[0:08] I have two. >> I'm going to get another one.

[0:18] » It's all on the wrist.

[0:28] 7:00. Here we go.

[0:53] Thank you, D. >> There, that worked. I won't shut it off.

[0:58] Um, want to welcome you all here tonight. It's good to see a large crowd

[1:04] out to discuss what what we're going to be voting on in March. Um,

[1:12] those of you who don't know, I'm I'm Bruce Tro. I've been moderator

[1:17] here for long time. Um,

[1:25] I just want to welcome you all to the deliberative session

[1:29] and thank you all for taking the time to uh come come here and I'll be the

[1:37] moderator. Assistant moderator is Francis Faulner.

[1:42] Uh we are broadcasting tonight's meeting

[1:49] live and is being recorded. Although to participate,

[1:55] vote or make motions, people must be physically present.

[2:01] This evening's meeting is the first session

[2:04] of this year's annual town meeting. The purpose of this session is to determine

[2:10] the form of warrant articles that will be presented to voters

[2:17] at the polls on March 10th at the Manok Regional School District

[2:24] gymnasium.

[2:30] And be before we begin, I'd like to recognize

[2:36] if I have the sheet Um,

[2:39] » the town officials that are here,

[2:46] » do I have the list?

[2:54] » Do you just want us to stand up and introduce ourselves? Go down the line.

[2:58] » Oh, there we there it is. Thank you. Thank you.

[3:03] Um, we start with the town administrator,

[3:07] Lori, and I'm not going to pronounce your last name.

[3:11] » Rodeiola. >> Yeah.

[3:14] Town council is Cordell Johnston.

[3:19] Town clerk is Heather Estrella. Deputy town clerk is Amanda Norcross.

[3:29] Here's one I never pronounce right. Police

[3:34] chief is Joe

[3:38] Gonalva. >> Close enough.

[3:41] » Close enough. Good. Uh the fire chief Eric Matson.

[3:48] Public works director Joe Duso.

[3:52] Solid waste manager Josh Whipple. Is he here?

[3:59] He's at home watching. >> Um, finance director Teresa Lounder,

[4:08] tax collector and emergency management director Kevin Wescott,

[4:16] town planner. Adam Pette,

[4:23] assistant town planner Stefan

[4:28] May Mayhew. >> He's right up there.

[4:32] » There he is. Did I pronounce it right? >> Sure. What the heck? Call me anything

[4:38] except late for supper. Right. Uh, let's see.

[4:45] The recreation director is Ashley Crosby.

[4:51] Yes, she is. And

[4:57] I would ask for everyone to rise and we'll have the pledge of allegiance.

[5:04] » Chief Chief of Police will lead us. >> I aliance to the flag of the United

[5:12] States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under

[5:18] God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

[5:26] Thank you, Chief.

[5:32] I'm going to go through a few of the basic basic rules for the first

[5:39] first session meeting. Uh handouts which include the warrant

[5:44] articles to be considered at this evening's

[5:48] meetings are available in the back of the hall if you don't have them.

[5:53] Um,

[6:00] and everyone should treat each other with respect and kindness would be nice.

[6:08] Um, and before making before asking a

[6:12] question or making a statement, please make your way to a microphone and

[6:19] identify yourself for the record. If you would like to speak

[6:26] speak next, please make your way up to and line up behind the mic. Don't wait

[6:32] for the person that's at the mic to uh finish before you're you come up.

[6:40] Uh,

[6:44] as a general rule, we have uh I don't know if we have any people here that are

[6:49] non- voters, but um non- voters cannot speak without

[6:56] permission of the meeting. And that's up to you folks whether you vote to let

[7:02] someone speak or not that's not a registered voter in the town.

[7:11] As at past meetings, the moderator will allow town staff to provide information

[7:20] or address questions which may arise during the course of the meeting. A

[7:27] running debate will not be allowed. Remarks and questions should go through

[7:33] the moderator. If during the meeting you disagree with

[7:38] the ruling of the moderator, you may request that the House be pulled.

[7:43] This is the voters's meeting. It's your meeting

[7:47] and the voters may overrule the moderator.

[7:52] With respect to motions for reconsideration,

[7:56] a motion to reconsider will be con

[8:04] I don't know what that word in order to make

[8:08] uh a reconsideration motion. It needs needs

[8:13] to be made within 10 minutes of declaring the result of the original

[8:17] vote. We will be projecting the wording of

[8:23] each article and we'll forgo reading them.

[8:28] When we get to an article, it will be projected on the screen and I will ask

[8:35] for a motion and a second and I will then open the floor for

[8:40] discussion or amendments. Any amendments to an article

[8:47] will need to be submitted to the moderator in writing

[8:52] and amendments will be voted on one at a time. The amended article will be put on

[9:00] the projector and then will be debated and voted on.

[9:05] Additional discussion and amendments will then be allowed.

[9:10] When the voters are done with amendments and discussion,

[9:15] I will call for the vote and I will declare the results of the vote and we

[9:23] will move forward to the next item of business.

[9:28] State law requires all on articles on the warrant to be voted by official

[9:35] ballot. So motions to pass over or postpone indefinitely

[9:41] are beyond the authority of the first session

[9:45] and will be ruled out of order.

[9:51] Article one is the election of officers. Article two and three are zoning

[9:56] amendments which do not need to be discussed tonight.

[10:02] But the board would like to offer time now to direct any questions they have

[10:08] about them to the planning board or planning director.

[10:14] » Would anyone like to question >> Mr. Moderator just the select board

[10:20] would like to present certificates to a couple of

[10:23] » I'm sorry if we have a moment. >> Skipped right over that.

[10:26] » No worries. All right. May we do so? >> All right. recognize the sleen below

[10:33] who has some annoy announcements to make.

[10:37] » All right, boys.

[10:49] Before we do this, there's several people here who are on various boards

[10:54] and committees either elected or volunteer. You mind just standing up so

[11:00] everyone could recognize you. We greatly appreciate all your support.

[11:04] » Thank you. [applause]

[11:15] » One of our standing committees is the capital improvement committee. It's been

[11:19] in in action for over 12 years, but we've never had the opportunity or or

[11:24] given them the opportunity to be recognized. So tonight we would like to

[11:28] do that. Uh we know that there are several members here and a few that were

[11:32] not able to attend. So it's only fitting that the first certificate we give is to

[11:38] selectman Jimmy Tempesta. >> Thank you. [applause]

[11:44] » Did you put that on top? [cheering] >> How did you know?

[11:46] » Good job. Got rid of me fast. >> I did. Not yet. Um a second is the

[11:51] chairman longterm longtime chairman Stephen Bidd. I don't think Stephen is

[11:55] here tonight, but uh for those of you who have served with him, you you're in

[11:59] awe as much as I am and my colleagues with the work and effort that Steve puts

[12:04] in. [applause]

[12:09] And then our newest member to the CIP committee, a new resident of Swansea,

[12:14] moved here a few years ago, Pat Ambrosio.

[12:18] [applause]

[12:28] vice chairman of the of the CIP committee as well as a member of several

[12:32] others and longtime volunteer for the town is Bruce Bohannan.

[12:37] [applause]

[12:42] [applause]

[12:50] Where am I?

[12:55] This next gentleman uh he and his wife are new members of Swansea, have lived

[13:00] here for a few years on Wilson Pond and have been very instrumental in

[13:04] encouraging the board and members of the public to be respectful of Wilson Pond.

[13:09] uh been very uh energetic with regard to that and and our expectation is that

[13:15] we'll have an opportunity in 2026 to honor some of the requests that Mark

[13:19] Scalera has. I know Mark's not here tonight, but he deserves to be

[13:23] recognized. [applause]

[13:30] Another gentleman who has served on various committees and is currently a

[13:33] member of the planning board, vice chairman of that board is Michael York.

[13:38] » [applause]

[13:41] » Thank you.

[13:46] Uh our next our last uh member of the CIP committee is Larry Crowder. I'm not

[13:51] sure I don't see Larry here tonight. I know evenings are difficult for him. Uh

[13:55] he's also been very instrumental in the work that DPW does under the direction

[13:59] of Joe Duso with regard to our road system. So let's recognize Larry.

[14:04] [applause]

[14:11] Last year, we appointed an ad hoc committee, a fire station committee

[14:15] under the chairmanship of of Jay Ward. And you all know how successful that

[14:20] committee was because the building's almost done. And this year, uh, in

[14:25] response to the, uh, petition warrant article last year asking the town to

[14:29] vote to support increasing the board of selectmen from three members to five, we

[14:34] thought it was prudent if we appointed a governance committee to take a look at

[14:38] how Swansea has governed itself, is governing itself, and plans for the

[14:42] future. And so tonight, we'd like to recognize that committee. Uh just as we

[14:49] were fortunate to have a strong chair and Jay Ward with the fire station

[14:53] committee, we were blessed to have Annne Hefernan as the chair for the governance

[14:56] committee. [applause]

[15:02] [applause]

[15:14] This gentleman I've been after for years. Uh I met him when my wife and I

[15:18] owned a business called Lady of America and his wife was one of our employees.

[15:22] Uh always very impressed by Eric and this time Eric took us up and Eric May

[15:27] became a member of the governance committee. Eric, I believe you're here.

[15:31] Welcome. [applause]

[15:44] This gentleman is an outstanding citizen and resident of Swansea, one that we all

[15:48] look up to uh for his service not only to the town but to our country. Admiral

[15:54] David Stinson. [applause]

[16:04] And this gentleman, you all know, this this gentleman uh may as well have been

[16:08] born here, and he probably was, but he's been involved with the town for decades.

[16:12] Uh was on the fire department, a fire chief at one time, was our DPW director,

[16:16] is currently our cemetery seon, and our resident historian, Lee Dunham.

[16:22] [applause]

[16:27] [applause]

[16:39] I I don't see this next gentleman here, but he became a good friend. He uh he

[16:44] was a one of our state reps back in the last decade. Uh represented Swansea very

[16:49] well. uh Ben Tilton uh worked on behalf of the town along with Jim McConnell and

[16:55] and brought a voice to conquer that we had not had uh previously. Not that our

[17:01] other representatives didn't try, but both of these guys were like pit bulls

[17:04] and and they seriously did great work for us. Ben, are you here tonight? Well,

[17:09] if you get a chance to see him, Ben's done tremendous work for the town and we

[17:12] hope hope he'll do more for us in the future. [applause]

[17:20] This next gentleman is a well-known contractor in Swansea and Cheshire

[17:24] County. Uh he's served the town and in many functions. He's run for office at

[17:28] the state level and we look forward to continued work with Danlair. [applause]

[17:39] I think I'm going to save this one for last. This next gentleman is is also a

[17:44] lifer in Swansea. A very well-known family that's been very instrumental in

[17:49] the in the history of Swansea and the development of Swansea. And he's

[17:52] continued the legacy of his forebears as a member of the planning board. Richard

[17:56] Lane. [applause]

[18:08] Someone else gets to stand up a second time. Uh this gentleman is a vice chair

[18:12] of the planning board. As mentioned, he's he's been a member of the CIP

[18:16] committee uh as well as other committees and has been to almost all of our our

[18:20] select board meetings. He's been a very astute contributor. We appreciate his

[18:24] efforts. Michael York. [applause]

[18:29] Thank you, Michael.

[18:34] Uh this gentleman, as I mentioned earlier, uh is a new resident of

[18:38] Swansea, very instrumental in in trying to improve the water quality at Wilson

[18:42] Pond. We know he's not here, but we'd like him recognized Mark Scalera.

[18:46] [applause]

[18:51] And this young lady is is someone that I take great pride in. Uh she's someone

[18:56] that I I met with along with one of her colleagues a few years ago. they had

[19:00] some issues to discuss that they felt and I believe at then and believe even

[19:04] more so now were very instrumental and significant to the town of Swansea. Uh

[19:09] she's somebody who's become a good friend. I greatly appreciate her

[19:12] efforts. She's speaking out on behalf of the town on Facebook. You all know her.

[19:17] Jessica Ramsey Sanchez. [applause]

[19:36] This year, Swansea elected a new selectman uh a resident of Swansea,

[19:40] lifelong resident of Swansea, been involved in our police department and

[19:44] fire department. He stepped in and did a phenomenal job as a selectman. We all

[19:48] appreciate his efforts. He was very uh supportive and helpful to an with regard

[19:53] to the governance committee. Mark Leel, [applause]

[20:04] this gentleman is worldrenowned certainly in Cheshire County. Uh he is

[20:09] the Macgyver of Swansea. Uh people have no idea, I certainly don't of of all the

[20:15] contributions that Scott has made to this town. truly an outstanding citizen.

[20:20] [applause]

[20:27] [applause]

[20:34] Be >> before we turn the meeting over to the

[20:36] moderator, I just want to we we all want to thank you for your support uh for the

[20:41] town in in 2025. It it's going to go down as one of the most historic years

[20:46] in the history of our town. It started with the the vote last year for the fire

[20:51] station. After almost 10 years, we finally got it passed. It's on time.

[20:56] It's under budget. And it will be a a tribute to all the work that and the

[21:01] support that you all gave us. So, thank you very much. This is long, long

[21:05] overdue. [applause]

[21:12] 2025 also marked a significant change in town. Uh Michael Branley had been our

[21:17] town administrator for almost 10 years. Uh he came in on the heels of Shane

[21:21] O'Keefe who came in on the heels of of Beth Fox and and Michael did an

[21:26] incredible job. I think you all know department heads certainly know the

[21:30] effort that he made and and we wished him well as he went off to greener

[21:35] pastures in Windham. But as one door closes, another one opens. And we were

[21:39] so blessed to have the opportunity to bring in Lori Radiola.

[21:44] [applause]

[21:49] [applause]

[21:54] » Oh, come on up there. I didn't I didn't know.

[21:57] » Give a little shake or hug or something? >> Come on. Come on.

[22:03] » You don't want to You want to say a few words? Lori's just just done an amazing

[22:07] job. She she's brought a a tenor to the position that we haven't haven't had

[22:12] before. A level of experience I mean I'm sorry a level of enthusiasm that goes

[22:16] well beyond uh anything that most of us could have expected. Her experience and

[22:21] her growth and her knowledge is going to be a tremendous asset for the town of

[22:24] Swansea. Lori, come on up. We'll do we'll do a redo. [applause]

[22:36] » [applause]

[22:38] » So I and the during the course of 2025, we had several other projects that came

[22:44] to fruition, not the least of which is the Great Wall over, for those of you

[22:48] that know it, on South Road at the intersection of Flat Roof Milroad. It

[22:52] was a long, long overdue project. It was one that brought in some experimental

[22:56] technology and it seems like it's working well. Uh we're pretty much done.

[23:02] Uh through the leadership of Joe Duso and the work of Gordon Services, uh we

[23:06] brought that project in on time and under budget. The last item that we have

[23:11] is to put in some additional guard rails that the state had not originally

[23:15] required. It was a suggestion by Joe and Gordon Services that we put them in and

[23:19] now that they're there, the state would like us to extend them. So that was a a

[23:23] tremendously uh tremendous project. As we go through the departments, one of

[23:28] the ones that has been under the most level of stress is the police

[23:32] department. And we all, including the the members of the department, owe a

[23:35] debt of gratitude to Chief Gonza. I'm sorry, Chief Gonzalez. His ability to

[23:40] hold his team together and provide the level of service that we have in Swansea

[23:44] is truly incredible. I appreciate an opportunity to give him a round of

[23:49] applause. [applause]

[23:53] Good job, Chief.

[23:57] Not to be outdone was our fire department. We had uh under the

[24:01] direction I'm sorry under the suggestion of Sai Kerazinski two three years ago.

[24:06] I'm sorry it was two years ago. It was Jim's first meeting uh we brought

[24:09] together a team of leadership with Eric Matson as our fire chief uh Norm Scansy,

[24:16] Michael Burke as assist deputy chiefs and Mick Sanchez as assistant chief.

[24:21] That team worked very well. and and then this year uh Norm Scants decided to

[24:26] leave Swansea and and take a chief's position elsewhere. So the team I'm

[24:31] sorry so the chief reassembled his committee uh re reassigned duties and

[24:36] they continue to provide tremendous service to the town. They've almost

[24:40] doubled the participation uh and volunteers that we have which is a

[24:44] tremendous accomplishment. Uh, as you all know, bringing in firefighters and

[24:49] police is a is a very challenging opportunity for communities, not just

[24:53] Swansea, not just Keen, not just Chester County, but the state and the country.

[24:57] So, Chief, congratulations. [applause]

[25:04] » [applause] >> Josh Whipple, who unfortunately is not

[25:06] able to be here, but is watching us uh this year with his team, completed the

[25:11] project that you all supported for the renovation of the recycling center. Uh

[25:16] they've added additional recycling opportunities. He's always looking for

[25:20] new opportunities. this year. He's looking for uh an a shed to house waste

[25:28] oil and use as a as a protective measure [clears throat] in order to be able to

[25:33] utilize the oil on their inside heaters. He's also interested in putting a cover

[25:38] over the glass bins that we have, which will allow us to collect more glass.

[25:43] It'll be cleaner and we'll we'll gain a better return from that. So, I know Josh

[25:47] isn't here, but he deserves he and his team deserve a round of applause.

[25:52] [applause]

[25:58] Yes. Our recreation director, Ashley Crosby, uh she and her cohort, Ashley

[26:04] Nash, have continued to grow the programs that many of our children have

[26:08] had the opportunity to participate in, and through their efforts, those

[26:12] programs are growing and expanding. In addition, she and her team have added uh

[26:17] special events. We have a Valentine's dance coming up

[26:21] » next Friday night. >> Next Friday. And we have a a winter fest

[26:25] » on March 1st >> at at the Lane Fields

[26:27] » February 22nd. >> Right. And we will have an ice fishing

[26:30] derby this year. >> Yeah. So again, she's she's done

[26:35] tremendous work and and deserves our recognition. [applause]

[26:41] Another [applause]

[26:47] area of recreation that is often underutilized and unrecognized, but for

[26:52] those people who take advantage of it, it's greatly appreciated. And that's our

[26:56] rail trail. And the under the leadership of Mike Kowals and Bruce Bohannan,

[27:00] they've done a fabulous job, as you know, if you've used them, and they

[27:04] continue to do a great job and making us the pride of Cheshire County for our

[27:08] rail trails. Congratulation, boys. >> [applause]

[27:15] [applause]

[27:18] » Oh, code enforcement. We had Mike Jasmine as our code enforcement officer

[27:23] for almost 10 years. uh Mike decided to leave us at the end of 2024 and we were

[27:29] fortunate to bring in Chris Levy who came with a wealth of experience from

[27:34] Texas and from all I've heard and all the board has heard and our town

[27:37] administrator he's been wellreceived by residents and and well received by

[27:41] developers and builders. We're very fortunate to have him and I don't think

[27:45] Chris is here but like to recognize Chris

[27:48] [applause]

[27:53] and then we'll we'll yield the floor to the moderator. One of the events that

[27:57] we're very excited about tonight is the opportunity for everyone to review and

[28:02] discuss the zoning amendments. Uh all too often as planning board members and

[28:07] and zoning board members, we've heard the term you people. In other words, you

[28:11] people have made this decision and realistically, we all have made the

[28:15] decision because we all vote on the amendments. And so tonight, you'll have

[28:19] the opportunity to discuss those amendments with with Scott and other

[28:23] members of of the different committees, the conservation committee, uh, as well

[28:28] as his own I'm sorry, the planner, Adam Pocket. So, with that, we turn it over

[28:33] to you, Mr. Moderator. Thank you. >> Now, does this count as your time?

[28:40] » [laughter] >> I did have one other thing.

