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Select Board Minutes 05/19/26 Pglof4

MINUTES
SELECT BOARD MEETING
TOWN OF PETERBOROUGH
‘Tuesday, May 19, 2026 — 5:00 PM
1 Grove Street, Peterborough, New Hampshire

Present: Tyler Ward, Bill Kennedy, Bonnie Tucker

Also Present: Nicole MacStay, Justine Hanson, Seth MacLean, Nate Brown, Lilli Gilligan, Beth
Marsh, Craig Fraley

This meeting was broadcast live on Ustream, YouTube, and Channel 22 (Comcast)

Chair Ward welcomed everyone to the meeting and introduced the other members of the Select
Board, Bonnie Tucker and Bill Kennedy, and Town Administrator Nicole MacStay. He then
reviewed the agenda for the meeting.

Motion: Chair Ward motioned to open the Public Hearing Pursuant to RSA 31:95-b at 5:07pm. Mr.
Kennedy seconded the motion.
Vote: All in favor. Motion carried unanimously.

Donation from the Steven Crowe Foundation and the Keith Michael Sullivan Foundation
Recreation Department Director Craig Fraley spoke about the donation of $3,700.00 from the
Steven Crowe Foundation and the Keith Michael Sullivan Foundation, for purchasing an indoor
batting cage. Mr. Fraley explained that the batting cage set up and take-down takes roughly five
minutes each. ‘There is also a protective mat for the floor. Mr. Fraley stated that there is potential
revenue from this. Mr. Kennedy asked how much they would charge for using the batting cage and
Mr. Fraley stated that the hourly gym rate would most likely be charged as it takes up a majority of
the gym. Ms. Tucker inquired about safety precautions. Mr. Fraley confirmed that the activity is
contained to inside the batting cage, so no damage is done to the walls or floor. There was also a
question about the safety of the pitcher and Mr. Fraley stated that there would either be a pitching
net or a pitching machine.

Motion: Mr. Kennedy motioned to accept the donation of $3,700.00 from the Steven Crowe
Foundation for the purchase of a batting cage. Chair Ward seconded the motion.
Vote: All in favor. Motion carried unanimously.

Donation from New Hampshire Ball Bearings

Public Works Director Seth Maclean stated that New Hampshire Ball Bearing had contacted the
‘Town in the fall after an incident at the intersection of their property and Route 202. There was a
suggestion to install speed limit display signs to alert drivers of their speed to help mitigate some of
the issue. The permitting for these radar signs has been completed with NHDOT as this is a state-
owned road.

Resident Deborah Camera voiced concerns about the NHBB employees pulling out of the property

dangerously. Chair Ward stated that may be part of the issue but also the speed limit increases on
that stretch of road go from 40mph to 55mph in a short distance.


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Resident Matt Waitkins voiced his approval for these radar signs and inquired about using the signs
to perform a traffic study on that stretch of road. Ms. Tucker asked if the speed sign’s feedback
influences dtivers’ behavior. Mr. MacLean confirmed that there is a notable change in behavior
when speed is being displayed to the drivers with radar signs.

NHBB Facilities Manager Alex Suzzi from stated that they do not dispute that some employees do

drive faster than they should. They do monitor the issue and when it is brought to their attention, it
is addressed. The hope is that these radar signs can slow the traffic in front of NHBB to the posted
speed limit of 45mph.

Motion: Ms. Tucker motioned to accept the donation of $6899.00 for the purchase of two speed
limit display signs. Mr. Kennedy seconded the motion.
Vote: All in favor. Motion carried unanimously.

Motion: Mr. Kennedy motioned to close the public hearing at 5:18pm. Chait Ward seconded the
motion.
Vote: All in favor. Motion carried unanimously.

Water and Sewer Rate Considerations

David Odland presented an analysis of various water and sewer rate models, noting that the new
Cold Spring bond payment has made water mote expensive than sewer for the first time. He
emphasized that because 80% to 90% of the system's costs are fixed infrastructure expenses, a rate
increase of approximately 60% to 65% is likely unavoidable to meet budget targets. He ran 12
different modeling cases, exploring how changing the "base rate" and "inflection points" (where
higher tiers kick in) could shift the financial burden between low, middle, and high-volume users
Ms. Tucker followed with a presentation focusing on individual customer impact and equity. She
explained that current rate structures have led to significant increases for high-volume users like
restaurants and multi-family units. Ms. Tucker argued for a model that provides a 750 cubic foot
consumption allowance to balance the needs of low users while ensuring that the high fixed costs of
the system ate distributed equitably.

