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, August 10, 2021

July 12, 2021

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

 

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, July 12, 2021

7:00 PM

 

 

PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Chris Leach, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau Jr., Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk; and Ch. 16. Via Zoom: Elisabeth Nance, Economic Development Coordinator.

 

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.

 

  1. Pledge of Allegiance:

 

Everyone stood for the Pledge of Allegiance.

 

  1. Agenda Review:

 

None.

 

  1. Public Comment:

 

Elisabeth Nance, Economic Development Coordinator, informed the Board that the three-way stop they wanted at the intersection of First Street and Grand Avenue needs a design and construction study done before they can implement it. She said it will now just take a bit more time but it will get done eventually. She also said she is hoping to get some funding for Phase II of the Riviera Hotel clean up. She said there is grant money available in August and it is earmarked for the Riviera. Reg Beliveau said he emailed Bethany Remers with Regional Planning and is hoping she can help with the three-way stop. He said they helped the Village in the past with crosswalks. Adam Paxman asked if they will have to do striping work for the stops. Elisabeth said yes they would and it cost approximately $2500 for the striping. Adam also asked if the Riviera Hotel would be down this year and Elisabeth said in depends on the Phase II work clean up.

 

  1. Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, June 28, 2021:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept Minutes from Monday, June 28, 2021 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

 

  1. Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Thursday, July 8, 2021:

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants #62-65 through Thursday, July 8, 2021 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: Chris Leach asked about the payment made to Atlantic Tactical for $5261.49. Reg Beliveau stated that was for weapons in the Police Department. He also asked about the Rock River Arms payment for $3640. Reg stated that was also for the Police Department. Motion carried.

 

  1. Swanton Village Police Department Update:

 

Chief Joey Stell said the Village Police Department responded to 184 calls for service during the month of June. He said they also did some directed patrols for speeding and issued 42 warnings and 15 traffic citations totaling $2480 in fines. He said they put a huge effort into this patrol and the bulk of the tickets were from Spring Street. Chief Stell also mentioned the shrinking national police force and said Vermont has been hit hard in the last few years, ultimately affecting small police departments. He said in 2018 there were 913 authorized and funded police officers. Out of that number there were only 820 actual full time officers and 115 part time officers. In 2019 there were 921 authorized officers and only 808 were actual officers with 80 part time officers. He showed in 2020 there were 896 authorized officers and only 801 became full time officers and 82 were part time officers. He said this continued to decline and as of May 2021 there were 875 authorized and funded officers, 745 became full time and only 71 became part time officers. He also showed the number of officers in Vermont who either retired or quit and in 2018 there were 74 new hires and 102 left the force. In 2019 there were 72 new hires and 87 left the force; in 2020 there were 51 new hires with 91 leaving and as of May 2021 there were 23 new hires and 144 left the force. He said according to an article in the NY Times police officers have become the “bad” guys and they are leaving in droves. He said a lot of the officers admitted they just have too much to handle. Adam Paxman said it’s important to say to the public “support the police department.” Chris Leach said the court system doesn’t help when officers are arresting people and the courts are letting them go unpunished. Chief Stell also mentioned Kevin Cleary retiring from the SRO position at MVU and said Officer Dean Scott has taken that position on. He said there is a grant available to them that will allow them to bring Kevin back part time and they will have an SRO officer at the elementary school one or two days per week. Eugene LaBombard asked if they had any success in finding who’s been riding the dirt bikes on Village streets. Chief Stell said they have had a number of complaints and they believe they’ve identified the drivers as being a 15 and 16 year old. He said they don’t want them to get hurt but they also want them caught. Chief Stell said their K-9 Officer Scout has been deployed a few times and said he would have Cpl. Kyle Gagne attend one of their meetings to give an update on him.