[28:44] » This is a good This is a good one, George. This is a good one. Bruce

[28:48] mentioned at the at the beginning that he's been a longtime moderator for the

[28:52] town. Bruce has been our moderator. He took over from Pat Hazelton 12 years

[28:57] ago, and Bruce has decided that this would be his last year. He's been a

[29:01] tremendous guide for us, a wonderful moderator, brings a good a good sense of

[29:06] humor and and a calm demeanor to the meetings. So, Bruce, we wish you well in

[29:11] your last meeting. But before that, there was a typo in in the handout that

[29:16] you received. Uh the handout that you received received had a list of

[29:20] candidates for all of the positions, and one of the positions is a three-year

[29:24] seat for selectman. Bruce's name was left off inadvertently. He is on the

[29:29] ballot and he is on everything else official, but we wanted to make you

[29:32] aware that Bruce is running for selectman for a three-year term. So

[29:36] again, 12 years. Great job, Bruce. Thank [applause] you.

[29:43] [applause] >> This doesn't this doesn't count the time

[29:48] for shortest.

[29:53] » There you go.

[29:57] All right. So, we

[30:01] call the the deliberative session to order

[30:06] and uh article

[30:12] article two of the zoning amendments.

[30:19] Does anybody have any questions on the zoning amendments?

[30:37] Seeing no uh discussion on the zoning amendments

[30:42] that we will be voting as they're written on the ballot in March.

[30:50] Um, okay.

[30:56] Which one's this one? Four, six. Try four.

[31:05] » We'll get there.

[31:08] Three. >> Ah,

[31:14] what's up?

[31:22] Okay. Three is uh going to be moved by

[31:30] Lori. >> I can start with that one. Y

[31:34] » make a motion that we move the article. Second.

[31:38] » Motion made and seconded. Uh discussion on article three.

[31:45] So, if we could just uh say a few things about that and then Yeah. Okay. Um, so

[31:50] article three uh proposes raising an appropriating a total of $1.2 million to

[31:56] design and construct, equip, and furnish a new public works facility on town

[32:01] owned property uh located at 98 Pine Street. Uh, of this amount 150 would

[32:07] come from the public works facility expendable trust fund and the remaining

[32:12] uh 1,50,000 would be funded through uh bond issue.

[32:17] The article authorizes the selectman to manage the financing, seek federal and

[32:22] state aid and all actions necessary to complete the project. A three-fifths

[32:28] ballot vote is required and the selectmen do recommend this warrant

[32:32] article. We have a few um slides up here. If we can just kind of go through

[32:37] them, I think that would be we could be able to explain it a little bit. Um

[32:43] so this, let's see here. This is a fastmill of the proposed

[32:49] public works facility. It's a manufactured steel building and is

[32:53] approximately 12,000 square feet. Um we'll discuss more details in the

[32:58] following slides.

[33:03] This is a site plan of the location of the proposed

[33:08] uh public works facility in proximity to the current location.

[33:13] You can see it up there. The building uh would be built on the same property as

[33:17] the current public works building at 98 Pine Street and the site plan was done

[33:22] by Fieldstone Land Consultants.

[33:28] Um, so some of the challenges with the current facility, um, the plow trucks do

[33:33] not fit inside the current building with the plows on, um, requiring our DPW DPW

[33:39] crew to install the plows oftentimes, um, in the middle of a snowstorm, which

[33:44] can take up to an hour, delaying the response time to the roads. Um, as you

[33:49] can see, equipment is stored outside in the elements. Um so it's exposure to um

[33:56] snow, ice and moisture and it reduces the equipment lifespan and increases the

[34:03] maintenance needs for the department. Um as I mentioned the increased staff time

[34:08] clearing the snow and ice. Um crews must spend time clearing off vehicles before

[34:12] they can even begin plowing and and or responding to storms. Um weather related

[34:19] delays slow down the department's ability to clear the roads quickly and

[34:22] safely. The current works uh the current public works facility is aging and

[34:27] deteriorating and no longer meets the department's operational needs. The

[34:32] department has outgrown the building resulting in equipment being stored

[34:36] outdoors and exposed to the elements of weather which again increased staff time

[34:42] clearing snow and and most importantly responding to um the road conditions.

[34:48] Portions of the facility including the restroom are non-compliant. Um and the

[34:53] board of selectman capital improvement committee do recommend addressing this

[34:57] critical infrastructure need now um to improve the efficiency, safety and

[35:02] compliance while um helping to stabilize the tax rate by avoiding more costly

[35:08] emergency solutions in the future.

[35:16] So here um so this image highlights the ongoing safety concerns our public works

[35:22] staff face when working in a building that is no longer adequate for the size

[35:26] of today's equipment or the demands of modern operations. Uh limited space and

[35:33] aging infrastructure increase the risk of accidents and injuries. The current

[35:38] facility is inefficient and outdated, creating daily challenges for staff who

[35:43] must maneuver large vehicles and equipment in an environment not designed

[35:48] for them. Th this slows operations and reduces our ability to respond again to

[35:54] those um to the roads and emergencies. Um I think we mentioned prior the um

[36:00] exposure you know to the temperature swings um and the structural limitations

[36:04] which results in increased maintenance costs and accelerated wear and tear. A

[36:09] modern facility would protect the town's investment and extend

[36:14] um extend the equipment lifespan. So, upgrading a new public works

[36:20] building addresses the long-term operational needs. Um, helping the

[36:24] department work more efficiently and maintain vehicles properly and provide

[36:29] re reliable services to our residents.

[36:40] Okay. So, here we have the um the some non-compliance issues. The current uh

[36:45] public works facility has several non-compliance issues that need to be

[36:49] addressed. The building no longer meets uh modern standards for workplace safety

[36:54] uh equipment storage, operational requirements areas such as ventilation.

[37:00] Um you can see in the picture here that break room is basically the door to that

[37:07] break room. Right on the other side were the um equipment that you see here. So

[37:12] that's right on the other side of of that.

[37:17] Um so we have ADA um accessibility and

[37:22] proper separation of staff and equipment that are inadequate and or outdated. In

[37:27] addition, the facility does not comply with the recommended best practices for

[37:32] maintaining large municipal municipal vehicles which increases the risk both

[37:37] to staff and our equipment. These deficiencies highlight why replacement,

[37:42] not repair, is the most long-term um is the most responsible long-term

[37:48] solution.

[37:52] We have maybe one more and then I'm going to turn it over to Joe and and

[37:56] Jimmy here. But I think that the key takeaways here on this article, um the

[38:02] the current facility is unsafe and non-compliant. the aging infrastructure,

[38:08] inadequate space, outdated systems create safety risks for our staff and

[38:13] equipment. Uh the equipment stored outdoors leads

[38:17] to delays and higher costs. Exposure to weather reduc reduces equipment lifespan

[38:23] and increases prep time during storms. Um the operational in inefficiencies

[38:30] limit our response times. the layout and structural um constraints, slow down

[38:35] maintenance, repairs and treatment for uh road road treatment operations.

[38:42] A new facility addresses long-term infrastructure needs, uh modern design,

[38:47] improved safety, efficiency, and proper equipment care. The total project cost

[38:54] is 1.2 2 million with 150 would be proposed to come out of the existing

[39:00] expendable trust fund and 1 million50,000

[39:06] through bond and notes. And again, the selectman um

[39:11] uh would be authorized to issue financing and seek other um areas of

[39:16] funding through grants um whether that be federal or state. Um, and this does

[39:21] require a three-fifths ballot and it is recommended by the board and the capital

[39:26] improvements committee as well. And I would just like to turn it over to Jimmy

[39:31] if you have anything or or Joe or anybody wants to start asking questions.

[39:35] Joe, >> I just need to say a few words about it.

[39:37] » Yes. I um I've been selectman for two years now and we all know we all know

[39:44] all these departments are very important to our town and sometimes I'm looking

[39:49] now at how our town is growing. Our town's growing it feels like strength

[39:54] over here and weakness over here. Meaning we're having a lot of

[39:57] population, a lot of people coming to our town, but I I feel that we're

[40:01] getting weaker on the other side. We need to strengthen the foundation of our

[40:05] town and I think these are steps to f to strengthen the foundation of our town.

[40:10] We did the fire station and you know I've never thought I've seen that there

[40:17] was so much to this public works till I've hung around with Joe and I spent

[40:22] quite a bit of time with Joe going to this and meeting these guys and these

[40:27] guys this crew that we have we are so fortunate. I can't praise them enough

[40:33] what they do in this town. They just don't plow the roads. They just don't

[40:36] mold on anything that we need in this town. They come to our rescue. They go

[40:41] over and above. And I feel that they're a great group of guys like a great

[40:46] carpenter but with a small toolbox. If we don't allow Joe and his crew to have

[40:52] the right equipment and the right tools to do his job, that's on us. And I

[40:56] really feel strongly that everybody should think about this and the growth

[41:00] of our town, how important this building's going to be. We have

[41:04] equipment, like Lori said, that we bought brand new. We're going to get

[41:08] more years out of it. Safety is the hugest thing. This last storm, I could

[41:13] not believe that the guys are out there in the wind and the darkness hooking on

[41:17] plows outside in the wind and they had to connect these plows cuz we can't put

[41:22] them. Joe can't put them on the night before. that they done outside. I mean,

[41:27] somebody could lose a finger. It's cold. They're hooking up cold hoses. You have

[41:31] a building like this. The storm is coming. Joe can be ready for it. He can

[41:35] have all his trucks lined up. Safety is huge. But we just got to I I feel this

[41:41] town, we have to pull back the reinss and we have to look at the foundation.

[41:45] These departments where we're weak, we have a a police department that we need

[41:50] strength. We have every department we need strength in. I really think we got

[41:54] to concentrate on the town. Even the town hall, all you town hall people in

[41:58] the town, they're they're straight out. But I'm not going to get into all that

[42:02] because I want to stay in the building. But this building vote is really really

[42:07] important. I put this in the category of of the water system that we passed up

[42:12] last year because that to me was a disaster. We needed that and we didn't

[42:16] do it. And I think because people weren't educated enough on that and I

[42:21] don't want to let this slip through. So I'm going to push it strongly. I feel

[42:24] strongly about this is money that's going to come back to us. It's going to

[42:28] come back to us in a strong way. It's going to give the crew the right tools

[42:34] to work with. And I just hope you guys leave here tonight. And if you believe

[42:38] what I just said, spread the word and let's see if we can get this pass for

[42:42] the for the future of our town because the roads and all this is so important

[42:48] to this town, the strength. So I want you to all to understand what these guys

[42:52] do and they need a new toolbox. So thank you for that.

[42:57] » Thank you, Jory.

[43:02] » Any further discussion? >> I'd like to speak to it. I'd like to

[43:05] speak to it a little bit too, moderator. uh just educate the people a little bit.

[43:08] So when Mike Branley was here, we started looking at this. It was brought

[43:11] to my attention that CIP wanted to do something with the facility. Uh we've

[43:15] done we did research and worked with a contractor that actually did the

[43:18] recycling center and it just wasn't going to be cost effective to put an

[43:21] addition on and make upgrades to this building. And uh what I learned from

[43:25] talking with other contractors and then a local Swansea contractor that just

[43:29] built the steel building that this was the most cost-effective way to go. It's

[43:33] not an elaborate building. It's a large It's a large uh steel building. It's

[43:37] going to we have um adequate office space. And then the big thing like Jimmy

[43:42] was talking about with the crew. This last snowstorm, guys worked extensive

[43:46] hours with minimal breaks. And there's really there's there's not even adequate

[43:50] room in there for everybody to eat lunch at the same time in the break room. The

[43:53] bathroom is deplorable. We put a new toilet bowl on recently trying to make

[43:57] it a little more livable, but there's just no space. Uh and then the big thing

[44:01] is keeping the equipment inside. Uh we're very thankful with support of the

[44:05] select board and the CIP committee and the residents that we we have some

[44:08] state-of-the-art equipment. We have great equipment at the highway

[44:11] department. We recently just took delivery of a new plow truck with a with

[44:14] a spreader. That's approximately $250,000.

[44:18] Uh two years before and this year as well, we we uh we took delivery of a new

[44:22] grater which has to stay parked outside and it's re they really wear in the

[44:26] environment, the rubber, the hydraulic hoses. So unfortunately that machine has

[44:31] to stay parked outside with this new building. Everything would be inside. Uh

[44:35] and then the big takeaway too is is the plow trucks. They need to we when we

[44:40] have a storm, we can't be dealing with trying to get them started or frozen up

[44:43] airlines. The trucks need to stay inside and unfortunately they cannot fit inside

[44:47] with the plows on them. So it's it's an approximate hour prep from the start of

[44:52] the storm which often takes place in the snow. And then the example of this last

[44:56] storm we ran into, we're plowing where it was so cold, windows on trucks are

[45:01] freezing up, airlines are freezing up. So in order for us to get the trucks

[45:05] inside, we have to take the plows back off again and put these these trucks

[45:09] back in. And you can see in the picture um all the plows lined up out back and

[45:14] often times you're dealing with them being frozen in the ground. Um so there

[45:19] there's a lot of thought going into this. And one of the other things we're

[45:22] going to be doing is going to be holding an open house. So, if anybody has any

[45:25] questions or questions the need for this, they can see firsthand what we're

[45:28] dealing with. Uh, and and like I said, I just want to be clear, this is not an

[45:32] elaborate building. It it's pretty basic. It's basically to get all the

[45:36] equipment inside, give the crew a clean place to have a break room, adequate

[45:40] bathrooms, adequate office that are temperature controlled, and are not

[45:44] relying on the heating for the garage. the the current heating system there's

[45:49] whatever temperature the garage is at is what you're getting in the office, what

[45:52] you're getting in the bathroom, and what you're getting in the break room. And

[45:55] I'd be glad to answer any other questions that anybody has about it.

[46:05] » That's okay. I'll forgive you this time. >> I think it comes out too, Dan, if you

[46:08] need. >> Okay. I'm usually pretty loud, so

[46:11] » I don't think people are going to have a hard time hearing me. Uh ju just a few

[46:15] uh um question statements. >> Excuse me.

[46:17] » Yes. >> Can you state your name for the group?

[46:20] And >> I suppose that

[46:22] » uh Danlair I live over on Warmarmac Road if anybody want to come over and visit.

[46:27] Um so um $1.2 million uh just passing the

[46:32] fire station is a lot of money. And as Jimmy stated, Yep. Uh there's a lot of

[46:38] um um

[46:43] what's the word I'm looking for? >> Yeah. Well, yeah, there's a lot there

[46:46] there's a lot of needs in Swansea and you know, a lot of the people that work

[46:50] for Swansea, you know, are the foundation, but unfortunately the

[46:53] foundation of uh the money Swansea gets comes from the property owners. Um we've

[46:59] all seen our taxes go up quite a bit in the last year. Uh we've seen house

[47:03] assessments go up with currently and Bill can probably attest to this, the

[47:07] housing prices are starting to come down. Um so uh my first question is um

[47:14] with these vehicles that you're plowing with that get covered in snow and salt

[47:18] when you put them in a warm building, won't the water melting the salt cause

[47:24] the vehicles to corrode faster? No, because we wash them on a regular

[47:30] basis when the weather's weather allows. We have a current wash bay right now

[47:35] that is not functional because it's being used as storage, but it's not like

[47:39] we just put a plow truck covered with salt and leave it there. After almost

[47:43] every storm when the weather allows, for example, today we were doing

[47:46] maintenance. All the spreaders were being pulled out of the plow trucks and

[47:49] they were all being washed away with a saw.

[47:52] » Um, and with this $1.2 $2 million facility. Uh h have you put this out to

[47:58] bid yet? Have you looked at different costs associated where you could you can

[48:02] bring it down? >> Yeah, it did not go out to bid. Um we've

[48:06] looked at a lot of different resources and the cost of it not using a general

[48:10] contractor using a manufactured steel building that comes with a uh engineered

[48:16] design for snow loads, an engineered design for the foundation. If this

[48:21] project was to move forward, there'd be a bidding process for the concrete work.

[48:25] There'd be a bidding process for the installation of the building. Uh myself

[48:29] and DPW would do the majority of the site work. So, that stuff would go

[48:32] through a bidding process, but it was too premature to put that out. We got

[48:36] some ear marks from different contractors to have an idea what certain

[48:40] segments were going to cost, and that's how we came up with the budget.

[48:43] » Okay. Um,

[48:49] now I know you said you've looked into um upgrades to the current building. Is

[48:56] that something and I know usually upgrades I I I don't know how much you

[49:00] can upgrade the current building you have is basically what I'm saying. But

[49:03] is this something where there's some equipment that can be stored, what I

[49:06] call a pole barn, but you know, you put up a building that has no walls that you

[49:10] can store equipment under that's out of the elements and try to save cost. I'm

[49:15] just looking ways to save to save money because unfortunately looking at a lot

[49:20] of the stuff in here, I haven't seen anywhere where the town has tried to cut

[49:25] costs after our increase in taxes last year. Um, and pre previously being on

[49:30] the school board, we had an issue last year where they tried to cut $3 million

[49:35] out of the budget. Luckily, that didn't happen, but the school board was smart

[49:38] enough to know this year that their operating budget is below the default

[49:41] budget. And unfortunately, I just don't see that with the town um seeing the

[49:47] rate of our taxes going up. So, >> can we I'm I'm just I'm just wondering

[49:52] if this is something I know we need it, but is this something we need right now

[49:56] or is this something we can need in a year or two uh so we can level out our

[50:00] tax base and try to bring in more businesses?

[50:04] » Well, I I say we need it. We're going to be able to if it's not passed, we'll

[50:08] still be able to operate, but I still think that leaves us in the current

[50:11] position the building it is. And we, like I said, we have looked at cost cuts

[50:14] because the steel building's a lot less money than paying for an addition and an

[50:18] add-on to it. And like I said, I I just need to stress this is a barebone heated

[50:23] steel building for storage and the and the big focus on on getting the break

[50:27] room and the in the offices. And like I said, I invite anybody to stop by to

[50:30] take a look at it for themselves. >> All right. Thank you,

[50:35] » Steve.

[50:39] Steve Russell U. Katie Lane. Some of you may know my background and that is I

[50:46] spent 12 years running the city of Keen fleet

[50:50] maintained all Bruce's equipment for 12 years. And if you know anything about

[50:55] diesel engines, they don't like cold weather at all and they're very

[51:00] difficult to start and they get a lot of no starts and it just goes on and on. So

[51:06] getting that equipment indoors where it belongs, we've got probably

[51:12] probably a couple of million dollars worth of equipment in the public works

[51:16] department. And I think it's very important that we build a building that

[51:19] adequately houses that equipment. Changing the cutting edges, doing all

[51:24] that maintenance really needs to happen indoors. We were very fortunate and keen

[51:30] where we moved from South Main Street and put all our equipment in the

[51:34] building at the Wetall building. It was wonderful. We had everything there. The

[51:39] plows went on easily. They were able to change the cutting edges indoors. If

[51:44] you've ever tried to change a cutting edge, it's a lot of work. It's a lot of

[51:47] bolts and when they're cold, they don't do very well to get off the the plows.

[51:52] So, I strongly urge the town to support this building. I think it's very

[51:57] important to protect our equipment here in the public works department.

[52:02] » I agree. >> Thank you.

[52:06] » George, Swansea Lake Road. Hey Joe, I was just curious um what would happen

[52:11] with the if this went through, what would happen with the old building? Are

[52:17] are we going to maintain that and utilize that or are we going to

[52:20] dismantle that? >> Yeah. No, that would be part of the

[52:23] still would store vehicles. There would still be a workshop. The new building

[52:27] would be just grim space to put everything in.

