Town Council March 19, 2012 Working Notes The Rocky Hill Town ...

Town Council March 19, 2012
Working Notes
The Rocky Hill Town Council held its regular meeting on Monday, March 19, 2012 in
the Council Chambers of Town Hall. Mayor Anthony LaRosa called the meeting to
order at 7:00 p.m. Those in attendance: Deputy Mayor Tim Moriarty, Councilor Nadine
Bell, Councilor Larrye deBear, Councilor Joe Kochanek, Councilor Barbara Surwilo,
Councilor Frank Szeps and Councilor Cathy Vargas. Also present: Town Manager
Barbara Gilbert and Finance Director John Mehr.
Those absent: Councilor Phil Sylvestro.
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
Mayor LaRosa asked that a Moment of Silence be held for all of the soldiers who have
served this Country and who have died overseas.
Proclamation – Rocky Hill Reemployment Support Group
Mayor LaRosa said he had some proclamations to hand out. He asked some people from
the Rocky Hill Reemployment Support Group to come forward. He had thirteen
proclamations so he said that he wasn’t going to read all of them. He introduced Joe Soja
and he asked him to introduce the other people who were present. Joe Soja said they
have been going on their fourth year for this and they have worked with over one
thousand unemployed people. They have helped over two hundred people, who they are
aware of, to get jobs. The Rocky Hill Reemployment Support Group has wonderful
volunteers from Rocky Hill, as well as from other Towns. At this point, he introduced
the volunteers from this group and he explained a little bit about what they have done.
He told everyone that he was sure they were proud of these volunteers like he is and for
what they do for this community to help the unemployed. He turned the meeting back
over to Mayor LaRosa at this point. Mayor LaRosa said this group started in 2009. This
had started as a church project and it became a community project. St. James Church has
donated its hall for their meetings. He read the last part of this proclamation aloud
because he said the Joe Soja had basically already said what the first part of it stated. He
asked Joe Soja to make sure that the right people get the proclamations.
Mayor LaRosa said there was going to be some cake but he noticed that State
Representative Tony Guerrera was present and he had wanted to say a few words. Mayor
LaRosa said before he entertained a motion for a recess for cake and coffee that he
wanted to open this meeting up to State Representative Guerrera. Mayor LaRosa asked
State Representative Guerrera to step up to the podium. Mayor LaRosa thanked the
members of the Rocky Hill Reemployment Support Group for all of their work.
State Representative Guerrera thanked Mayor LaRosa. Mayor LaRosa told State
Representative Guerrera that he knew he had to get back to the Capitol. State
Representative Guerrera said State Senator Paul Doyle was on his way to this evening’s

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Meeting of March 19, 2012
meeting and he was going to try to get here as soon as possible. State Representative
Guerrera told everyone Happy St. Joseph’s Day. He told everyone that he wanted to
come to this meeting and tell everyone who was in the Council Chambers how much
respect he has for them. The Rocky Hill referendum and renovation has been lingering.
He is a strong supporter of this referendum. He has been a resident of Rocky Hill for a
number of years and his family grew up here. Two of his children have graduated from
Rocky Hill High School and his son is presently a junior there. He told everyone that he
thinks most of them in the Council Chambers came to Rocky Hill knowing that this was a
community that was up and coming. People came to this Town for the education that
was going to be provided to their children. He thinks this Town will be hurt greatly if the
referendum doesn’t pass. This will not only be for the children but there will also be
economic effects. He has had meetings up at the Capitol. Raffaella Calciano-Coler had a
public hearing at Rocky Hill High School with regards to this referendum and she had
people come out to take a look at that school. State Representative Guerrera referred to
the effects this had with the media. People at the Capitol were calling him into their
offices and asking him what was going on. They asked how Rocky Hill High School
could get the credit. State Representative Guerrera told everyone that they can’t allow
this to happen. Their children are too important and he said that this is not about the fact
that he has a son who is a junior at Rocky Hill High School. He referred to the saying
about “If we don’t invest in them now, you are going to pay later”. This is the time now
to have this done because they have waited too long already.
State Representative Guerrera said at the Capitol, they invest a lot of money in the Towns
and in the education systems. Money has been invested in Jackson Laboratories which
they will be breaking ground for. A lot of Union support was behind this. A lot of jobs
will be created but more importantly, this is a field that has to do with bioscience. Rocky
Hill High School has a science lab that can barely fit fifteen people. Rocky Hill is too
good of a Town to allow this to happen. He said this is why he was taking the time to be
present. He was standing there to tell them that they need to have this happen. They
can’t go on any longer here and they must have this happen. The future is changing and
their children are the future. They need to be educated in the best possible way. This is
one way of doing this. They need to be given the tools and the classrooms. Rocky Hill
has great teachers. He knew that every single person in the Council Chambers this
evening cares about the education system in this Town. He knew all of the Town
Council does and he commended them for that. This may be a tough decision and it may
mean that they will need to spend a little bit of money. He told them to trust him though
when he says that this will be a lot less money now than later on. He asked them to
please think hard about the decision they will be making today. This will be important to
the future of this State, as well as to the children.
Councilor Surwilo thanked State Representative Guerrera and State Senator Doyle.
Rocky Hill has been very fortunate because State Senator Doyle and State Representative
Guerrera have brought back big grants many times, especially in the educational field.
Councilor Surwilo didn’t think people realized how hard it is to “wring” any money out
of the State legislature. This Town is lucky to have two gifted legislators.

