Trustees Meeting 3/26/18
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Monday,
March 26, 2018
7PM – 9 PM
Minutes
Web version
SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX
120 FIRST STREET
SWANTON, VT 05488
REGULAR MEETING
Monday, March 26, 2018
7:00 PM
PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau, Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk; Leonard Stell, Chief of Police; David Jescavage, Town Administrator; David Hemingway, Larry Rochon, Noah “Junior” Lapan, Fred Honsinger, Vietnam Veterans; Alex Arsenault, Jason Booth, Aldrich & Elliott; 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, March 12, 2018:
Chris Leach made the motion to approve and accept Minutes from the Monday, March 12, 2018 meeting as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.
4. Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Friday, March 23, 2018:
Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants through Friday, March 23, 2018 as presented. Chris Leach seconded. Discussion: None . Motion carried.
5. Joel Clark – Discussion on a Sign for the Vietnam Veterans and Discuss the Corporal Lord Event:
Joel Clark couldn’t attend this meeting tonight but he sent a letter with David Jescavage, Town Administrator, to explain their requests. The letter first stated that the Board of Trustees are invited to attend the Cpl. Lord Commemoration on April 12 in the Veterans Memorial Park at 11 a.m. Speakers for this event are Governor Scott, Major General Cray, and the relatives of General Patton and Sergeant York. Presentations will be made to the nephew of CPL Lord who lives in St. Albans and Joel hopes they can all attend.
David said he was also there to discuss honoring the Vietnam Veterans by naming the Merchants Row bridge after them, such as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge. He said because the Village owns the bridge they would need to give permission to name this after the veterans. He said they would also like to recognize the three deceased veterans that died in Vietnam and were from Swanton. Dave explained there would be no cost to the Village and said the Vietnam Veterans Committee has been working diligently on this for some time now. David Hemingway said they would like a sign on each end of the bridge and said they have done a lot of research on the lettering, etc. Adam Paxman stated he would like to see the word “Swanton” added somehow. Mr. Hemingway stated he would like to make this celebration a big one and would like some clean up done on each end of the bridge beforehand. He said there are some trees that need trimming and he would also like the bridge decorated with American flags. Adam Paxman said the Memorial Day Parade committee is having a meeting on April 5th at the Chamber office at 6 p.m. He said maybe they can incorporate this event into the ceremonies being held on Memorial Day. All Board members were 100% in favor of this bridge dedication. Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve this concept for Memorial Day weekend. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried. They discussed sweeping the bridge, flags, streamers, cutting the sumac trees and parking issues. David Hemingway stated March 29th is Vietnam Veterans Day. The Board thanked all the veterans for their service.
6. Swanton Village Police Department Update and Discussion on School Safety Issues:
Chief Stell was present for this item. He stated there has been a committee in place for the last several years regarding school safety concerns. He said there is a well written plan in place that has been modified over the years. He said they train frequently and now it’s a State law to have lockdown drills done on a regular basis just like they do for fire drills. He said they have a School Resource Officer (SRO) in place at MVUHS and he works with a lot of the troubled youth there. He said their violence issues have dropped tremendously. He said MVU is also working on structural changes so they can be locked down more securely. He said the elementary school is locked down on a regular basis and that anyone entering the school has to be buzzed in. Chris Leach asked the Chief if the department had automatic rifles in their vehicles. Chief Stell said they have semi-automatic weapons because the accuracy rate is much better than automatic weapons. He said the potential for more collateral damage is higher with automatic weapons so his department prefers semi automatic instead. Chief Stell said the FBI and Secret Service spent countless hours studying these shooters doing psychological profiles, backgrounds checks, etc. trying to figure out why they did what they did. He said there are anger issues, bullied kids, and mental health issues that go untreated. He said the new campaign for schools they are teaching kids is to “Run, Hide, Fight.” He said they are also counting on “See Something Say Something” and “Stop the Bleed Campaign.” Chief said his department will be teaching these classes soon and he is also working on a bike patrol program. He said an individual came in and offered their time to patrol the recreation path, etc. The Board thanked Chief Stell for his update and his time.
7. Review and Sign Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between MVUHS and the Village of Swanton:
Adam Paxman made the motion to enter into Water Commissioner’s meeting at 7:47 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.
