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Monday, November 26, 2012

Trustee Meeting Minutes - November 26th, 2012

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


REGULAR MEETING
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2012
7:00 P.M.


PRESENT: Ronald Kilburn, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau, Village Manager; Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk; Wayne Elliott, Brad Aldrich; John Lavoie; and Channel 16.

Ronald Kilburn, Village President, welcomed all to the Regular Board of Trustees Meeting and called the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m.

Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously.

1. Approve and Accept the Minutes from Tuesday, November 13, 2012 Meeting:

Chris Leach made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Tuesday, November 13, 2012 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

2. Approve Village Warrants Through November 21, 2012:

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants (#498-#502) through November 21, 2012 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: Adam Paxman asked what vendor Kansas State Bank was for. Reg explained that was for the Solar Aerators for the Waste Water Treatment Plant and that they have been shipped. Motion carried.

The Board advised they would skip to Item #4.

4. Wayne Elliott, Aldrich & Elliott, Discussion on Water Transmission Lines:

Brad Elliott was also present for this item. He advised he would present the Board with a Total Project Cost Summary regarding the Water Treatment Plant Upgrade. He advised that they were nearing completion and that both filters were online. He said they had some minor last minute items to complete but said the overall project has gone well. He advised that this project was voter approved at $5 million dollars and said that some bids had come in better than projected. He advised they came in approximately $789,000 under budget.

Chris Leach asked Brad if the functionality of the pump and filters have surpassed expectations. Brad said yes they have. He said there are a few small issues to work out but they have been addressed and everything is going fine. He stated there is a one year warranty so they will be available for any issues that may arise. Reg stated that being the new Village Manager and coming on during the Water Plant upgrade he couldn’t have asked for a better engineering firm to work with. He said it has been a very good experience.

Wayne Elliott advised the Board that they started working on this project in 2008 when they went through the existing plant and water system and identified deficiencies. He said they determined the Water Plant upgrade needed to be addressed first, then the transmission line from the Reservoir to the Village and then ultimately the infrastructure throughout the Village streets. He said the total cost for this entire project would have cost nearly $9 million dollars. He said the Village brought this before the voters and they rejected it twice. They then decided to break the project into phases and the voters approved the Water Treatment Plant upgrade at a cost of $5 million dollars. He said the bond written for this project states “Water Treatment Plant Upgrade” so the remaining funds cannot be used on the transmission line or any of the infrastructure without voter approval.

Wayne showed the Board the existing 12” main line that runs from the Reservoir, crosses the river and feeds the Village. He said they strongly recommend this line be upgraded to a 16” main line and showed how they would run a new line in a better location.

He is asking the Board to consider asking the voters to approve another bond to do this transmission line replacement. He said with the remaining funds left over from the Water Treatment Plant upgrade they would need an additional $1 million dollars to do this job. He said they should also think about installing 8” water mains on Fourth Street, Second Street and Canada Street and that would cost approximately $850,000. He said these replacements would last at least 80 years.

Reg stated that there is potential for future revenue there because this could feed water to the Industrial Park and potentially customers along Route 78. More discussion took place regarding the infrastructure and fire hydrant lines. Wayne said this becomes a priority because of the timeline necessary to get this on the March ballot if the Board so chooses. The Board agreed to think this over and keep on future agendas. They thanked Wayne and Brad for attending and for their presentation.


5. Authorization to Close Bank of NY Accounts and Open US Bank Accounts:

Lynn Paradis advised the Board that she needs permission to close the Bank of NY Accounts and also permission to open accounts at US Bank. She stated a bank trustee has changed and that the Village needs these accounts to make their bond payments automatically. Chris Leach asked if there was a burden to the Village and Lynn advised there was not.

Chris Leach made the motion to authorize Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, to close existing Bank of New York Accounts and to open a new account with US Bank. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.


7. MVUHS Substance Free Celebration Coin Drop Request for April 6, 2013:

Adam Paxman stated his only concern was that they use the appropriate safety vests, signage and barricades because at their last coin drop that was an issue. Reg stated that issue has been addressed with them. Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve MVUHS’s Substance Free Celebration’s request to hold a Coin Drop on Saturday, April 6, 2013 with a rain date of Sunday, April 7, 2013. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.

6. 2013 Budget Discussion:

Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, presented the Board with her first rough draft of the 2013 budgets.

Electric Department: Lynn stated that maintenance at the Hydro Plant would be up a bit over the next four years and also said she didn’t have the purchase power numbers yet from VPPSA. She also said maintenance of lines was down due to a retirement and that they are not planning on hiring a new linemen at this point. She also said there has been a decrease in postage due to combining water and electric bills.

Water Fund: Lynn stated she decreased heat and electricity in this fund for 2013. She said it was inflated in 2012 due to the construction taking place. She said she didn’t have all the chemical numbers yet and said Brian Bishop is working on that. She also stated that she shifted some of public works labor to this fund because of labor tracking. She also said the depreciation expense will go up in this fund, she said she is anticipating putting $100,000 in this expense account for 2013.