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Meeting of March 19, 2012
Deputy Mayor Moriarty made a motion for a ten minutes recess at 7:15 p.m. The motion
was seconded by Councilor deBear and adopted unanimously by those present.
Councilor Sylvestro was absent.
Deputy Mayor Moriarty made a motion to come out of recess at 7:26 p.m. The motion
was seconded by Councilor Vargas and adopted unanimously by those present.
Councilor Sylvestro was absent.
Mayor LaRosa told everyone that they had heard from State Representative Guerrera and
State Senator Doyle wanted to say some quick words at this point. Mayor LaRosa told
the Town Council that they would move forward with the rest of the agenda after that.
State Senator Doyle apologized for being late. He had gotten tied up at the Capitol. He
wanted to follow up on State Representative Guerrera’s comments. State Senator Doyle
said that he and State Representative Guerrera both support the referendum question.
Wethersfield has a similar issue right now. They have a referendum that will be coming
up late in April of 2012 because their high school is out-of-date. State Senator Doyle
thinks it is important for each Town as a whole to get a strong high school and to get it
renovated because of the children and also for the property values of the Town. A strong
educational system and a strong high school will ensure people still move into Rocky
Hill. He hopes Rocky Hill will support this because it will be good for the students and
for the entire community. He said he wanted to echo State Representative Guerrera’s
comments. State Senator Doyle hopes this plan will work and he hopes they will get the
referendum to pass in the near future. He told everyone that he appreciated them
allowing him to speak at this point.
Deputy Mayor Moriarty made a motion to move up New Business Item A – “Rocky Hill
High School Renovate as New Project”. The motion was seconded by Councilor Surwilo
and adopted unanimously by those present. Councilor Sylvestro was absent.
New Business
A. Presentation and Possible Action – “Rocky Hill High School Renovate
as New Project”
Mayor LaRosa asked the Board of Education to come forward to make its presentation.
He said more than likely after they see this presentation that the Town Council will be
moving to set a date for a public hearing for this and this will be sent to the Government
Operations Committee before the public hearing.
Mayor LaRosa turned to Raffaella Calciano-Coler, Chairperson of the Board of
Education, at this time. Raffaella Calciano-Coler thanked the members of the Town
Council on behalf of the Board of Education for having them at this evening’s meeting so
that they could present the project. She also thanked and acknowledged the members of
this community for their attendance at this and she told them their support is very much
appreciated. The Board of Education had been before the Town Council in 2010 to

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Meeting of March 19, 2012
present another referendum. She thinks Councilor deBear at that time had directed the
Board of Education to go out and speak to the people. The Board of Education has
spoken to the people. They have been actively educating the public, over the past couple
of months, on the need for the Renovate as New high school project. They have done
this through school messengers, mailers, a community meeting and e-mails, etc. She
referred to NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges) and how they
placed Rocky Hill High School on a school warning for curriculum and community
resources. This is what is moving this project to the forefront because they don’t wish to
lose this accreditation. Principal Mario Almeida of Rocky Hill High School received a
follow-up letter late last week from NEASC. NEASC is pleased with this movement
forward but they are asking Principal Almeida to update progress on the plan to renovate
the high school. This needs to include a preliminary timeline that seeks voter support of
this project. The Board of Education has reviewed all of the options in response to
NEASC in order for Rocky Hill High School to be accredited. There is a sense of
urgency right now and the Board of Education believes that this community understands
and recognizes the need of bringing this Renovate as New project to a referendum this
spring.
Raffaella Calciano-Coler told the Town Council that the plan before them this evening
has been approved by the Board of Education. It is the Board of Education’s hope that
the Town Council will approve this so that they can move forward to a Town wide
referendum. The Board of Education wanted to acknowledge and appreciate the hard
work of everyone who provided input into this process to date. Many people had taken
part in that. The draft of the educational specifications is the foundation for this project
and this addresses all of the areas of concern that have been noted in the NEASC Report.
The Board of Education believes that this plan represents the best for Rocky Hill’s
students for now and in the immediate future. This will provide the students with a more
competitive education for many of them to pursue careers in the competitive global
world. She told the Town Council that they have been provided with a copy of the
educational specifications along with the cost of the project. If the referendum is
approved, they are expecting a reimbursement from the State of approximately
$16,000,000 and this will lower the Town’s total cost to $28,000,000. These dollars will
be well spent given that this Town has invested in other Capital projects over the years
such as the library, Town Hall and Fire Department. She said it is time now to take care
of Rocky Hill’s children.
Raffaella Calciano-Coler said Frank Morse, Board of Education member, was going to
give an update on the curriculum. Other Board of Education members, Ron Robbins and
Brian Dillon, were going to discuss the facility. Interim Superintendent Mark Winzler
was going to close the presentation talking about the process and schedule.
Frank Morse said he was going to talk about the curriculum and where they are lacking in
the NEASC Report. The report stated that there are a limited number of science labs
which negatively impacts the delivery of curriculum and opportunities for the students to
apply their knowledge. It also stated the use of the media center as a classroom given
space limitations and this negatively impacts the delivery of the curriculum, as well as

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Meeting of March 19, 2012
library media program and services. There are chemical hygiene violations which create
unsafe conditions in the pool area, as well as in the science classrooms and labs. They
are hoping to develop and begin to implement a plan to address space limitations and
scheduling of classes which are impacting access to the library media center. He went
over what the balanced curriculum templates should include. They need to ensure that
teachers are regularly involved in the review evaluation and revision of the curriculum
and this will include the balanced curriculum documents. They need to ensure that all
curriculum and all courses include the integration of problem solving, inquiry and critical
thinking. They need to develop and implement a plan that includes professional
development to ensure that all teachers consistently employ teaching practices which
engage students and afford students centered instruction. They need to ensure that all
teachers regularly engage students in self reflection and assessment. They need to
implement a plan that will provide increased formal time for all teachers to collaborate
for the purposes of improving student achievement and instruction.
Frank Morse said with all of this in mind, they have looked at the educational
specifications and the building to make sure that they address all of these needs.
Readiness to succeed is essential as the demands of the 21 st century careers have become
more challenging. Connecticut students must prepare their preparation for college level
learning early in their school years and he explained more. Connecticut State University
Systems (CSUS) is providing leadership by partnering with a number of local school
districts and working directly with their teachers to better align learning expectations and
curriculum in preparation for college. The new CSUS admission standards will be
effective in 2015. He said in looking at these standards, they saw that Rocky Hill High
School’s current graduation requirements are lacking in one science credit, one math
credit, one STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) elective, 1.5
credits in life skills, one Capstone experience credit and two world language credits.
They have tried to address all of the space limitations in the new plan so that the
curriculum can meet the 2015 CSUS standards.
Frank Morse turned to Brian Dillon so that he could speak about the building. Brian
Dillon said that he and Ron Robbins would be talking about the school facility. Brian
Dillon went over the facility concerns that the NEASC letter had stated. These were:
ADA accessibility; HVAC air quality; lack of storage; need for updated lab space; and a
lack of funding to support a dedicated Capital Improvement plan. The Board of
Education regrouped this past December and it started back at square one to analyze the
project again. All aspects were looked at. They discussed a phased approach for a
project, a dedicated Capital Improvement plan that would start with ADA enhancements,
or they had looked at completely renovating the school as new. After the completion of
five or six meetings, the Facilities Subcommittee of the Board of Education unanimously
agreed that the best plan for this school, the community and the students would be to
renovate this school as new under the State Board of Education program. The Board of
Education has subsequently endorsed this project as a Renovate as New school with up to
11,700 square feet of additional new construction space. The current projected project
costs would be approximately $44,400,000 with a net cost to this Town of $28,100,000.

