Meredith Selectboard members remain critical about process to construct 9/11 memorial

MEREDITH — The 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, is coming up, and while town leaders support a new memorial, selectboard members are concerned about a process where they felt left in the dark.

Fire Chief Ken Jones met with the selectboard on Monday, where he told them if there was a policy he didn’t follow, he didn’t know about it, and asked for them to fill him in.

“It was brought to my attention through minutes here and the public paper that I did not seek permission to do this,” Jones said. “I certainly did not mean intentionally to design something, put something together, and let the association take off and run with it, and create a friction in which it has.”

Jones said after last year’s 9/11 remembrance ceremony, he talked with members of American Legion Post 33 about the fire department taking the lead in the future.

“They had done it for years, and the membership is getting weak there, and they’d like to have the fire department take it over,” Jones said. “So, we gave it a couple months, I brought it up at our association meeting, and we thought it over, and decided we would take it and run with it.”

Jones pointed out the town had dedicated time and effort to the anniversary of the attacks for the previous 24 years. With the major anniversary coming up, he said it was even more fitting for the Wamesit Engine Companies, the relief association of the Meredith Fire Department, to take it on.

A 9/11 Remembrance Committee was established, including members of the fire department, American Legion Commander Al Wilson and past Commander John Dever, and selectboard member Jeanie Forrester. Their first meeting was on Jan. 21, and Forrester was absent.

“In that meeting, it was discussed, whereas this was the 25th remembrance, that it would be nice to put a little effort into it, and do something a little more than what we had done the last 24 years,” Jones said. “And one of the ideas that surfaced in the meeting was to put together a memorial.”

Jones said the memorial would be unveiled during the 9/11 ceremony, then placed at the Central Fire Station. The committee reached out to a local granite vendor, who said if they were going to use black pieces, they would come from Italy.

“If we were going to do it, we had to jump on it, and jump on it now, because of the current shipping, potential problems that we see out there,” Jones said. “For that to be here and be ready for the 9/11 ceremony, we had to make that decision.”

A fundraising effort by Wamesit Engine Companies was started, and the donations to date exceed the original cost, Jones said. A garden layout is proposed on the south lawn of the fire station.

“We think it will be something good for the community, good for the department, and good for the support of the people who paid the ultimate price on 9/11,” Jones said.

Jones was surprised about the issue. He said, in the past, they've had plaques placed on the building for two captains who died in the line of duty. An antique pumper that belongs to Wamesit Engine Companies is in their station, as well.

“Nothing’s ever been said,” Jones said. “If there’s a policy on where I broke that states the fire department cannot put something on town property, please steer me correctly. I intentionally didn’t want to break that. Our efforts are not for that. Our efforts, again, are to do something right.”

Selectboard member Mike Pelczar started the discussion, telling Jones he is “110% percent” behind him. He commended Jones and the fire department for work they do, and pointed to recent funerals and remembrance ceremonies for former Chief Fred Copp and Capt. David Parker in April.

“I don’t think anybody on this board wants anything more than to have that memorial and where it sits, but the steering you to the policy and procedures, is this board basically approves all monuments on town property,” Pelczar said. “The fire station is on town property.”

Pelczar said it is important to stay consistent with policy. He said Jones told him he sat on this for a couple months, and that time could have been spent in discussion with the board so they were aware of the process.

“I understand you’re under the gun,” Pelczar said. “We get all that. Things have to be made, I don’t think that’s the issue. It’s just a procedural.”

Selectboard member Lynn Leighton also praised the department and the memorial, but echoed Pelczar’s concerns they just didn’t know anything about the memorial until seeing a fundraising letter.

“It’s nothing about what it looks like, all of the work that went into it, honestly it has nothing to do with any of that,” Leighton said. “If someone had said something to me, I wouldn’t have been able to tell them what we are doing.”

Forrester, who has been critical of the process in previous meetings, said she is “100% behind the effort,” but the process needs to be followed correctly. She said the board has been very particular about memorial benches and where they are placed, and was frustrated there was no selectboard involvement.

“I don’t know if the breakdown was between you and the town manager, but somewhere along the way, we should have been involved,” Forrester said. “We should have seen what you were proposing. We should not have found out about it through a fundraising letter.”

Jones said Forrester received the Jan. 21 minutes, which included information about the project, and “nothing was ever said.” Forrester told Jones she did review the minutes, but is one in five board members, and has no authority outside this meeting.

“My point is, if it wasn’t an issue then, why was it an issue April 1?” Jones asked. “That’s my only point I’m trying to make. Again, I’m happy to present what we have. This is what we have, and this is where we are.”

Town Manager Judie Milner said she takes full responsibility for herself and her staff, as she had in an email to the selectboard. She is aware of the state law which says town property is the board’s property, and moving forward, will make sure these issues come to their attention.

For this particular project, she asked the board whether they would consider including the memorial on the fire station property, and take it up at the June 8 meeting.

“For me, that sounds appropriate. But we still have to get to the heart of this, and it has to be dealt with so this doesn’t happen again,” Forrester told Milner. “And that’s on you.”

“That’s on me,” Milner agreed. 

Jones was expecting to meet with a landscaper on Tuesday, and hoped to have a final design soon after. Milner asked Jones to have a design to present by Thursday, June 4, so it would be ready for the Monday, June 8 selectboard meeting.