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Monday, September 24, 2012

Trustee Meeting Minutes - September 24th, 2012

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX
120 FIRST STREET
SWANTON, VT 05488


REGULAR MEETING
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2012
7:00 P.M.


PRESENT: Ronald Kilburn, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau, Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk; and Channel 16.

Ronald Kilburn, Village President, welcomed all to the Regular Board of Trustees Meeting and called the meeting to order at 7 p.m.

Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously.

1. Approve and Accept the Minutes from Monday, September 10, 2012 Meeting:

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Monday, September 10, 2012 as presented. Chris Leach seconded. Discussion: Chris asked if Brian Savage heard anything back from the State of Vermont regarding First Street. Reg Beliveau stated he heard back from Jim Cota regarding receiving funds to help pave First Street and it seems like funds may be forthcoming. He said he has scheduled Pike for October 15th. Motion carried.

2. Approve Village Warrants Through September 21, 2012:

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants (#474-#476) through September 21, 2012 as presented. Chris Leach seconded. Discussion: Adam Paxman asked what Aexon vendor was, Reg explained that Al Mosher ordered a media converter for their Scada system. Chris Leach asked about the VLCT Liability Insurance payment. Reg explained that was an annual payment. Reg also stated that Efficiency VT gave the Village $40,000 in grant money to help with the Solar Aerators being installed at the Waste Water Plant. He said this is very helpful. Motion carried.

3. Any Other Necessary Business:

Eugene LaBombard asked if there was any damage from the storm on Saturday. Reg stated there wasn’t any damage and said they had a small power outage. Ron Kilburn stated they had a large tree come down at the Railroad Depot but it didn’t cause any damage.

Any Other Business: Chris Leach stated he wanted to congratulate Adam Paxman on the park benches and he encourages everyone to stop in the park and enjoy them. He also asked Reg if there was an update on the new Complex sign. Reg stated that was their final draft and they are working on it now. Chris also mentioned the JLB meeting for October 2nd and urged anyone with agenda items to contact them. He said he wanted to discuss First Street at the meeting. Reg stated that Dave Jescavage was very good at keeping him informed and said they have a good working relationship. He said he would like to show a slideshow at the meeting. Ron said with taxes being due it would be a good time to promote all the good that’s being accomplished and to use our website and Facebook pages to do this.

Any Other Business: Ron Kilburn stated that there will be an Octoberfest on October 7th at the Railroad Depot from 12 noon to 4 p.m. He urged everyone to stop by and check them out. He also stated that the Spaulding family is celebrating 50 Years of Service at Swanton Rexall. He said they are having an Open House on Thursday, October 4th and urged everyone to stop by and congratulate them on 50 Years of Service. He requested this information be put on the Village’s website.

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau advised they have a Community News page on the Village’s website and said he would have Katie Judd attend one of our next meetings and said he would bring up the website to show everyone how to maneuver it.

Any Other Business: Chris Leach stated the Board just returned from a NEPPA conference and asked the board members to state what they came away from the conference with. He said he liked hearing about Natural Gas and that Nuclear power was coming back and being looked at. Adam stated it was nice to hear Hydro power making news and that he liked the “disruptive thinking” seminar. He said he is trying to “think outside the box.” Eugene stated he liked the discussion on coal and said the use of it in China and India is astronomical. He said their use far outweighs anything the U.S. does and said it should be looked at on the national level. Chris stated that he was impressed with Maine’s effort to go with wood pellets. He said that is truly renewable and said they can re-grow a forest in 10 years.

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau wondered if the Village Auditorium was on the National Historic registry. Ron said he didn’t think so and if it was on anything it would be the State registry. Eugene stated it was built after the war in 1948 as a tribute to the local veterans. Reg stated he was working on a grant but said the building needed to be on the Historical Registry.

Any Other Business: Adam Paxman asked if the Chamber picnic tables could be brought over to the Village garage and painted over the winter months. Reg stated they had some issues with the tables being in the Park and he wasn’t sure if that was a good idea. He said they are finding garbage on the grounds near the tables and said they may just want the picnic tables in the park when they have special events. He said there needs to be some community respect. Chris said this helps draw people in the park and he likes them there but they need to make people realize that trash on the ground in unacceptable. Reg stated they are working on obtaining some new trash receptacles for the park and said they would try it again but if the trash problem doesn’t go away the picnic tables will have to be removed from the park.

Any Other Business: Ron Kilburn stated the County Courier put out a Community Guide and did a very nice job. He showed pictures of the dam in Highgate, a picture of people ice fishing in Swanton Town and a picture of the Eagle in Marble Mill Park for the Swanton Village picture.

Chris Leach stated he would need an Executive Session to discuss real estate issues.

6. Executive Session (If Needed):

Chris Leach made the motion to enter into Executive Session at 7:52 p.m. to discuss real estate matters. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

Chris Leach made the motion to exit Executive Session at 8:40 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

ACTION TAKEN: None.

ADJOURN: Adam Paxman made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of Trustees meeting at 8:40 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. There being no further business at hand Ron Kilburn, Village President; adjourned the Regular Board of Trustees meeting at 8:40 p.m.



