Trustees Meeting 3/10/25

Web version

 SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

REGULAR MEETING

&

PUBLIC HEARING

Monday, March 10, 2025

6:00 PM

PRESENT: David Winchester, Village President; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Neal Speer, Trustee; Suzie Kelleher, Trustee; William “Bill” Sheets, Village Manager; Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk; Damon Broderick, Bridget Butler & Joshua Serpe, Friends of Northern Lake Champlain, Don Collins, Chevon Cooper and Ch. 16. Via Teams: Kyle Gagne, Linda D.

To watch this meeting in its entirety, go to Northwest Access TV on YouTube. The video will also be posted on the Village’s website once available. Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried, unanimously.

1. Call to Order:

Adam Paxman, Village Trustee, called the Village Board of Trustees meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.

2. Pledge of Allegiance:

Everyone in attendance stood for the Pledge of Allegiance.

3. Agenda Review:

Bill Sheets, Village Manager, stated he would like to add personnel to executive session.

4. Public Comment:

Don Collins said he wanted to commend the sidewalk plow operator for doing a good job this winter.

5. Swear in elected officials for 2025: David Winchester, Village President (one-year term); Neal Speer, Village Trustee (three-year term); Dianne Day, Village Clerk (one-year term) and Betty Cheney, Delinquent Tax Collector (one-year term) were sworn in on March 5, 2025 to perform duties.

Village Clerk Dianne Day swore in David Winchester as Village President for a one-year term and Neal Speer as Village Trustee for a three-year term. Dianne Day and Betty Cheney were sworn in on March 5, 2025.

6. Appoint a Treasurer for the Village of Swanton for 2025 and swear in:

Suzie Kelleher made the motion to appoint Dianne Day as Village Treasurer for a one-year term. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried. David Winchester, Village President, swore her in.

7. Appoint new Trustee Speer as Water, Sewer and Highway Commissioner:

Adam Paxman made a motion to appoint Trustee Neal Speer as the Water, Sewer and Highway Commissioner. Suzie Kelleher seconded. Motion carried.

8. Motion that the Swanton Village Board of Trustees Adopt VLCT’s Rules of Order for the rules of procedure for Village Trustees for the upcoming year through March 2026:

Neal Speer made the motion to adopt VLCT’s Rules of Order for the rules of procedure for Village Trustees in the upcoming year through March 2026. Adam Paxman seconded the motion. Motion carried.

9. Presentation by Friends of Northern Lake Champlain on the Maquam Beach Project:

Bridget Butler and Josh Serpe were present for this discussion.

FNLC Mission Statement

Friends of Northern Lake Champlain is a non-profit organization that acts to clean the waters of northern Lake Champlain and its watershed by working collaboratively with citizens, businesses, farmers and government in order to reduce land-use pollution. Our focus is on catalyzing the actions and accountability needed to reduce land-use pollution and securing the essential local, state, and federal funding necessary for successful implementation.

How We’re Taking on Phosphorus

Community Outreach

Engaging the public in connecting & understanding

Monitoring Water Quality

Bringing consistent data to our work to inform our projects

Water Quality Projects

Finding & supporting non-regulatory solutions

Josh showed a map of Swanton Beach and also wanted to recognize their sponsors in the project. He said thanks to Watershed Consulting Services, the Town of Swanton, the Village of Swanton and the State of Vermont.

STB Project Update

Project type: Stormwater

Project components

Swanton Beach: Bioretention area with native planting to the west of the parking area at the public park.

Town ROW: Roadside sand filter at the corner of Maquam Shore Road/Lasnier Road

Project goal: Manage stormwater and convey the benefit of clean water projects to the community

Neal Speer asked if they were going to address both the North and South sides of Maquam Shore Road or just north. Josh said they are doing a project with the Town’s right of way on the corner. Neal said he thought there was more water coming down on the north side of the road. Josh said they just inherited this project and are only dealing with the south side for now. Bridget said the consultants went and looked at the area and decided to work on these two spots but said they can make additional improvements in the future. Bill handed out a diagram showing exactly where the rain garden is going to be. Bridget asked Neal to mark on the diagram where he sees the water coming from and she said they are happy to come and do a walk through with them. More discussion took place regarding the water flow and the condition of the lake there at the beach. Josh said they are looking to get an Operation and Maintenance Plan signed tonight and went on to further explain what that entails.