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Meeting of March 19, 2012
Brian Dillon said he wanted to highlight some things. The Board of Education had spent
a considerable amount of time working with their consultants and evaluating the most
comprehensive and economic way to have this project delivered. He gave an example of
this which was their consultants (Friar Associates and O & G Industries) working with
Rich Cooke (Town of Rocky Hill Facilities Director), as well as other people from the
Town facilities side so that they can evaluate the security controls and the building
systems, etc. in order to deliver something that has life to meet the program, as well as be
consistent with their goal of delivering a project that makes economical sense.
Brian Dillon said there are conceptual plans out there but these are programmed only for
planning purposes at this time. The layout of the new school may be different than it is
conceptualized at this point if this project is approved. This entire project will need to
meet the State’s high performance building guidelines. This will be very similar to
LEEDS and he gave more details about this.
Brian Dillon said as part of the final project that the Board of Education has endorsed, the
improvements to McVicar Field have been removed, as well as the expanded parking lot
and a separate boiler system for the pool that is attached to the high school. The Board of
Education would like to continue discussions with the Town Council down the road as to
whether or not these components should be included as part of this project or whether
there are other approaches or means to evaluate taking these aspects of the project on.
Brian Dillon turned to Ron Robbins at this point. Ron Robbins said a national education
study in 2000 estimated that the cost to repair and modernize America’s schools was
more than $300,000,000,000. Many of the school districts are hard pressed to fund
needed upgrades so they postpone major changes as long as possible but he said new
government mandated programs, rapid changes in technology, and unsafe conditions are
making these delays increasingly detrimental. With the current issues facing the future
accreditation of the high school, this point has never been more relevant and urgent to
this Town. For these reasons, as well as many more, the Board of Education is
recommending that the Town Council proceeds with the proposal to renovate Rocky Hill
High School under the State defined standards for Renovate as New. He said there was a
handout in the back of Council Chambers that had a detailed description of what
Renovate as New means. It is imperative they act now to address the key issues that are
affecting the quality of education in the high school while the findings that have been
identified in the NEASC Report are the primary driver for the proposed improvements
needed to ensure that the high school maintains its accreditation.
Ron Robbins mentioned the three key factors that have been found in the aging high
school facility: (1.) Health and safety considerations; (2.) Outdated and inefficient
building operating systems; and (3.) Educational program changes. These all need to be
addressed for them to qualify for the maximum reimbursement rate from this State under
Renovate as New requirements. The Board of Education, in consultation with their
expert technical support, architectural and engineering consultants, believes that the
Renovate as New option provides the best value to this community and will provide
greater short and long term benefits for the citizens and children of Rocky Hill. Some of

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Meeting of March 19, 2012
the benefits associated with the Renovate as New proposal are: All NEASC concerns
will be addressed; a healthier and safer school facility will be created for the children;
long term energy and budget savings will be created because of the construction to the
sustainable high building performance standards; the best reimbursement rate to Rocky
Hill will be provided from the State which will minimize the long term tax burden to this
Town; and this will incorporate a phased construction schedule which will separate
construction from occupied areas so disturbance to the educational programs will be
minimized and/or the need for temporary or portable classrooms. The Board of
Education believes this makes the most economical sense and will provide the school
district with the needed infrastructure improvements at the least cost over the extended
life of the facility.
Mark Winzler introduced himself as the Interim Superintendent. He is a retired educator
and administrator. This is the fourth time that he has come out of retirement to work with
a Board of Education while they are searching for a new Superintendent. He explained
that he has been through this type of a project twice. One of the times was as a high
school principal and once was as a Superintendent. He has been trying to work with this
Board of Education and guide them in coming to the Town Council this evening. He
referred to the documents in the back of Council Chambers that Ron Robbins had spoken
about and he encouraged everyone to read them. Interim Superintendent Winzler quoted
aloud a little from these as to what they stated with regards to what a Renovate as New
school project is and the benefit of doing this. He mentioned that this project is only
good for buildings that are thirty or more years old. This is why they can do this now.
This project type was established in support of local decisions to renovate existing
schools or to purchase and renovate existing buildings when the doing so represents a
cost effective alternative selected after diligent consideration of the constructing of a new
facility. The entire facility must be brought up to one hundred percent compliance with
all applicable codes when this renovation project is complete. Complete renovations of a
wing of a facility or partial renovations of an entire facility don’t qualify.
Interim Superintendent Winzler said he wanted to talk about the State, etc. This project
can only be filed once a year with the State, which is by June 30 th . Their next
opportunity will be June 30, 2013 if they miss June 30, 2012. It is imperative that
this goes forward now. There are only two things that will be filed when this project is
filed. One of these things is EDO49, which is the application and with this, a copy of the
educational specifications have to be filed. No pictures or drawings have to be filed.
Once this is filed on June 30 th , they will be called in and there will be meetings to talk
about what is contained in this document. The legislature must then approve this and put
it into the budget in their next session. They won’t know if this project is approved until
the end of May 2013. The Building Committee during this time will look into the hiring
of an Architect who will take the educational specifications and make them “come alive”
into a building which represents that. He explained that the conceptual drawings and
what ended up being done in the end for the two projects he had done were two different
things. He told them that the danger for this if they don’t get this done by June of 2012 is
that they don’t know what the reimbursement rate will be a year from now and most

