Trustees Meeting 3/25/25

Web version

 SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, March 25, 2024

7:00 PM

PRESENT: David Winchester, Village President; Suzie Kelleher, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; William “Bill” Sheets, Village Manager; Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk; Matthew Sullivan, Chief of Police; Nicole Draper, Nick Michaud, Stephanie Menard, Damon Broderick, Jason Guyette, Gordon Winters and Ch. 16. Via Teams: CC, Lin, and Id.

To watch this meeting in its entirety, go to Northwest Access TV on YouTube. Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried, unanimously.

1. Call to Order:

David Winchester, Village President, called the Village Board of Trustees meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

2. Pledge of Allegiance:

Everyone in attendance stood for the Pledge of Allegiance.

3. Agenda Review:

None.

4. Public Comment:

Nicole Draper, Swanton Recreation, stated that she had a couple of announcements and requests and talk about some upcoming events. She also handed out a copy of their newsletter. She said the Abenaki Pow Wow will be held at the Rec Fields over Memorial Day Weekend. She said they are requesting to have 10 campsites in the lower field and get permission to have a ceremonial fire burning throughout the event. Nicole also stated they will have security there and are unsure about how many people will attend. Dianne Day, Village Clerk, stated they will need to provide a certificate of liability insurance. Suzie Kelleher made the motion to approve the ceremonial fire and to allow 10 campsites in the lower field at the Recreation Department for the upcoming Pow Wow to be held over Memorial Day weekend. Adam Paxman seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Nicole Draper also said they are bringing back the Chill program to be held at Marble Mill on July 11, 18, 25 and August 1^st. She was again reminded about their certificate of liability insurance. Nicole said this is a Burton skateboarding event for local children and will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. She also mentioned the Tennis in the Park program to also be held at Marble Mill with a kids program from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. and an adult program from 6 to 7:30 p.m. This will be held on Monday’s July 8, 15, 22 and 29 at Marble Mill. Bill Sheets, Village Manager, informed Nicole that the Village had a brand-new net to put up and would also be repainting the courts at Marble Mill.

Nicole advised the board she wanted to discuss the parking issue they are having on Blake Street during Little League season and asked how they should enforce this. Suzie Kelleher talked about permanently revoking parking on Blake Street and maybe enforcing a ban from May through July. More discussion took place before deciding on a motion. Suzie Kelleher made the motion to enact a Little League parking ban from 5 to 9 p.m. on Blake Street May through July of each year. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried. The board discussed ordering signs and doing a Village ordinance.

5. Approve and accept Minutes from Monday, March 11, 2024 as presented:

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from March 11, 2024 as presented. Suzie Kelleher seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

6. Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Thursday, March 21, 2024:

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants #25-#31 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: Suzie Kelleher asked about the payment made to Facility Technical Services for $42,250. Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, said that was an expense at the Hydro Plant.  Motion carried.

7. Swanton Village Police Department Update with Chief Matt Sullivan:

Chief Matt Sullivan advised the Board he had three months’ worth of statistics to go through and began with 118 incidents in the Village during the month of December 2023. He said the top ten calls for service were 13 suspicious person/circumstance, 13 community outreach, 10 alarm, 9 citizen assist, 7 property/home watch, 7 directed patrol, 4 citizen dispute, 4 welfare/suicide check, 4 information report and 14 traffic stops. He said they had 118 incidents, 14 traffic stops, issued 3 tickets and 14 warnings, 3 arrests and made 7 arrest charges involving 6 individuals.

He said they responded to 241 incidents in the Village and Town and the top ten calls for service were 43 traffic stops, 23 property/home watch, 19 suspicious person/circumstance, 15 community outreach, 15 directed patrol, 15 citizen assist, 14 alarm, 11 agency assistance, 10 crash, property damage, and 7 welfare/suicide check. He said they made 43 traffic stops and issued 8 tickets and 39 warnings. He said they made 5 arrests and 12 arrest charges with 10 individuals.