[52:30] » And I'm almost worried, you know, it's like

[52:34] initially, you know, I don't think the cost, you know, in today's is but the

[52:38] operation, the ongoing operational cost. Uh how are we going to heat this? Are we

[52:43] insulating it? Um and and how are we going to heat this? Are we using oil or

[52:49] » It'll be oil. Then one of the things we're looking at, not with this, but in

[52:53] the future, it's going to be set up for a solar array. So there's potential that

[52:56] that some of the energy is going to come from solar, but as it stands right now,

[53:00] it'll be heated with oil like we are like we have right now. Uh but this

[53:04] building will allow us to keep the temperature in the current building a

[53:07] lot lower than we do now. Um but it still would be a cost to operate.

[53:12] » Do we have a projection of what it would cost to heat that that size building? I

[53:16] mean, it's it's going to >> I don't off hand. It' be much it'd be

[53:19] much more modern and part of this would be a uh a significant insulation

[53:24] package, not just a standard one for a steel building. That's one of the things

[53:27] we opted with because it'll pay for itself in the future with the with the

[53:32] building. >> Thank you. Yakman,

[53:36] » I just I I just want to say one thing, you know, Danny did come up with some I

[53:41] understand about the tax. I understand we're all hurting with the tax thing and

[53:45] we're going to get five selectmen on this board next year and we're going to

[53:49] put together a team on how we can do this. But my idea is like you said, you

[53:53] mentioned it slightly that we need to bring some business to this town. Okay.

[53:57] But what I don't want to see happen, Danny, is what happened with the fire

[54:00] station. I don't want to see us four or five years from now trying to get a

[54:05] public works department a building and it's going to cost us more and more and

[54:09] more and the building's going to get smaller smaller smaller. We know that

[54:13] this is inevitable that we have to get a building for all our equipment. Now

[54:17] whether we do it now or we cost more in four years or we hold off somebody gets

[54:23] hurt the the trucks don't last longer all I'm saying is I get what you're

[54:28] saying. You you have a great point. We got to try to figure out how we're going

[54:32] to lower the taxes and have a strong town. And I'm thinking next year with

[54:36] five select on this board, if we put together a good solid team, Danny, we're

[54:40] going to figure out how to get everybody's taxes down and have some big

[54:44] businesses come in, low impact on our town. I get it. This is a tough time to

[54:49] try to pull this off. But I'm looking at the future, Danny. I'm looking at trying

[54:54] to get this behind us. This is behind us now. Now we have that strength. We have

[54:59] a good public works. We have a fire station. You know, all of this. So, I

[55:04] did listen to what you have say. You have some fantastic ideas. And it is

[55:07] tough for me to sit here as a selectman and say, "Let's spend a million, too."

[55:12] But I'm not thinking of tomorrow. I'm thinking of years down the line. I just

[55:17] don't want to see us bringing this up every year like we did the fire station

[55:20] and costing us more just like we had. And this could be the same scenario.

[55:25] Let's stop that. Let's just get it done. And that's how I feel. Thank you.

[55:32] » Go ahead. >> I've had occasion to be down that public

[55:34] works department several times throughout the years. Oh, sorry if I did

[55:38] see you back there. And uh anytime I'm down there, those trucks are packed in

[55:42] there like sardines. They're bumper to bumper. I was just down there a couple

[55:46] of weeks ago and they're trying to do a break job down there and you're walking

[55:49] like this between the plow and the other truck there. It's got the brake parts

[55:52] sat on one of the plows there. There's not enough room down that department and

[55:56] they definitely could use this building. It's good investment.

[56:02] » Alan Gross, 209 South Road. And I hear those trucks going by uh in the morning

[56:07] on a snowy day and I said to myself, "Thank heavens you're doing that because

[56:11] if I have to travel in knowing I'm on a safe, well plowed road is going to make

[56:15] a is invaluable to me." So I just want to say if this is going to help you be

[56:19] more efficient, more effective, and more safe, I'm all for it. Thank you.

[56:23] Anything further?

[56:28] Yes sir.

[56:31] » Good evening everybody. My name is uh Rick Donovan. I moved to town in 2021. I

[56:38] am recently retired from a neighboring town here in Southwest New Hampshire. Um

[56:45] we've had our struggles with our DPW, our fire, our police, and I'm here to

[56:51] stand up. These guys do an awesome job and trust me, we've all worked together

[56:58] trying to get through the storms, pulling DBW trucks back, police

[57:04] cruisers, fire trucks, trying to get through when we all need them in an

[57:10] emergency. I support all three of these departments as well as other public

[57:15] safety departments. And I feel that we keep pushing things off as the town I

[57:22] come from did. And right now they are feeling the struggles right now of

[57:27] trying to put these facilities in place and give our guys a place to work. And

[57:35] the town I'm from, I watched the DBW guys putting plows on trying to fix

[57:40] these trucks in inadequate places of storage to do it. So Joe, I support you

[57:47] and your crew, Chief Matson. And I'm sorry, I don't know the last name of the

[57:53] police chief, but I'll be here to support these guys. I come from 25 years

[57:58] of experience as a director of publican life safety. So it's I'm not just up

[58:04] here just trying to fill you with a bunch of stuff. Yes, we're all concerned

[58:08] with taxes, but we keep pushing this off in a fast growing area that we all are

[58:15] in southwest New Hampshire, it's just going to escalate the cost.

[58:20] » Thank you. I think further

[58:29] we should uh I guess we're ready for a vote. No amendments to this that I've

[58:38] seen hasn't been presented. So

[58:43] all those in favor of having this article go forward,

[58:48] please say I. >> I.

[58:50] » Those opposed.

[58:54] Thank you. Moderator, I make a motion to not reconsider the article.

[59:01] Make a use your mic. make a motion to not to

[59:07] restrict non-consideration. >> We have a motion to um restrict

[59:16] further discussion or moderation of of this article which is

[59:21] in line. Um >> I have a second to the motion.

[59:25] » You have a second. >> Okay. Motion's been made and seconded to

[59:31] eliminate any further discussion um on this article.

[59:38] Anybody object to that? All those in favor?

[59:43] » I All right. Opposed.

[59:48] Um thank you. Okay.

[59:53] Let's see. We can go article four slman halter would make a

[1:00:01] motion to move the article 4 second.

[1:00:08] » Thank you Mr. moderator. This article would give the board of

[1:00:14] sele or the town the opportunity to terminate the the revenue district that

[1:00:21] we have on Safford Drive in 1999. Back in the days when Bill Omera was

[1:00:26] around uh there was a committee formed and they brought to then town meeting

[1:00:32] the opportunity for a tax increment finance district. We were one of the

[1:00:36] first towns in the state of New Hampshire to utilize that tool. And the

[1:00:40] way that tool worked was that at the time of the inception of the district

[1:00:46] the property values were listed at that point in the district as it was current

[1:00:52] currently configured. any increase in value for those properties, the tax

[1:00:57] revenues went into the tax revenues for the increased value went into pay off a

[1:01:04] bond which had been taken out at the same time. It was a $3.3 million bond.

[1:01:10] So those revenues uh from the excess valuation did not come into the general

[1:01:14] fund. Those those funds stayed within the district.

[1:01:19] Over the years, you've seen Saffford Drive come to fruition. We have water,

[1:01:24] sewer, and three-phase power in in our industrial park district. The bond, the

[1:01:30] $3.3 million bond is due to be paid off in September of this year. When that

[1:01:36] bond is paid off, there's no reason for the TIFF district to continue to exist.

[1:01:41] So what that means is that that excess revenue that was going to pay off the

[1:01:46] bond will now be made available to the general fund in December. So Dan, it may

[1:01:52] help us just a little bit >> as long as you send it back to the

[1:01:55] taxpayers. >> It's it would it would be a part of the

[1:01:57] general fund which would would be a benefit to the taxpayers

[1:02:02] » without without the opportunity to terminate the district. then the

[1:02:06] district would continue to compile those excess revenues until such time as the

[1:02:12] district was terminated. So the board felt that it was important to terminate

[1:02:16] the district uh the tiff district as soon as possible which would be at the

[1:02:22] completion of all debts or payment of all debts which would be in September of

[1:02:26] this year. >> Thank you. Any discussion?

[1:02:35] Seeing none, all those in favor of article 4 signify by saying I.

[1:02:40] » I. >> Opposed?

[1:02:44] Article four will move as written onto the ballot.

[1:02:48] » Moderator, I make a motion to restrict reconsideration on artic four. Article

[1:02:54] four. >> You can't restrict on articles we

[1:02:59] haven't had yet. Um, the motion has been made to restrict

[1:03:04] again the further amending or discussion on article 4. Do I have a second for

[1:03:11] that? >> Second.

[1:03:13] » Thank you. All those in favor? >> Opposed?

[1:03:19] Good. Okay. Article five.

[1:03:24] » Make a motion to move article five. >> Second. moved and seconded to article

[1:03:31] five. Uh any discussion on this, >> Mr. Moderator?

[1:03:36] » Yes. >> Uh the original bond that was taken uh

[1:03:40] of that 3.3 million 2.4 million were expended leaving a balance of 900,000

[1:03:47] that's available to be spent in the district. the the district committee uh

[1:03:52] informed the board that there were no further improvements contemplated for

[1:03:57] the district uh as the bond is is currently configured to be paid off in

[1:04:02] September. What the board is asking is that the

[1:04:06] town authorized the board to resend the bond authority that we have. So this is

[1:04:13] giving money back to the taxpayers. It does require a three-fifths vote just as

[1:04:18] the original bond required a three-fifths vote.

[1:04:25] » Further discussion. >> I just question. What happens if it's

[1:04:30] not rescended? >> I'm sorry. What was that?

[1:04:33] » What happens if it's not rescended? What happens if that fails? That might be a

[1:04:37] Cordell question because our our understanding is that the the TIF

[1:04:41] district would be terminated if >> if the first one passed. Yeah. If the

[1:04:46] article 4 passed and this one did not pass, what would happen?

[1:04:50] » Well, the bond would be paid off in in September.

[1:04:53] » Yeah. >> Just go ongoing authorization without

[1:04:56] utilizing it. I guess >> I could I could speak to that if that's

[1:04:59] okay. Um if we don't resend the bond authority, it stays on the book as we

[1:05:05] could borrow this money in the future. Um

[1:05:09] » but only to be used for the tiff. Correct. At that at whatever rate.

[1:05:16] » Further discussion.

[1:05:20] Seeing none, all those in favor of article five signify by saying I. I.

[1:05:27] Those opposed. Unanimous for those voting.

[1:05:32] » Mr. moderator. >> Sir,

[1:05:34] » I make a motion to restrict reconsideration on article five.

[1:05:37] » Really? >> Second.

[1:05:42] » Motion made to res restrict further action on article 5

[1:05:49] has been seconded. All those in favor? >> Opposed.

[1:05:55] Okay. Thank you. >> Okay. Article six. Lori,

[1:06:02] » I make a motion to move article six. >> Second.

[1:06:06] » Motion's made and seconded to move article six. Any discussion on it? Lori,

[1:06:13] did you have something? >> All right. Yep. I can speak to that. So,

[1:06:17] um, I just wanted to put a slide up here, uh, before we move to the actual

[1:06:21] article, uh, just so you have an understanding of where, um, your

[1:06:25] property taxes are going. So, the blue portion there up on the screen, um,

[1:06:30] every time you're making your tax payments, uh, that's the portion that is

[1:06:34] going to the town for um, all of the essential uh, town services. So, it's

[1:06:39] important to remember um that portion of the tax rate uh supports everything from

[1:06:44] public safety to public works um administration, parks, facilities,

[1:06:49] community services. Um and that encompasses about 28% of your tax bill.

[1:06:54] Um I think understanding the breakdown helps explain why the operating budget

[1:06:59] matters. uh because even small changes in the service needs um staffing

[1:07:05] infrastructure can affect how we allocate these funds. So our goal is

[1:07:09] always to balance maintaining highquality services with being

[1:07:13] responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars.

[1:07:17] Um and again the blue portion is representing the budget that we're going

[1:07:21] to speak to right now.

[1:07:26] » Further discussion. Oh, I I have a little bit more to go through. So,

[1:07:32] um, so this article covers the town's proposed operating budget for 2026. The

[1:07:38] amount shown here is 8,939,36,

[1:07:44] represents the funding needed to maintain all dayto-day municipal

[1:07:48] services, excluding any warrant articles that we'll be speaking to tonight. If

[1:07:53] the proposed budget is not approved, the town would fall back uh to the default

[1:07:58] budget, which is 8,891 and $785, which is slightly lower, but

[1:08:06] still reflects legally required adjustments based on prior commitments.

[1:08:10] The operating budget supports every essential function of local government,

[1:08:15] um public safety, public works, administration, um all of the services.

[1:08:20] Uh this article ensures that we can continue providing that level of service

[1:08:24] to the residents um that they expect from us while staying within responsible

[1:08:29] financial parameters. Uh the selectmen and department heads have worked

[1:08:34] diligently and collaboratively and recommend this budget recognizing it

[1:08:39] is a balanced approach that meets service needs while minimizing impact on

[1:08:43] the taxpayers. I'm just going to go through here. Um,

[1:08:48] so in comparing the proposed 2026 budget to last year and the default

[1:08:55] budget for 2026, the narrow gap between the proposed and default budgets

[1:09:00] highlights that more increases were driven by fixed or unavoidable costs.

[1:09:06] Um, the fiscal year 2026 budget is 8,939,36

[1:09:12] which is about 47,000 over the default. Um the 2026 proposed budget is or the

[1:09:20] that total amount is $569,36 over 2025 which is a 6.8% increase. Um

[1:09:29] however it is important to note that the default is already at a 6.23 increase.

[1:09:35] So in order to mitigate the impact on taxpayers, the proposed budget

[1:09:39] intentionally includes partial year funding or halfyear appropriations for

[1:09:45] certain vacant positions. This approach reflects the realistic expectation that

[1:09:50] these positions cannot be filled midyear while still preserving the necessary

[1:09:55] salary and benefit required by law or contract.

[1:10:03] So, some of the key factors influencing the um 2026 operating budget.

[1:10:11] Um whoops, hold on a sec. Um the budget reflects several cost

[1:10:17] increases driven by economic conditions, contractual obligations, service

[1:10:23] demands. Uh major drivers include personnel costs. Adjustments to wages

[1:10:28] and staffing levels continue to be a significant component for the overall

[1:10:33] budget. The rising um employee benefit costs. Health care increased by 6.7%.

[1:10:41] Dental is up by four. Um reflecting statewide upward trends. It's that seems

[1:10:47] to be the trend for the whole state. um insurance premiums, property and

[1:10:52] liabilities up 26.32% impacting general operating costs as

[1:10:58] well. Um and the ambulance service contract, the town's ambulance service

[1:11:05] uh contract um increased $89,600 over last year uh due to a dramatic cost

[1:11:13] increase at the county level. Um the cost went from 75,000 in the 2025 budget

[1:11:21] um to 211618

[1:11:25] in 2026. So to offset this um the town is applying 47,000 from the ambulance

[1:11:34] expendable trust fund. Um I believe the voters put money in there last year. So

[1:11:39] the 47,000 will come from the ambulance expendable trust fund reducing the

[1:11:45] direct um budget impact there. Um so that is pretty much what the key drivers

[1:11:52] are

[1:11:56] on. So >> um one more slide. Sorry, Rose. Um, so

[1:12:02] from a uh fiscal management perspective, the 2026 proposed budget reflects a

[1:12:07] disciplined and deliberate approach to balancing service delivery delivery with

[1:12:11] taxpayer impact. Um, some of the key observations are meaningful reductions

[1:12:16] from initial initial requests. Um, the reduction so at the beginning of um the

[1:12:22] budget season, you know, the department heads put their budgets together and

[1:12:27] everything comes in. um it came in at an 11% increase over last year. Um so

[1:12:33] again, collaboratively and diligently, the board and department heads worked

[1:12:36] together to bring that down. Um and brought us to, you know, 47,000 over the

[1:12:44] default. Uh which reflects prudent planning and a clear intent to minimize

[1:12:48] the tax burden while remaining compliant with all of our statutory and

[1:12:52] contractual um requirements. Um and the use of strategic staffing assumptions.

[1:12:58] Um this is where I was mentioning you know half your funding on some of the

[1:13:02] vacant positions. Um it's a reasonable and transparent budgeting strategy

[1:13:07] strategy that acknowledges the current labor market um constraints while

[1:13:12] preserving the long-term staffing capacity.

[1:13:17] Um, and re the remaining increases are largely driven by costs outside of the

[1:13:22] board's direct control, including wages, benefits, and other mandated expenses.

[1:13:28] Um, so overall, the fiscical year 26 budget represents a responsible

[1:13:32] compromise. Um, maintaining essential municipal operations, meeting our legal

[1:13:38] and contractual obligations, and reducing the overall increase to

[1:13:41] taxpayers as much as practical under the current conditions.

[1:13:50] Thank you. Um, any further discussion? Yes,

[1:13:55] » I've got a question, a couple questions, Danlair. Um, just because out of some of

[1:14:01] it might be ignorance of me just not knowing. Um, so our county rate of 11%,

[1:14:06] none of the EMT services from Cheshire Ambulance, our taxes don't go to any of

[1:14:12] that. The town pays for all of the EMT services from Cheshire Ambulance.

[1:14:17] » No, no. We're contracted with Cheshire Ambulance to provide service, but but

[1:14:22] individuals who are using the service, they have charge as well. This gives us

[1:14:27] service with Cheshure EMS, >> right? Yeah. They charge us the

[1:14:30] $211,618. >> Actually, it's it's a little more

[1:14:34] complicated than that. We work on a fiscal year January through December

[1:14:39] budget. the the contract with Cheshire EMS is a July through June.

[1:14:45] » All right. >> So the the full impact is 300 going from

[1:14:48] 70 75,000 to 340,000. >> Okay.

[1:14:52] » On an annual basis, but for 2026 it's 211,000.

[1:14:57] Two, three years ago, uh, Sly Kerazinski made a recommendation that the board

[1:15:02] followed and we put, we knew that this increase was coming based on the

[1:15:06] experience we had when we first engaged EMS

[1:15:10] » because Cheshire EMS kept us at a rate very similar to Delusio for the first

[1:15:14] year and then the second year went from roughly 38,000 to 54ish,000 and then the

[1:15:21] last year was 75. But we knew from the the the process their competitors were

[1:15:27] coming in at 350 or better. So we knew that this year was going to come in at

[1:15:31] at 340 350. >> So what his recommendation was was that

[1:15:36] we create this expendable trust and put money in there which we've done for the

[1:15:40] last few years and use some of that money to offset the cost so it's not a

[1:15:44] direct as impactful as it might otherwise be.

[1:15:47] » And now is this uh we renegotiate this contract every year. or or every fiscal

[1:15:53] year or however whatever year you're on. >> We don't really get to negotiate.

[1:15:56] » They just tell you what it is >> pretty much. Um so there would be a

[1:16:00] competitive process. So there would be other opportunities there would be

[1:16:04] opportunities for other vendors. >> So I I I guess my next question would be

[1:16:08] since we're building a brand new fire station, what is the cost to have EMT

[1:16:12] services where we can actually charge insuranceances and stuff and actually

[1:16:16] get money back? So, we're keeping people in Swansea employed, having our own

[1:16:21] services, but also providing a service that might uh create revenue. Well, the

[1:16:27] quote I was given uh by the county administrator u in a conversation was

[1:16:32] that for every ambulance you can consider it being a million dollars. So,

[1:16:37] I said, "Oh, that's keen." So, Swansea's probably 500 to 600,000, right? we would

[1:16:42] need at least two ambulances and potentially a third uh as backup in case

[1:16:47] one of the ambulances went down. So, we'd be looking at substantially more

[1:16:51] money. So, the big question is how much do you collect, right?

