July 27, 2020

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, July 27, 2020

7:00 PM

 

PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau Jr., Village Manager; Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk; Suzanne Washburn, Mark Rocheleau, Joel Clark, David Hemingway, Sandy & Ron Kilburn, Bill Malboeuf, Richard Rowden, Chloe Collins, Terri O’Shea, Anna Roy, Fred Wiseman, Meaghan Conly, Joe Wolske, Gary Pouliot, Susan Kelleher, Nicole Nappi, Priscilla Connelly, Shane Collins, Gordon Winters, Michelle Monroe, St. Albans Messenger and Channel 16.

 

Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously.

 

1. Call to Order:

 

Neal Speer, Village President, called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

 

2. Pledge of Allegiance:

 

Everyone stood for the Pledge of Allegiance.

 

3. Agenda Review:

 

None.

 

4. Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, July 13, 2020:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Monday, July 13, 2020 as presented. Chris Leach seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

 

5. Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Friday, July 24, 2020:

 

Chris Leach made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants through Friday, July 24, 2020 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

 

6. Discuss and Sign Water Fund Engineering Planning Loan for Missisquoi River Crossing for $12,400:

 

Reg Beliveau, Village Manager, stated that after the flooding in January 2018 the Board discussed the importance of having a redundant water line that crosses the Missisquoi River. He said the line they have now was almost taken out by the flood waters and ice. Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, stated that engineer Aldrich & Elliott will do this study for $12,400 and if they decide to go out for a bond vote the cost of this study can be rolled into that bond. She said right now they only have this one water line going across the bridge and the engineers will look at the best avenue for another line. She said the new line will be the primary line and the line on the bridge can become the back up line. Chris Leach made the motion to authorize Village Manager Reginald Beliveau and the Village Board of Trustees to sign the Vermont State Revolving Fund Loan RF3-405-1.0 in the amount $12,400. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

 

7. Discussion on Removal of Swanton Art Boards:

 

Neal Speer stated he had a timeline of events regarding the Art Boards that led to the decision to remove the boards from Village owned property. He read the following timeline: Approximately 4 years ago the Arts Council came to us asking if we would be willing to put up Art walls on our property. We said yes and saw a lot of positive and wonderful murals.
We had a conversation around how the rules were developed and should they be more structured. 

A few weeks before the painting of the walls and repainting, we had a deadly shooting in Swanton which shook our small community. We were concerned with having another situation arise after seeing the activities on social media getting out of hand.

May 31^st
1) A mural was painted which caused some concerns over its meaning

June 3^rd

Chief Stell was interviewed by Heather Buczkowski and before the artist of the original painting could be interviewed, her image was painted over.
First request to strengthen the rules over painting of the walls was made.

The local news showed up to film our walls and interview local artists and others.

June 5^th
2) Painting was covered up “reset” then someone else painted another fist.

Again, met with opposition and the controversy. Many social media posts were observed and were becoming harsh.
We had a period of calm during the virtual graduation of our MVU Seniors where a beautiful mural was painted commemorating the graduation.

3)More paintings and more covering over.
Even more activities on social media which caused us to become concerned over the volatility of the posts. Had discussions around fear that someone was going to get hurt due to the harsh social media postings.

June 12^th

A Patriots Front was tagged on boards. The Boards were “reset”, painted over.

4) Another painting was done, this time a confrontation happened at the wall during painting over the image that was freshly painted. Episode was videoed and posted on social media.
Again, we raised major concerns over the path these events were leading to, and concerns over public safety.

July 13^th
5) During public comment at the Trustees meeting, people said the issue was getting out of hand and thought the walls should come down, so we took the walls down.

Attempts were made to have stricter rules around the painting of the walls, but nothing happened.

We are in the process of planning a community forum along with the Town around diversity, social acceptance and racism.

We at Swanton Village understand that we have racism and diversity issues in our community.  We have reflected on what had been going on and what has happened after the walls were removed.  The insight that we gained from both events gives us a better understanding of the racism, biases and diversity issues in our community.  We are currently working with the Town on putting a forum together so that our community can grow and learn. 

We all hope that you, the Swanton Community, will join together with us to address this issue of concern.

 

8. Public Comment:

 

Neal Speer, Village President, then asked who would like to speak during public comment. Sandy Kilburn read a quote from the Burlington Free Press. Part of that quote stated “if my neighbor hurts, I hurt.” She encouraged everyone to listen respectively without judgment.

 

Suzanne Washburn stated she was concerned about the limit and number of people allowed in the meeting. Reg Beliveau stated we are right at the limit now.

 

Chloe Collins introduced herself and said this panel has called her a lot of things such as a bad apple, divisive, disgusting, her art was called “hate speech”, she was called an outsider and Mr. LaBombard questioned if she was even an American citizen. She said she is an American citizen and a Swanton homeowner. She said she is a very active member in this community and drives weekly to Richford where she gets overflow from their Thrift Store and then distributes it to families in need in Swanton. She also drives weekly to the food shelf so she can distribute that to families in need as well. She said she has run restorative panels in Swanton for five years and helped hundreds of residents give back to this community. She said she is also the president of a large non-profit building a childcare enrichment center for Swanton children and has raised $750,000 in funds. She said she is a featured author at library events and does the Arts Spectacular every year. She said this body bent over backwards to somebody who spent six weeks whiting out community murals that depicted a black and white hand holding. She asked when do the people of color in Swanton get an apology? When does this body start to care about their safety? What about her safety? She said she had trucks following her for six weeks, gets shouted N lover when she goes grocery shopping at Hannafords and has received death threats. She said but yet this body when hearing that citizens have covered up more white supremacy tags then her black and white hand holding they decided to support the man who whited out her murals. She said she is here to tell them she isn’t going anywhere, the people of color in Swanton aren’t going anywhere. She said the attitude that basic human rights is a divisive, political agenda is what needs to go. She said they should apologize for sending a message that makes people of color feel unsafe in Swanton and change their actions to demonstrate support for minorities in their community. She said they should join the equity forum she is creating, watch the documentary “13”, educate themselves on how these power dynamics have been playing out in Swanton and in this country. She said the problem is not her artwork around racial unity but rather her character and citizenship being questioned simply because her artwork depicted the theme of racial unity and that she would not give in to whitewashing and white supremacy. She said the problem is racism is here in Swanton and it won’t go away just because this board pretends it is not here. She thanked them and said she also wrote a letter about how their last meeting violated the Open Meeting Law and handed them each a copy.

