Trustees Meeting 5/26/26

Web version

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

REGULAR MEETING

Tuesday, May 26, 2026

6:00 PM

PRESENT: David Winchester; Village President; Neal Speer, Trustee; Suzie Kelleher, Trustee; William “Bill” Sheets, Village Manager; Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager; Matthew Sullivan, Chief of Police; Dan Chevalier; Swanton Village Fire Chief; Matt Walker, Swanton Fire Safety Officer; Rebecca Tharp, Paul Nolan, James Lynch, Karina Dailey, Corrie Miller, Chris Smith, Alexander Babella and Ch. 16. Via Teams: Damon Broderick, Trustee; Heidi Britch-Valenta, Grant Specialist; Michael Miller, and DB.

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 it is available. 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 6:00 p.m.

2. Pledge of Allegiance:

Everyone in attendance stood for the Pledge of Allegiance.

3. Agenda Review:

None.

4. Public Comment:

James Lynch came in and introduced himself and said he is running for Sheriff and would appreciate the Board’s support during the August primary.

5. Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, May 11, 2026, as presented:

Suzie Kelleher made the motion to approve the minutes from Monday, May 11, 2026 as presented. Neal Speer seconded the motion. Motion carried.

6. Approve and Accept Village Warrants through Thursday, May 21, 2026:

Neal Speer made the motion to approve Village Warrants through Thursday, May 21, 2026, as presented. Suzie Kelleher seconded the motion. Discussion: None.  Motion carried.

7. Discussion on Holistic Approach to Feasibility Study for Swanton Dam Alternatives with Presenters: Karina Dailey, Vermont Natural Resources Council; Corrie Miller, Lake Champlain Basin Program; and Chris Smith, U.S. Fish and Wildlife:

Karena Dailey began the discussion by introducing herself and gave a brief summary of how the program was started. Corrie Miller introduced herself as well and said their mission is to coordinate and fund projects. She said she focuses on New York and Vermont Lake Champlain Basin. Chris Smith with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services introduced himself. Karena said she mentioned a “Holistic Approach” but wished she would have said a “Comprehensive Approach". She also said they’ve studied the Swanton dam as well as the Highgate dam and the FERC relicensing. She said in that process there was a proposed mitigation that included the potential of looking at a feasibility study for a fish passage. She said that was how they started thinking about the Swanton dam. She mentioned the Seven Days article that was printed and said that was not something she wanted to print. She said they want to work with the Village rather than in opposition. She said they have access to resources and want to work with the Village. She said this includes the VT Natural Resources Council, the Lake Champlain Basin, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, and Great Lakes Fishery Commission. She said they have met and discussed the relicensing process for the Highgate Hydro Facility. Chris said this group has been talking about the Missisquoi river for many years and said the FERC process has reignited the conversation. Karena said there were others involved with this topic in the past and maybe they didn’t go about things the right way and didn’t listen and learn. She said they want to start a new chapter and are not supportive of that technique. She said they are committed to listening and learning together and look forward to collaborating with one another. Corrie talked about considering there is an opportunity here other than just a fish passage. She said they want to contribute to a vibrant community and river. She said if that excites them a little bit, they have ideas on what the next steps should be. She said they imagine there is a consideration and reach out for this opportunity, this generates information they can lean on and that it considers many alternatives. She said they would take community and scientific information to figure out what the next steps should be. Suzie Kelleher said part of their FERC relicensing is that they have scientists who observe that portion of the river and already have that information in hand. She said most of them have a pretty good idea of what the community perspective is on that and said they are looking to the future as to what that vision is. Suzie asked what options do they have right now. Suzie said she’s lived in Swanton her whole life and she knows that everyone in the community wants that dam to stay. She said if they’re looking at ways other than just a fish passage, what are the ways? Chris said looking at the FERC license a fish passage was the way, there was a little bit about recreation and opportunities. He thought that was a very narrow approach and said their mission is to relicense the dam with Highgate in mind. Suzie said this isn’t just about Highgate and when their scientists look at relicensing, they’re looking at everything that happens downstream too, all the way to the lower Swanton dam and to Campbell’s Bay to the mouth of the river. She said they’re looking at a chain reaction all the way down. She also said they are looking at all fish species not just one species. Chris said he’s not trying to dispute that and said he feels it could be more comprehensive from the standpoint of looking at those fish populations. Chris said the two things he would look at are expanding this around recreational opportunities and gaining more information about the dam itself. David Winchester said this is a very important topic to many people and said if there is a solution where everybody can win, they’d like to hear that one. He said removing the dam is going to cause an environmental issue and destroy a historic body of water that’s been there for over a 100 years. He said if there was a solution that everybody wants that would be great. Karena said they need to figure out the goals before than can discuss the solution. She said she’d like to propose a way to study the different alternatives, how much they cost and what it would accomplish. Chris said at the end of the day the Village owns the dam and no one can make them remove it, he just wants to help find alternatives and solutions. David said there’s a greater risk to remove the dam. He said they would be interested in hearing what alternatives they have for them to review. Neal Speer said he’s been involved with the Village through three different managers and they have always been good stewards of the river. He said in the past they were pushed to make a decision on removing the dam and couldn’t give them a good reason as to why. He said fishing is important to a lot of people in this community as well as recreation. He said if there’s a fix that’s good for everyone, they would be open to discussions. More discussion took place on a fish passage and all the other habitat that occupies the river. It was agreed that Karena would stay in touch with Bill and would continue to look at all the options out there. She said they could do a feasibility study and then provide more information to the Board. Suzie Kelleher made the motion to table this discussion until further notice. Neal Speer seconded the motion. Motion carried.

