1968/08/05 MINUTES
BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING
August 5, 1968
The meeting was called to order at 7:45 p.m. by First Selectman
Powers. All Selectmen were present.
Others present were: Mr. Morgan Seelye, Town Engineer, Mrs.
Blanche Mahan and Mr. Richard Covini, both of the press.
Prior to approval of the minutes of the meeting of July 15th,
Mr. Johansen stated that it had come to his attention that there had
been a meeting of the Fire Board. Mr. Powers assured him that there
had been no meeting of this Board with any of the Selectmen, further,
Mr. Probst had notified the Selectmen's office that there would be a
meeting in September. Mr. Lanzoni moved that the minutes be approved.
Motion seconded by Mr. Johansen. Motion Carried.
Mr. Powers brought up for discussion the underdrain work performed
for Enfield Construction Company in the Northern Industrial Park area
and the matter of work which had been approved and completed before
the written request had been received from Manganaro, Martin and Lincoln.
Mr. Seelye explained that at times it was necessary £or him to give
his approval for work to be done but that this usually involved only
minor extras. Mr. Powers said that Mr. Seelye has the authority under
the contract except in cases of large expenditures which would put the
job over budget. However, Mr. Powers agreed with Mr. Johansen that the
Selectmen should be made aware of any changes immediately. After a
general discussion, Mr. Powers asked Mr. Seelye to, in the future,
apprise him immediately of any extras and he would in turn contact the
Selectmen right away. Mr. Seelye agreed to this request.
Mr. Johansen asked that he be informed of any major construction or
road repair being done in town. Mr. Powers asked Mr. Seelye to prepare
a list of all such improvements for presentation to the Board of Select-
men. In this connection, Mr. Powers reported that bids for road work
on Porters Pass would be coming in on Thursday.
Mr. Seelye explained in detail the Town Aid system for roadwork.
He stated that if we do Town Aid work then we put the bills into the state
and the money is then deposited to our account. Mr. Johansen asked who
checked invoices when goods were received and Mr. Seelye replied that
this is done by either the Highway Superintendent or the foreman. Mr.
Prue then submits the invoices to Mr. Seelye for comparison with the
bills.
Mr. Johansen questioned the fact that local contractors were not
being asked to bid on jobs such as paving. Mr. Seelye stated that
usually when we put up a job for bid, State Aid prices are generally
lower and local contractors often bid a bit higher because of the
difficulty of meeting competition from larger companies. Mr. Powers
said all bids are advertised in the newspaper and that is all that is
required by law, however, local contractors are always contacted by
phone as a courtesy. Mr. Powers went on to say that absolutely no
favoritism is shown. Mr. Johansen asked Mr. Seelye if the work done
on Francis Street and Highland Street was paid out of Town money and if
so was the Town reimbursed for this by the State. Mr. Seelye replied
in the affirmative, saying these jobs were done on a Force Work order
MINUTES - BOARD OF SELECTMEN (Continued)
5 August 1968
and not on a State Work order.
Mr. Johansen asked Mr. Powers if anything was done about the
street light and the nearby tree which he had mentioned earlier. Mr.
Powers said neither the state nor the Power Company would trim the
tree. The Connecticut Light & Power Company states the function of a
street light is to light the street and not the sidewalk. Mr. Seelye
pointed out that the tree is on private property and if the Town did
the trimming they would first need to obtain the owner's permission.
Mr. Powers announced that bids had been opened regarding the
Material Spreader as follows:
Construction Equipment Co.
Hedge & Matheis
$2,813
3,089
Mr. Powers said he had received a request from the Highway Depart-
ment that the bid of Hedge & Matheis be accepted although it is not the
low bid because the low bidder did not meet the specifications set
forth. During the discussion Mr. Seelye explained just why the low bid-
4er did not come up to specifications. Mr,4~anzoni moved that the bid
of Hedge & Matheis be accepted upon recommendation of the Highway
Department. Mr. Johansen seconded. Motion Carried.
Mr. Powers asked Mr. Johansen to go over the specifications drawn
up by Mr. Curnow as regards the painting of the South Kensington Fire
Department. Mr. Johansen said he would look at the building and report
his findings to the Board of Selectmen.
Mr. Powers brought up the many complaints which had been received
from residents as a result of unauthorized fires at the dump. He proposed
that a letter be sent to the City of New Britain requiring that .they
provide a watchman. Mr. Powers reported a conversation with Mr.
Squillacote in which New Britain suggests the installation of a hydrant
which could then be used to hose down the dump each day at 3:00. Mr.
Lanzoni said New Britain should have to pay for the water they used. Mr.
Seelye stated he had written a letter to New Britain earlier in the year
saying that the Town of Berlin would supply a hydrant meter. Mr. Powers
said that quite often he has been told that these fires are being set
by unauthorized people and if this is the case, the best solution would
be to hire a watchman. After general discussion Mr. Lanzoni moved that
Mr. Powers write a letter to the City of New Britain requiring that within
the next two weeks they obtain a watchman . Second by Mr. Johansen.
Motion Carried.
Mr. Johansen requested that a letter be sent to the Liberty Machine
Company asking that they mow their lawn. Mr. Powers said he would con-
tact Mr. Nappi by telephone the next morning.
Mr. Johansen commented that the recent legal notice which appeared
in the New Britain Herald for bids for road work on Porters Pass was
signed only by Mr. Powers. Mr. Powers made a motion that the Board of
Selectmen ratify as legal the ad which appeared in the New Britain
MINUTES - BOARD OF SELECTMEN (Continued) 5 August 1968
Herald which carried only the name of the First Selectman, inasmuch
as this was an error. Mr. Lanzoni seconded. Motion Carried.
With no further business to discuss the meeting adjourned at
8:55 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Patricia Casella
Secretary