November 13, 2017

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

 

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, November 13, 2017

7:00 PM

 

 

PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau, Village Manager; Elisabeth Nance, Economic Development Coordinator; William “Peanut” Cheney, Shawn Cheney; Ron and Sandy Kilburn, Gordon Winters, Hank Lambert; Swanton Fire Department Chief Tim Girard, Jason Cross, Jason Butler, Peter Prouty, Alex Bourdeau and Nick Schuster; Tom Benton, St. Albans Messenger 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:

 

None.

 

3.   Approve and Accept Minutes from Tuesday, October 24, 2017 and from Thursday, October 26, 2017:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept Minutes from Tuesday, October 24, 2017 and from Thursday, October 26, 2017 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion: Adam Paxman asked if the water ordinance that was approved at their last meeting needed to be posted for 30 days. Chris Leach stated no it didn’t need to be because nothing changed with the ordinance. Eugene LaBombard asked how much the rubber bag weighed because the Minutes state that it weighs 2200 pounds. Reg said no it weighs 96,000 pounds which is equivalent to 2200 metric tons. Motion carried with stated change.     

 

4.   Approve and Accept Village Warrants through November 9, 2017:

 

Chris Leach made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants through November 9, 2017 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

 

5.   Fire Department to Discuss the Capital Purchase of a New Fire Truck:    

 

Fire Chief Tim Girard stated he met with Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, last week and is proud to note that the Fire budget for 2018 is level funded depending on what Workman’s Compensation will do. He said the reason they are here tonight is to discuss the Capital purchase replacement of Engine 3 and the Ladder Truck. He presented the Board with a 2018 Apparatus Presentation. Former Fire Chief Peter Prouty acknowledged the Board and stated this wasn’t the first time he has had to do this presentation. He said he wanted to give some background information, introduce the new fire truck committee and how they calculated the cost. He said they have more than one proposal because the numbers are very large. The first thing Pete mentioned was the call volume trend for the last 22 years. He said there has been a steady incline since 1995. He said in 1995 they responded to 101 calls and in 2016 they responded to 268 calls. Chris Leach asked how many calls they’ve responded to so far this year and Pete said as of September 2017 they have responded to 264 calls. Pete said the truck committee is comprised of Assistant Chief Cross, firefighters Alex Bourdeau and Nick Schuster as well as himself. He said their mission was to look at the vehicle needs of the department for the next 10 years and offer solutions to that 10 year need. Pete said this is a very complicated and involved endeavor and some of the things they considered were the condition and age of their present vehicles, budget stability, maintenance costs, mutual aid, ISO rating, call volume and public expectations. He said they also took into consideration the pump capacity, water capacity, hose bed, compartments, NFPA requirements, engine size, standardization, wheelbase, maneuverability, needed options and primary mission. Chris Leach asked how the Village’s ISO rating compared to other towns. Chief Girard stated with the upgrade to the water plant they received a 4 rating in the Village and a 9 for the outskirts of the Village because they needed to haul water. Pete said some of the things that need to be considered in 2018 are: the Ladder Truck 4 is 28 years old, Engine 3 is 18 years old and the Tanker is 22 years old. Pete said that apparatus suppliers have told them the prices have increased 3.5% per year over the last few years. He said diesel engine emission changes have driven additional increases in 2007, 2010 and 2017. Pete said they contacted HME Dealer and they gave them an “optioned” estimate for both trucks. Pete said Proposal “A” would be to purchase two vehicles in 2018, liquidate Engine 3, Ladder 4 and the Tanker after delivery of the new apparatus and training period. They would bond over the shortest reasonable term to not impact the 2026 fleet needs. Pete said Proposal “B” would be to purchase one vehicle at approximately $600,000 in 2018, liquidate Engine 3 and the Tanker after delivery of the new apparatus and training period and bond over the shortest reasonable term. Pete said the Truck Committee’s conclusion is they believe Proposal “A” is the best overall choice. He said the ultimate cost is dependent on the options the truck(s) have, terms and interest rates. He said they are asking the taxpayers for approximately $1,450,000 to replace two fire trucks in 2018. He said the estimated price for the Engine Truck is $577,500 and the Aerial Truck is estimated to cost $865,000 for a total of $1,442,500. The Board thanked the Fire Department members for coming in and giving their presentation. The Board stated they would ask Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, to figure out what this Capital purchase would do to a taxpayer’s home valued at $200,000. They said they would ask her to show three examples, one with the purchase of two new trucks, one with the purchase of just the Engine truck and one with the purchase of the Aerial truck. Pete said he knows just because they feel this is the right thing to do it may not be the best financial thing to do. He said the engine truck is more needed at this time and if they had to they could hold off on the ladder truck. He said the ladder truck is older and will need to be replaced soon. The Board said they would think about this, look over the numbers and will put this back on the agenda for more discussion.

 

6.   Sign Declaration of Intent for Municipal Bond Bank – Rubber Bag Bond:

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to sign the Declaration of Intent for the Municipal Bond Bank to reimburse certain expenditures related to the Rubber Bag replacement. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.

