Meredith Selectboard to take up proposed disc golf course

MEREDITH — The Lake Waukewan Dam project, funding for the new Prescott Park playground, and a proposal for a new disc golf course at Waukewan Highlands Community Park highlight discussions at Monday’s selectboard meeting.

Engineers John Lavigne and Paul Becht, of Turner Group, will make a presentation about the dam project, slated for fall, one of two public updates, where people can ask questions about the project. The next opportunity will be at the Aug. 10 selectboard meeting.

Town Manager Judie Milner included materials in the meeting packet outlining the project. The dam’s owner, Hampshire Hospitality Holdings, received a letter of deficiency from the state Department of Environmental Services Dam Bureau, which classified the dam as “high hazard.”

Turner Group was hired to design and manage the project. Milner said the endeavor has many moving pieces, including the dam, a canal under Main Street, a surge tank, and other items on Mill Falls property, where the Lake Waukewan Dam is located.

Milner, the public works director, water and sewer department superintendent, police chief and fire chief have been involved, and Milner said the current design is “much less disruptive” to Main Street than a previous design which would have closed the roadway.

The majority of the project is funded by Hampshire Hospitality Holdings, with FEMA grant assistance of nearly $5.1 million, but Meredith also has a small portion of the repair, within the canal near the public parking lot. Those funds will come from expendable trust funds.

The board will also vote on the right of entry and storage agreement for piping for the project, which require a 20-week lead time for delivery. At the last meeting, Public Works Director Craig Hale discussed contract specifics, and selectboard members acknowledged the necessity to make sure the project is done quickly and efficiently.

The new Prescott Park playground is open, and the remaining $110,090 in invoices will be discussed, with four options for the board to consider. The recommended option is to use $96,343 from the Parks and Recreation Expendable Trust Fund, and $13,747 from the William Andrews Fund.

A presentation about a new disc golf course at Waukewan Highlands Park will follow. This came at the request of a local resident, who spoke with the parks & rec department staff about developing one. The town has one course, at Twin Barns Brewing, and the next closest are 20 and 40 minutes away, in Sandwich, and Plymouth. The intent is to fund it through grants and a sponsor-a-hole campaign, with minimal impact to the operating budget.

Planner Angela LaBrecque will also discuss a policy for private and Class VI roads.

After the dam storage agreement discussion and vote, LaBrecque will return to talk about short-term rental licensing regulation amendments. Milner will then discuss the New Hampshire Municipal Association legislative policies discussed at a recent conference, and the board is expected to take a vote on supporting them. The board will also vote to approve a pair of administrative abatements.

The Meredith Selectboard meeting will start at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, July 27, in a nonpublic session. The board will enter public session around their usual 4:30 p.m. meeting time.