8. Swanton Village Police Department Update with Chief Matthew Sullivan:

Chief Matthew Sullivan informed the Board that the Swanton Village Police Department responded to 172 incidents during the month of April 2026. He said the top ten calls for service were: 51 traffic stop, 16 suspicious person/circumstance, 10 directed patrol, 9 agency assistance, 8 community outreach, 6 VIN number inspection, 6 alarm, 6 motor vehicle complaint, 6 threatening, and 4 property damage. He said out of the 51 traffic stops they issued 9 tickets and 53 warnings. He said there were 8 arrests, 11 charges with 8 individuals.

Matt said the police department responded to 151 incidents in the Town of Swanton during the month of April 2026. The top ten calls for service included: 87 traffic stop, 23 directed patrol, 5 suspicious person/circumstance, 4 community outreach, 4 agency assistance, 3 DUI alcohol or drugs, 3 motorist assist, 2 motor vehicle complaint, 2 driving license suspended, and 2 VIN number inspection. He said out of the 87 traffic stops they issued 32 tickets and 74 warnings. Matt said there were 8 arrests, 9 charges with 8 individuals. Matt said they also worked an additional 28 service hours and some of that was due to the ICE protests. Matt said the Board will notice the amount of motor vehicle stops has increased dramatically and they’ve also had more DUI stops this year than in the past. He said 60% of them are drug related.

9. Fire Department Request to Purchase Fit Testing System:

Dan Chevalier and Matt Walker were present for this topic. Matt explained what a Fit Testing System is and said this makes sure a firefighter’s mask fits properly and that they’re not inhaling things they shouldn’t. He also said this is VOSHA required. Dan said they’ve had theirs for over 20 years now and this new machine they’re looking at is more accurate. He said they had a VOSHA inspection last week and passed with flying colors. He said some people would say to just hire out the Fit Testing but said this averages out to about $100 per person. Bill said the reason this is coming before the Board is because it wasn’t placed in their budget. Suzie asked what the life expectancy is for this piece of equipment. Dan said he’s been on the department for 20 years and they’re still using the same one. Matt said he will be trained and become certified upon delivery of this system. Suzie Kelleher made the motion to authorize the Swanton Fire Department to purchase a Fit Testing System, using available equipment funds, from OHD, in the amount of $16,365.00. Neal Speer seconded the motion. Motion carried.

10. Review and Approve VT Transco Equity Offering and Possible Unsubscribed Shares:

Suzie Kelleher made the motion to authorize the Village Manager to sign a purchase agreement for the Village of Swanton to purchase VT Transco Equity Shares being offered through VPPSA as well as unsubscribed shares and to not exceed $275,000. Neal Speer seconded the motion. Motion carried.

11. Village Manager Update:

Hydro Update: We held the kickoff meeting with Gomez and Sullivan, the selected engineering firm.

We held a conference call with FERC on possible interim engineering solutions to help determine the best path forward for a proposal that will work for everyone. We will be forwarding a range of solutions to FERC to ensure that this is an interim solution that is acceptable.

