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Bellows Falls Village Corporation Annual Report 2018-2019

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Bellows Falls Village Corporation Annual Report 2018-2019 BELLOWS FALLS VILLAGE CORPORATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 Photo Provided by Fire Chief Shaun McGinnis NOTICE CORPORATION ANNUAL MEETING BELLOWS FALLS, VERMONT BUSINESS MEETING BALLOTING MONDAY, MAY 20, 2019 TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019 BELLOWS FALLS OPERA MASONIC TEMPLE HOUSE 61 WESTMINSTER ST TOWN HALL BELLOWS FALLS 7:00 P.M. 8:00 AM TO 7:00 PM THE BELLOWS FALLS ANNUAL REPORT IS DEDICATED TO THE ROBERTSON PAPER MILL The Robertson Paper Mill served the Village well for over 120 years. The Bellows Falls Area Development Corporation is revitalizing the property so that it can fulfill its potential as a prime location for an economic development opportunity in Bellows Falls Village. Paper-making was the largest industry in Bellows Falls during the late nineteenth c. 1930, Facing SE toward Building 1. and early twentieth centuries, and the history of paper- Courtesy of Rockingham Free Public Library making here dates back to 1802, when the first local paper mill was constructed. From the 1870s to the 1920s, Bellows Falls was one of Vermont’s largest industrial centers and known for its paper-making, and Robertson Paper was its longest-running manufacturer. The original factory was constructed in 1891 for C.W. Osgood & Son as a machine shop and foundry for the fabrication of paper-making machinery. Within a few years, the factory employed over 100 workers, and it is likely that the local paper-making manufactories such as Fall Mountain Paper (the largest paper maker in the world at the time), John T. Moore & Sons, Wyman Flint & Sons, and John Robertson & Sons, used the machinery produced by C.W. Osgood & Son. Although the company was sold several times over the years, the Robertson Paper name was retained and the factory continued to produce paper products until a bankruptcy resulted in its closure in 1987. At this point, it may have been the longest continuously operating paper manufacturing company in Vermont. Its last products were Christmas paper, florist’s tissue, and waxed paper. The Robertson Paper Mill building has suffered from deferred maintenance and disuse since the 1980s. Due to the deferred maintenance, the complex has gradually deteriorated and is now in poor condition. It was reluctantly determined that the building could not be saved. Photo by Emily Petretti, Village Resident TABLE OF CONTENTS Dedication ……………………………………………………………… Inside Front Cover Village Officers ………………………………………………………………………… 1 Annual Corporation Warning 2019……………………………………………………..... 2 Notice to Voters/Instructions for Voters ………………………………………………… 3 Bellows Falls Village Annual Meeting Minutes May 14 & 15, 2018..………………….. 5 Village Reports Report of the Village President …………………….……..……………………….. 12 Municipal Manager’s Report ……………………………………………………… 13 Fire Department …………………………………………………………………… 17 Police Department…………………………………………………………………. 19 Water Treatment Facility ………………………………………………………….. 21 Consumer Confidence Report – Water Quality Report………………………….. 23 Wastewater Treatment Facility …………………………………………………….. 27 Budget FY2020 FY2020 Proposed Operating/ Revenue ………………………………………… 28 General Fund ……………………………………………………………………... 31 Water Fund ……………………………………………………………………….. 40 Wastewater Fund ………………………………………………………………….. 45 Elected Auditor’s Report ………………………………………………………………. 50 Independent Audit Letter – RHR Smith ……………..……………………………….... 51 Delinquent Tax Report …………………………………………………………………. 52 Delinquent Water/Sewer Report …..…………………………………………………… 53 Emergency & Non-Emergency Telephone Numbers ………………………………….. 55 BELLOWS FALLS VILLAGE CORPORATION OFFICERS 2018 - 2019 DATE ELECTED TERM EXPIRES Moderator: Ray Massucco May 2018 May 2019 President: Deborah Wright May 2017 May 2019 Trustees: Stefan Golec May 2017 May 2019 James McAuliffe May 2017 May 2019 Gary Lique May 2018 May 2020 Jonathan Wright May 2018 May 2020 Clerk: Kerry Bennett May 2018 March 2019 Interim Clerk: Kathleen Neathawk March 2019 May 2019 Treasurer: Donna J. Harty May 2018 May 2019 Auditors: Patricia Fowler May 2018 May 2019 Timothy Powers May 2018 May 2019 Michael Tolaro May 2018 May 2019 OTHER VILLAGE OFFICIALS Municipal Manager: Delinquent Tax Collector: Wendy Harrison Wendy Harrison Police Chief: Fire Chief: Ronald Lake Shaun McGinnis Water Treatment Plant Chief Operator: Wastewater Treatment Plant Chief Operator: Brian Joslyn Robert Wheeler -1- -2- -3- -4- -5- -6- -7- -8- -9- -10- -11- REPORT OF THE VILLAGE PRESIDENT Exhale. A year of community challenges has passed, and the village can breathe a collective sigh of relief that we have survived, and thrived, in the intervening twelve months. Our shaky ground turned out to be ancestral bedrock along the Connecticut River as we entered new territory on so many levels. My thanks to the citizens of Bellows Falls for your faith in our ability to accomplish the necessary changes, along with the support and