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).

Monday, January 24, 2022

January 24, 2022

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, January 24, 2022

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; Brian Savage, Swanton Town Administrator; Earl Fournier, Town Selectman; and Channel 16. Via Zoom: Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager; Suzanne Washburn, and Gordon Winters.

 

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:

 

Adam Paxman stated he needed an Executive Session to discuss personnel.

 

Reg Beliveau, Village Manager, suggested the Board enter executive session prior to public comment. Chris Leach made the motion to enter executive session to discuss real estate. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to exit Executive Session and enter Open Session at 7:16 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

ACTION TAKEN: None

 

  1. Public Comment:

 

None.

 

  1. Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, January 10, 2022 and acknowledge the Minutes from Thursday, January 13, 2022:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept Minutes from Monday, January 10, 2022 as presented and acknowledge receipt of the Thursday, January 13, 2022 minutes from the Town and Village joint board meeting. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

 

  1. Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Thursday, January 20, 2022:

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants #2-#7 through Thursday, January 20, 2022 as presented. Chris Leach seconded. Discussion: Eugene LaBombard asked about the payment made to Nexom. Reg Beliveau stated that was for work done on phosphorus removal at the Wastewater Plant. Motion carried.

 

  1. Approve and Adopt Village of Swanton 2022 Annual Warning as presented:

 

Neal Speer stated he talked with some locals and he thinks they should consider adding an article on the warning to get voter approval for the retail sale of cannabis. He said St. Albans Town has added it to theirs and they should too so they will know how the voters feel. Village Clerk Dianne Day added that to the 2022 annual warning. Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and adopt the Village of Swanton 2022 Annual Warning as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

  1. Approve New Water and Sewer Rates to be Effective March 1, 2022:

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to enter Water Commissioner’s meeting at 7:30 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve the new water and sewer rates to become effective on March 1, 2022. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to exit Water Commissioner’s meeting. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

  1. Acknowledge 4th Quarter SQRP Report:

 

Chris Leach stated he noticed an error in section 4a of the SQRP report. Village Clerk Dianne Day made correction to the report. Chris stated this is an internal report on how well we treat our customers. He said the Village does very well and response times are also very good. The board acknowledged receipt of the 4th quarter SQRP report.

 

  1. Any Other Necessary Business.

 

Adam Paxman stated the Chamber of Commerce would like permission to announce the Chamber’s Citizen of the Year award at the Village and Town Informational Meeting to be held on February 22nd. The Board agreed to this. Adam also stated his word for the week is PATIENCE and suggested everyone have a little.

 

Any Other Business: Eugene LaBombard urged everyone to be careful and said he lost a family member to Covid 19.

 

Any Other Business: Chris Leach asked how the relicensing was going at the Hydro Plant. Reg Beliveau stated he had a meeting with the Agency of Natural Resources and said it’s not going very well. He said they are making demands that are unreasonable and will end up potentially costing the Village ratepayers a lot of money. He said it could raise the electric rates astronomically and the Town of Highgate would lose as well since their tax bill to them is based on generation from the Hydro plant. He said he is frustrated and is going to call the Governor and request a meeting with him to discuss what the Agency of Natural Resources are demanding.

 

  1. Executive Session to Discuss Personnel:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter Executive Session at 8:15 p.m. to discuss personnel. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to exit Executive Session at 8:30 p.m. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.

 

ACTION TAKEN: None.

 

  1. Adjournment:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 8:30 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 8:30 p.m. Motion carried.

 

 

 

_____________________________________             _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President                            Date

 

 

 

 

_____________________________________    ___________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                                Date

 

Posted by at

Thursday, January 13, 2022

January 13th, 2022

 MINUTES

SPECIAL SELECTBOARD MEETING

TOWN OF SWANTON

VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Village Municipal Complex, 120 First Street, Swanton, VT

Thursday, January 13, 2022 @ 7:00 p.m.

 

 

DRAFT MINUTES NOT YET APPROVED BY THE

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

 

Minutes taken by Joe Cava, Administrative Assistant for

the Town of Swanton

 

Present: James Guilmette, Selectboard Chairman; Earl Fournier, Nicole Draper, Mark Rocheleau, Ed White, Selectboard Members; Brian Savage, Town Administrator; Joseph Cava, Administrative Assistant; Reg Beliveau, Village Manager; Neal Speer, Board of Village Trustees President; Dianne Day (Zoom user), Village Clerk; Adam Paxman, Eugene LaBombard, Christopher Leach, Village Trustee Members; Ron Kilburn; Darci Laroche; Lynn Paradis; iPhone; Gordon Winters; Michelle Nordberg

 

*All motions carried unanimously unless otherwise specified.

 

  1. Call to Order

 

Mr. Speer called the Board of Village Trustees meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

 

Mr. Rocheleau consecutively called the Special Selectboard portion of the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m.

