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Post by Admin on May 19, 2018 6:39:16 GMT -7
Board Voting to Deny Road Services to Landowners
Mag Chloride, ditches and culvert work to be cancelled In a stunning turn of events GLA Board President and Road Committee Chair Dennis Riley, in close cooperation with Director Regina Wunsch, has sent a motion to the GLA Board that would cancel existing contracts and dramatically roll back road services for all Glastonbury landowners. The motion was quickly supported by Director Leo Keeler and Director Regina Wunsch. Director Mizzi and Director Richard Johnson have also voted for it. Three more votes are needed for the Draconian measure to pass.
The motion cancels the remaining portion of the 2017 Fall Grading contract and drastically cuts back on the 2018 Spring grading contract which was just approved and funded by the GLA Board at their May meeting. North Glastonbury landowners will be especially hard hit. Scheduled ditch work meant to drain and help preserve their fragile paved roads will be cancelled. 5,000 feet of Mag Chloride treatment along Gemini, Capricorn and Taurus will also be cancelled. It appears unlikely that any further ditch and culvert work will be done so Capricorn gravel road landowners will have to suffer through more flooding.
Low South landowners will also be denied critical road services. Arcturus was scheduled to be narrowed and ditched; that would be cancelled so the money saved can be used for flood damage repairs in High South. Mag Chloride treatment of both Arcturus and Hercules will also be cancelled.
Thousands of hours of volunteer labor spent analyzing Glastonbury road problems and carefully devising long term solutions will be discarded. Landowners will once again suffer with terrible roads and lower property values if the GLA Board throws out reasoned solutions in favor of emotional and politically based actions. The Board could expose itself to further litigation if the contractor does not agree to allow the Board to revoke the binding agreement he signed and they promised to honor. Even if a lawsuit does not occur the GLA Board has seriously damaged relationships with contractors and the trust the current Road Committee has worked so hard to restore. It should come as no surprise that many contractors will not even return calls from the GLA.
The decision appears to be taking on political overtones and could bolster the candidacy of Ed Dobrowski and his mother, Clare Parker. For years they have argued that Low South was being short-changed by High South. The tiered road policy was designed to answer the issue of unequal landowner treatment by requiring that Low South receive the majority of road services in South Glastonbury. Clare Parker also advocated for spending landowner funds to repair county roads at the expense of High South landowners. Road Committee member Walter Wunsch recently stated that money should be taken from 2018 Low South Spring Grading and used for High South flood repairs. High South landowner and Road Committee member Tim Brockett strongly disagreed stating that "discrimination is always wrong and low south landowners are our neighbors and should be treated equally". If the motion passes Ed Dobrowski may be the next South Glastonbury Road Committee chair. Candidate Richard Johnson would likely benefit as well and become the Road Chair for North Glastonbury.
North Glastonbury candidate Claudette Dirkers who has worked tirelessly for Glastonbury road improvements for many years may lose the most. She was the driving force behind finding and cleaning the clogged culverts and devising long term road solutions. Dirkers worked hard to solve vexing road problems and was a strong voice for landowners. Her work and her hopes of further serving our community via a seat on the Board may be dashed if the Riley motion is approved.
Candidate Dirkers chaired the Road Advisory Group that designed a new road policy that treats all landowners equally. That policy, along with much of the other fine work Dirkers and other volunteers accomplished now appears in jeopardy.
The GLA Finances before the motion was presented were in excellent shape. The services to be cancelled were all approved by the GLA Board and fully funded. The legal bills were current and the Rakela lawsuit was averaging $2,000.00 per month. Over $100,000.00 was in reserve funds and the GLA savings account. The budget was fully balanced and another $70,000.00 was expected to come in via landowner assessments by October 31st.
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Post by Admin on May 20, 2018 10:45:51 GMT -7
It's Official. Board votes to cancel $50,410.00 for Major Road Work
No Reason Given - Board Finances are in Fine Shape
North Glastonbury Hit Hard The votes are in and 9 GLA Directors have decided to cancel contracts and slash critical spring road work by $50,410.00. The GLA finances are in fine shape with over $100,000.00 stashed in the bank, the budget is fully balanced, the legal bills are paid and another $70,000.00 is expected to be paid in landowner assessments by October 31st, 2018.
$15,000.00 was deducted from work the Board approved just two weeks ago for Low South. That money will now go to repair flood damaged roads in High South.
The motion was presented by Road Chair Dennis Riley in cooperation with Regina Wunsch. Leo Keeler seconded it and the following directors voted YES. Several are running for re-election. Landowners are urged to consider their votes carefully as they bounce over pot holes and washboards that can now be called Riley Roads.
SPRING GRADING CONTRACT Email Vote (Courtesy of the GLA Board)
May 18, 2018 Yes Votes. Motion Carried
From: gerald dubiel Sent: Saturday, May 19, 2018 8:50 AM To: GLA Board Subject: Re: [GLA Board List] Spring grading contract
I vote yes.
From: Charlotte Mizzi Sent: Friday, May 18, 2018 10:49 PM To: GLA Board Members Subject: RE: [GLA Board List] Spring grading contract
I vote yes. Charlotte
From: Richard Johnson Sent: Friday, May 18, 2018 9:40 PM To: GLA Board Members Subject: Re: [GLA Board List] Spring grading contract
I vote yes,
Richard
From: Dan Kehoe Sent: Friday, May 18, 2018 9:16 PM To: GLA Board Members Subject: Re: [GLA Board List] Spring grading contract
I vote yes. Dan
From: Mark Seaver Sent: Friday, May 18, 2018 4:19 PM To: GLA-BoardMembers
Subject: Re: [GLA Board List] Spring grading contract
I vote yes.
