SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX
120 FIRST STREET
SWANTON, VT 05488
REGULAR MEETING
Monday, June 13, 2016
7:00 PM
PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau, Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk; Mark Rocheleau, Chamber of Commerce and Ch. 16.
Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously.
1. Call to Order:
Neal Speer, Village President, welcomed all to the Regular Board of Trustees meeting and called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
2. Agenda Review:
Reg Beliveau, Village Manager, advised he needed to add Customer Account discussion to the Executive Session. Dianne Day, Village Clerk, advised she had a coin drop request she would bring up under Any Other Necessary Business.
3. Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, May 23, 2016:
Chris Leach made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Monday, May 23, 2016 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: Chris Leach asked if there was any more information on the Property Ordinance discussion. Adam Paxman advised that topic was tabled until further notice. Motion carried.
4. Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Friday, June 10, 2016:
Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants (#60-#69) through Friday, June 10, 2016 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.
5. Chamber of Commerce to Discuss Swans and Map at the Chamber:
Mark Rocheleau advised the Board that Rise VT has asked the Chamber to post a sign on the Chamber’s property showing the bike/walking paths in the Village and Town. He said he is asking the Board’s permission on this since the Village owns the property. He said it’s a 4’x3’ sign. Adam Paxman asked if they could hang the sign under the state road sign. Eugene LaBombard stated he didn’t think that was allowed. Chris Leach stated the sign should be posted at the Village Office, the Town Office and the Chamber of Commerce’s office. He said they should check with the Zoning office to make sure a permit wasn’t needed. Reg Beliveau advised he would look into this further. Mark Rocheleau also stated the Chamber has done some renovations to their office and he would like to invite the Board to stop over on Wednesday, June 22 at 6 p.m. to see what they have done. He said they have some historical items on display and their goal is to attract tourists to the area.
Adam Paxman advised the Board that the swans they had last year in the Park have died. He said the State of Vermont will no longer give permits to people to raise swans because they are invasive to the State. Adam said there is no problem in getting some from surrounding areas but because of this issue they can’t put a pair in the Village Green. He said the Chamber is taking the lead and contacting the local officials and representatives and is asking residents to do the same. He said he doubt’s they will have a pair for this summer but are hoping they can for next year. Chris Leach stated they should put up a sign in the swan pond stating this. Adam said he is hoping that letters of support on this issue will help. He said they are a tourist attraction and people look forward to having them in the park. Adam also said Swanton Lumber donated some shingles and he has volunteers that are going to replace the roof on the swan house.
6. Village of Swanton Employee Handbook Earned Time Change:
Reg Beliveau advised the Board that Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, added a change to the Village of Swanton handbook regarding part time employees receiving earned time. She also updated the disability insurance information. Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve the earned time change to the Village of Swanton Employee Handbook. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.
7. Any Other Necessary Business:
Neal Speer stated the Police Department is having a ceremony at the Swanton Library to display the patch design contest held by the Swanton Arts Council. He said Anita Parah won the patch design and he advised everyone to look for the date and time and attend this ceremony.
Any Other Business: Eugene LaBombard stated a concerned resident contacted him regarding the height of the basketball nets at Marble Mill. Reg stated he will look into this, that he hasn’t pursued it because he had higher priorities. He said he would go down and check it out this week.
Any Other Business: Eugene LaBombard stated he wanted to remind people to drive more carefully. He said he has seen so much aggressive driving lately and this needs to stop. He said a lot of New York vehicles are speeding throughout the Village and he wants a higher police presence out there. Reg Beliveau stated he would talk with the Chief of Police tomorrow about this.
Any Other Business: Chris Leach stated he wanted to recognize Reg Beliveau’s efforts regarding the Dollar General Store. He said the store looks great and he appreciates his efforts in getting them to dress the store front up. Reg stated it was a joint effort by the Town Selectboard and the Village Trustees. Chris stated the Village should send them a letter thanking them for their efforts. Chris also said the residents on Gallup Court really appreciate the new LED street lights. He also asked about the Sidewalk Study meeting with Peter Cross held last week. Neal Speer stated they had a really good turnout. Eugene stated he walks a lot throughout the Village but hesitates to go on South River Street because it’s dangerous walking there.
Any Other Business: Village Clerk Dianne Day stated the Franklin Grand Isle Bookmobile is requesting permission to hold a coin drop on Saturday, July 9, 2016. Chris Leach made the motion to approve the Bookmobile’s request to hold a coin drop on Saturday, July 9, 2016 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried with 2 yays, and one nay.
Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau stated the water line project began today on Canada Street. He said he wasn’t sure when the State would be doing their repaving project but said the water line job would be done beforehand. He said the Village did new curbing on Church Street and the Electric Department also installed new LED street lights throughout the Village. Reg also stated the Village will again be receiving Hydro Incentive Program funds. He said last year the Village received approximately $54,000 and this year they are getting $21,886. He said they have already applied for next year’s program and hope to receive funds next year too. Reg said the Village hopes to finish the storm water project at Marble Mill by the end of July. He said he would like to revisit the Webster Terrace area one more time and hopefully be able to utilize the land there. He said there is one homeowner that doesn’t want this done on their property. Reg also said they are doing the final changes on the car charging station and that should be up and running soon.
Any Other Business: Adam Paxman said he wanted to thank everyone for attending the Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony. He said it was a very good turnout and Joel Clark did an excellent job on the monument. He said if anyone is interested in joining the Memorial Day committee to look him up.
8. Public Comment:
None.
9. Executive Session to Discuss Real Estate:
Eugene LaBombard made the motion to enter into Executive Session at 7:40 p.m. to discuss Real Estate and Customer Accounts. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.
Adam Paxman made the motion to exit Executive Session at 8:22 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.
ACTION TAKEN: None.
10. Adjournment:
Adam Paxman made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 8:23 p.m. Chris Leach seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 8:23 p.m. Motion carried.
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Neal Speer, Village President Date
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Dianne Day, Village Clerk Date