What is an Operations and Maintenance Plan?

Goal:

To ensure the stormwater project functions as intended, according to its original design.

Key Components:

• Inspection Protocols: Establishes proper inspection procedures to verify that the project continues to operate as designed.
• Maintenance Activities: Details the necessary maintenance tasks required to sustain the project's effectiveness.
• Schedules & Procedures: Defines schedules and step-by-step procedures to ensure long-term functionality throughout the project's design life.

STB Project Next Steps

• Friends of Northern Lake Champlain is monitoring the risk surrounding federal funding.
• Sending the project out to bid, designing educational signage, and project construction.
• FNLC to provide the Town & Village of Swanton with updates to implementation.

Bridget said the project right now is on hold because they’re working with the funder to see if the federal funds are going to be released. She said they would rather wait before hiring a contractor to make sure the funds are going to be released. Bill said the O&M Agreement just states that the public works crew visually inspects the rain garden a couple times a year and use their vactor truck if needed to remove any debris.

Adam Paxman made the motion to authorize Village Manager William Sheets to sign a Operation and Maintenance Agreement with Friends of Northern Lake Champlain to ensure that this project continues to function properly and contributes to improving water quality conditions of Vermont’s waterways. Neal Speer seconded. Motion carried.

10. 2025 Official Voting Results:

David Winchester, Village President, read aloud the following voting results:

Official Return of Voting Results

OFFICIAL RETURN OF VOTES

ANNUAL SWANTON VILLAGE MEETING ELECTION OF VILLAGE OFFICERS

MARCH 4, 2025

BALLOT ACCOUNTABILITY

Number of Voters on Checklist                                                 1616                                       

Number of Ballots Counted (including absentees)                       340                                         

Number of Absentee Ballots Counted                                        46                               

I, Dianne Day, Swanton Village Clerk, hereby certify that the results of the ELECTION OF OFFICERS by AUSTRALIAN BALLOT at the ANNUAL SWANTON VILLAGE MEETING held in the Swanton Village Complex in the County of Franklin and State of Vermont on the 4^th day of March A.D. 2025 were as follows:

VILLAGE PRESIDENT, for one-year

DAVID WINCHESTER                                                                       275                             

Write In                                                                                                28

Overvotes                                                                                            1

Undervotes                                                                                          36

TOTAL BALLOTS COUNTED                                                            340

VILLAGE CLERK, for one-year

DIANNE DAY                                                                                     312

Write In                                                                                                1

Overvotes                                                                                            0

Undervotes                                                                                          27

TOTAL BALLOTS COUNTED                                                            340

COLLECTOR OF DELINQUENT TAXES, for one-year

BETTY CHENEY                                                                                316

Write In                                                                                                2

Overvotes                                                                                            0

Undervotes                                                                                          22

TOTAL BALLOTS COUNTED                                                            340

VILLAGE TRUSTEE, for three years

NEAL SPEER                                                                                      272

Write In                                                                                                14

Overvotes                                                                                            0

Undervotes                                                                                          54

TOTAL BALLOTS COUNTED                                                            340

Attest: _________________________ Dianne Day

Swanton Village Clerk

Official Return of Voting Results

OFFICIAL RETURN OF VOTES

ANNUAL SWANTON VILLAGE MEETING BUDGET VOTE

MARCH 4, 2025

BALLOT ACCOUNTABILITY

Number of Voters on Checklist                                                             1616

Number of Ballots Counted (including absentees)                                   340                             

Number of Absentee Ballots Counted                                                    46                                           