 

  1. Discuss Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Funding (CLFRF):

 

Reg Beliveau, Village Manager, informed the Board that the Village of Swanton will receive $248,633.41 over a two-year period from the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Funding (CLFRF).  He asked the Board if they wanted to accept this funding along with the required Award Terms and Conditions and Assurances of Compliance with Civil Rights Requirements.

 

Adam Paxman made the motion that the Village of Swanton accept its allocation of Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Funding (CLFRF) from the US Treasury, along with the Award Terms and Conditions and Assurances of Compliance with Civil Rights Requirements that are requirements of accepting these funds. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried unanimously.

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to appoint Reginald Beliveau Jr., Village Manager, as the Village of Swanton’s authorized representative as required by the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Funding (CLFRF) from the US Treasury, to sign the Award Terms and Conditions and Assurances of Compliance with Civil Rights Requirements by July 13, 2021. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried unanimously.

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to name Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager/Controller, as the contact person for the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Funding Award from the US Treasury. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried unanimously.

 

  1. Any Other Necessary Business:

 

Adam Paxman asked if the Village received the grant funding for the bridge repair. Reg Beliveau said they were awarded $175,000 but the quote for minimum repair came in at $330,000. Adam asked if the Village could use the Covid funds for the balance of the repair. Reg said he wasn’t sure but would check into it and see. Adam asked if they are able to deem the bridge unusable. Reg said the engineers from the State do not deem the bridge unsafe as this time. He said repairs need to be made before winter and the board said if not look into getting a new engineer and construction firm. The board said they didn’t want to drag their feet on this job. Adam said what would happen if they needed to shut that bridge down. Reg said they are not at that point yet. Chris Leach mentioned the culvert damage on Route 78 and how that affected traffic. Reg said VTrans learned they can fix things fast when needed.

 

Any Other Business: Eugene LaBombard said he travels Route 78 West often and he urges everyone to call their local representatives because that section of road is very dangerous and the worst road out there. He said they need pressure to get it done. Chris Leach said the State of Vermont changes priorities and spends the allotted money on something else. Eugene said he would call Brian Savage. Reg Beliveau said that road was supposed to be done in 2017 and they are still in the process of making it happen. Neal Speer said it’s not the Department of Transportation’s fault, it’s the people appointing them.

 

Any Other Business: Chris Leach asked how the relicensing at the dam was going. Reg said it’s going as expected and they have had some push backs along the way. He said they are being asked to increase minimum flow which decreases production. He said a lot of these environmental agencies ask for studies during hydro relicensing because it’s the only time to get them approved. He said they had a real good crew here a couple of weeks ago at their meeting.

 

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau said the Village is having a hard time getting crosswalk paint this year. He said they have one 5-gallon pail left and know the crosswalks need repainting. He said the Energy Committee will host a EV car event on July 28th from 3:30 to 6:30 at the Village Complex.

 

  1. Executive Session to Discuss Personnel:

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to enter Executive Session to discuss personnel at 7:50 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

 

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

 

ACTION TAKEN: None.

 

  1. 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

 

July 26, 2021

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

 

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, July 26, 2021

7:00 PM

 

 

PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Chris Leach, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau Jr., Village Manager; and Ch. 16. Via Zoom: Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager; Jen Cortez.

 

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.

 

  1. Pledge of Allegiance:

 

Everyone stood for the Pledge of Allegiance.

 

  1. Agenda Review:

 

Neal Speer stated he needed an Executive Session for real estate.

 

  1. Public Comment:

 

None.

 

  1. Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, July 12, 2021:

 

Chris Leach made the motion to approve and accept Minutes from Monday, July 12, 2021 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

 

  1. Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Thursday, July 22, 2021:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants #66-71 through Thursday, July 22, 2021 as presented. Chris Leach seconded. Discussion: Adam Paxman asked about the payment made to Peoples United Bank in the amount of $329,417.12. Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, stated this was for bond payments in the water department. Motion carried.