 

  1. Pledge of Allegiance – Mr. Speer led those present in the Pledge of Allegiance.

 

  1. Discuss Village and Town Mutual Interest

 

Mr. Beliveau opened by saying that the Town and the Village is united in providing transparent services to the community with an open-minded approach to moving forward with the goals for the greater Swanton community. Mr. Rocheleau added expressing a need for a United Swanton. In the age of social media, we see a lot of self-guided interest that strays from these goals of unification.

 

  1. Infrastructure Improvements

 

  1. Expansion in the Southern Growth District

 

Mr. Savage spoke about the Vermont League of Cities & Towns and the COVID funding that is available for community projects. This funding has an extended deadline of the mid 2020s so there is time to allocate funding.

 

Mr. Fournier spoke about a Selectboard meeting with St. Albans Town for the mutual goal of expanding water and sewer infrastructure off Exit 20 in the Southern Growth District in Swanton. He emphasized the mutual growth potential for the Town and the Village. Joint meetings like this are an excellent start to the process.

 

Mr. Speer added that business expansion in Swanton is good for the Village and the Town because it adds to the tax base and provides long-term incentives for residential taxpayers. Mr. Speer continued by saying that the consensus from the St. Albans Town Selectboard joint meeting is to begin the next step in the process. This includes completing a feasibility study through an engineer to link the connections.

 

Mr. Leach added that the electrical infrastructure is already built up in the area from the construction of Tractors Supply and Handy car dealership. Mr. Beliveau added that the electric supplied to Handy’s is from Green Mountain Power (GMP) and recommended bringing them to the table in the future as well.

 

  1. General Infrastructure

 

The hydro facility in Highgate is a good example of towns working together to meet mutual energy and infrastructure goals according to Mr. Beliveau. He also added that the upcoming expansions planned for the Highgate Airport are an excellent example of how one town’s project is beneficial for surrounding communities.

 

Mr. Beliveau expanded that in addition to the Highgate Airport project there is a rise in the need for housing, which can spill over from Highgate into Swanton. An important mention is that Swanton has the second lowest energy rates in the State of Vermont, which is a huge selling point for Swanton. This is important when compared to other forms of renewable energy like solar power. Solar power fields have a limited life span, where hydro is still in continuous operation. The startup for hydro is more expensive, but its lifespan justifies the cost.

 

Mr. Savage raised a concern with 911 addressing. He will be working with the State, but Swanton has one of the worst systems in place in the State for structuring roads, buildings, and addresses. The process will involve renumbering properties along certain roads and renaming roads to prevent duplicate road names.

 

  1. Downtown Bridge Improvements

 

Mr. Beliveau made an important note that the Town has been fighting since 2011 to make necessary repairs to the bridge in the Downtown Village sector. This previous summer the damage to the expansion joints could be heard echoing down the river. Funding has finally been secured to fix the bridge, but it could cause significant disruption to traffic patterns.

 

Mr. Savage recommended coordinating the downtown bridge project with the Beebe Road Culvert project. Both projects will cause major traffic disruption.

 

  1. MVU Sidewalk Project

 

The current update for the project according to Mr. Guilmette is securing easements along the state highway for the sidewalk and crosswalks. Ms. Draper recommended connecting it with sections of the rail trail down Waugh Farm Rd.

 

  1. Merchants Row Streetscape Study

 

A streetscape study on Merchants Row and the Village Green has been completed and Ms. Nance is working on grant funding to implement project phases. Mr. Fournier recommended making the downtown more pedestrian friendly with expansions in small businesses within the area. According to Mr. Speer, architects have been contacted to redesign merchant’s row. The Masonic Lodge for example is 3500 sq. ft. upstairs and down for a total of 7000 sq. ft. which is a lot for a small business retail space.

 

  1. Planning for the 2023 Municipal Plan

 

  1. Updates

 

Mr. Beliveau had a request from Mr. Daniel on the Planning Commission about having a joint meeting to discuss planning and zoning and the goals as they relate to the 2023 Municipal Plan edits. Mr. Speer stressed the importance of local input from community residents.

 

Ms. Draper agreed that more community input is essential for understanding the needs of the communities. Ms. Draper expanded on this community collaboration by talking about the relationships between the Recreation Department, Public Library and Book Mobile and how these services appeal to a variety of community groups. She expressed underutilized areas like the Fourth Street property and Marble Mill Park are up and coming areas and are assets for greater community use beyond Swanton.

Mr. Speer spoke about the Village’s goals to update and expand water and sewer infrastructure while being good environmental stewards. Part of these goals also involve working closely with the State of Vermont and the Federal Government according to Mr. Savage.

 

Mr. Leach described the regional plan as an almanac laying out the groundwork for planning, but it does not specifically delve into what types of businesses or how many employees an employer hires for new businesses. He also stressed a need to do a study for Route 78 and how trucking can be rerouted, so it doesn’t tear apart the road fabric through the Village of Swanton. He also emphasized that the Highgate Airport project is a big deal because the increased air traffic provides growth to the surrounding community.

