SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX
120 FIRST STREET
SWANTON, VT 05488
REGULAR MEETING
Monday, November 27, 2017
7:00 PM
PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau, Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk; Tim Girard, Fire Chief; Peter Prouty and Jason Butler, Firefighters; Sandy & Ron Kilburn, Gordon Winters, Hank Lambert, Suzanne Washburn and Ch. 16.
Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously.
1. Call to Order:
Neal Speer, Village President, welcomed all to the Regular Board of Trustees meeting and called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
2. Agenda Review:
Reg Beliveau, Village Manager, stated he needed an Executive Session to discuss personnel.
3. Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, November 13, 2017:
Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept Minutes from Monday, November 13, 2017 as presented. Chris Leach seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.
4. Approve and Accept Village Warrants through November 22, 2017:
Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants through November 22, 2017 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: Adam Paxman mentioned the State of Vermont invoice which is sales tax paid to St. Albans. Motion carried.
5. Follow Up on Fire Department to Purchase New Fire Trucks:
Neal Speer stated the Fire Department was here tonight to discuss the purchase of two new fire trucks. Reg Beliveau stated that Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, figured what the impact would be on a home valued at $200,000. If the Fire Department was to purchase just Engine 3 there would be an estimated increase of $16.24 on a 15 year bond and an increase of $13.71 on a 20 year bond. If they were to purchase just Ladder 4 there would be an increase of $24.33 on a 15 year bond and an increase of $20.53 on a 20 year bond. And if the Fire Department were to purchase both new trucks at once there would be an increase of $40.57 on a 15 year bond and an increase of $34.24 on a 20 year bond. Fire Chief Tim Girard looked at these numbers and said he feels a 15 and 20 year bond is too long to go because the life of a fire truck is approximately 20 years. The Board discussed that for a while and agreed that they would ask Lynn to run the numbers again but with a 10 and 12 year bond. They said they would also ask her to run the numbers on a home valued at $175,000, a home valued at $200,000 and a home valued at $250,000. Adam Paxman stated that they have a need now for these trucks, not a want. Peter Prouty stated he is also a taxpayer but said if they delay doing this they would be worse off. Reg Beliveau stated he knows the Fire Department does what they can to be fiscally responsible and said the last two ladder trucks were purchased by the Fire Department alone through their Star Hose fund. The Board said they would ask Lynn for more information and requested this be put on the next agenda for further discussion.
6. Discuss the Sale of the Memorial Auditorium Building:
Neal Speer, Village President, stated that the Village Manager and the Board of Trustees have been negotiating for a year or so with the Winters family regarding the sale of the Memorial Building. He said they have come to the mutual agreement that this is what is best for the Village and the Town of Swanton and community to move forward with their Downtown Revitalization. Chris Leach stated the downtown has been shrinking and with a beautiful new Ace Hardware store downtown he guarantees this will spur other retailers to come forward. He said this is a win/win for our downtown area. He said more activity and other retail outlets is the way to go. He said the trend used to be for stores to go outside of the Village and go into shopping centers on the outskirts of Town. He said normally it’s too expensive to do it in the interior and said this is so unique, so special and so perfect. He said other Ace Hardware stores in the area are beautiful, state of the art, well thought out, and priced great. He said this is exactly what will be an impetus to grow their Village Center. He said the drawings of the project are tasteful and appropriate. He said this is a no brainer for him. Adam Paxman stated this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for their community and he’s very proud to be a part of it. Eugene LaBombard said for many years they have been looking for a way to improve the appearance and vitality of their downtown. He said they’ve been listening and watching as well as have other people but said this opportunity is the right one. Gordon Winters thanked the Board for their kind words and the support. He said Chris hit it on the head because they used to go to Ace conventions 10-15 years ago and would be told to get away from the downtown area and go to the strip malls next to a drug store etc. He said within the last five years the message has been to get anywhere you can in your downtown area so that it’s walkable. He said it’s almost impossible to develop in the middle of downtown because stores need an acre or so of land. He said usually there are no empty lots and if so they are brownfields that need work. He said the support he’s received is exactly what is needed to get this kind of project off the ground and he said he appreciates that support and the community’s support. He said he looks forward to getting started. Reg Beliveau said they can sign a Purchase and Sales Agreement tonight and said it would be posted for 30 days and if anyone opposes it they have 30 days to get a petition in with 5% of the registered voters. Neal Speer stated they wouldn’t go into the terms but said they are available at the Village office or with any Trustee. He said they know there is some opposition out there about this but said they believe this is the best opportunity. He said every board this has come before agrees with their decision to go with the Winters family proposal. He said the Board, the Development Review Board (DRB), and the Town Selectboard are in favor of this proposal.
