CC MTG MINUTES FEBRUARY 3 2014 •
REGULAR MEETING OF THE AGAWAM CITY COUNCIL
Minutes dated February 3, 2014 .
President Johnson—I'd call the meeting to order.
Item 1. Roll Call
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President Johnson—I'd ask Barbara to call the Roll please?
ROLL CALL--I I PRESENT, 0 ABSENT
President Johnson —With eleven present, we have a quorum.
Item 2. Moment of Silence and the Pled e of Alle lance.
President Johnson -- I'd ask everyone to rise for the moment of silence and Pledge of
• Allegiance please?
Item 3. Citizen's Sneak Time
President Johnson — Pursuant to Council Rules, as I announce please come forward,
state your name and address and comments will be limited to five minutes per speaker.
• The first signed up is Robert Rivkin.
Robert Rivkin —My name's Bob Rivkin, i live at 34 Sherwood Drive in Agawam. I've
been a resident of Agawam since 1986 and during this past thirty years or so; I have
played most of my golf if not all of my golf at Agawam Municipal Golf Course. I
• honestly don't remember the last time I saw new golf carts up there but I know the last
ten years or so, everything seems to be going downhill. I think it's a dangerous situations
up there at times even though it's not relatively a hilly course, there is a couple of holes
like the 10'h and the I Vh, I've had carts myself where I had no brakes and I'm going
down the hill at a relatively high rate of speed with no brakes, I just had to wait until the
• cart got down to a level area of the golf course and slowed down. Fiat tires are a normal
thing there every day. At the end of our golf day and I am a past President of our
Association which we have anywhere from sixty to seventy people that belong, we play
every weekend, Saturdays and Sundays, weather permitting, there's nothing more
irritating that getting done with an 18 hole round of golf and then the people from the
• golf course are at your side saying I need your cart right away. They take your bag off
and everything because there's other people waiting to go out and they don't have a cart.
It's very unfortunate because there are people that we had at Agawam that ended up
going up to Tekoa Country Club —that is one of the reasons why—they have a very good
fleet of golf carts up there with covers on them, it protects you from the rain, inclement
• weather, etc. St. Anne's has the same type of golf carts. They have enclosures that are
very unique in that you can be inside this golf cart and never get wet, even in the winter
time it kind of like keeps you warm so I'm here to ask you that you give this some
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consideration, helping us out at the golf course. We definitely need these new carts.
Again, it's dangerous, some of them are very dangerous and I think a new fleet of golf
carts will obviously bring in more people to the golf course and therefore we would be
generating more money going back into the town. Thank you.
President Johnson--Thank you. Next is Dan Michael?
Dan Michael —Thank you very much. Good evening. My name is Dan Michael. I live
at 85 Pineview Circle. I have been a resident here in Agawam since 1968. My children
have grown up here and gone through the schools. Just to reiterate very briefly on the
golf cart issue, I think that I've seen the growth of the golf course turn into a profit
making potential. I see the leadership of the two men who run the course —Tony Roberto
and Dan Shea — as being excellent. What has become a very detrimental strain on the
ability to make money has been the deteriorating carts. They are beyond an
embarrassment. I believe in fixing things until they can no longer be fixed and I've
concluded by playing every day for the last many, many years, that these are beyond
repair and I've seen unfortunately I've seen men and women leave the course after the
third hole because their cart broke and the one that Tony or Dan Shea brought to them
has also broke on the fifth hole so they leave and they say in negative terms let's go to St.
Anne's and I do want our course to be profitable because it's a beacon for the Town of
Agawam. So I would ask that you strongly consider, I understand completely how tight
money is, I just paid my house tax today by the way so you may use it if you feel
necessary but thank you and I think that with new golf carts, I think you'll see the next
40 level of excellence at the course. Thank you.
President Johnson—Thank you. Next is Dean Godek?
Dean Godek—Hi. My name is Dean Godek. I live at 24 Cedar Knoll Drive in Feeding
Hills. I'm the Chairman of the Gaff Commission. I have been since the town purchased
the golf course. It's unfortunate that we're here today to ask for help from you. Since the
course had started, we've been self-sustaining. We've always tried to turn a profit. We
had money in a slush fund that we've used for other projects and other repairs. It's
unfortunate that we're talking about golf carts in the golf industry. It's been known as a
way to get exercise is to walk unfortunately 75% of the people now take carts instead of
• walking and getting exercise,maybe that's one of our problems,but I don't think we'll be
able to change it now. These carts are just, not to beat a dead horse, but these carts are
tired. They're tired, they're old, we're spending too much money, too much time,
repairing them, less time putting our efforts on the golf course, on the course itself. So
just as a Commissioner,just looking for your support to help us out and hope that we can
• continue to get this golf course turned around and get back to where we were turning a
profit. Thank you.
President Johnson—Thank you. Next is Daniel Shea.
Daniel Shea —Hi, My name is Daniel Shea, 32 Sapphire Street in Enfield, Connecticut.
It is a privilege to serve the Town of Agawam as their Golf Course Superintendent at
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Agawam Municipal Golf Course. As we look to the future, we must review all the
positive accomplishments at the golf coarse. I feel we are a very marketable golf course
in a competitive area. As Superintendent, I always strive to improve the daily conditions
of the golf course and grounds, to offer our customers a positive golfing experience. I
believe with some support, we can return to a very profitable facility. There have been
many positive investments in the course in the past budgets such as irrigation, drainage
and cart path projects. We are now asking the Town Council to understand the need for
golf carts. At present, our average age of golf carts is 14 years. Past the national average
for replacements, repairs on all golf vehicles are exhausting our yearly budget and not
offering our customers a positive golfing experience. As we go forward in 2014, I feel we
can be very competitive with our agronomic and esthetic conditions on the golf course to
help attract golfers but with failing golf carts that cannot serve our customers, we fail to
be competitive in the area golf market. We are asking for the Town Council of Agawam
to invest in their golf course. I feel that the full potential has not been met at Agawam
Municipal Golf Course. As we enter the future, I am starting the process to include the
golf course in the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses. There is
much historical significance at the course. I would like to.thank the Town Council for
the opportunity to speak with you.
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President Johnson—Thank you. Next is Mario Tedeschi?
Mario Tedeschi—Hi. My name is Mario Tedeschi. I live at 150 Juniper Ridge Drive in
Feeding Hills. I just want to take a moment to follow the footstep of the Chairman here
but I'm also a golf commissioner for about five years now and just a quick little story on
how we've been dealing with this since day one, five years ago. I remember my first
Golf Commission meeting we had two major topics on the Agenda — one was the
condition of the golf course, we've pretty much fixed that, we've picked up Dan Shea
and things have turned around, a lot of comments on the quality of the course itself and
the other we were talking about how bad our golf carts were — like five years ago and
we're still talking and the countless hours that we have meetings and we talk about yes,
we're gonna do new golf carts, this year, this year, this year. It's beyond repair so I just
wanted to give my two cents to support in hope that the town offers the funds needed to
go forward with this project. Thank you.
President Johnson—Thank you. Next is Bob Chmura?
Bob Chmura — Hi folks. My name is Bob Chmura. I live at 33 Norman Terrace in
Feeding Hills. I've lived there since 1981 or so and one of the other gentleman was
saying that a lot of people are using golf carts. I don't use the golf carts, I'm a walker but
let me tell you it's a mess out there. At least twice this year, I've helped elderly people
off the course when their carts have broken down out there, got their golf clubs, luckily
we were close enough to the club house where we could get things up there comfortably.