I, Dianne Day, Swanton Village Clerk, hereby certify that the results of the BUDGET VOTE by AUSTRALIAN BALLOT at the ANNUAL SWANTON VILLAGE MEETING held in the Swanton Village Complex in the County of Franklin and State of Vermont on the 4^th day of March A.D. 2025 were as follows:

ARTICLE II, General Fund,                  $197,139                                                         

Yes Votes                                            265                                                                             

No Votes                                              74                                                                               

Undervote                                            1                                                         

TOTAL BALLOTS COUNTED 340

ARTICLE III, Highway Fund,               $763,395                                                         

Yes Votes                                            283                                                                                         

No Votes                                              56                                                       

Undervote                                            1                                                         

TOTAL BALLOTS COUNTED             340

ARTICLE IV, Fire Department             $94,457                                               

Yes Votes                                            291                                                                             

No Votes                                              48

Overvote                                              0                                                                     

Undervote                                            1                                             

TOTAL BALLOTS COUNTED             340

ARTICLE V, Police Department           $1,005,026                                          

Yes Votes                                            215                                                                 

No Votes                                              124

Overvote                                              0                                                         

Undervote                                            1                                                         

TOTAL BALLOTS COUNTED             340

ARTICLE VI, Electric Facility              $8,300,000

Yes Votes                                            166                                                                 

No Votes                                              172                                         

Spoiled/Overvote                                  0                                             

Undervote                                            2                                                         

TOTAL BALLOTS COUNTED             340

Attest: _________________________ Dianne Day

Swanton Village Clerk

David then read the percentages on each article: David Winchester for President, 81%; Dianne Day for Village Clerk, 92%; Betty Cheney for Delinquent Tax Collector, 93%; Neal Speer for Village Trustee, 80%; General Fund $197,139, 78%; Highway Department $763,395, 83%; Fire Department $94,457, 86%; Police Department $1,005,026, 63% and Electric Facility for $8,300,000, 49% yes and 51% no. David thanked everyone for coming out and voting.