[1:16:54] » And and those numbers when you look at them, you you need only look at other

[1:16:59] communities, Troy, Fitz, William, Winchester, which which are struggling

[1:17:03] to maintain their services because being reimbursed is a is a challenge, whether

[1:17:07] it be from insurance or directly from the the patient themselves.

[1:17:11] » Yeah. And my next question, because I was unfortunately I was part of had to

[1:17:15] call an ambulance for a friend of mine a number of months back and it seems like

[1:17:19] the Swansea Fire Department showed up first. Is that normal that a firefighter

[1:17:24] EMT shows up first? >> Yes, we first respond.

[1:17:27] » Okay. >> So, so we're going to the we're going

[1:17:29] there anyway, right? So, that's still costing us money regard. I'm just trying

[1:17:33] to put this all together and think of ways to

[1:17:37] » cut costs. That's all >> dilemas that we faced in 2020 was the

[1:17:42] prospect of of actually purchasing an ambulance for the town because prior to

[1:17:46] that we didn't have one and and I remember Sly and I discussing it and th

[1:17:51] those were the days when the governor was bringing CS into uh the the

[1:17:55] gymnasium at Keen State College and Keen Keen the city of Keen told Duzio they

[1:18:00] wouldn't back up Delusio and Delusio told Keen they wouldn't back up Keen.

[1:18:05] Everybody was in just a state of of of emergency.

[1:18:08] » We had the opportunity to purchase an ambulance for 54,000 at that point. Uh

[1:18:14] Michael Branley, the then administrator, indicated that he would be uh be

[1:18:18] applying for COVID funds with the expectation that that money would be

[1:18:22] reimbured, which it was in September of that year. So that that ambulance

[1:18:27] essentially came to us at no cost, but it did provide a service should there be

[1:18:31] an opportunity for Duzio to be be somewhere else.

[1:18:35] » Over the years, there's been discussion of whether we should keep that ambulance

[1:18:39] or or sell it and there has been uh opportunities where previous fire chiefs

[1:18:45] have recommended the purchase of an additional ambulance with the which the

[1:18:49] board has denied because we have service with Cheshire EMS. So that is something

[1:18:55] that That concept is is being discussed with the fire fire department leadership

[1:19:00] team whether we stay with that ambulance or not. One ambulance can't service all

[1:19:04] of >> Yeah. Yeah. Understand. I I was just

[1:19:06] hoping I didn't know if this is something that you guys thought of

[1:19:09] putting together some type of um um study team or another committee um to to

[1:19:16] to to study the year over year off. >> Oh, it's not topic. It's right on here.

[1:19:23] It's part of the budget >> back in 2015 2016 when when Chief Scance

[1:19:28] was the the fire chief he was sounding the alarm then and I remember a

[1:19:33] conversation with the chief Mark Howard from Keen saying that Swansea really

[1:19:37] needed to pay attention to the chief. >> So since then the the board has asked

[1:19:42] subsequent chiefs to put that type of a study together. uh we we haven't had a

[1:19:47] fully complete study and I I think in many ways it's because it's not it's not

[1:19:52] doesn't show a cost-effective approach for the town to take that on. It would

[1:19:56] be a substantial budget hit the first year you'd be looking at full-time

[1:20:00] employees as well as the the vehicles themselves and the supplies that go with

[1:20:03] it. So it would be a >> but if I would just hate year over year

[1:20:07] I mean eventually I'd hate to be held hostage by someone where they come in

[1:20:11] and say well now we're going to charge you 600,000 and then next year or

[1:20:14] whatever it may be and it's just like okay over the course of 10 years if

[1:20:18] we're spending you know whatever that adds up to be 3.5 million or $4 million.

[1:20:25] Okay, what what is the cost going to be if if we enacted that ourselves

[1:20:29] year-over-year, which the initial impact kind of like the school bond uh was

[1:20:35] high, but over the course of 10 years, it actually saved the taxpayers money.

[1:20:38] That's all I'm looking for. That's >> some of that's evolving with regard to

[1:20:41] the expansion of Cheshire EMS to to other communities. But it but the

[1:20:45] approach that they take is that we we pay a a a value or a total based on our

[1:20:52] population and the factor. This year I believe it's 46 thou $46 per person that

[1:20:58] we're paying trees EMS just as other communities are. So uh and there is

[1:21:02] competition KE has its own u there there are other companies that we we had three

[1:21:08] companies that competed in in the last round. So there are other opportunities

[1:21:12] for companies to come in to offer services.

[1:21:15] » Okay. All right. Thank you. >> You're welcome.

[1:21:22] Jay Ward 16 H Hotton Point. Um Dan makes some good points and I think that the

[1:21:27] select board will want to u look at the ambulance situation in great detail over

[1:21:32] the next few years and we do need to do that. But I wanted to point out of

[1:21:36] course that we need to prove this part of the budget because there is no

[1:21:40] alternative for this year. So u there may be something we do in the future but

[1:21:45] we can't do anything now. We have to pay for ambulance for the coming year.

[1:21:54] George from Swansea Lake Road. Uh, you know, with that said, you know, my

[1:22:00] concerns is Cheshure is not going to adequately be able to supply service to

[1:22:06] they're providing a lot of services to a lot of towns and they're going to, you

[1:22:12] know, they're going to have um staffing issues as well and our safety

[1:22:17] is based on what they can provide. I would suggest maybe have a have a an

[1:22:25] ambulance service away from the fire department and come up with a committee

[1:22:30] and uh we already have one ambulance. I don't think it'd be advisable to get rid

[1:22:34] of that because I think that was a great deal and maybe look at uh a committee

[1:22:40] and uh let the chief deal with the fire and what he does. I know EMS is part of

[1:22:45] that, but maybe if we can put concerted effort into uh don't have to have a big

[1:22:52] ambulance. There's other ambulances out there that would uh suffice. Uh but that

[1:22:58] is a concern of mine. Are can we talk about other parts of the budget or is

[1:23:02] this just >> Okay, copy that. So, I I just had a u a

[1:23:07] question about um the 200,000 uh for the town hall repair and

[1:23:13] maintenance improvement. >> That isn't a separate that's a separate

[1:23:17] Sorry.

[1:23:23] » Anyone else? >> Just Just in closing, Mr. Moderator, we

[1:23:28] haven't signed a contract. So, this is based on a contract proposal that we

[1:23:33] were given. the the town will go through an RFP process as it moves forward. So,

[1:23:38] we know that at base if we go with Cheshire EMS, this is what we'll be

[1:23:42] paying. If someone comes in with with a better service and lower cost, then they

[1:23:48] they would have the opportunity to uh to present to the town and that would be a

[1:23:52] decision for the board to make at that point.

[1:23:56] Okay,

[1:23:59] » this sounds article six. Still, >> if I could make one comment on the

[1:24:06] ambulance part, uh the town I just retired from, as you know, was uh in the

[1:24:12] media pretty strong about the ambulance service. Um for the town to take it over

[1:24:18] themselves, there's a lot of expenses. One of my biggest recommendations was to

[1:24:24] have a feasibility study just to look at the different options of the town based

[1:24:30] ambulance service as well as a contracted service. Um there's a lot

[1:24:36] that we all need to understand as far as the town budget, as far as the service

[1:24:44] itself, as you bring up, sir. And the thing is is how much Chief Matson would

[1:24:50] need to have personnel on staff, the places to house these people as well as

[1:24:55] the ambulance, the second ambulance and things like that. So I would always

[1:24:59] recommend that we have some type of committee or some oversight on what how

[1:25:05] the service is being provided, but as we all know, we're all elderly. We're

[1:25:10] getting there and we do need the service. However, the bottom line comes

[1:25:15] down to, can we afford to do it in town or do we reach out to another agency

[1:25:22] that can provide that service? And you all know what I'm talking about. The

[1:25:26] town of Rin just went through this struggle and they we're not in any

[1:25:32] position to provide that service ourselves. So, it would it would take

[1:25:36] Chief Matson a lot of work and a good year to even establish to even come

[1:25:42] close to what a proposal would look like for an ambulance service. Again,

[1:25:47] speaking from experience, not just shooting from the heaven. Okay. So,

[1:25:51] » are you volunteering for the feasibility study committ if that's what it would

[1:25:55] take, sir? Yes. Yes. >> Sounds like there are people that would

[1:25:58] like to have that happen. >> And and I always think it's important to

[1:26:03] look at your options. However, I do feel that the at the end of the day,

[1:26:09] depending on what the new station has in it, what Chief Matson's capabilities are

[1:26:13] with his staff and what you have as staff because we're all struggling for

[1:26:18] personnel. There's no I don't have I didn't have a line in range and I'm sure

[1:26:24] I'm not sure he did very well bringing up his staff now but there's not a whole

[1:26:30] lot of people out there volunteering or jumping up to to provide that service.

[1:26:35] So I caution that we move into it slowly but u we looked at Cheshire EMS over

[1:26:43] there as well. Uh we luckily saved the contract that we had with the Jaffrey

[1:26:49] Ring Ambblelet Service which was a a huge bargain. They're not going to come

[1:26:54] over here of course. However, you look around and you see what the prices of

[1:27:00] some of the services, it's it's up there. It's very astronomical. So, thank

[1:27:06] you. >> I'd like to make a comment if I may. Um,

[1:27:11] Bill mentioned that we >> Bill mentioned that Norm Scansy put

[1:27:18] together a proposal for an ambulance service. I worked with him on that

[1:27:22] proposal. We looked solely at personnel costs for a three member ambulance crew

[1:27:30] 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Their wages alone were over 1.2 million. And

[1:27:37] that was over 10 years ago.

[1:27:46] I just want to make sure everybody understands this that we the select

[1:27:50] board we we we really looked at this hard. I mean we sat with every

[1:27:56] department head countless times and they all can see that we looked for every cut

[1:28:02] that we possibly could do. Unfortunately, when you really look at

[1:28:06] this, there is no room. And I might sound kind of funny because I'm pushing

[1:28:10] a million to building and on the other hand I'm saying we're trying to cut but

[1:28:15] again Lori showed you as an example some of these big expenses and unfortunately

[1:28:20] our budget is just going to keep increasing with inflation and everything

[1:28:24] that's going on. I don't think there's no way to stop this. How we got to stop

[1:28:29] it is we got to look at the other end of it. We got to bring more revenue in. We

[1:28:33] got to bring more money so we don't have to so we have a strong budget. That's

[1:28:37] how I'm looking at it. I understand the frustration out here on cutting the

[1:28:41] budget and we're spending money, but I don't see anywhere where we can steal

[1:28:46] any money from or cut any money. We looked at this very deeply. Am I right,

[1:28:51] Bill and Mark? I mean, we spent countless hours and it's just there's

[1:28:56] reasons behind it. Li put it right out there. There's the the health insurance,

[1:29:01] everything got us, right? >> And we have to look at this differently.

[1:29:06] When we get five people on this select board, we have to try to go from the

[1:29:10] other direction. We need to bring more revenue in this to cover this because

[1:29:14] the way this going two years, we could be well over two 10 million on a budget

[1:29:19] with the population that we got growing in this town. We we got to grow this

[1:29:24] town evenly. We got to build on this side to even out the boat or we're going

[1:29:28] to flip over because it feels like the population's growing, but we're not

[1:29:32] growing with it on this side. And I know it sounds crazy about getting a

[1:29:36] building, but we have to level this boat somehow. And the way we got to do it, we

[1:29:41] got to attract businesses to this town. And that's how we're going to try to

[1:29:44] solve this budget. That's how I feel. That's just my personal thing. But I'm

[1:29:48] just letting you know, we tried every avenue to cut. We just didn't sit here

[1:29:53] and say this and that. It's this is happening to every town, not just

[1:29:58] Swansea. So, we have to buckle down. We have to put a good team together this

[1:30:03] year. and we have to go after it to keep our taxes down and I'm going to try to

[1:30:07] do that. Go ahead, >> Mr. Can we call a question?

[1:30:12] » Motion has been made to call the question. Is there a second to that?

[1:30:17] » He's already been up once on this.

[1:30:23] Is there a second to the motion to call a question?

[1:30:31] » Who who seconded that? Just so >> who called the question?

[1:30:41] » Okay. >> And who seconded?

[1:30:43] » What's your name? >> Bob.

[1:30:46] » Bob. >> Last name.

[1:30:49] » Wait. >> Heather just needs it for the minutes.

[1:30:52] That's all. Thank you. >> He said Bob New.

[1:30:56] » Okay.

[1:31:00] So we've got it the to move the question. All those in favor?

[1:31:05] » Opposed? Thank you.

[1:31:09] » All right. So now we got a vote on the >> article make a motion to not yet.

[1:31:21] » So we're back to article six. Um

[1:31:28] the call the questions been called. So uh all those in favor of article six

[1:31:36] signify by saying I. >> I.

[1:31:39] » Those opposed. Thank you.

[1:31:44] » Mr. moderator, I make a motion to restrict reconsideration on article six.

[1:31:53] » Second. Thank you. Article six, it's the same uh article is

[1:32:01] to limit the further discussion or changes

[1:32:06] to that article.

[1:32:14] » All those in favor >> opposed.

[1:32:20] Okay, you can vote before the Where are we? Article seven.

[1:32:26] » Make a motion to move article seven. >> Lori, you're doing seven.

[1:32:31] » Sure. Yep. >> Second.

[1:32:37] » All right. So, the um article seven is the capital reserve and expendable trust

[1:32:43] funds article. Uh the town's capital improvement committee met extensively

[1:32:47] throughout uh the fall and winter and unanimously recommended the proposed uh

[1:32:52] funding levels ex for the expendable trust and capital reserve accounts to be

[1:32:56] placed on the 2026 ballot. These accounts allow the town to plan ahead

[1:33:00] and set aside funds for known and anticipated capital needs, reducing the

[1:33:06] risk of large unexpected expenses and helping to stabilize the tax rate over

[1:33:10] time. Historically, Swansea voters have supported this proactive approach to

[1:33:15] long-term financial planning. Um, key items including funding for uh property

[1:33:21] revaluations, which are required by the state every 5 years to ensure fair and

[1:33:25] equitable assessments. The next reval is projected to cost um about 120,000 or

[1:33:32] more in 2029. This appropriation continues to build

[1:33:37] towards that obligation. Uh funding also is requested for town hall repairs and

[1:33:42] maintenance with a $200,000 allocation there representing phase one of a

[1:33:49] planned improvements to town hall. These improvements include um upgrades to the

[1:33:55] town hall building and the former fire station below town hall once the fire

[1:33:59] trucks are moved to their new facility. Um, and with the goal of expanding the

[1:34:06] office space and constructing an interior staircase uh to allow safe

[1:34:10] access um to the lower level without having to go outside of the building.

[1:34:19] » Thank you. Any further discussion? >> Mr. Moderator, I'd like to make a motion

[1:34:24] for an amendment to this article. >> Yes.

[1:34:39] This is simply a housekeeping issue. We realized after the warrant was posted

[1:34:43] that the Mount Caesar Union Library is an expendable trust fund and not a

[1:34:48] capital reserve fund. So my motion to make the amendment is to move Mount

[1:34:52] Caesar to the correct >> column.

[1:34:57] Sure.

[1:35:03] » The uh >> we we realize that Mount Caesar got put

[1:35:06] into the wrong column. It's an expendable trust fund. So I made a

[1:35:10] motion for it to move to the correct column.

[1:35:15] » We're just moving Mount Caesar Library

[1:35:19] to the expendable trust side instead of the capital reserve side.

[1:35:23] » Correct. Any further discussion on this?

[1:35:31] » Uh Danlair. Um I'm just warning this $200,000 for the town hall. Uh we've

[1:35:37] done extensive work to the town hall. >> Dan, this is on the amendment.

[1:35:42] » Oh, is it? Oh, sorry.

[1:35:48] Okay. Further discussion.

[1:35:54] Is it on your hands? >> Seeing none,

[1:36:00] all all those in favor of the amendment to

[1:36:05] just move Mount Caesar Union Library to expendable trust from Capital Reserve. U

[1:36:12] I >> any opposed?

[1:36:17] No. Okay, back to the original article.

[1:36:29] You haven't run out of words yet.

[1:36:34] » Let's see. Where am I?

[1:36:41] » Sue is just going to make the change real quick to the um to the to the

[1:36:46] warrant that will go on the ballot. >> Yeah.

[1:36:56] Are >> we any

[1:37:00] talk again? >> Sorry, I tend to talk a lot. Um,

[1:37:06] so the repairs to the town hall. Uh, I know there's been extensive repairs. We

[1:37:11] just redid the roof, the walkways, we put that wall inside. Um, I don't know

[1:37:17] what else. Once again, I'm asking, is this $200,000 necessary? I mean, is this

[1:37:23] something that we need right away considering the fire department hasn't

[1:37:28] moved yet? I mean, is this something that

[1:37:43] would >> I can speak to the the project itself,

[1:37:47] but As far as the plan for town hall in the future, I think that should come

[1:37:51] from either the flood board or the town administrator. I can speak to what this

[1:37:55] money was proposed to get access downstairs and start phase one of making

[1:38:01] offices down there, but as far as I don't have the full vision of what the

[1:38:04] plan is down there for the future. I I I honestly think that came up and

[1:38:11] came about because I did sit in there and and I think it came on the CP just

[1:38:15] so we can we don't even I don't think we're even planning to attack this right

[1:38:20] away, but we didn't want to get hit with a big cost at the end when we do it. So

[1:38:25] I think it was we wanted to start somewhere and put some money in there

[1:38:28] for the future of our town hall. I mean we are running out of space upstairs

[1:38:33] where Am I right on that? I I think um when I came over there was a plan

[1:38:38] floating around um I believe it was from 2017

[1:38:43] and 20 2015 there was a plan floating around um for a redesign of the um just

[1:38:50] the upstairs of town hall. Um so nothing has been decided there as far as a

[1:38:55] layout goes. What we looked into um over the summer was, you know, planning ahead

[1:39:01] and once the fire department is out of the building, um how can we utilize that

[1:39:06] space down below? There are some issues that we need to take care of um with,

[1:39:11] you know, some there can be water that can come into the building. So, we

[1:39:15] would, you know, need some money to ex, you know, get in there and find out what

[1:39:20] the issue is there. Uh but the the 200,000 came from a quote um just a

[1:39:25] proposal that we had to um put in a staircase on the inside of the building.

[1:39:31] The plan from 2015, I believe, called for the staircase on the outside of the

[1:39:36] building, but that would cost us substantially a lot more money. Um, so

[1:39:41] we we, you know, wanted to put in and the CIP committee again wanted to, you

[1:39:46] know, put that money there so that we can have it for we know we're going to

[1:39:50] need to make improvements to the building. Um, and this has been planned

[1:39:54] for since 2015 anyway. So, it's it's more of a a a placeholder, but the quote

[1:40:00] came from that amount of putting the staircase in and getting it um cleaned

[1:40:05] up downstairs and ready for some offices. I was hoping for some temporary

[1:40:11] offices for the recck department um who doesn't have an office right now. Um

[1:40:16] that was my goal, but um I don't know if there would be enough money to even do

[1:40:20] that. >> All right. And and sorry if this comes

[1:40:22] off as rude. I'm not trying to be sometimes just the way I say things. Um

[1:40:27] so basically you're just throwing a $200,000 placeholder just in case.

[1:40:31] » No, it was for a quote to put stairs in. Well, yeah, but it was said that this

[1:40:35] might not even happen this year. >> If we don't get the funding, it's not

[1:40:40] going to happen. >> Okay.