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Meeting of March 19, 2012
likely the costs of the project are going to go up but not down. As a community, they
need to keep this in mind. Right now they pretty much have a guarantee.
Interim Superintendent Winzler referred to NEASC. He told the Town Council that he
wanted to give them and the public a quick insight into that organization. He holds no
sway with NEASC. The Board of Education and the Town Council don’t either.
NEASC is the oldest accrediting organization in this Country and they look to the
principal of the high school as the CEO. Whatever the principal says, goes. NEASC
writes to the principal and the principal must respond to NEASC. Interim Superintendent
Winzler told all of them that they know the high school is on warning. Probation is
another step before the losing of the accreditation. If this project goes to referendum and
fails, Principal Almeida has every right to write to NEASC to say that this failed despite
all of the efforts. NEASC may then move this to probation or they might say to Principal
Almeida to report back to them within a couple of months. Principal Almeida has a
report on all of the recommendations due to NEASC on November 1 st . Interim
Superintendent Winzler said he was in high school education most of his career before
becoming a Superintendent. He could tell them the importance of NEASC and the
operation of the school, as well as what it means to colleges and what it might do to this
community if it doesn’t happen. He said it is Principal Almeida’s obligation to write to
NEASC the day after the referendum fails, if it does, instead of waiting until November
1 st because he is held accountable for Rocky Hill High School over and above the Board
of Education and the Superintendent.
Raffaella Calciano-Coler told the Town Council that she wanted to close this presentation
by thanking them for listening. She reiterated to them that the plan before them is well
researched. It has been debated, compared and revisited. The work originally started in
2006 with the Board of Education. This project is not going to be a quick fix but it will
be a plan to sustain this community for at least the next twenty years. The high school is
used on a regular basis by the community. This plan has been approved by the Board of
Education and they are hoping the Town Council will approve it so that this can be
moved forward to a Town wide referendum. She told the Town Council that she would
entertain any questions they might have had.
Mayor LaRosa thought they were going to be moving to having a public hearing set. He
asked the Councilors if they would like to ask any questions. Mayor LaRosa said he had
one question. He referred to the Board of Education’s timeline and he told Interim
Superintendent Winzler that he had stated that this project may not be approved until
May of 2013. Mayor LaRosa asked when the educational specifications and the drawings
would be all done. Interim Superintendent Winzler said again that this must be filed by
June 30 th and then the members of the State Department, as well as Staff, will go through
it meticulously. It would then be filed with the legislature and the legislature will then
put the money in its budget. The Town will then have one of two options. They can wait
until the legislature approves this and then have the Building Committee hire an
Architect, etc. Mayor LaRosa said the Councilors had a letter in their packets that he had
requested from their Bond Counsel with regards to asking whether they could go out to
start the drawings and the educational specifications sooner rather than later. Interim

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Superintendent Winzler said they may. Mayor LaRosa told Interim Superintendent
Winzler that he thought he was saying they couldn’t start this until May. Their Attorney
said they could start this sooner. Mayor LaRosa said this would move the project along a
little quicker. Interim Superintendent Winzler said this is correct and this is an option
Rocky Hill may employ. Most Towns do this.
Town Manager Gilbert said that per her conversations with the Town Attorney, if this
referendum was to pass then money could be borrowed the next day.
Deputy Mayor Moriarty made a motion to hold a Public Hearing for the “Rocky Hill
High School Renovate as New Project” on Monday April 16, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. and to be
held at the Rocky Hill High School Auditorium. The motion was seconded by Councilor
Surwilo and adopted unanimously by those present. Councilor Sylvestro was absent.
Mayor LaRosa thanked the Board of Education and all of the members of the public who
had come out for this. He said they were going to try to have to estimate how many
people they will be getting on April 16, 2012. Deputy Mayor Moriarty thinks the public
hearing will have to be held at Rocky Hill High School. Mayor LaRosa asked Town
Manager Gilbert to talk to Interim Superintendent Winzler and maybe this should be held
at Rocky Hill High School even though they are having a Town Council meeting that
same evening.
Frank Morse said April 16, 2012 is the first day of school vacation. This date will not be
great for the community as a whole. He told them if they want a true mix of the
community at the public hearing that he didn’t think this would be a great date. Deputy
Mayor Moriarty said this was the date the Board of Education had put in their paperwork.
Town Manager Gilbert said that had been prepared by the Bond Counsel and this is the
lead time he needs to write the question, as well as have this Town publish it. Bond
Counsel can’t back it up much sooner than that. The Town has to have this information
in the newspapers by the Wednesday prior to the public hearing. Town Manager Gilbert
said she doesn’t want the chance of having this blown and having the Bond Counsel rush
the preparation of the documents. Town Manager Gilbert told the Board of Education
that she already sent over to the Bond Counsel everything they had provided to her. The
Bond Counsel has begun work in anticipation of this evening.
Mayor LaRosa asked Town Manager Gilbert if they have any budget workshops on April
12, 2012 or April 13, 2012. Town Manager Gilbert said they have a budget workshop on
April 11, 2012 and April 13, 2012 is a Friday. Mayor LaRosa asked Town Manager
Gilbert about April 12, 2012. Town Manager Gilbert said April 12, 2012 is free but she
didn’t know if the Board of Education had the Council Chambers for that evening.
Raffaella Calciano-Coler said the Board of Education will be glad to move its meeting so
that they can have a public hearing on April 12, 2012. Town Manager Gilbert said she
will see if Bond Counsel can get everything done in time for advertising.
Mayor LaRosa thought they would need a motion to withdraw the previous motion.

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Meeting of March 19, 2012
Councilor Szeps made a friendly amendment to change the date to Thursday, April 12,
2012 at 6:30 p.m. in the Rocky Hill High School Auditorium.
Deputy Mayor Moriarty and Councilor Surwilo accepted the friendly amendment.
At this point, a vote to hold the public hearing on April 12, 2012 was taken and adopted
unanimously by those present. Councilor Sylvestro was absent.
Councilor deBear asked if they still wanted to entertain the idea of having the public
hearing at Rocky Hill High School. Mayor LaRosa asked Interim Superintendent
Winzler to coordinate with Town Manager Gilbert about this. Mayor LaRosa said the
Town Council is also going to be having a Town Council meeting that same night but
then he was told that the date was just changed so there will be no Town Council meeting
that same night. Deputy Mayor Moriarty asked that the public hearing be recorded so
that it can be played on T.V. also.
Town Manager Gilbert asked Mayor LaRosa if his intention was to make this a special
meeting just for this topic only. Mayor LaRosa said yes.
Councilor Bell asked when they can expect to have this issue discussed by the
Government Operations Committee. Deputy Mayor Moriarty said they would look at a
calendar right after this evening’s meeting.
Mayor LaRosa asked the Councilors if they had any other questions. The Councilors had
none.
Mayor LaRosa thanked everyone again for coming out this evening.
Public Comment
Mayor LaRosa asked if there was any one from the public who wished to speak at this
time. No one from the public wished to speak.
Appointments/Resignations
Mayor LaRosa asked Deputy Mayor Moriarty and Minority Leader Bell if they had any
appointments or resignations. Deputy Mayor Moriarty said he had none and Minority
Leader Bell said she had none at this time.
Approval of Minutes
A. March 5, 2012
Deputy Mayor Moriarty moved to approve the minutes of March 5, 2012. The motion
was seconded by Councilor Surwilo and adopted unanimously by those present.
Councilor Sylvestro was absent.