 

7.   Update on Rubber Dam:

 

Reg Beliveau informed the Board that the abrasion sheets would be delivered this week. He said they removed a piston that was leaking and they are unable to clean the racks right now. The bladder has been shipped and is scheduled to be here the first part of December and our engineers are still saying it would be too dangerous to try and install during December. He said he met with the manufacturer of the rubber bag a few weeks back and toured the site again. They proposed an emergency repair on the rubber bag for approximately $50,000. He said he talked with someone from Maine to see if he has any ideas and to see if this is even possible. He said if they unhook it and lay it over and the river comes up it could flood the inside of the bag. He said there are so many variables involved it can be very distressing. Chris Leach stated it was worth looking at the dollar amount and seeing if it’s feasible to do a repair. The Board thanked Reg for the update on the rubber bag.

 

8.    Discussion on ATV usage in Village of Swanton:

 

Adam Paxman stated there was a meeting a couple of weeks ago in Highgate where a couple of people from VAST were present. He said they had a candid conversation about ATV’s in their community. Adam said he would like to extend an invitation to them to attend a Village Board meeting about the same topic. Adam would like the Village Clerk to contact Highgate to get their information so he could reach out to them and ask them to attend a board meeting. The Board agreed with this.

 

9.    Any Other Necessary Business:

 

Elisabeth Nance, Economic Development Coordinator, was present and stated she had an Ordinance for the Historic Preservation Commission that she would like the Board to look at and possibly adopt. She said this Commission could have 3 to 9 members and she would like this Commission to have three. She has two individuals already interested and just needs one more to start this Historic Commission. She said she added that this Commission would have to meet at least four times per year. Chris Leach made the motion to adopt an Ordinance for the establishment of a Historic Preservation Commission for the Village of Swanton. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

 

Any Other Business: Elisabeth Nance, Economic Development Coordinator, presented the Board with a copy of the Hyde Park Tax Stabilization Program and Policy. She wanted the Board to review this and see if the Board was interested in developing a program like this. She said this could help reduce the municipal tax in Swanton but not the education tax because that’s statewide. She said this would be used as an incentive to attract new businesses to Swanton. Chris Leach stated in the past they couldn’t offer anything like this. She said she thinks this is worth having for any new businesses or for any that do a renovation project. The Board asked why they didn’t know about this before. She said the Town already has one and have used it once. She said Hyde Park asked their voters if they were in favor of this and they approved it. Neal Speer said they needed to run this by Lynn Paradis and have her check it out to see if it’s feasible for the Village. The Board said they would look it over and discuss it further. They said they would put this back on the agenda as well. The Board thanked Elisabeth for coming in.

 

Any Other Business: Adam Paxman wanted to remind everyone about the Christmas in the Park event to be held on Saturday, November 25^th from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Village Green. He said many organizations have come together to make this event happen. He said there will also be an Ugly Sweater contest held from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. at the Swanton VFW. He said there will be a DJ and lots of fun for everyone.

 

10. Public Comment – William “Peanut” Cheney wants to Discuss Greenwich Street:

 

William “Peanut” Cheney asked Reg Beliveau, Village Manager, what he found out about the water issue on Greenwich Street. Reg said when the CSO project came through that’s where the storm water and sewer were put in. He said there was a certain amount of footage in that area and over the years that resident has been cutting in and mowing more and more of the wetland area. Peanut asked who determined this to be a wetland. Reg stated the State of Vermont. Reg said he looked at the blueprints and it was delineated out. He said himself and Mike Menard looked at the prints and this is what they have determined, that the resident has mowed more and more into that wetland area. Reg said the area where it slopes down and gets wet was already deemed by the State as a wet area. He said they didn’t want any disturbance in that area. Eugene LaBombard stated the land has been deemed a wetland by the State of Vermont and Peanut said he disagrees and said this is not a wetland area. Peanut also asked about getting his report from the Police Department. Reg said this is a civil matter but said a new report was written and  was mailed out to him. Reg said he saw the new report and saw the pictures and said he knows it’s done. Peanut also stated that on Pole #7 on Greenwich Street there is no streetlight on that pole. Every pole down there has one and there was an attempted burglary at Mrs. Devaney’s house. Reg stated he would have the electric crew check it out.

 

Reg Beliveau stated he would need an Executive Session to discuss real estate.

 

11. Executive Session (If Necessary):

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to enter into Executive Session to discuss real estate at 8:30 p.m. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.

 

Chris Leach made the motion to exit Executive Session at 9:17 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

 

ACTION TAKEN: None.

 

12. Adjournment:

 

Chris Leach made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 9:18 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 9:18 p.m. Motion carried.

 

 

 

 

 

_____________________________________          _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President                           Date

 

 

 

__________________________________    ___________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                               Date

 

October 24, 2017

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

 

REGULAR MEETING

Tuesday, October 24, 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; Elisabeth Nance, Economic Development Coordinator; William “Peanut” Cheney; Attorney Steve Marshall 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:

 

None.