_____________________________________                      _______________________________________
Ronald Kilburn, Village President                                Date


_____________________________________                      _______________________________________
Dianne Day, Village Clerk                                           Date



Monday, September 10, 2012

Trustee Meeting Minutes - September 10th, 2012

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX
120 FIRST STREET
SWANTON, VT 05488


REGULAR MEETING
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2012
7:00 P.M.


PRESENT: Ronald Kilburn, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau, Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk; Kathy Lavoie and Sally Sargent, Operation Happiness; Kim Gates Maynard, Tri-Town Recreation Committee; Brian Savage and Channel 16.

Ronald Kilburn, Village President, welcomed all to the Regular Board of Trustees Meeting and called the meeting to order at 7 p.m.

Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously.

1. Approve and Accept the Minutes from Monday, August 27, 2012 Meeting:

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Monday, August 27, 2012 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: Chris Leach asked what the $200,000 debt forgiveness was and Reg Beliveau explained that when the Water Treatment Plant Upgrade was complete, there would be a forgiveness on the bond debt of $200,000 and said that was set up that way when they purchased the bond. Motion carried.

2. Approve Village Warrants Through September 7, 2012:

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants (#465-#473) through September 7, 2012 as presented. Chris Leach seconded. Discussion: Chris Leach asked what vendor VEEU was. Reg explained that is Efficiency VT and said that is figured into everyone’s electric bill based on consumption and that is what the Village pays them monthly. Chris also asked what vendor Capco was. Reg advised that was factored into the budget and was for fixing the gate on the penstock at the Hydro Plant because it didn’t open and close properly. Motion carried.

3. Kathy Lavoie to Discuss Operation Happiness:

Kathy Lavoie explained that Operation Happiness is part of United Way and they work in conjunction with Franklin Grand Isle United Way. She said they come together in the Fall to help prepare food for the needy for the Holiday season. She said there are approximately 650 boxes put together for families in Franklin County. She said they have always worked out of the Armory in St. Albans but have outgrown that space. She is requesting permission to use the Village Auditorium from December 8th through December 15th to sort and fill the boxes that stay in Swanton, Highgate and Franklin which amount to approximately 255 boxes of food. She said she would like to consider this location their satellite space and continue this each year. She explained the whole process to the Board and how much work is involved with this. She said the food drive in the local schools would come to the Complex and the Operation Happiness group would sort and pack boxes that week. She stated that 200 of the food boxes stay in Swanton.

Kathy stated this location would be perfect for this project and hopes to get great press, more donations and more food to meet the need. Chris Leach asked if any of the food needed refrigeration. He also asked since they are currently using the Armory in St. Albans, if they considered using the Armory here in Swanton. Kathy stated that space is too small and the food didn’t require refrigeration. She stated she would do whatever was necessary to use this space. She agreed to use the Park & Ride spaces for parking and also stated they would enter through the front of the building. Chris asked if those dates were open in the Auditorium and I told him yes. Reg Beliveau stated that his initial thoughts were to try this and see how it goes. He said if it interrupts business the Village would have to say no for the next year but he would like to try it for this year.

Sally Sargent stated that when she started working with Operation Happiness 11 years ago they filled only 250 boxes and now fill almost 700. Kathy stated she would give the Village their exact schedule of activities for the week when she had it. Reg stated he would make himself available for that week in case they needed anything from him. Chris just asked that they do not use the Fire Department parking lot in case there is an emergency and Kathy agreed to this. Chris also asked if they needed dollies or the fork lift to help with the operation. Adam Paxman and Eugene LaBombard both stated this was an excellent initiative and asked how this would affect the local food shelf. Kathy stated she hoped it would benefit it and said they are hoping for the Swanton community to be more involved. Reg stated that the Fire Department has done Thanksgiving food boxes in the past and have offered to partner with Operation Happiness. He also stated that the Cub Scouts and National Guard would also be interested in helping. Kathy stated it’s incredible to see the help and that there is a sense of community having it here. She said if any small businesses could help that would be great and she said they would need the use of pickup trucks that week. The Board unanimously approved her request to hold the Operation Happiness event here at the Village Complex December 8th through December 15th. She thanked the Board for their time and for their approval of this event.

4. Tri-Town Recreation Committee, Kim Gates Maynard – Arena Update Before Public Meeting:

Kim Gates Maynard was present for this discussion. She stated she wanted to present the Board with their Feasibility Study of the Highgate Sports Arena. She explained that Option 1 would renovate the existing facility to address necessary code and safety issues including structural integrity, dehumidification issues and the failing ice system. This option would cost $3,290,157. Option 2A and 2B would be a full renovation and addition to improve all aspects of the arena, including the ice surface, thermal envelope and programmed amenities. This option would cost $6,604,845 without indoor track. Option 2B would provide similar amenities of Option 2A, but with the addition of a walking track around the inside of the ice rink. This would cost $6,989,351. Option 3 would be a partial renovation and addition. This option adds four new locker rooms, a weight room and community room with an addition to the north. This would also include minimal work to existing spaces to improve them without a full renovation. This would cost $4,093,666. Option 4 would be a significant renovation and addition. This option adds six new locker rooms with an addition to the north. Existing locker spaces to be renovated to accommodate other uses such as a weight room and/or a community room. This option shows a modest addition to spectator seating. This would cost $4,148,433. Option 5 would look at using the floor plan of Option 2B, which includes the indoor walking track, but is a complete rebuild from the ground up. This exercise serves to determine the value of the existing arena structural system. This would cost $7,093,688.

