June 10, 2005
The Glastonbury Town Council
2155 Main Street
Glastonbury, CT 06033
Re: Town Manager’s Report
Dear Council Members:
The following will keep you up-to-date on various topics:
1. PLAN OF CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT:
The next subcommittee meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 13, 2005 at 7:00 PM in Meeting Room A of the Town Hall. The subcommittee will review the following sections of the document:
· Suburban (Planning Area One)
· Fringe Suburban (Planning Area Two)
2. PHYSICAL SERVICES - OPERATIONS MANAGER:
Eric Hood is appointed to the position of Physical Services Operations Manager effective Monday, June 27th. This is the position previously titled Highway Superintendent. The Operations Manager will have responsibility for Highway and Fleet Maintenance operations and report to Town Engineer/Manager of Physical Services, Dan Pennington. Eric holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management and Public Policy, and MS in Organization Management from Eastern Connecticut State University. Most recently Eric served as a Facility Engineer Branch Chief-Facility Management Specialist for the U.S. Army-National Guard. Previous to that, he served as a Personnel Officer and Senior Engineer Officer with the National Guard. Based on his background and experience, I am confident that Eric
will serve the Town well as Operations Manager.
3. CRCOG ANNUAL MEETING:
The annual meeting of the Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG) is scheduled for the evening of Tuesday, June 21st. I have attached a copy of the flyer announcing the event. Please contact Yolanda if you would like to attend.
4. RIVERFRONT TRAIL:
The ribbon cutting for the new Riverfront Trail through the Rankin Road corridor is scheduled for 9:00 AM on Saturday, June 18th. As noted on the attached page, this project is a partnership between the Town, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Glastonbury Rotary, Town Center Initiatives and Casella Custom Excavating. Please plan to attend as your schedules allow.
5. HIGH SCHOOL PROJECT – SUMMER SCHEDULE:
At the May 24th meeting, I was asked a question concerning possible overtime or shift work specifically scheduled for the high school project over summer months. I have confirmed my understanding that no overtime or shift work is specifically scheduled. Such work will be handled on an “as needed” basis.
6. PROJECT STATUS REPORT:
A copy of the May 26th status report on construction projects including the high school, elementary school and community center is attached for your information. As you might expect, Town staff and project teams are working very hard on each of these projects along with other projects and initiatives.
7. ROAD MAINTENANCE – CHIP SEAL:
The annual road maintenance program started recently with chip sealing work. Eastbury Hill, Thompson Street, Forest Lane, Shoddy Mill and Goodale Hill Road have been completed to date. Advance notice was forwarded to property owners along each street to advise of the road work. The chip sealing process has proceeded very well to date.
8. MAIN STREET RECONSTRUCTION:
When discussing the bikeway plan, a question was asked concerning changes to the travel lane and shoulder area as part of the Main Street reconstruction from School Street southerly to the Meadow Road area. I advised that the travel lane would be narrowed and the shoulder area widened. The specific changes contemplate reducing travel lanes from 15 feet to 12 feet. The shoulder area varies on Main Street but should be increased by 3± feet on each side.
9. WELLES STREET PARK – PERMITTING:
As you know, proposed improvements to the Welles Street Riverfront Park require a series of state and federal permits. This includes State DEP, Army Corps of Engineers, Office of Long Island Sound, and others. The various state and federal permits have been issued or are in final stages with formal permit approvals expected over the next couple of weeks. The project will then be submitted for local review. This has been a challenging permit process with most actions outside of direct Town control. Despite these challenges, the state and federal permitting process is only 2-3 weeks behind the original schedule.
10. STATE FUNDING:
The recently adopted state budget will increase Glastonbury revenues in the coming year by approximately $129,700. Town Aid Road funding is estimated to increase $63,100 with revenues offsetting operations increasing approximately $66,600.
11. ANNUAL REPORT:
A copy of the most recent annual town report is attached. I think you will agree the document is very well done. Thanks go to Human Resource Director, Pat Washington, who coordinated preparation, Ken Leslie and Wendy Mullaly for photography, and all those who contributed to the report.
12. EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION PROGRAM:
The annual employee recognition program is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 16th at the Elks Club Pavilion. Council members are invited to attend as schedules allow.
I will be happy to review the preceding and any other items Tuesday evening.
Sincerely,
Richard J. Johnson
Town Manager
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