May 10, 2021

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

 

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, May 10, 2021

7:00 PM

 

 

 

PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau Jr., Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk; and Daniel Chevalier, Hydro Plant Operator; Via Zoom: Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager; Janet Dimick Soavi, Wayne Elliott & Michael Mainer, Aldrich & Elliott PC; Elisabeth Nance, Economic Development Coordinator; Scott Mueller, Hydro Plant & Maintenance Supervisor and Ch. 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 would need to add Hydro Plant Production Update to Any Other Business.

 

4. Public Comment:

 

Janet Dimick Soavi, SPAN grant writer, stated they applied for an Art Display grant at Marble Mill and were denied it. She said they plan on re-writing their grant and resubmitting it in July when another round of funds become available. Adam Paxman stated although it’s disappointing SPAN wasn’t awarded the grant, he wanted them to continue on.  Janet said they plan on continuing and mentioned an area that had overgrown plants and weeds on it. Reg Beliveau stated they have some work to do at Marble Mill such as removing some invasive plants but said he would work with SPAN on this project. Neal Speer stated they are closer to the finalization of Marble Mill’s master plan. He said more clearing needs to be done to make the area more visible and when SPAN applies again, they will know they are serious. He said he appreciates all their hard work and wants them to press on as well. Janet said they would and when she has more information she would let them know.

 

5. Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, April 26, 2021:

 

Chris Leach made the motion to approve and accept Minutes from Monday, April 26, 2021 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

 

6. Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Thursday, May 7, 2021:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants #39-42 through Thursday, May 7, 2021 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

 

7. Update on Missisquoi River Waterline Crossing by Wayne Elliott, Aldrich & Elliott:

 

Wayne Elliott said Mike Mainer was with him to present this information to the board. He discussed the single water line that runs across the Missisquoi Bridge on Merchants Row and acknowledged their concern for redundancy. He said there are some great opportunities for funding right now and hoped the Village would qualify for some.  Mike Mainer stated he would give a brief overview of the study regarding this single water line. He said the Village water serves approximately 1,900 people and the water comes from a surface water treatment plant and pumps it into the distribution system. He said water continues up into the storage tanks east of town. Mike said the purpose of this project is to improve the reliability of a critical river crossing by constructing a redundant river crossing, thereby preventing major health or sanitation issues that could occur if the existing non-redundant river crossing were to fail. The existing water line was installed in 1976 on a bridge that was constructed in 1966. Mike mentioned the three alignment alternatives that have been considered. He said they are Marble Mill Park & Foundry Street; Ferry Street & South River Street; and River Lane & South River Street. He said they are also considering Webster Terrace & Foundry Street. The board discussed these options and agreed that Webster Terrace and Foundry Street would be the best location to use. Neal Speer stated that Marble Mill was being worked on and also said there used to be marble quarries there which could potentially cause issues when trying to dig. The board agreed with Neal on this. Mike also discussed the cost for this new water line and possible funding available. He said the total project cost would be approximately $805,000 and suggested the Village hold a bond vote in November 2021 so that all funding applications and permits could be filed and construction could begin in June 2023. Mike also discussed the impact this could have on user rates. He said if the debt service came in at approximately $15,084 per year a customer would see an increase of 1.4% which amounts to $6.00 per year on a customer who uses about 5,000 gallons of water per month. He said their conclusions and recommendations are that the Village go out for a bond of $805,000 with the State of Vermont DWSRF program which offers the most favorable funding option for this type of project, with the projected expected to be eligible for a 0%, 40-year loan with a subsidy of 25%, not including additional subsidy that could be available. The board thanked Wayne and Mike for all their information that was presented.

 

8. VPPSA Update on Bill S.60:

 

Reg Beliveau, Village Manager, advised the Board that VPPSA has been working on a bill called the Rate Flexibility Bill S.60. He said it just passed and he wanted to thank Randy Brock, Corey Parent and Brian Savage for their work on this bill. Reg said this bill will allow cooperative and community-owned public power utilities the ability to make minor adjustments to electric rates and provide customers with new, innovative services without having to go before lengthy and expensive review processes with state utility regulators. He said now VPPSA can review rate cases and decide whether or not an increase is needed. He said when the Village went in for a rate increase several years ago the attorney fees were very expensive. He said this will help save utilities and rate payers money.