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Meeting of March 19, 2012
Subcommittee Reports
A. Finance
Mayor LaRosa said Councilor Sylvestro couldn’t be present at this evening’s meeting
because he was away on vacation. Mayor LaRosa said there had been a Finance
Committee meeting and he turned to Councilor deBear. Councilor deBear said he had
two items to report on. He told the Town Council that they are going to notice that they
are going to be asked to allocate additional dollars for bank fees in the next fiscal year
when Town Manager Gilbert presents the budget to them at the end of this month. He
gave the background for this being done. Town Manager Gilbert and Finance Director
Mehr are going to pay, wherever possible, through direct deposits or debit cards instead
of paying this Town’s bills with checks because neither of these ways will incur a fee.
Councilor deBear told the Town Council that they are familiar with Blum Shapiro (the
auditors for this Town). Blum Shapiro also is in the business of helping their clients to
improve operational efficiency. Joe Kask and Jeff Ziplow, both from Blum Shapiro, had
briefed the Finance Committee last week as to how their firm might be able to help
Rocky Hill. They had talked about ways of creating economies of operation. Councilor
deBear explained more. The Finance Committee, as a result of this presentation, asked
Town Manager Gilbert to hold some meetings with the people from Blum Shapiro to
have a specific list of proposals developed for the Town Council to consider. This list
will be forthcoming at some point. It will then be up to the Town Council to decide if
they want to go ahead with a formal study by Blum Shapiro.
B. Public Safety
Councilor Kochanek said the Public Safety Committee had a meeting this evening and
they had discussed the Blight Ordinance which has been presented before. They would
like to have a date set for a public hearing on this. Mayor LaRosa said this would be
done under “Old Business” this evening.
Councilor Kochanek said the Fire Marshal’s fees for violations and inspections also were
discussed. It also was brought up that rubber mulch which is utilized in landscaping will
contribute to an accelerated fire in people’s flower beds because this is a petroleum
product. Councilor Kochanek said he asked Fire Marshal Renstrom to post some type of
information with regards to this in a publication such as the Rare Reminder to remind
people that this might not be the best way for them to do their flower beds.
Councilor Kochanek said the Public Safety Committee also had a discussion about
private hydrants. People should be informed about these and their responsibilities for
them. Town Manager Gilbert had discussed about having some type of newsletter or
insert being put out to the public with regards to this. Some people may not be aware of
these things and Councilor Kochanek was sure that the over 55 years of age
developments believe they are in a situation where the Town will take of the hydrants

Town Council Page 12
Meeting of March 19, 2012
like it does for the public roads. Town Manager Gilbert is going to make sure that people
are informed so that they don’t have issues coming down the road.
The next meeting of the Public Safety Committee will be held on the third Monday in
April at 5:00 p.m.
C. Government Operations/Joint Facilities Committee
Deputy Mayor Moriarty said he had reported at the last Town Council meeting with
regards to the last Government Operations Committee meeting.
The Joint Facilities Committee meeting which had been scheduled for this evening was
canceled due to the presentation (Board of Education) tonight.
Deputy Mayor Moriarty said the Government Operations Committee will be taking a
look at the school referendum and then they will be reporting back to the Town Council
after that.
D. Economic Development
Councilor deBear said he had just one item to report on. The Town Center West proposal
has gone to the Inland Wetlands Commission now. This is the first step in the seeking of
approvals for this by the Land Use Boards. The Inland Wetlands Commission has set a
public hearing on this proposal for April 10, 2012 at 6:30 p.m.
The next meeting of the Economic Development Subcommittee of the Town Council will
be held on March 21, 2012 at 5:15 p.m.
E. Land Acquisition & Farmland Preservation
Councilor Surwilo said she had no report for the Land Acquisition & Farmland
Preservation Subcommittee.
Consent Agenda
Deputy Mayor Moriarty made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda. The motion was
seconded by Councilor Bell and adopted by those present. Councilor Sylvestro was
absent.
A. Working Notes – Meeting and Pubic Hearing March 5, 2012
B. Approval Legal Bills
BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Town Council / Finance Committee hereby authorizes the
payment of the following legal bills for services rendered.

Town Council Page 13
Meeting of March 19, 2012
Rome McGuigan, P.C. $ 7,495.00 (Jan)
$ 5,458.42 (Feb)
Siegel, O’Connor, O’Donnell & Beck, P.C. $ 0.00
Heneghan, Kennedy & Allen, P.C. $ 0.00
Murtha Cullina LLP $ 0.00
C. Approval – 2012 Memorial Day Parade
TOTAL $ 12,953.42
BE IT RESOLVED that the Rocky Hill Town Council hereby approves the Annual
Memorial Day Parade to be held on Monday, May 28, 2012 as a joint Town-Chamber
project in cooperation with local veterans’ organizations.
D. Authorization to Sign Agreement with the State of Connecticut Department of
Transportation regarding a traffic signal at Rte 3 (Maple Street) and Waters
Avenue
BE IT RESOLVED, that Barbara R. Gilbert, Town Manager of the Town of Rocky Hill
is hereby authorized to execute on behalf of the Town of Rocky Hill contracts for the
Cost Sharing Agreement for a Traffic Control Signal Installation at the intersection of
Route 3 (Maple Street), Waters Avenue – State Project No. 171-340 and to affix the
corporate seal of the Town of Rocky Hill.
IN ADDITION, that Barbara R. Gilbert, Town Manager is hereby authorized to enter into
such agreements, contracts and execute all documents necessary to said grant with the
State of Connecticut Department of Transportation.
BE IT FURTHER KNOWN that Barbara R. Gilbert was appointed Town Manager. Her
term of office began on November 12, 2002. As the Town Manager, Barbara R. Gilbert
serves as the Chief Executive Officer for the Town of Rocky Hill, and is duly authorized
to enter into agreements and contracts on behalf of the Town of Rocky Hill.
Old Business
A. Proposed Ordinance Rescinding an Ordinance Creating the Design Review
Advisory Board
Mayor LaRosa believed they were going to be leaving this item on the table because it
wasn’t ready to go forward yet.

