741 Colonel Ledyard Highway

Ledyard, CT 06339-1511

TOWN OF LEDYARD

Town Meeting

Meeting Minutes

Sp. Town Meeting - JWL HVAC Increase Appropriation

Monday, May 12, 2025

6:30 PM

Council Chambers, Town Hall Annex

- Hybrid Format

In Person: Council Chambers, Town Hall Annex Building

Remote Participation: Information Noted Below:

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

Video Conference: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89828041846?

pwd=55NUbF7GikcnhMJhLvnxAaCOcqakPo.1;

or by audio only telephone: +1 646 558 8656; Meeting ID: 898 2804 1846; Passcode: 767185

CALL TO ORDER

Town Council Chairman S. Naomi Rodriguez called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m.

There were 10 people in attendance and 5 remote attendees.

II.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

The public stood for the Pledge of Allegiance.

III.

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR MODERATOR

The Chairman called for nominations for Moderator. Carmen Garcia-Irizarry, 58 Eagle Ridge

Drive, nominated S. Naomi Rodriguez, 6 St. Peters Court. Seconded by Tony Saccone, 29 Richard

Road.

IV.

ELECTION OF MODERATOR

Those voting in favor of Ms. Rodriguez as Moderator: All present. Opposed: None.

CALL OF THE TOWN MEETING

Legal Notice - Special Town Meeting- June 23, 2025- Increase Bond Authorization to

$9,800,000

LEGAL NOTICE-JULIET W LONG HVAC

PROJECT-2025-07-08

Attachments:

Moderator Rodriguez asked for the Call of the Meeting to be read.

Town Clerk Patricia A. Riley so read the Call of the meeting.

TOWN OF LEDYARD

NOTICE OF SPECIAL TOWN MEETING - MAY 12, 2025

Notice of referendum - MAY 20, 2025

A hybrid (In-Person & Video Conference) special town meeting of the electors and citizens

qualified to vote in town meetings of the Town of Ledyard, Connecticut, will be held in the Council

Chambers, 741 Colonel Ledyard Highway, in the Town of Ledyard, Connecticut, on Monday, May

12, 2025, at 6:30 p.m., via Zoom Video Conference: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89828041846?

pwd=55NUbF7GikcnhMJhLvnxAaCOcqakPo.1; or by audio only telephone: +1 646 558 8656;

Meeting ID: 898 2804 1846; Passcode: 767185 for the following purposes:

1. To consider and discuss and vote upon a resolution adopted by the Town Council on April

16, 2025, to amend the resolution, approved by voters on February 22, 2022 and amended by

voters on October 17, 2023, increasing the appropriation and borrowing authorization by an

additional $1,250,000 (thereby increasing the appropriation and borrowing authorization to

an aggregate $9,800,000) for various school improvement projects, including: replacement

of the roofs at the Central Office, Gales Ferry School, and Juliet W. Long School;

installation of solar equipment at Gales Ferry School and Juliet W. Long School; upgrades

to the building management systems at Gales Ferry School; and electrical and HVAC

upgrades at Juliet W. Long School.

The full text of each resolution is on file with the Town Clerk.

2. Pursuant to Section 14 of Chapter III and Section 9 of Chapter VII of the Town Charter, to

adjourn said town meeting at its conclusion and to submit the aforesaid Resolution to vote at

referendum to be held on Tuesday, May 20, 2025 between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 8:00

p.m. at the Town Hall - Lower Level 741 Colonel Ledyard Highway in the Town of Ledyard,

in the manner provided by said Sections. The Resolution under item 1 of this Notice will be

placed on the voting machines under the following heading:

“SHALL THE TOWN OF LEDYARD APPROPRIATE AN ADDITIONAL

$1,250,000 (INCREASING THE APPROPRIATION AND BORROWING

AUTHORIZATION TO AN AGGREGATE $9,800,000) FOR VARIOUS

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS, AND AUTHORIZING THE

ISSUANCE OF BONDS AND NOTES IN THE SAME AMOUNT TO

FINANCE THE APPROPRIATION?”

Voters approving the Resolution will vote “Yes” and those opposing the Resolution shall

vote “No”. Voting will be held at the following polling places:

District One:

Town Hall Lower Level - Registrar’s Office

District Two: Town Hall Lower Level - Registrar’s Office

District Three: Town Hall Lower Level - Registrar’s Office

Persons qualified to vote in Town Meetings who are not electors shall vote in-person at:

Town Hall - Lower Level with District One

Absentee ballots will be available from the Town Clerk’s Office.

Dated at Ledyard, Connecticut, this 17th day of April, 2025.

S. Naomi Rodriguez, Chairman

Ledyard Town Council

Lisa Sartori, Assistant Town Clerk

Town of Ledyard

RETURN OF PUBLICATION AND POSTING OF NOTICE

I, S. Naomi Rodriguez, chairman of the Ledyard Town Council, do herby certify that I caused a copy

of notice of Hybrid Format (In-Person and Video Conference) Special Town Meeting to be held

Monday, May 12, 2025 at 6:30 p.m., to be legally posted in the office of the Town Clerk and that I

caused a copy of said notice to be published in The Day, a newspaper having a circulation in the

Town of Ledyard, in its issue of Friday, April 18, 2025.

s/S. Naomi Rodriguez, Chairman

Ledyard Town Council

Dated at Ledyard, Connecticut

This 19th day of May 2025

Attest:

PATRICIA A. RILEY

Town Clerk

VI.

MOTION MUST BE MADE AND SECONDED

Ms. Carmen Garcia-Irizarry moved, seconded by Tony Saccone, that the Town votes upon the

following:

MOTION to approve a “Resolution Amending the Resolution Entitled “Resolution

Appropriating $8,550,000 for Various School Improvement Projects; And Authorizing the

Issue of Bonds And Notes in the Same Amount to Finance Said Appropriation” to Increase

the Appropriation And Borrowing Authorization To $9,800,000”.