Sewer Fund: Lynn advised that she decreased the electricity in this fund because of the new solar aerators being installed. She said she may lower it more depending on how much they save with the new aerators. She also adjusted the maintenance labor because the lagoons need to be dredged and Jim Irish may need to hire some part time help this summer. She said she also needed to add the aerators lease numbers to this fund.

Commercial Building Fund: She stated she added $20,000 to the plant maintenance line item due to the Memorial Building needing some repairs.

Highway Fund: Lynn said her summer streets and winter streets labor is down a bit due to moving some of their labor to other funds. She said the dump truck will be paid for in 2013 and also said the paving budget has been doubled for 2013 to $72,000. She said the Village should be getting $36,000 from the State of Vermont but haven’t as of yet.

General Fund: Lynn advised all departments pay rent into the General Fund based on their square footage. She also said she is seeing lower heat bills due to the efficiency upgrade done on the Complex.

Fire Department: Lynn stated the transportation expense has increased in this fund due to repairs done to the fire trucks. She said one repair bill was $14,000. She said she didn’t have the final cost of the new fire truck for this department yet.

Police Department: Lynn advised she hasn’t sat down with the Police Chief yet but said so far the salaries in this fund do not include another officer due to retirement. She said their cruiser lease is in this budget and said Chief Stell is happy with this lease agreement and would gladly do another one.

Lynn advised the Board members to look these rough draft numbers over carefully and to get back to her with any questions they may have. The Board advised to also keep this item on future agendas as well.

3. John Lavoie Request Permission to Connect to Village Water Line at 219 Maquam Shore Road:

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to enter into a Water Commissioner’s meeting at 8:42 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

John Lavoie was present for this request and advised that when he built his new construction he had to consider this part of his home and had to reduce his number of bedrooms by one. He said he presently has a water meter on his main house and that he paid a $1500 water connection fee back when he built his main house. He said he has a water line that runs from his house out to his barn and stated he tapped into that water line for the new dwelling. He said this is metered by the water meter on the main house and said he intended no malice in doing this. Chris Leach stated that capacity isn’t an issue now because of the Plant Upgrade.

Reg Beliveau stated that the Water Ordinance states in Section 21 that a unit or building on your property is considered a separate building and that would require having its own water meter, curb stop and connection to the main line. He said if the building was attached to his main house this wouldn’t apply. Chris asked John if he was asking for forgiveness on the connection fee? John stated he would be happy to pay the connection fee but stated he would rather not run a new line to the main because his property is all ledge and this would be extremely difficult and time consuming to do. He said he already connected to the barn line and asked if it could remain that way. The Board agreed on not having to run a new water line through the ledge down to the main line but stated a line had to be run from the new water meter to the new dwelling.

More discussion took place regarding the new dwelling needing its own curb stop so that the Village could shut the water off there if ever necessary and also the placement of a new water meter. It was decided that a water meter could be installed before their main house meter and a water line run to the new dwelling. That water meter would meter water used at the new dwelling as well as the barn. The board agreed that John could install a curb stop at the new dwelling in the Spring of 2013.

Eugene Labombard made the motion to approve John Lavoie’s request for permission to connect to the Village Water Line at 219 Maquam Shore Rd. It was agreed that a $1500 water connection fee would be paid, a water meter package would be purchased and installed for the new dwelling and a curb stop would be installed in the Spring of 2013. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to exit the Water Commissioner’s Meeting at 9:18 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

8. Any Other Necessary Business:

Chris Leach presented his draft letter to be sent to area carpenters and builders for a design and quote for his proposed Message Board to be installed in the Village Green. I advised him I would send letter out this week for quotes. Chris stated they would discuss it further once they received some quotes.

Any Other Business: Chris Leach asked Reg if he had an update for the Fire Department. Reg stated that he worked on a meth lab dismantling in Hancock last week. He also stated they responded to the forest fire on Fisher Pond Road and that 5 to 8 acres burned. He said they also received a mutual aid call for a house fire. He asked residents to be very careful when disposing of wood ash, etc. He advised residents to get on NFPA.org website for hints on fire safety.

Any Other Business: Adam Paxman reminded area residents of the Winter Parking Ban to begin December 1st. Parking on Village streets is banned from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. He also reminded residents of the upcoming Christmas in the Park celebration to be held on Sunday, December 16th from 1 to 3 p.m. and urged all to attend.

Adam advised he needed an Executive Session tonight to Discuss Personnel.

Any Other Business: Ron Kilburn advised Neal and Evan Speer would be giving a presentation at the Swanton Library on Sunday, December 9th from 2 to 4 p.m. on their recent trip to Europe. He said this will be held upstairs in the Library.

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau stated he is thinking of have a Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in the Park to remember those who have passed away and said he would like to hold it the same day the Chamber of Commerce is having their Christmas in the Park celebration. The Board thought this was a good idea.

9. Executive Session (If Needed):

Chris Leach made the motion to enter into Executive Session at 9:45 p.m. to Discuss Personnel. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

Adam Paxman made the motion to exit Executive Session at 10:20 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 10:20 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. There being no further business at hand Ron Kilburn, Village President; adjourned the Regular Board of Trustees meeting at 10:20 p.m.







