Watch Hill Fire District

District Council Meeting Minutes

August 16, 2013

Page 3

Watch Hill, R.I. 02891

DISTRICT COUNCIL MEETING

Friday, August 16, 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, August 16, 2013.

The following members were present:

Charles S. Whitman III, Moderator

John M. Regan III, Deputy Moderator

Robert C. Murray, Treasurer

Grant G. Simmons III, Chairman Park Commission

Robert Peacock, Fire Chief

Andrew Parsons, Member at Large

Ann Stevenson, Member at Large

Other voters present:

Elizabeth W. Bean, Park Commission

Marian C. Burke, Park Committee

Joan Lemp

Also present were:

Chaplin B. Barnes

Edwin Russell

Judy Kelley, Fire District Office Manager

Lyn Traver, Fire District Administrative Assistant

Proper notice having been given and a quorum being present, the Moderator, Charles S. Whitman III, called the meeting to order at 4:05 p.m.

The Moderator reminded those present about the reconvened Annual Meeting scheduled for Saturday, August 24, 2013 at 9:30 a.m.

Minutes

Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the minutes of the meeting of June 21, 2013, which had been previously circulated, were approved.

Finance Committee – Robert Murray

Mr. Murray noted that it was early in the fiscal year so there was not much to report. The Misquamicut Club Lease payment, which was due on 7/31, was not received until August 5. However, as of 7/31, even without that payment, the Fire District was in a strong cash position, primarily due to the reimbursement of $85,000 from FEMA. Cash as of 7/31/2013 was $267,000 versus $188,000 last year at this time.

Mr. Murray asked Mr. Simmons about the Park Commission spending on Maintenance of Parks and Beaches and Maintenance of Bathhouses and Carousel, both of which seem to be running ahead of last year’s pace. Mr. Simmons replied that there had been an unplanned repair of the sea wall for $4,600 as well as more aggressive hedge trimming and maintenance of the park, for a cost of $2,000. However, Mr. Simmons said he would be on budget for year end and that this was more a matter of timing.

Mr. Murray also asked about the $7,000 spent on Merry Go Round restoration. Mr. Simmons stated that he had received just over $9,000 from the Improvement Society to offset maintenance expense for last year and this year and that he hoped to receive a further $5,000 next spring.

Finally, it was noted that Mr. Lips would not be joining the Finance Committee. A replacement will be found.

Park Commission – Grant G. Simmons III

Mr. Simmons acknowledged that there had been many complaints about the traffic situation the evening of the Al Coply concert. The village was inundated and the Holdredge Garage was full. Mr. Simmons suggested that maybe the Fire District should say no to Al Coply or perhaps open up the Fire District lot once we get it.

Mr. Russell suggested that the District Council should reassess having the concerts at all. They were originally started for the Watch Hill community. They have now become more of a Westerly/Connecticut event and, despite their popularity, the merchants are getting very little benefit. He suggested that someone speak with Joann Nicholas, the head of the merchants association. It was noted that the Fire District pays for the police detail and the merchants pay for the talent.

It was noted that not only are there traffic problems related to the concerts but also in general during the season. Mrs. Lemp stated that there was supposed to be a supervisor overseeing the CSOs but she had never seen him. Mr. Russell asked if Mr. Peacock could be deputized to oversee the CSOs but Mr. Whitman said that was unlikely due to union issues. It was agreed that the big issue is local supervision. Mr. Whitman will bring it up when he has his meeting with Chief St. Clair.

Mr. Simmons stated that he would be looking for better alternatives to the current trash receptacles. Replacements were likely to be more expensive and might have to be worked in a few each year.

Mr. Regan asked about rules on skateboarding, having been nearly hit twice. Mr. Peacock stated that the town ordinance prohibits skateboarding on the sidewalks and in the street. This will be another topic for discussion with Chief St. Clair.

Mr. Barnes noted that he had had a hard timing accessing the parking lot for the Misquamicut Club Beach Club as people from the Yacht Club had parked outside the lined area. Mr. Simmons will speak with the Yacht Club manager.

Fire Department – Robert Peacock

Chief Peacock reported that the re-entry procedures for hurricanes has been finalized and is going to the Town Council for approval. It was agreed to use the Watch Hill pass but to note on the pass the Fire District issuing it.

Chief Peacock reported that the department had suffered two accidents two days apart in early July. There was $12,000 in damage of which the Fire Department will have to pay the deductible, $2,000. He hopes the expense can be absorbed in the existing budget. Each truck will be out of service for 2 to 3 weeks. Chief Peacock will make arrangements with neighboring Fire Departments for coverage during the repairs.

Chief Peacock stated that there had been 29 calls since July 1. The average response time (from the time of the call to the arrival of the first truck) was 5 minutes, 18 seconds. This fast response was primarily due to the day time staffing. In answer to a question, Chief Peacock noted that one-third of the calls were false alarms.

Chief Peacock also reported on the Bluff Avenue water rescue, the biggest call of the summer so far, with 7 people in the water. Chief Peacock said it was fortunate no one died as even the life guards who went out to rescue the swimmers could not swim back in due to the extreme rip tide.

Chief Peacock advised that National Grid is pruning trees early this year in preparation for a possible hurricane. The process will take 4 to 6 weeks. It has led to some complaints.

Chief Peacock noted that Mr. Russell had asked for use of the Firehouse for an event for the Babcock-Smith House. As there had been an unwritten policy to only use the Firehouse for Watch Hill events, Chief Peacock was deferring to the District Council for a decision on this request. Mr. Whitman noted that if we allowed this use, it might open the door to other such requests. It was further suggested that the Chapel undercroft might be a better location. The District Council agreed to decline the use of the Firehouse for the Babcock-Smith House event.

Other Business

Mr. Simmons suggested that while the underground utility program was working on Larkin Road, he would like to put in a conduit for a pressure main from the Merry-Go-Round to the new septic field in the Larkin Street (soon to be Fire District) parking lot. The concern is that if the septic field at the bathhouse were to fail, CRMC might not allow it to be rebuilt. If the conduit/pressure main, were in place, the bathhouse could use that system. The idea would be to do the work while the road is already under construction. If the Fire District were to wait, they would not be allowed to reopen the road for 5 years. Mr. Simmons expects the cost to be about $10,000. The District Council asked Mr. Simmons to proceed to get firm estimates.

Mrs. Stevenson noted that many parking spaces are taken by out of state cars and wondered if we could have Westerly resident passes for parking. Mr. Whitman suggested this might be against the law as it currently exists.

Mrs. Stevenson also asked about the possibility of creating a bike lane on Niantic. Mr. Whitman said this would be another issue for him to bring up to Chief St.Clair.

The meeting was adjourned to executive session at 5:00 p.m.

The meeting returned to regular session at 5:25 pm. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

Judy Kelley

Office Manager