741 Colonel Ledyard Highway

Ledyard, Connecticut 06339-1551

(860) 464-3203

TOWN OF LEDYARD

Town Council

council@ledyardct.org

Meeting Minutes

Chairman S. Naomi

Rodriguez

Special Meeting

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

6:00 PM

Town Hall Council Chambers

In-Person: Council Chambers Town Hall Annex

Remote: Information noted below:

Join Zoom Meeting from your Computer, Smart Phone or Tablet:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89566810346?pwd=FBjXEMKY5psx1B5Ga6HylMRO134IUg.1

Audio Only: Telephone: +1 646 558 8656; Meeting ID: 895 6681 0346; Passcode: 393712

CALL TO ORDER

IC.hairman Rodriguez called the meeting to order at 6:05 p.m. at the Council Chambers,

Town Hall Annex Building.

II.

ROLL CALL

Councilor William Barnes

Councilor April Brunelle

Councilor Jessica Buhle

Councilor Carmen Garcia-Irizarry

Chairman S. Naomi Rodriguez

Councilor Tony Saccone

Councilor Gary St. Vil

Present:

Councilor Kevin Dombrowski

Councilor Tim Ryan

Excused:

BUSINESS OF THE MEETING

MOTION to rescind the following, as approved by the Town Council at their February 12,

2025 meeting:

MOTION to approve the proposed “Municipal Certification of a Resolution for Small Town

Economic Assistance Program ~ STEAP 2025 ~ Ledyard Playscape Improvement Projects as

presented in the Plan dated February 5, 2025; with the exception not to exceed $1 million.

In addition, the Parks & Recreation Commission shall review and approve the Conceptual

Plan to be submitted as part of the Application;

And, if Grant Funding is approved, Town Council approval will be requested for the Town’s

local matching funds, when that amount is known, and before any contract is signed and the

project is commenced.

Moved by Chairman Rodriguez, seconded by Councilor Brunelle

Discussion: Chairman Rodrigeuz explained that based on some additional information that

was received for the Playscape Projects, they needed to update the 2025 STEAP Resolution

to include four Playscapes, noting that based on Parks, Recreation, & Senior Citizens

Director Scott Johnson, Jr. comments at the Town Council’s February 12, 2025 meeting

Blonders Park was removed from the Project. With the additional information Mr. Johnson

received since the Town Council’s February 12, 2025 meeting he was asking that Blonders

Park be included in the Playscape Project. Therefore, she stated rather than amend the

Resolution, that because it was not sent to the State yet, that it would be cleaner to rescind

the Resolution and start fresh.

VOTE:

7 - 0 Approved and so declared

APPROVED AND SO DECLARED

S. Naomi Rodriguez

RESULT:

MOVER:

April Brunelle

SECONDER:

Barnes, Brunelle, Buhle, Garcia-Irizarry, Rodriguez, Saccone, and St.

AYE:

Vil

Dombrowski, and Ryan

EXCUSED:

MOTION to approve the proposed “Municipal Certification of a Resolution for Small Town

Economic Assistance Program ~ STEAP 2025 ~ Ledyard Playscape Improvement Projects

for the following Parks: Town Green, Aljen Heights, Blonders Park, and East Park, as

presented in the draft dated February 5, 2025; with the exception not to exceed $1 million.

In addition, the Parks & Recreation Commission shall review and approve the Conceptual

Plan to be submitted as part of the Application;

And appropriate $178,881 from the Capital Undesignated Fund, as the Town’s local match.

(Delete the following language)

And, if Grant Funding is approved, Town Council approval will be requested for the Town’s

local matching funds, when that amount is known, and before any contract is signed and the

project is commenced.

DRAFT: 1/22/2025

Res. 003-2025/___________

MUNICIPAL CERTIFICATION OF RESOLUTION

SMALL TOWN ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

~STEAP 2025 ~

LEDYARD PLAYSCAPE IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS

I, Patricia A. Riley, Town Clerk of the Town of Ledyard, a municipality organized and

existing under the laws of the State of Connecticut, hereby certify that the following is a true

copy of the resolution adopted by the Ledyard Town Council of said municipality at the

Special Meeting held on ___________.

***********************************************************************

RESOLVED, that Mayor Fred B. Allyn, III, be, and hereby is, authorized to accept on behalf

of the Town of Ledyard, a 2025 Connecticut STEAP Grant in the amount of $1 Million for

the Ledyard Playscape Improvement Projects for the following Town Parks: Town Green,

Aljen Heights, Blonders Park, East Drive; and

FURTHER RESOLVED, that Mayor Fred B. Allyn, III, is hereby authorized to enter into

and execute any and all agreements, contracts and documents necessary to obtain said 2025

STEAP Grant with the State of Connecticut.