 

3.   Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, October 9, 2017:

 

Chris Leach made the motion to approve and accept Minutes from Monday, October 9, 2017 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.                       

 

4.   Approve and Accept Village Warrants through October 19, 2017:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants through October 19, 2017 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

 

5.   Update on Rubber Dam:       

 

Reg Beliveau, Village Manager, stated he had a conference call this past week and the rubber bag is due to arrive the first week of December instead of the second week of November. He said HTE sent him photos of the bag being loaded and it is now on its way. He said he asked HTE for a detailed description as to why the bag was delayed and he said all he received back was a page full of excuses. He said rather than being upset he’s just going to move forward with this. He said Pizzagali and HL Turner have been discussing the average river flows in December and feel it would be too dangerous to do any work during that month. He said the old construction site was washed out a few times in the past and for safety reasons he would rather wait until the flow is safer. Chris Leach asked if the Village was subject to any penalties if they waited. Reg said their Army Corps permit deadline was 2018 so they are all set. He said he needed to notify the other proper agencies. He also informed the Board that the warranty starts after receipt of the bladder and will extend to the date of installation. Adam Paxman asked if HTE expected full payment upon date of receipt. Reg stated that they are having a meeting next week and they will discuss that. He said they would also discuss how stupid HTE made the Village office look by committing to a delivery date that they couldn’t keep. Reg stated he is hoping the impact of this delay is less than he has anticipated. He said they’ve also discussed doing a repair internally on the old rubber bag to possibly raise it by 5 feet. He said 15 feet would be too much to handle but raising it some would help in keeping the racks clean.  Neal Speer asked about the storage of the new rubber bag when it arrives. Reg said storing it outside will be fine and they are looking at a location now. He said Pizzagali will be able to pick it up with their crane and place it where it needs to be. Reg said the bag is 57 feet long, 9 ½ feet wide and almost 5 feet tall. He said it weighs 2200 pounds. Chris Leach stated this news is disappointing but thanked Reg for being on top of it. Adam Paxman stated the production was on schedule but the shipping was delayed and that was out of their control.

 

6.   Approve Swanton Village Water Ordinance as Printed:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter into a Water Commissioner’s meeting to discuss the Village of Swanton Water Ordinance at 7:15 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

Discussion: Dianne Day, Village Clerk, stated she talked with Lynn Paradis about this Water Ordinance and she said there was nothing she would change or add at this time. She said Mike Menard, Public Works Foreman, was also fine with the Ordinance as printed. The Board of Trustees also reviewed it and have no changes at this time. Reg Beliveau stated the State of Vermont SRF Loan representatives require the Village to review this Water Ordinance from time to time.

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and accept the Village of Swanton Water Ordinance as printed as of October 2017. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to exit Water Commissioner’s meeting at 7:18 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

 

7.   Any Other Necessary Business:

 

Adam Paxman asked if the Village hired anyone yet for the Hydro Plant Operator. Reg Beliveau stated they have made an offer to someone and are waiting to hear back from them.

 

Any Other Business: Neal Speer asked how the swan was doing. Adam Paxman stated he is doing pretty good and has been moved to MVUHS along with the two ducks for the winter. He said Betty the swan had a fungus and there was nothing they could have done for her. He said Sam is on an antibiotic and seems to be doing well.

 

Any Other Business: Eugene LaBombard said there are places in the Village where people are parking on the green spaces. He asked if they were allowed to park there in the winter months. Reg Beliveau stated no and the Winter Parking Ban Ordinance takes effect December 1^st and runs through April 15^th. Reg stated the Village needs to re-visit all their Ordinances and deal with the parking issues, etc.

 

Any Other Business: Neal Speer asked if there’s been anything done regarding the lights on Merchant’s Row. Reg stated not that he knows of and said he would talk with Duane Couture about this in the morning.

 

8. Public Comment – William “Peanut” Cheney wants to Discuss Greenwich Street:

 

Elisabeth Nance, Economic Development Coordinator, was present to give the Board an update and to discuss the Village of Swanton becoming a Certified Local Government.  She stated the ACCD is going to be in Swanton on Friday, October 27^th to meet with four property owners and will be back on November 8^th to meet with another one. She said the property owners need to apply for the tax credits individually. She said as part of that, when they were here on October 4^th they were talking about the Neighborhood Development Area program as well. She said they will meet at the Town Office and then walk over to Merchants Row. They will look at the buildings and see what makes sense to do. She said they will address the lighting as well. They will look to see if there’s enough handicap access as well. They will then talk about the Neighborhood Development Area and this may require some Zoning Bylaw changes which they plan on looking at over the winter months. Reg Beliveau stated that the Agency of Natural Resources and Fish and Wildlife were going to be here on Friday as well to do a meet and greet. He said they were going to do a walk around also. He said he may be available later in the afternoon.

