February 23, 2016

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

 

 

INFORMATIONAL MEETING & PUBLIC HEARING

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

7:00 PM

 

 

PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau, Village Manager; Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk; Joey Stell, Chief of Police; Tim Girard, Fire Chief; Jason Cross; Jason Butler; Betty Cheney, Delinquent Tax Collector; Glen Gurwit; Suzanne Washburn; Elizabeth Nance; Louise LaBombard and Ch. 16.

 

Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously.

 

1. Call to Order:

 

Neal Speer, Village President, welcomed all to the Informational Meeting and Public Hearing and called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

 

2. Moment of Silence:

 

He requested a Moment of Silence for all Military, Past, Present and Future and also for all our community members who are sick or have passed away.

 

3. Pledge of Allegiance:

 

Neal Speer led everyone in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

 

4. Agenda Review:

 

None.

 

5. Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, February 8, 2016:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Monday, February 8, 2016 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

 

6. Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Friday, February 19, 2016:

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants through Friday, February 19, 2016 as presented. Chris Leach seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

 

7. Informational Meeting & Public Hearing – 2016 Village Annual Warning:

 

Neal Speer read the Village Annual Warning to everyone present. Chris Leach wanted to recognize Jerome Duffy for all his years of service as a Village Trustee. He said the Village has dedicated their Annual Report to him and his many years of service.  Neal stated they had a real busy year and a very enthusiastic year. He said they started it off with the Community Visit and set up Task Forces and the Town and Village are working together. Reg Beliveau thanked everyone for coming tonight and said the Town and Village had common Report covers about the Community Visit. He said the Arts Council is doing great work. He said they postponed their Community Visit Celebration but will get it rescheduled soon. He said the Boards have grown strong and together they all work hard. He then began a slideshow presentation.

 

2015 Year in Review:

 

Projects: Reg mentioned the Marble Mill Park grant for $74,880. He also mentioned:

 

• Community Visit – 5 Task forces focused on improving Swanton
• Mark Fenton Visit – A review of a walkable/bikeable Swanton
• Storm Water Grants – Marble Mill Park Grant for $74,880
• UVM Preformed a Public Tree Inventory Study of the Village – Developing an Urban Forest Management Plan
• Town/Village Grant to study a sidewalk to MVU and the Depot to join the sidewalk on Lake Street – Cross Consulting is reviewing a feasibility study now
• Healthy Work Place Grant for $3000 – Monthly health screenings, employee garden, FitBits, and the Village purchases fruits and vegetables weekly
• EV Car Charging Units in the Municipal Park and Ride – The Village received a $24,000 grant for two stations which can charge four cars
• Additional Parking Downtown – Church parking lot and next to Merchants Row. The Village and town share the maintenance on the Church parking lot and the Village leased the lot next to Merchants Row

Public Works Department

 

• Water Line Break – The crew spent over two days repairing a water line break under the Interstate Overpass
• Construction of the Transmission Lines – Construction complete, last stages of the river crossing being tested now; may be able to complete the Canada Street project too
• Early Spring – Frozen Water Lines
• Paving Project 2016 – VT 78 (First Street) and US Route 7 (Spring Street) and Grand Avenue; Bike Lanes/Share the Road Bike Lanes, and Village Square traffic changes
• Grant for Flashing crosswalk Signs/Adding Cross Walks Part of Safe Routes to School Program – First and Liberty Street, Grand Avenue and Railtrail, Canada Street
• Merchants Row Traffic Re-Design – Need to improve Merchants Row traffic, new plan increases parking by 5 spots, shifting the road closer to the Chamber of Commerce
• Bad winter so far with very cold temperatures, freezing water lines, and lots of snow

 

Electric Department

 

• Continue to keep up on Tree Trimming – Proven to eliminate outages during snow/ice storms
• Received the Utility Truck
• Ordered the Bucket Truck, expecting a June Delivery
• Took Delivery of the Digger Truck – All part of the 108 PSB request for financing
• Many estimates for large solar projects within our service territory

 

Waste Water Plant

 

• Refurbished the UV system was in-service retrofitting the 20 year old system (Jim Irish saved the Village hundreds of thousands of dollars on this UV system). They were quoted a system for over $400,000 and Jim did some research and was able to get it retrofitted for approximately $68,000
• House Draft Bill H35 – will be a concern to our operations; sharply reduces our discharge limits for phosphorus; reviewed proto-type Phosphorus removal methods
• Many repairs and upgrades to the plant