It's a reality that if you go up there, if you're not a golfer and you don't believe any of
this, go up there on a Saturday or Sunday when it's really, really busy and just look at the
anger on some people's faces. Some of the people act like jerks, they just let things get
out of hand and they storm out of the club house and I mean that's just the way people
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are and a lot of them are fairly reasonable but when they're waiting for a golf cart and
there just isn't any available and you can see two broken down on the front nine and then
someone else says there's another one broken out on the back, it's just people want golf
carts today. That's all there is to it and I think, I don't know how a golf course can be
competitive without having carts that actually work and work well. That's just my
opinion and like I said, I'm a walker, but most people want to ride and it's kind of like a
travesty out there or at least on the weekends that I've been there, it's been a real mess
i sometimes,just because of broken equipment and I thank you for your time.
President Johnson—Thank you. Next is Tony Roberto?
Tony Roberto — My name is Tony Roberto. I reside at 176 Wood Pond Road in South
Windsor, CT. It's my pleasure to serve the Town of Agawam and the General Manager
i and the PGA Director of Golf and I do echo the thoughts of the previous speakers in front
of me. I don't want to beat a dead horse but the one thing I can tell you is we have gotten
a great amount of usage out of these golf carts. In the northeast, the average length of
time with proper service on golf carts is 4-6 years. That's the average in the northeast
with properly maintained service records on them. If we are able to purchase carts if the
i Council will consider that, we would also part of this plan on these carts is purchase a
service program, that's what we're looking for in the bid which would maintain the carts
in addition to our staff maintaining them, detailing them once a month, washing them
after each use with the proper commercial materials that aren't available in a store, we
actually have commercial product degreasers and things that we would use to maintain
• these carts ourselves. The companies that we're seeking to bid on this project, they will
provide a service technician once a week at the same time every week to come out and
maintain these carts. So if it was a Friday afternoon and we were going into a very busy
weekend, we would have them on call if they were here on Thursday and they either
repair the carts or get us some other carts nearby — a couple of the companies that were
probably gonna bid have accounts nearby that have fleets of carts in the area of 200-300.
So we wouldn't be in that situation where a dead cart would be like a flower pot on the
golf course. The maintenance of the carts that we've had and they've gotten to this
condition, I can't tell you I don't know how they're still running. I was talking to
somebody earlier in the evening—there's one other course, it's in Eastchester, New York,
they just purchased a fleet of carts that's about three hours from here just outside of
Westchester,they had this same year of carts—2001 Club Cars--that we had and I found
out from the gentleman who's interested in purchasing our used fleet — the one thing
about gas golf carts, they do have a huge resale value, they're used in retirement homes.
They are rebuilt for custom carts that developers would give to homeowners when they
buy in a high end property and they are saleable as will be the next fleet of carts if we do
i get them. In terms of our competition, we face very stiff competition in the Western
Mass market. We have ten golf courses within 9.9 miles of Agawam Municipal. Out of
those ten courses, we have two courses—The Ranch and Crestview—which aren't in our
price range but the other eight courses as far away as East Mountain are all in our
competitive price range and some of the courses might have better quality facilities and
6 they're lowering their greens fees and cart rates but the difference is they've got a fleet of
carts that run all the time and one of our problems as Mr. Chmura said on Saturdays and
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Sundays that we run into, we have to hold back seven tee times between the hours of
6:48am and 11:30am just so we don't run out of carts for the general golfing public that
book those tee times. Whereas our competitors are booking solidly 28 people every hour
and we can't do that and it's adding up to some serious lost revenue. You heard a few of
the guys say people have come in a lot, usually when a golfer comes in we want to create
a really great first impression, it's almost like going into the cigar shop in town — their
goal when you walk in there, I don't smoke cigars but one of the members, I went in
there with him and it's a warm, fuzzy atmosphere and--
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Clerk—One minute please.
Tony Roberto —And they provide all kinds of different materials, low end, mid end and
high end. We just want to provide the experience when he or she opens the trunk of their
car and they come in and register in the golf shop to play, that we give them a cart that's
not making crazy noise, that's got a great look and all the amenities that they're looking
for and they go out and play, go back to the car and they'll really be happy and we want
them to come back and we feel that if you could help us out, we could really maintain the
customers that we have because right now we're losing some of them. Thank you very
much.
President Johnson—Thank you. That concludes Citizen Speak Time.
Item 4. Minutes
1. Regular Council Meeting—January 21,2014
President Johnson — The January 2 1" minutes aren't completed yet so they'll go on to
our next Agenda.
Item 5. Declaradonfrm Council President
None.
Item 6. Presentation of Petitions,Memorials& Remonstrances
1. TR-2013-57 -A Resolution Accepting a Grant from the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts Department of Fire Services pursuant to Massachusetts
Chapter 44,Section 53A to the Agawam Fire Department(Mayor)
i President Johnson — Is there a Motion? Moved by Councilor Bitzas, seconded by
Councilors Cichetti and Rossi. Questions or discussion on the Resolution? For the
public's information, it's a grant in the amount of$7,704.00. Seeing none, all those in
favor say Ay? Any opposed? It's unanimously approved.
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2. TR-2013-58 -A Resolution Accepting a Grant from the National
Association of County and City Health Officials pursuant to Massachusetts
General Laws Chapter 44,Section 53A to the Agawam Health Department
(Mayor)
President Johnson — Is there a Motion? Moved by Councilor Letellier, seconded by
Councilor Rossi. For the public's information, the grant amount is $3,500.00. Questions
or discussion on TR-2013-58? Seeing none, all those in favor say Ay? Any opposed?
• It's unanimous.
3. TR-2014-1 -A Resolution Accepting a Gift in the Amount of Ten
Thousand ($10,000.00)Dollars from the Agawam Dog Owners Group
pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 44,Section 53A for
the Agawam Dog Park(Mayor)
President Johnson — Is there a Motion? Moved by Councilor Letellier, seconded by
Councilors Rossi and Cavallo. Questions or discussion on TR-2014-1? Seeing none, all
those in favor say Ay? Any opposed? It's unanimously approved.
! 4. TR-2014-2 -A Resolution Confirming the Reappointment of Alice
Smith,523 North Westfield Street,Feeding Hills,MA to the Historical
Commission to a term expiring January 1,2017 (Mayor)
President Johnson — Is there a Motion? Moved by Councilor Rossi, seconded by
Councilor Cichetti. Questions or discussion on TR-2014-2? Seeing none, all those in
favor say Ay? Any opposed? It's unanimously approved.
5. TR-2014-3 -A Resolution Appropriating three-hundred thousand
dollars(300,000.00)from Free Cash for the purchase of sixty-six(66)
motorized golf carts and corresponding service plan for the Agawam
Municipal Golf Course. (Mayor)
President Johnson -- Is there a Motion? Moved by Councilor Calabrese, seconded by
Councilors Cavallo and Rossi. The matter was referred to the Finance Sub-Committee,
Councilor Mineo?
Councilor Mineo - Okay, in attendance tonight were the whole committee — Gina
Letellier, CeCe Calabrese, Don Rheault, Anthony Suffriti and myself— the Auditor was
here Cheryl St. John, Tony Roberto and Dan Shea from the Golf Course, Bob Rivkin,
Mario Tedeschi, Dan Michael and Dean Godek from the Golf Commission, Will Reichelt
and Councilors Bitzas and Cavallo. Some questions were asked about the carts about the
golf course being self-sufficient. The golf course is self-sufficient but we need to get
these new carts. According to Tony Roberto, we've had $60,000 in lost revenue but
we're going to be selling the old carts to Capital Power with a trade-in value of$40,000-
$45,000. The Golf Enterprise would reimburse the remainder of the $300,000. We're
getting this cash from Free Cash and there's just about $6.9 million. If we did purchase
the carts, we'd have them for golf season, we'd get them by April 7"'. We spent
approximately around $13,000 in rental; we were renting golf carts so that's my report.