 

Elisabeth said there are six steps to becoming a Certified Local Government (CLG) and one of them is to adopt an Ordinance. She said they also need to set up a Commission of 3 to 9 people. Reg asked if the  Economic Development group could be the Commission. Elisabeth said she asked because the Town and the Village have to have separate CLG’s do they need to have separate Commissions. She said the same people can be both the Town and Village Commissioners. There are certain requirements such as someone would need to have a historical architect degree and that person can be from another community. She asked if this is something the Village wants to move forward on. She said they would need to develop a commission, adopt an ordinance and meet one time to do this. Adam Paxman asked why the Village was doing this and not the Town. Elisabeth said because this has to do with historical preservation and most of that is in the Village. She said she would like to see the Town move forward with this as well but that is less pressing. She said there is money out there and they would be fools not to do this. Reg stated he would recommend they form a committee, meet and review the bylaws or ordinance and move forward from there. They agreed they would discuss this further at their Economic Task Force meeting.

 

Public Notice: Gordon Winters stopped by and wanted to express his gratitude for having faith in him and his family on being a small part of the Downtown Revitalization. He said this idea started out small and branched off into something great. He wanted to publicly thank the Board for their support. He said they are going for the beginning of their permits on Thursday of this week and he thought it was a good time to show the Board what they will be presenting. He showed the Board his development plans for his Ace Hardware store. He said unfortunately they couldn’t save the old Prouty building but are saving the old theatre building. He said they looked structurally at what they could save and the Prouty building is beyond repair but he said they have a good shot at saving the theatre building. Chris Leach stated how nice the plans look. Gordon said the square footage is just what they need. He said the old metal building will come down and they will use the same footprint but resurface it with matching brick. He said this will be used for storage. He said they added a few more parking spaces in the front and added a nice front brick patio. He said most of the store parking will be on the side of the building. He said they talked with the bank and will open up that road and remove the curb that’s there now. Adam Paxman asked if there was anything they could do to help. Gordon said he is hoping Thursday’s meeting goes well and he will then be going after his state permits. The Board thanked him for coming in and showing his plans and told him how nice it will be when complete. Gordon said he is hoping for spring/summer construction.

 

Public Comment: William “Peanut” Cheney stated he wanted the Board to take a look at a police report he has. Dianne Day, Village Clerk, stated it has to do with his rental property on Greenwich Street in which he had a complaint about some trees being trimmed and cut by the neighbor. Peanut said he needed to show this to a judge. Chris Leach then read the narrative from the police report aloud. Peanut said it doesn’t say that they came onto his property 5 feet but rather trimmed the tree up 5 or 6 feet. He said he planted those trees 28 years ago. He said this property has been surveyed and he also said he spoke with an attorney and the attorney told him he should contact the Board of Trustees about this. Peanut said when you read this report you get nothing out of it and it doesn’t make sense. Chris asked who cut the trees. Peanut said to ask the Police Department, he said they’re investigating it and it took six months to get this report. He said he’s been to the police department eight times and feels nothing is being done. Reg Beliveau asked who cut the trees, the property in the back. Peanut said yes to this. He said if you call there you don’t get an answer and he never calls him back. Peanut said the neighbor trimmed his trees 5 feet in and as high as you could reach. He said they are cedar trees that he planted 28 years ago and now you can see right through them. Reg Beliveau stated he would get more information from the police department so he could understand it better. He said he believes this is a landowner dispute. Peanut agreed to this but said he needed a better report to clarify it. Peanut said his attorney said to go back to the police department and get a better report because this one doesn’t make sense. Reg said he would talk with the Chief of Police and have the officer write a more detailed explicit report for Peanut. He said they would figure out the property owner, take some pictures, etc.

 

He said another issue he has on Greenwich Street is the brook near Gerald Wells’ house. He said he hates to see someone like him get abused. He said nobody is watching over him and he’s going through hard times. He said they need to do an onsite visit of that brook because the culverts are plugged. Reg said when the CSO project came through that’s where the storm water and sewer were put in. Part of the process was that had to be replanted with wetland plants in that area. Neal asked if the water was backing up over at Gerald’s. Peanut said when they cleaned out the ditch they put the fill in the brook by Gerald’s. He said now it’s all over by Grand Avenue. He said the Village could use their vactor and clean this out. Peanut said Gerald can’t even mow his lawn now because it’s too wet over there. Reg said he would do some research on the CSO project and go talk with Gerald about this. He said if this is deemed a wetland they have to get permission to go in and dredge it. He said if the culverts are plugged that’s one issue but if they want to dredge the brook they need permission from the state. Peanut said he didn’t think the brook needed to be dredge but said the culverts need to be cleaned out. The Board thanked Peanut for coming in with his issues.

 

9. Executive Session (If Necessary):

 

None.

 

Adjournment:

 

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

 

October 9, 2017

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

 

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, October 9, 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; 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 7:03 p.m.

 

2.   Agenda Review:

 

Reg Beliveau, Village Manager, stated he needed to have an Executive Session to Discuss Real Estate.

 

3.   Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, September 25, 2017:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept Minutes from Monday, September 25, 2017 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion: Eugene LaBombard asked about re-approving the Village Water Ordinances. Reg Beliveau stated he wanted to discuss it with Lynn Paradis and Mike Menard first and would put it on the next agenda. Motion carried.                     

