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BOC MeetingApril 20, 2026

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MERRIMACK VILLAGE DISTRICT 
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 
APRIL 20, 2026 
MEETING MINUTES 
(approved May 18, 2026) 
 
The Organizational Meeting of the Board of Commissioners was conducted on Monday, April 20, 
2026, at 5:00 p.m. at 2 Greens Pond Road, Merrimack, NH. 
 
Donald Provencher, Chairman, presided: 
 
Members of the Commission present: 
Dan Allen   
Erin Clement 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Scott Sabens 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Wolfram von Schoen  
 
Members of the Commission Absent:  
 
 
Also in Attendance:  
 
 
Ron Miner, Superintendent 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Jill Lavoie, Business Manager 
 
 
 
 
 
FINANCE/HUMAN RESOURCES REVIEW  
 
As the Finance Director was unable to be in attendance, April’s financials will be included in the 
May update. 
 
NON-PUBLIC 
 
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER ALLEN THAT THE BOARD, BY ROLL CALL, GO 
INTO NON-PUBLIC SESSION PURSUANT TO RSA 91-A:3 II (e) CONSIDERATION OR 
NEGOTIATION OF PENDING CLAIMS OR LITIGATION WHICH HAS BEEN 
THREATENED IN WRITING OR FILED BY OR AGAINST THE PUBLIC BODY 
MOTION SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER CLEMENT 
 
A Viva Voce Roll Call Vote was taken, which resulted as follows: 
 
Yea: 
Erin Clement, Wolfram von Schoen, Scott Sabens, Dan Allen, Don Provencher 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5 
Nay: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
0 
MOTION CARRIED 
 
The Board entered non-public session at 5:02 p.m. 
The Board reconvened at 5:51 p.m. 
 
REGULAR SESSION 
 
Chair Provencher called for nominations for Chairman of the Merrimack Village District Board 
of Commissioners for the 2026-2027 term. 
 

 
Merrimack Village District – Board of Commissioners 
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COMMISSIONER VON SCHOEN NOMINATED COMMISSIONER PROVENCHER  
SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER CLEMENT 
 
VOTE ON ELECTION OF DON PROVENCHER TO THE POSITION OF CHAIRMAN 
OF THE MERRIMACK VILLAGE DISTRICT BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS FOR 
THE 2026-2027 TERM 
MOTION CARRIED 
4-0-1 
Commissioner Provencher Abstained 
 
Don Provencher declared Chairman of the Merrimack Village District Board of Commissioners 
for the 2026-2027 term. 
 
Chair Provencher called for nominations for Vice-Chairman of the Merrimack Village District 
Board of Commissioners for the 2026-2027 term. 
 
COMMISSIONER ALLEN NOMINATED COMMISSIONER CLEMENT 
SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER SABENS 
 
VOTE ON ELECTION OF ERIN CLEMENT TO THE POSITION OF VICE-
CHAIRMAN OF THE MERRIMACK VILLAGE DISTRICT BOARD OF 
COMMISSIONERS FOR THE 2026-2027 TERM 
MOTION CARRIED 
4-0-1 
Commissioner Clement Abstained 
 
Chair Provencher declared Erin Clement Vice-Chairman of the Merrimack Village District 
Board of Commissioners for the 2026-2027 term. 
 
Chair Provencher called for nominations for Personnel Liaison of the Merrimack Village 
District Board of Commissioners for the 2026-2027 term. 
 
COMMISSIONER VON SCHOEN NOMINATED COMMISSIONER SABENS 
SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER CLEMENT 
 
VOTE ON ELECTION OF SCOTT SABENS TO THE POSITION OF PERSONNEL 
LIAISON OF THE MERRIMACK VILLAGE DISTRICT BOARD OF 
COMMISSIONERS FOR THE 2026-2027 TERM 
MOTION CARRIED 
5-0-0 
 
Chair Provencher declared Scott Sabens Personnel Liaison of the Merrimack Village District 
Board of Commissioners for the 2026-2027 term. 
 

 
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Chair Provencher called for nominations for Financial Liaison of the Merrimack Village District 
Board of Commissioners for the 2026-2027 term. 
 
