In his monthly town overview presentation at the March 10 Board of Selectmen’s meeting, First Selectman Michael Freda discussed building department improvements, spring clean-up and ADA compliance for Town Hall.

Building department

After state and local investigations into procedural questions prompted two building department employees’ terminations last year, Freda said the department has moved forward with revamped protocol and a new administrator.

“Our building official Elio Floriano has done an outstanding job,” he said. “All the systems are up to speed, all the state building codes are being enforced, and Elio has done a great job monitoring the systems and working with the public and the business community to help communicate with them some of the systems and procedures we have in place.”

“I’ve been speaking with the State Building Official Lisa Humble,” Freda continued. “I’ve asked her to come and review us.”

Amidst investigation, concerns arose about whether North Haven’s building department was collecting sufficient fees from issued permits. During May to December 2009, the department amassed a total of $166,735 in fees, Freda pointed out. “This was roughly during the time period when problems started to emerge,” he said.

However, from May to December in 2010, he added, fees equaled $212,720. “What we see is an increase of about $46,000 in a comparative time period,” Freda said, “with more robust systems in place, more oversight, and more dealing on a very detailed level.”

“Now, as we continue to move forward with all the new system in place that Elio is overseeing, February 2011 looks to be plus-$20,000 more than February of 2010,” he added. “We’re seeing a rise in permit fees, and, of course, this is good for revenue for North Haven.

Spring clean-up

As March gives way to spring weather and the melting of massive snowdrifts, Freda addressed North Haven’s efforts to proceed out of a winter with record-setting precipitation. “We’re in what I like to refer to, what public works likes to refer to, as a spring clean-up and repair mode,” he said. “Just this week we had trucks out filling potholes.”

“Now we’re seeing an emergence of more potholes across town because of the weather and the rain and the wetness and the snow,” he continued. “We’re repairing curbs that were torn up during snowplowing, because our snowplows tried to get curb-to-curb.”

Public works employees have been cleaning and uncovering storm drains. “That’s another emphasis of ours,” Freda said. “So that when the snow and ice continue to melt even more, we’ll have open drains.”

Freda thanked North Haven’s public works department for its efforts amidst a season which belongs in the record books.

“As far as winter storms are concerned, we had a record snowfall of 80-plus inches here in North Haven, and I’d like to extend my personal appreciation to all of our public works employees for the hard work and wonderful job that I think that they did,” he said. “Many of our public works people worked around the clock, were totally devoid of sleep, and put a great deal of effort into trying to ensure that our roadways were passable.”

ADA compliance

Freda has been seeking a Small Cities Block Grant, which would upgrade Town Hall to ADA (American with Disabilities Act) compliance. Scheduled for March 31, a public hearing about the matter will be held in the library’s community room at 7 p.m. “We’re asking for public support,” Freda said.

Residents in favor should mail letters to Town Hall. “This will be very helpful in our application for the grant,” Freda said. “We need to get ADA compliant.”

“I’m going to be candid — we’ve received some criticism for this,” he added. “We’ve received some criticism that we’re applying for a grant and wasting taxpayers’ dollars.”

Because Town Hall is out of line with ADA regulations, Freda explained, “anybody could come into Town Hall and file a complaint with the federal government or state, and we would be mandated to put an elevator in, and become ADA compliant at the town’s expense.”

“What we’re trying to due is to avoid that,” he continued. “And, if we have the ability to secure grant monies that are out there for ADA at a federal level, or even a state level, I believe that we have to do that so that we’re not mandated to do it and have it as an actual budget item here in North Haven. This is a $750,000 project.”

Any local backing would be a boon to North Haven’s pursuit of such a grant. “There’s a chance we may not get it,” Freda said. “But I think that since the money is out there and available, I think we have to apply for it, and that’s why we’re doing it. We’ll probably know a little bit later this year what our status is.”