Selectmen Meeting Minutes 11/24/2025
The Board approved the 11/12/2025 meeting minutes and the Consent Calendar, including seven building permits and one shoreline cutting application. The Winter Parking Ordinance public hearing was tabled until the next meeting on December 10, 2025. Town Administrator Emily Owens updated the landfill monitoring contract with CMS Engineering, keeping costs unchanged. The Board granted an abatement request from Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust for the Byron Barton parcel, reducing the assessment by $1,691.00 for a tax abatement of $33.65. Regarding recreation, the construction of two dugouts at the Recreation Park was reported complete. The Board entered non-public session twice under RSA 91-A:3 II-a and four times under sections II-a, II-c, and II-l. All motions to enter, leave, and seal these sessions passed with roll call votes of 3-0. The meeting adjourned at 6:48 PM. Source: https://www.granthamnh.gov/vertical/sites/%7B8E4EE0D6-AAA5-4E63-B5FA-19873AF96E35%7D/uploads/2025.11.24_Selectmen_Mtg_Minutes.pdf
APPROVED 2025 November 24 Page 1 of 5 Town of Grantham Board of Selectmen Meeting Minutes November 24, 2025 The regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was called to order at 5:02 PM on Wednesday, November 24, 2025, by Chair Warren Kimball. The Board met in the Grantham Town Building, Jerry Whitney Memorial Conference Room, 300 Route 10 South, Grantham, NH. Present: Chair Warren Kimball; Selectman Peter Garland; Selectman Jeremy Walla; Town Administrator Emily Owens; Administrative Assistant III Ann Jasper; Police Captain James MacKenna; Trustee of the Trust Funds Tom Shemanske; Building Needs Committee Member Maria Dahlman; and Tod Lloyd APPROVAL OF MINUTES Selectman Walla made a motion to approve the meeting minutes of 11/12/2025; seconded by Selectman Garland. Unanimously approved. CONSENT CALENDAR (public comment not accepted) 1. Building Permits: a. M/L 220-055-000; 729 Olde Farms Road – Floor Framing b. M/L 234-108-000; 12 Greensward Drive – Generator, Mini-Split c. M/L 213-020-000; 57 Anderson Pond Road – Heat Pump d. M/L 213-020-000; 57 Anderson Pond Road – Rooftop Solar e. M/L 241-007-003; 3 Brookside Drive – New House f. M/L 215-009-019; 819 Covered Bridge Lane – Kitchen Remodel g. M/L 214-050-000; 16 Spring Valley Drive – Bathroom Remodel 2. Shoreline Cutting Application: M/L 215-048-000; 422 Road Round the Lake 3. Correspondence: a. Brian Poljacik b. Southwestern Community Services c. UVLSRPC November 2025 E-Bulletin Selectman Garland made a motion to approve the Consent Calendar; seconded by Selectman Walla. Unanimously approved. PUBLIC HEARING Winter Parking Ordinance: Tabled until the next meeting on December 10, 2025. APPROVED 2025 November 24 Page 2 of 5 OLD BUSINESS Class VI Highway Ordinance(s): No new information a. Rescind the 1997 and 2000 Ordinances to close Class VI Highways: b. Adopt Ordinance regulating weights on Town Highways Construction of Two Dugouts at the Recreation Park: The Dugouts are complete. NEW BUSINESS Fire-EMS Activity Report 10/26/2025 – 11/08/2025: The report was reviewed. The Selectmen commented that they wished we had more people responding. Town Administrator: The contract with CMS Engineering was updated for the Grantham Landfill monitoring and reporting. The cost is the same. An abatement request was received from Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust for the Byron Barton parcel. One of the parcels is listed as 182 acres. They had it surveyed and it is actually 150 acres. The Assessors recommended that the Board grant the abatement. This will reduce the assessment by $1,691.00. They are requesting an abatement in the amount of $33.65 for this year. Owens attended the NHMA Conference and said it was excellent. Prior to the conference, she asked office staff what topics they were interested in as they offered multiple sessions to choose from at the conference, many happening at the same time. The choices were very good, and she learned a lot. She said she would like to take someone with her next year as there is a lot to cover. Selectman Walla stated that, as we have previously spoke, there is sometimes a need for emergency heat for some people in the community. Sometimes, this is handled through welfare and sometimes those people burn wood. When the Building Needs Committee toured the Warner Transfer Station, there was a section off of that property where there is a community wood bank, where there is wood that has been dried, and people could come and ask for it. He mentioned this to Jeff Walla, who is a member of the Conservation Commission, and Jeff Walla mentioned it to Dave Wood, the Chair. Wood said that is not something the Conservation Commission could legally manage, but there might be a group of people who could help. Selectman Walla wanted to know what they thought about the Town publicizing that we feel there might be a need for it and that we are looking for people who might be interested in organizing it. It won’t be the Town setting it up but a group and we are willing to provide guidance and maybe help with locating somewhere to do it, but someone needs to figure out the detail. If people show interest, great, if they don’t, it doesn’t happen. Chair Kimball said we can certainly look into it to see what kind of interest there is, but wood does require a lot of labor and time. Selectman Walla thought we could put something in the e-news. Selectman Garland noted that as they were sitting in the budget hearing that afternoon, there were a lot of donations of food for the food bank, so