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Trustees Meeting 11/8/21

  • Monday, November 8, 2021
    7 PM – 9 PM

Village Trustees

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SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, November 8, 2021

7:00 PM

PRESENT: Adam Paxman, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Chris Leach, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau Jr., Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk; David Winchester; and Ch. 16. Via Zoom: Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager; Tim Smith, Franklin County Industrial Development Coordinator (FCIDC); Gordon Winters; and David Kull & Scott Lister, MacFarland Johnson.

Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously.

  1. Call to Order:

Chris Leach, Village Trustee, called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

  1. Pledge of Allegiance:

Everyone stood for the Pledge of Allegiance.

  1. Agenda Review:

None.

  1. Public Comment:

None.

  1. Executive Session to Discuss Real Estate:                                         

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter executive session to discuss real estate at 7:55 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

Adam Paxman made the motion to exit executive session at 8:10 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

ACTION TAKEN: None.

  1. Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, October 25, 2021:

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept Minutes from Monday, October 25, 2021 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

  1. Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Thursday, November 4, 2021:

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants #103-#106 through Thursday, November 4, 2021 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

  1. Bridge Repair Discussion with David Kull, MacFarland Johnson:

David Kull from MacFarland Johnson, said he was there to give an update on the bridge repairs that will take place in the summer of 2022. He said VTrans has moved up the rehabilitation of the bridge 5+ years so they will perform minimum joint repairs to last until the full rehabilitation occurs. He said they will advertise in the winter of 2021 and shoot for construction in the summer of 2022. David said their scope of work will be done for no more than the grant amount of $175,000. He said they will study the traffic patterns before deciding on traffic control. The Board advised they take different times of the day into consideration. The Board thanked David for his update.

  1. Approve CDBG Program Guidelines & Application Process:

Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, stated she made the changes that were discussed at their last meeting. She said the CDBG application and guidelines are now ready for State review. Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve the Village of Swanton Economic Loan Fund Application and the Village of Swanton Revolving Loan Fund Guidelines as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

  1. Approve and Sign VT Transco Equity Purchase:

Dianne Day, Village Clerk, advised the Board that Vermont Transco LLC has equity shares available to be purchased by the Village of Swanton in the amount of $384,810. Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, informed them that Stowe Electric and Hyde Park are not taking their shares so Transco will re-allocate those. She said the Village gets a 12% return on these equity purchases. She also said she would like VPPSA to finance the Village’s purchase because she has some heavy purchase power bills coming in. Adam Paxman made the motion to authorize Reg Beliveau, Village Manager, to sign all necessary documents pertaining to the purchase of VT Transco LLC equity in the amount of $384,810 and to also authorize VPPSA to finance this purchase and to purchase additional shares if they become available. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

  1. Water Allocation for Marc Gabree on US Route 7, Highgate:

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter Water Commissioner’s meeting at 7:55 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve Marc Gabree’s request for a water allocation of 400 GPD for a 3-bedroom single family dwelling that is being built on Spring Street. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: It was stated that Marc is aware of the $1500 water connection fee and that he would need to purchase a water meter package. Motion carried.

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to exit Water Commissioner’s meeting at 7:57 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

  1. Any Other Necessary Business:

Adam Paxman stated 150 Veteran flags were placed in the Village Green for Veteran’s Day. He said it’s a great feeling and honor to be a part of the volunteer group who sets these flags up. He also stated that Christmas in the Park will be held on Saturday, November 27 from 2:30 to 5 p.m. He said there were concerns over having the reindeer in the park this year so the Chamber opted to not have them. Adam also said the Swanton Community Food Shelf is looking for donations to purchase turkeys so if anyone can help them out please do so. He also said he heard a new word the other day and that word is ARK – Acts of Random Kindness. He urged everyone to build an ARK.

Any Other Business: Chris Leach also stated the flags look so nice in the park and said it’s very humbling to see them. He thanked all Veterans for their sacrifices.

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau stated there is another Out Falls grant he has been working on and considering implementing an out fall by Smitty’s Repair building on Foundry Street. He also said Regional Planning made him aware of a Municipal Roads Grant to purchase a screener that can be used for the compost pile that the highway crew makes. He said there is a $2800 match the Village would need to pay in order to get the screener. Eugene LaBombard made the motion to authorize the Village of Swanton to apply for the Municipal Roads Grants-In-Aid Program Equipment Purchase for $4720 with a $2800 match required. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

Any Other Business: Chris Leach said he wanted to thank the highway crew for all their work on Gallup Court. He said himself and his neighbors are very happy that water will be diverted from their driveways.

Any Other Business: Eugene LaBombard said he received a letter regarding the Planning Grant for the Municipal Plan and said it was a shame that the Village no longer has input on this.

David Winchester asked when the new water line job would be started. Reg Beliveau stated hopefully sometime next year.

  1. Executive Session for Personnel:

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to enter executive session at 8:12 p.m. to discuss personnel. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to exit executive session at 8:50 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

ACTION TAKEN: None.

  1. Adjournment:

Adam Paxman made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 8:50 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. There being no further business at hand, Chris Leach, Village Trustee, adjourned the meeting at 8:50 p.m. Motion carried.

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Neal Speer, Village President                            Date

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Dianne Day, Village Clerk                                Date