 

Terri O’Shea said she appreciated what the Board said about recognizing some of the things that may have been wrong and appreciates that they are working on creating a community forum addressing diversity, social acceptance and racism. She said the beautiful art boards took on a much bigger meaning than they had six months ago. On the surface it’s possible and normal to have controversy but not the amount we have been seeing. She said most of us would agree there are deeper issues involved. She said starting with the first couple of Black Lives Matter paintings on the wall outside the complex here raised so much emotion and conflict. She asked what was it about the art that sparked so much controversy and how can one person cause such an eruption? She said then for so many to apologize to that person she didn’t get it and that really bothered her. She said the board saying the people who painted the Black Lives Matter murals were troublemakers and from out of town seemed blindsided but she also doesn’t get people sending hate mail and hate messages to the Trustees, to the artist and other people involved in the controversy or just broadcasting rude comments on Facebook. She said at this point it would be easy to say “can’t we all just get along and be more loving and kind?” However, she doesn’t support the status quo. She said it’s obvious to her that we have some changes to make if they want their community to be safe and welcoming to all. She said they are not going to accomplish this by trying to change each other or scream over each other or broadcasting their beliefs and not listening to anyone else. She said we need to change ourselves and try everyday to be better and do better to try and end intolerance and institutional racism. She said it would be great if they could commit to doing something as a community like other towns in the State are doing and she would be in full support of this. She said all of us have implicit bias. She said if you try and not see it as character weakness but as a societal institutional issue they will have a better chance of working together toward a solution. She said she understands the boards had to come down to prevent physical violence but just saying that means they need to do something about the reasons they need to come down.

 

Anna Roy said this might be a good forum to get things going but the diversity board is where the real work is going to happen. She said the temperature in the room doesn’t need to go up tonight and is hoping everyone has calm heads and waits, takes a deep breath and they get something going with the diversity forum.

 

Fred Wiseman said he wanted to add something to what is going on as a longtime Swanton resident. He said he remembers in the 1970’s the indigenous community of this town were coming out of the closet. He said the racism at that time was very fascinating and on a different scale entirely. He said his cousin Ken Ouimette was one of the first organizers of the Abenaki Nation. He said he came back to Swanton in the 1980’s and they were dealing with several issues. He said he remembers working with Jeff Benay on the issues of prejudice the Abenaki school children were having. He said there was also harassment from the local police. He said in 1995 the terrible attack by the State of Vermont against Missisquoi Abenakis claiming they were genetic and political frauds. He said he can remember the Monument Road crisis and sitting on the line there blocking the traffic. He said this is the context of racial issues in Swanton that he can remember. He said after the Monument Road issue they sat down and began working together having endless discussions and hashed things out. He said it was a great triumph when Abenaki Heritage Days moved into the Village Green. He said Swanton accepted the indigenous people as an integral part of the community and honored it. He said in return the Abenakis have given back to Swanton through the food shelf, Heritage days, adult and children programs and the Abenaki museum as well as events at the library and at the schools. He said this is a unique partnership that was formed over the last 40 years. He said he is working with a group on racial bias programming and is handling the historical part of it.

 

Meaghan Conly said she is there tonight to show her support of the art walls and the Black Lives Matter movement but also to challenge the notion that those of us in support are merely keyboard warriors hiding behind Facebook as stated by Trustee Adam Paxman. She said she assures him that she is no keyboard warrior. She said she is an active member of this community who is extremely concerned by the Trustees blind willingness to remove structures clearly important to the community after hearing from no one but the one responsible for defacing the structures. She said perhaps it wasn’t their intent to shut down the conversation before it could begin, but the action they took at their last meeting sent a very clear and powerful message. She said they would rather move to silence them then admit they are afraid by others expression that may shine a light on the racism in their community. She said they would rather pretend it doesn’t exist. She said the Board said instead of the art boards people should get involved and she agrees with that. She said those who claim they are not racists because they have bi-racial children or have friends that are black and feel it’s ok to cover up a painting because it’s offensive and they can’t explain why. She said she can guarantee that David Hemingway and others like him will not participate. They believe in their heart that there is nothing wrong and there is no reason to discuss their implicit bias. She said they believe the history they were taught by white men is true and all encompassing. She said art has always been a powerful medium that allows them to express themselves when words fail. She said the art boards were a powerful vessel that allowed community members to express solidarity, compassion, love and yes the importance of black lives. She said by removing them they have chosen to endorse racist sentiments in this town instead of allowing unrest to open the door to dialogue and change. She said she is not going away, her voice is not going away and she will use it to speak up for equality and freedom of expression. She said she will continue to call them out and call them in for decisions they make, and words they utter systematically limits those rights of members of this community because Swanton should be better than that.