 

9. Discussion on AMI Smart Meters for Swanton Village.

 

Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, stated when they first started working with VPPSA on this project they were considering 8-10 vendors and have now narrowed it down to 1 vendor, Aclara. She said VPPSA is still in negotiations, but she’s seen some rough numbers and it could cost approximately $2 million dollars to get all meters changed out. She said the electric crew could install the new electric meters and they would begin to change out water meters that are older than 15 years. She said the billing software would also need to be installed and they will see greater efficiencies in power outages. She also said customers would be able to track their power and water usage in 15-minute intervals and be able to make changes if necessary to help save them money. Adam Paxman asked about the life expectancy of these new meters. Lynn said they last about 15-20 years. Chris Leach stated he does not want to purchase any of these meters from China and would prefer they be made in the USA.

 

10. Discuss the Village of Swanton Formerly Changing the Name of Flat Iron Park to Veterans Memorial Park:

 

The Board was informed that an Ordinance update notice would appear in the St. Albans Messenger and that the new name for Flat Iron Park would become effective on June 25, 2021. Flat Iron Park will now be known as Veterans Memorial Park as unanimously voted on April 26, 2021.

 

11. First Quarter SQRP Acknowledgement:

 

Chris Leach stated he was very pleased with this first quarter report that grades the Village on the number of bills sent out, posting problems and work orders. He asked about the delinquent electric accounts at this time. He was told that the Village is carrying more debt in the electric department over the last year due to COVID. Chris stated on behalf of the Trustees he acknowledges receipt of this report.

 

12. Any Other Necessary Business:

 

Elisabeth Nance, Economic Development Coordinator, stated she wanted to give a quick update on the Riviera Property on South River Street. She said the BRELLA program will have more funds available in July and she will send in an application on behalf of the Village to see if there is funding for Phase II of the brownfield cleanup. She said they are slowly moving forward. She also stated there may be some petroleum funds available to help with the clean up. She also informed the board she will be giving an update on the Downtown Scoping Study at their next board meeting on May 24, 2021.

 

Any Other Business: Scott Mueller, Maintenance and Hydro Plant Supervisor; informed the Board that Dan Chevalier, Lead Operator at the Hydro Plant, was asked to research generation activity at the Hydro Plant. Dan informed the Board that he has spent the last year researching, comparing and studying water levels, weather conditions and power generation. He said he has found some considerable differences and is now leading the other hydro operators on how to run their generators during different times to capture the most generation. This has allowed the hydro plant to make more power and spend less on purchased power. Dan said he has worked with staff at VPPSA regarding this and they are now able to better gauge what their minimum power generation and maximum power generation are going to be on a daily basis. He said he pulled generation records from past years and studied them, made changes to what generators would be used at different times and this has helped capture more power for the plant. Dan said he is working with the other operators to help them understand the changes they’ve made and the benefits of those changes. The Board thanked Dan and Scott for their hard work and dedication to the Hydro Plant. They were very impressed with his research and appreciate what they have worked on for the last year.

 

Any Other Business: Chris Leach stated the swans are now in the park and he noticed several people enjoying them. The Board thanked Mark Rocheleau for getting them in to the park and also wanted to thank the gentleman who took care of the swans all winter long.

 

Any Other Business: Neal Speer stated the beautification committee has been working on flowers and getting the Village spruced up for Memorial Day. He said they installed plaques on the flower boxes thanking those who have donated to the committee. He said clean up on the Riviera Hotel property is moving slowly but said they will be getting the outside cleaned up and mowed. Neal also congratulated and thanked all those who worked in the remodel of the auditorium. He said they did a great job.

 

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau said Richard Copperthwait contacted him and wants to hold a Village meeting. Reg also said he keeps hearing about American Recovery money coming to the Village and Town and said everyone wants to have a say it what to do with these funds. He said he contacted James Guilmette from the Town Selectboard and asked him if he’d like to hold a joint meeting if and when these funds come in and discuss what they plan on doing with the money. James agreed this was a great idea. Reg said he has been working on a 5-year wish list which consists of the following:

 

PROJECTS	STATUS	Est Cost
River Crossing waterline	Design complete	$800K
Wastewater Plant Phosphorous reduction	Pending Eng study	$5M
Wastewater Plant Pilot Study	Study complete	$300K
Downtown Scoping Study	Nearing final design	?
Downtown Street Scaping	Reviewing	?
Marble Mill Park Design	complete	$3 to 4M
Marble Mill Park Smaller Projects	discussions	?
Don Bells Pump Station Rebuild	Eng Design	$600K
Veterans Bridge Expansion Joint Rehab	Eng Review	$300 to $500K
Valves for Waterlines	Pending budgets	$1000 per in
Curb Stop Replacements	Pending budgets	in kind work
4 in Waterline replacements	Pending budgets	250' ~ $22K
6 in Waterline Replacement	Pending budgets	250' ~ $26K
AMI Meter for Electric	Design and Eng est	$1.3M
AMI for Water	same	same
Complex Resign	Design Complete	$5.2M
Complex redesign broken down	Est pending	$500 to $700K
Sidewalk Repairs	Annually	??
Street Paving	Annually	??
Bridge Repair Work	Annually	??
Hotel Riv	BrownField/BRELLA	??
Parks Restoration	Ongoing	??
Airport Waterline	Highgate plans	??
North River George Cline water line	Pending budgets	~$500K
Maquam Shore Sewer line	pending review	??
Review sewer line replacements	eview	??