 

Water Treatment Plant

 

• Plant continues to operate well
• We are monitoring point for Blue-Green Algae
• E-Maintenance Plan – preventative maintenance plan for all assets of the Village

 

Hydro Plant

 

• General repairs continue preparing for re-licensing in 2023 (7 years out)
• This is a minimum of a 5 year process before license is due
• Improved Control Room for the Operators – VPPSA paid for this because the Operators dispatch for their P-10 site
• FERC visit and Inspection of the Rubber Dam – need to investigate repair or replace

 

Reg then went on to explain the Tax Rate. He showed the 2015 Actual vs. the 2016 Proposed Tax Rate. General was 0.0725 to 0.0718; Fire Dept. was 0.0391 to 0.0440; Police Dept. was 0.3404 to 0.3641; Highway was 0.2887 to 0.2938. The 2015 Actual Tax Rate was 0.7407 and the 2016 Proposed Tax Rate is 0.7737 with a change of 0.0330 cents. The increase on a $200,000 home with the proposed tax rate is $66.00.

 

Reg then introduced the 2016 candidates for this year which are Neal Speer for Village President, Eugene LaBombard for Village Trustee, Dianne Day for Village Clerk, and Betty Cheney for Village Delinquent Tax Collector.

 

Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, proceeded to go over the budgets. She started with the General Department stating that this covered the Village Complex. She said this budget has gone down by about $1500.

 

 

 

Fire Department: Lynn stated this department is up this year due to an increase in salaries, FICA expense and Workman’s Compensation. She said they have VLCT for their insurance and the fire department is in a pool with other fire departments. If workmens compensation numbers are up, everyone will see an increase. Tim Girard, Fire Chief, stated that 2015 was a very busy year and they are thankful there was no loss of life. He said the weather was very hard on their equipment. He said they meet every Monday evening and have a very aggressive training officer. He said they have great personnel that take care of their gear and equipment. He introduced Jason Butler and Jason Cross and said they are the backbone of the department.

 

Police Department: Chief Stell stated the increase in his department comes from an increase in salaries due to investigations, workman’s compensation and training requirements. Suzanne Washburn asked how the Town contract was going and Chief Stell said it was going good. Reg Beliveau stated that Chief Stell also attends the Substance Abuse programs as well.

 

Highway Department: Lynn stated this department was up a bit due to workman’s compensation. She said there were a couple of cases in the Electric Department last year but that the rates from the state increased across the board. She said it was up about $20,000 this year for all departments. Lynn said Mike Menard didn’t do any paving in 2015 and is going to do two year’s worth in 2016. She said they have also received bids on purchasing a new backhoe. She said this piece of equipment is approximately 15 years old and rolls every day. Lynn said now is the time to replace it because they can still get a good price for trade in and she said they have money set aside for this purchase. She said the next piece of equipment to get replaced will be the sidewalk plow.

 

Electric Department: Lynn advised everyone that the Village may need a rate increase this year. She said her audit is complete and VPPSA is working on a rate increase for her. She said the Village still has the second lowest rates in the State of Vermont. Lynn said the purchase power and labor rates are over budget again. She said they are not generating great numbers at the hydro plant. They have done a lot of maintenance at the plant and are now on a maintenance routine. She said there are a lot of solar projects in the works and that is keeping the line crew very busy. She said they will get reimbursed for those by the project owners. Suzanne Washburn asked what if the Village put in their own solar project. Reg Beliveau stated they make 80% of their own power and he said VPPSA is looking into that for the Village. Chris Leach stated everyone is putting in solar or wind projects and their generation is going into the grid. He said hydro power is not considered renewable so they have to purchase power. He said regardless they are doing their best to keep the rates low and reliable. Elizabeth Nance asked why hydro power wasn’t considered renewable. Reg stated because it’s not “new” renewable and their plant is too old. Lynn also stated that one of the electric bonds will be paid off this December and that will free up about a half a million dollars. She said the other two bonds are scheduled to be paid off in 2019 and 2023. She said the Village paid off about $1.2 million dollars in bonds in 2015 and they are now beginning to see some debt paid off.

