Trustees Meeting 8/15/23

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SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

REGULAR MEETING

Tuesday, August 15, 2023

5:00 PM

PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; William “Bill” Sheets, Village Manager; Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk; Matthew Sullivan, Police Chief; Donald Gilbert, Officer; Heidi Britch-Valenta; Village Grant Writer; Dean Ryan, Public Works Foreman; Jason Cross, Fire Chief; Dan Chevalier, Assistant Fire Chief; Steve Roy and John Lamothe, Weimann & Lamphere; Chris Huston and Bert DeLaBruere, ReArch; Jason Booth and Jameson Haddad, Aldrich & Elliott; and Ch. 16.

Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried, unanimously.

1. Call to Order:

Neal Speer, Village President, called the Village Board of Trustees meeting to order at 5:00 p.m.

2. Executive Session to Discuss Real Estate:

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter Executive Session to discuss Real Estate at 5:01 p.m. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to exit Executive Session at 6:45 p.m. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.

3. Call Regular Meeting to Order:

Neal Speer, Village President, called the regular board meeting to order at 7 p.m.

4. Pledge of Allegiance:

Everyone in attendance stood for the Pledge of Allegiance.

5. Agenda Review:

Dianne Day, Village Clerk, stated she had a water allocation request that needs to be added to the meeting. Insert it after Item #20.

6. Aldrich & Elliott Update on Missisquoi River Water Line Crossing Job:

Jason Booth and Jameson Haddad from Aldrich & Elliott were present for this update. Jason stated he wanted to follow up and touch base on the water line project. He said they have completed their bid analysis award recommendation. Jason also said he knew the bids came in over budget on the river boring aspect of the project and said there are very few contractors who do this. He said because of this they have reached out to the State and they have agreed to honor the 50% disadvantage subsidy on the total project cost. Jason said GW Tatro came in with the lowest bid at $1.8 million dollars, bringing the total cost of the project to $2.2 million dollars. He said with the 50% disadvantage subsidy the Village will be within their $1.2 million dollar loan bond. Adam Paxman made the motion to authorize Village Manager, Bill Sheets, to sign a Notice of Intent to Award the Contract to G.W. Tatro in the amount of $1,874,400 for the construction of the Missisquoi River Water Main Crossing. Eugene LaBombard seconded the motion. Motion carried.

The Board agreed to move to Item #18 to accommodate Aldrich & Elliott.

#18. Review and Approve State Revolving Loan Program Amendment for Wastewater Treatment Plant Dewatering Solution in the Amount of $19,490:

Bill Sheets, Village Manager, stated this amendment is for additional work that needs to be done on the dewatering system at the Wastewater Plant. Eugene LaBombard made the motion to authorize Village Manager, Bill Sheets, to amend the Owner-Engineer agreement between the Village of Swanton and Aldrich & Elliott in the amount of $19,490. This amount reflects the additional step 1 and step 2 engineering services required to upgrade the sludge dewatering at the Wastewater Treatment Facility. Chris Leach seconded the motion. Motion carried.

7. Public Comment:

None.

8. Approve and Accept Minutes from the Monday, July 24, 2023 meeting as presented:

Chris Leach made the motion to approve the Minutes from Monday, July 24, 2023 meeting as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

9. Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Thursday, August 10, 2023:

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants #74-#82 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion: Adam Paxman asked about the payment made to USA Blue Book for $8459.34. Lynn Paradis stated the water and wastewater plants use that company for their supplies. Motion carried.

10. Review and Acknowledge 2^nd Quarter SQRP Report:

Chris Leach acknowledged the Board of Trustees have reviewed the second quarter SQRP report for 2023 and said everyone is doing a great job.

11. Update to Swanton Village Parks and Noise Ordinances:

Dianne Day, Village Clerk, stated the Village Police have requested we update the Swanton Village Parks and Noise Ordinance as follows:

Concerning the Regulation of the Village Parks enforcement the following subsections have been added or amended to the Swanton Village Park Ordinances:

SECTION 1: Definitions

Update Section 1. “Flat Iron Park” to “Veterans Memorial Park” and

Add: “7.) Swanton Beach Park”

            being a 2.4 acre parcel of land located at 2 Maquam Shore Road, with the buildings located thereon, in said Town of Swanton. This area is designated as a beach park and parking lot.