11. Discuss Swanton Electric Bond Vote Results:

Adam Paxman stated that on behalf of the Board he would like to thank everyone that came out and voted but sadly the building did not pass by six votes. He said they would go back and see what else there is to do because they need to do something. He said if they do nothing in 3 to 4 years they could have no police department. Suzie Kelleher said the way this bond was going to be paid for was by the ratepayers and not the taxpayers and maybe they didn’t do a good enough job explaining that. She said she saw comments on Facebook about the taxpayers funding this and explained it was on the ballot for approval because the Village taxpayers own the utility. She said with the Highgate airport expansion and the Southern Growth District, the Village will be taking on more and may need another employee. She said they are out of room and need to grow and be set for the next 50 years. Neal Speer also thanked all the voters who turned out and said it appears that everyone is supportive of their team including the electric department, the fire department, police department and road crew. He said everyone approved those budgets and they really appreciate that. He said to continue to support these departments they need space and that is the big issue here. David Winchester said this wasn’t just about the electric bill going up, it was about space and determining what enterprise here is lucrative enough to afford this. He said they moved the needle from last year’s vote to just about approving it this year. He said they listened to the voters and brought it back and he believed there was some confusion and voter apathy. He said for people to say they didn’t change from last year to this year is incorrect and they’ve heard from several people saying how upset they were that this didn’t get passed this year. He said it is very disappointing. Don Collins said standing out there on town meeting day he heard a lot of people complaining about this raising their taxes and feels if more discussion focused on this not raising taxes that would be good. He said he hopes the Trustees don’t change this design because it’s a good project and to stick with it as much as you can. David agreed and said they changed this considerably from last year’s public safety facility and cut a lot out. Suzie said she just wanted to clarify that they didn’t take last year’s public safety facility design and change that. She said this building was a whole new design and they started from scratch and she feels people were confused about that. She said the only thing they didn’t need to focus on was where the sewer lines, etc. were because that was already detailed last year. David agreed and said there was nothing about this year’s project compared to last year’s because everything about it was completely different. He said the public didn’t see what they went through working with Connor Contracting and how much the building changed over the months after looking at other projects they built. David and Suzie both said if this building was approved they wouldn’t put any money into the existing building, it was just going to allow the other departments to spread out. Adam said the Trustees are going to figure out what they’re going to do next because they need to do something. Don Collins said if there’s a place for a citizen to help in some way he would. He said they’ve done a good job getting the information out and he’s surprised it failed. He said he hopes they bring it back and it goes through. David said he thinks people thought their taxes were going to go up instead of having a small increase in the electric bill. Suzie said that 14.3% rate increase wasn’t carved in stone, it was just worst-case scenario. Damon Broderick asked what the initial budget on that project was and explain how it came down. Suzie said the first price tag was $11 million, then they brought it down to $10 million and then they did some site visits on buildings that Connor Contracting had built. She said they then sat down and worked it even more and landed with the $8.3 million dollar proposed project. David said changing the contractor and bringing Connor Contracting on board was the biggest game changer. He said they, along with Weimann and Lamphere, did a fantastic job. Chevon Cooper asked about revote rights and what that would take because only 340 votes were cast. She said she would like to see more than 340 voters come out and how they would learn about it. Suzie said she understands it to be that a petition would work only if the Trustees decided not to revote it and she said she doesn’t know where they stand on that right now. Chevon said she also wanted to talk about the Village purchasing this property for $400,000 with ARPA funds and whether or not they could now sell it. David said there were certain requirements boards needed to follow when spending ARPA funds and the previous board followed those guidelines. Don Collins asked if the Trustees could say one way or another if this project was dead or if they would bring it back to the voters. Adam said speaking for himself it’s not dead, they need this building. Doing nothing is not acceptable. Don Collins said he was glad to hear that and said he believes the board has credibility and the people trust them. Chevon said she would like more clarity on the purchase of the property with ARPA funds and the ability to sell it and said she reached out to VLCT and they directed her to the VT Municipal Assistance program, 802-828-1027. She said this is where the public can go and ask questions and get information verified. David said the theory of selling the property would negatively impact the taxpayers at this point. Adam said that wouldn’t happen because they need this building. Chevon said she was one of the biggest naysayers about the purchase of the land because she would have rather seen it go to a community center with the Town. She said she now feels that property is an asset to the Village and was done without taxpayers’ money. She said the Village’s electric rates haven’t increased since 2016 and even after this opportunity the rates will still be low. She also said she believes that any other option would be a taxpayer option so putting the electric facility there is a good idea. Adam said they will wrap this up but did say they need this building and would come up with options after they discuss it as a board.

12. Approve and accept Minutes from Monday, February 10, 2025 and Minutes from the Informational Meeting held Monday, February 24, 2025:

Suzie Kelleher made the motion to approve the minutes from February 10, 2025 and February 24, 2025 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded the motion. Motion carried.

13. Approve and accept Village Warrants through Thursday, March 6, 2025:

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve Village Warrants through Thursday, March 6, 2025 as presented. Suzie Kelleher seconded the motion. Motion carried.

14. Approve Authorized Signers for Vermont Bond Bank Loans held by US Bank:

Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, stated all current and future Vermont Bond Bank loans held by US Bank needed an updated signature form. She stated herself along with Treasurer Dianne Day are the signers and she would like a motion to approve that. Neal Speer made the motion to authorize Lynn Paradis and Dianne Day to continue to be signatories for VT Bond Bank loans held through US Bank. Suzie Kelleher seconded the motion. Motion carried.

