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Trustees Meeting 8/24/20

  • Monday, August 24, 2020
    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, August 24, 2020

7:00 PM

PRESENT: Neal Speer, Village President; Chris Leach, Trustee; Adam Paxman, Trustee; Eugene LaBombard, Trustee; Reginald Beliveau Jr., Village Manager; Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager;  Elisabeth Nance, Economic Development Coordinator; Richard “Dick” Menard, Abenaki Chief; Ron and Sandy Kilburn; and Channel 16.

Unless otherwise noted, all motions carried unanimously.

  1. Call to Order:

Neal Speer, Village President, called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

  1. Pledge of Allegiance:

Everyone stood for the Pledge of Allegiance.

  1. Agenda Review:

Adam Paxman stated he had a Chamber of Commerce request he would like to add. Neal Speer suggested they discuss it during Any Other Business. Reg Beliveau stated he needed an Executive Session for personnel and real estate.

  1. Public Comment:

None.

  1. Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, August 10, 2020:

Chris Leach made the motion to approve and accept the Minutes from Monday, August 10, 2020 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: Chris Leach stated he had a minor correction under the VPPSA discussion. He said where it states “Chris Leach asked the difference between a smart meter and an advanced meter” it should have stated “Chris Leach asked what the monetary advantage would be for a Village customer with a smart meter.” Motion carried with correction.

  1. Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Friday, August 21, 2020:

Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve Village Warrants through Friday, August 21, 2020 as presented. Adam Paxman seconded. Discussion: None. Motion carried.

  1. Economic Development Coordinator Update:

Elisabeth Nance, Economic Development Coordinator, informed the Board that the deadline to complete the US Census is September 30th and she is urging everyone to complete it if they haven’t. She also said the Healthy Community Task Force is looking for volunteers to help do the sidewalk inventory and audit. She said this will be mainly in the Village of Swanton looking at areas where there is sidewalk missing. She said if someone is interested in being on this task force to contact her at swedc@ swantonvermont.org. She said there is a small group moving forward along with the Town of Swanton, with diversity training and they have found two RFP’s to use that work for them. She said the deadline is September 15th and  said she has had three or four inquiries and they have all been from out of state. Neal Speer asked from where and she said one was from Alabama. Sandy Kilburn stated she thought someone was already recommended for this. Elisabeth said they have to list it this on the business registry. Elisabeth also said there is a SPARK grant up to $3000 for training. She also said the Downtown Scoping Study will hold their local concerns meeting on September 17th, time and location to be announced.

  1. Abenaki Chief Richard “Dick” Menard request permission to erect Abenaki Totem Pole in the Village Green:

Dick stated the Abenaki’s would like to erect a 10’ totem pole made out of white cedar in a designated area on the Village Green. He said he would like it visible to residents coming down Route 78 but said he realizes there are other things going on there as well. He said they would have to dig a 2’ hole and have some sort of plaque informing people of what the pole is about. Neal Speer asked if they were interested in having a dedication ceremony when the pole gets erected. Chief Menard said yes they would. He said six months ago they talked about this and would like to have a Native American celebration and erect the pole during that time. Chris Leach asked if this would be similar to the one on the Monument Road. Chief Menard said that one is 19 ½’ tall but it would be similar. Chief Menard said he’s never seen one be vandalized yet probably because it’s a spiritual thing. Chris Leach said he’s in favor of this but wondered if they would be inviting more things that might not be appropriate in the park. Sandy Kilburn said if anything belongs in the park it is this. She said the Abenaki have been very important in Swanton and this is long overdue. Adam Paxman said he is gun shy right now about putting anything in the park because of what happened over the last couple of months. He said he would rather see this in Marble Mill or next to the look out by the Swanton dam. He said he’s not comfortable with putting this in the park right now. Ron Kilburn stated he would support putting this totem pole in the park because that’s the heart of the community and this is what this is all about. Elisabeth stated she believed it belonged in the park as well. Adam said he would like to see it at the Chamber Office if they got permission to do so. Eugene LaBombard asked if there would be any maintenance to the pole. Chief Menard said no there wouldn’t be, he has six coats of coating on it. Joel Clark said he supports it going in the park as well and said if they had more land around the Town office he would consider putting it there. He said he hopes it goes in the park as well. Neal Speer stated its long overdue, they hold Abenaki celebrations in the park and doesn’t feel there would be a problem with that. Chief Menard said he is hoping to get the celebrations back in the park too. He said maybe they could light it up with a solar light. Eugene stated he wouldn’t want this to distract from the monument that is in the north end of the park. Reg said he would work with Dick on finding a good spot and would get back to the board with what they’ve decided. Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve installing an Abenaki Totem Pole in the Village Green as requested with the location to be determined. Chris Leach seconded. Chris Leach said he would like some history added to the plaque, something that would make people think and want to learn more about the Abenakis and how long they’ve been here. Adam Paxman said he doesn’t oppose the project, just the location. Motion carried with two yays, one nay. Sandy Kilburn said for people who grew up in Swanton can probably trace their roots back to someone who is Abenaki. She said she knows she’s Abenaki and believes most of us are.

  1. Approve and Set 2020 Village Tax Rate for Swanton Village Tax Bills:

Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, stated the grand list was up substantially this year. She said in the Village Report she had estimated the tax rate to be .8838 on what was known for the grand list. She said the list came in higher and she is now requesting a tax rate of .8722. Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve the 2020 tax rate of .8722. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

  1. Any Other Necessary Business:

Adam Paxman said the Chamber of Commerce would like to request the use of the Village Green on Friday, September 4th from 5 to 8:30 p.m. for a social distanced picnic in the park with music. He said the Chamber would also like to request use of the park on Saturday, October 31st for Halloween in the Park. Eugene LaBombard made the motion to approve a picnic in the park on September 4th and Halloween in the park on Saturday, October 31st. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.

Any Other Business: Chris Leach said he sent a letter to the postmaster about his idea on having a drive thru mailbox installed. He said he hasn’t heard anything in response to this and is asking permission to send another letter. Eugene LaBombard said they aren’t keeping their grounds up very well and wondered if the Village should mow it. He said the mailboxes need to be cleaned as well and suggested Chris put that in his letter too. He said the mailbox on Merchants Row is in very bad condition.

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau said he received another equity call coming due from Velco at the end of September. Lynn said they would need to let VPPSA know on their behalf and they would have this added to a future agenda. She said the Village’s share would be approximately $187,000 and they need to decide if they want to purchase it outright or finance it through VPPSA. Chris Leach stated these have been good investments.

Any Other Business: Joel Clark said the Dough Boy in Veterans Memorial Park is all set to be repointed and he just wanted to let the Village know. He said the base of the monument will remain the same as it was as it holds a historical value. Chris Leach made the motion to acknowledge the repointing of the Dough Boy Monument in Veterans Memorial Park through the Town of Swanton. Adam Paxman seconded. Motion carried.

Any Other Business: Reg Beliveau stated the Village was awarded a $9000 grant from RiseVT to survey Marble Mill Park. He said the true boundary lines have been an issue and it’s been difficult to find records of it.

  1. Executive Session to Discuss Personnel and Real Estate:

Adam Paxman made the motion to enter Executive Session to discuss personnel and real estate at 8:00 p.m. Chris Leach seconded. Motion carried.

Chris Leach made the motion to exit Executive Session at 9:00 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 9:00 p.m.  Chris Leach seconded. There being no further business at hand, Neal Speer, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 9:00 p.m. Motion carried.

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Neal Speer, Village President                            Date

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Dianne Day, Village Clerk                                Date