 

Reg said as everyone can see, $600,000 will not go that far with the above needed projects that will benefit the community.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13. Executive Session if Necessary:

 

None.

 

14. Adjournment:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 8:47 p.m.  Eugene LaBombard seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 8:47 p.m. Motion carried.

 

 

 

 

_____________________________________             _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President                            Date

 

 

 

 

_____________________________________    ___________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                                Date

 

April 26, 2021

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

 

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, April 26, 2021

7:00 PM

 

 

 

PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau Jr., Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk; and Leonard “Joey” Stell, Chief of Police; Via Zoom: Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager; Janet Dimick, Nicole Draper, J.R. Cox, Susie Kelleher, Donald Bourgeois and Ch. 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 would need an Executive Session to discuss personnel.

 

4. Public Comment:

 

Nicole Draper, Swanton Recreation Program Director, stated they would like permission to host a few Farmer’s Markets on the Village Green. She said they would like to coordinate these the same time that Swanton Enhancement Project (SEP) will host the food truck events. She said these will happen on Sunday’s to offer more to the community and will take place the third Sunday of each month May through September from 9 a.m. until noon. Nicole said Healthy Roots did a feasibiliy study for the library a few years back when the farmers market moved to the library to see if they would fair well in the community. She said they didn’t think they would because of already established markets in other communities. She said they are hoping to add these markets to enrich the food truck events already happening. She said they are asking vendors to have a 10x10 site and to produce 80% of what they are selling that day. Adam Paxman said he appreciates the information but wasn’t happy about the Healthy Roots study saying a market wouldn’t fair well in Swanton. Nicole said they thought it would be difficult for vendors to produce for all three events because of the two being held in St. Albans and Grand Isle, which are top producing markets in the area. They thought it would put too much of a strain on the producers. Nicole said by doing this once a month it wouldn’t put too much of an overall strain on them. She said if this year five events work well they can maybe do more next year. Adam asked if they would limit the number of vendors. Nicole said they would need to see how many sign up first and follow Covid guidelines. Adam said he would like to see more than five events and there might be vendors who don’t participate in the other two events who would benefit from a market in Swanton. Susie Kelleher said she has had a pretty good response so far and didn’t dare to go too far into this without having the location solidified. Reg Beliveau asked why the event was moved from the park to the library. Adam said it was because the person running it at the time felt he would get better traffic at the library instead of being in the park. Nicole said so far there are 7 vendors who are very interested in participating and have filled out their contract. Adam asked if they would be required to carry an insurance policy. Nicole said she spoke with other hosts of farmers markets and they make the vendor carry their own policy as well as sign a waiver stating there would be no liability on the Town or Village. She said they have something drafted and in place. Chris Leach said the farmers market is a great idea and wondered if they would be willing to hold an event during the week to make them standout some. Nicole said she would like to explore that option more but consistency in the date and time would work better for the vendors and customers. She said maybe in the future they could adjust the date and times. Nicole said no other community is having a Sunday event. Eugene LaBombard said he would be happy if they had it every Sunday. Nicole said this would add to the vibrancy of the community and is hoping more and more people can come out to these events so they see how wonderful the community is. She said they may adjust the hours if needed. Reg said they could host up to 25 vendors and still be following Covid guidelines. He said after July the Governor is saying things will open up more. Susie Kelleher stated she would be willing to work with Chief Stell if needed for Covid guidelines. Chief Stell stated to follow the CDC website and social distance the vendors. Adam Paxman made the motion to authorize the Swanton Recreation Program Director to hold Farmer’s Markets on the Village Green the third Sunday of each month from May through September as requested. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion: The board stated they would be happy with this event happening every Sunday and Adam Paxman also suggested they consider the nearby churches when scheduling the time of the markets. Motion carried.

 

5. Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, April 12, 2021:

 

Chris Leach made the motion to approve and accept Minutes from Monday, April 12, 2021 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: Adam Paxman asked if the FERC relicensing was going as status quo. Reg Beliveau stated there have been some water quality modifications but things were moving along. Motion carried.