15. Motion to Approve and Sign Agency of Transportation Annual Forms:

Bill Sheets, Village Manager, stated this is an annual form that needs board approval certifying the Village spent adequate funding dedicated to road care and that roads standards are in State compliance. Suzie Kelleher made the motion to certify that funds raised by municipal taxes are equivalent to or greater than a sum of at least $300 per mile for each mile of Class 1, 2 and 3 Town Highway in the municipality. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

16. Adopt and Sign Department of Housing & Community Development Resolution for FY25 Municipal Planning Grant:

Bill Sheets, Village Manager, stated by the Village Trustees adopting this resolution, the Village would be able to apply for FY25 Municipal Planning grant funds. Adam Paxman made the motion to adopt and sign the FY25 Municipal Resolution for Municipal Planning Grant. Neal Speer seconded. Motion carried.

17. Open Public Hearing for VCDP Municipal Planning Grant:

Suzie Kelleher made the motion to open the Public Hearing for VCDP Municipal Planning Grant at 7:15 p.m. Neal Speer seconded. Motion carried.

18. Adopt and Sign Resolution for VCDP Grant Application:

The following is the public hearing notice that was published in the St. Albans Messenger:

The Village of Swanton is considering making application to the State of Vermont for a VCDP Planning Grant 2024 under the Vermont Community Development Program. A public hearing will be held at 07:00pm on 3/10/2025 at 120 First Street, Swanton Village Complex, Swanton, VT to obtain the views of citizens on community development, to furnish information concerning the amount of funds available and the range of community development activities that may be undertaken under this program, the impact to any historic and archaeological resources that may be affected by the proposed project , and to give affected citizens the opportunity to examine the proposed statement of projected use of these funds. The proposal is to apply for $60,000 in CDBG funds which will be used to accomplish the following activities: complete a Hydro Electric Facility Capital Investment Plan to identify most critical need for efficiency and resiliency upgrades and plan for potential capacity increases to meet future electric demand. Copies of the proposed application are available at Village Municipal Complex and may be viewed during the hours of 7:30 am and 4:00pm. Should you require any special accommodations, please contact Dianne Day, Village Clerk at 802-868-3397 to ensure appropriate accommodations are made. For the hearing impaired please call (TTY) #1-800-253-0191.

Bill Sheets, Village Manager, said this is necessary for the Village to apply for a $60,000 grant for Hydro Capital Assessment and Budgeting. Suzie Kelleher made the motion to adopt and sign the Resolution for VCDP Grant Application Authority. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: Adam Paxman asked if there was a match for this grant. Bill said there is a 10% in kind match up to $5000. Motion carried.

19. Adjourn VCDP Planning Grant Public Hearing:

Adam Paxman made the motion to exit the Public Hearing for VCDP Grant Application at 7:22 p.m. Neal Speer seconded. Motion carried.

20. Coin Drop Request for July 2025, Swanton Village Fire Auxiliary; and August 2025, Swanton Historical Society:

Dianne Day, Village Clerk, stated the Swanton Village Ladies Fire Auxiliary are requesting permission to hold a coin drop on Saturday, July 19 with a rain date of Saturday, July 26, 2025. Adam Paxman stated their rain date falls on the date of the Car Show and wouldn’t be allowed. Dianne Day also stated the Swanton Historical Society is requesting permission to hold a coin drop on Saturday, August 2with a rain date of Saturday, August 9, 2025.

Suzie Kelleher made the motion to allow the Swanton Village Ladies Fire Auxiliary to hold a coin drop on Saturday, July 12 with a rain date of Saturday, July 19, 2025 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon and to also allow the Swanton Historical Society to hold their coin drop on Saturday, August 2 with a rain date of Saturday, August 9, 2025 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Neal Speer seconded. Motion carried with two yays (Suzie Kelleher and Neal Speer) and one nay (Adam Paxman). Motion carried.

21. Enter Water Commissioner’s Meeting – Review and Approve Water and Sewer Allocation for 59 North River Street. Exit Water Commissioner’s Meeting:

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter Water Commissioner's Meeting at 7:27 p.m. Neal Speer seconded the motion.