there is a lot of interest in helping out neighbors. Selectman Walla said they also talked about the Conservation Commission cutting some stuff on trails, hauling it out and giving it to this group and things like that. Maria Dahlman asked if they could quantify the need. Selectman Walla said they recently had a case where it was needed urgently. He didn’t know the scope of it but was APPROVED 2025 November 24 Page 3 of 5 sure other communities also have the need. Dahlman mentioned that she just discovered that the Kearsarge Community Presbyterian Church in New London has a wood bank. CITIZEN COMMENTS There were no citizen comments. NON-PUBLIC Session 1: In accordance with RSA 91-A:3 section II-a, a motion was made by Selectman Garland and seconded by Selectman Walla to enter into a Non-Public session at 5:15 PM. Present: Chair Warren Kimball; Selectman Peter Garland; Selectman Jeremy Walla; Town Administrator Emily Owens; and Administrative Assistant III Ann Jasper Roll Call vote to enter non-public session: Chair Warren Kimball - Yes; Selectman Peter Garland - Yes; Selectman Jeremy Walla – Yes A motion was made by Selectman Walla to leave the Non-Public session and return to Public Session at 5:20 PM, seconded by Selectman Garland. Unanimously approved. A motion was made by Selectman Garland and seconded by Selectman Walla to seal this Non-Public session because it was determined that divulgence of this information likely would adversely affect the reputation of any person other than a member of this board. Unanimously approved. Session 2: In accordance with RSA 91-A:3 section II-c, a motion was made by Selectman Walla and seconded by Selectman Garland to enter into a Non-Public session at 5:20 PM. Present: Chair Warren Kimball; Selectman Peter Garland; Selectman Jeremy Walla; Town Administrator Emily Owens; and Administrative Assistant III Ann Jasper Roll Call vote to enter non-public session: Chair Warren Kimball - Yes; Selectman Peter Garland - Yes; Selectman Jeremy Walla – Yes A motion was made by Selectman Walla to leave the Non-Public session and return to Public Session at 5:35 PM, seconded by Selectman Garland. Unanimously approved. A motion was made by Selectman Garland and seconded by Selectman Walla to seal this Non-Public session because it was determined that divulgence of this information likely would adversely affect the reputation of any person other than a member of this board. Unanimously approved. Session 3: In accordance with RSA 91-A:3 section II-l, a motion was made by Selectman Walla and seconded by Selectman Garland to enter into a Non-Public session at 5:35 PM. Present: Chair Warren Kimball; Selectman Peter Garland; Selectman Jeremy Walla; Town Administrator Emily Owens; and APPROVED 2025 November 24 Page 4 of 5 Administrative Assistant III Ann Jasper Roll Call vote to enter non-public session: Chair Warren Kimball - Yes; Selectman Peter Garland - Yes; Selectman Jeremy Walla – Yes A motion was made by Selectman Garland to leave the Non-Public session and return to Public Session at 6:16 PM, seconded by Selectman Walla. Unanimously approved. A motion was made by Selectman Walla and seconded by Selectman Garland to seal this Non-Public session because it was determined that divulgence of this information likely would adversely affect the reputation of any person other than a member of this board. Unanimously approved. Session 4: In accordance with RSA 91-A:3 section II-a and c, a motion was made by Selectman Walla and seconded by Selectman Garland to enter into a Non-Public session at 6:17 PM. Present: Chair Warren Kimball; Selectman Peter Garland; Selectman Jeremy Walla; Town Administrator Emily Owens; and Administrative Assistant III Ann Jasper Roll Call vote to enter non-public session: Chair Warren Kimball - Yes; Selectman Peter Garland - Yes; Selectman Jeremy Walla – Yes A motion was made by Selectman Garland to leave the Non-Public session and return to Public Session at 6:35 PM, seconded by Selectman Walla. Unanimously approved. A motion was made by Selectman Garland and seconded by Selectman Walla to seal this Non-Public session because it was determined that divulgence of this information likely would adversely affect the reputation of any person other than a member of this board. Unanimously approved. Session 5: In accordance with RSA 91-A:3 section II-c, a motion was made by Selectman Walla and seconded by Selectman Garland to enter into a Non-Public session at 6:35 PM. Present: Chair Warren Kimball; Selectman Peter Garland; Selectman Jeremy Walla; Town Administrator Emily Owens; and Administrative Assistant III Ann Jasper Roll Call vote to enter non-public session: Chair Warren Kimball - Yes; Selectman Peter Garland - Yes; Selectman Jeremy Walla – Yes A motion was made by Selectman Walla to leave the Non-Public session and return to Public Session at 6:48 PM, seconded by Selectman Garland. Unanimously approved. A motion was made by Selectman Garland and seconded by Selectman Walla to seal this Non-Public session because it was determined that divulgence of this information likely would adversely affect the reputation of any person other than a member of this board. Unanimously approved. APPROVED 2025 November 24 Page 5 of 5 ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Selectman Garland moved to adjourn, seconded by Selectman Walla; by unanimous vote, the Board adjourned at 6:48 PM. The next regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen will be held on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, at 5:00 PM. Respectfully submitted, Ann Jasper Administrative Assistant III