Alex Arsenault and Jason Booth from Aldrich & Elliott were present for this item. Neal Speer, Village President, read aloud the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between MVUHS and the Village of Swanton regarding the MVU Waterline Replacement Contract No. 4. This MOU basically states that the Village of Swanton agrees to replace the 1960 waterline that supplies potable water to MVU and the voters of the Village approved this at the March 6, 2018 vote. It also states that MVUHS agrees to assist in the upgrade by connecting to the water main on Rt. 78, to pay $193,000 to the Village which will be applied to the $435,000 loan, and to provide an easement to the Village. Alex stated the waterline installation will be bid as one single project for work to be completed for both the Village and MVU. He said one contractor will be responsible for the entire project and oversight will be provided by Aldrich & Elliott, PC and the Village of Swanton.
Chris Leach made the motion to approve the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between MVUHS and the Village of Swanton and authorized Neal Speer, Village President, to sign such MOU. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.
Eugene LaBombard made the motion to exit Water Commissioner’s meeting at 7:55 p.m. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.
8. Sign State of VT Loan Application for MVUHS Water Line:
Adam Paxman made the motion to authorize the Board of Trustees to sign all necessary documents pertaining to the Loan Application for the MVUHS Waterline Replacement job. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried. Board members signed documents.
Alex Arsenault also presented the Board with the Engineering bid and contract documents for the MVUHS Waterline Replacement. The Bid and Negotiation Phase cost is $3700; Construction Phase is $14,500; Resident Project Observation is $23,900; and Post Construction Phase is $1000 for a total of $43,100. Eugene LaBombard made the motion to authorize Reg Beliveau to sign the Agreement Between Owner and Engineer for Professional Services contract. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.
9. Recognize the Village Fire Department Officer Appointments:
Neal Speer read aloud the appointments made in the Fire Department: On March 12, 2018 the following appointments were made for Lieutenant and Captain for the Swanton Village Fire Department -- Lt. Jonah Snide and Captain Daniel Chevalier. These changes will take effect on April 1, 2018.
10. Coin Drop Requests from Missisquoi Valley Rescue, American Cancer Society (Bark for Life for Franklin County), Village Fire Department, and Village Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary for July, August, September and October 2018:
Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve the following coin drops: Missisquoi Valley Rescue July 14, 2018 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon with a rain date of July 21, 2018; American Cancer Society Bark for Life of Franklin County August 4, 2018 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon with a rain date of August 18, 2018; Fire Department Star Hose September 8, 2018 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon with a rain date of September 15, 2018; and Swanton Village Fire Auxiliary October 6, 2018 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon with a rain date of October 13, 2018. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried with two yays, one nay.
11. Any Other Necessary Business:
Eugene LaBombard stated that Village Manager Reg Beliveau won an award for teaching children fire safety for the last 23 years. The Board thanked Reg for this and acknowledged this achievement. Reg stated there is a convention coming up in Las Vegas regarding fire teacher tactics.
Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau informed the Board that Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, gave him the Annual Financial Plan for Town Highways that needs to be acknowledged and signed by the Board. Adam Paxman made the motion to authorize the Village Trustees to acknowledge and sign the Town Financial Plan for Town Highways in the amount of $624,343. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried. Village Trustees signed the document.
Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau informed the Board that the Village is mailing a VPPSA notice out with utility bills regarding an electric car rebate. He said the money for the rebate is coming from the Volkswagon lawsuit that took place.
Any Other Business: Neal Speer asked if VTrans is still planning on re-doing Route 78. Reg Beliveau said he wasn’t sure. He said Duane Couture and Mike Menard met with the State regarding moving utility poles. He said he thought they were scheduled to complete this in 2020.
Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau stated the Highgate and Swanton Fire Departments along with the Red Cross are doing free installations of smoke alarms and fire safety education on April 7th. He urged residents to sign up for this event if they are interested.
Any Other Business: Dianne Day, Village Clerk and Reg Beliveau, Village Manager gave a brief update on the flood situation. Dianne Day stated VDRF case managers are working with the flood families. She said the Long Term Recovery Committee would like to do a driveway assessment for the families affected and possibly use the donated funds to help replace driveways. She also said a clean-up effort should be considered to help clean up their yards from all the debris once all the ice has melted.
12. Public Comment:
None.
13. Executive Session (If Necessary):
None.
14. Adjournment:
Eugene LaBombard made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 8:35 p.m. Chris Leach seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 8:35 p.m. Motion carried.
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Neal Speer, Village President Date
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Dianne Day, Village Clerk Date