Dianne Day, Village Clerk, stated Andy Bechard is requesting a water and sewer allocation for 300 gallons per day for a single family two-bedroom dwelling at 59 North River Street in Swanton. She said there is an existing water and sewer connection there because there used to be a trailer on that property. She said Mr. Bechard will just need to purchase a water meter package. Neal Speer made the motion to approve Andy Bechard’s request for a water and sewer allocation of 300 gallons per day. Suzie Kelleher seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Suzie Kelleher made a motion to exit water commissioner’s meeting and re-enter Open Session at 7:29 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

22. VT Department of Health Request for the Village of Swanton to serve as a Closed Point of Distribution:

Bill Sheets, Village Manager, explained to the Board that the Village was recently permitted to serve as an Open Point of Distribution in case of a public health emergency. He said the Vermont Department of Health has now requested that the Village be a Closed Point of Distribution (POD) and would like a memorandum of understanding signed. He said by being a Closed POD the Village would take care of their employees and their families in the case of a public health emergency. Adam Paxman made the motion to authorize Village Manager William Sheets to sign the Memorandum of Understanding with the Vermont Department of Health to be listed as a Closed Point of Distribution. Neal Speer seconded the motion. Motion carried.

23. Allocate all Current and Future Opioid Settlement Funding to Northwest Counseling and Support Services (NCSS):

Bill Sheets, Village Manager, said they’ve been working with NCSS for a while now trying to find a way to use these opioid settlement funds. He said over the years the Village has been receiving settlement payments for the opioid class action lawsuit settlement and these funds need to go toward educating the youth on how to avoid succumbing to the opioid pandemic. He said there are very restrictive uses for these funds. Bill said they received a commitment from NCSS to collaborate with Franklin County Caring Community Partners in the use of such funds to support, enhance and educate the youth and parents in the community. Bill said they will have a mechanism in place that requires annual reports back to the Village. Bill said at this time there is $31,126.56 in that fund and anticipate more settlement payments in the future. He said the Village would write a check to NCSS for the funds. Suzie Kelleher made the motion to authorize the allocation of all current and future opioid settlement funds to NCSS, to address the misuse and abuse of opioid products through collaborative, educational outreach efforts. Neal Speer seconded the motion. Motion carried with two yays (Suzie Kelleher & Neal Speer), one nay (Adam Paxman).

24. Motion to Approve the Purchase of a Replacement Bucket Truck for Swanton Village Electric:

This selection was based upon an internal review within Swanton Village Electric following a competitive bid process. The selected vendor has the lowest bid, which is Altec with a bid of $422,470. Lynn said they would like to get this ordered as it takes anywhere from one year to 18 months to get.

Other vendors included: D.C. Bates Equipment: $433,471.00; and Kiley: $440,602.00. Suzie Kelleher asked about the truck replacement schedule. Lynn advised that they get new bucket trucks every 10 years and a digger truck about every 15 years. She said the trucks are tested annually for safety measures.

Suzie Kelleher made the motion to authorize Swanton Village Electric to enter into a purchase and sales agreement with Altec for a new bucket truck. This purchase is in the amount of $422,470.00 with delivery anticipated in approximately 12 months. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

25. Village Manager Update:

First Street pothole issues: I received a call today, 03/10/25, from a citizen that has three properties on First Street, who has advised that trucks hitting potholes on First Street is so excessive that it is causing structural damage. We also have reports of this on Broadway, just off First, as well as Canada Street. We cold patched this last week and based on this call we will do that again tomorrow. In addition, I called Swanton Representative and House Transportation Chair Matt Walker to advise him about the extent of the reported problem. I will also contact Secretary of Transportation Joe Flynn to report this to him. Dean Ryan has already reached out to District 8 highway to discuss this concern with them. If anyone else is experiencing this problem, please reach out to let us know.

Paving Bids: The Paving Bids have been received for our Class 2 paving project, which is grant funded. The project is for paving Linda Avenue, Lake Road, and the intersection of Middle Road. All bids were sealed bids, opened at 1 PM on 02/10/25 at the Swanton Village Complex.