 

Joe Wolske said he supports the art walls, he does not support the art walls being removed, he supports Black Lives Matter and does not support racists.

 

Susan Kelleher stated she has resided in Swanton for 40 years and is a US Navy veteran. She said she has never been so disappointed in this board and is shocked at the way they conducted their last meeting. She said she is shocked at the utter failure to identify and call out racism, she is shocked that this board would intentionally create a forum for only one side of this issue. She said originally she thought the Board was violating the artists freedom of speech with their comments but said now it’s much more about racism within this board. She said racism is more than outright hatred for a group, it’s calling artist “others” and “outsiders” for depicting racial unity. She said these are huge concerns for her and her friends. She said they held a meeting on the art boards without adding it to the agenda, without notifying the community members this was going to be discussed and that is a violation of the Vermont Open Meeting Laws. She said they were going to remove the walls and leave the posts there so they could be reinstalled in January but instead they were removed with a backhoe. She said this manner of removal shows your ultimate content for the art boards and telegraph to everyone that they have no intent on reinstating them. She said this now goes beyond art boards and it’s the failure of every single one of them to do their jobs. She said they all chose to be Village Trustees and thus should make themselves available to their constituents. She said they have an obligation to engage with the residents of Swanton Village in discourse and solutions. She said it is reasonable and a basic expectation that the first time a constituent emails them they reply back to them. She said she wrote two emails to Mr. Paxman before they had a conversation, she wrote three to Mr. Speer, wrote four to Mr. LaBombard and wrote six to Mr. Leach before she learned he doesn’t do email. She said this is unacceptable and they all failed to do their jobs properly, have failed to allow forum for all voices to be heard and have perpetuated the fear that people of color feel here. She said as a resident she demands they all resign effectively immediately.

 

Priscilla Connelly stated she didn’t write anything and said everyone has been so eloquent in their speeches. She said she is a new resident to Swanton and has lived here 9 months. She said because of this is has some objectivity because she doesn’t really know anyone. She said everyone is important to her. When she first saw the art boards she felt excited to be a part of Swanton. She said when the boards started getting painted over and the discussions started she could see things were not going in a good direction she wanted to have faith that the town would find ways to find solutions not for just one side but for everyone. She said there are issues right here in Swanton and she wants to support everyone and find a way. She hopes these art boards don’t stay down until February because they’re important. She hopes everyone can look at a piece of art and always see a meaning. She hopes everyone can come together and find their way to reinstate those boards with rules.

 

David Hemingway said he’s not a new citizen in this town as his parents lived in the same house for 68 years. He said he’s lived here all his life and never had anyone come up to him and tell him to leave this town because you’re not wanted. He said these people said it to him and he took the blunt. He said his purple heart was degraded and he was put on Facebook and in the newspaper. He said someone commented they should take his purple heart away from him and that he should have gotten killed in Vietnam before he got his purple heart. He said he served his country and he supports the Village Trustees.

 

Shane Collins stated he watched the video of the last meeting and was shocked by some things he heard. He said he’d like everyone to know that his wife and family are all American citizens.

 

Joel Clark said he’d like to say that the Selectboard is ready to talk about racial injustice, talk about biases and said they have a lot to learn, their employees have a lot to learn and they will work with the Trustees on setting up some forums to improve the situation. Neal Speer said he agrees with what Joel stated and said they are looking for a neutral moderator. He said it’s good to hear from people here in this room instead of outside and said he’s glad they came and stated their case. He said hopefully they can rise above this. Meaghan Conly said she agreed they should move forward but this could be difficult if there’s no statement from the Board. She said the things that were said at the last meeting were very painful and she doesn’t feel that the community can move forward unless there’s some sort of recognition on that. Suzanne Washburn stated that she hopes when these conversations take place that people speak with open minds. She said she had an experience with an individual in this room and she felt that if she wasn’t agreeing 100% with her she was being dismissed and she felt like she was being bullied. She said whatever meeting takes place people need to come to this without an agenda and everyone should come together and learn from one another. She said they need to respect one another as well. Terri O’Shea asked the Board if they planned to apologize and asked what they have learned since the last meeting. Reg Beliveau said other communities are going through the same issues so it will take some time to coordinate this forum. He said the Village and Town will hold this forum together possibly at the Town Garage. Terri said she heard some recognition that things need to change. More discussion took place about whether or not the Board feels they need to apologize and what their next steps will be. Terri said she was trying to bring both sides together. Neal Speer stated they wanted to start with a fresh slate and continue these discussions with civility. Reg Beliveau said he was working on a statement for the community. He said people say things in haste and words can be misconstrued in an email. He said they are working hard to get a forum together, they all have biases and he’s not pinpointing anyone out, he said they are all working on it. Anna Roy said when there’s two sides that can’t quite get together but decided they are going to go forward and have a discussion calmly with a neutral person that is better than an apology as it wipes the board clean and it says there are issues but let’s move forward, this forum is the best solution thus far. Instead of name calling or insisting someone apologize in public or on TV isn’t going to work, let’s have discussions instead. Priscilla Connelly said wherever they hold this forum it needs to be big enough to hold everyone. Neal said they are proposing holding it at the Town Garage. Sandy Kilburn said she wanted to end this where she started by saying that everyone has good intentions, they want to come together and these are not going to be easy conversations and might be uncomfortable. She said let’s concentrate on what we have in common and take it from there. Neal Speer thanked everyone for their comments and input and said he is hoping to move forward in a positive direction. He said as far as the damage to the art wall when it was taken down, the Village is repairing it for the Arts Council.