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The committee voted in favor 5-0 but there's an amendment and if Gina, you could read
that amendment for me because you took it down, I'd appreciate it.
• Councilor Letellier — Certainly. Will from the Law Department was there and hey
indicated to us that DOR said that by adding any language about reimbursement it
wouldn't be enforceable however we all felt more comfortable that the Golf Commission
and the Golf Course Supervisor knew that we wanted this money to be repaid even
though DOR says we can't make it mandatory. So we agreed to the following
amendment. So after the last phrase "requisite bidding procedures", we voted 5-0 to
approve the amendment"and said amount shall be repaid to the General Fund by the Golf
Enterprise Fund within ten years" and that's the amendment that was approved by the
Sub-Committee and I can show it to Barbara or repeat it if you'd like for Council
President. Sure "and said amount shall be repaid to the General Fund by the Golf
Enterprise Fund within ten years".
President Johnson — So I'll take that as a Motion to amend and a second on the Motion
to amend. Questions or discussion on the amendment only? Seeing none, all those in
favor of the amendment say Ay? Any opposed? The amendment passes unanimously.
We're now to the main Motion as amended. Questions or discussion? Councilor Bitzas?
Councilor Bitzas —Thank you Mr. President. I attended the sub-committee meeting and
was very happy that the committee voted in favor of the carts. I'm not a golfer but I visit
the golf course sometimes, once in a while, see what is going on and I heard so many
complaints and the main complaint actually the complaint that I heard all the times was
the carts,not on the golf course but in the coffee shops,they stop me golfers and they say
how can we do that? It's a beautiful course. I don't, some of you maybe, maybe
Councilor Rheault was at the time and President Johnson when he was the Mayor, I
remember it like yesterday, but a couple 20 years ago, we were up there at the course and
there was auction and many people wanted to buy that to make homes, houses, but we did
the right thing and bought the course. We were criticized and probably Chris would
remember that the course will not be successful, we did the wrong thing but now not one
complaint. Everybody is happy now and I don't want to see this course to go down. By
not voting to have these carts replaced, we're not doing any good favor the golf course,
not doing any good favor for our town. We've got to have a course to compete with the
i surrounding golf courses and I think this is a step in the right direction. I hope any other
problems there we can solve them. We should be down there watching. I'm very glad
that the food situation changes and we have a diamond up there. We have to take
advantage and do our best to help. Thank you Mr. President.
i President Johnson —Other questions? Councilor Rossi?
Councilor Rossi— Yes, thank you. I'm very happy to see the support that's been given
here tonight for this golf course. This golf course, I've always been a very strong
advocate for this golf course, I play there occasionally and years ago we used to have a
• lot of my friends sometimes 15-20 people would show up and play on a Tuesday morning
and now we recently came back since the regime took over and the golf course has been
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picking up but it was disheartening to see when you play a round of golf that there's
always three or four carts that are broken down somewhere on the golf course. It doesn't
! lend a very good picture for the community out there and the people playing but that
aside, I think that the golf course needs every opportunity to succeed and this is certainly
a step in the right direction for the success of that golf course if it's every gonna pick up
and success. We really need to start doing things like improving the golf course and
improving the play and improving the course to make people want to come there. As I
said many, many times before if you build a better mouse trap, the world would beat a
path to your door and I believe that this is one of the first steps in doing that so I'm very
happy to see the support that's here today and I would strongly recommend that we
purchase these golf carts. Thank you.
President Johnson—Other questions or discussion? Councilor Perry?
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Councilor Perry — Yes, thank you Mr. President. I, too, want to support the town's
course, to see it succeed but I guess I do have a question in regards to, possibly through
the Chair, to the Chairman of the Finance Committee, Councilor Mineo or maybe
possibly Councilor Letellier with the amendment — `shall be paid to the General Fund
from the Golf Enterprise Fund within ten years' — how is that going to be monitored in
regards to who's going to watch that to see if this money is being paid back,if they have
an off year, I mean did we talk about that at all in the meeting itself?
Councilor Mineo — We didn't talk about that but what I can do and I will call Cheryl
tomorrow and make sure that this is monitored if you're comfortable with that.
Councilor Perry — Yeah, well that's my main thing, this is self-sustaining entity but
they're coming to us and asking us to take taxpayers' money out of the Free Cash to
support the golf carts which is going to make the course that much more inviting to
. customers which I have no problem with, the main thing is that we have other self-
sustaining accounts in town — the Water Department, the Sewer Department — and
everything else of that nature which buys their own new equipment and things and I just
want to make sure that this money will be paid back over the course of ten years so we
can be assured of that,that taxpayers' money is coming back in.
Councilor Mineo —Barbara, could you get a memo to Cheryl tomorrow making sure that
she monitors this?
President Johnson — Stepping from the Chair, the town purchased the golf course now
just a little more than twenty years ago. Since its inception, it's been a self-sustaining
• department where the fees generated by the course have paid the expenses at the course
including buying two sets of golf carts over the course of the 20+ years that the course
has operated. This is the first time to my knowledge that they're coming to ask for
taxpayer money to support the golf course and again as is typical with the current
administration, there's absolutely positively no financial information provided with the
Resolution asking us to spend the $300,000 of taxpayer money, not rate payer money,
taxpayer money, but accompanying the memo, the single page memo from the Mayor
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asking for $300,000 of taxpayer money, he does point out the fact that we're changing
from a private vendor to town-run operations for the food, when last year they were
before us saying that the town-run operation of the food cost us money and even if we
only make one dollar from the private vendor, that's more than, better than losing money
on the town-run operation. So again, I guess I have credibility issues with what's going
on at the golf course. I agree that they need new golf carts but why they didn't use the
same process for the last two times they bought the golf carts which is at least purchase
through the Enterprise Fund, so that the taxpayers aren't being asked to pay for them and
! that the rate payers, the people that use the golf carts, are being asked to pay for them,
I'm not sure but again, we got no financial information relative to the golf course with the
request. We got a single page asking us to spend $300,000 of taxpayer money to replace
the golf carts. I for one can't justify spending taxpayer money unless I know what the
financial condition of the golf course is. So given that, you won't have my support today
because I would have loved to have been at the Finance Sub-Committee meeting but I
wasn't notified of it so I had no idea that it was even going on and I would have been
happy to ask the same questions there. Councilor Letellier?
Councilor Letellier— Yes, thank you. I did ask Mr. Roberto for a breakdown of profit
• and losses specifically with regards to the Groupon price that is being constantly on
Groupon. I don't know how we can make any money at that level and I said to him that I
wanted to see that before I would approve his budget as part of the June budget. I
certainly understand and respect your position that this should be part of the self-
sustaining funds. My sense is that without these golf carts that the self-sustaining funds
are going to continue to lose funds and this may be an exception where it may be
necessary to spend the money to allow the golf course to become more profitable. This
whole farce with the outside company was a waste of our time and money. I tried
multiple times to book an event at the golf course for the Rotary Club dealing with Mr.
Roberto and this other gentleman getting absolutely no response whatsoever and you
would think that they would have wanted to make a good impression on a town
organization and at least contact me back about scheduling. So I'm going to look at the
golf profit and loss statement very closely but for this expense, I'm hoping that we'll see
the return that the Golf Commission members are saying we're gonna get and if not,there
is no way that I or I hope any future Council would allow this type of expenditure again
outside of the self-sustaining funds. Thank you.
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President Johnson—Councilor Cavallo?