 

4.   Approve and Accept Village Warrants through October 6, 2017:

 

Chris Leach made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants through October 6, 2017 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: Chris Leach asked about the vendor Champlain Divers International because there are two invoices from them. Reg Beliveau, Village Manager, stated that they dove at the Hydro Plant and also at the Water Treatment Plant. He said they will provide the Village with a report and video of the findings. Motion carried.

 

5.   Update on Rubber Dam:       

 

Reg Beliveau, Village Manager, stated he had a conference call this past week and the rubber bag is due to arrive the second week of November still. He said the abrasion pad and anchor bolts will be here the end of October and PC Construction will remove the old bag then. Eugene LaBombard asked if they needed to install new bolts and Reg stated that they will test the old ones first and if ok they will keep them. He said Al Mosher ordered extenders to put on the old bolts so feels this will work just fine. Reg said PC Construction is concerned with the temperatures and water flow levels and doesn’t want things washed away during construction. Reg also said that the Highgate Library wants to do a live streaming of the installation of the rubber bag. He said he thought this was a good idea and said this would benefit the Village of Swanton as well as the public. Reg said October has been warmer than normal and he’s hoping that will continue. Adam Paxman asked if Reg was satisfied with the engineer so far and Reg said yes he was but said he was upset with HTE for delaying the shipment of the rubber bag. He said it was originally supposed to be here mid October not mid November. Reg said other than that he has no other concerns.

 

6.   Sign Hydro Relicensing Contract with Enosburg:

 

Chris Leach made the motion to authorize Village Manager Reginald Beliveau to sign and enter into a  Joint Agreement for Relicensing Services contract with Paul Nolan Esq. This joint contract will include Enosburg Falls Hydroelectric Project, FERC Project No. 2905 Missisquoi River – Project Relicensing as well as Highgate Hydroelectric Project, FERC Project No. 2547 Missisquoi River – Project Relicensing. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

      7.  Water Allocation Request for Upper Ferris St:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter into a Water Commissioner’s meeting at 7:16 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded.

 

Reg Beliveau, Village Manager, stated that Trudell Consulting Engineers is requesting on behalf of DDM Properties LLC to update their water and sewer allocations for a project at 35 Upper Ferris Street in the Town of Swanton. The property is currently vacant, and previously contained two mobile homes. The applicant is proposing to develop the property with two duplex dwellings and two single family dwellings. The duplex dwellings will have two bedrooms per unit and the single family homes will have three bedrooms each. They are requesting a total of 1,890 gallons per day (gpd) for the water allocation and a total of 1,260 gpd for the sewer allocation. Reg stated they have been through the zoning process and are now going before the Development Review Board. Chris Leach asked if they would pay a water and sewer connection fee for each unit and Reg stated yes they would. He said they would also need to purchase water meter packages for each unit as well. Adam Paxman made the motion to approve DDM Properties, LLC request for 1,890 gallons per day for their water allocation and to approve the 1,260 gallons per day for their sewer allocation at 35 Upper Ferris Street in the Town of Swanton. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to exit the Water Commissioner’s meeting at 7:20 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

8. Discussion on October 4^th Economic Walk About:

 

Elizabeth Nance, Economic Development Coordinator, stated to the Board of Trustees that there were approximately 20 people who attended they October 4^th Economic Walk About. She said she learned a few things from this walk through and also said that Ron Kilburn did a great job providing everyone with the history on each of the buildings they looked at. She said the best part about the walk thru was they talked about Certified Local Government and said the Village and/or Town of Swanton can apply to become a Certified Local Government. She said this is a great opportunity and hoped the Town or Village would apply for this. She said three property owners are meeting about the tax credit programs and she sent out 24 letters to property owners to remind them of the benefits of the Designated Village Center. Chris Leach said this tax credit is actually money that’s deducted from your actual tax bill. She said she would put further information about this on the Town’s website. Reg Beliveau stated that they are moving forward and have a lot of positive things happening. He thanked Elisabeth for putting it together in the designated area. Adam Paxman agreed and said they are seeing tangible results. Reg stated he wouldn’t have the time to put this sort of thing together and thanked Elisabeth for her update and for her help.

 

9.   Close US Bank 1989 Interest Account:

 

Reg Beliveau informed the Board that the 1989 Bond has interest credits larger than the interest due for the remaining two years on the bond so the Village would like to close the US Bank Interest Account. He said it has a balance of $9.90 and the bank will move that amount to the Bond Principal Account. Chris Leach made the motion to authorize the Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, to close the US Bank 1989 Interest Account. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

10. Any Other Necessary Business:

 

Chris Leach asked if the paving was finished in the Village. Reg Beliveau stated no it wasn’t and said it should be done by the second week of October. Chris asked if there was a punch list and Reg said yes there was. Reg said the side streets are done and some final areas are almost done. Chris Leach also asked about the lights on Merchants Row. Reg stated he needed to talk with Duane Couture, Electric Foreman, about this. Elisabeth Nance stated that property owners there are meeting regarding the new lighting there and having it up before daylight savings time.

