Trustees Meeting 8/10/26

Web version

SWANTON VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SWANTON VILLAGE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX

120 FIRST STREET

SWANTON, VT 05488

REGULAR MEETING

Monday, August 10, 2026

6:00 PM

PRESENT: David Winchester; Village President; Suzie Kelleher, Trustee; Neal Speer, Trustee; Damon Broderick, Trustee; William “Bill” Sheets, Village Manager; Dianne Day, Village Clerk; Heidi Britch-Valenta, Grant Specialist; Adam Paxman and Ch. 16. Via Teams: Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager.

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 and also had a Moment of Silence for Ed Daniel, who recently passed away.

3. Agenda Review:

Suzanne Washburn and Mark Rocheleau won’t be able to attend tonight's meeting so Item #8 will be tabled until further notice. Bill Sheets, Village Manager, stated he needed an executive session to discuss a legal matter. Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, stated she needs to add a request under Any Other Business. She said she needs to renew a line of credit in the electric department. Damon Broderick said he would like to add a discussion about having a “social media policy.”

4. Public Comment:

Adam Paxman said he is requesting permission to hold next year’s car show in the Village Green. He said there has been lots of speculation that there would no longer be a car show because the Chamber of Commerce is closing but he said that is not the case. He said the car show will go on.

5. Approve and Accept Minutes from Monday, July 27, 2026, as presented:

Damon Broderick made the motion to approve the Minutes from Monday, July 27, 2026 as presented. Neal Speer seconded the motion. Motion carried.

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

Suzie Kelleher made the motion to approve Village Warrants through Thursday, August 6, 2026, as presented. Damon Broderick seconded the motion. Discussion: None.  Motion carried.

7. Swanton Village Grant Specialist Update with Heidi Britch-Valenta:

Heidi Britch-Valenta began her presentation by showing all the open grants she has been working on, which total $12,108,377:

She then showed the pending grants that she’s been working on which total $9,146,000:

Heidi then talked about the Transportation Transformation:

WHAT- the comprehensive scope of work to reshape the Village Center Streetscape to address health and safety issues and improve the economic climate.

Improve Vehicular Traffic Circulation and Safety

Enhance Bicyclist and Pedestrian Mobility and Safety

Enable Universal Access to Businesses

Improve Stormwater Management

Maximize Tourism Potential

WHY- Improvements are necessary to address the negative impacts of a conglomeration of travel routes in the Village Center.  

• High Crash Zone- 11,000 average daily vehicles
• Businesses & Sidewalks Lack Universal Access 
• Grand Ave Sidewalks - poor condition
• Crosswalks are Dangerous
• Bicycles Facilities are fragmented
• Inadequate stormwater infrastructure-Church St

A 2021 Transportation Study assessed the High Crash Area where 4 major highways converge.

Community leaders, residents and business owners participated in the process of developing the desired improvements with a mind to overall practicality and feasibility. 

The State has provided substantial support for the projects.

HOW- The Village received the first TAP Grant for improvements in 2022 and has continued to seek funding to address the identified issues.

• Merchants Row ADA Access Project
• Church Street- Stormwater Streetscape w Bike and Ped Improvements
• Canada Street- ADA Access w Bike and Ped Improvements
• Grand Ave- Sidewalk Reconstruction
• 74 Merchants Row Parking Lot Rehabilitation- Stormwater

PROJECT BENEFITS: ECONOMIC IMPACT

• Tourism –L.O.T.
• Building on Past E.D. Successes
• Property Values Increase
• Businesses Benefit from the Universal Access to Their Buildings
• Businesses Benefit from Increased Village Traffic
• Bike Traffic can enter Village Safely from the LVRT or State Bike Route
• Reduced Fuel & Car Maintenance Expenses for Residents Able to Walk to Destinations-School, Work, Grocery

PROJECT BENEFITS: HEALTH

• Safe Routes to School Primary Travel Route Improved
• Greater Ability to Walk Safely to Village Destinations
• Bicycle Route connectivity to LVRT
• Greater sense of community connection
• Reducing standing water on roadways for improved safety
• Improved stormwater management for water quality impact

The Board thanked Heidi for presenting them with this information and for all her hard work.

8. Review and Discuss Swan Permitting 501C3:

Tabled until further notice.

9. Discuss and Approve New Financial and Billing Software Program -- NISC:

Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, said if the Village goes with NISC her financials would be ready in the fall of 2027. She said the rest of the conversion would take place in the spring of 2028. Lynn said she will budget some of this in 2027 and the remainder in 2028 if the board approves. She said she might do a line of credit or look at VPPSA for financing. Bill Sheets asked what the financial impact would be for 2027. Lynn said it would cost $66,300 and the bulk would be charged in 2028. Suzie Kelleher made the motion to authorize Lynn Paradis to move forward with the purchase of NISC software for the Village of Swanton. Damon Broderick seconded the motion. Motion carried.