 

9. Any Other Necessary Business:

 

Adam Paxman stated he wanted to thank the Public Works crew for the work they’ve done on York Street making more green space. He said they also added more green space by the NOTCH building.

 

Any Other Business: Chris Leach stated he wrote a letter to the Swanton Postmaster about a drive through window. He will update the Board if he hears anything.

 

10. Executive Session (If Necessary):

 

None.

 

11. Adjournment:

 

Chris Leach made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 7:53 p.m.  Adam Paxman seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 7:53 p.m. Motion carried.

 

 

 

_____________________________________             _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President                            Date

 

 

 

 

_____________________________________    ___________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                                Date

 

 

July 13, 2020

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, July 13, 2020

7:00 PM

 

PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau Jr., Village Manager; Elisabeth Nance, Economic Development Coordinator; Suzanne Washburn, Mark Rocheleau, Joel Clark, Nicole Gadouas, David Hemingway, Darci Benoit, Lenny Bates, and Channel 16.

 

Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously.

 

1. Call to Order:

 

Neal Speer, Village President, called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

 

2. Pledge of Allegiance:

 

Everyone stood for the Pledge of Allegiance.

 

3. Agenda Review:

 

Reg Beliveau, Village Manager, stated he needed to add personnel under executive session.

 

4. Public Comment:

 

Mark Rocheleau stated he was there as a taxpayer and a concerned citizen of the Village. He said what he thought started out as a great idea has turned out of control and it’s not necessary. He was talking about the local art boards. He said the character assassination that is happening now, right or wrong, needs to stop. He wants the Village to think about temporarily shutting down or removing the art boards. He said this is way beyond ok, what’s happening now and whatever side of the fence you’re on or neutral area what’s happening on Facebook now is terrible. He said we’re better than this. He said he is requesting the Village to take down these boards for a period of time until some common ground or rules can be established.

 

Lenny Bates agreed with Mark and said these boards are on Village property and the messages are political and to allow that to be put upon the Village property is not appropriate. He said if anything like this is said on Facebook, if you have an opposing view, you are labeled a racist and bad person. He said he has a child of a different race and he’s being called a racist because he doesn’t agree with them. He said this is not the right place for it period. He said he doesn’t feel they should profit off Village property by selling their art and there is something to be said about that.

 

Suzanne Washburn said this is a wonderful little community and she’s lived here for about 23 years and this is the first time she’s seen hate speech displayed using these boards. She said maybe this wasn’t their intent, but it comes across as hate speech and if anyone approaches these individuals like she did she felt she was being bullied. She said she was told to go back and look up and better learn her history to find out what all of this means. She said she told them she knew her history. She said it didn’t promote the perfect opportunity to have a meaningful conversation, that wasn’t happening. It was “this is what we’re doing, end of story, go look it up, figure it out on your own.” She said she concurs, she pays taxes in this community and it’s not just about paying taxes. She said what bothers her the most is the hate that is being generated by these people and maybe their original plan was well intentioned but that is not what’s happening now. She said the character assassination for one of the individuals in the community is just appalling. It’s just not right.

 

Nicole Gadouas said she wanted to speak not as vice president of the Arts Council but as a community member. She said as a person in the community she agrees with all of them and was ashamed to see the character slamming on Facebook, it was horrible. She said he’s an upstanding community member and it’s terrible to do that to anybody for any reason. She feels the intentions started out in the right direction but ended up contradicting the point they are trying to prove. If they’re trying to prove the point of peace and kindness that’s not happening. She said its separation and divide and judgment and she said she is disgusted by all of it. She said she is ashamed as vice president of the Arts Council and am distraught by all of it. She said their mission as an arts council is to support local art and promote local art. She said she knows there is controversy over what’s art but this is more about political statements and agendas and the nation as a whole is so full of agenda right now it’s too much for everybody. She said within their community they are there to support and care for one another but they’re not doing that right now. She said as a community member she feels the walls need to be addressed because they are being used in the wrong way right now. She said she is not a racist and not judging art but this is not positive energy that is coming from them. She said that is not their mission as an arts council. She said she apologizes to any community member who has been hurt or stressed out in any way by this situation.

 

David Hemingway said he is the guy who has painted over the black fist. He said he painted over it three times and the fourth time he came over to paint he was approached by five people. He said this woman was hollering and screaming at him and the others were video taping him. He said they were calling him every name in the book as well as a racist. He said they told him to get out of this town because he didn’t belong here. He said he has lived here for 68 years and he has never been approached by anybody like this in his life. He said if he had done that to them and did what they did it would have been in every newspaper around. He said as a combat vet he respects the flag and stands for it really strong. He said he was surrounded and never said a word to them. He said one guy came over, reached over with a spray can and almost sprayed him in the face. He said he came over to paint just like everyone else has been doing and was told to get out of town and called names. He said he decided to pick up his paint and leave and told them to go ahead and repaint it, that he would be back again. He said he has just as much a right to paint over it as they do. He said he was then splashed all over Facebook and made to look like the bad guy, that’s wrong. He said they took a picture of his license plate with his purple heart and put that on Facebook. He said he received that purple heart from the Vietnam war. He said he painted a peace sign, he fought a war and knows what it’s all about. He said he can see who lives in this town and who doesn’t and said this is an outside move that they don’t appreciate. He said he would like to see the boards removed for one year to give this a break.

 

Nicole Gadouas said it’s unfortunate it has come to this. She said they have followed billboard rules and never took into consideration political agendas. She said she is concerned about the safety of the community. She said it has become hurtful and disrespectful and she feels terrible about that. She said as a community member she apologizes to Mr. Hemingway. She said everyone should be respected.