Councilor Cavallo — Yeah, I was impressed with the presentation that was given tonight
by the Commission and I feel when you're talking about running a business like that and
if carts are breaking down and people are complaining and as you mentioned Mr. Roberto
mentioned you can't that many people off in an hour, you're losing people. They're
going to other golf courses. I think it's' an opportunity to give them a chance and I think
I'll vote in favor of this appropriation because I feel that, let's see how it goes. I mean
we've got to give people a chance and you can go back and blame the previous pro too, I
! don't know, I don't know what happened back then but it seems though Mr. Roberto is
keeping us on top of what's going on at that golf course, more than when I was on the
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Council and Mr. Dunn was here so my, I'm gonna go along and back this $300,000
appropriation.
Councilor Cichetti -Thank you. I will be showing my support tonight for this item on
the Agenda as being an avid golfer up at the golf course, that course has come leaps and
bounds from where it was even five or six years ago. The golf carts up there are just
atrocious. This is something that everyone on the Council definitely needs to back,
sometimes you have to invest to get a return and I think that this is one of those items.
* Thank you.
President Johnson—Councilor Mineo?
Councilor Mineo —I'm in support of this. The golf course was purchased twenty years
ago, we need to continue to support the golf course. Mr. Roberto has indicated that 25 of
these 69 carts that are up at the golf course are dead so I don't know how we can't
support this. We have to. If we're gonna make any money with this golf course, I mean,
now's the time to do it or we shouldn't have bought the golf course twenty years ago.
i President Johnson—Other questions or discussion? Councilor Perry?
Councilor Perry— Yes, thank you, Mr. President. Believe it or not Chris I was against
purchasing the golf course. I don't know if you remember that but I was. One of the
things that I guess comes to mind is when you're running a business and you have
equipment that is going to deteriorate over time that you would plan out to where you
would replace x amount on maybe an annual or bi-annual year and I'm just throwing this
out to the commission that you might want to think about instead of purchasing 66
because you need 66 because they're dead, is get a rotating type thing where every so
many years, you're purchasing ten so the expense is low and the Enterprise Fund can
handle it and not really take a big hit. You know what I'm saying? So that's what I'm
looking at, it's an Enterprise Fund, I don't think we should be taking money from the
Free Cash to support it but it is a town business and I will support it this evening only
because I, from what I'm hearing, the course needs these carts to even be competitive in
the market which I know is very competitive and with the economy being down as it has
been for the last five years, we need everything we can to make sure it's going to be
• successful in the future so just a recommendation from me, that type of equipment start
looking at rotating so you can have small purchases that the Enterprise Fund can handle
as you move forward. Thank you.
President Johnson — Any further discussion? Seeing none, if you're in favor of the
Resolution as amended, vote yes. If you're opposed, vote no. Barbara, call the Roll
please?
ROLL CALL—10 YES, 1 NO (Councilor Johnson)
President Johnson —With a vote of ten yes, one no, you've approved the Resolution.
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Item 7. Report of Council Committees
None.
Item 8. Elections
None.
Item 9. Public Hearings
None.
Item 10. Old Business
r
1. TO-2013-24 -Order granting or renewing a Class 2 Dealer's LICENSE
for Agawam Auto Mall,Inc.825 Springfield Street,Agawam,MA(Clerk)
(Tabled IJ21114)(Referred to Administrative Committee)
President Johnson — We have a Motion to remove the item from the table made by
Councilor Rheault, seconded by Councilor Cavallo. All in favor of taking the item off
the table, say Ay? Opposed? The item is off the table. Since the Chair is in doubt, the
Chair will entertain a Motion to approve TO-2013-24, moved by Councilor Mineo and
seconded by Councilors Rheault and Rossi. The item was referred to the Admin Sub-
Committee, Councilor Rossi?
Councilor Rossi— Thank you. I think that finally we'll have an opportunity to get this
off the screen. It's been on our plate for quite some time and as you can see by the
minutes, every Council member got a copy of the minutes, that there has been lengthy
discussions over several meetings with this Agawam Auto Mall and it's come to a
general consensus of the Administrative Committee that we should vote to renew the
application however there should be a Motion made that the renewal is going to be based
on conditions that are attached and they're really too lengthy to mention here but Barbara
does have a copy of them and every council member has a copy of them and so I would
like to amend the main Motion to include these as conditions and these conditions herein
i were discussed with the owner, Mr. Falkowski, and his attorney, Mr. Scott Skolnick who
is in the audience this evening. Both were agreeable to all aspects of it so it's the
committee's recommendation that we amend the main Motion to include these as
conditions for renewal and to approve the renewal application.
President Johnson — So it's the piece of paper entitled "Agawam Auto Mall Conditions
for Renewal"?
Councilor Rossi—Correct.
i President Johnson — The Chair will take that as a Motion to amend TO-2013-24 to
include the conditions for renewal. I have copies up here if other people need to see
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them. So we have a Motion to amend made by Councilor Rossi, seconded by Councilor
Suffriti. Questions or discussion on the amendment? Councilor Bitzas?
Councilor Bitzas — Yes, Mr. President, first of all I would like to thank the committee
that tried to, he's going to, voted to approve the license. I'm very happy because I can't
see a point to close a business or make a business operate with hardships and we have to
be a friend, business-friendly town as I've said before and I'm glad for the decision. The
only problem I have and I'm not a lawyer and Mr. President can probably help us with
• that, if it's legal to put the attached conditions to just one dealer and not for everybody. I
went to our Rules and have the conditions in 144-5 conditions...to issue to Class 1 and
Class 2 license, they have conditions, two pages, we can put those conditions to this
license also. I personally I will support to issue the license, I fought before on this floor,
I said it was the right thing to do but I have problem with the legality to impose specific
• conditions to one dealership only. I would like to be open to the floor maybe we have a
couple of lawyers here and see what happens with that and then we can vote for it but I'm
glad that the committee vote to renew the license. Thank you.
Councilor Rossi—Who was he directing that comment to? Do you know?
•
President Johnson—I don't know if he was directing it to the Chair or—
Councilor Rossi—Well I can tell you this, these conditions,
Councilor Mineo — Point of Order! Point of Order! George why are you asking
attorneys up here to ask,I mean they are City Councilors. I don't agree with it.
Councilor Bitzas -- Okay just vote for it then, it's fine with me. Through the Chair, I'm
not asking them.
• Councilor Mineo—I know but—
Councilor Bitzas—My point is I have a problem to do this for one business.
Councilor Mineo—And I understand that.
•
Councilor Bitzas — That's fine. I have no problem. I support this anyway with
conditions or not.
Councilor Mineo — But you're asking attorneys up here and there's three attorneys up
i here but they're City Council members. That's my only point. .
Councilor Bitzas — Okay through the Chair I will support this with the conditions or
without conditions personally but I want to put on the records that I'm voting against the
conditions.
•
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Councilor Mineo — Okay, and I don't have a problem with that George, my problem is
just that you're asking attorneys up here who are City Councilors. I mean if you wanted
• to get a ruling you could have got a ruling from the City Solicitor, that's all.
Councilor Rossi —Through the Chair, Mr. President? These conditions are no different
than any conditions that are set forth by every person who has a Class 2 Dealer's license
in the state. These are conditions according to 140-58 and -59 and according to our
Town Code. All these conditions were gone over with the attorney for the applicant and
as I said every dealer in Agawam has to comply with these. The reason that these were
put forward into written form is because they were not complied with by Mr. Falkowski
and this acts as a reminder to him, this is to act as a reminder to him of his obligations
under the Class 2 license. If he's to get the renewal, he is gonna have to maintain these
conditions. There's nothing within, the only reason they're written here as I said earlier
for the sake of being redundant is because he did not comply with these, okay, but this is
no different than anyone else has and every other dealer has to comply with the same
conditions as here. So I don't know if that answers your question or not.