From: Charlene murphy Sent: Friday, May 18, 2018 3:08 PM To: GLA Board Members Subject: Re: [GLA Board List] Spring grading contract
I vote yes,
Charlene
From: Regina Wunsch Sent: Friday, May 18, 2018 2:37 PM To: GLA-Board Members Subject: Re: [GLA Board List] Spring grading contract
I vote YES
Regina
From: leo.keeler Sent: Friday, May 18, 2018 2:08 PM To: GLA Board Members
Subject: Re: [GLA Board List] Spring grading contract
I second and vote Yes
Leo
From: Dennis Riley
Sent: Friday, May 18, 2018 1:53 PM To: GLA Board Members
Subject: [GLA Board List] Spring grading contract
Board:
Last night the Road and Weed Committee met. We discussed a sheet of corrected financials for road work. The committee voted to recommend that we move forward as quickly as possible to begin road grading. Chad Standish is available to begin work on Tuesday, May 22, 2018. Therefore I move that the Board approve the contract and attachments here in by email vote. Timing is critical please vote before Sunday, May 20, 2018.
Upon a second, I vote yes.
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Post by leokeeler on May 20, 2018 10:53:49 GMT -7
I trust the Road and Weed Committee and will support their recommendations, as I did by seconding and voting on their reported recommendation. The Motion and supporting documents are attached.
My main concern was starting grading as soon as possible. That is addressed in the contract for grading and I anticipate additional requests for contracts addressing the other work identified to be done for 2018.
The documents supporting the proposal are attached. Cleaning existing ditches is addressed, but not establishing new ditches, which I feel needs to be determined on the ground and prioritized with other work. Establishing new ditches and new culverts cannot be done this spring and I anticipate proposals from the Road Committee based on the special Engineer’s Report for “Special Projects” to be made in June/July so the work can be done this summer.
The Mag Chloride that I had previously made the motion to apply in two locations as a “TEST” was not included in the Work Order. Nothing has been done to eliminate the motion I made last year on Mag Chloride and I do not interpret approval of that work to have been dropped just because it is not in the current work order. Where/When/How to apply Mag Chloride has been discussed numerous times as to where to conduct it and I trust the Road and Weed Committee to finalize what to do where. Bottom line – I see that as an approved project in the waiting.
I previously made the motion to spend up to $5,000 on the Capricorn flooding. That work was tabled at the May Board meeting pending receipt of the Engineer’s report and prioritization of work by the Road Committee
The reduction of a portion of Arcturus to bring it back to 24 feet wide is still in the attached Work Order. I am looking forward to seeing the proposed contract to conduct that and other important work.
I greatly appreciate the work of the Road Committee, especially by Tim Brockett and Claudette Dirkers (the WORK HORSES of the Committee). The Committee work on developing a Road Policy is one of the best things I’ve seen for improving GLA roads. Past practices and attempts to spend money porportioally to where it is collected from are still supported (and desired to return to) by Dobrowski and Parker. That is what led to the roads being in the condition they are now. Dobrowski in particular ignores that in 2015, the Brown Law firm advised GLA that every landowner is entitled to some level of maintenance and access to their property in GLA regardless of location. They cited an argument between landowners having to pay the same amount when some lived closer to the boundary than others – i.e. high south and low south. The judge in that case said the costs should be born equally and every landowner was entitled to a level of maintenance providing access to their property as determined by the Board. I agree with the Administrator that should the Board return to the old system of allocating maintenance, lawsuits can be expected.
The Collection Attorney has begun sending letters to landowners in arrears for assessments with a deadline of June 30th to respond or legal action will be initiated. I hope that those delinquent landowners will realize they may spend more in court than they owe in past due assessments and the legal fees that will be added to their bill.
I agree that GLA has lots of money, and will receive more, that can and should be directed to road work with minimal administrative overhead costs. Though I live directly off Dry Creek paved road and personally receive NO benefit from GLA road maintenance, I will continue to support the Road Committee proposals unless there is a sound reason to ask them to complete more investigation.
MY THANKS TO TIM AND CLAUDETTE AND THE ROAD AND WEED COMMITTEE FOR THEIR GREAT WORK
PS I reached my limit of attachments and can not include the SG and NG Financials attached to the Motion.
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Post by leokeeler on May 20, 2018 11:03:23 GMT -7
Here are the meeting minutes from March and April and the Financials I could not include in the last response.
March:
5.6.5 Trench and Repair of Capricorn Road:
Important to have only one board member deal with a contractor so there is no confusion.
Dennis will be the contact person to coordinate with Standish Excavation. A load of gravel
was put on the trench as a temporary fix. Heavy spring runoff has created a complex
drainage problem, ditches clogged with plowed snow, etc.
Motion: Leo motioned and Charlene seconded to proceed with the bid from Standish, sole
source, to fix the immediate problem; to spend no more than $5000 to raise the road on
Capricorn, 8-12-inches. Standish will use ‘3inch minus pit run’ to build the base and a
regular road mix on top. Standish will feather the edge of the road into the driveways of
NG11-A and NG28-A on both sides of the road. Motion carried unanimously.
April:
5.6.3 Update gravel portion of Capricorn Rd
A question about $6,000 voted for mag chloride in North Glastonbury. Board will wait
for the road engineer’s assessment to evaluate needs of all Glastonbury roads.
Motion: Leo motioned and Regina seconded to spend $100 for safety signs. Motion passed unanimously.
Road & Weed committee request for 1) line item on 2019 budget for road engineer and request that 2) board allocate $3,000 for that purpose. Discussion, a line item does not obligate spending money.
Motion: Kevin motioned and Leo seconded to add line item on 2019 budget for road engineer. Motion passed unanimously.
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