Trustees Meeting 5/14/18

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SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

PUBLIC HEARING & REGULAR MEETING

Monday, May 14, 2018

6:00 PM

PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Adam Paxman; Trustee; Reginald Beliveau, Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk; Elisabeth Nance, Economic Development Coordinator; Jessica Bulova & Katie Parrish, State of Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation; Jim Hull, Village Wastewater Plant Operator; Brad Aldrich, Aldrich & Elliott; Pat Long, Age Well; Jeremy Reed, St. Albans Messenger; Judy Paxman, Betsy Fournier, Debbie Winters, Tim Girard, Fire Chief, Swanton Fire Department: Peter Prouty, Nick Shuster, Jason Cross, Alex Bourdeau, Jason Butler, and Ch. 16.

Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously.

1.      Call to Order:

Neal Speer, Village President, welcomed all to the Public Hearing and Regular Board of Trustees meeting and called the meeting to order at 6:04 p.m.

2.      Agenda Review:

Reg Beliveau stated there are guest present tonight that were not on the agenda so requested the agenda be revised to accommodate the guest.

3.       Public Hearing for Wastewater Water Plant Discharge Permit:

Jessica Bulova and Katie Parrish were present for this public hearing. Jessica stated the Village Wastewater Plant is applying for their Discharge Permit. She said this permit is part of the Clean Water Act through the Federal Government and is a 5 year permit. She said there are now stricter phosphorus permits and she said the Village will need to reduce their phosphorus discharge load by 66%. She said the yearly phosphorus limit is now 1,644 lbs per year and needs to be reduced to 548 lbs per year. Adam Paxman asked if this was realistic to accomplish. Eugene LaBombard asked what the current load is now and Jim Hull said the Village’s 12 month average is approximately 1,200 lbs per year. He said he plans on using different chemicals to achieve this new limit but said it’s going to be very difficult. He said his plant may need an upgrade to achieve this and that could be very expensive. Reg Beliveau, Village Manager, stated that these targets are mandated by the EPA and each facility has been given target numbers to achieve. He said they will work it out either way. Jim Hull stated he has been working with his vendors about new chemicals and said the cost for chemicals will triple but an upgrade would be in the millions. Eugene asked what would the resolution be if they were unable to achieve this. Jessica stated they are given a year to try and resolve it and said the State would work with them after that to try and help reduce the phosphorus load. She acknowledged this is a heavy lift for towns with lagoons. Adam stated the Village only contributes 2% of the phosphorus and said they want to be a part of the solution but still feels this number is unrealistic. Neal Speer asked if there were any grants available to help plants with any upgrades. Jessica stated there are State Revolving Loan funds available as well as US Department of Agriculture grants. Adam asked if local farms are being asked to reduce their limits as well and asked what their numbers are. Jessica stated this is challenging for everybody. Reg Beliveau stated everyone has to do their part and they may not be able to achieve these numbers in their lifetime but said they will try. Katie Parrish stated the plant inspection went very well. She said their plant is very neat and orderly and there were no violations or concerns. The Board thanked Jessica and Katie for having this hearing and for providing answers to their questions. Jessica and Katie stayed for approximately another ½ hour giving the public an opportunity to ask questions. Public Hearing convened at 6:45 p.m.

4.      Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, April 23, 2018:

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve and accept Minutes from the Monday, April 23, 2018 meeting as presented. Chris Leach seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried with one abstention.

