This page is maintained by Swanton Village, Inc and is intended to be the official online posting of public meetings and minutes in accordance with Vermont’s Open Meeting law (Amended July 1st, 2014).

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

November 9, 2015

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

 

 

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, November 9, 2015

7:00 PM

 

 

 

 

PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau, Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk; 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, October 26, 2015:

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Monday, October 26, 2015 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

 

4.      Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Friday, November 6, 2015:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants through Friday, November 6, 2015 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion:  Chris Leach stated there are a lot of credit unions and banks the Village of Swanton makes payments to.  Motion carried.

 

5.      Interfund Borrowing Agreement Renewal:

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to renew the Interfund Borrowing Agreement. Chris Leach seconded. Discussion: Village Clerk Dianne Day explained this was part of the 108 filing that the voters approved last year regarding interfund borrowing in the Electric Department. She advised that it needed to be renewed on a yearly basis. Motion carried.

 

6.      Discuss Gilles Tremblay Gifting 41 Brown Avenue to the Village of Swanton:

 

Reg Beliveau, Village Manager, stated he talked with Zoning Administrator Ron Kilburn last week regarding this parcel of land. He said this is considered a wetland and is assessed at $21,100 and is owned by Gilles Tremblay and Ed Hemond. Adam Paxman stated the Village should take it and subdivide it and sell to the other property owners. Eugene LaBombard stated he didn’t feel the Village should put any expense into that piece of property. He said if the neighbors wanted it they could buy it from Mr. Tremblay. Reg stated he wanted to call Gilles Tremblay and Ed Hemond and find out more information before they decide on taking the property. This item has been tabled until further notice.

 

7.      Adopt Utility Pole Ordinance:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to adopt the Utility Pole Ordinance as presented. Chris Leach seconded. Discussion: Fairpoint and Comcast will be notified of the new ordinance and it will be posted in five public places. This ordinance will take effect on January 8, 2016. Motion carried.

 

8.       Any Other Necessary Business:

 

Adam Paxman stated the Chamber of Commerce had a successful Halloween In The Park event and MVUHS had a successful Trunk or Treat the same day. He said the Fire Department and Rescue Department was there as well. He stated their next project will be Christmas in the Park. He said they received donations for Christmas lights and is very thankful for that. Adam said he is still working on the Methodist Church parking lot issue and said hopefully they will come to an agreement soon. He said they are discussing who is responsible for snow removal between the library and the church. He said he is waiting to hear back from them and said he will keep the Board updated. He said they would like to begin this January 1st, 2016.

 

Any Other Business: Chris Leach asked if the new water line has been run under the river yet. Reg Beliveau stated not yet but they are planning on doing it by the end of November. Chris asked if the sluice way was fixed yet. Reg stated not yet, he is waiting for a diver to go in first. He said their diver was doing some work at the Reservoir and he needs to get him to dive in the river. Reg stated he is continuing to work on this issue but said he may need a permit to get it done.

 

Any Other Business: Chris Leach stated with the heroin and drug problem being a big issue right now, he wondered if the Chief of Police could come in and talk with the Board to inform them as to what’s going on in the community. Reg thought that was a good idea and said the Drug Task Force should also come in. Neal Speer stated that there is also a problem with drugs in the work force. He said he talked with Kathy Lavoie regarding this. Reg stated they are hoping to get a lineman course here as well. Chris stated the linemen should join the Job Expo. Reg stated he sent Jim Irish to MVUHS and Swanton Village ended up getting an intern from that. He said the Village of Swanton has some big employers here such as Vermont Precision Tools, Mylan and TDI. Chris also asked if Reg has heard anything about the gas company coming into Swanton. Reg stated he believed they would be breaking ground next month. Chris also asked if employee evaluations were done. Reg stated they would be working on those next month.

 

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau stated the Swanton Enhancement group will hold a community dinner to recap the year.

 

Any Other Business: Chris Leach mentioned the public works crew is doing a great job picking up leaves in the Village of Swanton. He also mentioned the Wind Project meeting was held here at the Village Complex and went well. He said he doesn’t believe this project meets the Public Service Board’s definition of “public good” and also said the power to be generated from this wind project is not needed by the State of Vermont.

 

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau stated there is a group of residents working on putting a skate park in Marble Mill and they will be doing some fundraising for that project. Reg also said Operation Happiness will be held here December 14th through December 19th. He said food boxes will be picked up on Saturday, December 19th.

 

9.      Public Comment:

 

None.

 

10.  Executive Session (If Necessary):

 

None.

 

11.  Adjournment:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 7:55 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 7:55 p.m. Motion carried.

 

 

 

_____________________________________          _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President                           Date

 

 

 

_____________________________________          ___________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                               Date

 

 

 

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

October 26, 2015

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

 

 

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, October 26, 2015

7:00 PM

 

 

 

 

PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau, Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk; Ron Kilburn, Zoning Administrator; 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:

 

Village Clerk Dianne Day advised that she had the 3rd quarter SQRP report to be reviewed under Any Other Business.