 

Any Other Business: Adam Paxman stated he wanted to thank all the Fire Department’s who helped with the barn fire this past weekend. He said they all did a good job. He also stated he was disappointed in a lot of drivers because they didn’t pull over when they saw the emergency vehicles. He said people need to have more common sense and patience. He also stated that there are a couple of ducks in the swan pond keeping the remaining swan company. He said he’s not sure when he’s moving out yet and also said they transported Betty out of state for testing to determine her cause of death.

 

Any Other Business: Eugene LaBombard asked if there would be any paving in the Village and if there would be any new sidewalks put in. Reg stated the paving on South River and Lake Street to the State’s job is complete. He also said Fourth Street paving is complete also. Adam Paxman stated they did a great job.

 

Any Other Business: Neal Speer stated the Town of Swanton is putting in sidewalks on Robinhood Drive and also gave thanks to the Town for the trimming that was done on South River Street. He said this is keeping the shoulder clear and helped with pedestrians and with bikes.

 

11. Public Comment:

 

None.

 

 

12. Executive Session (If Necessary):

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to enter into Executive Session to discuss Real Estate at 7:45 p.m.  Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

 

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

 

ACTION TAKEN:  None.

 

 

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

 

September 25, 2017

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

 

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, September 25, 2017

7:00 PM

 

 

PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau, Village Manager; Elisabeth Nance, Economic Development Coordinator; Suzanne Washburn, Chamber of Commerce; Ron Kilburn, Swanton Historical Society 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 7:05 p.m.

 

2.   Agenda Review:

 

None.

 

3.   Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, September 11, 2017:

 

Chris Leach made the motion to approve and accept Minutes from Monday, September 11, 2017 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.                 

 

4.   Approve and Accept Village Warrants through September 22, 2017:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants through September 22, 2017 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

 

5.   Discussion on Rubber Dam:  

 

Reg Beliveau, Village Manager, first stated that the Bond Vote for the new rubber bag was passed 139 yes to 11 no. He said it wasn’t a large turnout but the results were overwhelming and humbling that the people who did vote care as much as the Village does to keep the rubber bag here. He said he wanted to thank the voters who came out and he appreciates the positive support. Reg stated that the shipment of the rubber bladder for the dam is delayed. Originally it was due to arrive the second week of October, it now is due to arrive the second week of November. Reg is supposed to have a conference call next week to discuss this matter and get everyone on board. He said he assumes the recent hurricanes have something to do with this delay but he’s not 100 percent on that. He said he forwarded back to them their emails stating an October delivery but hasn’t heard anything back as of yet. PC Construction is still planning on building the road and demolishing the old dam as planned in October. He said he would have the engineer check the anchor bolts to make sure they’re solid and if not replace them now before the bag arrives. He said the weight of this bag is 96 tons and they want everything in order before it arrives. He said the bag is coming from China into Louisiana then to New Jersey and trucked here.

 

6.   Discussion on Water Ordinance:

 

Reg Beliveau stated that the State of Vermont recommends the Village review their Water Ordinance on a regular basis. Eugene LaBombard stated he studied the Ordinance the last couple of days and didn’t see anything that really needed changing. He said there is a lot of detail in the Ordinance but said he couldn’t see much for changes. Eugene asked if anyone from the Village sees anything that needs to be changed.  Chris Leach stated that nothing has or should change as far as he’s concerned. Chris said he had a customer call him and thank him because someone from the Village office called them and said your water usage is up and had them check for a leak. The customer said they found they had a toilet that was leaking and they really appreciated the phone call. After briefly reviewing, it was decided they would continue to review and make any changes necessary at the next trustees meeting in October.

 

     7. Any Other Necessary Business:

 

Adam Paxman stated a customer called him about going paperless with his utility bill and said he couldn’t find the link on the Village’s website. He asked Reg to check it out and make sure the link is there in case customers want to go paperless.

 

Any Other Business: Chris Leach stated Gordon Winters is doing a great job with the green space on the corner of Merchants Row and North River Street.

 

Any Other Business: Neal Speer stated kudos to the Arts Council for the beautiful art boards in the Village. He said they’ve all been covered up and new artwork has been painted.

 

Any Other Business: Adam Paxman stated kudos goes out to the Village Police Sergeant for his new initiative that was outlined in the St. Albans Messenger. He said he’s started an initiative where relatives can register a loved one with the Village Police Department if they have early onset Alzheimer’s or Dementia. He said this is in case that person wanders off and gets lost the Police Department will have their photo and basic information. Adam stated this is a great initiative, great for the community and a great job done by our local Village Police Department and Sergeant Kachajian.