Approved by the Ledyard Town Council on: ______________

__________________________

S. Naomi Rodriguez, Chairman

********************************************************************

I DO FURTHER CERTIFY that the above resolution has in no way been altered, amended or

revoked, and is in full force and effect.

AND I DO FURTHER CERTIFY that Mayor Fred B. Allyn, III is the Mayor of the Town of

Ledyard, and has been since May 1, 2017.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of the Town of

Ledyard this ______ day of ____________________, 2025.

______________________________

(Seal)

Patricia A. Riley, Town Clerk

Town of Ledyard

Moved by Councilor Buhle, seconded by Councilor Garcia-Irizarry

Discussion: Councilor Buhle stated during the Finance Committee’s meeting earlier this

evening that they amended the motion to include the funding source for the Town’s 20%

Local Match, as strongly encouraged in the STEAP Grant Application. Therefore, she stated

that she would like to submit the same update to tonight’s motion as follows:

And, if Grant Funding is approved, Town Council approval will be requested for the Town’s

local matching funds, when that amount is known, and before any contract is signed and the

project is commenced.

And, appropriate $179,000 from CNR Undesignated, as the Town’s 20% Local Match,

upon the receipt of the Grant approval.

The Town Council agreed to update the language in the Motion as noted above as a “friendly

amendment.”

Parks, Recreation, & Senior Citizens Director Mr. Scott Johnson, Jr., provided updated Plans

to replace the following Playscapes:

$567,588.38 - Town Green ADA Park included new equipment, installation, Poured In

Place (PIP) Surfacing, R& D of existing equipment.

$199,113.00 - Colonel Ledyard/Blonders Park included new Playground Equipment,

installation, Poured In Place (PIP) Surfacing under new equipment and under existing

swings and R&D of existing equipment.

$141,321.42- Aljen Heights Park included new Playground Equipment and swings,

installation, Poured In Place (PIP) Surfacing under new equipment and swings and R&D of

existing equipment

$163,865.30 - East Drove includes new Playground Equipment and swings, installation,

Poured In Place (PIP) Surfacing under new equipment and swings, and R&D of existing

equipment.

Total Cost: $1,071,888.10

$1,071,888.10; Total Cost for all four Playscapes. Mr. Johnson stated the costs included the

removal and installation of the four new Playscapes; subsurface work and the Pour-in-Place

surface. He stated the Pour in Place was better than using wood chips, noting that it required

less maintenance.

Councilor Saccone noted the cost of each of the Playscapes and asked Mr. Johnson to

explain why the town was not required to go out to bid for this equipment. Mr. Johnson

explained that the vendor they were using was already under contract with the town.

Therefore, he stated in addition to the administrative time, costs associated with advertising

and soliciting bids and with the Omni Contractor’s 20% discount the town was saving about

$50,000 on some of the Playscapes. He stated in looking at a number of other contracts,

including the State Contract, that using the vendor they currently had under contract ended

up being the best pricing.

Councilor St. Vil questioned the Parks, Recreation & Senior Citizens Commission’s plan

should Ledyard not receive the $1 million Small Town Economic Assistance Program

(STEAP) Grant. Mr. Johnson stated if they do not receive any grant funding through the

2025 STEAP Grant Program this year that they would already have the plans ready for

another grant opportunity, or he stated they could decide to include the Playscapes in the

Capital Improvement Plan. He stated the 20% Local Funds would only be allocated if the

town received the STEAP Grant.

Chairman Rodriguez questioned how they would proceed if the State only awarded a partial

grant. Mr. Johnson stated that they would do as much as they could with the grant funding

received.

Mayor Allyn, III, stated even with identifying the Town’s 20% Local Match, that this year’s

STEAP Grant Application process was going to be very competitive.

Councilor Barnes stated although they were identifying that the Town’s 20% Local Match in

the amount of $179,000 would come from CNR Undesignated this evening; that once the

Town received notification from the State that Ledyard’s Grant Application has been

approved that they could decide to allocate the funding from another source. He noted that

Mayor Allyn, III, had previously suggested a shared funding source of perhaps using the

Parks and Recreation Fund 0203 which was funded in accordance with Ordinance # 200-009

“An Ordinance Providing for the Transfer of Certain Revenue From The Real Estate

Conveyance Tax to Specific Town of Ledyard Fund”. He stated the reason they could not use

the Parks and Recreation Fund 0203 at this point in the process was because there was not

enough time to have a Special Town Meeting, as required, to spend money from Fund 0203.