President Johnson —Other questions or Councilor Letellier?
i
Councilor Letellier —Yes, Councilor Rossi, I don't see in the notes that there is a
deadline by which these conditions have to be followed in order for the license to be
renewed. Was that part of the discussion?
Councilor Rossi - Yeah, the renewal will be this evening. When we vote to renew and
these conditions will be set forth throughout the calendar year 2014 or however if the
committee decides sooner to release them or whatever, they'll. go at least from the time
we make the renewal through the calendar year 2014.
• Councilor Letellier—So is the address currently in compliance?
Councilor Rossi - Yes, you meaning according to zoning? Yes,the zoning site plan and
everything else is intact, there's no change in the amount of cars, there was nothing, the
renewal is as it was.
• Councilor Letellier—Okay,but in terms of these conditions,have they taken affect yet?
Councilor Rossi -They will take effect upon renewal.
Councilor Letellier No, in other words, are the hours of operation, is there the signage,
• is there the phone number, are there the dealer, all these things that you say need to be
done, has that happened, have the changes been made since the committee made the
recommendation?
Councilor Rossi - No actually he's not obligated to make those changes until we
actually give him the renewal because he doesn't have a license at present but when he
does for example, the signage and the hours of operation, it doesn't matter to us and it's
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been discussed in detail with him and his attorney, as long as he stays in a minimum of
30 hours a week, it doesn't make a difference to us how many hours a day or how many
days a week as long as he maintains a minimum, as long as he maintains a constant staff,
there's a telephone number that the sales people,that the purchasers can contact. —
Councilor Letellier —Right so if somebody's got a Lemon Law issue, there's a number
to contact and,right.
• Councilor Rossi - Yeah, right, so all of those things will take effect upon renewal, right
now he is under no obligation to do that until it's renewed.
Councilor Letellier— So if he wants to put a car for sale on the lot,these conditions have
to be followed prior to putting a car for sale on the lot?
•
Councilor Rossi— Yes, prior to getting a renewal. He can't put a car on the lot for sale
until we get him the renewal unless he wants to use it for storage for his other company
but he can't sell out of there.
Councilor Letellier—Alright,thank you.
President Johnson—Councilor Cavallo, then Rheault?
Councilor Cavallo — Yeah, what I like about this particular obviously everyone gets the
same thing when they renew but the monitoring okay and we know the Building
Inspector would be our first person who would go out and check to make sure that these
are monitored, correct?
Councilor Rossi—Correct.
Councilor Cavallo —And also, interesting to note here because once I know I came and
complained about too many cars being on a lot, and interesting to note here that any
member of the City Council also can be a monitor as well, and I was not aware of that but
that's interesting to note here so but again, I don't want to be a person that's going to
check used car lots. I hope that the Building Inspector who's new and he knows his job,
• would make sure that in particular with this particular case, that, not that he is harassing
anyone but seeing we're going to adopt this tonight, that maybe he should be notified that
look it, this is being adopted tonight would you monitor it for the first couple of months
to see that these particular things have been followed through? I don't think that would
be an encumbrance upon him, do you?
•
Councilor Rossi—Well, that was one of the things that we discussed, we didn't want to
set up any structured monitoring. We want it to be kind of a casual thing therefore it
would be spontaneous so we didn't want to set up and say well on the third Saturday of
the month, we'll be there but it will be monitored and the Building Inspector will get a
copy of this and he will go out and I intend to set up regular monitoring schedules with
the new Building Inspector now to have him go out and periodically check these cars for
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us to make sure that everything is all in compliance but he will be, but the City Councils
are the licensing authority and obviously they can bring anything forward if they see a
complaint, they could bring it forward and we can act on it.
Councilor Cavallo—Okay,thank you very much.
President Johnson—T Councilor Rheault?
Councilor Rheault — Yes, actually the question was answered by Councilor Rossi, but
the point I'd like to make is that the legal counsel on behalf of the license request agreed
to every single one of those so it's in total harmony between the, and until, it would be
granted, it won't take effect until it's granted this evening if it is. So there was no reason
for any compliance up until now anyways.
•
President Johnson—Councilor Bitzas?
Councilor Bitzas — Through the Chair to Councilor Rossi, I understand you said before
that most of them the General Laws restrictions, I can understand that and I agree with
you but the only have a problem to say to have it `minimum for 30 hours a week,
minimum', but if you are open 24 hours a day or night and be a bother to the
neighborhood down there, see you don't put no restriction on there about the hours, do
we have other businesses, we have 30 other dealers too they are complying with these
signs, the hours of operation, to be tenants there? Thank you?
Councilor Rossi —Are you saying that because we allowed just a minimum,that he can
stay open 24 hours a day if he wants to? Is that what you're saying?
Councilor Bitzas- I don't like that but it reads nothing here.
! Councilor Rossi —No, no, he can't, they can't stay open 24 hours a day, they'd have to
get permission to do that.
Councilor Bitzas- Okay, how about the other dealers, do they have hours of operation?
i Councilor Rossi - the same thing, the same thing. He wasn't opened at all. He was
using that lot. as an overflow lot for another company. I don't really want to hash out
these things because we hashed them out once before and all I'm saying to you is he has
to maintain a steady,permanent operation if he wants to maintain a license, that's all, and
he has to stay open at least 30 hours a week. I don't think he wants to stay open 24 hours
• a day.
Councilor Bitzas- Okay, thank you.
Councilor Mineo—Move the question?
•
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President Johnson—Any other questions about the amendment? We have before us the
amendment to TO-2013-24; if you're in favor of the amendment, vote yes. If you're
opposed,vote no. Barbara?
ROLL CALL--9 YES, 2 NO (Councilors Bitzas and Johnson)
President Johnson — With a vote of nine yes, two no, you've approved the amendment.
We now have the main Motion as amended.
•
Councilor Rheault—So moved. Oh, did we already have it?
President Johnson —Yes, we already had the Motion so I'd ask Barbara to call the Roll
please?
•
ROLL CALL —11 YES
President Johnson —With a vote of eleven yes, you've approved TO-2013-24.
• 2. TO-2013-63 -Order granting or renewing a Class 2 Dealer's LICENSE
for Dino Carando d/b/a Euro Imports,325 Main Street,Agawam,MA.
(Tabled 1/21/14) (Referred to Administrative Committee)(Clerk)
President Johnson —The item is currently on the table. What's the Council's pleasure?
We have a Motion to remove from Councilor Rossi, seconded by Councilor Mineo. All
in favor of removing the item from the table say Ay? Any opposed? The item is off the
table. The Chair would entertain a Motion to approve TO-2013-63. Moved by Councilor
Cavallo, seconded by Councilor Mineo. That item was also referred to the Adnun Sub-
Committee, Councilor Rossi?
i Councilor Rossi—Yes, thank you Mr. President. This is going to be basically similar to
what we just did with the Agawam Auto Mall. Euro Imports, Mr. Carando, had moved
his car license to 325 Main Street but there was no change in the amount of cars just the
change in location. We discussed this at the meeting and I discussed it with the Building
Department, Mr. White I believe his name is, Erik, the Building Inspector, and had him
look at the premises at 325 and he said it was zoned properly and he saw no reason that it
wouldn't conform to having a lot on that property. However because there is a move
from one location to another, a site plan is required so I would make an amendment to the
main Motion that a site plan have to be approved by the Planning Board and that that
condition would be attached to his application and to his license to remain in the Clerk's
• Office. Mr. Carando has already retained the services of Reinhardt Associates, one of the
associate members Joe DiCarlo I believe his name is and he is going to submit to the
Planning Board a site plan for that location at 325 Main Street. So the sub-committee has
made a Motion to send a positive recommendation with the amendment to the main
Motion that license renewal be approved on the condition that the site plan be
successfully passed and approved by the Planning Board and be attached to his license
application and license in the City Clerk's Office. So I would like to make a Motion to
amend the main Motion.