 

Water Department: Lynn said the Village paid their first bond payment on the water plant this year and they will pay their first payment on the water transmission line in 2017. She said it was a rough winter last year and they incurred a lot of expenses with frozen pipes. She said the plant is working well and the Village’s rate increase is set to begin in March.

 

Sewer Department: Lynn advised everyone that the Village paid off a CSO bond in this department and is scheduled to pay another one off next year. She said this department hasn’t seen a rate increase since 2014 and this department will also have one in March. She said they have done a lot of their upgrades through depreciation funds. They are waiting to see what happens with the phosphorus issue and she said that may cause another rate increase.

 

Reg Beliveau stated he just started his 5^th year working for the Village and said he appreciates the support given to him. He also thanked his staff for everything they do.

 

Neal Speer stated it was a breath of fresh air working with Reg and said the Village has a great team, either elected or with the workforce. He said it’s very gratifying to work with a team to get things done. He said the Village has a great leader, a great workforce and also said the Town and Village are working great together. He said he is running again for Village President and appreciates everyone’s support. The other candidates on the ballot this year are Eugene LaBombard, Village Trustee, for a three year term; Dianne Day, Village Clerk, for a one year term; and Betty Cheney, Village Delinquent Tax Collector, for a one year term.

 

 

 

 

8. Any Other Necessary Business:

 

None.

 

 

9. Public Comment:

 

Suzanne Washburn said she’d like to commend the Village and Town. She said it’s very encouraging and she hopes they keep up the good work.

 

10. Executive Session (If Necessary):

 

None.

 

11. Adjournment:

 

 

ADJOURN: Chris Leach made the motion to adjourn the Informational Meeting and Public Hearing at 8:28 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 8:29 p.m. Motion carried.

 

 

 

 

_____________________________________          _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President                           Date

 

 

 

_____________________________________          ___________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                               Date

 

 

February 8, 2016

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

 

 

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, February 8, 2016

7:00 PM

 

 

 

 

PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau, Village Manager; Chief of Police Joey Stell; Sgt. Eugene Rich 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:

 

None.

 

3.      Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, January 25, 2016:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Monday, January 25, 2016 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

 

 

4.      Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Friday, February 5, 2016:

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants (#6-#12) through Friday, February 5, 2016 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion:  Eugene LaBombard asked about the MMWEC invoice stating he didn’t recognize the name, he was informed that was for purchase power from Massachusetts Wholesale Electric Company. Motion carried.

 

ice rescues.

5.      Sgt. Eugene Rich, Abenaki Tribal Representative – Community Update:

 

Sgt. Eugene Rich, Abenaki Tribal Council Representative, informed the Board that the Abenaki’s are changing their philosophy to be more community inclusive. He said not only are the Abenaki interested in maintaining grants for themselves but also one’s that are good for the community as a whole.

 

6.       Swanton Village Fire Department request Coin Drop on May 14, 2016 with a rain date of May 21, 2016:

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve the Fire Departments request to hold a Coin Drop on May 14, 2016 with a rain date of May 21, 2016 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

 

 

7.      Swanton Village Fire Department Auxiliary request Coin Drop on August 6, 2016 with a rain date of August 27, 2016:

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve the Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary’s request to hold a Coin Drop on August 6, 2016 with a rain date of August 27, 2016 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

 

 

 

8.      Paving Project and New Traffic Design Discussion

 

The Board of Trustees stated they liked the new Merchant’s Row design but asked Reg Beliveau, Village Manager, to follow up with area businesses because it may impact delivery to them with tractor trailers. The Board also discussed lowering the speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph in the Village of Swanton. Chief Stell explained that the court system won’t recognize someone being ticketed unless it’s 10 miles over the speed limit due to odometer accuracy. He recommended not reducing the speed limit throughout the Village. He said their speed study showed the average speed through the Village to be 28 to 30 miles per hour (mph). He said the speed study shows there isn’t a problem with speeding. He said maybe 1 to 2% exceed the speed limit but overall residents are following the limit. He said the speed study on Spring Street showed the average speed to be 31 mph. He said Grand Avenue during the daytime had an average speed of 28 mph which is actually under the posted speed limit.

 

 

9.      Any Other Necessary Business:

 

None.

 

 

10.  Public Comment:

 

None.

 

 

11.  Executive Session (If Necessary):

 

None.

 

 

12.  Adjournment:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 8:00 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 8:00 p.m. Motion carried.