However, he stated between now and the selection process that they could have the time

needed to use Fund 0203. He stated that he was not saying that they should use Fund 0203;

but that he just wanted them to be aware that they had other options they could pursue for the

Town’s 20% Local Match. However, he stated tonight’s action would allow the Town to

submit the STEAP Grant Application and get this process started.

Councilor Buhle stated that she did not believe they could appropriate money from Fund

0203 retroactively; or they could allocate funding from Fund 0203 to reimburse CNR

Undesignated. Mayor Allyn, III, stated that that was correct. He explained that they could

allocate funding from Fund 0203 to various capital projects in the Capital Improvement Plan

(CIP) as part of the Annual Budget Process. Otherwise, he stated that they would be required

to have a Special Town Meeting to appropriate funding from Fund 0203 in accordance with

Ordinance 200-012 “ An Ordinance Creating a Municipal Park and Recreation Capital and

Non-Recurring Expense Fund for The Town of Ledyard” that “authorization by the annual

budget meeting of the Town or upon authorization by a special Town meeting of the Town,

the monies in said fund may be used for capital and non-recurring expenditures”.

Councilor Buhle went on to note that the State would be notifying towns as to whether their

STEAP Grant Applications were approved around April 20, 2025. She stated that she was

hopeful that if Ledyard’s projects were funded, that the Town would see the new Playscapes

by the end of the summer, 2025. She stated that it would be really great to have the new

Playscape in place at the Town Green for the Farmers Market, which begins in June, noting

that the Farmers’ Market Committee submitted a letter in support of Ledyard’s STEAP Grant

Application.

VOTE:

7 - 0 Approved and so declared

APPROVED AND SO DECLARED

RESULT:

AYE:

Barnes, Brunelle, Buhle, Garcia-Irizarry, Rodriguez, Saccone, and St.

Vil

Dombrowski, and Ryan

EXCUSED:

Join Zoom Meeting from your Computer, Smart Phone or Tablet:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89566810346?pwd=FBjXEMKY5psx1B5Ga6HylMRO134IUg.1

Audio Only: Telephone: +1 646 558 8656; Meeting ID: 895 6681 0346; Passcode: 393712

Chairman Rodriguez explained that the following Items #3, #4, & #5, were included on

tonight’s agenda as “Alternate Plans”, in the event they were not ready to move forward

with the Playscape Projects. Therefore, she stated with the approval of Item #2 this evening

that no action was necessary on the following items.

MOTION to approve the proposed “Municipal Certification of a Resolution for Small Town

Economic Assistance Program ~ STEAP 2025 ~ Ledyard Community Green Improvement

Project; to Include the Replacement of the Playscape as presented in the draft dated January

22, 2025; with the exception not to exceed $550,000.

In addition, the Parks & Recreation Commission shall review and approve the Conceptual

Plan to be submitted as part of the Application;

And, if Grant Funding is approved, Town Council approval will be requested for the Town’s

local matching funds, when that amount is known, and before any contract is signed and the

project is commenced.

NO ACTION

RESULT:

MOTION to approve the proposed “Municipal Certification of a Resolution for Small Town

Economic Assistance Program ~ STEAP 2025 ~ for the Sewer Line Installation on Fairway

Drive and Colby Drive” as presented in the draft dated January 22, 2025 with the exception

not to exceed $610,000.

And, if Grant Funding is approved, Town Council approval will be requested for the Town’s

local matching funds, when that amount is known, and before any contract is signed and the

project is commenced.

NO ACTION

RESULT:

MOTION to approve the proposed “Ledyard Community Green Improvement Project to

Include Playscape And Sewer Line Installation on Fairway Drive And Colby Drive” as

presented in the draft dated February 10, 2025 with the exception not to exceed $1 Million.

And, if Grant Funding is approved, Town Council approval will be requested for the Town’s

local matching funds, when that amount is known, and before any contract is signed and the

project is commenced.

NO ACTION

/IV. ADJOURNMENT

Councilor Buhle moved to adjourn, seconded by Councilor Garica-Irizarry

RESULT:

VOTE: 7 - 0 Approved and so declared. The meeting adjourned at 6:17 p.m.

___________________________________

Transcribed by Roxanne M. Maher

Administrative Assistant to the Town Council

I, S. Naomi Rodriguez, Chairman of the Ledyard Town Council,