Town Council Page 14
Meeting of March 19, 2012
B. Proposed Ordinance – Blighted Premises Code (Set Public Hearing)
Mayor LaRosa asked if a motion was needed to have this taken off of the table. Town
Manager Gilbert said yes.
Councilor Surwilo made a motion to move from the table “Old Business Item B –
Proposed Ordinance – Blight Premises Code (Set Public Hearing)”. The motion was
seconded by Deputy Mayor Moriarty and adopted unanimously by those present.
Councilor Sylvestro was absent.
Councilor Kochanek made a motion to set a Public Hearing on Monday April 2, 2012 at
6:30 p.m. on the Blight Premises Code Ordinance. The motion was seconded by
Councilor Surwilo and adopted unanimously by those present. Councilor Sylvestro was
absent.
New Business
B. Departmental Presentation – Library
At this point, Mary Hogan (Library Director) had to set her presentation up so it was
decided to move forward in this meeting with the other agenda items.
Manager’s Report
Town Manager Gilbert said she had met with the representatives from the MDC last
week with regards to their need to do additional work in this Town to assist them with
meeting the needs being placed on their system due to an expansion at the Veterans
Home and Hospital. She explained more and said another water line will be brought in
from the east. The MDC will keep her posted as they progress with regards to what will
happen exactly. The Town won’t be paying for this.
Town Manager Gilbert said there has been no work at the Foundry for the last several
weeks. She explained the reason for this. Reliance Environmental was required to
prepare a hazardous materials assessment for the remaining structures. This needed to be
reviewed and approved by the DPH (Department of Public Health) and the DEEP
(Department of Energy and Environmental Protection). This was completed on February
20, 2012 and conditional approval was given on March 1, 2012. They were informed on
March 12, 2012 that they will be proceeding within the next ten days on Phase I. It will
be about six weeks before this work is completed. DPH slows the process down as it
comes in to do different assessments.
Town Manager Gilbert said this Town had been anticipating filing a Small Cities Grant
application for the senior housing that is located on School Street. The Town already had
applied for and was granted a Small Cities Community Development Block Grant for the
rehabilitation of the senior housing on Willow Road. They were anticipating on going
forth for one of these for the School Street project this year but HUD requires that at least

Town Council Page 15
Meeting of March 19, 2012
ten percent of the funds awarded be spent prior to applying for an additional grant. This
would be $70,000 in Rocky Hill’s case. As of yet this hasn’t happened so they can’t
apply for a future grant because the deadline will be up before the funds are expended.
They will have to wait until 2013 to have an application made for the School Street
project. Councilor Kochanek asked if they got the money for the first grant. Town
Manager Gilbert said yes and she said this was for $700,000. Seventy-thousand dollars
of this has not been spent yet. This is the Housing Authority’s project. The Town had to
apply and it is acting as the gatekeeper of the funds. The Housing Authority is working
with Larry Wagner and Ray Carpentino (Economic Development Director). The
Housing Authority is setting the pace for this and they have a very limited time as to
when they can accomplish this. They have to spend some of their own money in having
the plans drawn up before they can get approvals of certain phases of this. Councilor
Kochanek asked about that. Town Manager Gilbert said the Housing Authority hasn’t
done so as of this point. She asked Ray Carpentino to come forward. Ray Carpentino
said the Housing Authority is in the process of bidding the first two phases of this project
out hopefully this month. Some bids had to be revised for Larry Wagner in order for this
to go out to bid. They are ready to go out for the site work, the electrical and for the
smoke alarms. Town Manager Gilbert said the specifications they have can’t be a
“cookie cutter” that will restrict them to one brand. The Feds have very stringent
requirements and this is why Larry Wagner is overseeing everything as the administrator
of the grant. Councilor Kochanek asked when this money had come into their possession
and when they could have started doing something with this. Ray Carpentino said they
are starting. Councilor Kochanek knew they were but he asked when they were given
permission. Ray Carpentino didn’t remember when the exact award date was. Town
Manager Gilbert said this was probably around the holidays. Councilor Kochanek asked
if it was this past year and Ray Carpentino said maybe this had been around this January.
Councilor Kochanek confirmed that once $70,000 is spent that another application can be
made for another grant. Town Manager Gilbert said yes. This will be once ten percent of
the award is spent in the current grant. This project hadn’t been renovated since the
1970’s so they had gone for the maximum amount of $700,000.
Deputy Mayor Moriarty confirmed that this had gone out as the prevailing rate. Town
Manager Gilbert said yes and she said it has to be by State law.
Finance Director Mehr told Councilor Kochanek that generally three parties are involved
with the Small Cities Grants. The contract comes to the Town once the grant gets
awarded. The Town Manager then signs this and it is sent to the department that handles
small cities. That department signs it and then it is sent to the Attorney General’s Office.
This could sit in that office from thirty to sixty days before the Town gets it back.
Town Manager Gilbert said she had a request for a breakdown of the nonrecurring fund.
She told the Councilors that they had a copy of this on their table in front of them tonight.
There also had been a request for a breakdown of what is in the undesignated fund
balance. She told the Councilors that they also had a copy of this on the table this
evening.