HYDRO Operations: With the rain event over the past few days, we were able to get back to covering most of our load during non-peak hours, producing 6.3 MW this morning and staying right around 6 around the clock.

We are still run of river until June 1^st; however, we have limited to no peaking ability based on our new elevation and that proximity to the bottom of the pool.

VOSHA Inspection: We had a two-day VOSHA inspection of all facilities on May 20^th and 21^st. We will receive a report within the next couple of months that will address a few minor findings. The verbal feedback during our closing meeting reflected that we are doing an excellent job related to policy, procedure, and practice.

Joint Meeting Reminder: Meeting with the Town Selectboard at 6 PM on June 2^nd to review, discuss and approve the sharing agreement related to the Local Option Tax.

Level 2 EV Chargers: Trustee Broderick asked at the last meeting which brand of EV charger was selected to install here at the complex. That brand is Autel.

Fire Department: It was a busy weekend with the Memorial Day festivities. The ladder truck was offsite briefly for some service work and it now back and in service. On May 24^th at 0130 hours the FD went to a barn fire in Canada as part of mutual aid with a tanker. The FD kitchen is getting a renovation at no expense to the Village. The work is being completed and paid for by the FD Auxiliary.

Electric:

Banners: The department will be installing approximately 62 additional veteran banners, as well as reinstalling several that came down in the various windstorms recently. The next round of banners is due to arrive on June 2^nd, and we will install as time allows. We have 72 electric meters to install for AMI, most of which have been ordered.

Building Update: All concrete work, including footings and walls, has been completed. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing crews will start to arrive to begin their work. We are on or slightly ahead of schedule at this point and hope to remain that way.

Public Works: Hydrant flushing is this Thursday night and that will be system wide so you will see some cloudiness in your water. We are in the process of installing our final water meter pits. There are a few remaining potholes that we still need to get to.

Public Works Vacancy: We have advertised a Public Works opening for an experienced equipment operator. We are hoping to conduct interviews next week so there is still time to apply.

Water: We solicited an opinion from our attorney, who replied as follows, on our ability to charge an opt-out fee.

Unlike for electric service, there is no statute that either (i) requires a utility to allow opt outs or (ii) prohibits charging an opt out fee. There is a current bill in front of the Legislature that would explicitly allow water utilities to charge an opt out fee. If it is the trustees’ desire, they can vote to impose an opt-out fee. Just note that all charges need to be just and reasonable. In this case, the charge should be a reasonable calculation of the cost the opting out will impose on the utility.

AMI: We have 14 water customers opting out and 11 sewer customers opting out. So far this year we have paid Alexander’s for meter reading software subscription, maintenance, and extended warranty, $3,951.00. The software was upgraded in 2024/2025 for $24,605.34. A new water “gun” was purchased in 2023 for $4,860.00. Total of these costs: $33,416.34. Annual costs might fluctuate from between 8 to 10 grand annually. We have 24 meters left to install.

Swanton/Highgate Water Line Discussion: At the last meeting there was discussion about money received related to the Swanton/Highgate water line. Lynn confirmed that we did receive $8,000 on May 23, 2014, and created a separate account that has not been drawn down. The current balance is $9,850.30.

Wastewater: Earlier today we had an onsite meeting with our Engineering Firm, Aldrich and Elliott, which served as a walk through to identify remaining project needs.
 

12. Any Other Necessary Business:

Suzie Kelleher mentioned the Flea Market and Garage Sales to be held this Saturday throughout the community. David Winchester mentioned the Memorial Day Parade and Pow Wow that were held recently.

13. Proposed Executive Session to Discuss Legal Issues at the Hydro Facility with Attorney Paul Nolan:

Suzie Kelleher made the motion, seconded by Neal Speer, to go into Executive Session at 7:30 p.m. to discuss confidential legal issues at the Hydro Facility where premature general public knowledge of the subject matter would place the Village or person involved at a substantial disadvantage. Motion carried.

Suzie Kelleher made the motion to exit Executive Session at 8:23 p.m. Neal Speer seconded. Motion carried.

ACTION TAKEN: None.

14. Adjournment:

Suzie Kelleher made the motion to adjourn the Regular Meeting of the Board of the Trustees at 8:24 p.m. Neal Speer seconded. There being no further business at hand, David Winchester, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 8:24 p.m. Motion carried.

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David Winchester, Village President                              Date

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Dianne Day, Village Clerk                                             Date