 

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

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Monday, September 28, 2015 as presented. Chris Leach seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

 

4.      Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Friday, October 23, 2015:

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants through Friday, October 23, 2015 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion:  Adam Paxman asked about the Burlington Communication invoice for $4624.00. Reg Beliveau advised that was for repair on the electric line truck radios and Public Work’s truck radios. Eugene LaBombard asked about the Business Card invoice for $4009.48. Reg advised that was for the NEPPA Conference.  Motion carried.

 

5.      Electric Line of Credit Renewal:

 

Chris Leach made the motion to renew the Electric Line of Credit for $850,000 with People’s United Bank. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried. Board members signed all necessary documents.

 

6.      Water Line of Credit Renewal:

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to renew the Water Department Line of Credit for $500,000 with Union Bank. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried. Board members signed all necessary documents.

 

7.      Discuss Gilles Tremblay Gifting 41 Brown Avenue to the  Village of Swanton:

 

Chris Leach asked if there was any access to this property. Adam Paxman stated he thought the only way to access it was through Daprato Drive. He said he didn’t think you could access it because it was wetland. Chris asked what the size of the property was and Ron Kilburn stated it was .61 acres. Chris asked why the Village would want the property. The property is assessed at $21,100 and the 2015 tax bill was $156.29. The Board stated they wanted to look into this further so have tabled this item until further notice.

 

8.      MVUHS Educational Travel Group request Coin Drop for November 7, 2015:

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve MVUHS’s Educational Travel Group’s request to hold a coin drop on Saturday, November 7, 2015 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, with a rain date of Saturday, November 14, 2015 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. He stated they needed to comply with a certificate of insurance and have proper safety vests and signage. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried with two yays, one nay.

 

9.      Utility Pole Ordinance Update:

 

Adam Paxman stated he has drafted the Utility Pole Ordinance after the City of Burlington’s ordinance. He said he’s made a few changes to it and would like to get this adopted quickly. He said this has become a nuisance and needs to be fixed. He stated the Chief of Police has read through it and has no problems with it. Chris Leach asked how the penalties would be collected if it came to that. Adam stated he believed tickets would be handled like a parking ticket in the Village. He has requested this be put on the next agenda for adoption. Reg Beliveau stated Fairpoint and Comcast would receive notice of this Ordinance.

 

10.  Swanton Walk-Bike Safety Action Plan from Healthy Communities Summit Update:

 

Reg Beliveau stated he met with Katelin Brewer-Colie from Local Motion, and they are trying to secure a grant through VTrans that will review Swanton’s Walk-Bike path plans. He said there are five communities in the State that will be awarded this 40 hour review from VTrans so he will continue to work with Local Motion and hopefully enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with them. He said he would keep the Board updated.

 

 

11.   Any Other Necessary Business:

 

Chris Leach stated the SQRP report measures how well the Village executes work orders, bills etc. He said he can see the Village beat the baseline in every category and has done very, very well again this quarter. Adam Paxman stated the Board acknowledges receiving this report for the third quarter.

 

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau stated the paving project for 2016 is in its final design stage. He said they will be paving from the town line on Route 78 up to Merchants Row. He said he is recommending they do night time work to help alleviate traffic congestion. Adam Paxman stated if this happens they will notify residents, tenants, etc. Reg also said they are able to get 500 ton of scarified filler that will be stored at the Town garage and used between the Town and the Village. He said they are also trying to figure out a mini round about by Merchants Row.

 

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau stated that the water project is coming along good and the only thing left to do is the river crossing. He said everything else has been tied in and tested. He also said their contractor backed out last minute so TDI may do the river crossing.

 

Any Other Business: Chris Leach stated the Village is picking up leaves and residents can pick up their paper bags here at the Village Complex. He asked what the saw horses were for in the Village Green. Reg stated that five bike racks are being installed. They will be at Lady Liberty, one by the Post Office, the Town Office, the Chamber of Commerce and one at Swanton Beach. Chris asked if Reg has heard anything regarding the Border Patrol building on Grand Ave. Reg said he has not. He also asked Reg if he has heard anymore on the Dam issue. He asked if the sluice was fixed yet. Reg said not yet but said it will be fixed.

 

Any Other Business: Eugene LaBombard advised Reg to purchase a new refrigerator for the office staff because the one they have no longer works.

 

Any Other Business: Adam Paxman stated he is waiting to hear back from the Methodist Church trustees regarding the parking lot. He also said there will be Halloween in the Park on Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m. hosted by the Chamber of Commerce and Arts Council. He said the Library will be showing a scary movie afterwards. He also said Christmas in the Park will be held on November 28th from 4 to 6:30 p.m.

 

12.  Public Comment:

 

Ron Kilburn thanked the Board for putting up with him for the last 12 years as Zoning Administrator. He said his last day on the job is Friday, October 30th. He said it’s been a positive experience and overall a great opportunity. Adam Paxman wished him the best of luck. Neal Speer stated he appreciated his efforts and wished him well.

 

13.  Executive Session (If Necessary):

 

None.

 

14.  Adjournment:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 8:10 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 8:10 p.m. Motion carried.

 

 

 

_____________________________________          _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President                           Date

 

 

 

_____________________________________          ___________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                               Date