10. Aldrich & Elliott Contract – Gallup Court Water Line:

Bill Sheets, Village Manager, said this is an amendment as the Village enters the bid and construction phase of this Gallup Court waterline project. A&E has completed all the engineering work to date under a previous contract. This project is currently out to bid, the pre-bid site visit is tomorrow, 08/11 and the bid opening is set for 08/25 at 1 PM. We will continue with the project only if we receive favorable bids within our budget. Neal Speer made the motion to authorize Village Manager William Sheets to approve a contract with Aldrich & Elliott for the Gallup Court Waterline Replacement Bid and Construction Phase Services for an amount not to exceed $39,900. Damon Broderick seconded the motion. Motion carried.

11. Village Manager Update:

General Updates: At our last meeting we were asked who owns the Village Green and I replied that the Village does. I thought that as that was what I had been told two to three years ago when we examined who was responsible for mowing and maintaining Village Green, as well as paying for water and electricity in the Village Green. My memory of the conversations was that the Village owned it, so we kept those responsibilities and financial obligations. It turns out that I was likely wrong. New research by legal during our most recent search for easements and deeds for our Church Street Stormwater project shows that while no deed exists there is substantial evidence to conclude that the Town appears to own the Village Green. The Village Trustees should engage in a conversation with the Town Selectboard to discuss several issues related to this determination.

HYDRO Operations: We are in drought conditions, but at the right time we will dewater for unit inspections that are currently scheduled for late next week. That will allow us to examine the wet end of things to finalize the prioritization of maintenance and replacement needs. FERC has more detailed diagrams of our interim solution proposal and just weighed in this afternoon. More to follow on what their comments mean for our interim solution.

Fire Department: The FD continues to be busy with several calls and several of their members were recently recognized as part of life savings efforts for a cardiac incident that happened earlier this year in Swanton.

Electric: The team continues to be busy with pole upgrades. H. Bros continues to conduct cross-country vegetation management, and our team is pleased with their work. The remaining AMI meters are trickling in, and we will be installing those final meters as they arrive. Work continues with Cummings Electric on the fast chargers at 74 Merchants Row.

ACRE Program: We are encouraging anyone to explore the ACRE Program, which allows eligible customers to reduce their power bill by just under $30.00 per month.

Building Update: The project is progressing nicely, with nearly all roof trusses installed. The contractors will complete steel erection, create overhead door openings and prepare the shop under slab.

Public Works: Work continues on the Grand Avenue sidewalk. There is 250 feet of sidewalk remaining to connect Furman and York, plus a significant amount of curbing work. We have placed the two “post office parking only” signs in front of the post office.

Water: We had to replace two 600-foot-long lines for potassium permanganate that were blocked. The water team and maintenance team combined to pull out and replace these two one-inch lines, which are now working properly. The crew completed a temporary bypass for the few days when the lines were down. Potassium permanganate removes iron, manganese, and sulfur odors by oxidation.

Our contract diver inspected and cleaned the main intake, which is a process that we will conduct at a minimum, every two years.

Gallup Court: The design is final and the permit for the Gallup Court water line is in. We will be working with Aldrich & Elliott Engineering in the hope that we can secure a competitive bid and get this project completed in 2026.

Wastewater: The team is working on installing a new mini split at the Foundry Street Pump station. This is required to ensure that we have primarily for cooling the electrical motors installed with the most recent upgrade. Final work continues towards the punch list with only siding and piping adjustments still pending. For construction purposes every part of the project has been deemed substantially complete.

Maintenance: The maintenance team continues to conduct maintenance on the complex roof, replacing approximately 1,000 roof screws that were becoming loose, requiring replacement. They are in the process of getting quotes for the ridge cap replacement and they will do that work this summer or fall.

12. Any Other Necessary Business:

Damon Broderick made the motion to renew Swanton Village’s AMI electric line of credit in the amount of $1.7 million dollars with Peoples Trust Bank, with an annual interest rate of 2.25% for one year. Neal Speer seconded the motion. Discussion: Lynn Paradis, Assistant Village Manager, stated that this AMI project run through VPPSA is not complete yet so that’s why she needs this line of credit renewed. Motion carried.

Any Other Business: Damon Broderick stated there is a thing called Freedom of Speech, but he would like Village Manager Bill Sheets to review the Village’s social media policy. Bill said that sounds good but said the Village doesn’t have a social media policy in place. He said he would look at other municipalities and also check with VLCT. Suzie Kelleher said they had talked about having one put in place before but didn’t move forward with it. Bill said he would advise the Board when he found more information.

13. Proposed Executive Session to Discuss Legal:

Suzie Kelleher made the motion, seconded by Damon Broderick, to go into Executive Session at 7:22 p.m. to discuss a confidential legal matter, where premature general public knowledge of the subject matter would place the Village or person involved at a substantial disadvantage. Motion carried.

Damon Broderick made the motion to exit Executive Session at 7:41 p.m. Suzie Kelleher seconded. Motion carried.

ACTION TAKEN: None.

14. Adjournment:

Neal Speer made the motion to adjourn the Regular Meeting of the Board of the Trustees at 7:42 p.m. Suzie Kelleher seconded. There being no further business at hand, David Winchester, Village President, adjourned the meeting at 7:42 p.m. Motion carried.

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David Winchester, Village President                              Date

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Dianne Day, Village Clerk                                             Date