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Board of Selectmen Agenda (minutes)

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APPROVED 
Candia’s Virtual Selectmen’s Public Session Minutes 
August 10th, 2026, 6:30 pm 
 
Note: Individual roll call has been taken after each motion. 
 
6:30 pm Chair Brien Brock opened the Public Session Meeting followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.  
 
Attendance: Chair Brien Brock, Selectman Patrick Moran, Selectman Boyd Chivers, Selectman 
Stephanie Helmig, Selectman Susan Young and Town Administrator Amy Spencer.   
 
John Stephen – DNCR (Department of Natural and Cultural Resources) – Cemetery Grant 
     NH Executive Councilor John Stephen addressed the Board regarding a recent incident involving a 
fallen tree at Hill Cemetery. He promptly contacted Commissioner Adam Crepeau and his team at the 
Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR), recognizing their valuable contributions to 
various historical projects in his district. Their efforts have included providing funding, grants, and 
educational resources to local towns and communities.      
      Mr. Stephen had a conversation with Selectman Young to talk about the idea of inviting DNCR to 
the Board to take a closer look at the cemetery. The goal was to evaluate the damage and consider 
possible solutions. He introduced DNCR Interim Commissioner Adam Crepeau, and Director Ben 
Wilson for the great work they do in NH, and also for attending the meeting to help out the Town of 
Candia.   
     Mr. Crepeau praised the lovely appearance of Hill Cemetery, noting that some tree maintenance is 
necessary. There is also a chance to secure LCHIP Funding for the site's preservation. Additionally, 
the DNCR runs the Conservation License Plate Program, which allocates a portion of the proceeds 
from these plates to Fish and Game and DNCR, supporting the preservation of historic sites and 
natural resources, along with meeting specific criteria. 
     Mr. Wilson shared that his office focuses on supporting communities in preserving and exploring 
their historic resources, which Candia has plenty of. He also provided a short informational sheet 
outlining educational resources and potential funding options, including grants for cemetery 
maintenance and repairs. They maintain an inventory of documents and files at their office and also 
online which is an electronic database that only requires you to have an email address to be registered 
to use.  It will allow you to use it and to look up all the historical properties that have been inventoried 
as digital files. Hill Cemetery has not been inventoried yet, but it can be. The NH Historical Society in 
Concord, N.H., is a hidden gem that offers an extensive resource database on the Civil War, along with 
a wealth of genealogy information.  
     Mr. Wilson mentioned that they will be meeting in the next few weeks to coordinate dates for towns 
to apply for the grants, as he believes Hill Cemetery would be a great candidate for this program. The 
NH Land & Community Heritage Program, known as LCHIP, provides funding for conservation and the 
preservation of historic buildings and landscapes, which includes cemeteries, and it operates on a 
50/50 matching basis. Additionally, there are planning grants available that would send someone out 
to assess all the cemeteries and create a prioritized written proposal for maintenance efforts going 
forward. He briefly covered the topic of warrant articles along with some options for private funding.  
He feels that the Town is doing an excellent job maintaining and repairing Hill Cemetery. There are 
definitely some trees that will need to be cut due to their lifespan as well as safety hazards and would 
qualify for it. Discussion ensued. See attached.  

Candia Selectmen’s Public Meeting Minutes of 8/10/2026 
 
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John Stephen – Rural Health Transformation Grant 
     Mr. Stephen stated that the Rural Health Transformation Program is a crucial initiative focused on 
healthcare within the state. Following the recent Federal Budget approval, concerns arose among 
acute care hospitals in rural areas regarding insufficient rate increases for Medicaid. This prompted 
extensive discussions, leading to the development of a plan to allocate $50 billion to rural 
communities across the United States. The initial distribution involves $25 billion being shared among 
states, with amounts based on their application, allowing for some variation in funding. The rest of the 
funds will be available as discretionary grants.  
     Mr. Stephen shared his experience collaborating with Governor Kelly Ayotte and Councilor J. Kenney 
to host several hearings in the north, where they expressed concerns about defining rural areas and 
ensuring that this definition aligns with federal standards. As they assisted Governor Ayotte with her 
application, they generated numerous innovative ideas, particularly drawing from Mr. Stephen's 
background in healthcare. He emphasized the importance of homecare to support the EMS 
community, aiming to reduce unnecessary emergency room visits through preventative measures. 
One key proposal in their report focused on enhancing EMS response by shifting towards proactive 
strategies to prevent incidents before they occur.  
 