Resident Deborah Camara expressed frustration that her efforts to conserve water (such as using
low-flush toilets and collecting rainwater) felt "punished" by high base rates that she felt subsidized
larger users.

Chair Ward and Mr. Kennedy pointed out that the Town is dealing with "Civil War era pipes" that
are a century behind on necessary upgrades. They noted that even if a resident uses very little water,
the cost to maintain the pipe running to their home remains the same.

Seeing the difficulty of balancing these competing interests, the Board agreed to form a Water and
Sewer Rate ‘T'ask Force. The Task Force, which will include staff members and resident volunteers
such as Mr. Odland and Mr. Walker of Noone Falls, is charged with further refining the model to
identify an equitable rate structure prior to the next billing cycle. Ms. Tucker will be the Select Board


Select Board Minutes 05/19/26 Pg3 of 4

Liaison for the Task Force. The Board noted that while they hoped to make changes before the next
billing cycle, the workload of the tax office may require the task force to target the following quarter
for implementation.

Review and approve meeting minutes from May 5, 2026

Motion: Chair Ward motioned to approve the meeting minutes from May 5, 2026. Ms. Tucker
seconded the motion.

Vote: All in favor. Motion carried unanimously.

Request to expend from Greater Downtown TIF Expendable Trust Fund
Mr. MacLean explained that this is the full contract value for the downtown storm water
investigative work by Hoyle, Tanner & Associates.

Motion: Chair Ward motioned to approved the expenditure of up to $62,950.00 from the Greater
Downtown TIF Expendable Trust Fund. Mr. Kennedy seconded the motion.
Vote: All in favor. Motion carried unanimously.

Request to expend from Recreation Equipment Capital Reserve Fund

Mr. Fraley explained that the basketball court at Adams Playground has been repaired multiple times
since the 1980’s and now requires replacement. Three paving quotes were received, with JDK
Pavement proving the lowest bid, who were also highly recommended by the Highway Department.
Advantage Tennis will return after the new pavement has been cured to paint the court and install
the basketball hoops.

Motion: Chair Ward motioned to approve the expenditure of up to $40,620.00 from the Recreation
Equipment Capital Reserve Fund for replacement of the basketball court. Ms. Tucker seconded the
motion.

Vote: All in favor. Motion carried unanimously.

Request to expend from Adams Pool Capital Reserve Fund

Mr. Fraley explained that this is the final piece of the two-year project to integrate the Adams Pool
into the SCADA system. This allows staff to remotely monitor and control the chlorine levels and
provided automated alarms if chemical levels are too high or low.

Motion: Chair Ward motioned to approve the expenditure of up to $5,000.00 from the Adams Pool
Capital Reserve Fund to finalize the SCADA system at Adams Pool. Mr. Kennedy seconded the
motion.

Vote: All in favor. Motion carried unanimously.

Proposed order to Raze, Repair, and Remove 2 Nichols Road
The Board discussed the status of a fire-damaged dwelling at 2 Nichols Road that has remained
uninhabitable since January 2025. Ms. MacStay read a memo from Fire Chief Walker detailing the


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demolition permit was originally granted in August 2025, the owner failed to act on it, claiming to
the Fire Chief that he "did not know he had a permit". A new permit was eventually issued on
March 9, 2026, and while the owner claimed to be moving forward with asbestos remediation, town
officials had observed no physical work or formal contracts. Neighbors spoke during the meeting to
describe the property as a hazardous nuisance that attracts vermin and creates a foul odor in the
neighborhood.

The Board ultimately agreed that the owner had been given sufficient "benefit of the doubt". They
authorized to move forward with filing a formal court complaint to compel the demolition of the
building.

Contract for Temporary Police Service in Hancock

Ms. MacStay stated that the Hancock Select Board voted to engage in a temporary contract for
Police Service with the ‘Town of Peterborough Police Department. A draft contract was provided to
the Town of Hancock and is currently being reviewed.

Motion: Ms. Tucker motioned to authorize Nicole MacStay to move forward with contract
negotiations. Mr. Kennedy seconded the motion.

Vote: All in favor. Motion carried unanimously.

ADJOURN
Motion: Mr. Kennedy motioned to adjourn at 6:46pm. Ms. Tucker seconded the motion.
Vote: All in favor. Motion carried.

Respectfully Submitted,
Justine Hanson, Administrative Assistant
This set of meeting minutes was generated using Otter.ai and NotebookLM, AI software which uses transcriptions to

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