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President Johnson —We have a Motion to amend made by Councilor Rossi? Seconded
• by Councilor Mineo, questions or discussion on the Motion to amend? Councilor
Letellier?
Councilor Letellier— Yes, thank you. So is he currently selling cars from that address
without the site plan?
* Councilor Rossi—No, he's not.
Councilor Letellier -He's not, that was my question,thank you.
President Johnson — Other questions or discussion, I would just like to have the
• condition reflect that he shall follow the process set forth in Section 114-5 of the Code of
the Town of Agawam because that's the section that requires the site plan because it
requires more information than what's in your proposed amendment.
Councilor Rossi—That's correct in fact that Mr. DiCarlo, for the information of this City
Council contacted me and I referred him to the Building Department and the Town
Engineers about the site plan and that's in that section so they're working with that,
okay?
President Johnson —The other question I have about the amendment is one of logistics,
which is are we making the approval of the license subject to the site plan being approved
which means that the Clerk's Office doesn't issue the license until the site plan is
approved or like the last license, there was an approval subject to conditions which were
ongoing during the operation. Is this, not to be a lawyer, but is this a condition precedent
to the license being issued which means that he gets site plan approval once he does that
he brings that to the Clerk's Office and they say here's your license or does he get the
license and can operate subject to the site plan happening?
Councilor Rossi—Well I thought, the committee thought as well, that I guess good faith
that we were gonna make the renewal but if the Council doesn't agree with that
philosophy I guess that they could, whatever it may be, but I thought it would be a good
faith thing would be appropriate.
President Johnson —All I'm trying to do, Councilor Rossi, is get it on the record so that
when it all happens, everyone has the same understanding of what's passed.
• Councilor Rossi — Well the recommendation from the committee, Mr. President, was
that it was a good faith thing that he would get the license and that he would get the site
plan and it would be attached to his application process and the license in the Clerk's
Office when he gets it and he is at this point, as we speak, he's in the process of doing
that right now, so I would dare say it would be in a reasonable length of time.
•
President Johnson—Councilor Letellier?
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Councilor Letellier—Yup, I don't know how comfortable I am setting that precedent. I
think if he's going about getting the site plan now, I'd rather see us table the item instead
of acting either way on the license giving them time to get the site plan finished and
approved,that would be what I would feel more comfortable with but again, I'm only one
person. I'm putting it out there for discussion.
. President Johnson — What makes this somewhat unique is that he actually made the
move in 2011. If you look at his applications that he submitted to the Council, his 2011
application was where it changed from 175 Main Street to 325 Main Street and so
somehow it slipped the process that at that point he would have been required by moving
to have the site plan so—
Councilor Letellier - Right and so —I'm sorry I don't mean to get ahead, no I'll wait to
be called on, I'm sorry.
President Johnson--Councilor Bitzas has yielded.
• Councilor Letelfier — Okay, and that's why I don't think we should deny or approve
rather table. We made the mistake of approving it once and I don't know how it got
through the committee, because the committee's been fairly good at the follow through of
these applications and forgive me, I think I'm going to sneeze or cough again, that's why
my preference is since there are no cars on the lot now, we certainly aren't interfering
with his business by tabling the item and perhaps it'll also put a little fire under him and
the Planning Board to get this done, that was my thought process.
President Johnson —Councilor Bitzas?
• Councilor Bitzas — Yes, I was at the meeting with the sub-committee meeting and I'm
glad to see an amended version of the committee minutes, I don't know if you've
received it today. I know Mr. Rossi is aware about there was an issue and I'm glad the
committee saw it, even late, but better than Iate than should be a plan, site plan. After we
left the committee, I spoke to the Law Department and we have a letter here to you that
• reads Dear Councilor Bitzas, you have asked whether the City Council can approve a
Class 2 license without site plan approval from the Planning Board. First, a site plan is
required when a renewal seeks to amend the maximum number of motor vehicles
available or in any other way change the plot plan currently on file. If a licensee seeks to
move the license from one location to another, it would trigger a change in the plot plan
currently on file. Therefore, a new site plan would need to be approved by the Planning
• Board and filed with Inspection Services and I'm glad, I don't know, better late than
never,I'm glad you got the amendment and I'll support the amendment and I support this
license and I support this license tonight because we for to be a friendly business town.
They make a mistake, I have no idea the last two years, have no license and I believe
none of you councilors, maybe one or two maybe you knew it or not, I have no idea by
voting last year, we voting for this place because there was there more than one car or
two, I thought probably the guy still sells cars at gas station, I have no idea, now that I no
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it was illegal for me to vote for something that was illegal. I'm glad that now it's
clarified, I'm glad we have the letters, and I will vote to approve it tonight with the
• conditions, let it be there, there for a year, Iet it be there but we have to approve as I said
before subject to the conditions the licensee receives site plan approval from Planning
Board and filed with Inspection Services, if he does that tomorrow or next month, or two
months from now, let him do the operation, let him work there, he'd be doing all the
times, why we should hurt him, that's my point and I vote in favor with that and I'm glad
the committee do that. Thank you.
•
President Johnson — We have before us the amendment to add the condition to TO-
2013-63, seeing no further lights—
Councilor Letellier — Wait, no that's okay, I guess a point of clarification, so we have
• the proposed amendment from the sub-committee, then you proposed that it be further
amended by adding Chapter 114 section what have you and now we have this proposed
amendment from George and the Legal Department no, but I think we need to decide
exactly what we're voting on. Not that I'm trying to be a pain here, sorry, I just think we
need to perhaps be a little more precise in the wording of the condition for renewal,
•
Councilor Rossi — If I may, Mr. President? He's absolutely right. The President's
absolutely right. The site plan approval is done under 114-5 and that's the condition
under which the Motion is being made, that the site plan approval be according to 114-5
so there is no difference, he just wants to clarify or specify rather 114-5, the site plan
• code, isn't that what you said?
President Johnson —I would offer this as an amendment, I don't know if everyone's got
the two paragraph conditions for renewal. On the second line where it says "Mr. Carando
must submit an approved site plan" and after the word `plan' add "in accordance with
• Section 114-5 of the Code of the Town of Agawam" and then it would continue reading
for the location at 325 Main Street. So I would offer that and the only other question I
have is that we're not gonna make it a condition precedent which is I think the concern
that Councilor Letellier expressed, that rather than have it be said at a reasonable length
of time that we give the applicant a definitive time by which he must submit the site plan
at least to the Planning Board otherwise we are now February 2"d, we're granting him a
license for the balance of the calendar year. He could choose to just not submit the site
plan and if we don't follow through and do anything about it, he operates for the next
eleven months without that site plan.
Councilor Rossi — Well, being unfamiliar with the process of the Planning Board, what
would it be 30 days? 60 days? What would be a reasonable length of tmie?
President Johnson — And again, I'm talking about by which he submits it to the
Planning Board not by which they you know, but at least we know that at that point, he's
gone through the step of preparing the site plan. I would think that sixty days would be a
reasonable, that's just my opinion.
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Councilor Rossi—Yeah, okay,that's fine.
• Councilor Bitzas—Move the question.
President Johnson—No,no, we're sorting out the amendment, Councilor Bitzas.
Councilor Bitzas—Okay, sorry.
•' President Johnson — So I would just add at the end of the first paragraph, that the
applicant shall submit the site plan to the Planning Board within sixty days from approval
of the license. Councilor Letellier did I—
Councilor Letellier—And then I was gonna say and then what we should do is get rid of
• the first clause of the second paragraph (this condition is set...) and then with regard to
the sixty days, I would say that failure to submit said plan may immediately result in the
suspension or revocation of such license.