 

Neal Speer, Village President, said at the last Trustees meeting they gave this a chance and talked about revising the rules for the art boards. He said it’s supposed to be “art” and they decided to let it settle for a while. He said the controversial end of it exploded and now there is defamation of character for our long-time citizens and what really upsets him is the Arts Council has done nothing to right this or modify it. He said there is one group that’s instigating this and they gave them a chance. Nicole Gadouas said they have acted independently.

 

Darci Benoit stated she wanted to apologize to Mr. Hemingway as well because the people doing these actions do not speak for the Arts Council as a whole. Our arts council is extremely divided right now because half want to change this and take the walls down and the other half wants to continue with this. She said this isn’t the arts council as a whole and she’d like to see the dust settle.

 

Neal Speer stated some members of the Arts Council have been intimidated by this and there’s some fear there and there’s inaction because of this. Adam Paxman said he’s very disappointed with what’s going on with the art walls. He said it’s a great idea to show art but these have become message boards. The fact that someone was verbally abused is disgusting. He said he doesn’t condone that type of behavior in the community. He said there are a lot of keyboards warriors talking on Facebook and it’s not right. He said the Swanton Enhancement Committee is working on a diversity and equality committee and that’s where people should start talking and be done with painting symbols. He said it’s time to talk and get involved in this committee so they can make positive changes. He said he’s afraid if they don’t do something with these art walls someone is going to get hurt very soon. Adam Paxman made the motion to remove the art walls effective this week and revisit this in January 2021 with the Arts Council. Chris Leach stated he’s been approached by people regarding these boards. He said he canvased about 20 people about these walls and heard remarks such as “wow I really like that art, that’s very cute, I wonder who made that one, or that one made me laugh.” He said it’s nice seeing them and it was a joy and compliment to the community and now they have turned into a message board. He said Mr. Hemingway was wounded in service and there is no one more patriotic or understanding for what our country is and what it stands for than David Hemingway. He said he agrees with Adam and would second the motion. Nicole asked for more clarification on which boards they were talking about. Adam said all three boards should be removed. He said he knows the Arts Council will make the right decisions and feels they should steer people towards this committee so progress can be made. He said there’s too much hate coming out of this and they want to promote change. He said he recommends all three boards come down and revisit it in January. He said it would be a great spring project to put them back up. Suzanne Washburn said all existing art boards should come down. More discussion took place regarding the number of boards and their location. Eugene LaBombard stated this could be used as an educational tool because young people need to learn that conflicts happen and what was happening here is disgusting. Nicole said by doing this, by whiting out a painting or taking down a wall, it’s not trying to silence someone it’s trying to remove the hate.

 

Shawn Cheney said he spent quite a bit of time painting over white supremacy symbols here in town, more time than he did painting over black fist. He said what happens is once one side starts the other side comes in for a reaction. He said we want to keep our town stable and enjoyable and civil. He said the arts council has done a phenomenal job. He said he would work on finding them a commercial space where they can use in town for a long period of time so they have a place to go and control their art so they aren’t hijacked. He said they’re good people and military people would call them softhearted. He said they need to work together and he would like to help the arts council going forward.

 

Neal Speer stated he hopes as much of this positive conversation gets out to the public instead of all the negative Facebook conversations. He thanked everyone for their comments. He asked if there was a second to the motion to remove all art boards on Village property. Eugene LaBombard stated there is an art board near Webster Terrace that is not on Village property. Adam Paxman stated he would amend his motion to state that the Board of Trustees remove the art wall on the municipal office property, remove the art wall on Canada Street by Webster Terrace and remove the art wall on Route 7 until January, when they will revisit the topic with the Arts Council. Chris Leach seconded the motion. Motion carried. Adam stated he would like it noted that they initiate a meeting in January with the Arts Council to discuss putting the boards back up in the spring.

 

5. Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, June 22, 2020:

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Monday, June 22, 2020 as presented. Chris Leach seconded. Discussion: Chris Leach asked if any progress was made on Mr. Yates request about the boats being launched at the Swanton Beach. Reg Beliveau stated he was still working on it. Motion carried.

 

6. Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Friday, July 10, 2020:

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve Village Warrants through Friday, July 10, 2020 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: Adam Paxman asked about the payment to VEEU for $50,281.99. He asked if VEEU stands for Efficiency Vermont. Reg Beliveau stated yes it does. Adam mentioned this payment is monthly. Chris Leach said this is a tax the rate payers had no say in. Motion carried.

 

7. Economic Development Coordinator Update:

 

Elisabeth Nance, Economic Development Coordinator, presented the Board with an Agreement for Consultant Engineering Services with VHB who will conduct engineering investigations, develop construction plans, specifications and estimates and provide design engineering services during the construction phase for the Downtown Transportation Study project. The total amount to be paid to the consultant for all services shall not exceed a maximum limiting amount of $33,997. There is a 20% match on this grant which is included in the $33,997. Chris Leach stated he would like a minimum of three plans submitted so at least all designs can be viewed. He said he didn’t see any real answers to the truck issue and he would like to see some real results. Elisabeth said they did a site visit and saw the truck issues, saw people trying to turn left off of Canada Street, etc. Chris said he would like to see real solutions to these issues. Adam Paxman made the motion to authorize Village Manager Reg Beliveau to sign the Contract Agreement with Consultant VHB for the Downtown Transportation Study Project as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

Elisabeth said the second document she handed out pertains to Complete and Green Streets which are roadways designed and operated to safely and comfortably accommodate users of all ages and abilities, including cyclists, pedestrians, transit riders, elderly, wheelchair users, delivery and service personnel, and emergency responders; and to reduce, accommodate and slow stormwater runoff as part of a comprehensive stormwater management system. She said she’d like the Trustees to look this over, study it and this can be discussed at a future meeting.