Adam Paxman made the motion to enter into a Purchase and Sales Agreement with the Winters family on the Memorial Building and to give Village Manager authorization to sign all necessary documents. Chris Leach seconded. Discussion: Reg Beliveau stated he has dealt with contracts for many years and to have Gordon and Debbie Winters come in and to see their emotion and their sincere proposal was refreshing. He said you can question that they’re going to make money, of course they are he said but money will flow back into this community. Reg Beliveau, Village Manager, and Gordon Winters signed the Purchase and Sales Agreement. Motion carried.
7. Update on Rubber Dam:
Reg Beliveau informed the Board that the abrasion sheets have arrived. He said he talked more about making a repair and they have been watching the weather and it’s not conducive to making any repairs at this time. He said PC Construction said they want to be kept in the loop and if they have a window of good weather maybe they can do something then. He said they’ll have to wait and see. He said the rubber bag is on its way and should be here next week. He said if the water gets too high they have to deflate the bag some but said they are figuring it out. He said they are still producing power.
8. Adopt and Sign Ordinance for the Establishment of Historic Preservation Commission:
Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and adopt the Establishment of a Historic Preservation Commission Ordinance as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried. The Board signed the Ordinance.
9. Any Other Necessary Business:
Adam Paxman stated he would like Chief Stell to be at their next meeting for an update on the Police Department. He also stated he wanted to thank everyone for their Christmas in the Park event last Saturday. He said it was a great time and a lot of fun. He said they are going to try and do a little bit more next year and said on behalf of everyone involved thank you.
Any Other Business: Chris Leach said he wanted to talk about the Teen Center or Community Center. He said he’s not sure if people really know what that means and said they think it’s just a big hall with events going on. He said there’s more to it than that and if people understood programs, usage and the good things that can happen from those activities. He said the Teen Center was more than just a place for the kids to hang out and if they’re going to move it people need to understand what it means and what goes on there. He said he would like a director to come in and explain what really happens there. He said a lot of people are making negative comments but said he feels that comes from a lack of understanding. Reg Beliveau stated he joined the Board of Directors for the Teen Center as well. He said there is more funding available for grants if they make it a community center rather than just a teen center. He said this is a great opportunity for people to get involved and help support the youth of the community. He said this is a positive and he wished more people would come out and help and get involved.
Any Other Business: Eugene LaBombard stated he wished the Police Department would start issuing tickets or towing vehicles that are parking on the streets and blocking the snow plows. Village Clerk Dianne Day stated the Winter Parking Ban goes into effect on December 1st. Eugene stated he thought it started on the 15th of November and said they should change that because he doesn’t like cars parking on the streets when they need plowing. Eugene stated after December 1st he hopes the police department issues tickets for this violation.
Any Other Business: Neal Speer asked about the soffet lights on Merchants Row. Reg Beliveau stated he was supposed to hear something back today. Neal said he is hoping to get some grant money so it won’t cost the Village to put them in. He said he and Elisabeth Nance met with the State of Vermont and said there is some money available for this. He said it really does need to be lit up over there. Eugene stated he supports Neal’s efforts.
Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau stated that Joel Clark stopped by his office today asking if the Monument in Flat Iron Park could be lit on each side with some low voltage lights. He said the veterans names are printed on both sides of this monument and they’d like for it to be lit at night. He said Joel will do the fundraising to do this. The Board agreed with Joel’s request and said he should make it vandal proof. Reg also stated that next year marks the 100th Anniversary of Cpl. Leonard Antoine Lord, the first Vermonter killed in World War I. Reg stated the Armory on Ferris Street was dedicated to him in August of 1960. There was a parade in 1960 and 10,000 people came to see it and honor Cpl. Lord by dedicating the Armory in his name. Reg said that Joel wanted to bring public awareness to this and they are hoping to plan a celebration next year to honor him.
10. Public Comment:
None.
11. Executive Session (If Necessary):
Chris Leach made the motion to enter into Executive Session to discuss personnel at 7:55 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.
Chris Leach made the motion to exit Executive Session at 8:37 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.
ACTION TAKEN: None.
12. Adjournment:
Chris Leach made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 8:37 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 8:37 p.m. Motion carried.
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Neal Speer, Village President Date
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Dianne Day, Village Clerk Date