hard work of great staff in both Village and town as these changes were implemented. First, our new on-call/volunteer Bellows Falls Fire Department is succeeding well above expectations with very active participation in the community, keeping us safe. It has become so much more than we could have hoped. Its members are much appreciated. Our other public service agency, the Bellows Falls Police Department, weathered the storm as an additional officer was not funded last year, yet continues to provide excellent service to our community, year-round, 24-7. In addition, we anticipate being able to improve maintenance and repairs to the public service building, which both agencies share, with remaining monies available this fiscal year, and with voter generosity for the coming one. Next, a number of changes occurred this year for Village and town management, with the search for a new manager, who was required to find a new finance director and executive assistant. Let us all wish them clear sailing in the coming year. As the Village trustees continued their efforts to contain and reduce the budget we came to understand that our water and wastewater funds were not sufficient to sustain the repayment of our debt service without a substantial increase in user fees. The trustees struggled with the decision to move forward with increases and, as ratepayers ourselves, we appreciate our users’ understanding and tolerance as we adjust the rates of both wastewater and water over the next several months. Bellows Falls Water Department and the Bellows Falls Wastewater Department are excellent examples of belief in the future of Bellows Falls and its precious resources. Finally, I want to thank every resident for participating in our ongoing dialogue as we move further into the 21st Century. Your continued input and feedback keep me mindful of what makes Bellows Falls a great place to live and work. Deborah Wright, Bellows Falls Village President -12- -13- -14- Top Ten Taxable Properties by Value in Bellows Falls Village % Total 2019 Village 4/1/18 Property Village Address Owner Property Tax Value Tax* Mill St Great River Hydro LLC $ 668,853 $ 103,650,000 39.23% Bridge St New England Power Co $ 188,777 $ 29,254,100 11.07% Bridge St Green Mountain Power Co $ 54,209 $ 8,400,600 3.18% Westminster St Steele S Stuart Trust (Riverview) $ 15,179 $ 2,352,300 0.89% Rockingham St Canal Overlook LLC $ 8,324 $ 1,290,000 0.49% Rockingham PJC of Vermont Inc & Williams St (Rite Aid Building) $ 6,277 $ 972,800 0.37% Atkinson St The Gary & Mike Lisai Company $ 3,835 $ 594,300 0.22% The Square Chittenden Bank $ 3,752 $ 581,500 0.22% Westminster St Alpha-G LLC $ 3,239 $ 501,900 0.19% Rockingham St LLC (Penguin Mart) $ 3,207 $ 497,000 0.19% *Total Village tax received in 2019 $1,704,950.00 These properties are the ten highest-value properties as of April 1, 2018 in the Village that are not tax-exempt. Some of the owners listed own more than one property and pay more in Village property taxes. -15- Top Ten Bellows Falls Water & Wastewater Utility Customers Billing Period of 9/26/2018 to 3/25/2019 Customers Total Billed % of Total** Great River Hydro $ 39,554 2.65% New England Power $ 11,342 0.76% Canal Overlook (Canal House) $ 10,510 0.70% Brattleboro Development Corp (Chroma) $ 10,141 0.68% BF Union High School $ 9,984 0.67% Site #10311-01 (Rite Aid and Laundrymat Building) $ 8,277 0.55% Eastpoint Properties (Riverview Apartments) $ 7,171 0.48% Edgar Greason $ 6,060 0.41% Southeast Vermont Transit Inc. $ 5,604 0.38% Versam Investments, Inc. (J&H Hardware) $ 4,870 0.33% **Total of all customers $1,491,446.11 -16- BELLOWS FALLS FIRE ANNUAL REPORT I would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that the firehouse is currently staffed Monday through Friday from 8 am to 4 pm, and is no longer staffed evenings or weekends. There may not always be someone at the firehouse, so in an emergency, please dial 911. In 2018, the Bellows Falls Fire Department responded to 230 calls for service broken down as follows: 2018 Service Calls 58 60 50 45 40 36 30 19 20 16 15 12 11 6 10 3 5 0 1 2 1 0 Column1 Structure Fire 0 Chimney Fire 3 Grass/ Brush Fire 1 MVA Outside Village 16 MVA in Village 15 MVA Outside Village w/ Jaws 2 Hazardous Materials 5 Alarm Investigations 45 Fire Inside Structure 6 Motor Vehicle Fire 1 Furnace Problem 58 EMS Assist 12 Mutual Aid 36 Wires Down 11 Public Assist 19 2018 was the first full year of the Bellows Falls Fire Department in its new form. As a department, we have worked hard to address the concerns that many had with the changes. We are happy to report that we have been able to supply a crew for every alarm that we have been dispatched to, to date. This was the biggest concern brought forth by the village voters, and the one that we felt was most important. The staff has taken advantage of numerous training opportunities both within the department and with outside agencies to better themselves and the Department. We have four members who are about to graduate from the State of Vermont’s Firefighter One program.
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