DRAFT

Town of Mansfield Four Corners Sewer Planning Advisory Committee

Minutes of the Meeting – September 30, 2009

Present:  Nesbitt (Chair), Girard, Hart, Spak, Rawn, van Zelm (MDP – Guest), Lindsey (Town Council – guest), Dineen (Willi Chronicle – Guest), Hultgren (Staff)

The meeting was called to order by Chair Nesbitt at 7:02 PM. 

The minutes of the August 27, 2009 meeting were approved on a motion by Hart/Girard.

Hultgren said that he had contacted Senator Dodd’s office asking for dates to meet with Dodd’s staff to explain the 4 corners project, but he had not heard back.  It was suggested he do a short write-up on the project and send it to them with a written request to meet.

Hultgren said that he had checked with Mr. Sebonik recently but not heard back on the status of the effort to contact developers/land owners in the greater 4 corners area who might be interested in helping to finance a public water system.  He also said that he had contacted the hydrogeologist that did the reconnaissance work for the Town for the Lions Club fields’ stratified drift irrigation well to get a proposal to study and determine if the mapped stratified drift aquifers in the 4 corners area could support a high enough yield to supply all or part of the study area with water.  He said that he may proceed with the 1^st phase of the study, which is to examine all the information that is available without actually doing any test borings.

Hultgren said that notices to property owners in the northern part of the study area had recently been sent letters notifying them that surveying for the project would possibly be taking place on their property this fall and who to contact for additional information.  The wetland areas will be flagged and surveyed for the ongoing design work.

Nesbitt summarized the August meeting discussion about design district elements for the 4 corners area and handed out materials obtained from the Town’s Director of Planning on Design Standards and Urban Design.  Discussion about making recommendations to the PZC for appropriate design standards for this area as well as the process of determining which elements were most appropriate for this specific area ensued.  Members felt that some aspects of the Storrs Center Design District Standards would be applicable to this area and a subcommittee of Rawn and Spak (with some help from Nesbitt) was formed to research this.  Nesbitt will contact Ferrigno to see if he would like to assist this subcommittee as well.  Van Zelm will contact the Mansfield Downtown Partnership’s Planning and Design Committee to see if they would be willing to help the 4 corners committee with this task as well. She will also contact C. Schwab of the MDP Board to see if there are any previous studies of landscape/architecture for the area.  It was mentioned that the soon to be issued UConn Landscape Plan may be helpful in determining design elements/features for the area as well. Staff will prepare a map of the most likely to develop parcels in the study area (using the fiscal impact analysis as a guide) for the committee’s use in visualizing potential development in the study area.  Other communities with similar areas and “gateways” will be reviewed as well (examples:  Manchester, Newtown, Windsor, Simsbury and Charlotte, NC).

Nesbitt explained that the Town Council had discussed the committee’s charge (and study of water as well as sewers for the area) at its last meeting and had asked to have committee members update them on their activities at the upcoming October 13^th Council meeting.  Hultgren will meet with Nesbitt next week to prepare an outline for this discussion.  Hultgren also noted that the committee’s review of issues/data helped to keep the staff “on task” for this project.

The next meeting was set for Thursday October 29^th at 7pm.

He meeting was adjourned at 8:20pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Lon Hultgren, Director of Public Works

Cc:      Town Clerk

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