[1:40:43] » I think what I was trying to relay to you is we're a long way away from that.

[1:40:47] I I feel that, you know, there's a lot of planning to go involved in that, a

[1:40:50] lot of research to go involved in that, and we just didn't want the year to pass

[1:40:54] up or we had no funding in case we wanted to do something. You you are

[1:40:58] right in what you're saying. To me, that's how I felt. I'm not I'm not

[1:41:01] speaking for everybody, but yeah, I just thought this might take some time.

[1:41:05] There's a lot going into where we're going to go with time.

[1:41:08] » Okay. And that 200,000 is just from >> it would it was a quote

[1:41:11] » a quote from a contractor to use that number as a base.

[1:41:15] » I believe it was for the staircase, but there was something with the roof out

[1:41:18] back as well. >> I can speak to that as far as my

[1:41:22] involvement. So there was >> there was a full plan that's been worked

[1:41:27] on for years through CIP and through Mike Branley and and the ultimate goal

[1:41:31] is once the fire station is gone to have office space down there and there was an

[1:41:36] architectural plan that was actually had an estimate with an elevator that was

[1:41:40] substantially more than the $200,000. So we had contractors look at it just for a

[1:41:44] placeholder. This would be a stairwell that would be outside

[1:41:50] the building conc basically a concrete chamber. There would not be an elevator

[1:41:54] at this point in time. Alola is approximately $100,000 for Alola in

[1:41:59] discussed it with town staff and they really don't know if there's a need for

[1:42:02] it. This stair would be designed and in the future it could be added if it was

[1:42:06] needed. But it's my understanding that this would be the first phase of

[1:42:10] creating office space downstairs, potential co conference room. But the

[1:42:14] $200,000 would cover putting in uh those stairs and have they being closed

[1:42:20] outside and making it match up with the existing roof line out back.

[1:42:24] » Okay. All right. Thank you. >> Yeah, it would provide um access to

[1:42:28] there's a lot of our property files are kind of located everywhere throughout

[1:42:33] the building instead of one area. So, we got assessing files in the building

[1:42:38] office and the in the tax collector's office. are kind of located everywhere

[1:42:42] and we would like to just at least if we got the staircase in, we'd be able to

[1:42:46] access those files, you know, on our day-to-day jobs um without having to go

[1:42:50] outside and it would create space um upstairs as well for um a new floor plan

[1:42:57] um for the office. >> Thank you.

[1:43:02] Further discussion?

[1:43:09] Seeing none, all those in favor of article 7 as amended.

[1:43:15] » Oh, what >> may I jump in?

[1:43:20] » Someone over here said yes. So, I guess you can.

[1:43:24] » Thank you. Uh, Jennifer Carol, Summer Street. Um, I would like to suggest that

[1:43:30] we consider um amending the Graange Hall amount um increasing it at 2500 which

[1:43:37] would make it $10,000. Um I say that because uh it is a

[1:43:43] historic structure that is has deferred maintenance in need. Um but also um the

[1:43:49] Graangeaw was recently um recognized by the New Hampshire

[1:43:53] Preservation Alliance as one of the seven most important historic structures

[1:43:58] in our state to save. Um and I think while we have that recognition and while

[1:44:03] the preservation society and the town may be looking at grants to get that

[1:44:07] work done, bumping it to $10,000 will make those grant applications

[1:44:12] um a little more advantageous. we we have an advantage over other towns that

[1:44:17] are trying to do historic preservation work as well. Um, and most of the time

[1:44:21] those grants are going to require a match from the community. So,

[1:44:26] » can I can I ask you a question, please? >> Yes.

[1:44:29] » Are you recommending an amendment to this?

[1:44:32] » Yes. Yes. I'd like to see that. >> Four signatures in writing and to me.

[1:44:37] » Okay. All right. Thank you. >> Thank you.

[1:44:42] Anything

[1:44:50] else on this amendment for this article?

[1:45:01] » Are we voting on the

[1:45:09] » We already voted on that.

[1:45:14] Oh,

[1:45:27] » Mr. Moderator. Mr. Moderator.

[1:45:30] » Sir, >> Mr. Moderator, just with regard to the

[1:45:34] proposed amendment, uh people should know that we currently have 21,000,

[1:45:39] » I'm sorry, 41,000 in the Graange Capital Reserve. So, this 2500 would increase

[1:45:46] the 41,000.

[1:45:50] » Yeah, I haven't seen the any amendment yet. So,

[1:45:53] » okay. >> I just had a question. I saw the chief

[1:45:57] had to leave, but uh in regards to the new cruiser, uh can anyone speak to

[1:46:02] that? Uh you know, it seems like we're having personnel issues. It seems like

[1:46:07] we I I just don't know uh what the need is for a cruise right now. If anyone

[1:46:12] could just help me understand that

[1:46:18] » the the money allocated in here is going towards the purchase for future

[1:46:23] cruisers. It's it's basically a savings, you know,

[1:46:27] so when they need the cruiser, they can um have the money available. I can Is

[1:46:33] Chief Gone? He left. Okay, shoot. Yeah. Um I know he does have a a schedule, a

[1:46:38] rotation schedule for all the cruisers um going through that. Um

[1:46:46] Mark, do you want to add anything to that? I know

[1:46:48] » because it's a a yearly thing that they raise the money to appropriate the fund

[1:46:53] and it's usually it's probably a pretty close accurate price for the cruiser to

[1:46:57] outfit it and everything with the lettering and cages and stuff depending

[1:47:01] on the new model of cruisers depending on whether the current cage will be able

[1:47:04] to fit into it or not. So if that's not the case then they have to to do and

[1:47:08] they're switching all from Fords to Chevys now. So they have to buy new

[1:47:12] because there's usually not ones to replace it. I guess

[1:47:17] » correct. >> It It is.

[1:47:19] » Yep. It is. There's 20 There's about 28,000 in that account right now. Um and

[1:47:25] I >> Excuse me. What's

[1:47:29] Oh, you want to change? I just want to be clear what you're

[1:47:34] amending.

[1:47:44] So, I have an amendment to article 7

[1:47:51] that um the Golden Rod Grainh Hall funding

[1:47:58] or expendable trust uh capital reserve fund actually

[1:48:05] to go from 7,500 $100 to $19,000.

[1:48:17] » What's that?

[1:48:22] » 9 to zero. >> Oh, it's 19.

[1:48:28] » I can't read some writing sometimes. So, 7 to 195.

[1:48:38] No, no, no. That isn't what this says. Let's go from 7500

[1:48:50] » I have a >> a 1 n0000

[1:48:55] figure that's on this

[1:49:08] So, ma'am, do you just want to come up and read it? So, on your paper it Well,

[1:49:11] no, it does look like a nine on your paper. So,

[1:49:16] » that's why I asked

[1:49:20] » you don't want $190,000.

[1:49:24] » Oh, that's a

[1:49:28] [laughter] >> So, that's supposed to be 10,000.

[1:49:34] » So, All right. The clarification

[1:49:38] is that they're looking to amend the Golden Rod Grange capital reserve fund

[1:49:46] from 7500 to $10,000. Is that right?

[1:49:55] » Any discussion on this?

[1:50:00] Seeing none, all those in favor of this amendment

[1:50:04] signify by saying I. >> I.

[1:50:08] » Those opposed.

[1:50:12] » The show.

[1:50:15] » No, I don't think we need a show of hands.

[1:50:19] Um, that's only when the when the moderator has a question whether it

[1:50:25] passed or not. And it did not pass.

[1:50:31] Show hands.

[1:50:36] » Oh, come on.

[1:50:51] Okay, get out your cards.

[1:51:02] » We'll do this again.

[1:51:06] So, all those in favor of changing the capital reserve fund

[1:51:14] number from $7500 to $10,000. Raise your cards.

[1:51:23] » Who doesn't have a card?

[1:51:31] » If you don't have a card, you didn't register to vote.

[1:51:36] Did you check? >> Well, I know, but you have to check in

[1:51:39] in order to get a card.

[1:51:44] » No, no, no.

[1:51:48] » Your card is your card. Don't shift them around because that would negate the

[1:51:54] whole purpose.

[1:52:03] » Thank you. I'm glad I won't have to do it again

[1:52:10] » from people from anyway Francis.

[1:52:15] » These are people that are in favor.

[1:52:46] If you got your hand up, please leave it up. Don't

[1:52:50] up and down.

[1:53:16] What's that?

[1:53:21] » All right. Those those who are opposed to this amendment, raise your cards.

[1:53:48] Did

[1:54:05] » you get you get?

[1:54:13] » Okay. So the card count um was 31 in favor, 37 against. So I'd

[1:54:21] say the article fails or the amendment fails.

[1:54:29] » So we're back to the main article 7.

[1:54:36] Have we talked that one enough? So all those in favor of article 7 as written

[1:54:44] please signify by saying I >> amended.

[1:54:48] » Those opposed >> as amended.

[1:54:53] » It's not amended. >> No the part was

[1:54:58] over the other side. That was an amendment.

[1:55:02] » Yes. I thought we voted on >> we did but now we're voting on the new.

[1:55:07] Let's just vote and not decide. Okay. So, I stand corrected.

[1:55:17] So, I guess as amended to move whatever it was the [laughter]

[1:55:26] mount is the union of library from one side of the chart to the other.

[1:55:32] Uh let's see. go from the capital reserve funds to the expendable trust

[1:55:37] funds. That is included and passed as an amendment and it's included in article

[1:55:44] 7. So any further questions on that? I didn't think so. All those in favor

[1:55:52] signify by saying I. >> I.

[1:55:55] » Opposed? Thank you.

[1:56:00] Make a motion. >> Yeah. to restrict reconsideration on

[1:56:04] article 7.

[1:56:08] » Motion has been made to restrict. >> Second

[1:56:13] and seconded. Uh

[1:56:18] any discussion on restricting it? I don't think so. All those in favor of

[1:56:22] restriction say I. >> Oppose. No.

[1:56:29] » Okay.

[1:56:33] Article >> 8

[1:56:46] make a motion to move article 8. >> Second.

[1:56:52] » All right. So this is our other um capital reserve and expendable trust

[1:56:57] funds for the public works department. So [clears throat] again, the the town's

[1:57:01] capital improvement committee um evaluated the public works capital needs

[1:57:05] as part of the long range planning process and recommended the following

[1:57:09] levels uh for the expendable trust and capital reserve accounts. The largest

[1:57:14] portion of this request is for the road rehabilitation and reconstruction which

[1:57:19] which supports ongoing maintenance and improvements of the town's road network.

[1:57:24] Regular investment in roadways helps extend pavement life, improves safety,

[1:57:29] and reduces the need for more costly reconstruction in the future.

[1:57:33] Funding is also proposed for the highway and cemetery equipment, allowing the

[1:57:39] town to plan for the replacement of public works equipment that is critical

[1:57:43] for the road maintenance, winter operations, and cemetery services.

[1:57:48] Additional requests support public works facilities, sidewalk improvements, town

[1:57:53] bridges, covered bridges, and town dams, all of which require periodic

[1:57:58] maintenance and long-term planning to ensure public safety and preserve

[1:58:02] important infrastructure assets. Funding for rail trails and the cemetery

[1:58:07] expansion fund uh supports continued access, recreation, and future burial

[1:58:12] capacity. By setting aside funds incremental incrementally through these

[1:58:17] trust and reserve accounts, the town can proactively manage public works

[1:58:21] infrastructure needs and reduce the risk of emergency repairs and help stabilize

[1:58:27] the tax rate by avoiding large unexpected capital expenditures.

[1:58:34] Any further discussion on article 8?

[1:58:42] Seeing none, we'll call a question. Uh, all those in favor of article 8 signify

[1:58:49] by saying I. >> I.

[1:58:51] » Those opposed.

[1:58:56] » Moving on to article nine. >> Mr. Mo, I make a motion to restrict

[1:59:01] reconsideration. >> Oh jeez. Okay.

[1:59:06] All those in favor of >> second.

[1:59:09] » Thank you. In favor of restricted restricting

[1:59:14] further amendments or discussion on article 8

[1:59:21] opposed I think so. Okay. Bill article nine.

[1:59:28] » Take a motion to move article nine. >> Second.

[1:59:34] Article 9 has been moved and seconded. Discussion. Bill.

[1:59:43] » This this has come about as as we've come to recognize that we have

[1:59:48] significant infrastructure challenges throughout the town. Uh not the least of

[1:59:52] which are water and sewer in the West Swansea village. uh our intent is to

[1:59:57] have the opportunity to create this fund should any any needs come about that are

[2:00:03] not available uh that we don't have recourse for in the general budget.

[2:00:10] Further discussion

[2:00:15] seeing none those in favor of article 9 respond by saying I

[2:00:21] » opposed. Okay. Article 9 passes.

[2:00:26] » Mr. Moderator, I make a motion to restrict reconsideration on article 9.

[2:00:31] » Motion's been made and seconded. >> Second.

[2:00:34] » Thank you. To restrict further amendments to article 9. All those in

[2:00:40] favor? I >> those opposed.

[2:00:44] Thank you. Okay, moving on. Where are we? Article

[2:00:52] 10.

[2:00:55] Um >> make a motion

[2:00:57] » to move the article 10. >> Second. Articles been moved and

[2:01:03] seconded. Uh discussion. >> So article 10 has to do with uh moving

[2:01:09] SB2 from SB2 to the traditional town meeting. Uh after the last election, we

[2:01:15] were concerned because we didn't think that town people had enough information

[2:01:18] based on being the the fault of the town as far

[2:01:22] as like the water because we we felt that if we could have discussed it in a

[2:01:26] setting like this, it would have more likely than passed. I mean, the article

[2:01:31] was for $6 something million, but I don't think people realize that 40% of

[2:01:35] that would have been forgiven. So, it would have been like a $4 something

[2:01:39] million that we passed up on that we can't go back for for another two years.

[2:01:43] So, the feeling was how do we get the town's people more informed? So we came

[2:01:48] up with a governance committee and after discussion uh it was the best proposal

[2:01:53] that we could come up with as a town meeting so that people are more informed

[2:01:57] of what's going on along with having meetings throughout the year just to

[2:02:01] discuss what's going on without throughout the town. So I I certainly

[2:02:05] urge that we uh pass this. It's going to take a three-fifth vote to do so.

[2:02:10] » Further discussion on article 10. >> Seeing none of this

[2:02:16] » Oh. Sorry, I didn't see you.

[2:02:18] » That's all right. Scott Self and I was on that committee, that governance

[2:02:23] committee discussing all of this and uh it was a lot of discussion about it and

[2:02:30] it pretty much boils down to what we're doing right now. We're we're listening

[2:02:35] to the articles. We're debating them and we're amending them sometimes and then

[2:02:39] we're voting on them and we know exactly what we're voting on just what we

[2:02:42] amended or didn't amend. And there'll probably be more people than this at the

[2:02:47] town meeting to do it. Some of you may have never been to a town meeting, but

[2:02:50] that was the the whole idea behind it was really it' be done once and for all

[2:02:55] by people who actually knew exactly what it was rather than hearsay.

[2:03:05] » I'll just make one point. Um, and we did discuss every type.

[2:03:08] » Who are you? >> I'm sorry. My name is Annne Hfernon.

[2:03:12] And please, please get closer to the mic. We can't hear.

[2:03:17] » Okay. >> Thank Thank you.

[2:03:20] » We discussed every form of governance that we could possibly apply to the town

[2:03:26] and the town meeting seems to be the most pure form of governance that we

[2:03:30] could come up with or that was available to us. And just to give you an example,

[2:03:37] last year 80 pe 70 people came to this meeting and probably 15 of them were

[2:03:43] town employees or committee chairs. So 60 people, 55 people made all the

[2:03:51] decisions on all the warrants for everything that the town is voting for.

[2:03:56] And we need to have more people involved and engaged. and by having a town

[2:04:01] meeting and we would have it on a Saturday so that more people could come,

[2:04:05] people with child care needs could participate.

[2:04:10] And hopefully by doing that, we would have more than the less than 2% of our

[2:04:16] town people voting on what affects all of us.

[2:04:26] » Mr. Chairman, >> sir, Bruce, I'm sure you can hear me.

[2:04:35] » Now, Bruce, excuse me,

[2:04:43] » come up to the mic, please. You're not recording for the

[2:04:48] » the tape and stuff.

[2:04:55] » Over. You hear me now? >> Yep.

[2:04:57] » All right. What do we got? How many? >> 89.

[2:05:01] » So you want 89 people basically to do your decision. What was our vote count

[2:05:07] last year in our election for the ballot?

[2:05:12] » There's a lot more people voting that way for RS2B, I think it's called

[2:05:18] » SP2. >> SP2

[2:05:20] » than there is right here now. And you want I've been through town meetings

[2:05:25] before and we've been here like midnight discussing this stuff. So you guys are a

[2:05:33] lot of you are pretty aged here. I don't believe you're going to be wanting to

[2:05:37] stay up until midnight. Even though you think you want to do it on a Saturday, I

[2:05:41] don't think that's going to happen. Thank you.

[2:05:49] » Wait.

[2:05:53] Uh, I'm Ashley Crosby. I live over on Fox Run Road. I would like to just speak

[2:05:57] as a resident for this. As a parent who has small children, I could probably

[2:06:01] easily say I think I'm the youngest person in the room tonight. And I'm here

[2:06:05] because I have to be here as a department head. If I didn't be, I

[2:06:08] wouldn't be. I'd be at home tucking children into bed and things like that.

[2:06:12] My concern with moving away from SB2 is how are we accommodating those families?

[2:06:16] Who's providing child care? Is that now going to be something you're going to

[2:06:19] look for the recreation? How do me and my staff then get to be able to

[2:06:22] participate and vote in that as well? Because there are a lot of families who

[2:06:26] really are active in town but have very very small time frames. They're able to

[2:06:31] get in and out of things. So a longer period of time could really condense the

[2:06:35] availability of a lot of these other people that are going to be here and are

[2:06:38] going to be building us for the next 30 years.

[2:06:47] So, we would we hopefully would be able to have a form of child care. It's one

[2:06:52] of the things that is in our notes that we would do that, but Saturday seemed

[2:06:57] far better just because you wouldn't have to be here late at night. And if it

[2:07:02] were on a Saturday, we wouldn't be here late at night presumably. But to address

[2:07:05] one other question that came up, in March of 2025, there were a total of,

[2:07:10] and you can correct me back there if I'm wrong, 2,978

[2:07:15] ballots. And of that, of the questions, the warrants, only 1,53

[2:07:22] were all voted on, which means that people didn't understand a lot of what

[2:07:26] the warrant amendments were. So in this kind of format we can discuss it until

[2:07:33] everyone is comfortable with the right or the wrong.

[2:07:45] » State your name please. >> Hi [clears throat] Kristen Reynolds. Um,

[2:07:52] last year we had an opportunity to get our own

[2:07:58] water department to make it public instead of private.

[2:08:04] Everybody in the room here who heard that argument

[2:08:10] voted for that water. We we all saw the need and we've just been told over and

[2:08:15] over again by Jimmy here how much we need to get businesses in here to help

[2:08:20] us pay for what's happening. And water is paramount. We must have it.

[2:08:28] But when we went in March to vote, most of the people voted against it. And why?

[2:08:34] Because they didn't understand it. >> They didn't read it well. They saw the

[2:08:40] amount of money that it was and they didn't understand about the loan and how

[2:08:44] that worked. They didn't know what we knew here. It really bummed me out.

[2:08:50] The people here, we learn what needs to we need to know

[2:08:56] and then we vote on it. That makes sense to me.