President Johnson — I'm just writing, so let me read the paragraph, I'll read the
• conditions so that they'll be in the record. "As a condition of approval for the renewal of
TO-2013-63, Dino Carando d/b/a Euro Imports, Class 2 Dealer's license, Mr. Carando
must submit an approved site plan in accordance with Section 114-5 of the Code of the
Town of Agawam for the location at 325 Main Street. The site plan shall indicate that the
premise is properly zoned and suitable for the purpose of buying, selling, trading, leasing
• or otherwise dealing with motor vehicles. The applicant shall submit the site plan to the
Planning Board within sixty days from approval of the license. Failure to submit the site
plan may result in the immediate suspension or revocation of the license. It would then
say "the Licensing Authority may immediately suspend or revoke such license and shall
not thereafter reinstate, renew or issue any such license", l think we can just eliminate
that too, yeah, so eliminate that whole second, and `this condition shall follow the
* application and the renewal process". So 1 know it's somewhat confusing but I would
ask the maker of the Motion to,the Motion to amend, to incorporate what was just read.
Councilor Rossi--I would make a Motion to amend what was just read into the record.
• President Johnson — Councilor Mineo was the second on the amendment, I'm just
asking to adopt, okay, so we have a Motion to amend made by Councilor Rossi, seconded
by Councilor Mineo to the amendment that was just read into the record. Other questions
or discussion on the amendment? Seeing none, if you're in favor of the amendment, vote
yes. If you're opposed, vote no. Barbara?
•
ROLL CALL— 11 YES, 0 NO
President Johnson — With a vote of eleven yes, you've approved the amendment. We
now have the main Motion as amended. If you're in favor, vote yes. If you're opposed,
vote no. Barbara?
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ROLL CALL—11 YES,0 NO
• President Johnson—With eleven yes, you've approved TO-2013-63 as amended.
3. TO-2014-1 -Order granting or renewing a LICENSE for a Weekly
Amusement Device(s)for Crestview Country Club,281 Shoemaker Lane,
Agawam,MA(Referred to Administrative Committee) (Clerk)
! President Johnson — Is there a Motion? Moved by Councilor Rheault, seconded by
Councilor Rossi. This item along with the following two items were referred to the
Admin Sub-Committee, so I would refer to Councilor Rossi for their report on the three
items?
IN Councilor Rossi — Thank you Mr. President. The Committee met on these three items
TO-2014-1, -2 and -3 and voted unanimously to send a positive recommendation for
approval and for the convenience of the report;all three would be submitted for approval.
President Johnson -- Questions or discussion on TO-2014-1? Seeing none, all those in
0 favor say Ay? Any opposed? It's unamimous.
4. TO-2014-2 -Order granting or renewing a LICENSE for Automatic
Amusement and Weekly Amusement Device(s) for Springfield
Turnverein,60B North Westfield Street,Feeding Hills,MA (Referred to
Administrative Committee)(Clerk)
•
President Johnson -- Is there a Motion? Moved by Councilor Rheault, seconded by
Councilor Cichetti, we've had the report of the Admin Sub-Committee, any discussion on
the Turnverein? Seeing none, all those in favor say Ay? Opposed? Please note my
abstention.
5. TO-2014-3 -Order granting or renewing a LICENSE for Automatic
Amusement and Weekly Amusement Device(s)for Agawam Bowl,359
Walnut Street Ext.,Agawam,MA(Referred to Administrative Committee)
(Clerk)
President Johnson — Is there a Motion? Moved by Councilor Letellier, seconded by
Councilor Rossi. Questions or discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor say Ay?
Opposed? It's unanimous.
Item 11. New Business
1. TR-2014-4 -A Resolution authorizing the Town of Agawam to expend
funds in excess of the available appropriation for snow and ice removal
(Mayor)
President Johnson — That will go on to our next Agenda, this is just the request for the
• approval to exceed, it doesn't contain a dollar amount, according to the item they're
nearing the end of the appropriation of snow and ice removal and in order to exceed,they
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need Council approval to do so. So I would suppose that following what the past practice
has been, once the season is over with if they have exceeded, they'll come back to the
Council for budgetary transfers to cover the excess. Otherwise, not to speak as an
attorney but as a counselor, otherwise if they exceed the appropriation without our
approval, then it automatically gets tacked onto next year's levy to be raised. In any
event, I don't know if it's something we want to refer to Finance or whether we can let it
go on to next Agenda, I'll leave it to—we'll just put it on to the next Agenda.
2. TR-2014-5 -A Resolution to appropriate funds for the Agawam Police
Supervisors Association,Agawam Clerical Employees Association,Agawam
Department of Public Works Employee's Association,Agawam Police
Patrolman's Association,Agawam Building Maintenance Association,
Agawam Administrative Union,AFL-CTO,Local 1973,Firefighters Union
(Mayor)
President Johnson—That'll go on to our next Agenda.
3. TR-2014-6 -A Resolution to appropriate four thousand five hundred
forty seven dollars ($4,547.00)from the Agawam Municipal Golf Course
• Retained Earnings account to fund the Agawam Municipal Golf Course
regular permanent and golf overtime accounts. (Mayor)
President Johnson—That'll go on to our next Agenda.
4. TR 2014-7 -A resolution to appropriate eight thousand and forty
dollars($8,040.00) from the Agawam Wastewater Department's Retained
Earnings account to fund the Agawam Wastewater Department regular
permanent,regular temporary and Wastewater overtime accounts(Mayor)
President Johnson—That'll go on to our next Agenda.
•
5. TR-2014-8 -A resolution to appropriate eleven thousand eight hundred
thirty two dollars ($11,832.00)from the Agawam Water Department
Retained Earnings account to fund Agawam Water Department's regular
permanent, regular temporary and Water Department's overtime accounts.
* (Mayor)
President Johnson—That'll go on to our next Agenda.
i
A
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6. TO-2014-4 -Transfer of$332,164.00 from the Reserve Fund#16605-
57300($122,164.00)and Salary Reserve($210,000.00)to:
COUNCIL REGULAR PERMANENT 1 111114 51010 'S 857.00
MAYOR ILEGULAR PI RMAN>NT '11211.I 51010 S 33,825.00
AMDMSTRATIVE BUILDING REGULAR PERMANENT 112211 51010 S 314.00
AUDITOR REGULAR PERMANENT 1134.1 51010 S 3,406.00
CLERK REGULAR PERMANENT 11611, 51010 S 3,643.00
ASSESSOR RE ULAR PERMANENT _ 11371 51010 . S 4,195.00
IT REGULAR PERMANENT. .......................Y _ 54L_51010 3,128.00
TREASURER-COLLECTOR.
REGULAR PERMANENT 11381 51010 S 6,912.00
POLICE REGULAR PERMANENT [2101' 51010 S 65,247.00
POLICE REGULAR TEMPORARY 1210P 51020 $ 310.00
- - -- -- _
POLICE O VERTIME 12101 51030 $ 4,434.00
....... .......
POLICE HOLIDAY I12101 51030 IS 500.00
POLICE UNIFORM ALLOWANCE 12101 51070 'S 275.00
POLICECOURTTIME 121011 51080 S 1600.00
POLICE SCIENCE COLLEGE_ _ 12101 511 :S 8,470.00
POLICE FIREARMS QUALIFICATION .12101. 51130 S 4 600.00
POLICELONGEViTY 12101 51400 $ 600.00
FIRE REGULAR PERMANENT 12201' 51010 $ 57,077.00
51020 S 500.00
FIRE REGULAR TEMPORARY ]2201 ... ... ...
FIREOVERTRNE 1220V 51030 S 7,50o.00
FIREHOLIDAY 12201 31050 S 340.00
......... ......... ............_. - ..._.. -- ......_.
