when you send to B&L... AND WHAT I'LL DO IS I'LL MAKE SOME COMMENTS AND WE CAN HAVE MAYBE A JOINT BACK AND FORTH ON THE MEMO ITSELF AS WE GET THESE RESPONSES. AND THEN PETER CAN GIVE US AN UPDATE INDIVIDUALLY ONCE HE HEARS BACK FROM BNL. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE? OUTSTANDING. IF THIS IS, IN FACT, OUR LAST MEETING, AGAIN, I THINK WE'RE AT THE MERCY OF WHAT PAT DEL MONACO AND ROBERTO ALVES WANT TO DO WITH THIS GOING FORWARD. BUT I'M ASSUMING THAT THEY DON'T WANT US TO, THEY DON'T NEED US TO DO ANYTHING FURTHER. SO IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD?

IF THEY DO, WELL, CERTAINLY WE CONVENE AND WE WILL BE UP TO IT.

That's fine. And I thank you all for being so patient and going through all of this together. And Peter for basically being the secretary and the treasurer and the...

He gave up treasurer. When Lauren showed me a summary which had 13

WELL, AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT AND EVERYTHING YOU BROUGHT TO THE TABLE. SO HOPEFULLY EVERYONE CAN ATTEND THE WORKSHOP WHEN THAT IS SCHEDULED. AND I BELIEVE YOU WILL BE ON THE E-MAILS TO HELP COORDINATE THAT. AND IF THAT'S IT, I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO ADJOURN. YEP. SECOND.

FIRST.

THERE YOU GO. So you're moving the motion to adjourn?

Oh, make the motion to adjourn.

Yes.

I second it.

Seconded by Peter. All those in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Well, thank you all. This meeting is adjourned. Thank you.