Watch Hill Fire District

District Council Meeting Minutes

November 29, 2013

Page 4

Watch Hill, R.I. 02891

DISTRICT COUNCIL MEETING

Friday, November 29, 2013

4:00 p.m.

Fire Station

222 Watch Hill Road

Watch Hill, RI

A meeting of the District Council of the Watch Hill Fire District was held at the Watch Hill Fire Station at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, November 29, 2013.

The following members were present:

Charles S. Whitman III, Moderator

John M. Regan III, Deputy Moderator

James T. Beale, Jr., Chairman, Finance Committee

Grant G. Simmons III, Chairman, Park Commission (For a portion of the meeting)

Robert Peacock, Fire Chief

Ann Stevenson, Member at Large

Other voters present:

Marian C. Burke, Park Commission

George C. Moore, Jr., Clerk

Also present were:

Judy Kelley, Fire District Office Manager

By Phone:

Robert C. Murray, Treasurer

Andrew Parsons, Member at Large

Proper notice having been given and a quorum being present, the Moderator, Charles S. Whitman III, called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m.

The meeting was adjourned to executive session at 4:05 p.m.

The meeting returned to regular session at 4:30 pm.

Resolutions Regarding Land Swap

Mr. Whitman stated that, on the basis of discussion in the Executive Session, resolutions ratifying the actions of District officers and the special committee would be required by parties to the transaction and financing institutions. Accordingly, after proposal and seconding, the following resolutions were adopted by the members of the District Council present at the meeting at the time, with the two members on the phone indicating their approval:

RESOLVED: That the actions of the Fire District officers, and of the special committee appointed to consider the land swap proposal authorized by voters at the Annual Meeting on July 13, 2013, in negotiating and implementing such a swap, are hereby authorized and ratified as acts of the Fire District Council, and

RESOLVED: That the appointment of Andrew Parsons and Deborah Lamm, as representatives of the Fire District on the Board of the Condominium Association, are hereby adopted and ratified as acts of the Fire District Council.

Finance Committee – James Beale

Mr. Beale noted that financial statements had been previously sent by email to the council and that since then checks had been received from the Bathhouses and the Merry-Go-Round. Income from the Bathhouses was $39,220 versus a budget of $40,000 and was down from last year’s $40,840. The income from the Merry-Go-Round was $23,270 versus a budget of $25,000, also down from the previous year. Mr. Beale stated that he felt there was a need for better scrutiny of the income from both of these operations. He suggested a review and perhaps establishing a set fee to be paid each year.

Mr. Beale reported that there is $588,000 cash on hand.

Treasurer’s Report – Robert Murray

Mr. Murray had little to add to Mr. Beale’s report. He did note that many of the insurance polices have come up for renewal and that there are no real surprises.

Fire Department – Robert Peacock

Chief Peacock noted that due to the project to underground utilities, some fire alarm cables have also been put underground and that he is still awaiting a written letter from the Fire District that any expenses or maintenance incurred as a result will not be paid for from the Fire Department budget. The letter is in process.

Chief Peacock also reported on a letter he received from the Attorney General’s office stating that minutes from Fire District meetings are to be posted on the state website within 21 days. He assumes this includes Fire Department meetings, Board of Engineers meetings, Park Commission meetings, etc. A copy of the letter was sent to Fire District counsel, Jeff Knisley, to confirm that interpretation. He has not yet responded. The office will follow up.

Finally, Chief Peacock advised that Engine 103, purchased in 1984, has been experiencing significant mechanical and safety issues for the past several years and the Fire Department has determined that the truck has clearly reached the point where it must be considered unreliable and should be replaced. He said there might be an opportunity to buy a used replacement truck from the Bradford Fire Department. That truck is 15 years old but has many more safety features than Engine 103. It was agreed that Chief Peacock should pursue the possibility and bring more information to the District Council.

Long-Term Planning – John M. Regan III

Mr. Regan reported that the long term capital spending group, comprised of himself, Andrew Parsons. and Bradford Kopp, had just concluded a good planning session. Mr. Kopp will prepare a summary of the type of expenses to be investigated, the period of time to be covered and the process for obtaining the information. They will meet with the various department heads for their specific needs and with Mr. Whitman for district-wide issues. The process is to be initiated in time to have a long term budget in place by April 1, 2014. They would like a person from Mr. Simmons’ Park Commission to be assigned to help them with that piece of the budget. Mr. Regan also requested that Mr. Simmons make a presentation at the next District Council meeting on a plan for the Larkin Road parking lot.

Minutes

The minutes of the August 16, 2013 District Council meeting, which had been previously circulated, were approved.

At this point Mr. Simmons joined the meeting.

St. Claire’s Annex – Charles S. Whitman III

Mr. Whitman explained that Mr. Nicholas was seeking a beer and wine license. Should that be received, he would ultimately hope to use his second floor as a raw bar. Due to new rules resulting from superstorm Sandy, adding something to the existing second floor might require that he have nothing commercial on the first floor.

There was discussion on whether the Fire District should oppose the request for the liquor license. It was noted that St. Claire’s is next to the Merry-Go-Round and hence children. Mr. Whitman noted that the Fire District had spoken against giving a liquor license to the Olympia Tea Room when it first applied, but since that has been approved, he felt there was only a weak basis for opposing Mr. Nicholas on the license issue. However, The Fire District might feel a need to act on the structural issue depending on the plans for the roof top raw bar.

There was a question as to what notice the Fire District received relative to the new building going up in Larkin Square. The answer was none, as it was all approved under the new FEMA rules.

Watch Hill Yacht Club Force Main – Charles S. Whitman III

Mr. Whitman explained that the WHYC Force Main pumps waste from the WHYC property to a receptacle on Larkin Road. The pipe was damaged during the Bay Street renovation. As a result, the WHYC may need to run a new line through the Larkin Road parking lot along the line of the original easement.

Park Commission – Grant G. Simmons III

Mr. Simmons stated that work on the sea wall is about to start. The Barnes family will pay one-half of the expenses.

Mr. Beale asked Mr. Simmons about the revenue from the Bathhouses and Merry-Go-Round. Mr. Simmons will request the back up details for review.

Relative to the long range capital planning group, Mr. Simmons suggested Beth Bean as the contact from the Park Commission.

Relative to the Larkin Road parking lot, Mr. Simmons said he would use the current operators but that they will be established as their own, third party entity with their own insurance policies.

Mrs. Stevenson asked when the roads and sidewalks along Bay Street will be redone. Mr. Simmons responded that the Town of Westerly has guaranteed them to be redone by May 15, 2014. However, the utility poles will probably not be down by then as National Grid is moving very slowly.

Relative to the Yacht Club Force Main repair, Mr. Simmons noted that once the Larkin Road excavation is complete, the road cannot be dug up again for 5 years. Therefore he suggested that during the excavation of Larkin Road, the Fire District take the opportunity to put in a sleeve that would be the basis for a force main for the bathhouses, should anything happen to their septic system. The associated expenses would be about $15,000. The District Council felt this would be a good idea.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

Judy Kelley

Office Manager