 

 

 

_____________________________________          _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President                           Date

 

 

 

_____________________________________          ___________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                               Date

 

 

 

January 25, 2016

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

 

 

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, January 25, 2016

7:00 PM

 

 

 

 

PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau, Village Manager; Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk & Treasurer; Joel Clark; Wayne Elliott, Aldrich & Elliott; 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:

 

None.

 

3.      Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, January 11, 2016:

 

Chris Leach made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Monday, January 11, 2016 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

 

 

4.      Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Friday, January 22, 2016:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants (#1-#5) through Friday, January 22, 2016 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion:  Eugene LaBombard asked about the Cogsdale invoice and Lynn Paradis stated that was the Village’s software company. Motion carried.

 

ice rescues.

5.      Joel Clark to Discuss a Memorial in Flat Iron Park:

 

Joel Clark informed the Board that he has done some background on making some possible changes to Flat Iron Park. He said that Flat Iron Park has two monuments that honor veterans past and present. He said the Civil War monument on the Village Green has the names of those that have given their lives serving their country in that conflict. Joel said there is no permanent monument that carries the names of those that have lost their life in combat since the Civil War and the time to change this has passed. He said he recommends adding the names to the monument in Flat Iron Park but also add a viewing center to add the pages of military history as shown in the Swanton History book. He said these pages identify those veterans that served in the major conflicts. Joel said this is going to cost approximately $3500 and the funds would be raised through donations. He said he will form a committee with representatives from the Village, Town, VFW, Historical Society and Mr. Warren Fournier. He said he would keep everyone updated and confirm his plan is acceptable to all on the committee. He would like to dedicate the changes made on Memorial Day 2016. Adam Paxman asked how he could help and Chris Leach said he thought this was a great idea that he really believed in. All Village Board members agreed that this was a good idea and offered their support.

 

 

6.       Wayne Elliott, Aldrich & Elliott – Discuss Water Transmission Line:

 

Wayne Elliott informed the Board that the he wanted to give an update on the water transmission line, the MVUHS water line and Canada Street. He said the design is already done on Canada Street but because of the archaeological issues that came up they couldn’t complete that project. He said the Village would need approximately $470,000 more to complete the MVUHS water line and Canada Street. He said while boring across the river the contractor got a $20,000 30 inch reamer stuck in there. He said he plans on them coming back and asking for a claim. He said they are going to move down about 15 feet and will do the bore from there in a couple of weeks. He said as far as the claim goes they will have to wait and see what they submit. He said they got the reamer stuck because they chose to go deeper than the specs and also because of operator experience. He said they were supposed to drill in October but didn’t make it there. He said daily records are kept and feels they don’t have much of a basis. He said he would review that information with the Board when he gets it.

 

Wayne said that if the Board wants to go ahead with the MVUHS water line they would need to go back to the voters and ask for a supplemental bond. Reg Beliveau stated they already have voter approval for the Canada Street project. Eugene LaBombard stated he is in favor of doing Canada Street now and he doesn’t recall when the MVUHS water line discussion even started. Chris Leach said they hypothetically talked about it last year. Eugene asked if MVU is asking for this new line and Reg Beliveau said no they are not. Eugene stated that must be somewhere in the past the Village took that water line over. Reg said that was the case but he wasn’t sure what year it was. Chris Leach asked how much money the Village would need if they tabled the MVU line and just did Canada Street. Wayne stated the Village would need about $110,000 more to complete Canada Street. He said the archaeological dig took the funds allocated for Canada Street.

 

Chris Leach made the motion to shelve the MVUHS water line replacement and to continue with the Canada Street water line project. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried. Wayne Elliott advised the Board there is a State Clean Water Revolving loan fund available and he will request an application on behalf of Swanton Village. He said this will give the Village a place holder just in case the phosphorus removal issue comes up. Reg Beliveau stated he attended a class in St. Albans and said they have a system in place there that would work well for the Village’s lagoons.

 

 

7.      Approve and Adopt 2016 Budgets:

 

Lynn Paradis gave each Board member her final budgets for each department for 2016. She said all numbers are final and all her purchase power bills are now in. She said they are $328,000 over budget in the Electric Department and VPPSA is putting together a rate case for the Village to make up the loss. Lynn also said the Village is at their cap with solar projects so all customers now going solar will be told that. The Board members all stated that they have gone over the budgets several times now over the last couple of months and were good with her numbers.

