April 5, 2010
MONDAY 6:00 PM
Water and Light Office
The meeting duly noticed and warned was called to order at 6:01 PM.
PRESENT:
Trustees: Tim Sargent, Ed DeBor, Wally Reeve, Peter Bourne, and Dana Wildes
Staff: Craig Myotte, Jim Fontaine, Penny Jones, and Linda Osgood
1) PUBLIC MEETING:
No members of the public were in attendance.
2) CURRENT PRIORITY PROJECTS:
Craig briefly updated the Board on the current priority projects.
3) MANAGEMENT REPORT:
Line crews are still working on Cady’s Falls Road conversion. VEC suspended all work in Grand Isle for all contracted crews.
MW&L received a grant to fund LED streetlights. Trustee Bourne suggested putting a couple up to see how they look and then issue a press release.
Hydro generation is back on track. The new water line for Richmond Street has been surveyed. We have yet to receive written confirmation from RDA on 100% funding the headworks project.
The water meter project still continues. We found several locations that did not have meters yet. One installation (Vianor/Goss Tire) will require a meter pit.
Penny has been working on water and sewer rates. She asked the Board how they want these revenues to show up on the financials. The Trustees stated we should stick to the classifications of meter size and under 10,000 gallons and over 10,000 gallons.
Penny has spoken with Bob Giroux at the Vermont Bond Bank. It is very expensive to pre-pay a bond.
4) APPROVE MINUTES OF MEETING HELD MARCH 15, 2010:
Trustee Wildes asked that the phrase in the minutes be revisited. The Trustees agreed the phrase was incorrect and it was deleted.
On a motion by Trustee DeBor, seconded by Trustee Reeve and unanimously approved, the Board approved the amended minutes of the March 15, 2010, regular meeting.
5) DISCUSS POWER SUPPLY ISSUES:
All of the terms of the new Hydro Quebec contract that have yet to be released. Trustee Wildes asked for a graph going backwards as to what ISO-NE forecasted and HQ actually turned out to be. The current contract would represent 2.7 megawatts of our peak, or approximately 1/3 of our peak demand. Whether it qualifies as “green” power has yet to be finalized but the State is leaning heavily towards “green”. VPPSA is planning worst-case scenario that Vermont Yankee will not be renewed and this contract may not be taken in full.
All proposed improvements to our hydro facilities will qualify towards our SPEED requirements and will allow us to take a much smaller percentage of the East Mountain project.
The Swanton Peaker Unit #2 is expected to be back on line by May 14th and we should then begin to receive capacity payments.
6) DISCUSS WATER & SEWER ORDINANCES:
Jim is drafting a sewer ordinance that has connection requirements. Trustee DeBor pointed out that there are areas in the TSSA to capture revenue that the ordinance must cover and that Jim should review Stowe’s. Trustee Wildes wondered if a home just outside the TSSA had a failed septic and there was a sewer main just inside the TSSA, how would it be handled. It currently would be handled through the Environmental Board. Milton’s ordinance should also be looked at because it reserves the right of the Trustees to make a deal.
Jim needs to know if MW&L will own all sewer pump stations. He feels there is no need to own a line to a pump station, and the pump station, if that line is never going to be expanded. The Trustees feel that the ordinance must specify that MW&L will not own pump stations unless they are built to our specifications, which includes back-up pumps and alarm-notification systems.
7) OTHER BUSINESS:
The Board reviewed possible questions that will be asked at the upcoming Annual Village Meeting.
The Board discussed the “professional services fee” for the Trust for Public Lands related to the purchase of the Zack Woods property.
The LCPC needs written response by April 19 that we intend to keep Brice Simon as our representative on that Board.
Craig questioned the level of interest in rewriting our 5-year strategic plan which currently covers 2005-2010. The Trustees stated a 5-year work plan may be more useful than a strategic plan at this time.
The Amy Wade Golf Tournament will be held on June 26th. We will include a bill stuffer in May about it to promote the tournament whose proceeds are donated to the Amy Wade Fund. The Board discussed opening up a matching fund for planting trees on private property in the Village. We need to develop a list of criteria and whether a planting serves the purpose of the fund.
We need to draw up any and all covenances that we want on the GristMill and Creamery properties so that any appraisals can be based on those covenances. The Trustees agreed we should try to sell the Creamery but the GristMill should be a long-term lease with covenances because it sits on the dam abutment for our hydro project.
At the last meeting on Hyde Park Electric/Stowe Electric/MW&L consolidation, it was agreed that we need a facilitator.
For the Library’s expansion, they are looking at a connection fee of $1,040 or a reserve fee of $40/year. Trustee DeBor suggested they apply to the Amy Wade Fund for $1,000.
8) EXECUTIVE SESSION:
At 7:48 PM, on a motion by Trustee Bourne, seconded by Trustee Sargent and unanimously approved, the Board went into Executive Session to discuss personnel.
At 8:05 PM, on a motion by Trustee Bourne, seconded by Trustee Wildes and unanimously approved, the Board came out of Executive Session.
9) ADJOURNMENT:
At 8:06 PM, on a motion by Trustee Bourne, seconded by Trustee Wildes and unanimously approved, the Board adjourned the meeting.
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Edward DeBor, Clerk