Concerning the Regulation of the Noise Ordinance enforcement the following subsections have been added, amended or deleted to the Swanton Village Noise Ordinances:

Amended Section 5602. Prohibitions.

            General Prohibitions has been amended; Section (g) General Property Line Standard has been amended and TABLE A has been removed.

Chief of Police Matt Sullivan stated the decibel level listed in the existing ordinance was too low and feels this change is necessary and will be better enforced.

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve the changes to the Parks and Noise Ordinances as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

12. Swanton Village Police Update with Matthew Sullivan

Matt Sullivan, Chief of Police, provided the Board with handouts pertaining to their July calls for service. He said in the month of July the Village police department responded to 124 calls for service. He said there were 12 traffic stops which resulted in 11 tickets issued, 10 warnings, and 2 arrests; there were 19 arrest charges with 11 individuals. He said the top ten calls for service were 12 traffic stops, 11 foot patrol; 9 directed patrol; 9 agency assistance; 8 motor vehicle complaints; 7 citizen assist; 6 community outreach; 6 welfare/suicide check; 5 citizen dispute; and 13 suspicious person/circumstance. Chief Sullivan said for the Village and Town combined they responded to 287 incidents and conducted 62 traffic stops which resulted in 30 tickets, 45 warnings with 3 arrests; 23 arrest charges involving 14 individuals. He said the top ten calls for service included 62 traffic stops; 45 directed patrol; 21 suspicious person/circumstances; 19 agency assistance; 15 motor vehicle complaint; 11 foot patrol; 10 community outreach; 10 citizen assist; 9 welfare/suicide check; and 8 property/home watch.

Adam Paxman asked if anything really stood out to the Chief. He said not really and said he has the speed cart out on South River Street right now. He said it was previously on Route 78 and will be set up on Robinhood Drive as well. He said they’ve been getting some good data from it. Neal Speer asked if there were many complaints about shoplifting and the Chief said it doesn’t seem like there were

many calls about that. Chris Leach said the National Night Out event was nice. Chief Sullivan said they had a very successful event and said Sgt. Kyle Gagne has worked on this the last few years and it’s very successful each year. Chief thanked TDI and Hannafords for the BBQ and thanked Bad Horsey for playing.

13. Approve the Swanton Village Police Department request to create a purchase order, to include fit-up, for a new police cruiser to be purchased with surplus funds that were approved on Article #6 of the 2023 Swanton Village ballot:

Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, stated that the voters gave her permission to put these surplus funds into a capital fund, so she needs board approval to take those funds out for the police department. She said as of now there is just under $36,000 and once tax bills come in she’ll add another $60,000. Don Gilbert, police officer, stated trying to find a new police cruiser is a very difficult task as there aren’t many available on car lots. He said he has found one in Illinois that is ready to go. Adam Paxman made the motion to authorize the Swanton Village Police Department request to create a purchase order, to include fit-up, for a new police cruiser to be purchased with surplus funds that were approved on Article #6 of the 2023 Swanton Village ballot, spending no more than $72,000. Chris Leach seconded the motion. Motion carried.

14. Discuss and Approve Capital Equipment Savings Purchases:

Bill Sheets, Village Manager, stated there are a couple more purchases that need to be made with surplus funds and said they need Board approval to take these funds out of the general capital fund. He said the public works department needs to purchase a new Kabota lawn tractor to replace the one they currently have. Lynn Paradis stated the one they have is very old and the cost to replace this lawn tractor is $24,902. Eugene LaBombard made the motion to authorize the Village of Swanton to take funds

out of the general capital fund in the amount of $24,902 to purchase a new Kabota lawn tractor for the public works department. Adam Paxman seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Bill Sheets, Village Manager, also stated the highway department needs permission to purchase a sander/salter combo box spreader in the amount of $11,140 with surplus funds. He said the one they had was old and not as safe as this one because this one has hydraulics on it. Eugene LaBombard made the motion to authorize the Village of Swanton to take funds out of the general capital fund in the amount of $11,140 to purchase a new Salt Dogg 9-foot three-yard V-Box Spreader for the highway department’s one ton truck. Adam Paxman seconded the motion. Motion carried.