Update on Fire Department Grant 
     In addition to their focus on telehealth and mental health, Mr. Stephen said they also addressed 
workforce development, which are all vital areas of concern.  Remarkably, New Hampshire obtained 
more than $206 million in funding, the largest allocation for any New England state in the initial year 
of a five-year program. The challenge lies in ensuring sustainability over the full five years. To address 
this, it is crucial to invest in projects that are designed to be sustainable in the long run. Mr. Stephen 
said he wants to make sure the towns in his district that need help will receive a fair shot at the dollars 
that will be available. The approved money will be distributed in 5 hubs and he explained how each of 
them would work. The Governor created a central hub called “GO-NORTH”. There is an internet site 
called GO-NORTH and it shows where all of the money is going. The reason he has called Fire Chief 
Kelley to attend this meeting is for the local fire departments to work together and take advantage of 
these dollars for some type of response. There will be a lot that comes out of GO-NORTH, and the 
Town of Candia could sign up and ask for notification when RFP’s (Request for Proposal) come out. 
You must also be on the CMS Register (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) for definition of 
rural. Our state is working on this and that there is still negotiations going on. The early grants that 
came out of GO- NORTH are $50,000 Planning Grants for EMS and Mobility Capabilities for municipal 
governments, qualified health centers and some of the acute care hospitals. They have given almost 
$2 Million from GO-NORTH and of those can be $40-$50 million Planning Grants. Fire Chief Kelley has 
meet with some other nearby towns and filed an application to begin the $50,000 Planning Grant, 
which could also start some implementation. They will also be giving extra point to those 
municipalities that combine their efforts and file together. Mr. Stephen said he will gladly help out any 
of the 19 towns that he represents.  
      Fire Chief Kelley mentioned that he had a meeting with the Fire Chiefs from Deerfield and Raymond, 
and they agreed to work together on this. The Raymond Ambulance Service will be discontinued in 
June 2027, and the Raymond Fire Department will take over. He also pointed out that both Deerfield 
and Fremont will be losing their ambulance services. The five towns have had discussions and are 
planning to collaborate to enhance each other's services. They wrapped up the Planning Grant on 
Friday and are now waiting for a response. A coordinator has been appointed to liaise among the five 

Candia Selectmen’s Public Meeting Minutes of 8/10/2026 
 
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towns. Mr. Stephen requested that the Chief keep him informed about the progress, as many towns, 
hospitals, and communities will be applying for those grants. If the $2 million is exhausted and more 
funding is needed for additional Planning Grants, they will pursue it. If the Federal Government fails to 
recognize Candia as a rural area, he will be reaching out to them. A discussion followed.  
 
Cemetery Donations 
     Town Administrator Spencer said in order to move forward with this fund they will need the Board to 
vote and create a new trust fund called the Philanthropic Cemetery Maintenance Fund with the 
specific use as outlined in the attached draft.  
MOTION: Selectman Young made a motion for the Expended Funds Interest to be expended to 
support the purpose of this new fund called the Philanthropic Cemetery Maintenance Fund. The 
fund shall be from private donations or gifts and may not include any tax payer appropriations. 
The funds may be expendable for general cemetery maintenance of Candia Cemetery. The funds 
shall be expended under the direction of the Trustees of the Cemetery, and the Candia Board of 
Selectmen shall vote to accept all donations. Canida Trustees of the Trust Fund shall receive the 
funds and it will be  enforced according to the guidelines. Selectman Moran Seconded. Motion 
passed by a vote of (5-0-0). 
MOTION: Selectman Moran made a motion for accept two cemetery donations including one for 
$100 from Nancy Colburn and the second one for $1,000 from Dan Scanlon. Selectman Chivers 
Seconded. Motion passed by a vote of (5-0-0). 
Lt. Stanton – Highway Safety Grant Acceptance  
     Lt. Stanton reported that he submitted an application for a Highway Safety Grant and was awarded 
funding for Highway Safety Grant Patrols, Speed Enforcement Patrols, DWI Enforcement Patrols, and 
Distracted Driving Patrols. He clarified that the funded hours are allocated in 4-hour blocks per shift, 
during which Officers are required to make 12 contacts and also conduct 3 stops and 3 contacts each 
hour. The State granted them $4,800. The Board approved the Highway Safety Grant. 
MOTION: Selectman Moran made a motion for the Selectboard and the majority vote to  accept 
the terms of the Highway Safety Grant as presented in the amount of $4,800. Selectman Chivers 
Seconded. Motion passed by a vote of (5-0-0). 
 
