SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX
120 FIRST STREET
SWANTON, VT 05488
REGULAR MEETING
Monday, June 27, 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; Chief of Police Joey Stell 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 an Executive Session to discuss Real Estate. Dianne Day, Village Clerk, advised she had a water allocation request to bring up under Any Other Necessary Business.
3. Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, June 13, 2016:
Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Monday, June 13, 2016 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: Eugene LaBombard stated he wanted the word “defensive” changed to “aggressive” under Any Other Business. Chris Leach asked if the basketball hoops were fixed, Reg advised they were now fixed. Motion carried with correction.
4. Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Friday, June 24, 2016:
Chris Leach made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants (#70-#76) through Friday, June 24, 2016 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion: Adam Paxman asked about the Ironbrook payment. Reg Beliveau advised that was for the ultra violet system at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. Chris Leach mentioned the VPPSA payment and Reg stated so far the Village is under budget for purchase power. Motion carried.
5. Village Police Department Update:
Chief of Police Joey Stell informed the Board that Sgt. Eugene Rich is on light duty due to an injury he sustained to his shoulder after the Memorial Day Parade. He said he injured his rotator cuff and just had an MRI to determine if he needs surgery or not. He said Sgt. Rich and Don Gilbert have switched places so this minimizes the need for overtime. He said this also gives them more commercial truck stops because Officer Gilbert is DOT (Department of Transportation) certified. He said Officer Gilbert is still doing some administrative duties because Sgt. Rich isn’t familiar with everything. Chief Stell said his department received a $10,000 Governor Highway Safety grant for a digital speed sign. He said this is a zero matching grant so no local funds need to be spent on this. He said this sign will be movable between the Town and Village and it counts traffic and records speeds. He said the speed spy they’ve been using needs some major repairs and it’s not feasible to have that done. He said there are a couple of areas that have been complaining about speeding but he said the streets are very short so he doesn’t believe cars are able to go that fast. He said loud exhaust and shorter streets can be perceived as speeding.
He said the Village has seen a huge increase in kids from other towns hanging out. He said they are trying to identify them and address the issue. He said the summer months cause their call volume to go up as well as the warmer weather. He said the department has a new badge thanks to the Swanton Arts Council. He said they ran a contest for a new badge design and Anita Parah had the winning badge design. He said Sgt. Rich worked with the Arts Council on this contest and the new badge artwork is phenomenal. He said it displays the Swanton dam and gives ownership to the Police Department. Chris Leach asked if there were any big issues with the local drug problem. Chief Stell advised there are no changes and that his department works closely with the State and with other police departments on combating the drug problem. He said there is a lot of heroin on the forefront because of its cheap price. He said some of this heroin can be laced with fentanyl making it very strong and potent. He said this has caused several overdoses. He said drug manufacturers have taken abused narcotics and made changes where they can’t be crushed and snorted. He said those users are now on heroin. Adam Paxman asked if the police department had to use Narcan very often. Chief Stell said this reverses the affect of the narcotic and has saved a few residents in this town. He said Missisquoi Valley Rescue uses it maybe 1 to 2 times per month. The Board thanked Chief Stell for coming in and giving them an update.
6. Update on Water Transmission Line Work on Canada Street:
Reg Beliveau said the Water Transmission Line on Canada Street is going good. He said tonight they have the water shut off so they can put connections on. He said by the end of the week they should be into the square by Merchants Row and by the end of July the job should be complete. He said the State has been onsite making sure there is no ground water contamination and that has been going good. Reg also said Mike Menard and his crew are improving the storm drains on Canada Street that he has had some problems with.
7. Update on Paving Project (Change to Parking in the Square):
Adam Paxman asked if the Village was still on schedule for the paving project in the square by Merchants Row. Reg said he hasn’t heard anything and believes everything is on schedule. Adam asked if the State was making changes to the parking plan there. Reg said he would take a look at the design one more time and bring it back before the Board. He said that plan is just striping and won’t be affected by the paving. He said LocoMotion is supposed to come back and do some work and he will check with them and also with VTrans. Chris Leach said there should be a way to point people to alternative parking. Adam Paxman suggested getting parking signs like the ones that are in downtown Burlington area. He said those really stand out. Reg said Mike Menard would be using some leftover paving material in the parking lot behind the Chamber office.
8. Any Other Necessary Business:
Eugene LaBombard made the motion to enter into Water Commissioner’s Meeting at 7:29 p.m. to hear a water allocation request. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried. Dianne Day advised the Board that Mark Hungerford was requesting a water allocation of 400 GPD (gallons per day) for a new three bedroom home at 324 Maquam Shore Road. Mark is aware of the fees associated with this new connection. Chris Leach made the motion to approve Mark Hungerford’s request for a 400 GPD water allocation for a three bedroom home at 324 Maquam Shore Rd. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried. Adam Paxman made the motion to exit Water Commissioner’s meeting at 7:31 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.
Any Other Business: Chris Leach asked if there was any information on the oil leak in the river. Reg Beliveau stated they have no point of origin on the leak but do know that it was heating oil not diesel. He said they have no clue as to where it came from and said the State of Vermont is investigating it. Reg said this didn’t come from any of Swanton Village’s storm drains.
Any Other Business: Chris Leach asked how the storm garden was coming at Marble Mill. Reg Beliveau stated the materials have been ordered and should be in by the end of July. He said it will take a huge crane to install the 66,000 pound swirl basin and two dog box manholes. Reg said this is all being done with grant money except for Swanton Village’s labor. He said they will come in under budget on this and may look at other areas. He said they are still working on Webster Terrace.
Any Other Business: Chris Leach asked how the fundraising was going for the skate park at Marble Mill. Reg said a Zumbathon was held to raise money and he said the families are still working on it. Reg stated that Betsy Fournier from Parks and Recreation and Fit N Healthy was quite involved and he appreciated her efforts. Reg asked that people not stereotype the kids that go and hang out and play at Marble Mill, he said there are a lot of good kids there but if people are causing problems to please let the police department know.
Any Other Business: Eugene LaBombard said the Town didn’t get awarded the economic development position grant. Reg Beliveau said they still have a part time position allocated for so the Town might still go ahead with a part time position to serve the Village and the Town.
Any Other Business: Neal Speer stated the new patch for the Police Department looks really nice and he said there was a great article in the St. Albans Messenger about it.
9. Public Comment:
None.
10. Executive Session (If Necessary):
Adam Paxman made the motion to enter into Executive Session at 7:43 p.m. to discuss Real Estate. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.
Adam Paxman made the motion to exit Executive Session at 8:49 p.m. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.
ACTION TAKEN: None.
11. Adjournment:
Chris Leach made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 8:49 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 8:49 p.m. Motion carried.
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Neal Speer, Village President Date
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Dianne Day, Village Clerk Date