15. Discuss and Approve Hydro Plowing Purchases:

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve the purchase of a nine-foot plow and a V Box spreader from CCR Sales and Service for Hydro/Maintenance for the combined cost of $15,182.

This is based upon the outcome of a competitive bid, selecting a product that works best for us to complete the plan we had in place last year for Hydro/Maintenance to lessen the burden on public works and take care of all plowing, sanding, and salting needs at Hydro and P10. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

16. Financial Statement Update:

Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, stated she doesn’t have July financials done because she’s been on vacation. She said revenue in electric, water and sewer may be a little more than what’s budgeted so that’s a good thing. She mentioned that the delinquent tax balance is the lowest it’s been in a long time and said Betty Cheney is doing a great job collecting. She said she thought the balance left to collect for last year was $11,000. Lynn said the Hydro runs have been good and feels they will be under budget. Lynn said she’s waiting on her CDA numbers. She also said the Highgate tax bill will be high this year because it’s based on generation. Adam Paxman asked if they had any authority to change the way they are billed from Highgate. Lynn said no this was determined by the legislature. She said she was required to provide way more information this year to the property valuation department. Lynn said the hydro bond payment from the original hydro upgrade is coming due this fall and it’s the last one. She said that will free up a $400,000 principal payment, approximately $20,000 in interest and $1.3 million dollars in contingency funds. She said they will need a plan on how to spend the money so that if the state questions it they have a plan in place. She said the electric department will need a new bucket truck soon but said she wants a plan in place. Lynn said VT Transco will have another equity call coming up and said she didn’t know what the Village share is as of yet. Lynn discussed the water and wastewater budgets and said the new Missisquoi water line project won’t go into the rates until the first year after the date of completion of construction. Lynn said some budgets are over budget because of the grants position. She said the general fund concerns her some and may be overbudget at year end. Lynn said as of now they have spent approximately $210,000 on the Hotel Riveria property. She said she’s hoping she can tie out her July financials when she’s back to work.

17. Discuss and Approve 2023 Property Tax Rate:

Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, stated the Village’s estimated tax rate in January was $1.0027 but she has figured a rate of .9943 to be used for the Village tax bills. She said this will raise $1,654,871 in tax money. Lynn said on a home assessed at $250K there would be an increase of $284.47 from 2022. Eugene LaBombard made the motion to set and approve the 2023 Swanton Village Tax Rate at .9943. Adam Paxman seconded the motion. Motion carried.

18. Review and Approve State Revolving Loan Program Amendment for Wastewater Treatment Plant Dewatering Solution in the Amount of $19,490.00:

Item moved to #7

19. Update of Land Feasibility for Possible Location for Swanton Recreation/Community Center:

Bill Sheets, Village Manager, said this meeting will be held to review the Municipal plan, as well as to receive a report of the land feasibility search for the proposed Swanton Recreation/Community Center. He said he was one of four on this committee, and as a reminder he will be out of town on the 22^nd and unable to attend this joint meeting.

20. Appoint Heidi Britch-Valenta to the Board of Directors for the Northwest Regional Planning Commission, replacing Reginald Beliveau:

Adam Paxman made the motion to appoint Heidi Britch-Valenta to the Board of Commissioners for the Northwest Regional Planning Commission. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

21. Water Allocation Request for 17 Moreau Drive, Swanton:

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter Water Commissioner’s meeting to discuss this request. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

Chris Leach made the motion to approve Matthew Parisi’s request for a water allocation of 400 GPD at 17 Moreau Drive for his existing two-bedroom single family dwelling. Eugene LaBombard

seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Adam Paxman made a motion to exit Water Commissioner’s meeting and to re-enter Open session. Eugene LaBombard seconded the motion. Motion carried.

22. Village Manager Update:

Downtown Enhancement:

Bill said they have finalized the contract with VHB for the downtown enhancement. He said as a reminder there is a $300,000 grant with a $75,000 match and that will allow them to do all of the design work and start construction in the Spring. He said Heidi Britch-Valenta is also looking for any grants available for their 74 Merchants Row property to maximize it as a parking lot with a nice retaining wall on the side and back. He said you need some greenspace but not too much.

Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Bridge:

On Tuesday August 8, 2023, the State of Vermont, Agency of Transportation, conducted a bridge inspection. Initial reports to Dean Ryan, Public Works, indicated that the expansion joints are in poor condition and will require repair soon. We will be drafting an RFP while waiting for the final inspection report. We have $200,000 in State grant funding, which will not likely come close to funding these repairs. Heidi will begin to explore additional grant funding, but we will need to move forward with an RFP, soliciting bids for Spring of 2024 construction. We will explore all alternatives, to include expediting repairs over the course of several days, shutting the bridge down during this time, rerouting traffic to save significant expenses for traffic control. Bill said these expansion joints will not make it to the 2029 bridge replacement timeline. He said he feels the Village is between $200 and $500 thousand dollars short to do this repair and will look for all kinds of grant money. He said they need to find a construction company that can shut it down and do the repairs in a very timely manner and possibly reroute traffic around the bridge. He said 40% of the last contract was in traffic control.

FERC Annual Dam Inspection Orman E. Croft Generating Station: 

On 08/08/23 FERC conducted their annual Hydroelectric Facility Dam Inspection. While we are awaiting the final, official report, the inspection appeared to go well. The only noted deficiency was the lack of buoys located above the dam. The cable snapped at the height of the July flooding. The FERC inspector commented that this was a common finding following the flooding. The 500-foot cable has been ordered and all but two of the buoys were recovered after the flood waters receded.

Orman E. Croft Generating Station (Unit 3 turbine): 

On 08/09/23 the contractor reinstalled the repaired controls and Unit 3 is now online and generating approximately 3 MW. This occurred just a few hours after the spillover occurred again. We have now exceeded our historical August monthly generation just nine days into the month. Within an hour of Unit 3 going back online we were operating at maximum capacity.

FERC Relicensing:

Bill said he’s consulting with Paul Nolan quite a bit lately regarding the FERC relicensing. He said they had a list of about 35 additional reports that need to be done. He said the Village will not get relicensed on time and they will continue to run on their old license until they do. He said there are data gaps and they continue to weave and bob with the State of Vermont Agency of Natural Resources.

Culvert Repair with EJ Prescott:

Bill said sections of pipe were dropped off at the Hydro facility and welded on site to repair the culvert at our Hydro plant. He said they used an excavator and pushed it through the existing pipe. After some concrete work it’s like a brand-new culvert.

FEMA buyout of flood prone properties: 

Brian Savage and the Town have agreed to accept all FEMA applications for this program, to include a few Village properties. Only one Village property has signed up for the program and the Town has received that application.

Stormwater (three-acre rule): 

To come into compliance with State guidelines we have begun the process of contracting with Watershed Consulting on Jones Court Stormwater. We must create a plan to meet the three-acre rule requirements by October and then will have five years to implement. He said they are required to ensure that all stormwater isn’t running into the sewer system. Bill said the Village just completed a job on Foundry Street with grant money they received to ensure storm water wasn’t going into the river.

Swanton Beach on Maquam Shore: 

We have had continued reports of disturbances, such as trespassing, noise disturbances after hours. We have installed the new sign, added security cameras that are now operational and are trying our best to ensure that the gate is locked at 10:30 PM each night. We will have specialized patrols in this area to target offenders.

August 22, 2023 (Joint Selectboard/Trustee Meeting):

This meeting will be held to review the Municipal plan, as well as to receive a report of the land feasibility search for the proposed Swanton Recreation/Community Center. I was one of four on this committee, as a reminder I will be out of town on the 22^nd and unable to attend this joint meeting.

23. Any Other Necessary Business:

Adam Paxman said the Chamber of Commerce had a very successful car show with 218 cars in the park. He said he had to turn 3 cars away because there wasn’t any room left. Adam said he wanted to thank all their sponsors, and the Town and Village of Swanton. He said their 50/50 raffle produced $1774 and the Chamber’s share of that will go towards getting the new Betty for the swan pond.

24. Executive Session to Discuss Personnel and Real Estate:

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter Executive Session at 8:50 p.m. to discuss Personnel and Real Estate. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to exit Executive Session at 9:45 p.m. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.

ACTION TAKEN: None.

25. Adjournment:

Chris Leach made the motion to adjourn the Regular Meeting of the Board of the Trustees meeting at 9:46 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 9:46 p.m. Motion carried.

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Neal Speer, Village President                            Date

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Dianne Day, Village Clerk                                Date