NHDES Grant Application  
      Selectman Chivers pointed out that a number of residents are changing their vehicle's motor oil, 
and until now, they have been disposing of it at the Recycle Center, which has been a cost to the Town 
of Candia. Due to the increased volume, the cost of transporting it has gone up, leading Facilities 
Director Chuck Whitcher to propose a budget of about $7,000 for waste oil disposal for the next budget 
year. They also found an opportunity to apply for a grant from the Department of Environmental 
Services for as much as $2,500 to help reduce the cost of used motor oil. He presented a completed 
Grant Application and will need the Board's approval to authorize Chair Brock sign and submit it. 
MOTION: Selectman Young made a motion for accept the Grant application for NHDES in the 
amount of $2,500 and to authorize Chairman Brock to sign the application. Selectman Chivers 
Seconded. Motion passed by a vote of (5-0-0). 
 
Tom Cavanaugh/Bob Pike - Cemetery Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient 
Tom Cavanaugh was not able to be present at this meeting. 

Candia Selectmen’s Public Meeting Minutes of 8/10/2026 
 
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DEPARTMENT REPORTS 
Highway: Road Agent Wuebbolt read his report and gave updates.  
 
Police: Chief Shevlin read the report and gave updates.  
      
Fire Department: Selectman Helmig read the report.   
 
Building Department: Building Inspector Lavoie read the report & gave updates.    
 
Solid Waste: Selectman Chivers read the report and gave updates.  
 
Budget Committee: Selectman Young said the Budget Committee is scheduled to meet on 
Wednesday, August 12, 2026. 
 
Planning Board: Chair Brock stated that the Planning Board had another continuation regarding the 
reclamations, as they were not yet prepared. They discussed some internal clean-up efforts. 
Additionally, they received the report from the HOP Committee, which was established to assess the 
Town's housing needs in relation to the HOP Grant. Furthermore, they have been collaborating with 
their new engineer, and the partnership has been progressing positively. 
 
Approval of Minutes: Public session minutes of July 13th, 2026. None noted. 
MOTION: Selectman Moran made a motion to approve the July 13th, 2026, Public Session Minutes 
as presented. Selectman Young Seconded. Motion carried by a vote of (5-0-0). 
 
OTHER BUSINESS:  
Selectman Young pointed out that she saw something on Facebook claiming that Candia’s Veterans 
Credits are the lowest of six communities, and some folks are wondering why it is so low. She 
recommended that we explore this issue and think about possibly raising the amount. Mr. Chivers said 
he would check into it. 
 
Calendar: 
• Next Board of Selectman Meeting is Scheduled for Monday, August 24, 2026 @ 6:30pm 
• Old Home Day will be held on Saturday, August 22nd, 2026 @ Moore Park from 11am-2pm  
• The Board of Selectmen’s Proposed Budget Meeting is scheduled for Friday, August 28th, 
2026   
• The Town Hall Building will be closed on Monday, September 7th, 2026, for Labor Day 
 
Selectman Young mentioned that the bathrooms at Moore Park had to be closed as a result of some 
recent damage to the toilets, however a porta potty has been set up nearby. 
 
Selectman Young reminded the Board of State Primary Election Day Voting on September 8th, 2026, 
and will be held at the CYAA from 6:00am-7:00pm. 
 
7:54 pm - Selectman Chivers made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Selectman 
Young. All in favor. Motion carried by a vote of (5-0-0).  

Candia Selectmen’s Public Meeting Minutes of 8/10/2026 
 
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Linda Chandonnet  
Recording Secretary