COMMISSIONER VON SCHOEN NOMINATED COMMISSIONER ALLEN 
SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER CLEMENT 
 
VOTE ON ELECTION OF DAN ALLEN TO THE POSITION OF FINANCIAL 
LIAISON OF THE MERRIMACK VILLAGE DISTRICT BOARD OF 
COMMISSIONERS FOR THE 2026-2027 TERM 
MOTION CARRIED 
4-0-1 
Commissioner Allen Abstained 
 
Chair Provencher declared Dan Allen Financial Liaison of the Merrimack Village District 
Board of Commissioners for the 2026-2027 term. 
 
1. Board of Commissioners (BOC) to discuss meeting protocols with legal. 
 
Legal counsel was not present to engage in the discussion.  Commissioner von Schoen remarked the 
information, as presented, was not necessarily what was sought.  He felt the purpose of the 
document was lost with the edits made. 
 
Chair Provencher stated his belief that the desire was to gain interpretations of State RSA.  
Commissioner von Schoen felt that to be the point of the document.   
 
2. Superintendent’s Report 
 
Water Quality: 
 
Sampling 
 
- 
PFAS sampling will take place this week; distribution system and vessels.  
 
Maintenance: 
 
Treatment Facilities 
 
- 
Treatment staff completed the regeneration of the Greensand filters on April 9th.  
 
- 
Barry Miller’s crew is out at Wells 7&8 cleaning and surging.  Well 8 should be completed 
tomorrow after which they will set up at Well 7.    
 
Commissioner von Schoen spoke of the timing of the cleaning and a situation that arose in a prior 
year when Wells 7&8 had to be taken down for cleaning.  It was noted that occurred when the 
timing of the cleaning was later in the season.     
 
Superintendent Miner stated, barring any emergency situation occurring elsewhere, he will start on 
Well 7.  We have one well done.  Even if an emergency were to occur, there would be one clean. 

 
Merrimack Village District – Board of Commissioners 
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Chair Provencher commented if Wells 7 & 8 lose capacity over time you would prefer to have a 
fresh screen cleaned for the peak summer and lose capacity over the winter. 
 
Superintendent Miner stated the schedule being used works best and seems to get us through the 
entire summer.   
 
Commissioner von Schoen asked if the work includes physically pulling the screens and everything 
up all the way, and was told the pump and motor come out.  The screen stays at the bottom of the 
casing, and the surging is plunging it.  Basically, it forces all of the crud out of the screen.   
 
Chair Provencher commented that Wells 7 & 8 are those having iron and manganese that need to be 
cleaned annually.     
 
Asked if cleaning of any of the other wells will occur, Superintendent Miner stated only Wells 7 & 
8 need to be done every year.  Some cleaning was done on the other wells during treatment plant 
construction, and cleaning of wells other than 7 & 8 will be done every five years or so.    
 
Distribution 
 
- 
Spring flushing has begun.  Posted on the website is a link to the flushing schedule and areas to 
be flushed.   
 
- 
Brian Hieken, Operations Manager, Nem Jankovic, Foreman, and Superintendent Miner looked 
at vac trucks for the Lead Service Line project (for when pot holing to identify water service 
pipe material of construction begins to complete our service line inventory assessment). The 
trucks are expensive (large truck; 10-wheel, is around $700,000 and a 6-wheel about $400,000).  
Grants and other possible funding sources are being looked into through NHDES. 
 
As part of the project, we will have to identify every customer service line.  We can do 
statistical analysis (perhaps 900-1,000 samples).  If a neighborhood where lead service lines are 
not found, we would be good.  Asked if this would mean going through the ground down to the 
service line, he stated that the vac trucks are hydro excavators.  We could go out and dig each 
one up with a backhoe, but this is less invasive. 
 
Commissioner von Schoen questioned if there is a contractor that could be hired for this work 
andwas told that was looked into.  It was also expensive. 
 
Vice Chair Clement commented if we own the equipment, we then have the equipment that can 
serve other purposes.  Superintendent Miner stated there is a vac machine in service now, but it 
is a smaller one for valves.  
 
The truck itself has an air compressor and water jet so you can do either.  Business Manager 
Lavoie noted the water can be heated as well.  Superintendent Miner spoke of having viewed a 
demo; they get down to the curb stop in about ten minutes, which cuts the excavation time a 
great deal. 
 
Asked if other water companies utilize the equipment, Superintendent Miner stated while there 
he witnessed Pennichuck picking one up.  There had been a loan program with some 
forgiveness, which he believes a number of towns took advantage of.   
 

 
Merrimack Village District – Board of Commissioners 
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Administrative: 
 
PFAS Watermain Extensions 
 
- 
Farmer & Mason and Palmeri; final paving and punch list items cleanup began on April 16th.    
 