 

8. Public Comment:

 

Elizabeth Nance, Economic Development Coordinator, stated to the Board of Trustees that she had gone to a meeting a couple of weeks back in Enosburg and they suggested because of Swanton’s close proximity to the Canadian border that they may want to have a page on their website that’s in French. She said you can use google translate and translate something into any language that you want. She said she proposed this to the Town of Swanton and is also proposing it to the Village of Swanton for their website. They said a lot of French Canadian residents look for this and appreciate the effort. She asked the Village if they could talk with their website technician and see if this is possible to do. She said the other reason for her visit tonight is that next Wednesday, October 4^th at 3:30 p.m. they have representatives from other state agencies coming to do a walk-thru of the Village. She said they are going to walk through the Town Office, the park and down to the northern gateway and back through the Village. She said there are nine places she would like checked out to see if there’s any possibility to refurbish. She said these agencies have funding available to potentially help. She said this is a semi informal way of talking with people who may have some input on funding and what’s possible to do or not possible to do. She said she sent 56 letters to residents and business owners advising them of this walk-thru. She said it’s open to everyone and she’s hoping for a good turnout. Neal Speer asked Elisabeth who she had signed up to be there. She said the Agency of Commerce and Community Development as well as others from the State of Vermont. Neal stated he was asked today about the compressed gas company that was supposed to locate in Swanton. Reg stated that company purchased the property but gas prices dropped and the project is on hold as of now.

 

Public Comment: Suzanne Washburn stated that this year has been a struggle to keep the Chamber of Commerce office open. She said they have collaborated with the Swanton Art’s Council and they are going to open the office to local artists who want to display their artwork in exchange for when someone stops by the Chamber Office with questions they would be helped. She said they are going to try this for the month of October and see how this goes. She said hopefully it’s well received. She said she is there because the Village owns the land the Chamber office sits on and she’s asking permission for artists as well as members of the Chamber to be able to set up their wares on the lawn as well as banners, etc. She said this would be similar to a farmer’s market. Chris Leach thought this was a good idea and encouraged it and so didn’t Adam Paxman. Eugene stated this may end up being a very positive idea and encouraged it as well. Suzanne thanked the Board for their time and approval of her request.

 

Public Comment: Ron Kilburn stated he wanted to talk about something people drive by or walk by  every day and that is the fountain in the park. He brought pictures of an article from the year 2000 of Neal Speer and his family talking about the $10,000 renovation of the fountain in the park that replaced the original 1909 fountain, done with help from the Historical Society. He said this all started back in 1609 when Samuel De Champlain discovered the lake and in 1909 to celebrate that event they had a tri-centennial and created the fountain and the base in the park. In 1964 a plaque on the fountain was installed and dedicated to Harold Bliss for his years of service to the community. In 2000 the fountain was falling apart and the base was leaking and it needed masonry repair. He said they found a manufacturer in Boston that has the prints of the original fountain. He said in the year 2000 the Town put on their ballot an article to place $5000 toward this project and the Village voted to also place $5000 toward this project. Ron said this was 17 years ago and the fountain has deteriorated so much it will take extensive work to repair it. He said the contractor who is working on the Town is willing to give an estimate on the fountain base as well as another contractor. He said once he receives some bids they will have more to work with and is willing to do the leg work if they want him to. He is suggesting they have everything in place so that they can begin this work in the Spring. Neal asked where the Town stood on this because he talked with James Guilmette, Selectboard member, who told him the Town was ready to work on this also. Ron said the new fountain is fine, this is just for the base of the fountain. Neal said he also received a quote from the guy who worked on the bandstand a few years back. Ron said he was glad Neal mentioned the bandstand because he is recommending they do both at the same time. He said the bandstand is in need of repair also. Eugene stated 17 years ago it looked real good but not now. The Board agreed that they get some estimates so that they could move forward with this. Ron stated he could get this information for their next meeting. The Board thanked Ron for his information and agreed to move forward with this.

 

9.   Executive Session to Discuss Real Estate:

 

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to enter into Executive Session to discuss Real Estate at 7:56 p.m.  Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to exit Executive Session at 8:24 p.m. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.

 

ACTION TAKEN:  None.

 

10. Adjournment:

 

Chris Leach made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 8:24 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 8:24 p.m. Motion carried.

 

 

 

 

 

 

_____________________________________          _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President                           Date

 

 

 

__________________________________    ___________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                               Date

 

September 11, 2017

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

 

REGULAR MEETING &

PUBLIC INFORMATIONAL HEARING

Monday, September 11, 2017

7:00 PM

 

 

PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau, Village Manager; Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk; Suzanne Washburn, Tony Russo, Elisabeth Nance 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 Public Informational Hearing and called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. He asked all those present to join him in a Moment of Silence to remember the 9/11 victims. He then introduced the Board of Trustees and administration.

 

2.      Agenda Review:

 

None.

 

3.      Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, August 28, 2017:

 

Chris Leach made the motion to approve and accept Minutes from Monday, August 28, 2017 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

 

4.      Approve and Accept Village Warrants through September 8, 2017:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants through September 8, 2017 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion: Eugene LaBombard asked about the HTE invoice for $459,720. Reg Beliveau stated that was for the rubber bag. Motion carried.