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Meeting of March 19, 2012
Town Manager Gilbert said some questions had been raised last week as to something
that had come up on the DECD’s (Department of Economic and Community
Development) website. There had been a memorandum. This Town contacted the
Deputy Commissioner relative to potential grant funds. They haven’t come before the
Town Council yet for any grants. This Town needs to firm up certain things with the
DECD as to what grants are available. Rocky Hill made it clear that any grant they seek
will be for one hundred percent funding and not for a fifty-fifty match because they won’t
have the fifty percent. Mayor LaRosa said a letter had just been sent out to the DECD
and Rocky Hill has already been put on a schedule as if they already got the money. This
amazes him sometimes.
Town Manager Gilbert said revaluation will be beginning this year for the 2013 Grand
List. She and the Town Assessor are exploring as to whether it would be wise for them
to go into an annual revaluation. Everyone’s values would be adjusted statistically based
upon the market and sales. This will allow the Town to go with the swings in real estate
and it will make a much easier burden on the residents because they won’t have to wait
for a five year cycle. This will eliminate a lot of appeals. They have found that some of
the law firms have made it a practice of contacting people and drumming up business for
tax appeals since real estate transactions are down. She mentioned about what happened
with one Attorney and explained more.
Town Manager Gilbert said there will be a Cottontail Carnival on March 31, 2012 from
9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in Activity Rm. #1 at the Community Center.
Town Manager Gilbert said Rocky Hill’s website is now located at www.rockyhillct.gov
Town Manager Gilbert said Finance Director Mehr and Ray Carpentino would be
attending a forum tomorrow on shared services so that they can bring forward to this
Town how it can go further on shared services. Town Manager Gilbert asked Finance
Director Mehr and Ray Carpentino to go to this because she had other commitments for
tomorrow so she couldn’t attend.
Councilor Bell referred to the fund balance estimate and she referred to the line item of
$500,000 for emergency appropriations. She asked Town Manager Gilbert if the Town
Council could get a reconciliation report as to how this had been spent, as well as how
this is offset with FEMA funds so that they can really see what has happened there.
Finance Director Mehr told Councilor Bell that they had received a reconciliation report a
couple of months ago and approximately $363,000 of the $500,000 had been spent but he
said they could give them another copy of this as well. Councilor Bell asked if they
could get an update as to what is going to happen to the additional money. Finance
Director Mehr said they haven’t spent any money associated with this since January 3,
2012 or January 4, 2012. Councilor Bell asked if this money will go back into the fund
balance. Town Manager Gilbert said yes. This has a sixty day life cycle. Any funds
must go into the fund balance if they come in and are not part of the budget unless this
Town Council takes another action with it. Councilor Bell asked for another
reconciliation report that will show what the balance is and the FEMA money coming in,

Town Council Page 17
Meeting of March 19, 2012
etc. Finance Director Mehr said FEMA is still a work in process. Town Manager Gilbert
said this Town hasn’t made its final submission to FEMA for Storm Alfred. They have
made their final submission for Storm Irene. She is anticipating approximately $170,000
back but the number is fluctuating every time they meet with FEMA. Councilor Bell just
thinks they all want to see how this will come “full circle”.
Mayor LaRosa said the $500,000 was to be used only on that storm (Storm Alfred) and
anything that was left over would stay in the fund balance.
Mayor’s Report
Mayor LaRosa said Town Manager Gilbert had spoken about the Foundry and he was
going to speak about that also. The State took over this project even though the Town
had issued the permit. The State deemed that area as being unsafe and everything had to
be washed.
Mayor LaRosa referred to how Town Manager Gilbert had spoken about the statistical
revaluation being done every year. This is something that had been discussed at the
MidState Collaborative and all of the other five Towns are looking at doing this same
thing because this would be much fairer to the taxpayers. He explained more.
New Business
B. Departmental Presentation - Library
Mary Hogan thanked the Town Council, on behalf of the Staff at the Cora J. Belden
Library, for allowing her to speak this evening. She hoped that by the end of her
presentation that they would be able to answer the question that is sometimes asked and
sometimes asked of her as to why libraries are needed in the age of Google. This was the
goal of her presentation. She wanted to show the Town Council how busy the Staff at the
library is, what they are doing and how they are doing it.
Mary Hogan gave a PowerPoint presentation. She mentioned how the Cora J. Belden
Library isn’t their Mother’s or Grandmother’s library anymore. They have evolved into
becoming a cultural, fundamental and educational resource for this Town and the State.
Digital developments have changed as to how they look at libraries as a building and this
will continue to be a place where people can learn and study, etc. They also put a lot of
emphasis on their digital content.
Mary Hogan reviewed the core services that the library provides, as well as some
underlying statistics. She also said she was going to review the Staff functions which
make up the library, as well as some of the programs they are involved in.
Mary Hogan told the Town Council that she wanted to give them a couple of disclaimers.
She appreciates everything they have in Rocky Hill. She had spent her summer vacation
last summer working in libraries in Kenya. She explained more about that. She also said

Town Council Page 18
Meeting of March 19, 2012
she wasn’t “asking for the moon” or one of the newest libraries in this State, which had
been a $26,000,000 building. She is very happy with what they have at the Cora J.
Belden Library and she is very proud of the Staff.
Mary Hogan showed everyone a picture of the Darien Library because some of the
statistics compare the Cora J. Belden Library to that one. The Cora J. Belden Library is
keeping up with some of the bigger libraries.
Mary Hogan spoke about collaboration. Libraries are one of the oldest groups that have
been collaborating on regionalizing. They work with the Connecticut State Library.
They have a van that comes every day that delivers books. The Cora J. Belden Library
also lends things out. This is a very good cooperative service. The Cora J. Belden
Library also has Connecticard and she explained more about this. The State Library
funds these things and they also fund training.
The Cora J. Belden Library belongs to the Connecticut Library Consortium. This helps
them with training and with bulk purchasing discounts. This is a Statewide organization
and it has saved them lots of money. They work with Library Connection regionally and
they share a library catalog system with twenty-seven other libraries.
Mary Hogan went over the Staff at the library and mentioned what they are in charge of.
She is the Library Director. There are also reference librarians. She then explained about
some of the programs the library offers. She said technology is very important and she
spoke about how fortunate they are to have a Hartford Foundation Grant because that got
them computers which are used over two thousand hours per month. A lot of people,
with the recession, can’t afford to fix the computers they have. They have cut back on
their cable and on their wireless so they come to use the library. The reference librarians
spend time teaching people how to e-mail. A lot of seniors who don’t have computers
are coming into the library and they are being forced to file things on the computer (i.e.
tax forms). The reference librarians also help people apply for jobs online. There are
fourteen public access computers at the library. The library has always had wireless but
it needs to be upgraded because it is getting a lot of use. People are coming in with ebooks
and Smartphones. Mary Hogan mentioned some of the other things that the
reference librarians do.
Mary Hogan mentioned the children’s librarian. The children’s area is the heart of the
library. It will become even more important as they go on. Research has validated the
urgency of early literature. She mentioned what reading to children does. They have
programs for children as young as one month old and they work with parents as well.
They also work with English as a second language. The children’s librarian offers up to
several programs per week. They had kindergarten students and first grade students from
Stevens School at the library a couple of weeks ago and they had people from this
community in (i.e. a scientist, a firefighter, a Police Officer, etc.). The children’s first
choice had been the scientist. The children’s librarian also goes to daycare centers and
this includes home daycare centers.