The bids were as follows:

Hungerford:                    $78.808.50

ECI:                                $97,440.00

Hutchins:                        $126,224.40

J.A. McDonald:              $135,212.00

Public Works: After a rough period of callouts, the team was able to concentrate on some much-needed repair project work, to include rehab on one of the dump trucks and the trailer repairs. They were called out again this morning, but the weather looks to be improving.

Hydro: In collaboration with fellow VPPSA members, Morrisville, and the Village of Enosburg, we have applied for significant DOE funding. This will be a comprehensive look at plant and system needs for the next five years. We are continuing to make progress to get the units that are down back online for spring runoff.

Unit 3 is up and running using the old wooden blocks, we are hoping that this unit remains fully functional through spring runoff and then we can look at the next best steps for a modified guide bearing. It appears that the last guide bearing was the likely root cause for the vibration and eventual shutdown of this unit.

Beginning today, 3/10/25, we have a contractor on site to begin a four-day operation to repair concrete issues, hopefully followed by getting unit 1 and 2 back online. Once the concrete issue is fixed Unit 1 can be utilized immediately. We are waiting on internal bearing parts for Unit 2, and we hope that we have that operating within 4 to 8 weeks.

Annexation Update: The Village of Swanton request to annex 124 First Street from the Town of Swanton to the Village of Swanton is progressing. It is a formal bill, House 364, in House Government Operations.

New Hire: We welcome Asof Aurora to the team as our Electrical Support Technician. Asof started on Monday March 3^rd, and he will be working with Al Mosher prior to Al’s pending retirement.

Water: The Water team continues to work with vendors to identify a timeline to get the 12 new chemical pumps online. They are also in the process of determining the scope of work to further harden facilities, both at the main plant and the reservoir. We need to install a small security fence around the lower lift area and will install a camera. They are also working to finalize safety policies for the main plant and their daily operations.

Wastewater: This project continues to present challenges and opportunities to solve those challenges. We have a solution for the centrifuge installation and the change order has been approved. The new steel for the base as well as the discharge chute modifications have been ordered. The hope is that within the next two to three months we will be operational.

We are still experiencing significant delay in the receipt of the Motor Control Center (MCC), which are the controls that serve as the brains of the operation and will power the new sludge pumps and other equipment. Exploring a work around solution until that arrives.

Grants: Heidi will be in person next month to cover all grants, but we are providing a handout of all current and pending grant applications.

26. Public Comment:

Damon Broderick asked about the $15 million dollar grant for the hydro plant and asked what that would entail. Bill Sheets said most likely the exciters but they would do a study first and prioritize needs.

27. Any Other Necessary Business:

Adam Paxman said he wanted to apologize for using foul language. He said he wanted to thank the voters who came out and voted on March 4^th. He also said after 16 years as the Chamber of Commerce president he is stepping down and said Darci Benoit and Elaine Nester will co-chair the Chamber. Suzie Kelleher said they need help and volunteers and said if anyone shows up they will include you.

Any Other Business: Suzie Kelleher stated she has sold 72 banners for the Hometown Heros. She said refunds are still available until April 30^th and to reach out to her if you need one on the banner you previously purchased.

Any Other Business: Neal Speer stated that he is starting over on the Board as a Trustee and said he appreciates the votes. He said he is looking forward to working with the new board.

28. Executive Session to Discuss Legal Matter and Personnel:

Suzie Kelleher made the motion, seconded by Adam Paxman, to go into Executive Session at 8:06 p.m. to discuss legal matters and personnel issues where premature general public knowledge of the subject matter would place the Village or person involved at a substantial disadvantage. Motion carried.

Neal Speer made the motion to exit Executive Session at 8:55 pm. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

29. Adjournment:

Suzie Kelleher made the motion to adjourn the Regular Meeting of the Board of the Trustees at 8:56 p.m. Neal Speer seconded. There being no further business at hand, David Winchester, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 8:56 p.m. Motion carried.

_____________________________________             _______________________________________

David Winchester, Village President                  Date

__________________________ ________         ____________________________________

Dianne Day, Village Clerk                                Date