 

  1. Adjournment

 

Mr. Paxman made a motion to adjourn the Board of Village Trustees meeting at 8:31 p.m., seconded by Mr. Leach. Motion carried.

 

Ms. Draper made a motion to adjourn the Special Selectboard meeting at 8:32 p.m., seconded by Mr. White. Motion carried.

 

 

Respectfully Submitted,

 

Joseph Cava, Administrative Assistant

Posted by at

Monday, January 10, 2022

January 10, 2022

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, January 10, 2022

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; Matthew Sullivan, Chief of Police; Hank Lambert, Swanton Enhancement Project; David Winchester; Jason Cross and Dan Chevalier, Swanton Village Fire Department and Channel 16. Via Zoom: Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager; Dillon Dupont.

 

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:

 

Adam Paxman stated he needed an Executive Session to discuss a legal matter.

 

  1. Public Comment:

 

None.

 

  1. Approve and Accept Minutes from Wednesday, December 29, 2021:

 

Chris Leach made the motion to approve and accept Minutes from Monday, December 13, 2021 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

 

  1. Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Thursday, January 6, 2022:

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants #124-#1 through Thursday, January 6, 2022 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

 

  1. Police Update with Chief Matt Sullivan:

 

Chief Sullivan stated that in the month of December the Swanton Village Police Department responded to 74 calls for service. He said there were 4 thefts, 24 traffic enforcement contacts, 3 motor vehicle complaints, 4 welfare checks, 1 domestic assault, 9 citizens assists and 3 citizen disputes. Adam Paxman asked if there was any speed control being done at this point. Chief Sullivan said yes and out of the traffic contacts there were 17 warnings issued and 7 were for speeding. He said there was also 3 tickets issued. He said there are officers out there and said he has a very positive impression so far. He said there are three young officers who are really interested in learning and seem dedicated to law enforcement and drug enforcement. He said he is very impressed so far and said he’s still getting his bearings as far as learning what the department is up to but said he’s very impressed. He said personally at this stage because he’s only one week in, he’s looked at their policies and they have some very good ones in place. He said he will look at training and staffing as well. He said they are down one officer and he will take a look at this and will be actively working on it. He said he has 3 or 4 looking to join the department at least on a part time basis.

 

  1. Approve and Adopt Village of Swanton 2022 Budget as Presented:

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and adopt the Village of Swanton 2022 Budget as presented. Chris Leach seconded. Discussion: Eugene LaBombard stated that this budget will keep our services where they are now. He said fuel expense is up and they need to keep their employees’ salary level up to be competitive. Lynn Paradis stated she adjusted the overtime and vacation pay line items and this will bring the tax rate increase to just under 8 cents on the grand list. She also showed them the increase in the water and sewer departments. She said she is seeing increases in fuel, maintenance repairs, and it’s difficult receiving items. She said they can’t get street lighting right now and have been waiting over a year for transformers to come in. Chris Leach stated he fully supports the budget and said this will ensure the services everyone expects. He said he feels confident that Swanton Village is presenting a good and prudent budget. Adam Paxman said he agrees and commends Lynn on all her number crunching because it wasn’t easy. He said this is setting up Swanton Village so that nothing is lost. Motion carried.

 

  1. Any Other Necessary Business:

 

Adam Paxman said his word for this week is KINDNESS. He said be kind and show kindness.

 

Any Other Business: Eugene LaBombard said he wanted to remind everyone to be aware of the Covid issues out there and be diligent. He said it’s changing, adapting, mutating and if they don’t get a handle on it soon it will affect the economy even more than it already has.

 

Any Other Business: Chris Leach said Eugene was a chemist and knows what he talks about. He said he’s glad the schools are open because it’s good for the kids to be in school. He said he’d like to thank the public works department for cleaning the streets and making sure they are safe.

 

Any Other Business: Neal Speer said he is glad to be here tonight because he was stuck in the I95 mess in Virginia. He said he also wanted to address an anonymous viewer who sent him information regarding the health concerns with the smart meters. He said they didn’t identify themselves but said VPPSA is aware of this claim and they wouldn’t endanger our customers. Neal also said they are dealing with brownfield issues with the Rivieria Hotel property and it’s becoming frustrating. He said the building isn’t down yet and hopefully they may use some ARPA funds on the cleanup and removal of this building.

 

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau informed the Board that they have a joint meeting on Thursday, January 13th at 7 p.m. here at the complex with the Town Selectboard. He said they will discuss items that are of mutual interest and will also discuss ARPA funds. He said a public hearing will be held at a later time to get input from the public. Eugene LaBombard asked if this meeting was open to the public because of high cases of Covid. Dianne Day, Village Clerk, stated she would discuss it with Brian Savage tomorrow and let them know.

 

  1. Executive Session to Discuss Contract Matter and Legal Matter:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter Executive Session at 7:26 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

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

 

ACTION TAKEN: None.

 

  1. Adjournment:

 

Chris Leach 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

 

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