 

6. Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Thursday, April 22, 2021:

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants through Thursday, April 22, 2021 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

 

7. Swanton Village Police Department Update – Chief Leonard “Joey” Stell:

 

Chief Stell stated the Village Police Department responded to 144 calls for service during the month of March. He said they issued 18 traffic stop warnings and 2 stops resulted in tickets. He said the warnings happened on First Street, Greenwich Street, Grand Avenue and Spring Street. Neal Speer asked if the speed indicator on Grand Avenue helped slow people down. Chief Stell stated they haven’t pulled data from that recently but will be doing so soon. He said they will re-deploy their speed cart and speed monitoring devices throughout the Village to get a better idea as to what their current traffic patterns are. He said things will likely start changing when college gets out and kids are home for the summer. He also said the border may be opening up and that would really change the traffic pattern. He said they will figure out the best times to patrol different areas. Adam Paxman asked if they had any issues or concerns regarding ATV’s. The Chief stated they have constant issues with ATV’s on the rail trail, and on some roads in the Village and Town. He said it’s problematic because it’s hard to identify who they are and said they also have a policy that was recommended by VLCT to not pursue an ATV because they tend to end badly. He said they choose not to for the safety of the public and work purely on investigation and tips. Adam said some towns are allowing them on their roads. Chief Stell said some towns allow ATV’s on their secondary roads but said they weren’t allowed on Class I roads. He said it becomes a double edged sword making it more beneficial or more problematic. He said there could be more sound noise and annoyance or make it more regulated and have them follow the rules. Reg said it would help stop the erosion that’s happening in ditches. Chief Stell said he could find out the pros and cons of this issue and let them know. Chris Leach stated everyone that has approached him recently supports the police department.

 

8. Any Other Necessary Business:

 

Adam Paxman asked if there was an update from the State as far as funds coming in for the Town and Village yet. Reg stated he hasn’t heard anything about that. Adam said the Car Show is happening July 31^st this year from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and they are going full bore hoping to get 250 cars in the park. He also said he’s on the committee for the Memorial Day Parade. He said the parade will be held on Monday, May 31^st, time to be announced. He said he would reach out to Swanton Recreation and other agencies to see if they would be interested in participating in the parade. Neal Speer said the car snow in Bristol has been canceled for this year and he invited them to the Chambers. Adam said if anyone was interested in helping out with the Memorial Day Parade to look him up.

 

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau stated the St. Albans Messenger ran an article about the water project at the Highgate Airport. He said after reading the article it gave the impression that he had already pre-committed the Trustees and that was not the intent of his conversation. He said the intent was if they had a negative vote the Village would sit with the Highgate Selectboard and help find some resolution to bring this project to reality. He said he talked with the Highgate Administrator and she reached out to all the selectboard members and they didn’t see it as a negative article. Eugene LaBombard said they are in support of this and it would benefit the whole county because it’s a prime location for industrial business. He said the Village can provide the water and Highgate can pay for the installation and be charged just like any other customer. He said this will benefit the community. He said if they have a negative vote the airport isn’t going away, they would just need to look at it another way. Neal Speer stated the end result was that the media coverage was positive and they would have to be more careful with what they put out to the media. Chris Leach said they are in favor of water at the airport. Eugene wondered if there were stimulus funds that could help with this project.

 

Any Other Business: Chris Leach said the public works crew has done a great job cleaning the streets.

 

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau stated he has applied for a $175,000 structures grant with a 10% match to help repair the bridge. He also said the Village uses Front Porch Forum quite a bit for the electric crew and they are doing their annual fundraiser. Chris Leach made the motion to authorize the Village of Swanton to make a $200 donation to Front Porch Forum. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried. Reg also said that work began on the doughboy in Flat Iron Park and there was some cracking in it. He said Shawn Chevalier is aware of that and has gone back to do some repairs. Reg said that the Village would like to officially rename Flat Iron Park to Veterans Memorial Park. Adam Paxman made the motion to officially rename Flat Iron Park to Veterans Memorial Park. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

Any Other Business: Neal Speer stated the beautification task force has been out and about working on flowers in the park. He said they have changed the color of the flower boxes on the bridge as well. Adam said the Swan planter was placed in front of the Chamber office.

 

Neal Speer stated they would also need to discuss Real Estate in Executive Session.

 

9. Executive Session if Necessary:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter Executive Session to discuss personnel at 7:47 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

Chris Leach made the motion to exit Executive Session at 8:12 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

 

ACTION TAKEN: None.

 

10. Adjournment:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 8:12 p.m.  Chris Leach seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 8:12 p.m. Motion carried.

 

 

 

 

_____________________________________             _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President                            Date

 

 

 

 

_____________________________________    ___________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                                Date