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and adopt the 2016 budgets as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

 

8.      Approve and Adopt Village of Swanton 2016 Annual Warning:

 

Neal Speer read the 2016 Annual Warning. Chris Leach made the motion to adopt and approve the Village of Swanton 2016 Annual Warning as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

9.      Approve Water and Sewer Rate Increase:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter into a Water Commissioner’s meeting at 8:08 p.m. to discuss water and sewer rates. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

Lynn Paradis advised the Board that she needs to increase the residential Village fixed rate from $22.14 per month to $23.16 and the variable rate from $2.28 per thousand gallons to $2.56 per thousand gallons. She advised that the residential Town fixed rates would go from $44.29 to $46.31. Chris Leach asked Lynn if the Village could do a rate comparison with other water systems. Lynn stated she would look into that and see if VLCT had that information for her. Chris also asked if this increase was due to bond payments. Lynn said the newest bond isn’t scheduled to begin until 2017, one year after the completion of the job. She advised the Board that she needed to increase the residential Village sewer fixed rates from $29.39 per month to $35.59 per month. She advised the variable rate is going from $3.64 down to $3.60 per thousand gallons.

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve the Village of Swanton’s water and sewer rate increase for 2016. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried. Adam Paxman made the motion to exit the Water Commissioner’s meeting at 8:20 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

10.  Swanton Missisquoi Valley Lions Club request Coin Drops on June 4, 2016 and September 3, 2016:

 

Village Clerk Dianne Day explained that the Missisquoi Valley Lions Club was requesting two different coin drops in 2016. They would like one on June 4 and one on September 3, 2016. The Board decided that they would not allow a coin drop on a Holiday weekend. They advised the Village Clerk to find out if they were interested in their September 10^th coin drop because the June one would interfere with the Fire Department’s Auxiliary coin drop. Dianne Day stated she would send them a letter to find out and would bring their request back before the Board at a later date. Item tabled pending further information.

 

 

11.  Swanton Village Fire Auxiliary request Coin Drops on May 28, 2016 and September 11, 2016:

 

The Board decided that this was two separate entities requesting coin drops, one being the Fire Department and one being the Ladies Auxiliary. The Board stated they would not allow the Auxiliary’s request to hold one on May 28^th because of the Memorial Day weekend. They also denied the Fire Department’s request of September 11^th pending the Lion’s Club coin drop request. Village Clerk Dianne Day stated she would ask the Auxiliary if they wanted their June 25^th date and she also stated she would work out a date with the Fire Chief and bring both requests back before the Board. Item tabled pending further information.

 

12.  Any Other Necessary Business:

 

Chris Leach asked if there was any word on the rubber bag issue at the Hydro Plant. Reg Beliveau stated they will be going in for re-licensing in 2023 and said he had a conference call to discuss figures for a new rubber bag. He said the expected life of a rubber dam is approximately 30 years and this one is now 22 years old. He said he is waiting on more information and would get back to the Board when he had it.

 

Any Other Business: Adam Paxman stated the Chamber of Commerce is requesting permission to hold their Annual Car Show in the Village Green on Saturday, July 30^th. Chris Leach made the motion to approve the Chamber of Commerce’s request to hold their Annual Car Show in the Village Green on July 30, 2016. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

Any Other Business: Adam Paxman also stated that the Chamber of Commerce is requesting permission to hold their 4^th Annual Memorial Day Parade on May 30^th, 2016. Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve the Chamber of Commerce’s request to hold their 4^th Annual Memorial Day Parade through the Village on May 30, 2016. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried. Adam stated if anyone was interested in volunteering to contact him. Lynn Paradis suggested he contact the Boy Scouts Troop #823.

 

Any Other Business: Lynn Paradis stated that the $94,000 they are requesting to be put in the highway department’s capital fund is high because the Village didn’t do any paving last year. She said they are also planning on purchasing a backhoe with some of that money and has received three quotes so far. She said the backhoe they have is approximately 17 years old and she said they are getting good money in trade for it. She said the Village has gotten some very good prices and if the Board agrees to one of them they can get it ordered after Town Meeting Day if approved.

 

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau stated that February 18, 2016 marks one year from the Community Visit last year and there will be a celebration at the Swanton Central School. He said there will be a slideshow of what’s been happening and there will be hors dourves. He said they often get asked how they get information out to the public. Reg stated if you want to get involved look into what’s going on in your community.

