Waterford/East Lyme Shellfish Commission - Minutes - 07/15/2021

Waterford-East Lyme Shellfish Commission
Meeting Minutes
Thursday, July 15, 2024
East Lyme Town Hall, 7:30 pm
Members present: Chair Peter Harris, J. Patrick Kelly, Marcia Benvenuti, Larry Tytla, Paul
Spakowski, Tom Bowlen, and Eric Kanter
Members absent: Fred Wise
Guests: Ex-officio Dan Cunningham, Chief Warden Chmiel
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1) The meeting was called to order at 7:30 pm and a quorum established. Chair Harris foted ithe
total attendees at 11 people with the room capacity at 32.
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2) Review and approval of previous meeting minutes:
20 May 2021 Regular Meeting Minutes — Minutes approved following a a motigg
Kelly, seconded by Mr. Spakowski, vote 7-0.
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3) Review and approval of treasurer's report ‘ on
Treasurer's report given by Mr. Kelly. Treasurer's report was approved on a motion
by Mr. Spakowski, seconded by Mr. Tytla, vote 7-0.
4) Chief Warden's Comments : Chief Warden Chmiel gave a report to the commission. New
steering cable has been installed on the warden boat. Discussion ensued on the town
dock repair plan. Concerns were voiced over how three boats will be able to dock
when tide is moving quickly and if there is enough space for 3 boats of that size.
5) Old business:
a, Update on insurance policies and workers comp (WC) coverage — Mr. Wise was
absent and so no update was given.
b. Review of accounting firms that could perform our yearly audit. Mr. Kelly reported to
the commission that the financial review has started. Mr. Harris reported to the
commission the Town of Waterford has approved a financial review would be
acceptable in place of a full audit.
c. Discussion and potential action on purchase of clam and/or oyster stock. Mr. Wise
was absent so Mr. Harris updated the commission on the difficulty obtaining clams and
Mr. Wise is continuing to work on this project.
d. Discussion on the repair plan of the Waterford town dock continued. Ms. Benvenuti
drafted a letter to Waterford requesting a meeting to discuss the repair plan. Mr. Harris
will send the letter by e-mail. The commission believes the repair plan is not the most
efficient and it is unlikely 3 boats can fit on the main dock. WELSCO believes
replacement of the finger dock hardware and possible deck repair would be more cost
effective while keeping the current dock configuration in place.
6) New Business
Discussion on the best strategy to ensure recreational clam stock is maintained — Mr.
Harris opened the discussion describing the need for a long-term plan to ensure clam
populations are maintained. A discussion ensued which included opinions that the
clam populations change over the years and continually purchasing clams to prevent

this is not a sustainable option. Limiting over-clamming through permit price
adjustments were discussed. No action taken at this time.
7) Ex-Officio comments : Ex-Officio Cunningham updated the commission on a recent East Lyme
decision to remove PFAS foam fire suppression from the fire department due to certain toxic
ingredients. He also discussed the challenge with finding approved programs to spend the
Federal Rescue Plan funding allotted to East Lyme.
8) Correspondence - none
9) Public Comment : none
10) Adjournment : Meeting adjourned at 8:36 pm on a motion by Mr. Spakowski, seconded by Mr.
Bowlen, motion approved 7-0.
Respectfully submitted,
Peter Harris