_____________________________________                      _______________________________________
Ronald Kilburn, Village President                                Date


_____________________________________                      _______________________________________
Dianne Day, Village Clerk                                           Date



Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Trustee Meeting Minutes - November 13th, 2012

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


REGULAR MEETING
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 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 7:00 p.m.

Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously.

1. Approve and Accept the Minutes from Monday, October22, 2012 Meeting:

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Monday, October 22, 2012 as presented. Chris Leach seconded. Discussion: None. Two in favor of approval, one abstained due to absence. Motion carried.

2. Approve Village Warrants Through November 9, 2012:

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants (#489-#497) through November 9, 2012 as presented. Chris Leach seconded. Discussion: Eugene LaBombard stated that the Village paid their tax bill to the Town of Highgate on Warrant #495 for $377,333.00. Adam Paxman asked what vendor Franklin Miller was for. Reg Beliveau stated that was to purchase a shredder for the Don Bell Pump Station. Reg also stated that the Aldrich & Elliott job is almost at completion and said they are just buttoning up a few more things. Chris Leach asked if they hold 10% of the final payment for one year as warranty and Reg said yes they do. Ron Kilburn asked if the Village was pleased so far with the job and Reg said they were very pleased. Motion carried.

3. 3rd Quarter SQRP for Board Review:

Reg advised the Board that the 3rd quarter SQRP report was completed for their review. Chris Leach stated the Village always gets good marks and did so again this quarter. He stated how the Village keeps track of their work orders, bills, posting complaints, etc. Chris said the Village runs a strong business and are always looking at this information. He feels they have the best outage record in the State or close to it due to all the tree trimming and upgrades that have been done over the years. Eugene LaBombard stated they acknowledge the report, have reviewed it and are pleased with it. Chris Leach stated the Board would like to recognize Al Kinzinger for all his great years of service to the Village as well as Lt. Leon Begnoche in the Police Department. Both individuals have retired and the Board commended them for their outstanding service over the years.


4. Any Other Necessary Business:

Chris Leach stated he had an update on the Message Board he would like installed in the Village Park. He said after looking at several in the area he would like to put out a request to area contractors to come up with a design proposal for this. He said he would work on a rough draft and get it to the Village for review in the near future. He also stated he is waiting to hear back from the VFW regarding the granite Veterans sign for Flat Iron Park. Adam stated he would get him some contact information.

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau stated that the year came and went and the paving company was too busy to fit the Village into their schedule. He said they are now out of good paving weather so opted for scarifying the road to try and eliminate the ripples. He said this was their last option for this year and said it has helped quite a bit. He mentioned Governor Shumlin stopping by the Village last week and said he mentioned the lack of response he was getting from the State regarding First Street. He said within the hour Brian Searles returned a phone call to him. Reg stated he doesn’t have any solid answers regarding this but said Brian Savage and Michel Consejo are joining forces on this issue in Montpelier.

Any Other Business: Adam Paxman stated the Chamber of Commerce will be holding their Christmas in the Park celebration on Sunday, December 16th from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Village Park. He said Santa will be there as well as Sled Dogs. Hot chocolate and snacks will be provided and he encouraged everyone to attend this event. Adam also wanted to remind residents of the Winter Parking Ban that goes into effect December 1st. He said there is a ban on parking on Village streets from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. and wanted all to be aware of this.

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau stated he received a phone call from a lady requesting permission to do horse drawn sleigh rides in the Village. She said her father used to do this she would like to continue it. Reg stated he would need proof of liability insurance and she agreed. She said she would contact him with more information when she is ready to begin.

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau advised the solar aerators were shipped last Friday and should be installed in the next week or so at the Waste Water Plant. He said all the electric work is done. He said VT Efficiency wants to be present when they are installed.

Any Other Business: Ron Kilburn asked Reg if they were contacted to help down South due to Hurricane Sandy. Reg said they were not contacted for help but that Al Kinzinger attended all the safety meetings regarding this.

Any Other Business: Eugene LaBombard stated the Town was asking for the Fire Department update but that Rick was not available at this time. Reg said Travis was going to do it but he has decided to inform the Town that this is an update that should be given at their monthly Joint Legislative Body meetings. He said he would make that recommendation to them for future reference.

Chris Leach stated he needs an executive session to discuss personnel.

7. Executive Session (If Needed).

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter into Executive Session at 7:40 p.m. to discuss personnel. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.

Chris Leach made the motion to exit Executive Session at 8:00 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

ACTION TAKEN: None.

ADJOURN: Chris Leach made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of Trustees meeting at 8:00 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. There being no further business at hand Ron Kilburn, Village President; adjourned the Regular Board of Trustees meeting at 8:00 p.m.



_____________________________________                      _______________________________________
Ronald Kilburn, Village President                                Date


_____________________________________                      _______________________________________
Dianne Day, Village Clerk                                           Date