5.      Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Friday, May 11, 2018:

Adam Paxman made the motion to approve and accept Village Warrants through Friday, May 11, 2018 as presented. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

6.      Pat Long, Age Well Representative (formerly Agency on Aging) here to discuss Shortage of

         Meals on Wheels Drivers:

Pat Long, Age Well representative, stated she has been working for Age Well (formerly Agency on Aging) for the last 23 years. She said they are the largest provider for Meals on Wheels in the State of Vermont and serve Franklin, Addison and Chittenden Counties. She said these are very exciting times for the organization because they now have one vendor providing the same meal for everyone. She said the organization is in desperate need of volunteer drivers at this time. All they need to have is a Vermont Driver’s license and a vehicle. She said they also have to have a background check done. She said they could partner with another driver and she said they are willing to work with anyone who could give them any time. She said the routes in Franklin County are a little more challenging because the route is spread out. She is asking the public if they can help out and if not to at least spread the word for them. She also said if anyone knows of a senior who is in need of meals or other services to call her agency at 802-557-5484. She said some of these seniors are alone most of the time and the only company they have is when they get their meal delivered. The Board thanked Pat for coming in and said they would help spread the word for her.

7.      Jeremy Reed, St. Albans Messenger regarding Discovery Guide:

Jeremy Reed stated he was there to ask the Village Trustees if they were interested in sharing the cost of an ad to go in the Discovery Guide with the Town of Swanton. He said this ad will help promote the Village and Town of Swanton and is distributed in Quebec and New York. He said Tim Smith with FCIDC has been effective in promoting Quebec with cross border shopping, etc. He said this is an annual publication and is left at tourism outlets, hotels etc. He said Ron Kilburn helped with the photos but said it could be easily modified. Jeremy said the ad cost is $975 and asked the Village to consider sharing the cost with the Town of Swanton. Adam Paxman said this seems like a no-brainer. Jeremy said there are approximately 55,000 online subscribers also. Betsy Fournier asked if the recreation department was mentioned in the ad. She suggested they use the map the recreation department created listing their community assets. Elisabeth Nance stated the Messenger is on a tight deadline and said Jeremy is meeting with the Town tomorrow night to discuss this with them. The Board agreed with this concept and said they were onboard with the publication. Jeremy said he would report back to Reg Beliveau after the Town Selectboard meeting.

8.      Discussion on Marble Mill Damage:

Reg Beliveau informed the Board that Marble Mill suffered a lot of damage after the flooding in January. He said the skatepark, tennis courts and basketball courts are full of mud and need cleaning. He said he was looking for some ideas on how they can re-brand Marble Mill so he asked Betsy Fournier and Debbie Winters to get on board with him. Betsy stated this is a beautiful space and said she would like to get the community involved by circulating a survey and asking what residents would like to have there. She suggested moving the basketball courts to the recreation fields and maybe having Pre K through 2 grade sports there such as T-ball, soccer, etc. Debbie Winters said they could do movie nights, yoga classes, ice rink, and camping. She thought they should take down some of the dead trees and add more green space. Everyone agreed that a community survey was a good idea and agreed this should be a community decision. Judy Paxman suggested they have a public forum to discuss it. Reg suggested they put the survey together, he would work on getting some of the dead trees down and trees trimmed and would discuss it again at their next meeting.

9.         Discussion on MVUHS Waterline Replacement Job Bids:

Brad Aldrich was present for this discussion and said so far the Village has received three bids for this waterline replacement job AT MVUHS. He said Desroches Construction Services bid came in the lowest and it is Aldrich & Elliott’s recommendation that the Village of Swanton accept Desroches Construction Services bid for $277,755. He said his firm has done several successful projects with them in the past. He said this will put the Village $62,000 under budget.

Eugene LaBombard made the motion for the Village of Swanton to accept Desroches Construction Services bid for Contract No. 4 for the MVUHS Waterline Replacement job in the amount of $277,755. He also made the motion authorizing Village Manager Reg Beliveau Jr. to sign the Notice of Intent to Award such Contract. Chris Leach seconded. Discussion: MVUHS was paying $193,000 towards this job but that amount has been reduced to $164,000 saving the school $29,000. Motions carried.