 

Elisabeth said through RiseVT the Town and Village were both awarded the bike repair towers. They will be shipped in late August so can hopefully be installed this fall. She also said the Healthy Community Taskforce was out doing a sidewalk inventory last Thursday. She said the idea is to work with the Town and Village highway departments to help prioritize sidewalk projects.

 

8. Swanton Village Police Department Update with Chief Stell:

 

Chief Stell said the Village Police Department responded to 149 calls for service during the month of June. He said one of those calls pertained to a homicide which caused them to spend 3 ½ weeks of time working on it doing interviews, write ups, etc. He said they also issued 13 warnings for traffic offenses and issued 2 traffic citations totaling $344. He said the other issue that came across his desk was the speeding issue on First Street. He said they set up a speed monitor in two different locations to see what the average speed was. He said in the easterly direction they recorded over 13,000 vehicles and the average speed was 28 mph. He said they did have over 4,000 vehicles that were over the speed limit and that range was 31-34 mph. He said 23 vehicles in a three-day period were in the 44 mph range in the middle of the night. He said in the westbound direction the average speed was 30 mph. He said during the daytime hours everything is between the 28-30 mph speed limit range. Neal asked if there were any new COVID-19 cases in the County. Chief Stell said he believed there were 6 to 8 new cases in the county, with 3 or 4 of them being in the Swanton/Highgate area. He said the virus is still here and until they have a vaccine it will be here. He said the schools are getting ready to reopen and they need to stay diligent, wear a mask in public and wash your hands. From a medical standpoint they are learning about transmission in pediatrics. It discusses how in really young children it shows they are unable to transmit the virus. Adam Paxman asked if there was any opportunity to put a crosswalk in the area of Greenwich or New Streets. Chief Stell said the State of Vermont would have to determine that. He suggested the Board of Trustees sending the state a letter requesting that crosswalk. Chris Leach asked if there were any issues with firework complaints. Chief Stell said there were numerous complaints in the Village and in the Town. He said now that the 4^th of July is over they haven’t had as many complaints. Suzanne Washburn asked out of the 149 calls they had were any from suicide due to COVID-19. Chief Stell said they haven’t seen an increase in suicide attempt calls. Reg Beliveau asked about the COVID-19 weekly updates sent to the Town Selectboard and Village Trustees from the Chief, he asked where citizens could go and check for accurate up to date information. Chief Stell said the Vermont Department of Health and the Vermont Emergency Management sites are full of information.

 

9. Sign VT State Revolving Fund Loan Agreement for $147,900 for the Wastewater 20-Year Evaluation:

 

Reg Beliveau stated this was for the 20-year evaluation study for the Wastewater Treatment Plant that has already been discussed and approved by the Board of Trustees. Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and sign the VT State Revolving Fund Loan Agreement for $147,900 for the Wastewater 20-Year Evaluation. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.

 

10. Any Other Necessary Business:

 

Chris Leach said he has mentioned this before about a drive through mailbox in the Village and said he would really like to see this happen. He suggested maybe the end of Academy Street or maybe on the end of Elm Street by the Village office. He said people have complained to him about the traffic on Grand Avenue and how dangerous it is trying to cross to go to the Post Office. David Hemingway said this could be an issue in the winter with the snowplows. Chris said they do this in other towns successfully so why not here. Suzanne Washburn said they have a drive-up mailbox in South Burlington and it works very well. She said it doesn’t have to be on a one-way street. He said he’d like to alleviate the dangerous situation on Grand Avenue.

 

Any Other Business: Eugene LaBombard stated he walks around town just about every day and said there are some crosswalks that need to be painted. He said some are very faded. He said he’d like to see them painted before school starts.

 

Any Other Business: Mark Rocheleau stated he appreciated the Board considering his request to remove the art boards because there will be backlash either way. Suzanne Washburn said it still makes her sad that this lovely little community had to go through this.

 

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau said Abenaki Chief Menard contacted him and has requested a totem pole be erected in the Village Green. Adam Paxman said they should put that on the next agenda so it can be discussed further.

 

11. Executive Session to Discuss Real Estate and Personnel:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter Executive Session to discuss real estate and personnel at 8:24 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to exit Executive Session at 9:05 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

 

ACTION TAKEN: None.

 

12. Adjournment:

 

Chris Leach made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 9:05 p.m.  Eugene LaBombard seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 9:05 p.m. Motion carried.

 

 

 

_____________________________________             _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President                            Date

 

 

 

 

_____________________________________    ___________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                                Date

 

June 22, 2020

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

 

 

 

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, June 22, 2020

7:00 PM

 

 

 

PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau Jr., Village Manager; Chris and Dr Yates, Maquam Shore residents; Shawn Cheney, Ronald Kilburn and Channel 16.

 

 

Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously.

 

 

1. Call to Order:

 

Neal Speer, Village President, called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

 

2. Pledge of Allegiance:

 

Everyone stood for the Pledge of Allegiance.

 

3. Agenda Review:

 

Reg Beliveau, Village Manager, stated he needed to add a water and wastewater allocation request to the agenda as well as contracts under executive session.