[2:09:01] » Thank you, Dan. Um I I'll just be real quick because I

[2:09:06] was on the Swansea governance committee also. Um and the biggest point of uh

[2:09:11] going back to town meeting is just to make sure that people are informed. Uh

[2:09:16] like everybody else that just came up here said, the majority of voters are

[2:09:19] not informed. Uh the people that are here tonight, you guys are you're you're

[2:09:23] active. You're engaged in our town. Unfortunately, there are restrictions

[2:09:26] where pe there's young families and some people can't get out and do this. That's

[2:09:31] why we want to do it on a Saturday. Uh, but we want to see our town moving in

[2:09:34] the right direction. I mean, I know I was up here, you know, kind of

[2:09:37] criticizing the town tonight just I want to hold them accountable to where our

[2:09:41] taxpayers money is going. And I think uh the town meeting format uh not only

[2:09:47] holds them more accountable, but also helps keep our taxes a lot lower. Um,

[2:09:53] so, uh, for the gentleman that argued that there's only 89 people that would

[2:09:57] be making the decisions on our town, I would rather have 89 informed people

[2:10:01] that know exactly what's going on in our town to make that decision than,400

[2:10:05] people that don't have an idea and only vote on things that they think they

[2:10:08] understand. Thank you.

[2:10:13] Uh, I want to take my my moderator hat off for a minute and address my feelings

[2:10:21] on this or question that I have. Has there been any

[2:10:28] uh I haven't seen any estimate as to what extra this is going to cost. We've

[2:10:36] had a lot of talk about our our budget. Um,

[2:10:41] and I don't believe there's been any any proposal as to how much this is going to

[2:10:48] cost.

[2:10:53] » Ann, you want to answer?

[2:10:57] » We don't we don't have that estimate because we don't know if we can move

[2:11:01] forward with it, but it would be basically what's happened in the past.

[2:11:05] And hopefully we can do this at the high school. Hopefully, we can do this at the

[2:11:08] high school. So, it shouldn't be an enormous expense to the town. And for

[2:11:15] things like child care, we would hope to engage some of some of the youth like

[2:11:20] interact or we don't know. I mean, there's a lot of unknowns that are

[2:11:24] involved in it, but it's a step in the right direction to engage more people

[2:11:28] and have more people involved in the town that they live in.

[2:11:39] I just want to say that Danny made the most important point of it all. You I

[2:11:44] first think we're going to get a lot more people than this and also I would

[2:11:48] rather have the result come out in the favor of Swansea and that's how the

[2:11:53] result will come out because everybody is informed. So the results of the vote

[2:11:59] will will benefit the town of Swansea. That's how I feel and I think Danny

[2:12:04] Danny made a fantastic point here. You versus 2000 I've watched people go to

[2:12:09] those voting booths and it was very confusing to the majority of the people

[2:12:14] and they were just people were just putting down what they want. I I I agree

[2:12:19] 100% with what Danny said and I think it's we really need to do this.

[2:12:28] » Kyle Croto Eaten Road. Um, I think being judged that you're not in this room,

[2:12:34] that you don't understand what's going on is unfair. Um, personally, I can't be

[2:12:39] at all these meetings, but I do take advantage of YouTube and I watch them

[2:12:43] all. I think the town does a great job providing that information. If people

[2:12:48] want to be informed, they're going to be. If they don't, they're not going to

[2:12:50] be. But I think to make one group of people in a room one day make all the

[2:12:56] decisions isn't the proper way to do it.

[2:13:06] » Dave Jones Causeway Road. If you want participation, you want information, why

[2:13:13] don't you hold these meetings on Saturday?

[2:13:23] Could I just have some clarification? Are are the town meetings going to be a

[2:13:28] vote at that time or are they just open for discussion?

[2:13:34] So the people at home would not have the benefit of a vote. I mean these meetings

[2:13:38] are great because of the questions. If we could have questions like this, open

[2:13:43] debate and discussion and be polite about it and then people come and vote

[2:13:48] that that would move us. But we we do need to have these discussions. Good.

[2:13:52] There is no bad question. So um that's unfortunate because of the media. I

[2:13:59] thought maybe you know people could hear the questions at home and get

[2:14:02] clarification. >> Thank you.

[2:14:10] There are other things that we would like to do moving forward. One of them

[2:14:16] which was mentioned earlier was to have possibly quarterly meetings throughout

[2:14:20] the different villages within the town to cover specific topics like the water

[2:14:26] issue. Um which would also help engage more people to have more information

[2:14:34] getting out to the town more process in a better way. like

[2:14:39] Scott got lots of hits on the videos he did for us. Um, so having more

[2:14:44] information that's readily available so that people some people just aren't

[2:14:47] engaged because they don't have the time or the wherewithal or even know how to

[2:14:51] do it. So if we can at least supply that kind of information to people and just

[2:14:55] disseminate more information, people would be more engaged, which is

[2:15:00] really the bottom line.

[2:15:08] And a clear example of probably the not so well informed would be tonight's

[2:15:14] meeting here with the beginning of it with the zoning proposals. I don't know

[2:15:17] how many out here actually understand those zoning proposals.

[2:15:22] Sometimes we don't understand them here. I'm on planning board, but we have a lot

[2:15:25] of discussion and a lot of back and forth on it to understand those

[2:15:28] proposals before we vote on them. and everyone here and everyone who votes in

[2:15:34] March, they're just going to look underneath there and say, "Oh, planning

[2:15:38] board recommends it. Guess that's okay for me." Without even knowing what

[2:15:41] you're voting on. And that's the same thing with town meeting. We got to know

[2:15:44] what we're voting on.

[2:15:53] Seeing no other people lined up to speak,

[2:15:58] um we'll call the question.

[2:16:03] All those in favor of article 10

[2:16:09] as written, signify by saying I. >> I.

[2:16:13] » Opposed. I >> I

[2:16:21] » I'd say that the eyes had it.

[2:16:28] » Okay. >> I make a motion to restrict

[2:16:30] reconsideration on article 10.

[2:16:35] » Second motion to restrict reconstruction.

[2:16:42] Reconstruction. Whatever. um amending of the article

[2:16:49] nine which I >> 10

[2:16:51] » 10 I'm sorry it's been a long night um

[2:17:03] » it'll it'll go on the ballot as written >> so

[2:17:11] » I think that >> the wording pass.

[2:17:15] No money was represented. So, uh, we'll move on. Article 11.

[2:17:23] Bill. >> Make a motion to move article 11.

[2:17:26] » Second. >> Thank you, Bruce.

[2:17:31] One of the first items

[2:17:36] that new town administrator Lori Radiota Radiola brought to our attention was

[2:17:41] that we we as a town had not considered the elderly tax exemption since 2009.

[2:17:48] And I think we can all recognize that that home values and inflation have

[2:17:53] significantly increased the cost of living since 2009. So what we're Could

[2:17:59] you bring up the next slide, please? >> Oh,

[2:18:03] » the the one with the Okay. On this slide, you can see [clears throat] the

[2:18:08] the changes that we're recommending uh for people 65 and older, 75, 65, 74, 75,

[2:18:17] 79, and 80 and over increases from the the current uh income exempt, I'm sorry,

[2:18:24] property value valuation to what we're proposing in assessed value moving

[2:18:29] forward. Uh we've also increased or recommending an increase in income

[2:18:34] limits u and then their total asset the total asset limits that that they have.

[2:18:40] We we all recognize that there are many of us who are less fortunate and have

[2:18:45] challenges paying the property taxes. It is our form of I mean it is our form of

[2:18:49] taxation and revenue generation. Um, depending upon what your view is, uh,

[2:18:55] back in the day when I chaired the vice chaired and chaired the Republican

[2:18:59] committee in in Cheshire County and along with my cohorts on the the

[2:19:04] Democrat Democratic party, we we all almost in mass supported a more

[2:19:09] diversified tax structure, but that was in Cheshire County. Once we

[2:19:15] get to the middle part of the state and the eastern part of the state, it

[2:19:17] doesn't matter what party you're in, it uh it doesn't go away. So, property

[2:19:22] taxes are the way that we generate revenue. And we feel that it's important

[2:19:26] to consider those who are less fortunate and give them an opportunity, more of an

[2:19:31] opportunity to stay in their homes.

[2:19:39] » What's up? and Kerosinski, Park Street, Swazi. Um,

[2:19:46] this slide is much better at this slide, the second one is much better at

[2:19:51] expressing where you're going from and where you're going to. So, I don't know

[2:19:57] if we need an amendment about the way this is written, but I found this

[2:20:01] confusing. And if we are going to educate people in the voting booth, so

[2:20:07] that's the first time they're seeing this. I would if there's a way to

[2:20:11] recommend that these numbers have not been updated since 2009 to reflect

[2:20:17] current economic conditions. And I would almost I would consider doing a chart

[2:20:22] similar to what you have on that slide to explain what we're going from and

[2:20:28] what we're going to because having done some research and seen now that the

[2:20:33] different towns and cities in New Hampshire have an opportunity to to have

[2:20:39] this um in their own town that I think that we it it would get us an

[2:20:46] opportunity and particularly if you were recommending ing this when you go to the

[2:20:50] ballot and you're trying to understand what this actually means. I I just think

[2:20:55] we could express it better. So, for your consideration,

[2:21:07] [clears throat] >> um, I'd like to

[2:21:11] take a moment and put our our town council on the spot

[2:21:18] here. We There's no money involved. What what

[2:21:25] can we change in wooding wording and what can't we change in wording if it

[2:21:30] changes their >> Well, she's

[2:21:34] » she's suggesting >> doing some kind of a something like

[2:21:39] that. Um that

[2:21:45] that's not going to work unfortunately. There's there's statutory

[2:21:47] [clears throat] language that needs to be in there,

[2:21:50] » right? >> Um I mean you could add that to it. Uh,

[2:21:55] but someone would need to make a motion for a specific amendment and I suppose

[2:22:01] if the if the amendment is to add that to it, you could do that.

[2:22:09] » Okay. >> If that's

[2:22:10] » if somebody wants to make that motion.

[2:22:16] » A clear example of town meeting and the benefit that it would bring.

[2:22:23] Jessica Sanchez. Um, do you need my address? Okay. Um, so it's almost like I

[2:22:30] honestly when I first looked at it, it was a little confusing to me. I

[2:22:34] understand you're probably trying to keep the wording down, but if you said

[2:22:38] exemption increase from 25 to 50, exemption increase from 35 to 75,

[2:22:45] because it you see exemption at the top, but then you see increase. Is that what

[2:22:50] you were saying? Yeah,

[2:22:52] » the exemption is increasing. >> So, it's

[2:22:56] the title says exemption amounts and then it says you're increasing, but when

[2:23:00] you just look at it at first glance, it's almost like people might see

[2:23:05] increasing taxes, not increasing the exemption. Do you see what I'm saying?

[2:23:11] So, it might just need increase the exemption from increase the exemption

[2:23:16] from just to make it more clear. I think that might have been what Ann

[2:23:21] was trying to say.

[2:23:28] » Scott self again. Uh it it says that in the article. It states that exactly in

[2:23:33] the article 11 about the increase. Y >> not on not on that but in the article

[2:23:43] » most of you have received and everyone that has a post box will receive the

[2:23:47] voter guide that that will come out shortly after this meeting and we can

[2:23:52] explain it there but I think as Cordell mentioned someone would need to craft an

[2:23:57] amendment so that we could we could amend this article and whether it's

[2:24:02] language or adding a graph or both would need to come from the body.

[2:24:11] » Is anyone interested in constructing an amendment to this?

[2:24:35] Does anyone have written and signatures for an amendment on this article?

[2:24:50] Seeing none,

[2:24:55] » call the question on article. >> Mr. Moderator,

[2:24:59] » I'd like to make a motion that we table this article 11

[2:25:06] and move on to article 12 and then come back to article 11

[2:25:12] as there seems to be interest. There seems to be interest from the body

[2:25:20] » if we come back to it at the end of the >> Okay,

[2:25:30] » Mr. Moderator, >> we have we do have a motion. Did we get

[2:25:35] a second? >> Second.

[2:25:37] » Okay, >> I just have a question.

[2:25:38] » Sorry. Okay, we have a motion to

[2:25:44] We we'd like the motion is to table article 11.

[2:25:48] » table article 11 and >> and come back to our

[2:25:51] » come back to it at the end of the >> correct

[2:25:54] » end of tonight. >> So move it from article 11.

[2:25:59] » It will remain as article 11. It would just be tabled for now.

[2:26:10] I just have a quick question about article 11.

[2:26:14] » Is the Linda Falner, sorry, >> we've already we've got another motion

[2:26:19] on the floor. >> It's not a motion.

[2:26:20] » You can bring it up at the end because this this isn't going away.

[2:26:25] We're going to have discussion on it, but he's postponing discussion so that

[2:26:30] people would have chance to write an amendment or

[2:26:35] until

[2:26:44] Okay, we got a vote on tableabling article 11 and

[2:26:54] it will be discussed at the after the last article

[2:26:59] is handled.

[2:27:03] Anything further? All those in favor say I. I

[2:27:09] » oppose. No. Thank you. So, article 11 will move to

[2:27:15] the end end of the meeting. >> Article 12.

[2:27:21] Make a motion to move article 12. >> Second.

[2:27:28] Discussion

[2:27:37] » 12. You muted

[2:27:49] » Bruce Bohannan. Is that uh can you explain service connection? Is that

[2:27:54] military service? >> Yep. So I can

[2:27:57] » only or >> um that one's the um it's called the

[2:28:01] optional tax credit for service connected total disability.

[2:28:05] » But is it military service >> um

[2:28:09] » or how are they how do they get this >> service connected?

[2:28:12] » Service connected to what? Yes, military.

[2:28:14] » All right. Can we add service military in there so it's

[2:28:20] » clearer? >> Yeah.

[2:28:23] » Cordell saying we

[2:28:28] We would need an amendment. [laughter]

[2:28:33] » I I can I can speak to >> further discussion.

[2:28:39] » There's a motion. There's a question with regard to adding the word military.

[2:28:46] » Do Do you want that in writing or could we make it we make a motion? We make an

[2:28:50] amendment. >> In order to be an amendment, you have to

[2:28:52] be in writing.

[2:28:56] Bruce, you want to write it?

[2:29:04] » We can't interject.

[2:29:08] » We've taken care of it up here.

[2:29:13] » Oh, now. Do you have a conflict of interest on this one?

[2:29:19] » Yes, sir.

[2:29:22] You get any signatures on that? >> No, there's no for I don't have

[2:29:26] signatures. >> Bruce,

[2:29:28] » bring it here. >> Bruce.

[2:29:29] » Bruce. >> Bruce.

[2:29:32] » Bruce, you >> Bruce, you don't need four signatures.

[2:29:38] It's just a motion to amend. Anyone can make that motion.

[2:29:41] » Thank you. >> Bruce,

[2:29:43] » if someone just >> What's that?

[2:29:48] uh the state book >> you have to have four minimum of four.

[2:29:55] » No, any anyone can make a motion to amend as long as

[2:29:58] » we can make the motion but you can't >> you have to have four person

[2:30:03] » if that's the way you want to do it. Okay.

[2:30:06] » All right. >> I would rather go with a lawyer than the

[2:30:10] moderator. >> The moderator is in charge. So,

[2:30:14] » well, we can take a 15minute and I'll look it up. [sighs]

[2:30:19] » Either way, we have the signatures.

[2:30:24] [snorts] So, the amendment is

[2:30:28] to

[2:30:32] add the word military service connected.

[2:30:41] » Any discussion on that? Yeah,

[2:30:47] » Barbara Scully, my question is if the title of the optional tax credit for

[2:30:54] service connected total disability is related to the RSA and if we change it,

[2:31:00] does that alter the

[2:31:04] the meaning of that fund or that tax credit? That's a good point and that's

[2:31:11] why I'm looking to Cordell to make sure we can do that.

[2:31:15] » It's it's not a problem as long as you are you are referring to the correct

[2:31:20] statute here. I don't see a problem with inserting the word military in there.

[2:31:25] It's just a matter of clarification. So, I don't see any problem with that.

[2:31:30] » Yes, I can explain how it came about, Bruce, if that's okay.

[2:31:36] Um, I'm curious if someone has the uh the RSA

[2:31:43] to refer so we could refer to it. >> Yep. I I could just give a little

[2:31:46] background on it if that will be helpful. Um, so this warrant article

[2:31:50] proposes increasing the existing optional property tax credit for the for

[2:31:54] veterans with a service connected disability. If approved, the credit

[2:31:59] would increase from 4,000 to 4500 um effective for the 2026 tax year. The

[2:32:05] credit is authorized under RSA 72 colon 35 and is intended to provide additional

[2:32:11] property tax relief to qualifying residents. And just a little background

[2:32:16] on this. Um, prior to this year, a municipality could stack they could

[2:32:22] stack the optional, it's called service connected disability credit on top of

[2:32:27] the general non-disability veterans tax credit. So before you could stack them,

[2:32:32] now do due to the change in the law, you can no longer stack those two credits.

[2:32:38] Um so Swansea has adopted the optional veterans credit under um RSA72 col28 and

[2:32:47] that amount is $500. So before the change in law you you could have a town

[2:32:53] could have done it and Swansea does do this. you could have granted the

[2:32:57] optional credit of 500 and in addition granted the service connected disability

[2:33:04] credit of $4,000 for a total of $4,500. Uh the town of Swansea did allow this um

[2:33:10] to stack the credits. So So those folks would would be PE folks out there now

[2:33:16] would be receiving a total of $4,500. So, this this warrant article basically

[2:33:23] um if approved, the veterans who would who qualify for the service connected

[2:33:28] disability would still be able to see would still be able to receive that $500

[2:33:33] that they would be getting for the veterans credit. Um but prior to that

[2:33:38] change in statute, um and Cordell, do you have anything to add to that? I know

[2:33:43] we we talked a little bit about this this one, but I think that covers most

[2:33:48] of it. >> That That's exactly right. I mean,

[2:33:51] basically, if I'm a right now, if I'm a veteran with a service connected

[2:33:55] disability, I get the 4,000 plus the 500.

[2:34:01] » The law now says you can't stack them. So, what you're voting to do is give me

[2:34:06] 4500. No stacking. >> So, the the result is the same. there's

[2:34:11] no no change in what in in what the person can get. It's just making sure

[2:34:16] that they're not getting less.

[2:34:20] Can >> I just have a clarification? Uh will

[2:34:23] that affect the uh US vets that are already it's not going to affect us that

[2:34:27] is already getting uh the the $500 rebate, right? This is

[2:34:34] not going to affect us. >> The veterans tax credit will remain the

[2:34:37] same. Yep. If this passes, if this passes,

[2:34:43] » and and if it doesn't, it would still the veterans would still nothing is

[2:34:48] changing with the veterans. >> I guess it' be my question. It's pretty

[2:34:54] much to Cordell. Um,

[2:34:59] do we have the right to change the wording of a state approved RSA?

[2:35:07] the uh there's a there is a section in in the

[2:35:12] RSAs that tells you how to how to change the amount of credit the amount of the

[2:35:18] credit. It doesn't prescribe the specific language. So you're not you're

[2:35:24] not changing uh statemandated language here.

[2:35:30] The the short answer is yes, you can do this.

[2:35:35] Okay.

[2:35:39] So, have we voted on the amendment?

[2:35:43] » No. All those in favor of the adding the

[2:35:47] word military in front of service connected on article 12

[2:35:53] uh signify by saying I. >> I.

[2:35:57] » Opposed.

[2:36:00] Okay. The eyes have it now. We're back to the modified

[2:36:07] article 12 which includes the track they adding the word military.

[2:36:14] Any further discussion? Seeing none.

[2:36:21] » All those in favor say I. >> Opposed.

[2:36:27] » Okay. Done. >> Mr. Mr. Moderator, make a motion to

[2:36:31] restrict reconsideration on article 12. >> Second.