INSPECTIONS SERVICES REGULAR PERMANENT 12501 51010 S 5,642.00
HEALTH REGULAR PERMANENT _ 15101. 51010 S 2,469.00
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT REGULAR PFRM[ANEN1111801` 51010 S 2,614.00
-LIBRARY REGULAR PERMANENT 16101!. 51010 S 17 352.00
PARKS do RE
P.E � -
CREATION REGULAR PERMANENT 16201' S 1 O10 S 473.00
-
COA REGULAR PERMA1ENT 15411 51010 S 6,131.00
COA REGULAR TEMPORARY 15411: 51020 . S 824.00
PUBLIC WORKS REGULAR PERMANENT :14001' 51010 $ 5,501,00
HIGHWAYREGULARPERA4ANENP 14201=, 51010 -S 27,973.00
.. ......... .............
HIGHWAY REGULAR TEMPORARY 14201 51020 S 80.00
rvHIGHWAYOVERTIME _ 142011 51030 $ 900.00
_ _
HIGHWAY SNOW&ICE OVERTIME _ 14201. 51031 S 1,900.00
. MOTOR VEHICLE MAINTENANCE REGULAR PERMAI.14901I 51010 .-S 3,018.00
- .......
MOTOR VEHICLE MAINTENANCE OVERTIME 14901' 51030 S 134.00
ENGINEERING REGULAR PERMANENT 14101 s s 1010 S 6,244.00
-- .........
ENGINEERING OVERTIME_ __ __ '14101 510_30 S_ 10.00
BUIIAINGMAIN ENANCEREGULARPERMANENT 11921: MOW S 39,095.D0
......... .........
------ —
BUILDING MAINTENANCE REGULAR TEMPORARY IML 51020 $ 40,00
BUILDING MAINTENANCE OVERTIME 11921 510300 SS 1 200.00
BOARD OF APPEALS `T '166041. 511001 S 454,00
President Johnson —That'll also go on to our next Agenda.
Item 12_Anyother matter that may legally come before the City Council.
President Johnson—We'll start this evening with Councilor Rossi?
Councilor Rossi—Nothing this evening.
President Johnson—Councilor Calabrese?
Councilor Calabrese—Nothing.
President Johnson—Councilor Cichetti?
Councilor Cichetti—Nothing.
President Johnson—Councilor Mineo?
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Councilor Mineo—Nothing tonight.
President Johnson—Councilor Perry.
Councilor Perry Nothing tonight, thank you.
President Johnson—Councilor Rheault?
Councilor Rheault—Nothing.
President Johnson—Councilor Suffriti?
0 Councilor Suffriti—Nothing.
President Johnson—Councilor Cavallo?
Councilor Cavallo—I have something.
President Johnson —Ah,the momentum was sweeping.
Councilor Cavallo — I received an email and I did, where's Barb, right Barb, I've had
some problems or whatever, but the School Budget Sub-Committee. We're ready to
begin our meetings now and that includes Councilor Rossi, Councilor Rheault, Councilor
Mineo and Councilor Calabrese and I received this today and they're having a workshop
just to do an overview of the School Budget and they're having it Thursday, February 6
at 5:00 in the library at the Junior High. Now remember last time, I'm gonna mention to
get these a little earlier — you people may have commitments on Thursday night — but I
just got it in today's mail but I plan on attending and certainly you are more than
welcome. It's at 5:00, that's when they hold their workshops so if you can. Then they
are scheduling another meeting, they have given us a date for March 4'h where we able to
go up there and listen to a breakdown of the entire budget and then after that of course
there's a budget meeting which they have with us together here in this room. So if you
can make it at 5:00 on Thursday, I'Il be there and we can get an idea of what's going on
with the general overview. So I'll encourage them,pardon?
Councilor Rheault—Are we muzzled again?
Councilor Cavallo — Well, this one, pretty much, Barbara? She said it's just an
• overview in that email right? And I think the last time, Joe and I, we were both there at
the overview and yeah, they talked but we didn't get involved in discussions, it's more or
less just for us to listen and we did get some handouts. I thought it worthwhile. I mean
it's better that you go there and then see what they change by the time we have the March
4t'meeting so as a Chairperson of the Committee, you're welcome and if you can't make
it, you can't make it but I'll try to get as much information as I can for you and if there
are any handouts, I will get them to you.
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Councilor Mineo—And it's at 5:00,not 6:00. 5? At first you said 6.
Clerk—No, the 6 h at 5:OOpm.
Councilor Cavallo—Okay, so if you can make it fine.
Councilor Rheault—At the library?
Councilor Cavallo - Yeah, the second floor of the Junior High and then there'll be a
meeting on the Ala' and whatever subsequent meetings we get, I'll keep you informed so
see what she does is she emails me through Barbara so she goes through the Council to
get to me,I'm gonna tell her why don't you just email me, you can email Barbara and she
can certainly notify all the members or I can notify all the members and that way you
won't get this gap, four days, you know what I'm saying, that's all I have. By the way,
anybody can come, not just the people on, the Council can come, I'm not trying to just,
but the committee members certainly should try to be there. Thank you.
President Johnson—Councilor Letellier?
Councilor Letellier — Yes, I do want to apologize for last week's absence. It's been a
bad week. We have bronchitis and pneumonia going through our house so it was
legitimate, trust me. I do want to offer, obviously there was a 5-5 vote with regard to the
Union contracts. We have money set aside in our account to hire consultants and what I
am going to propose at the meeting next time and I'm putting it out there now so
everybody can think about it so nobody thinks I'm springing it upon the Council is that
we perhaps use some of those funds to hire an independent labor attorney to let us know
what we can and cannot do with regard to these contracts. Obviously we are already
getting letters saying that we're violating labor laws, that we're interfering with contracts
0 or that we're attempting to negotiate and we haven't tapped that money in quite a long
time and I think that this may be an opportunity to use that and yes, I realize that there are
attorneys on the City Council but lawyers are a lot like doctors in that we have different
specialties and there's no one here that I think that holds him or herself out to be a labor
law specialist and I think it'd be important to have an independent neutral person tell us
what our rights are when the Mayor has negotiated contracts that are in excess of
previously approved budget amounts. So something to think about before the next
meeting. Thank you.
President Johnson—Councilor Bitzas?
•
Councilor Bitzas—Nothing this evening.
President Johnson — I just have two quick notes. I concur with Councilor Letellier's
sentiment and if it's the Council's pleasure, I'll get an estimate from a labor attorney for
guidance in advance of the next meeting. The other is that Councilor Letellier has asked
the Vice President and I if any member of the School Budget Sub-Committee is
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interested in giving up their spot, she would gladly like the opportunity to serve on that
sub-committee so I mean obviously she knows she can attend and participate but if
. there's anyone that's to the point where they want to pass the torch so. to speak, she's
expressed an interest.
Councilor Letellier — At least include me in the email notices so I can go. In other
words, if just the sub-committee members are getting the meeting notices —
• Councilor Cavallo—No, no, no what I'll do is I'll have Barbara....(off microphone)
Councilor Rossi —Mr. President, if I may, I just happened to think of, do you think we
could get a letter out to the state DPW to fix that sign on Route 57. I think it's become an
eyesore. I think it's about time that they set it back up again. It kind of like blew over.
•
President Johnson — The one that's got the same paint color as Jimmy's truck? No,
sorry. Barbara, if you could get a letter out to the state DPW expressing our concern that
the sign at the end of Route 57 near the South End Bridge be repaired? With that, the
Chair will entertain a Motion to adjourn. Moved and seconded around the house. All in
• favor of adjournment say Ay? Opposed? We are adjourned. Thank you.
Adjournment at 8.2]VnL
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