Jeanie Forrester: Meredith Police, Fire receive donation for drone

Most items on the Aug. 26, Meredith Selectboard agenda involved money, including a request to purchase a drone for the Police and Fire departments, building and infrastructure projects, accepting grants for highway improvements, highway safety, election equipment and a proposal for a warrant article that would encourage economic development.

Our police chief requested the selectboard accept a donation to purchase a drone to assist the Police and Fire departments in performing their duties more effectively. A local family is generously donating up to $20,000 to fund the purchase. The drone would be covered by the town’s insurance and the chief will report back to the board regarding potential maintenance and repair costs.

The board accepted a New Hampshire Office of Highway Safety grant of $7,500 which requires a $2,500 match from the town to increase safety in the community. As alcohol, speed, and distraction continue to be leading causes of fatal crashes in New Hampshire, the goal of this grant is to reduce injuries and fatalities related to driver behavior.

The town also received $221,160 from the annual NH Highway Block Grant Aid program. The funds must be used for construction, reconstruction and maintenance of Class IV and V roads. It can also be used in conjunction with a project in the Bridge Aid Program and road maintenance equipment. By law, all municipalities having Class IV and V mileage are entitled to Highway Block Grant Aid. More information is at dot.nh.gov/projects-plans-and-programs/programs/highway-block-grant-aid.

Our town clerk asked the board to accept $20,000 from the Center for Tech and Civic Life for a new tabulator ballot-counting machine and six new poll pads (tablets) which will make voter check-in easier and quicker. More information is in an article on page 12 in the Aug. 31 edition of The Laconia Daily Sun.

All grant and donation requests were awarded and the board continues to be impressed by the initiative our employees take to continuously seek grants and donations that not only benefit the community but also lessen the tax burden on residents.

A presentation was given on the benefits of RSA 79-E, the Community Revitalization Tax Relief Incentive program. This law encourages investment in rehabilitation of buildings to promote strong local economies and smart, sustainable growth. Under the provisions of 79-E, a building owner would make an application to the town prior to making improvements on their building. When approved and improvements are completed, the improvements would not be taxed for a period of time. To use the 79-E provision, Meredith’s taxpayers will need to approve a warrant article at next year’s Town Meeting.

The interim town manager reported the M/S Mount Washington Cruise Ship dock will undergo maintenance of the aluminum ramp and decking this fall before ice-in, at their expense. Pilings will also be repaired at a future time. The town continues to work through remaining issues on the “new” Department of Public Works building with the contractor; $75,000 has been retained to resolve these issues if required.

The next selectboard meeting is scheduled for 4:30 p.m., Monday, Sept. 9, at the Meredith Community Center.

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Jeanie Forrester is vice chair of the Meredith Selectboard.