[2:36:37] » Okay, we have a motion on the floor to restrict

[2:36:41] further discussion on article one.

[2:36:46] » Article 12. Um, all those in favor of restricting

[2:36:53] discussion further on this article signify by saying I. I

[2:36:58] » opposed. Okay. Restricted.

[2:37:19] That's that's proper form. But article 11, we voted

[2:37:35] Thank you.

[2:37:41] » Okay,

[2:37:44] where are we?

[2:37:54] » 13. Make a motion to move article 13.

[2:37:59] » I move article 13 has moved. >> Second.

[2:38:03] » Second. >> Okay. Article 13 is moved and seconded.

[2:38:09] Uh discussion or >> Okay. So I can speak to this one. Um the

[2:38:14] town has updated the project timeline and costs for the Ashwal lot rail trail

[2:38:19] transportation alternatives program. Um, this project was originate was

[2:38:24] originally approved on the 2020 warrant article number nine. The town received

[2:38:30] notification in December that the Federal Highway Administration has

[2:38:33] obligated additional funding for fiscal year 2026 preliminary engineering

[2:38:39] efforts. Um, and just to offer a little bit of background on this article, this

[2:38:45] project was added to the 10-year plan through the town's transportation

[2:38:48] alternatives program application in um 2018. Original documents um are

[2:38:56] available at town hall. The project scoped was then updated in 2023 to focus

[2:39:02] on a portion of the Ashwal lot rail trail with multiple washouts um which

[2:39:07] are documented in the engineering study. This article if passed gives the town um

[2:39:13] more money and more funding to finish um a muchneeded project.

[2:39:18] Um, and just I just wanted to include in here um an important note because it

[2:39:22] came up at our budget hearing several times, but this project is not related

[2:39:26] to the Christian Hill um road bridge project. I just wanted to put that out

[2:39:30] there now before we get to anything um further in the warrant, but it's not

[2:39:34] related to that um project >> and further discussion on it.

[2:39:47] » Mike. Hello, my name is Mike Kowalsik. Um I chair the Swansea Rail Trail

[2:39:52] Advisory Committee and the committee is in favor of article 13. Uh the passing

[2:39:57] of this article covers the tap grant which Lori talked about and the matching

[2:40:01] costs therefore allowing the four wash outs along the Ashwa rail trail which

[2:40:06] are located between the two Ashbook Avenue crossings uh to be fixed. The

[2:40:12] current plan is uh I understand it is construction is to start in 2027.

[2:40:17] If the article does not pass, the funding could be lost and there's no

[2:40:21] timeline to getting the wash outs fixed and the trail in this section would not

[2:40:25] be reopened. The trail has been closed since July of

[2:40:29] 23 when the washouts occurred. The Ashlet Rail Trail is a main corridor in

[2:40:34] Swansea and Southwest New Hampshire. It is heavily used by snowmoilers, bikers,

[2:40:38] hikers, etc. The trail actually starts at Emerald Street in Keen and it ends at

[2:40:43] the Connecticut River in Hinsdale. And finally, I just want to mention that the

[2:40:47] railroad advisor railroad advisory committee through the work work of Bruce

[2:40:52] Bohannan did raise $25,000 to help cover the match. Thank you.

[2:40:59] » Nothing further on article 13. >> Bruce, if I can just expand on that a

[2:41:06] little bit more, Bruce. Um um so up here is just a snippet of the December 4th

[2:41:12] letter to the town from New Hampshire DOT showing the updated budget. Um and

[2:41:16] it's broken down as follows with the total cost of1 1,822,712.

[2:41:23] Uh the town's match totals 364,542.

[2:41:32] » Anything else?

[2:41:36] Seeing nothing. All those in favor of article 13 signify

[2:41:42] by saying I. >> Oppose. Nay.

[2:41:48] » Thank you. >> Mr. Make a motion to restrict

[2:41:52] reconsideration on an article 13. Second.

[2:42:00] Motions have been made and seconded to restrict

[2:42:04] changes to article 13. Um, all those in favor?

[2:42:11] » All those opposed.

[2:42:16] Okay. Article 14.

[2:42:19] » Make a motion to move article 14. >> Second.

[2:42:25] » Okay. Article 14 has been moved and seconded.

[2:42:32] We move to discussion with lowering. >> Okay. Um so article 14 this is regarding

[2:42:38] the lower Winchester street route 10 improvements. Um Swansea's share of this

[2:42:44] project cost. Uh it requires a total um local

[2:42:49] contribution of 145,000. This entire amount will come from the

[2:42:54] town's um fund unassigned fund balance. Um meaning no new no new taxes are

[2:43:01] required to fund this project. Um the 145 represents 100% of Swansea's portion

[2:43:08] of the project costs. The funding is a one-time appropriation and this article

[2:43:13] is non-lap is a non-lapsing appropriation remaining available until

[2:43:17] the project is completed or until December 31st, 2031, whichever comes

[2:43:23] first. Um, this investment supports needed transportation and infrastructure

[2:43:27] approvement infr infrastructure improvements while minimizing the impact

[2:43:32] on the tax rate.

[2:43:39] Um the improvement on uh Route 10, are they taking out the turn lane that's

[2:43:47] in the middle of that road because people use it as a passing lane? I've

[2:43:51] almost been crushed like three times. >> So, it's my understanding that that

[2:43:56] section of of Lower Winchester Route 10 is all going to be divided with an

[2:43:59] island. >> Okay. Um, so for example, if you had to

[2:44:02] go to Service Credit Union, you'd go up to the Rotary, um, use Service Credit

[2:44:07] Union, when you come out, you wouldn't be able to turn to Keen. You'd come back

[2:44:09] down. There'll be another Rotary. I think it's Road, the one that

[2:44:14] goes in by the college. >> Okay.

[2:44:16] » And there will be a center [clears throat] divider and uh, and a

[2:44:19] sidewalk. >> Am I on the wrong end of Route 10 now?

[2:44:21] I'm talking. Okay. >> Yeah.

[2:44:23] » All right. So, there's no plan on getting rid of that middle turn lane.

[2:44:26] » There should be a plan. It it No, that'll be part of what Joe just

[2:44:30] mentioned. The medium will go right down the

[2:44:32] middle. >> All right. All the way down because like

[2:44:34] my my store, Captain Brady's right there. All that.

[2:44:38] » No, not down that far. This This is up by Market Basket.

[2:44:41] » Oh, okay. All right. All right. That's too bad. All right. No, that's my

[2:44:44] » You talking about the turning lane by California Street?

[2:44:47] » Yeah, it goes for like a half a mile or whatever. Yeah, it's very dangerous.

[2:44:51] » That would be something to bring up the District 4 DOT.

[2:44:54] » Okay. because there is a planning study going on but there's definitely nothing

[2:44:58] been done there yet. >> Okay. All right. Thank you.

[2:45:02] » Scott, you might remember that might have been brought in by

[2:45:06] » California Owens Drive was approved. The turn lanes.

[2:45:11] » Any further discussion on article >> turn lanes on route 10 we're talking

[2:45:15] about, right? Yeah. The the slip lanes there.

[2:45:16] » Yeah, those were those were town >> really.

[2:45:19] » Yeah, they were. The town wanted those in there and I think they helped. I I

[2:45:24] haven't been I don't Maybe you have been partially uh smashed maybe there but I

[2:45:29] like the route the slip lanes there. They work quite well.

[2:45:35] » Yeah. Mike York. Uh we had through the planning board we had a um program where

[2:45:42] they're going to do safety all the way down through from uh forest all the way

[2:45:47] down through the uh the park by Jimmy's Park. But that funding has from my

[2:45:53] knowledge has fallen through. So there's nothing going to be done through that

[2:45:57] section unless we can uh get another committee together and petition the uh

[2:46:02] state to do it. But they've diverted those funds over to the coast.

[2:46:15] Seeing no more discussion, we'll call for a vote. All those in

[2:46:21] favor for article 14 as written, please signify by saying I.

[2:46:28] » Those opposed.

[2:46:32] Now >> Mr. M, I make a motion to restrict

[2:46:35] reconsideration on article 14. Second.

[2:46:39] » Really? >> Really?

[2:46:43] » Okay. Motion's been made to restrict

[2:46:47] discussion or changing article 14. All those in favor?

[2:46:53] » Opposed?

[2:46:58] Now, at the end of this, I know we're going back to 11, but

[2:47:04] my page says says Lori, article 15, Lori, to offer background on this before

[2:47:12] turning over the to petitioner. I don't understand that. And why is it an

[2:47:18] article? >> Nope. It's

[2:47:20] » motion to move article 15. >> Second,

[2:47:24] » what is it? If I could just give a little background now that they had the

[2:47:28] motion in the second before we opened it to the floor. That's

[2:47:34] all right. So, uh, in I just want to give a little bit of background. There

[2:47:37] was quite a few questions at the budget hearing um and we just didn't have the

[2:47:41] answers to provide for everybody. So, um, we had some time to do a little bit

[2:47:45] u more digging on this and um, just wanted to share um, what I found with

[2:47:49] you. So in 2022, the federal bridge funds were added to this project for the

[2:47:55] Christian Hill Bridge. Um the this slide gives a summary of a March 18 um 2022

[2:48:02] letter detailing the project change. Um, as part of the federal environmental

[2:48:08] process, the town um proposed a a proposed adaptive reuse of timber and

[2:48:16] stone from the existing bridge to span the wash out portion of the Ashwal lot

[2:48:21] rail trail. Um, so as part of the historic mitigation for the removal of

[2:48:27] this historic bridge, um, but I just wanted everybody to be clear that that

[2:48:31] was not part of the TAP funding. um that this this was part of the historical um

[2:48:37] process. So this proposal was accepted by the New Hampshire Division of

[2:48:41] Historical Resources and by the Federal Highway Administration through an

[2:48:46] exhaustive um national environmental policy act or the NEPA process uh which

[2:48:52] is currently nearing conclusion. The Christian Hill Road Bridge over New

[2:48:57] Hampshire Railroad project is 100% f federally funded um for construction. Um

[2:49:05] while federal bridge um funding is welcome and is a welcome source of

[2:49:11] additional bridge funding uh for the state and municipalities, it does um

[2:49:15] come with additional compliance and oversight requirements on the project.

[2:49:20] Um and I think that was all I wanted to

[2:49:23] share. I just wanted to make it clear that they're they're two separate

[2:49:26] projects. The TAP and this project, two two completely different

[2:49:33] funding sources. >> But is it appropriate to call them

[2:49:36] article 15 and 16 without any data to go with it and no description

[2:49:45] other than what you're telling us? I just that's just background

[2:49:49] information before we open it to the floor for for comment.

[2:49:55] » I I guess I'm unclear of what we're discussing. If it's just something that

[2:50:00] turning over to the petitioner, I don't I don't I don't understand.

[2:50:04] » We can just discuss um article 15, that would be great.

[2:50:17] Why wasn't this?

[2:50:24] Is there any of one of the petitioners? >> Would you like to speak to it?

[2:50:32] » Thank you.

[2:50:36] » Hi, I'm John Trainer from uh Railroad Street.

[2:50:42] Um,

[2:50:46] I moved to Swansea about 40 years ago because of the character of the town,

[2:50:52] the historic aspects, the beauty, and um, I've been loving it ever since. Um,

[2:51:00] and I I believe we should keep our historic landmarks here in town and not

[2:51:07] destroy them. In 2014, the Christian Hill Road bridge was

[2:51:14] closed uh by the state.

[2:51:18] It wasn't required to tear it down. They just

[2:51:22] needed to be fixed. There's not a lot wrong with the bridge that it needs to

[2:51:27] be destroyed and and replaced with a concrete cover. there in 2016 a

[2:51:33] committee was put together um by the town and the committee made a

[2:51:39] suggestion to the selectman um but the committee didn't have all the

[2:51:45] facts. The facts weren't available until 2018.

[2:51:51] A very important fact is that the bridge became in 2018

[2:51:57] eligible for listing in the U. National Registry of Historic Places.

[2:52:05] So I don't think that the committee if they

[2:52:09] knew that would have recommended to the selectmen to tear it down and replace it

[2:52:14] with a concrete covert. Um, one of the people on that committee was Lee Dunham

[2:52:20] who's here tonight. And I spoke with Lee about a month and a half ago at the

[2:52:25] Swansea Christmas. And a month and a half ago, he was not aware that the

[2:52:32] Christian Hill Bridge and its historic as it historic aspects.

[2:52:38] I wasn't aware until this fall when I started digging into this whole thing.

[2:52:45] Um in 2000 um

[2:52:50] 2020 there was a vote by the town to accept money from the state to rebuild

[2:52:57] the bridge with a concrete covert. Um in this article in 2020 there was no

[2:53:04] mention of the historic aspects of the bridge. The voters did not know anything

[2:53:10] about the bridge. All they were required to do in the voting was to accept the

[2:53:16] money from the state. So, a lot of people were like, "Yay, money from the

[2:53:19] state." And they accepted the money and won. Um

[2:53:24] the the biggest secret I've ever heard kept is the fact the historic aspects of

[2:53:31] that bridge. There's no mention of it in the u election in the um the vote in

[2:53:38] 2020. In um [clears throat] 2024, u federal funds became available

[2:53:47] and in order to receive those federal funds,

[2:53:52] they couldn't tear down the bridge. So, Michael Branley from the town and the

[2:54:00] representative from the engineering company came up with a plan and the plan

[2:54:05] was to take part of the bridge and move it down

[2:54:09] to the washed out part of the rail trail and that way they can say they were

[2:54:13] saving a historic landmark in town. Um this meeting was done where the where

[2:54:21] this idea was formed and then presented to the state was done in private. There

[2:54:27] was no town voters involved. Um there were no elected officials

[2:54:32] involved. This was all done behind closed doors. So I feel that with this

[2:54:40] knowledge of the historic aspects I believe we can save the bridge. I don't

[2:54:45] think we have to tear it down just to take money from the state or the federal

[2:54:50] government. There are other um funds available that would have been available

[2:54:55] in 2016 if they had could s have seen into the

[2:55:00] future and saw two years down the low road that there was um there will be

[2:55:06] historic. Um so I think in 2016 if they had known this they wouldn't

[2:55:14] have recommended it to the selectman. Um I think we can save the bridge and I

[2:55:19] hope that this the selectman will will support the uh petition. Thank you.

[2:55:30] » [applause]

[2:55:34] » This whole district here is a historical district. Not a zoning historical

[2:55:39] district for Swansea, but it is a historical district. This building is in

[2:55:43] it. Lots of these old houses on Main Street here are in it. And that bridge

[2:55:47] up there we're talking about is is in it. That bridge,

[2:55:51] it's it'll in four years it'll be a hundred years old. That's pretty old

[2:55:55] bridge built by the railroad. And they built things to last. They didn't build

[2:55:58] things to fall down. They didn't want anything falling across their tracks. We

[2:56:02] support all our other bridges in town, which are historic bridges. If we take

[2:56:06] that down, we're never getting it back again. Never going to be able to replace

[2:56:09] it again. There might be a cement culvert in there, but it's nothing like

[2:56:13] that historic bridge over there. Lots of people haven't seen it. I've seen it.

[2:56:16] I've looked at that bridge. I've looked underneath the bridge. And when this

[2:56:21] whole thing started several years ago, I pretty much took the engineers report

[2:56:25] and face value as to it was falling down and had to be torn down. Uh, in my

[2:56:30] opinion, that's not the case. Underneath it there, you can see they've got

[2:56:34] stringers on that bridge. They're built by they're 14 by 8 in stringers about 30

[2:56:39] inches in and spaced out. And the part of the bridge that is rotten are what's

[2:56:45] called the bedding timbers. And those timbers are the same thing as the sill

[2:56:49] in your house. So, you know, if the sill rots out in your house, you don't tear

[2:56:52] it down and put a cement one up. You just replace a sill. And those bending

[2:56:56] timbers were made to be replaced anyways. It's how it works. So, I would

[2:57:00] be in favor of just studying it at least for another year just to see if it's

[2:57:04] worthwhile saving it. We don't have a train station down there anymore. Other

[2:57:07] towns do, but we don't have one burnt down. That and that small little brick

[2:57:13] way station behind the cemetery are the only things we have left for for the

[2:57:17] train station here or for what the train was in town. So I think we ought to

[2:57:21] really look into it before we do something that we can't you know can't

[2:57:25] replace.

[2:57:33] Hello, Michael Walls again, uh, chair of the, uh, Swansea Railrotor Advisory

[2:57:37] Committee and the committee is in opposition of article 15. And before I

[2:57:43] give reasons why, I'd like to provide a little bit of background information so

[2:57:46] that the residents are well informed, which is one of the purposes of this.

[2:57:51] So, the Ashwillot rail trail, like most of the rail corridors in Manadnok

[2:57:54] region, is owned by the New Hampshire DOT rail and transit. Since the

[2:57:59] conversion to rail trail, the New Hampshire Bureau of Trails has been

[2:58:02] responsible for the regular maintenance. The Bureau of Trails has little

[2:58:06] resource. Therefore, they rely heavily on counties, snowmobile clubs,

[2:58:11] conservation groups, and local municipalities like the town of Swansea

[2:58:15] to define projects, raise the funding, and perform the work all over all

[2:58:19] overseen by the Bureau of Trails. Severe washouts like those experienced on the

[2:58:25] Ashwa trail in 23 are not considered regular means.

[2:58:30] Therefore, they're sent to the DOT to be fixed. The DOT 10-year plan is the

[2:58:35] typical means to get such projects funded and worked on via the

[2:58:39] transportation alternative program grant, which is the one we have fixing

[2:58:43] the other ones. In 2018, as we talked about, uh, the

[2:58:48] rail trail advisory committee along with Matthew Bachler, the town planner at the

[2:58:52] time, uh, began the effort to submit a TAP grant to fix both the Cheshire Trail

[2:58:57] and the southern portion portion of the Ashriat Rail Trail. In 2019, the town

[2:59:03] was awarded the grant, which effectively put the project at the bottom of the new

[2:59:07] H of the bottom of the DOT 10-year plan. When the washouts occurred in 23 causing

[2:59:13] five wash outs in two rail bed compromised areas with very significant

[2:59:18] cost repair, the railroad advisory committee proposed to redirect the TAP

[2:59:23] grant funds to fix the washouts. Because of the high repair costs,

[2:59:29] the state the TAP grant could not cover the cost of all the repairs. The two

[2:59:34] compromised areas which are farther north were fixed by the state funded GIA

[2:59:40] grant grant aid with the keen snow riders snowmobile club securing the

[2:59:45] funding and managing the project. The TAP grant would fix the four wash

[2:59:51] outs that we talked about earlier located between the two Hullbrook Avenue

[2:59:55] crossings, leaving no plan for the wash out near the Eversource substation.

[3:00:00] Because the Christian Hill Bridge project was also happening, managed by

[3:00:04] the DOT, the current bridge being deemed unsuitable for Christian Hill Road, uh

[3:00:11] it was suggested to move it to fix the rail trail

[3:00:16] um wash out with the work being included as part of the installation of new

[3:00:20] Christian Hill Bridge. It was the rail trail advisory

[3:00:23] committee's understanding that DOT division of historical resources the

[3:00:28] bureau trail the town of Swansea and Hoy and Tanner the construction engineering

[3:00:32] company were all agreement with this plan with all proper procedures

[3:00:37] followed. Therefore, it's the rail trail advisory

[3:00:40] committee's understand the Christian Hill Bridge replacement project,

[3:00:43] including the moving of the current bridge to the Ashria rail trail is to

[3:00:47] plan to begin in this year 2026. And for the remaining four wash outs

[3:00:53] funded by the tap grant we talked about earlier, that's supposed to start next

[3:00:56] year. So, if all goes as planned, the trail will be reopened in 2027.