- 
Wilson Hill and Mullikin; punch list items scheduled for the week of April 27th.  Final paving 
postponed to a later date pending NHDES approval of overlay.  
 
The original approval for the overlay was verbal.  They have pulled that back and want to do a 
punch patch for that one side/lane; basically, an overlay of one lane.  We are trying to push back 
a bit to see if we can get a double width overlay.  It was only about a $20,000 difference on 
change orders.  It would be more expensive but a better product when completed.   
 
Supply Options Work Session on April 8th.  
 
- 
Reviewed progress to date.  Draft report target is May/June.  Meeting notes were included with 
the agenda packet.   
 
A meeting took place with Josh Teixera, Project Engineer II, Underwood Engineers, on April 
10th to conduct a work session for Greatstone and Bebee Lane to get the projects timeline 
together, etc.   
 
3. Board of Commissioners to discuss funding and term options offered by NHDES for the 
Greatstone and Beebe Lane areas and the restructuring of the current NHDES remediation Loan 
Fund (RLF). 
 
The Commission was presented with options for the restructuring of the current loan.  With 
settlement funds applied to/reducing the amount of the existing loan, which has an interest rate of 
1.57%, the following options were presented: 
 
- 
Move to a ten-year loan that would have payments remain at $500,320.27 and result in interest 
saved, over the life of the loan, in the amount of $1,025,602.58 or  
 
- 
Stay with the twenty-year loan and reduce the annual payment to $235,747.16 resulting in 
interest savings of $690,068.50. 
 
Noted were options for the Greatstone and Beebe Lane area loans; ten-year loan at 2.595% and an 
annual payment of $538,099.71 or twenty-year loan at 4.152% and an annual payment of 
$348,885.94. 
 
Also provided were examples of what debt payments and total loan costs might be when adding to 
the existing debt the cost of the Greatstone Drive and Beebe Lane projects, based on ten- or twenty-
year loans or a combination of the two. 
 
Business Manager Lavoie added the numbers cited for the new loan represent a worst-case scenario, 
and do not consider loan forgiveness and/or grant funds (how the cost has to be identified within the 

 
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structure of the loan).  That level of detail was not included in the information provided as the only 
question before the Commission at this time was how to proceed with the existing loan/debt.  The 
numbers identified were intended to provide an idea of what the total costs could be (worst-case) 
based on adding the new debt to the existing debt restructured for either a ten- or twenty-year loan. 
 
Also noted was that the settlement amount has gone up by about $57,000, which was not included 
in the original meeting notes.   
 
Chair Provencher stated concern with the annual payment amounts cited and every option resulting 
in an annual payment that is higher than the current commitment when the premise of moving 
forward with the new projects was the ability to do so without resulting in a rate increase.  He noted 
the information provided for the total of the new project debt was principal and interest.  He was 
uncertain if the amount referenced identified the principal amount of the debt minus the loan 
forgiveness and grant funds.     
 
Vice Chair Clement noted if going with the option of the twenty-year loan for both the current loan 
and new projects loan, the annual payment would increase by $84,633.10.   
 
Chair Provencher questioned why the actual/real numbers are not yet understood.  Vice Chair 
Clement stated they are not real loans yet, and stressed the numbers cited are estimates until the 
project has gone out to bid, designs are completed, etc.   
 
Chair Provencher stated he would not vote to proceed with the new projects if the MVD customers’ 
rates were to increase as a result.  Vice Chair Clement reminded the Commission the voters 
approved the articles as presented and with the understanding that the projects did not have to move 
forward if the funding sources were not available. 
 
Chair Provencher remarked if the actual numbers were known (total principal less the loan 
forgiveness and grant funding), it could be that the example of the 20-year loan on new debt and 10-
year loan on existing debt might be more favorable than the $773,846.87 listed and perhaps a better 
option. 
 
Vice Chair Clement stated her belief the amount shown for the Greatstone/Beebe project is what the 
principal and interest is on the $4.2 million. It was confirmed that the options provided for the 
Greatstone and Beebe Lane area loans are not based on the$4.2 million, but based on a higher 
amount which did not account for the loan forgiveness and grants. Chair Provencher stated that it 
was his desire that the loan payment tables presented to the Commissioners would have been based 
on the actual $4.2 million amount in order to evaluate what the combined annual payments would 
be for the combination of the proposed re-amortized old loan and the amortized new loans including 
grants and loan forgiveness.  
 
