SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX
120 FIRST STREET
SWANTON, VT 05488
REGULAR MEETING
Monday, November 26, 2018
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; Betsy Fournier, Liza Cominsky, Swanton Recreation; Elisabeth Nance, Economic Development Coordinator 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 p.m.
2. Agenda Review:
Reg Beliveau, Village Manager, stated he would need an Executive Session to discuss personnel.
3. Public Comment:
Betsy Fournier from Swanton Recreation introduced Liza Cominsky to the Board as the Recreation Department’s new program director. Betsy stated they were here tonight to ask permission to set up a skating rink in the Village Green. She said they have the lumber from the last one they had, which measures 90’x90’. She stated they would like to put it between the bandstand and the swan pond. She stated she feels it will be better utilized if it were in the Village Green and said she thought it would benefit local businesses as well. She said she would like to put in a few benches or picnic tables for people to put their skates on. She said she is asking for help from the Fire Department to fill it and help from Public Works to help with snow removal if they get a lot of snow. Reg Beliveau stated they used to have one in the park and it was located by Lady Liberty and the bandstand on the Church Street side of the park. Adam Paxman asked Betsy if she thought of putting it at Marble Mill. Betsy said she has but thought it would be better in the Village Green because it’s lit up and more flat. She said the park closes at 10 p.m. and they have a sign that list all the rules for the skating rink. Chris Leach suggested they check with the Fire Department and with Public Works beforehand to make sure they are ok with it. Chris Leach made the motion to authorize Swanton Recreation to place a skating rink in the Village Green and to coordinate with the Fire Department and Public Works Department for help with filling the rink and with cleaning the rink. He also made the motion to give Reg Beliveau authorization to move forward with this if everyone was on board. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.
Betsy Fournier also stated that the other issue she is there for is the lack of a community space. She said the Recreation Department would like to utilize the Village auditorium but it’s at its maximum as well. She said they have a mixed martial arts class and they are struggling to find a location to hold the class. She said the Recreation Department wants to bring more fitness opportunities to Swanton and they need a space for these classes. She said she has checked with the schools and Nativity Parish Hall with no luck. Chris Leach asked how many people usually attend these classes. Betsy said they have 12 people that consistently attend their yoga class but said they served 900 adults and children last year. Dianne Day, Village Clerk, stated she would check the schedule for the auditorium and see if she could schedule a 6 week class for Thursday evenings.
Reg Beliveau, Village Manager, said he wanted to mention that Swanton Village was awarded two Gold Star awards in recognition of his leadership and innovation for wellness policies and practices in the workforce and in the community from RiseVT and NMC. He said it has been easy to say yes to them on different health programs and practices.
Public Comment: Elisabeth Nance, Economic Development Coordinator, stated it is getting close to budget time and she is requesting that Swanton Village budget $5000 for 2019 to be used for different grants she is applying for on behalf of the Village. She said most times there are grants available that require a match and sometimes “in kind” can be used but sometimes they need money for the grant. She also said USDA Rural Development would be attending their December 10th meeting to discuss a loan program that is available to local businesses but the Village would be the coordinator of the loan. She said USDA would be on the hook if a loan was defaulted on not the Village. She said these funds must be used for economic development. Elisabeth also stated now that the Historic Preservation Committee ordinance increased its board members from 3 to 10 she has two community members who would like to be on the Board and they are Glen Gurwit and Fred Wiseman. Adam Paxman made the motion to name Fred Wiseman and Glen Gurwit board members of the Historic Preservation Committee. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.
4. Approve and Accept Minutes from the Monday, October 22, 2018 Regular Meeting:
Chris Leach made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Monday, October 22, 2018 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion: Eugene LaBombard asked if Reg found out what the payment to Municipal Emergency Services was for. Reg stated that was for air packs purchased by the Fire Department. Chris Leach also stated that under Any Other Business Eugene LaBombard talked about having a separate line item on the Village Ballot for a new water line to be run under the river. He said this is a very important item and he supports it 100%. Reg Beliveau stated he would talk with the engineers about this proposal. Motion carried.
5. Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Wednesday, November 21, 2018:
Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants through Wednesday, November 21, 2018 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion: Chris Leach asked if any other tree services were used other than Gabrees Tree Service. Village Clerk Dianne Day stated occasionally they use another one for smaller jobs. Motion carried.
6. VPPSA Project 10 Site Requests Water Allocation for 101 Lafar Road, Swanton:
Eugene LaBombard made the motion to enter into Water Commissioner’s meeting at 7:59 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried. Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve VPPSA’s Project 10 Sites request for a water allocation of 30 gallons per day for the use of a bathroom and a sink at 101 Lafar Road. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.
7. Review and Adopt Sewer Ordinance:
Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and accept the Village of Swanton Sewer Ordinance as presented. Chris Leach seconded. Discussion: Village Clerk Dianne Day stated the State of Vermont reviewed the Ordinance and had some proposed changes which were added. Motion carried.
Adam Paxman made the motion to exit Water Commissioner’s meeting at 8:06 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.
8. Transco Subscription Agreement for the Purchase of 2018 Transco Member Units:
Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve the equity purchase for Transco Member Units and also authorized Reg Beliveau, Village Manager, to purchase any leftover units is available. He also authorized Reg Beliveau to sign all necessary documents pertaining to the Transco Subscription Agreement to Purchase equity. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.
9. Swanton Village Police Department Update:
Chief Stell informed the Board of how many traffic tickets and warnings were issued for the months of October and November 2018. He said they are still having trouble on Spring Street and Canada Street and that’s where they have focused on. Chris Leach asked how many calls per year they get. Chief Stell stated their calls are up by 2 to 4 % and said they received 2,000 calls for service. He said this does not include traffic stops. Chris also asked how the K-9 program was going and Chief Stell stated his first school starts in the spring but said their K-9 can already track ½ mile with 98% accuracy. Chris Leach asked if the drug problem has improved or worsened and Chief Stell said they have seen a decrease in heroin but an increase in crack cocaine use. He said the drug treatment program in Swanton seems to be helping the situation. The Board thanked Chief Stell for the update and told him to continue the good work.
10. Any Other Necessary Business:
Adam Paxman said on behalf of the Swanton Chamber he would like to thank everyone that helped with Christmas in the Park, especially Lynn Billado and Mark Rocheleau for help with decorating. He said they had a great turnout in the park and a great turnout at the after party at the VFW. He said they raised $110 for the community food shelf.
Any Other Business: Adam Paxman stated he would like to see the Village bill taxpayers for times per year and said he would like to start this discussion and have this on the Village Ballot for March voting. Chris Leach suggested a pros and cons list be created and Reg stated he would discuss this with Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, and report back to the Board.
Any Other Business: Eugene LaBombard stated he appreciated what he saw on Channel 15 regarding all the great things going on in the Swanton Community and who is behind the scenes working on these programs and events. He said there is a lot of good work going on out there.
11. Executive Session to Discuss Personnel:
Eugene LaBombard made the motion to enter into Executive Session at 8:30 p.m. to discuss personnel. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.
Chris Leach made the motion to exit Executive Session at 9:30 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.
ACTION TAKEN: None.
12. Adjournment:
Adam Paxman made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of Trustees meeting at 9:30 p.m. Chris Leach seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 9:30 p.m. Motion carried.
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Neal Speer, Village President Date
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Dianne Day, Village Clerk Date