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Litchfield Housing Authority approves staff to attend CONN-NAHRO, accepts May financials; Nosal low bidder for River Bend
Summary
At its June 23 meeting the Litchfield Housing Authority approved sending its executive director and administrative assistant to the CONN-NAHRO convention with a two-thirds cost share, accepted the May financial report, noted low bids for River Bend and a relocation specialist, and entered an executive session on potential legal matters with no action taken.
The Litchfield Housing Authority met June 23, 2026, at 4:01 p.m. in the Bantam Falls Community Room. Chairperson Sandra Becker presided; Commissioners Michael Lyn Cappello and Francesca Kracht and Tenant Commissioner Jean Adams were present. Executive Director Jim Simoncelli Jr. and Administrative Assistant Beth Graziani represented staff.
The board approved corrections to the minutes of the June 2 special meeting and then voted to accept those minutes as amended after a motion by Jean Adams and a second from Sandra Becker; the motion passed with one commissioner abstaining (the abstaining commissioner was not specified in the record). The minutes included editorial corrections (for example, the spelling "Cappello" replacing "Cappell") and a clarification that a prior motion had been seconded by Commissioner Kate Orr.
Commissioner Francesca Kracht moved to send Executive Director Jim Simoncelli Jr. and Administrative Assistant Beth Graziani to the CONN-NAHRO convention Aug. 23–26, 2026, with the LHA paying two-thirds of the cost and Morris Housing Authority paying the remaining one-third. Jean Adams seconded the motion and it passed.
On grants and capital projects, Executive Director Jim Simoncelli Jr. reported he is awaiting a date for the state ribbon-cutting for the Bantam Falls rehabilitation project. For the SSHIP (State Sponsored Housing Improvement Program) application, bids for a relocation specialist were received; the low bid came from Glendower Group at $98,593. For the River Bend project, six bids were received and Nosal Construction submitted the low bid at $3,385,000; the LHA said it will schedule a review meeting with the project team and Nosal Construction in the next week.
Simoncelli reported operational items including planned removal of multiple dead trees at Wells Run and Bantam Falls, that the Renters Rebate Program event at Bantam Falls had good attendance, and that the LHA maintenance employee will be on vacation for three weeks beginning June 25 with emergency calls routed to the executive director. After a brief board discussion, the LHA agreed to return a refrigerator to the Bantam Falls community kitchen. Simoncelli also said he will explore establishing an LHA business email account.
Commissioner Michael Lyn Cappello moved to accept the May 2026 financial reports (operating accounts, grant holding account, pet security account and STIF account) as presented; Jean Adams seconded and the motion passed.
Under unfinished business, the board received a second draft of a Patio/Porch and Storage Policy for review and accepted comments to be submitted prior to the next meeting. There were no new updates on forming a 501(c)(3) entity or on the Wells Run breezeway and grounds. Tabled items including rental deposits and a potential solar project had no new report.
Near the end of the session, Commissioner Michael Lyn Cappello moved to add "Potential Legal Matters" to the executive session agenda and to enter executive session; Francesca Kracht seconded. The board entered executive session at 4:48 p.m., exited at 4:52 p.m., and took no action. The meeting adjourned at 4:53 p.m.
Next procedural steps noted in the meeting record include scheduling a review meeting with Nosal Construction on the River Bend bid, awaiting a ribbon-cutting date for Bantam Falls, and circulating edits to the Patio/Porch and Storage Policy before the next meeting.