Chief Sullivan said during the month of January 2024 the police department responded to 128 incidents in the Village. The top ten calls for service included 18 directed patrol, 15 suspicious person/circumstance, 14 traffic stop, 12 citizen assist, 9 community outreach, 4 search warrant, 4 threatening, 3 agency assistance, 3 restraining order, and 3 alarms. They conducted 14 traffic stops and issued 5 tickets and 15 warnings. They made 2 arrests, had 12 arrest charges with 9 individuals.

Matt said they responded to 240 incidents in the Village and Town and the top ten calls for service included 55 directed patrol, 19 suspicious person/circumstance, 18 traffic stop, 13 citizen assist, 12 community outreach, 11 agency assistance, 10 controlled substance problem, 9 juvenile problem, 9 motor vehicle complaint, and 8 crash, property damage. He said they conducted 18 traffic stops, issued 17 tickets and 20 warnings, made 2 arrests and 24 arrest charges with 14 individuals.

The statistics for the month of February 2024 in the Village included 105 incidents. The top ten calls for service were 13 suspicious person/circumstances, 9 alarm, 8 directed patrol, 8 citizen assist, 8 community outreach, 6 VIN number inspection, 5 motor vehicle complaints, 5 welfare/suicide check, 4 citizen dispute and 13 traffic stops. He said they conducted 13 traffic stops issuing 7 tickets and 11 warnings, made 1 arrest and 4 arrest charges involving 3 individuals.

Matt said they responded to 199 incidents in the Village and Town and the top ten calls for service were 44 traffic stops, 21 directed patrols, 20 suspicious person/circumstances, 12 citizen assist, 11 community outreach, 10 motor vehicle complaints, 10 alarms, 9 welfare/suicide checks, 7 VIN number inspections, 4 threatening. He said they conducted 44 traffic stops, issuing 19 tickets and 36 warnings, had 3 arrests, 9 arrest charges with 6 individuals.

Matt showed the Board an incident analysis in the Village for 2023 that showed the top ten incidents being 169 suspicious person/circumstances, 144 traffic stops, 95 community outreach, 89 citizen assist, 64 citizen dispute, 63 motor vehicle complaints, 62 directed patrols, 56 welfare/suicide checks, 53 agency assistance and 52 property/home watch. The top ten calls for service in the Village and Town were 446 traffic stops, 253 suspicious person/circumstances, 236 directed patrols, 178 agency assistance, 158 community outreach, 127 citizen assist, 121 motor vehicle complaints, 115 property/home watch, 102 welfare/suicide check, and 94 citizen disputes.

Chief Sullivan then provided the following year end report to the Trustees outlining incidents they responded to in 2023. To read the report, highlight the link below, right click and open hyperlink.

SKM_C36824032610310 (swantonvt.gov)