Town Council Page 19
Meeting of March 19, 2012
Mary Hogan said there are library assistants. She explained their duties.
Mary Hogan said she has one Administrative Assistant. She explained her duties.
Mary Hogan mentioned the library pages they have. She explained their duties.
There are a lot of part timers who are the most important people to keep the library going
seven days per week. These people work anywhere from five hours per month and up to
ten hours per week. These people are especially valuable on Saturdays and Sundays. All
of the regular Staff has to take turns working evenings and on the weekends.
The Cora J. Belden Library is 1.4% of this Town’s tax dollars. Mary Hogan went over
some statistics at this point (i.e. they circulate 13.8 books, per person, per year). They
check out an average of ninety-five items per hour. The average for a Town that has a
population of 15,000 to 25,0000 is sixty-nine items per hour and the average is sixty-two
items for Statewide.
Mary Hogan referred back to the question of who uses the libraries and she said they are
definitely still being used. The Cora J. Belden Library has approximately fifty-seven
people who visit it per hour and the average is forty-four people for Towns that are the
size of Rocky Hill. The average is 42.9 people for Statewide. She then went over the
circulation per capita from 1996 to 2011. They peaked during the recession. They have
gone down because there have been reductions in their materials budget so they haven’t
bought as much, especially of new current things. She spoke briefly about the reference
desk.
Mary Hogan said another question asked is why libraries are needed when they have
Google. She tells her family and everyone else that they are informational professionals.
They help to do the critical thinking. She had heard Bill Clinton at the Bushnell the other
night and he had spoken about the importance of critical thinking and for Google not just
to be used.
Mary Hogan said they peaked several years ago with regards to their collection size when
they had a higher budget and this is going down a little bit. They know they are
definitely seeing more e-book users and this is reflecting that. The Cora J. Belden
Library has a lower amount of print resources than other libraries that are their size.
They are working on this and trying to get creative on getting different types of items, as
well as getting donations. They have a Great Friends Book Sale. Mary Hogan then went
over the library materials expenditure per capita. They were higher than the average and
they have dropped down the last couple of years but they are equaling out now to the rest
of the State. She is very proud of their program attendance. They can’t increase this
because they have a limit. They have a room downstairs which had gotten renovated and
this is being used more and more. The capacity is approximately fifty-five people. They
had a program that they had offered in January and they ended up offering it three times
because they had to limit the participation. They also have lots of small programs. The
program attendance has increased over the last couple of years.

Town Council Page 20
Meeting of March 19, 2012
Mary Hogan questioned what the Town or a City would do without a public library. She
showed a slide that showed how many books a Town could buy with the library’s Town
appropriation. The Cora J. Belden Library has a circulation of over 250,000 items. She
said they are leveraging $44,000 worth of books. She then showed a library use
calculator. She mentioned an average person coming into the library. She gave a
breakdown of things this person ended up borrowing (i.e. three books, a movie, etc.) and
using (i.e. the reference desk and a computer) while they were at the library for an hour
and the total amount for this came to approximately $127.50. She mentioned that the
Cora J. Belden Library’s website had this calculator on it so people could calculate what
they saved for one of their visits.
Mary Hogan then went over some of the things the library does (i.e. lectures and
children’s events, etc.). People can check e-readers out if they are deciding which one to
purchase. She also mentioned that they have Universal Class. People can take online
classes with exams for free. They can’t get college credits for these but they get
continuing education credits. There are over five hundred courses to choose from. She
gave more details about these. She mentioned they have something else called Job Now.
This is for online job support. People can upload their resumes for free and in twentyfour
hours, the resume will come back with comments. This also has interview skills and
live chat. The Cora J. Belden Library added this two years ago. The library also has
book discussions and “learn a language”. They are also getting into library apps (i.e. for
Smartphones, etc.). There are research databases and she gave more details about these.
They also have online newspapers (i.e. The Hartford Courant, etc.).
Mary Hogan told the Town Council that hopefully this presentation gave them some
ideas of what they are doing at the Cora J. Belden Library and how they are evolving.
She told the Town Council that she would be happy to answer any of their questions and
she also invited them to come to visit the library at any time.
Mayor LaRosa asked the Councilors if they had any questions. Some of the Councilors
told Mary Hogan that she gave a very good report. None of the Councilors had any
questions. Mayor LaRosa thanked Mary Hogan very much and he told her that he didn’t
realize some of the things that she does at the Cora J. Belden Library.
Mayor LaRosa said he had been talking with Councilor Kochanek right before Mary
Hogan had done her report. Mayor LaRosa mentioned how a public hearing had been set
this evening (Blighted Premises Code) and he asked if an additional public hearing can be
held that same night with regards to what had been discussed this evening about the fees
and the fire hydrants, etc. Town Manager Gilbert said they could do that but she
mentioned that the full Town Council hasn’t seen that information. Mayor LaRosa said
they will wait until the next Town Council meeting. Town Manager Gilbert said her
intention is that they will do this on the evening of April 16, 2012 and Councilor
Kochanek said okay.

Town Council Page 21
Meeting of March 19, 2012
Executive Session
A. Strategy and Negotiations re: Sale of Land with the Town Manager and
Economic Development Director
Deputy Mayor Moriarty moved to go into Executive Session at 8:46 for Strategy and
Negotiations re Sale of Land with the Town Manager and Economic Development
Director. The motion was seconded by Councilor Bell and adopted unanimously by
those present. Councilor Sylvestro was absent.
Before this motion was voted on, Mayor LaRosa said there would be no action to follow
with regards to this.
At this point, the motion was voted on.
Councilor Surwilo moved to come out of Executive Session at 9:15 p.m. The motion was
seconded by Councilor Szeps and adopted unanimously by those present. Councilor
Sylvestro was absent.
Adjournment
Councilor Surwilo moved to adjourn. The motion was seconded by Deputy Mayor
Sylvestro and adopted unanimously by those present. Councilor Sylvestro was absent.
As there was no further business, the meeting adjourned at 9:15 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jessica M. Dumas
Clerk of the Council