[3:01:02] Okay, that's the background information. Now why for the opposition

[3:01:07] is the rail trail advisory committee's understanding that delaying the

[3:01:10] Christian Hill Bridge project by one year could mean the loss of the current

[3:01:13] funding which is $2.5 million no match required by the town. If article 15 does

[3:01:19] pass there is no funding for the historical study as requested in the

[3:01:24] article. There's no plan or funding for the restoration of the current bridge.

[3:01:28] It has been suggested in the past that one of the funding sources could be the

[3:01:32] Northern Border's Regional Planning Commission timber for transit grant to

[3:01:36] fund the bridge study and restoration. This grant requires a 20% match. So if

[3:01:41] Swansea is the grantee, Swansea would be responsible for that 20% match. And also

[3:01:46] keep in mind there's no funding to fix the Ashwa rail trail wash out at the

[3:01:50] Eversource substation. And this means for walkers, bikers, equestrians, and

[3:01:55] all the other users, they will need to continue use the detour around the wash

[3:02:00] out. That current detour puts people on Eaton Road, which is a potential safety

[3:02:04] safety issue. A more significant impact is the snowmobile community will

[3:02:10] continue to not be able to use the Aweot rail trail. Not only is this a form of

[3:02:15] recreational loss, but also economic loss. I have learned recently working

[3:02:20] with snowmobile clubs that they provide a significant economic value to the

[3:02:25] state and our local community. Because funding will be lost for the

[3:02:30] fixing of the wash out, funding will need to be found. The most likely

[3:02:34] solution is the TAP grant. And if it's awarded, which is not guaranteed, the

[3:02:39] project will be put at the bottom of the New Hampshire DOT 10-year plan, meaning

[3:02:43] it is highly likely the wash out will not be fixed until 2036, with the town

[3:02:47] being responsible 20% of the 2036 cost. Historically, there the DOT has $5.5

[3:02:55] million per round of available TAP funding and $25 million in projects are

[3:03:00] submitted. So, the pro the probability of getting funded is low.

[3:03:07] In my opinion, with the work I've done on rail trails over the last seven,

[3:03:10] eight years, uh, with other culverts and things like

[3:03:13] that, and the fact that it cost 1.8 million to fix the four wash outs here

[3:03:17] in Swansea, I would estimate it's going to cost probably a million dollars to

[3:03:20] fix that wash out in 2026. 20% had to be covered by Swansea, and it

[3:03:26] would be even higher in 2036.

[3:03:30] So, the next reason for opposing article 15 is more broad scope. So, as I said, I

[3:03:35] I chair the Swansea Railroad Advisory Committee. I'm also president of the

[3:03:40] Manandan Region Rail Trail Collaborative. The collaborator's

[3:03:43] mission is to rehabilitate the region's 100 miles of rail trails so they are

[3:03:47] available for all users year round. These trails run through 15 local towns

[3:03:53] from Walpole to Fitz William, Kane to Hinsdale, Ren to Hillsboro and also have

[3:03:58] means to connect the rail trails to Bellisols, Bradboro and Winon vastly

[3:04:03] expanding the network. The collaborative is working with Cheshire County, many of

[3:04:07] the local towns, snowmobile clubs, DOT, Bureau Trails, Rails to Tra, Rails to

[3:04:13] Trails Conservancy, Manadano Conservancy, Southwest Regional Planning

[3:04:17] Commission, the Greater Mano Collaborative, and others to make this a

[3:04:20] reality. When complete, not only will local citizens have access to a vast

[3:04:25] rail trail network for their enjoyment, they can help the local economy by

[3:04:28] providing week-long bike tours.

[3:04:34] Sorry about that.

[3:04:39] So, I have started such a discussion with the owner of the Greater American

[3:04:42] Bike Tours headquartered in Raymond, New Hampshire, with plans for me to do a

[3:04:46] test tour this summer across New Hampshire, including two days in the

[3:04:49] Mananak region. The current watch outs on the Ashwa rail trail severs the

[3:04:53] network, making it less attractive for these bike tours enthusiasts, therefore

[3:04:57] losing this recreational economic income. And as all of you know here,

[3:05:01] with no state income tax and no sales tax, we all rely heavily on recreational

[3:05:06] income um to come in from out of state. Finally, it's our understanding, as was

[3:05:14] mentioned here, that the replacement bridge would be a concrete clamshell

[3:05:18] design, including decorative stone facade to have it appear like a stone

[3:05:24] bridge and decorative railings, which is a nice touch to make it even more

[3:05:27] appealing. Thank you.

[3:05:31] I I didn't have a lot of planning to do with this project, but one thing the

[3:05:35] voters need to be aware of, this project is almost complete as far as all the

[3:05:39] engineering and the design. And if this goes away, there is a strong possibility

[3:05:45] that the town is going to be responsible for all the engineering and the planning

[3:05:49] that's been done up until this point, which is being funded right now

[3:05:52] currently by the grant. Uh there is a strong likelihood if this project goes

[3:05:57] away that the town is going to be responsible for that.

[3:06:07] » Bruce Bohannan. Uh my understanding is that's not the original bridge. That

[3:06:13] bridge was rebuilt uh several years ago to accom

[3:06:20] uh rebuilt to accommodate the higher railroad cars that were going through

[3:06:25] there. So that's not the original bridge. So I I would dare say that's not

[3:06:30] 100 years old.

[3:06:38] Uh one more thing is that uh bridge had to go through the cultural natural

[3:06:44] resources up in conquered for approval. And so uh the historical part of that

[3:06:52] would have been included in that study for that committee up there too.

[3:07:01] Barbara Scully. Um, I have a question as to whether or not the rebuilding of that

[3:07:06] bridge will have any implication for the fire department in terms of response

[3:07:11] time or is this simply going to restore, you know, regular car traffic?

[3:07:23] » That would it would have no impact while it was being constructed. The fire

[3:07:26] department would be able to access it. uh after it was constructed, a wall was

[3:07:30] constructed, have no impact. >> So, right now, they can't use that

[3:07:34] access to get up, but once that new bridge is put in, the fire trucks will

[3:07:39] have a straight shot up Christian Hill rather than having to turn the trucks

[3:07:42] around at either end. >> Okay.

[3:07:51] » The rebuild that Mr. Bohannan was referring to I believe is the red

[3:07:56] decking that that bridge got in the 1960s. The rest of the undertone the

[3:08:01] unstructure of it is the same. They redecked it then and it also has

[3:08:06] probably I'm guessing about two inches of asphalt on top of it. It's paved and

[3:08:11] I did a quick calculation of what that is and that weighs about 25 tons. So

[3:08:16] that's been carrying 25 tons for the last 14 years just sitting there

[3:08:19] perfectly straight. And we're just considering putting three more tons over

[3:08:23] it if you post it as a three-tonon bridge and leave it as it used to be.

[3:08:31] » Yeah. I I timed how long it takes to go around John Trainer. I timed how long it

[3:08:39] takes to drive around and it's about 30 seconds. So there would be a 30 second

[3:08:43] delay in fire engine.

[3:08:51] Kristen Reynolds, Christian Hill. Um,

[3:08:57] I was at the meeting that showed me what the new bridge is going to look like.

[3:09:04] And just so you know, it's not pretty. It's not a pretty bridge. The new one

[3:09:10] that they have planned. seems reasonable to delay for a little

[3:09:16] while and look into this. Just my thought

[3:09:33] Jeremy Evans, uh, CL Lane. So, I'm the president of the Keen Snow Riders. I've

[3:09:37] been working on these rail trails now for a little over 20 years. Um, and I

[3:09:41] can tell you this is a primary corridor. Traffic comes through Pisga Park,

[3:09:45] Hinsdale, Winchester, and and we're getting a lot of questions, a lot of

[3:09:50] issues with people no longer being able to access um Keen or to go uh through

[3:09:56] this corridor. It's it is one of the major corridor trails in the state of

[3:10:00] New Hampshire. Um to me, this is a pretty easy issue beyond just

[3:10:04] snowmoiling. You know, we're looking at, and I just took a couple of notes here,

[3:10:08] a loss of about $2.5 million in funding that's already been approved. Um, there

[3:10:13] is no money to repair the existing bridge. There's no plan to ex to repair

[3:10:17] the existing bridge. Um, it's been called into question whether or not, in

[3:10:20] fact, this is a historic bridge. There is uh at least $200,000 that Swansea

[3:10:26] will be responsible for coming up with if um this bridge is going to have to be

[3:10:32] repaired. and there will be no use of this trail for uh users until 2036.

[3:10:40] That's what we're talking about today. So, I I'm obviously opposed to it.

[3:10:52] » I'll say my piece. I don't care about the bicyclist. They're annoying. I don't

[3:10:57] care about the snowmoilers. I do care about the historic value. So, I'd like

[3:11:02] to use a little patience on this. That's my personal feeling.

[3:11:16] » Hello. Uh, I'm Dan Lane. I was on the committee with Lee and, uh, Mike and

[3:11:21] Norm. Um, I'd like to say that the uh the

[3:11:26] abutments for the bridge are made out of concrete blocks uh similar to Jersey

[3:11:30] barriers, but just a big square blocks. The uh posts are telephone posts.

[3:11:37] They're either pressuret treated or coated with creassote.

[3:11:41] Um, you know, you can make your own determination if if that's a historic uh

[3:11:47] structure. Um, all our meetings were open. I think

[3:11:52] you attended one one or more I believe John. So and I think yeah and I think

[3:11:58] the all the me meeting minutes were uh published in the sent in the uh town's

[3:12:04] uh site. Um,

[3:12:08] this apparently now there's 100% state funding for the bridge replacement and I

[3:12:14] think it would be a mistake to pass that up.

[3:12:21] Anyone else?

[3:12:29] » Is this just automatic?

[3:12:33] So this just as written we're on that we go on.

[3:12:38] » Okay. So we we don't have to vote on this at all.

[3:12:45] » You don't you don't didn't actually have to vote on any of the articles.

[3:12:50] I I didn't say anything about it, but every article automatically goes on the

[3:12:54] ballot, >> right? So, I mean, you can ask people to

[3:12:58] vote on whether they support this or oppose it, but whether it whether they

[3:13:01] support it or oppose it, it still goes on the ballot.

[3:13:05] » Yeah. So,

[3:13:09] » what's that?

[3:13:12] » So, this this petition article will automatically appear on the on the

[3:13:18] ballot >> for your

[3:13:22] see what you want to do with it. Okay,

[3:13:27] we got to come back to number 11.

[3:13:31] » Um,

[3:13:37] hold on. We still got to come back to article 11.

[3:14:00] 16

[3:14:18] I guess we actually have another petition article

[3:14:23] » that stated, "Sall the town vote to preserve the historic town-owned

[3:14:30] Christian Hill Road Bridge over the Ashullet

[3:14:35] Rail Trail. uh in its current location.

[3:14:43] I think this is probably similar to what we've what we did on

[3:14:50] 15. Is there any discussion on that one >> briefly?

[3:15:01] John Trainer, Railroad Street. Um couple years ago we had a a big storm

[3:15:10] and there were wash outs along the rail trail and um that was a few years ago

[3:15:14] and we didn't know where the money was going to come from for any of it. And a

[3:15:18] couple years later all of a sudden there's money from here and there and

[3:15:22] everywhere to fix those wash outs. And um sounds like there's a lot of

[3:15:28] snowmoilers who use use the trail and they're still using it now. I noticed I

[3:15:33] I use it for jogging and the the snowmobiles are still still on it and

[3:15:38] still going. Um, but what I'd like to say is I don't think it's a good reason

[3:15:45] for fixing the wash out that could be fixed in other ways and money come from

[3:15:51] other ways. It's not a good reason to tear down part of our history of Swansea

[3:15:57] to do that. They're two separate issues. We want to save our history. We don't

[3:16:05] want a concrete covert with a steel guard rail going down the

[3:16:14] street in the middle of an historic area. It's going to look really ugly.

[3:16:18] Engineers, they don't care about that. They don't really care how things look.

[3:16:23] They care about function. So, that's what's important to them. There's uh we

[3:16:29] have a bunch of other bridges in town here that um you know uh fire engines

[3:16:34] can't go over and we're not ripping them down because

[3:16:38] they're covered and they uh bring in tourism and money and uh they're part of

[3:16:44] our the heart of Swansea are our bridges and the Christian Hill Bridge is just as

[3:16:52] much of uh our of the heart of town as the covered bridges.

[3:16:57] And um I I'm still in think that we should we should

[3:17:04] save it. Um I as an artist I've done about a

[3:17:09] thousand paintings in Swansea that have gone all over the world and I paint

[3:17:15] Swansea because it's beautiful. If there's a concrete culvert bridge

[3:17:20] with a steel guard rail, it's it's it is uh affecting our town and the way it

[3:17:27] feels and you might not have as easy a time selling houses if our historic

[3:17:36] landmarks go away. The uh West Swansea Community Church is hanging on by a

[3:17:42] thread. That's the center of this village. So,

[3:17:46] what's going to happen when that's gone? Are we going to just tear it down and

[3:17:50] replace it with, you know, some sort of a dot building? No. We We want to keep

[3:17:55] our history. We want to We want to preserve it.

[3:18:09] My Kowals again. Should I read my three-page testimony? No. Right. So we

[3:18:14] oppose article 16 for the same reasons.

[3:18:22] » Okay. Being in petition article Oh, I'm sorry.

[3:18:29] » Jeremy Evans again. Just a couple other thoughts. Um first of all, snowmobile

[3:18:32] traffic you're seeing out here is local. There is no way people are going through

[3:18:36] the wash outs that are south of here. So that traffic is not coming from south of

[3:18:40] here. Um there was a discussion about money. So a

[3:18:44] couple things you money is very limited. What this money that's allocated these

[3:18:48] projects goes away. It doesn't necessarily come back and it's not going

[3:18:52] to be available. Also it takes a lot of time and effort to get that money that

[3:18:57] you're seeing. That wasn't the result of oh it just appeared. That was years of

[3:19:02] work by a number of people sitting behind me and around the state and

[3:19:05] including FEMA. A lot of work went into that. That does not come easily. you

[3:19:10] don't snap your fingers and oh, we got $2 million.

[3:19:13] Um, the other thing I'd say is I don't think

[3:19:18] that existing bridge is an attractive bridge at all. Some people may disagree

[3:19:22] with me, but I've sought for years that thing is an eyesore. If you like it,

[3:19:26] that's great. That's your opinion. But if you want to make that bridge an

[3:19:30] attractive bridge, it's going to take an awful lot of work.

[3:19:40] So, I I saw a movie I saw a movie on Turner Movie Classics about 10 years

[3:19:47] ago. and I didn't watch the whole movie and I don't know what the name of it is,

[3:19:50] but the opening shot is that exact same bridge, but it's all painted white and

[3:19:56] it's got a beautiful railing on it and it has lights and it was so you see you

[3:20:02] see in the opening shot of the movie that bridge and the train goes

[3:20:06] underneath the bridge and then the movie starts

[3:20:10] that town wherever that bridge is is u that's important to that town and This

[3:20:17] bridge is important to our town.

[3:20:23] » I'm just going to appeal to the town. We invested a lot in this building. People

[3:20:29] fought over this. This is a beautiful building. It represents this community.

[3:20:34] And I don't think we should just take that lightly.

[3:20:37] I think um John makes a very good point. This is a historical area and we should

[3:20:43] take pride in it. I'm not a snowmoiler. I guess it's a

[3:20:48] great sport. People come and they just fly by these things. We live here. We're

[3:20:52] invested in this. So, I just I'm appealing to everyone to please

[3:20:58] uh consider that and let's make this a historic bridge and

[3:21:02] hold on to what we have.

[3:21:21] It's >> been moved to call call the vote on

[3:21:24] this, but again, it's a it's a petition article, so we can't we can't change the

[3:21:31] petition article anyway, but we can we can take a vote on it if you wish.

[3:21:37] All those in favor of doing petition article 16

[3:21:44] signify by saying I. >> Opposed.

[3:21:52] » Okay.

[3:21:55] » So this would just say that not

[3:22:02] » Yeah. Yeah. still go on the ballot, but do we add the note on the bottom about

[3:22:08] the vote? Okay, thank you.

[3:22:15] » Now, we're going back to article 11.

[3:22:33] and Kerosinski, Park Street, Swansea. Um, just wanted to we're not going to

[3:22:39] amend article 11. It's going to stay as it as it's stated because that can't be

[3:22:44] changed. But below it, I'd like to add um a little chart to explain u easier to

[3:22:52] the voter that what the current exemption is and what the proposed ex

[3:22:57] exemption is. Uh just to get provide clarity when someone's reading that um

[3:23:03] that article and they're intending to vote on it, it's a little difficult to

[3:23:07] keep track of what's going on in that long paragraph. So, I thought this might

[3:23:12] add some clarity and um since the selectmen have recommended this and and

[3:23:18] I also support it, I thought it might assist the voter in understanding it.

[3:23:22] So,

[3:23:32] » um Heather Estrella, so I would like to just briefly talk about putting a chart

[3:23:37] on the ballot. So, there's a lot that goes into making the ballots and adding

[3:23:41] a graph or chart is also going to add cost to the town's ballots just because

[3:23:47] of we make them and they have to we roughly chart cost $5,000 right now for

[3:23:52] town ballots. Um, but we also send out voter guides for that same reason that

[3:23:58] it has articles. People can read them prior to coming to the polls, mark their

[3:24:02] yes or no. We could put your chart suggestion in that

[3:24:08] the um thank you that gets mailed out and people could have the information

[3:24:13] there and be educated prior to coming to vote

[3:24:17] » it suggestion I mean it's >> not many ballots charts on that

[3:24:23] » space what

[3:24:30] » well we just we'll just disregard it all >> she

[3:24:38] disregard.

[3:24:43] » All right. So, we didn't have a proposal to amend this even though we've got the

[3:24:50] signatures. No, thank you. Go like this.

[3:24:59] » Okay.

[3:25:02] Yeah, we we can put it in the voter guide or

[3:25:08] » Okay, we'll we'll add that chart to the the voter guide that goes out to help

[3:25:13] people understand it.

[3:25:17] » Okay. Did we have any vote? >> You're you're back to the main You're

[3:25:23] back to the main article 11. >> You didn't didn't vote on article 11.

[3:25:28] » No.

[3:25:32] Hi, we're back to the vote on article 11.

[3:25:39] » All those in favor of article 11 signify by saying I

[3:25:44] » opposed.

[3:25:48] Who said who said that? >> Mr. moderator.

[3:25:52] » All right. Thank you. >> We have a bookkeeping.

[3:25:55] » What's that? Hold on a minute. Please, please

[3:25:59] keep it down. The selectman had something to say.

[3:26:04] » We We have a We have a bookkeeping item. We have a bookkeeping item pertaining to

[3:26:11] article one, which was not on the within the deliberative, but it's an

[3:26:16] opportunity for us to correct an error.

[3:26:22] » It doesn't require a vote. >> No. Um, Cordell, this was about the um

[3:26:26] the trustees of the trust fund that got put on the warrant that needs to come

[3:26:30] off. We need to take it off. So, do we need a

[3:26:34] motion to do that?

[3:26:39] » Okay. >> Okay.

[3:26:50] » Do we have a motion to adjourn?

[3:26:55] seconded.

[3:26:58] » Any discussion?

[3:27:02] » Okay.

[3:27:14] » All those in favor say I. >> Opposed.

[3:27:19] I I better not hear

Swanzey Select Board Meeting Feburary 3rd, 2026

Transcript