 

4. Public Comment:

 

Chris Yates stated that Selectboard member Heather Buckowski posted a comment on Facebook about the Swanton Beach bathrooms being really nice but not open yet. He said he wanted to commend Swanton for doing that beach, it looks nice. He wanted to know if they could get the sign put back up because there used to be a nice sign there by the entrance. He said the other topic is when the water is low trucks back all the way out into the middle of the bay to pull boats out. He said there needs to be a balance to let kayakers and small boats use it but can they stop the big boats and trucks from backing up into the bay. Reg Beliveau stated that every winter they take the sign down and the post it sits on needs to be taken apart and they need to build a nicer mound. He said with COVID-19 some of their spring work is behind schedule. He said the sign needs work as well and all that is on their list of things to do. He said if the bathrooms were open they would need specialized cleaning due to the virus and they don’t have the ability to do that at this time. Neal Speer stated he’s not sure what they can do about the larger boats and trucks. He said last week he saw someone having a real hard time loading his boat. Chris Yates showed a photo of a truck way out in the bay and said they’re doing nothing but stirring up the bay. Eugene LaBombard stated they usually open the launch up in the fall for duck hunters and asked if they’ve ever closed it during the summer. Reg stated he’s not aware of doing that. Adam Paxman stated the same thing. Reg said there must be some restrictions about this. Neal said maybe they should put some restrictions in place that if the water dropped below a certain level boats wouldn’t be able to be launched there. Reg said he would look into this matter. Chris Yates said maybe if the water level reached 95-96 feet, they should restrict the larger boats, he said kayaks and small 10-12’ boats don’t have an issue. Adam stated as far as the sign goes he’s wondering if it can be redesigned like they did at the Hydro Plant. Reg said he would ask Scott Mueller about it. Chris said this beach is a great asset to the community and the nicer they keep it and the more it’s used the less likely it will go the other way. Eugene asked if they close the gate at night. Adam said he believes it is closed by 10 p.m. each night. Chris Leach stated he would be in favor of restricting the size of boats that launch there.

 

Ron Kilburn stated he was at the bridge to water the flowers and wondered what kind of feelings someone would get by throwing flowers from the bridge down into the water. He said this is just food for thought and this just takes away incentive from people who want to make a positive difference. Chris Leach stated they were taught to respect things and wouldn’t damage other peoples’ property but times have changed and he doesn’t understand it.

 

Chris Yates also stated he has talked with Reg about the possibility of installing a sewer line on Maquam Shore Road. He wondered if there was grant money out there to get this installed. He said it would be nice to get some of these sewer systems off the lake and onto a municipal system. He said with the Village having launched a study to install bike and pedestrian lanes through there, why doesn’t the Village look at sewer lines while doing this. He said VT Gas showed a little bit of interest as well especially when they thought sewer lines might go in. He’d like to see if they could get the wheel turning to look into this. He said even those with fully functional mound systems would be interested. He said there’s people like himself who have a conventional system that would like to possibly build a new house with a municipal sewer system. Chris Yates said he talked with Tim Smith from FCIDC who said there was grant money available years ago and there still is some available now but was delayed due to COVID-19. He said he asked if there was capacity for this and Reg said there was. He said he wanted to know what the Trustees thought about this and asked what they could do. Adam Paxman said he thought it was a great idea and said they should look into it. Chris Yates said he would hate to see the road get widened with new bike lanes then five years later have sewer lines installed and tear it up. Chris Leach said this would be great but doesn’t feel they can burden the Village ratepayers. Dr. Taylor Yates said he has lived on Maquam Shore Road for over 20 years and when he moved there he asked where the septic system was. He said there was a barrel in the ground and said he had to tear that out and install one. He said there are several camps that still have barrels in the ground that drain out into the lake. He thought the Village should look into the camps that have these kinds of systems draining into the lake. Eugene LaBombard stated this was a state issue not a Village issue. Dr. Yates thought whatever they could do to clean up the lake would be beneficial to everyone. Eugene said they might need to find some funding to do a study and said he knows they don’t have the money for that now. He wondered if there were grants for this. Reg said he talked with their engineer and if there were residents living there who had failed septic systems they could request grant funding to help assist in building a wastewater system. He said there has to be enough revenue generated to make it feasible for the Village. He said he has been talking with Wayne Elliott and the next step would be to get residents to sign on and get a list of residents interested in this. Neal said it’s ironic that there is grant money to study a bike path but not money to study a sewer line for the residents who live there. He said if they know of any failed septic systems on Maquam Shore they should report it to the Zoning Administrator who would then involve the state. Chris Yates said as far as the state goes there is zero enforcement down there. Chris Yates said another big issue there is the wetlands and being allowed to run gas or sewer lines through those areas. Shawn Cheney said he feels the Village would be met with resistance if they tried and mandated residents to connect to the sewer line. Reg said he would continue to work on this issue. Chris Yates said if there is anything he can do to help, to let him know.