RESOLUTION INCREASEING AUTHORIZATION TO

$9,800,000-2025-04-16

Attachments:

CT Administrative Services JWL HVAC Grant Commitment

6.4.2024

Juliet W Long School HVAC Additonal Appropration- Finance

Director 2025-04-14 response to Superintendent

email-2025-04-09

Juliet W Long HVAC-PMBC Request Additional

Funding-ltr-2025-04-07

Juliet W Long HVAC-PMBC Request Additional

Funding-ltr-2025-04-07-Nutmeg Companies

Juliet W Long HVAC-PMBC Request Additional

Funding-ltr-2025-04-07-Project Budget

School Superintendent-Juliet W Long HVAC Additonal

Appropriation-email-2025-04-09

VII. PRESENTATION

Presentation was given by PMBC Chairman Joe Gush.

The presentation is attached.

Presentation- Juliet W. Long Heating Ventilation & Air Condition System (HVAC)

JWL-HVAC-Project-Background Informtaion-2025-06-23

Attachments:

CT Administrative Services JWL HVAC Grant Commitment

6.4.2024

VIII. MODERATOR RODRIGUEZ CALLS FOR PUBLIC COMMENT

Mr. Eric Treaster, 10 Huntington Way, Ledyard, has three questions:

1. He asked if these systems have filters on them and if the air would be pulled from the

outside and delivered into the classrooms. There is a concern about silica dust.

2. What were the operating costs going to be. Will the costs be significantly higher than the

original amount on the split-level system. If it measures the CO2 level from the inside of the

classroom, will it automatically cause the system to pull outside air and when it’s freezing

outside, will it dramatically increase the cost of keeping the classrooms warm.

3. Last, what happens if the town votes no on this application and what are the consequences.

PMBC Chair, Mr. Gush, believes they are 10-micron filters.

Mr. Treaster stated he is concerned with the query that he learned about recently that the experts

claim that there was some silica in that test.

Jay Hartling, Superintendent, confirmed that as he understood it, silicone dust will not filter through

and that it is not sufficient to filter that level of contaminated dust and doesn’t know of any systems

that are designed like that.

Mr. Gush answered no to the cost being higher on the split-level system, most of the cost for running

the system will be offset by the new solar panels that are going up.

Mr. Treaster asked if the system will have a warranty and for how long. He also wanted to know

how often the filters will need to be replaced, and how costly they are.

Superintendent Hartling answered that there is a 5-year warranty and that the preventative

maintenance cycle is changed quarterly but they are monitored for clogging and daily sufficiency.

The cost is $45 to $50 a piece.

Mayor Allyn responded that if the budget doesn’t pass then we lose the 61.78 percent reimbursement

rate. So, going forward, if we choose to do this project, we don’t have the luxury of having that

level of reimbursement.

Superintendent Hartling added there’s the impact of 1.3 million dollars of lost reimbursement from

the state just on the HVAC portion and he doesn’t believe the families of Juliet Long would not

continue to advocate for this to happen.

Counciler Saccone remarked that the kids will continue to suffer, and the funding will increase and

cost the town more.

Chairman Gush stated that you would want to take care of the CO2 in the classroom that gets built

up from just sitting there and that it is a safety issue. With the system the State requires, the mini

split, you don’t get that.

Counciler Barnes mentioned that perhaps it might be worth considering putting a mini split system

in if the cost was less. He asked if they had an idea if the mini-split system would be economically

less than a centralized system.

Chairman Gush stated that the line sets for the mini split system is very expensive because of where

they would need to be mounted to make it work. It also requires a lot more maintenance because

there are compressors involved.

Superintendent Hartling stated that the State continues to regulate air quality. The community should

know it will drive the cost up and that the point is, instead of kicking the can down the road and

being forced to update the system to meet a certain indoor air quality measurement, that the state

will force them to this system.

Mr. Treaster asked if a baseline CO2 test was performed, so they will know if there’s an

improvement or not when they install the new system.

Superintendent Hartling said they did not do that because the method of cooling the room was to

open the windows and the CO2 was active.

IX.

ADJOURNMENT

The Moderator adjourned the meeting at 6:52 pm to a Referendum to be held on Tuesday, May 20th,

2025, between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. under the following heading:

“SHALL THE TOWN OF LEDYARD APPROPRIATE AN ADDITIONAL

$1,250,000 (INCREASING THE APPROPRIATION AND BORROWING

AUTHORIZATION TO AN AGGREGATE $9,800,000) FOR VARIOUS SCHOOL

IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS, AND AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE OF

BONDS AND NOTES IN THE SAME AMOUNT TO FINANCE THE

APPROPRIATION?”

Voting will be held at the following polling places:

District One: Town Hall Lower Level - Registrar’s Office

District Two: Town Hall Lower Level - Registrar’s Office

District Three: Town Hall Lower Level - Registrar’s Office

Persons qualified to vote in Town Meetings who are not electors shall vote in-person at:

Town Hall Lower Level - Registrar’s Office

Absentee ballots will be available from the Town Clerk’s office.

Respectfully submitted,

Patricia A. Riley, MCTC, CMC

Ledyard Town Clerk

REFERENDUM RESULTS

1. "Shall the Town of Ledyard adopt a Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Budget

as proposed by the Town Council in the amount of $71,062,240?"

(comprised of General Government of $30,394,998; and Board of

Education of $40,667,242)

Yes:

No:

430

887

2. Do you believe the Board of Education budget is:

TOO HIGH

855

TOO LOW

380