Reiterated was the only decision the Commission was asked to make, at this time, was how to 
restructure existing debt. 
 

 
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Superintendent Miner stated there had previously not been an option for the restructuring of the 
current loan.  It is because that option is now available that the Commission is being asked to take a 
position.   
 
Commissioner Sabens noted were the current loan structured as a twenty-year loan, the result would 
be lowering the annual payment amount.  He noted the 1.57% interest rate on the current loan and 
spoke of the desire to keep that low rate for the long-term.   
 
Also noted was that potential future settlements could eliminate the original loan altogether as the 
requirement is to utilize settlement funds to pay down/off that debt. 
 
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER SABENS TO AMORTIZE THE LOAN TO THE LOWER 
PAYMENTS OVER A TWENTY-YEAR PERIOD 
MOTION SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER CLEMENT 
MOTION CARRIED 
5-0-0 
 
4. Board of Commissioners to review the minutes from the March 16, 2026, regular and non-
public meetings and the March 31, 2026, Annual Meeting. 
 
Board of Commissioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
March 16, 2026 
 
Board of Commissioners - Non-Public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
March 16, 2026 
 
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER CLEMENT TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE 
MARCH 16, 2026, REGULAR MEETING AND NON-PUBLIC SESSION, AS PRESENTED 
MOTION SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER ALLEN 
MOTION CARRIED 
5-0-0 
 
Board of Commissioners Annual Meeting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
March 31, 2026 
 
The following amendment was offered: 
 
Page 3, Line 33; should read:  “Is wildly in favor of this.” 
 
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER VON SCHOEN TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE  
ANNUAL MEETING CONDUCTED ON MARCH 31, 2026, AS AMENDED 
MOTION SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER CLEMENT 
MOTION CARRIED 
5-0-0 
 
5. Board of Commissioners to review Action Items from previous meetings and those to be added 
from this meeting. 
 
Action Items were reviewed.  No changes were made. 

 
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6. Old Business  
 
Commissioner Sabens spoke of a comment made last month about social presence, e.g., people 
being aware of the date of the Annual Meeting, etc.  He stated the number of MVD followers on 
Facebook is 799, and suggested posting the MVD Facebook page on one of the two larger forums in 
Town to increase awareness.  He would like to see increased social outreach by MVD as a whole.  
The method by which that occurs is up to the Administration.   
 
Commissioner Sabens commented on a discussion that came up during the Annual meeting 
regarding the Town having separate funding available for residents having wells.   
 
Business Manager Lavoie stated the Town does have its own funding source.  However, it comes 
from the same bucket from the State.  Residents can take advantage of one or the other, but not 
both.   
 
Asked, Business Manager Lavoie stated the Town’s maximum funding amount is $6,500 and can be 
applied to watermain extensions and/or in-home filters.  The available amount through the DES is 
the $10,000 towards a new service connection. 
 
Business Manager Lavoie stated the need for the Board to authorize the Superintendent to borrow 
funds for the Greatstone Drive/Beebe Lane Area projects.  There are three different authorities for 
borrowing of funds.  There is the need for him to sign the final application for the loan agreement, 
and for the Commission to authorize him to sign off on any documents that need to be submitted for 
the final loan application.   
 
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER CLEMENT TO AUTHORIZE THE SUPERINTENDENT 
TO SIGN ALL NECESSARY DOCUMENTATION FOR THE LOAN APPLICATIONS 
FOR GREATSTONE AND BEEBE LANE 
MOTION SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER ALLEN 
MOTON CARRIED 
5-0-0 
 
7. New Business  
 
Chair Provencher noted the packet included information on a work session that occurred on 2026 
water supply options evaluation.   
 
8. Questions from the Public/Press  
 
Commissioner von Schoen spoke of an individual in attendance who has expressed an interest in 
being involved in the MVD.  He was encouraged to attend a few meetings. 
 
ADJOURNMENT 
 
MOTION BY COMMISSIONER VON SCHOEN TO ADJOURN 
MOTION SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER ALLEN 

 
Merrimack Village District – Board of Commissioners 
Organizational Meeting 
 
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MOTION CARRIED 
5-0-0 
 
The April 20, 2026, meeting of the Board of Commissioners was adjourned at 6:56 p.m. 
 
 
Submitted by:  Dawn MacMillan, Recording Secretary