 

5.      Informational Meeting & Public Hearing – Rubber Bag Bond Vote on 9/19/17:

 

Reg Beliveau, Village Manager, presented the Board and public with a power point presentation on the rubber bag dam. He showed a video of when the bag failed because of a tear in it. He also showed how they did a slow release and said it was too dangerous to put someone inside the bag to try and fix the tear. He said right now they are having an issue with silt getting into the intake structure. Suzanne Washburn asked if there was any way to hold the silt back and Reg said no there wasn’t. This is some of the information he provided the Board with in his presentation:

 

Background:

·         Original Bridgestone rubber Dam was installed in the early 1990s as part of the hydro plant upgrades and sits on top of a 15’ concrete dam.

·         Life of the dam was estimated to be 25 years.

·         It is 220’ feet long, 15’ in diameter.

·         This brings the total dam height to 30 feet, or an operating height of 190’ above sea level.

·         Bridgestone notified the Village around 2010 that it was no longer manufacturing rubber dams.

·         Swanton’s management began researching other potential manufacturing companies in expectation of a replacement being needed in the near future (expected 2018).

June 14, 2017:

·         On the afternoon of June 14^th the on duty hydro operator noticed that one of the blowers that keeps the dam inflated kicked off.

·         The blower was reset and blower #2 came on but the air pressure kept dropping.

·         A visual inspection of the dam revealed a tear causing the air to release on the east side of the dam.

·         Management decided that making a repair from the inside of the dam was too dangerous, and no possible repair could be done from the outside of the bladder.

·         The Village activated the EAP and notified Federal, State and local agencies.

·         A slow release of the air pressure to the dam was initiated and downstream was monitored by emergency personnel.

Plant Operations:

·         In the aftermath of the dam deflation, 15 feet of dam height is gone along with the impoundment.

·         The plant was not designed nor constructed to run efficiently with only a 15 foot dam (175 asl).

·         The plant is experiencing operational issues generating with only 15 feet of water. The problems are sludge, silt, and trash racks are plugging causing loss generation.

Next Steps:

·         Management and the Board of Trustees needed to work fast to get the new dam ordered because the manufacturing of it is over 6 months long.

·         Installation needs to happen before the weather gets too cold and the rubber becomes less pliable.

·         Steps could be taken to “heat” the area with a tent, but that would increase the costs dramatically.

·         The manufacturer has committed to a 3 month manufacturing time.

·         The selected contractor will be on site the end of September to prepare for the new dam.

·         The dam is expected to arrive in the middle of October.

·         Installation is expected to be finished by the middle of November.

Financial Impact:

·         Without the 15’ rubber dam, the monetary impact for the first year alone would be a minimum of $275,000, which in normal circumstances would cause a rate increase.

·         That amount is estimated to increase each year with a cumulative impact thru 2024, the year of the FERC license renewal of $1.8 million dollars. Over the life of the rubber dam, the impact is estimated to be $5.7 million dollars.

·         The new rubber dam has a life expectancy of 25 years.

·         The project costs are $2.2 million dollars.

·         The bond would be paid back over 25 years, $88,000 in principal per year plus interest.

·         Total debt service per year would be approximately $152,000.

·         The debt service (loan payback) would not impact the rates.

What Are We Doing to Keep Rates Level:

·         Swanton is 100% renewable so we were able to get out of some renewable purchase power requirements, saving over $150 thousand dollars per year.

·         The hydro facility is in the process of being taken out of the power market beginning in October 2017.

·         That means an estimated potential $1 million dollar reduction in purchase power per year.

·         Going forward we would be considered as “behind the meter” which means we will use the generation to offset our electric load.

The Future:

·         We are seeing an increase of solar in the service territory.

 

Suzanne Washburn asked if the Village had put any money away for this rubber bag. Lynn stated they are not allowed to do that and said they need to take out debt service. Tony Russo asked if there would be any State issues on the replacement of the bag. Reg said not so far and said everything is going good with the Agency of Natural Resources and the Army Corps. He said they are hoping this bond vote is approved and that the bag is installed before spring run-off. He said the Public Service Board has approved their 108 filing and now the Village needs the taxpayers to approve this. Eugene LaBombard stated that the Village was in the process of replacing this bag, this leak just moved it up. Lynn said the Village lost out on this wet summer and lost generation because of that. Neal Speer also wanted to mention that this rubber bag is cheaper than the original bag. The Board of Trustees encouraged all to come out and vote yes and show their support for this new rubber bag.

 

6.      Any Other Necessary Business:

 

None.

 

7.      Public Comment:

 

None.

 

8.      Executive Session to Discuss Legal Matters:

 

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter into Executive Session to discuss Legal Matters at 8:00 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

 

Chris Leach made the motion to exit Executive Session at 8:57 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

 

ACTION TAKEN: None.

 

 

 

 

 

9.      Adjournment:

 

Chris Leach made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting and Public Informational Meeting at 8:57 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 8:57 p.m. Motion carried.

 

 

 

_____________________________________          _______________________________________

Neal Speer, Village President                           Date

 

 

 

__________________________________    ___________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                               Date