 

  1. Swanton Energy Committee Update:

 

Reg Beliveau, Village Manager, introduced Jen Cortez and said she helped revitalize the energy committee. He said she was a member of the planning commission and wanted to help with the energy committee as well. Jen Cortez said she wanted to talk about the event they have planned for this Wednesday from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. here at the Complex. She said they will be hosting an EV (electric vehicle) test drive event. She said as people are aware, vehicles are the largest impact to transportation in Vermont. She said at the last EV test drive event in 2019 the feedback was that it was great to test drive a vehicle without the pressure of a salesman and feeling like they needed to buy a vehicle. She said they coordinated with EJ Barrette’s for a Ford and Handy’s will be here with a Chevy and a Toyota. She said she also has a couple of private Tesla owners who will be here to talk about their experiences. She said she can also demonstrate how the car charging stations work. She said taking fears away about how these cars work and the salesman pressure off will help people get more comfortable. Neal said one of his customers has a Tesla and is leaving for the west coast this week. He said he’s had it for a few years and is real happy with it. Jen said just talking with people and having conversations about these vehicles is very helpful. Adam asked if there was a map that shows the car charging stations available. She said there was but said most EV car owners use their own power to charge their vehicles. Neal said they are looking forward to Wednesday and they hope to see everyone there.

 

  1. Merchants Row Bridge Repair Update:

 

Reg Beliveau, Village Manager, said the highway crew went over and inspected the bridge today and will be getting the welder back because what he had done broke loose so they will be welding it straight across. He said the Village highway crew hopes to get it done this week. Reg said the Village received $175,000 from the State of Vermont for a structures grant. He said he talked with the engineer and will again on Wednesday to talk about the repairs. He said basically they probably wouldn’t get done the true repairs this year but would in the spring. He said they can do some of the repairs now which will last until spring but then if they can’t get any more funds they will have to ask the Village voters for $550,000 to do bridge repairs. He said they would put this on the March ballot. Adam asked if there was an opportunity to restrict traffic during certain times of the day. Chris asked if he see what happened on the bridge the other day. He said the traffic was backed up beyond Fournier’s Farm Equipment. Adam said he thought they could talk with the State to say the bridge would be closed from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. He said it doesn’t make sense.

 

  1. Any Other Necessary Business:

 

Adam Paxman said their 11th Annual Car Show will be held this Saturday in the Village Green. He said they should have had one last year so this is long overdue.

 

Any Other Business: Neal Speer asked if there was a good turnout for the Fourth Street Property discussion. Adam said he heard 9 people attended and said on Front Porch Forum a survey was sent out.

 

Any Other Business: Chris Leach said Lynn Paradis has done a great job sending them the financial reports but requested a report or summary on how well collections are going. Lynn said she has noticed they are under a little bit in revenue in the electric department. She said the numbers look pretty good and she said she will be asking for a tax rate at their next meeting. Adam asked if they were able to collect arrears in water, sewer and electric. Lynn said they are now able to disconnect water but can’t electric. She mentioned the VERAP grant and said they are now able to get into it. She said the VCAAP II grant is now open as well and the Village will be uploading information to both those grants. She said their electric disconnect has been approved and they should have those soon. Chris also mentioned the Downtown Scoping Study and said it should reflect an accurate number of tractor trailer trucks going through the Village on a daily basis as well as the amount of destruction done by this traffic. He said this amount of traffic is a very big deal. Reg said he’s been complaining about this for 10 years. Chris said they need to stress it more. Chris also mentioned the new art wall up and how nice it is. Adam said SPAN has done a great job managing this and he appreciates the rules and regulations.

 

  1. Executive Session to Discuss Personnel:

 

Chris Leach made the motion to enter Executive Session to discuss real estate and personnel at 7:30 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

 

Chris Leach made the motion to exit Executive Session at 7:55 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

 

ACTION TAKEN: None.

 

  1. Adjournment:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 7:55 p.m. Chris Leach 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