Brad also stated he received Desroches Construction Services DBE Effort to solicit bids from disadvantaged business enterprises, as required as a condition of submitting a bid for the above referenced project. Brad stated Aldrich & Elliott are satisfied that they complied with this effort. Eugene LaBombard made the motion to authorize Village Manager Reg Beliveau Jr. to accept and sign Desroches Construction Services DBE Effort for Contract No. 4 for the MVUHS Waterline Replacement Job. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

10.       Fire Department Fire Truck Bid Review:

Peter Prouty advised the Village Trustees that the Fire Truck Committee has put several hours into reviewing each bid they received and created a document listing each companies pros and cons along with giving each company an overall score. It is the recommendation of the Fire Truck Committee that the Swanton Village Fire Department award HME the contracts to build their Engine/Tanker as well as their Aerial Truck. HME’s price to build the aerial truck comes in at $864,760 and their price to build the Engine/Tanker comes in at 576,750 for a total cost of $1,441,510. This is coming in under budget by $990.

Adam Paxman made the motion to authorize the Swanton Village Fire Department to accept HME’s contracts to build their aerial truck at a cost of $864,760 and to build their engine/tanker at a cost of $576,750, for a total cost of $1,441,510. He also made the motion to authorize Village Manager Reg Beliveau Jr. and Fire Chief Tim Girard to sign all necessary documents and contracts pertaining to this purchase. Chris Leach seconded. Motions carried.

Neal Speer thanked the committee for all their hard work. Fire Chief Tim Girard thanked them as well and recognized all of their time and hard work that went into this project. The Fire Department thanked the taxpayers for their support as well.

11.      Elisabeth Nance, Economic Development Coordinator – Letter of Support for Sidewalk Grant and Demonstration Project Discussion:

Elisabeth Nance stated she has been working on a sidewalk grant which will put in a new sidewalk from King Street to Brown Avenue. She said this is an 80-20 match (in kind) and should be given the highest priority. Reg Beliveau stated he talked with Mike Menard regarding this and he agrees it should be done. Elisabeth said she is asking the Trustees if they would like her to continue to work on this grant application. Adam Paxman asked if there would be a crosswalk added and Reg said yes there would be a painted crosswalk added to King Street and Brown Avenue.

Adam Paxman made the motion to authorize Elisabeth Nance to move forward with the sidewalk grant for King Street to Brown Avenue in the Village of Swanton. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

Elisabeth also stated she went through the Municipal Plan and highlighted things she wants done. She also suggested the Trustees think about doing some streetscaping on First Street by the striped lines.

12.       Any Other Necessary Business:

Adam Paxman stated the Memorial Day Parade will be held on Monday, May 28^th at 2:30 p.m. Lineup will begin at 2 p.m. at the Mary Babcock School. He said the Dedication of the Swanton Bridge to the Vietnam Veterans will take place following the parade. He said there will be a BBQ put on by the Fire Department. He urged everyone to come out and attend this event.

Any Other Business: Chris Leach stated there will be a Hazardous Waste Day at the Town Garage on Saturday May 19^th.

13.      Public Comment:

Judy Paxman stated Mike Barkyoumb from South River Street has built and donated a 3D sculpture of a wooden swan and she would like to have this displayed in the Village. She said it has a wing span of 6 to 7 ft. and she is going to paint it before displaying it. The Board suggested either putting it in the Village Green or on the Village Office front lawn. Judy showed the Trustees a picture of the swan and the Board was very appreciative of this gift from Mr. Barkyoumb.

Elisabeth Nance wanted to remind everyone that the Community Wide Yard Sale will be held on Saturday, May 19^th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sunday, May 20^th from 12 to 4:00 p.m. She said they have 20 different yards participating as well as 5 or 6 that will be in the Park.

14. Executive Session to Discuss Personnel:

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter into executive session to discuss personnel at 7:56 p.m. Eugene LaBombard seconded. Motion carried.

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

ACTION TAKEN: None.

15. Adjournment:

Adam Paxman made the motion to adjourn the Regular Board of the Trustees meeting at 8:10 p.m. Chris Leach seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 8:10 p.m. Motion carried.

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Neal Speer, Village President                                       Date

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Dianne Day, Village Clerk                                           Date