Draft of new Meredith Hazard Mitigation Plan available for review and comment through Thursday

The Meredith Hazard Mitigation Committee has announced completion of the draft Town of Meredith Hazard Mitigation Plan 2009 update.

The Committee would like to invite the local businesses, citizens, and neighboring municipalities to comment on the DRAFT Hazard Mitigation Plan 2009 update. The plan will be available for review during a public comment period from March 16-19, 2009 at the Meredith Town Annex. Comments on the Plan can be addressed via e-mail or postal mail no later than 3:00 p.m. March 19, 2009, to Erica Anderson, LRPC, 103 Main Street, Suite #3 Meredith, NH 03253.

The committee is represented by a variety of local interests including the Emergency Management director, assistant Emergency Management director, Public Works, Fire Department, Police Department, Water and Sewer, Code Enforcement officer, and Community Development Department. The committee worked in cooperation with the N.H. Department of Safety, Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Board of Selectmen, North Country Resource Conservation and Development Area Council, and the Lakes Region Planning Commission to develop the draft plan update.

The plan is designed to address Meredith’s vulnerability to natural and man-made hazards and will serve to reduce future residential and commercial property losses from hazardous events before they occur. The most significant areas of concern for Meredith were determined to be threats to existing infrastructure, including flooding on specific roads, dam safety and water contamination. During development of the plan, community leaders were able to identify goals and actions to reduce the impacts of these hazards. The plan is also a useful tool for leveraging additional sources of funding prior to, or in the event of, a natural disaster.