8. Discussion on the Defacing at Marble Mill Park:

Bill Sheets, Village Manager, stated there has been some vandalism that occurred, and the public works crew is going to remove it as quickly as possible, but the snow has prevented that. He said they have the paint on hand and the incident is being investigated by the police department. Bill said the vandalism continued to the bridge and the flower boxes were damaged too. He said the immediate larger need at this time to make it a more inviting place is to remove the graffiti and do a better job at installing surveillance cameras and enhanced lighting. He said this would be tied directly to the Hydro Plant. He said based on past experience, when they’ve painted over the graffiti it gives them a nice new canvas to do more. He said national studies show you must remove graffiti within 24 to 72 hours from it happening and at some point, they get the message. Bill said the electric department recently got a shipment of new streetlights in so they are ready to install replacement lighting. Bill said we need to spread the word that there is now really good lighting, surveillance cameras and a police presence. He feels these are the immediate needs that can be done as soon as it dries up a bit more. David Winchester asked about removing the items they like painting on specifically the stone monolift and the vault. Nicole asked if there was any thought about the vandalism to the play structure that was done. She said it’s not very appropriate. David said the chimney monolift structure creates a barrier to what’s going on behind it. He said you wouldn’t be able to monitor both sides at once the way it is now. He said this causes blight and gives the park a bad reputation. Adam asked if the chimney structure was a historical piece. David asked for what purpose. He thought part of the master plan was to remove the structure and use the marble as part of the gateway sign. David asked if this was actually listed on the historical register. Suzie says they need to bring the Historical Society into the discussion on that because it is a historical element, and she doesn’t know what they’ve done to protect that. David said that was a good point but said he doesn’t see a purpose for it. He feels it should be removed and they use the marble from it. Suzie thought the areas in white on the master plan were to come down and the chimney is in white. Gordon Winters said he would look at it tonight but thought the chimney was incorporated into what they wanted to do there. More discussion took place regarding the master plan and what they wanted to do at Marble Mill if funds became available. Adam asked if it was possible for them to each get a copy of the Marble Mill master plan for their next meeting. David said he reviewed the plan and he thought that was supposed to come down and be used on something else. He said it’s a blight issue for the safety and well-being of the park and doesn’t see how it's helping. Adam said again because it’s historical. Suzie said they lost Merchants Row and said there are only so many historical elements that still exist within Swanton. She said she thinks that’s why their constituents want to hold on to them because they do not have a lot of them. She said they should talk with the people who elected them and ask them what they want to do with these parts of the park. She said Mr. Winters took that into consideration and it was something they chose to leave in. David said he talked with public works and it’s bothersome to them as well and he said it’s not aesthetically pleasing. He said the marble is completely painted over. More discussion took place regarding the master plan, the flood zone, and what should be done at Marble Mill. Bill Sheets stated things that can be done soon and relatively inexpensive would be to install signage that’s uniform for all the Village parks, can work on the lighting issue that was already in the works and can explore the cost of security and surveillance, and can repaint over the graffiti. It was decided to keep this topic on the agenda.

9. Discussion on 2024 Corn Fest and 5K Run/Walk to be held on August 10, 2024:

 Nick Michard, Swanton Recreation, said they are planning to do the Cornfest again this year from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Rec fields. He said last year it got cut short due to rain but are hoping for a better turnout this year. He said food trucks and vendors from last year are returning as well at the bands that played. He said he would like permission to get the one-day alcohol permit again this year and said if approved the vendor would go before the liquor board for their license. Adam Paxman made the motion to approve the 2024 Cornfest and 5K Run/Walk to be held on August 10, 2024 and to approve the one-day alcohol permit. Eugene LaBombard seconded the motion. Motion carried.

10. Swanton Village Fire Auxiliary Request Coin Drop for Saturday, June 22, 2024 and Swanton Village Fire Department’s Request for Coin Drop Saturday, August 17, 2024:

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve the Fire Auxiliary’s request to hold a coin drop on Saturday, June 22^nd with a rain date of June 29^th and to approve the Village Fire Department’s request to hold a coin drop on Saturday, August 17^th with a rain date of August 24^th. Adam Paxman seconded the motion. Motion carried with two yays, one nay.

11. Swanton Village Request Permission to Close Bank Accounts and Transfer Funds into Another Account:

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve the Village of Swanton closing two bank accounts at US Bank and transferring those funds to another existing US Bank account. Suzie Kelleher seconded. Motion carried.

12. Discussion on Local Option Tax:

Adam Paxman stated he wanted to keep the ball rolling regarding the Local Option Tax and said the Town Selectboard will discuss it at their upcoming meeting. Nicole Draper stated they are working on it now. David Winchester asked if the Town is in favor of this. Bill Sheets, Village Manager, said they are in favor of this and said that this would need to be a joint effort by both boards in order to do it. Gordon Winters said he has six stores and three of them have the local option tax. He said it doesn’t affect his business either way and said this would work as long as there is a vibrant shoppable downtown.

13. Village Manager Update:

Total Eclipse:  There is no school on that date. There will be a partial eclipse from 2:14 PM until 4:37 pm, with a total eclipse at around 3:26 pm, for approximately 3 minutes and 30 seconds in our area. Update:  We will be closing the Village offices for the entire day. The FD will be staffed, and apparatus staged in selected areas for an effective response. The PD will be staffed, with traffic remaining the most significant concern.