 

 

13.  Public Comment:

 

None.

 

Chris Leach stated he needed an Executive Session to discuss personnel. Reg Beliveau stated he needed one to discuss legal matters.

 

14.  Executive Session (If Necessary):

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter into Executive Session at 8:45 p.m. to discuss personnel and legal matters. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.

 

Chris Leach made the motion to exit Executive Session at 9:50 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

 

ACTION TAKEN: None.

 

 

15.  Adjournment:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 9:50 p.m. Chris Leach seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 9:50 p.m. Motion carried.

 

 

 

_____________________________________          _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President                           Date

 

 

 

_____________________________________          ___________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                               Date

 

 

 

January 11, 2016

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

 

 

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, January 11, 2016

7:00 PM

 

 

 

 

PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau, Village Manager; Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk & Treasurer; Katelin Brewer-Colie, LocalMotion; 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:

 

None.

 

3.      Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, December 28, 2015:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Monday, December 28, 2015 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion: Eugene LaBombard asked about vendor Galls, from last week’s meeting. Chris Leach had asked what that was used for. Reg Beliveau explained that company was used to purchase equipment for the Police Department. Motion carried.

 

4.      Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Friday, January 8, 2016:

 

Chris Leach made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants (#143-#145) through Friday, January 8, 2016 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

ice rescues.

5.      Katelin Brewer-Colie – Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Local Motion and the Village of Swanton for Merchants Row Area:

 

Reg Beliveau informed the Board that Katelin was stuck in traffic on I-89 due to a motor vehicle accident. Moved to Item #6.

 

Reg Beliveau stated that he worked with Katelin recently on the Safe Routes to School program and now more recently with Local Motion. Katelin introduced herself to the Board and said she used to work as a planner at Northwest Regional Planning and also worked on updating the Bylaws for the Planning Commission. She said now she moved on to Local Motion and is working closely with VTrans on walking and biking safety. Reg stated that last year RiseVT helped pay for Mark Fenton to come and do a walkability study which focused primarily on the Merchants Row area. He said VTrans came up with some design plans for that area.

 

Katelin said Local Motion is a non-profit member supported organization that works to improve biking and walking safety. She said they have received a grant which will allow them to work with 5 to 7 communities over a three year period. She said their purpose is to develop bike and walk safety plans. She said Local Motion would like to enter into an agreement with the Village of Swanton to get to that end. She said this will include 40 hours of technical assistance, a design firm to give design assistance (Alta is the design firm), they will look at travel lanes and then bring their recommendations and create some concepts for the Merchants Row area at no cost to the Village. Eugene LaBombard asked if an island like the one on Academy Street could go in that area. Reg said that would be hard to plow around so probably not. Katelin said this is a huge project to take on but said they can come in and help envision the next phase of this to make it an even better legacy improvement. She said this is a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which will give vision and insight. Eugene asked if they could check in with the Board from time to time and give updates on their project. Adam said he would like for them to come in with any significant changes they come up with to make the residents aware of the process.

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to authorize Reginald Beliveau, Swanton Village Manager, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Local Motion for conceptual design plans for the Merchants Row area. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

6.       Brad Aldrich – Review Water Transmission Line, Status Update:

 

Reg Beliveau informed the Board that he spoke with Wayne Elliott from Aldrich & Elliott and said they are not ready to present this information to the Board tonight. He said all that’s left on the Water Transmission Line job is the river crossing. He said they have bored under the river already but haven’t run the pipe through. He said it looks like they are going to have some remaining funds and he was wondering if the Village should use those funds to upgrade the Missisquoi Valley Union High School (MVUHS) water line. Eugene LaBombard asked who would pay for this upgrade. Reg stated there may be funds left over from the water transmission line job but that they would need an additional $250,000 to do this upgrade. Reg said the Village is also considering using the left over funds to upgrade Canada Street which already has voter approval. He said the Village would be about $500,000 shy to do both projects but said they would have to go to the voters for approval. Eugene LaBombard stated that the Canada Street project should take precedence over the MVUHS project. He said the school should pay for this upgrade. Reg stated that the Village would upgrade as far as the driveway and MVUHS would pay for the rest of the project. He said they would like to upgrade to a 12” water line. Adam Paxman said the Village should focus on Canada Street first as it is going to be paved and also because it’s in the Village. Chris Leach suggested they table this item until they know for sure how much money is going to be left over. Reg said it would be nice to upgrade the MVUHS line but agreed they should focus on Village streets first. He said there is opportunity for expansion of this water line. Chris Leach said maybe they could have specific information for their next meeting such as cost, alternatives, etc. He said to ask Brad Aldrich for the specs on Canada Street and the MVUHS line for their next meeting.

