Meredith Selectboard seeks public input on warrant article about Town Hall, Main Street project investment

MEREDITH — The selectboard plans to vote on including an article on the upcoming warrant to invest nearly $1 million in engineering for the Town Hall and Main Street projects.

Director of Administrative Services Robert Carpenter said at the end of the 2025, there were unspent appropriations of close to $500,000. Some was due to unfilled positions and their associated benefits, and some from a spending freeze. About $460,000 was netted from the sale of deeded properties in the summer.

“Similar to last year, we would like to utilize those for an expendable trust fund to put toward future projects that are on the selectboard goals list,” he said during the meeting on Monday.

The article proposes putting $960,000 of the unassigned fund balance into the Community Infrastructure Expendable Trust.

Carpenter said there is a grant application out for $432,000, and if the grant is awarded, the funds go into the flexible expendable trust. Carpenter said projects include the engineering review of the Pleasant Street retaining wall, as well as roads and culverts related to the infrastructure.

“That is kind of the direction that we would recommend the board consider,” Carpenter said.

Chair Mike Pelczar asked if the money should be earmarked for the Main Street and Town Hall projects. Carpenter suggested putting it into the trust, “unearmarked but with intent.”

“If we put the money there and we come across that you want to do the renovation/addition portion of Town Hall, then you have $600,000 there toward the $1.2 million it would take for design and engineering,” Carpenter said. “So, you’ve got a halfway point to where that goal is going to be.”

Town Manager Judie Milner said if grant funding is received, the selectboard could reallocate $300,000 to another infrastructure project. Pelczar wanted to make sure there was flexibility.

“If you get under the ground of Route 25 and Route 3, and all of a sudden that is $12 or $14 million, that extra $960,000 could come in handy,” Pelczar said.

Milner said in December the board wanted to move forward with the Main Street project, and this gives the board the ability to do so. At the moment, funding has left it at a standstill.

“The $600,000 for the Town Hall project, I believe that covered the engineering and architectural costs for a new building, and the engineering and architectural costs for a renovation is double that,” Milner said.

Carpenter clarified the engineering for the Main Street Project is $432,000, and there is some money in the Main Street trust already, along with a warrant article coming up for $75,000.

“The $360,000 is kind of the difference of what you will have available if you push forward the warrant article for 2026, plus the balance that’s in the expendable trust fund already,” Carpenter said.

The board opted to table a vote to approve this on the warrant article until their Monday, Feb. 9 meeting, where a public hearing will be held about the budget, and the full warrant will be presented.

Budget, other warrant articles

Carpenter said the only required public hearing will be for the operating budget of just under $22 million. Other warrant articles will be discussed, with the exception of the vote about Keno, which requires its own public hearing to be held during the Monday, Feb. 23 meeting. The board will also need to vote on warrant articles related to allocating money.

The Drinking Water State Revolving Loan fund will be included in the warrant, regarding $900,000 for the filter project. As outlined at the Jan. 12 selectboard meeting, the filter replacement is long overdue. Water Superintendent Jason Bordeau said filters have not been maintained since the wastewater treatment plant opened 40 years ago. Carpenter said this will be the first article about money talked about at Town Meeting.

The operating budget will be in another warrant article, which includes all operations and maintenance, but not expendable trust funds.

The expendable trust funds, as submitted by the Capital Improvements Program Committee, include the Main Street fund for $75,000, and $75,000 for the Waterfront Infrastructure trust. Part of the Waterfront Infrastructure funds will go toward the canal portion of the Waukewan Dam project, as the town looks to piggyback on the Hampshire Hospitality Group’s construction engineering of the dam.

“While they have the canal empty and out of water, we will do our portion of the repairs to shore up the sides of the parking lot,” Carpenter said.

The Fire Department Equipment Replacement fund request is for $182,000, toward kits for firefighters as included in the department’s replacement plan.

The Fire Department Expendable Trust Fund has $535,000, which goes toward 90% of the Engine One replacement. There is a 36-48 month delivery timeline, and Carpenter said the current engine is more than 20 years old and in “dire need” of replacement, due to both age and wear and tear.

The Parks and Recreation trust request is for $200,000, going toward the Prescott Park renovation plan.

The Department of Public Works Building trust request is for $337,000, as the department has three vehicles up for replacement, including two trucks and a loader. There is also the second payment on financing for an excavator.

There is also a Veterans Service Disabled Credit article, proposing to modify provisions of state law for an optional tax credit of $4,500 for a Service-Connected Total and Permanent Disability Tax Credit on residential property. This would be an increase of $500 from the previous amount.

Carpenter said there is also a Land Use Change Tax modification. Currently, the land use change tax is a penalty on a landowner for changing the purpose of the land.

The town has given the first $50,000 of the fee to the conservation commission for trail improvements and “myriad of restoration projects and land acquisition.” The most recent charge was for a property purchase this year, which added to the Page Pond conservation land. The article is asking to change the amount kept for conservation to $100,000, with the remainder going to the town.

The public hearing will take place at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 9, at the Meredith Community Center.