Earlier today I received a call from Evan Robinson, VT Agency of Transportation, who runs their drone program. They will be stationed at the Village Complex on 04/08 and using one of their drones to monitor traffic impacts in our area. This drone will be providing live video to the Vermont Agency of Transportation Information Center (TIC) located in Berlin. We look forward to working with AOT to take advantage of this opportunity.

Hydro:  Unit 1 and Unit 2 turbines are still offline for repairs. The part for Unit 1 (control ring) is in production and we are awaiting an installation date. Unit 2’s thrust bearing was replaced but during startup they discovered additional issues that will require disassembly and further analysis and repairs. This work begins tomorrow, and we will have a better idea of the next steps following the vendors analysis.

We are fully staffed and all new hires in both Hydro and Maintenace and on board and in training.

Note:  We enter our “Run of River “phase of Hydroelectric Operations effective at 0001 hours on April 1^st through May 31^st at 2400 hours. This means that we generate power based upon what mother nature provides, with no ability to peak to meet demands or maximize generation.

Stormwater:  Invitation to bid is being released on our required Stormwater solution for 120 First Street. This will be posted on our website and Facebook page. We will be able to plan the implementation phase and timeline once we receive and open bids.

Police Department:  We have advertised for the additional police officer and the administrative assistant. Interviews will take place in early April and hopefully candidates will be selected and screened shortly thereafter.

Highway Safety Improvement Grant:  We officially received these $35,000 (no match) grants to purchase, install and improve Village signage, to include labor and equipment. The signs and materials are approximately $9,000 and we will be able to request $26,000 for our time and material.

14. Public Comment:

None.

15. Any Other Necessary Business:

Suzie Kelleher stated that she misspoke during the March 11^th Board meeting when she said that Highgate voters defeated the article about Missisquoi Valley Rescue’s contract and wanted to alleviate any confusion regarding that. She said there was no vote on that, Highgate still have the MVR contract until 2025.

Suzie also stated she was looking at the Swanton Village Fire Department Handbook and she would like to revise those as well as the Swanton Village Handbook and Policies that would open them up to some legal liabilities. She said at their last meeting they discussed an ordinance on damage being caused to Village sidewalks during construction and said there is nothing in the existing ordinances. David said he talked with Public Works and there is a fee in place in case a sidewalk is damaged that they enforce. Discussion took place regarding updating an existing ordinance to include this. It was decided that more research should be taken into account regarding this and talked about asking other communities if they address this issue.

Suzie also stated she was informed that an Argo was purchased by the Fire Department, and she didn’t recall seeing a warrant for that expenditure. Bill Sheets, Village Manager, said that’s because it wasn’t purchased by the Fire Department it was donated by Star Hose Inc. and TDI Towing & Repair company. He said both companies donated 50% each for this Argo and donated it to the Fire Department. Bill said this opens up a whole new way of rescue for the department and said they just need to be trained on it.

Any Other Business: Adam Paxman said the Memorial Day Parade will be held on Monday, May 27^th at 2 p.m. He said all are welcome to put in floats, etc. He said to reach out to him or Joel Clark if you’d like to enter the parade or help volunteer.

16. Executive Session to Discuss Legal Matters and Personnel:

Suzie Kelleher made the motion, seconded by Eugene LaBombard, to go into Executive Session at 9:15 p.m. to discuss legal, contractual or personnel issues where premature general public knowledge of the subject matter would place the Village or person involved at a substantial disadvantage. Motion carried.

Adam Paxman made the motion to exit Executive Session at 11:17 pm. Suzie Kelleher seconded. Motion carried.

ACTION TAKEN: None.

17. Adjournment:

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to adjourn the Regular Meeting of the Board of the Trustees meeting at 11:17 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. There being no further business at hand, David Winchester, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 11:17 p.m. Motion carried.

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David Winchester, Village President                  Date

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Dianne Day, Village Clerk                                Date