 

Moved back to Item #5.

 

 

7.      2016 Budget Discussion Update:

 

Lynn Paradis presented the Board with a copy of her updated budgets. Eugene LaBombard asked if there were many changes from the last one she gave them. Lynn stated there are a few subtle changes to the budgets. Adam Paxman asked Lynn if the Village was making plans for new water meters. Lynn stated those are not in the 2016 budget because they need to do more investigating before they decide which way to go. Lynn stated she would have the final budgets for them for the January 25^th meeting. She said the Warning and water and sewer rates would be ready for that meeting as well. The Board looked over the budgets and thanked Lynn for her hard work.

 

8.      Any Other Necessary Business:

 

Adam Paxman informed the Board that he is stepping down from the Northwest Solid Waste District board as of March 1, 2016. He said Carlo Micheli will replace him on the board if approved by the Joint Legislative Body. Adam said he believes he will do a great job and he will attend the Northwest Solid Waste District’s meeting with him on February 3^rd.

 

Any Other Business: Eugene LaBombard asked who was responsible for the sidewalk safety where the bricks fell at 1 Canada Street. Reg Beliveau stated the owner is but said the Public Works crew put up barricades around the fallen bricks.

 

Any Other Business: Chris Leach asked if there was any word on the gas compacting business. Reg said he hasn’t heard anything.

 

9.      Public Comment:

 

None.

 

10.  Executive Session (If Necessary):

 

None.

 

11.  Adjournment:

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 8:24 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 8:24 p.m. Motion carried.

 

 

 

_____________________________________          _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President                           Date

 

 

 

_____________________________________          ___________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                               Date

 

 

 

December 28, 2015

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

 

 

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, December 28, 2015

7:00 PM

 

 

 

 

PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Dianne Day, Village Clerk & Treasurer; 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:

 

None.

 

3.      Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, December 21, 2015:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Monday, December 21, 2015 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion: Chris Leach stated he would prefer further clarification on paragraph #4 regarding VEEU and VPPSA. Dianne Day, Village Clerk, made the clarification. Motion carried with clarification.

 

4.      Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Wednesday, December 23, 2015:

 

Chris Leach made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants (#141-#142) through Wednesday, December 23, 2015 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: Chris Leach asked what vendor Galls was used for. Dianne Day, Village Clerk, stated she couldn’t remember but that it was vendor used frequently and said she would find out for their next meeting. Motion carried.

ice rescues.

5.      Sign Approved Village of Swanton Financial Policies:

 

Dianne Day, Village Clerk, explained that the Swanton Village Financial Policies were approved earlier in the year by the Board of Trustees and Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, needed them signed. Eugene LaBombard made the motion for the Board members to sign the Village of Swanton Financial Policies. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried. All board members signed the approved financial policies.

 

6.       Any Other Necessary Business:

 

Chris Leach asked if the Village was picking up Christmas trees this year. Dianne Day, Village Clerk, said that Mike Menard and his crew would pick up trees if they were left in the Village right of way. Chris stated this is a great service to the Village residents. He also stated that the Electric crew has been doing a lot of tree trimming again this year and that would help with any ice storm we may have. He said this would help keep the power on.

 

Any Other Business: Adam Paxman said he wanted to remind our Village residents about the Winter Parking Ban that is now in effect.

 

Chris Leach stated he would need a very short Executive Session to discuss personnel.

 

 

 

7.      Public Comment:

 

None.

 

8.      Executive Session (If Necessary):

 

Chris Leach made the motion to enter into Executive Session at 7:14 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

 

Chris Leach made the motion to exit Executive Session at 7:22 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

ACTION TAKEN: None.

 

 

9.      Adjournment:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 7:45 p.m. Chris Leach seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 7:45 p.m. Motion carried.

 

 

 

_____________________________________          _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President                           Date

 

 

 

_____________________________________          ___________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                               Date