Kim stated they are looking from feedback from the community and said there is a public hearing on September 26th at 6:30 p.m. at the Arena. Chris Leach asked if there were any projections on how many kids will use this showing how robust the use will be. He also asked if it would be self-sustainable. He asked Kim if they thought about bonding this project for 20 years. He said a business would have to cover debt service and said that would be easier to take than what is coming. He also said there is a whole movement in Swanton for health and asked if there were ways to get adult people in the building for a fee. He said hockey is an expensive sport and wondered if there were more programs available where more kids could participate.

Kim said the main users are for ice time and said there is a men’s league that get done around 9 p.m. She said there are skating programs for the school, pre-schoolers and also a Learn To Skate program. Chris asked if the whole grounds were part of this or just the parking area and building. Kim said there are ownership issues going on right now and said Highgate is very willing to work with the community.

Kim stated she has worked on this study for the last two years and said they have visited several rinks in Vermont. She said the Highgate Arena sits in a rural community and that means less money so she cannot say they will be able to cover debt services. She said this Arena gives people a place to go and have fun. The Board thanked her for her presentation and urged residents to attend their meeting on September 26th.

5. Any Other Necessary Business:

Brian Savage stated he was present to talk about the condition of First Street and North River Street and asked what the State of VT is saying and at what point are they willing to help with this. Reg Beliveau advised he met with Jim Cota and Ted Domina on September 3 and said the Village hasn’t seen any Class I money for First Street since 2001. He said Mike Menard used two years worth of paving funds to do First Street last summer and said they should have used a Type 3 top coat instead of a Type 4. He said the hot temperatures this summer along with heavy truck traffic have caused the rippling of the pavement. He said they have $36,000 in the budget earmarked to pave North River St. and the estimate to re-pave First Street is $77,000. Reg said he sent Dave Blackburn a note as well as Brian Searles and hasn’t heard back from them as of yet. He said he is also waiting for an application from Jim Cota. He said any help Brian could offer would be greatly appreciated. Reg said they have reserved Pike Industries for the 2nd week of October in hopes they get the funds. He said he worked hard with Pike to lower his price from $96,000 to $77,000. Brian stated he would write to Mr. Blackburn and copy Mr. Searles and ask for assistance. The Board thanked Brian for coming in and offering to help.

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau informed the Board that on Saturday, September 8th he received his first call of a tree down at 4:15 p.m. He said the Fire Department was called out 12 times for various calls. He said Enosburg Electric and Burlington Electric were also on site to help the electric crew restore power. He said they worked until 12 noon on Sunday and at that point had 98% of their customers electricity back on. He said he made a notification to Emergency Management, not a declaration. He said once he has the actual dollar amount of what the storm cost he might make a declaration and would need a letter from the Board at that time. He said they had three broken poles and he stressed on Facebook to people to not take their kids out or near downed lines. He also stressed the importance of not cutting trees until they talked with the line crew to make sure there were no down power lines in the branches. He said thankfully no one was hurt during the storm and cleanup. The Board thanked him for the update.

Any Other Business: Reg advised the Board the Fit N Healthy no smoking signs were in and being installed in the local parks and on the walking path.

Any Other Business: Chris Leach asked how the sign for the Complex was coming. Reg advised he has a deposit down on it and they are working on it.

Any Other Business: Chris Leach said he knew Reg was working on a grant application for signs for the Veterans Memorial Auditorium building. He said he would like to see if they can order something with a sun dial on it stating their appreciation to their veterans is timeless. The Board liked that idea and Reg stated he would research it and get a price.

Any Other Business: Chris Leach stated he would like to try and get a JLB meeting scheduled between October 1st and 12th and asked me to contact Dave Jescavage to do that.

Any Other Business: Adam Paxman said the park benches are all in and said the concrete is ready to be poured. He said they are putting one in Flat Iron Park, one by the Chamber Office and six in the Village Green. He said the swans, Sam and Betty, are gone for the winter and will be back in the spring.

6. Executive Session to Discuss Real Estate Matters:

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter into Executive Session at 8:30 p.m. to discuss real estate matters. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

Chris Leach made the motion to exit Executive Session at 9:40 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

ACTION TAKEN: None.

ADJOURN: Adam Paxman made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of Trustees meeting at 9:40 p.m. Chris Leach seconded. There being no further business at hand Ron Kilburn, Village President; adjourned the Regular Board of Trustees meeting at 9:40 p.m.



_____________________________________                      _______________________________________
Ronald Kilburn, Village President                                Date


_____________________________________                      _______________________________________
Dianne Day, Village Clerk                                           Date