The Board of Selectmen's regularly scheduled meetings are on the second and fourth Monday of each month at 6:00PM in the Selectmen's Chambers, 356 Main Street. This schedule is subject to change so be sure to check the Town Meeting Calandar for actual meeting dates and times. Call the Selectmen's office at 603-755-2208 if you have any questions.
2009 Chairman's Report
I can honestly say that 2009 has been an interesting year. We are always hopeful that things will get better, but ever mindful that you must deal with the ever present reality.
This year the economy played a big factor in the decisions made by the Board. Everything had to be weighed out in great length until all of us recognized the value of spendingthat dollar or the return it would bring to the taxpayer. The notion of progress means different things to different people. It does not always readily show itself as a means of instant gratification. It may show up a few years down the line when you hear people saying “Boy, I’m glad we did that when we did it”. This year, decisions by the Board of Selectmen cradled along this line of thinking.
We squeezed the “day to day” dollar but our bigger projects had to do with the planning and the use of “long term” dollar. For instance, after a successful vote at Town Meeting to go ahead with the upgrade for the Waste Water Treatment Facility, many decisions had to be made about how to move forward. The Board received a facilities plan in April. Many meetings were held with the result being that Phase I, the construction of the Rapid Infiltration Basins was to begin. In October the Board received a Preliminary Design Report for the upgrade of the Waste Water Treatment Plant. This put Phase II of the project in motion. During this time, many decisions about funding and bonding were required. All in all, the project is moving forward on the timeline as expected and the project had a smooth
progression.
Some other progressive decisions that included “long term” dollars were made at the meetings on the landfill closure, Bay Road Bridge replacement and the drainage study.
With the closure of the landfill due in 2010, preliminary discussion and designs have begun. A lot of time and effort has been put in by the Town and engineers to maximize the money in the closure fund to close the landfill and for startup of the transfer station. More of those meetings will be next year.
Through the decision and engineering of the Bay Road Bridge, we have met our 20% share for State funding. This planning has done two things for us. It has allowed us to retrieve an 80% cost share from the State to cover the replacement costs and has eliminated this bridge from the “red list”. This allowed us to save hundreds of thousands of dollars and will make it safe for all to travel. Replacement is scheduled for 2010.
Last but not least, the drainage study. This study will be paid for using the FEMA funds and the 12 ½ % of the States contribution toward FEMA relief for the 2007 flood and 2008 ice-storm. After all of the projects were cleared up and repaired, the Board of Selectmen took the balance of money and put it towards mitigation work. Thereby, allowing work to be done in an area that has always been a problem for this Town. What is Ole Puddledock going to do with all this water? The drainage study will accurately model the town’s drainage system. The development of the drainage model will ultimately conclude with recommendations the Town can use for planning purposes. Again, it will allow us to be in a good position to go after more grant money. These grants could pay for drainage improvements which could
alleviate some of our roads and driveways from washing out and may even help with lessening the infiltration problem we have at the Waste Water treatment plant. Smart money and sound investments are the key to the town’s success.
On a slightly different note, there are some updates to report. The restoration of the Town Clock was completed. It has been returned to the eloquent icon that it once was. The second update is that the sprinker system was installed in the Town Hall/Opera House. This is the last thing that needed to be done to complete the project. This will allow us to be compliant with the Fire Marshall’s requests for many more events to come.
In conclusion, it has been a tightrope walk of sorts between pinching pennies and making sure we allow enough activity to remain operational and functioning. We have attempted to apply the same logic while constructing the budget for 2010. We worked very hard while keeping our eye on the bottom line. We hope you find it acceptable.
Respectfully submitted,
Paula Proulx, Chairman, Board of Selectmen
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