Belmont voters approve new police station

BELMONT — Voters approved a $3.5 million new police station in Belmont, re-elected the Meredith town clerk and picked a semi-retired construction consultant as a new selectman in Gilford, among many races and issues decided in annual town elections Tuesday.

The new police station will be built in place of the Corner Meeting House, which will be torn down along with the old police headquarters.

Residents favored the plan 688-428, exceeding the three-fifths vote required for the plan to replace the current cramped building that has served as police headquarters for 25 years in what used to be the fire station.

Money for the project will come from a bond. Over 20 years and at 2.45 percent interest, it is estimated the bond’s impact would be 30 cents on $1,000 of assessed value. For example, the property tax increase on a $200,000 home would be $60 per year.

Opposition that had emerged centered not on whether a new station was needed, but where it should be built.

Belmont voters also selected Claude “Sonny” Patten as selectman. He defeated George Condodemetraky, 811-244.

On Saturday, Tilton voters will decide whether that town should build a new police station.

In Gilford, Kevin Hayes, who holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a master’s degree in business administration, won election as selectman, succeeding Richard “Rags” Grenier. Hayes received 544 votes to defeat Denise Morrissette Gonyer (537), the state registrar of vital records and the former Gilford town clerk, and Angelo Farruggia (162), owner of Fire N’ Stone in Tilton. In the Gilford School Board race, Kyle Sanborn defeated Amber LaTorre, 603-579. 

In Meredith, Stacy Bivolcic, assistant town clerk in Gilford, failed in her bid to unseat her former boss, Town Clerk Kerri Parker. Parker won 553-439. 

Other races:

• Alton: voters elected Rossiter "Bob" Holt (378 votes) and Reuben Wentworth (633), an incumbent, to the Board of Selectman. John Markland had 310 votes. Alton results: https://tinyurl.com/sjjxaqo

• Ashland: voters rejected a plan to buy the former elementary school property for $525,000 from the Tri-County Community Action Program. The building at 41 School Street would have been used by the Ashland Town Library. The estimated tax impact for 2021 would have been 23 cents per thousand dollars of assessed valuation. Ashland results: https://tinyurl.com/suf3aau

• Bristol: incumbent Donald Milbrand and Anita Avery were elected to the two positions in play in a five-way race. Avery received 257 votes and Milbrand received 238. John Sellers had 165 votes, Paul Barnett 108 and Douglas Voelbel 58. Bristol results: https://tinyurl.com/s373dcs

• Gilmanton: voters approved raising and appropriating $194,000 to plan, design and conduct restoration of the Old Town Hall, and to apply for grants to cover half the costs. They also approved another warrant article that calls for selling the building in the event grants to cover 50 percent of the project don’t materialize. Vinnie Baiocchetti defeated incumbent Marshall Bishop, 476-175. Selectmen, including Bishop, were involved with litigation over directives issued to the police department. In his campaign, Baiocchetti, the former police chief in Belmont, said selectmen have had too many nonpublic sessions, breeding suspicion and mistrust and in some cases violating the Right-to-Know Law. Gilmanton results: https://tinyurl.com/yxxucmja

• Moultonborough, Joel Mudgett, an incumbent, and James Gray were elected to the Board of Selectmen. Mudgett had 651 votes, Gray, 491; Susan Price, 461; Shari Colby, 184. https://tinyurl.com/wzhdr6d

• New Hampton, voters approved an article to allow temporary signs without time limitations or requirements for notifying the town. They also approved raising and appropriating $200,000 for repaving of town roads, with $50,000 of the money coming from the fund balance and the other $150,000 through taxation. New Hampton results: https://tinyurl.com/rprjyrx