 

5. Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, June 1, 2020:

 

Chris Leach made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Monday, June 1, 2020 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

 

6. Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Friday, June 19, 2020:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve Village Warrants through Friday, June 19, 2020 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

 

7. Sign Resolution for Federal Emergency Aid to Reopen and Rebuild Local American Economies:

 

Reg Beliveau, Village Manager, stated this is a resolution from the VT Leagues of Cities and Towns that would offer federal relief packages to small businesses affected by COVID-19. He said Congressman Welch and Governor Scott have been working on this and this resolution is just a reinforcement of this. He said by signing it shows municipalities also support this resolution for stabilization and recovery of local economies. Chris Leach stated he is in favor of this as well and hopes that everyone who deserves it can get it. Reg said this resolution is about the money being disseminated the best way. Chris Leach made the motion that the Village Trustees sign and support this resolution as presented to reopen and rebuild American economies. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

8. Acknowledge and Sign Swanton Village’s Municipal Checklist for Internal Control, Cash Controls:

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion that the Village Trustees would acknowledge and sign the Municipal Checklist for Internal Control, Cash Controls for the Village of Swanton. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

 

9. Any Other Necessary Business:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter Water Commissioner’s meeting at 7:41 p.m. to discuss a water and wastewater allocation. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve Dean Ryan’s request for a water and wastewater allocation for 56 North River Street for 400 gpd for a three-bedroom single family residence. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried. Eugene LaBombard made the motion to exit Water Commissioner’s meeting at 7:42 p.m. and re-enter Open Session. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

 

Any Other Business: Eugene LaBombard stated the sidewalk work on First Street is long overdue and looks very nice. He asked if this was coming out of Village funds or from grant money. Reg said this is from grant funds and it took a while to get it complete because of issues at the state level. Eugene said thank you to everyone involved. Reg said the fence that was there was taken down and the Village will install a new one there. Eugene asked about the sidewalk that is supposed to run up to MVUHS. Reg said he wasn’t sure but thought the Town had a meeting coming up about that.

 

Any Other Business: Adam Paxman said recently there has been a rash of vehicle break-ins at the north end of the Village so advised residents to lock their vehicles at night. He said hopefully the perpetrator is caught soon. He said this has occurred on Spring Street and some side streets as well.

 

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau stated he had a request wondering if the Arts Council could hold some concerts at the Swanton beach, if that would be ok. He said the bathrooms aren’t open so there would be more work to be done but asked if the Board would be ok with this. He said there is power there and beautiful sunsets. Neal Speer said with COVID-19 it would be very hard to do a concert there. He said there would have to be social distancing as well. Reg said outside they are asking for 10 ft per person for distancing. Chris Leach said at this time he would have to say no. Eugene LaBombard said they would have to have some sort of control especially if the police were to be called. He said he would also say no at this time. Neal Speer said with all the COVID-19 issues it would be very hard to do.

 

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau said he also has a request for the reconstruction of the Doughboy in Flat Iron Park. He said a local veteran called him about this and would like to pay for the reconstruction of this monument. Ron Kilburn said they have people with good intentions who want to make changes to a World War II statue. He said the structure is failing a bit due to weather. He said it’s worth taking time to inform the public of what it represents and why it needs attention. In 1937 Swanton celebrated its 175^th anniversary and dedicated the Doughboy monument to those citizens who served in World War I and there is a list of their names who served in that park. He said this is a worthy project, but it is going a little slower than some would like. He said some would like to replace the base with a granite base and that would require more public discussion before that happens. He said he honors and respects the veteran organizations for wanting to be helpful and they serve a purpose to our community. He said they’re willing to do some fundraising and fix this and that is worthy of some applause. Reg said he understands they want to do a marble base as well. He said he was asked who actually owns the Doughboy and he said the Village owns the property, but the structure may be owned by the veterans. He thought the Historical Preservation Commission should be involved with the reconstruction. Eugene said he feels they are going down the right path. Reg said with Ron’s guidance and the Historical Preservation Commission’s guidance he would like to meet with the veterans’ organization and discuss this project. Shawn Cheney asked if a mason has inspected it yet. Ron said there are less than 200 Doughboy monuments in the United States and they are a good reminder to people to appreciate their history. Eugene LaBombard said he didn’t think anyone would have a problem with the Village taking care of it. Reg said he would work with Joel Clark on this and would update the Board. Neal asked Ron if he wanted to restore the Monument as it was built or does he want to change it. Reg said he would want it restored as it was in 1937.

 

Any Other Business: Neal Speer asked Shawn Cheney if he wanted to address anything. He stated he just wanted to attend to see how things worked but he also wanted to say how upsetting it was to see such a lack of respect over the last few weeks regarding the Art Walls in Swanton Village. He said it’s concerning to him especially with the placement of the board that sits on the Municipal property. He said he feels this board should be moved to Swanton Beach because this is the gateway to our community. He said someone unknown driving through here would see this coming from our police station and municipal office. He said there have been some great things over the years, but they’ve had their share of controversary over the last few weeks. He said because of this he would like the board moved to another location or removed completely. He said the Arts Council is made up of great people from the community with great intentions and in some cases, they have been overrun with major violations of the board. He said there have been things that have offended people, there have been words written, etc. Shawn said he is requesting the board to be moved to the Swanton Beach on Maquam Shore Rd. or removed completely. Neal Speer said he doesn’t feel this is the end of the discussion on these boards, but he is grateful a lot of different people got involved in that. He said he thinks love won over hate. He said there was a lot of attention and maybe some rules need to be revised. Shawn said he served on a riot team in the National Guard and studied hate groups and feels there is no room here for any of it and said he would step up for anyone that doesn’t have a voice. Chris Leach said he feels artwork should be approved by the Arts Council before being painted. Ron Kilburn said he wanted to thank Shawn for bringing this topic up. He said he doesn’t do social media so misses out on a lot of stuff. He said he doesn’t feel any art work should be censored.

 

10. Executive Session to Discuss Customer Account and Contracts:

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to enter Executive Session to discuss customer account and contracts at 8:20 p.m. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.

 

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

 

ACTION TAKEN: None.

 

11. Adjournment:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 8:40 p.m.  Chris Leach seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 8:40 p.m. Motion carried.

 

 

 

 

_____________________________________             _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President                            Date

 

 

 

 

_____________________________________    ___________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                                Date