Jeanie Forrester: Meredith to improve roads, cemetery, canal

The Dec. 23 meeting of the Meredith Selectboard focused on infrastructure projects (roads, cemetery and canal), and a presentation from the Short-Term Rental Committee.

The town commissioned a long overdue Town Wide Road Assessment to evaluate the town’s Class V road network and related infrastructure. There are 95 miles of Class V roads with approximately 35 miles of gravel roads, with the remainder being paved. The assessment will inform the town about the condition of our roads so that we can create a plan of prioritized investment into one of our largest infrastructure assets.

The engineering study uses a Pavement Conditions Index to calculate a rating for each roadway. The PCI uses a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 being the best rating. Preliminary findings show paved roads have an average PCI of 71.9 and unpaved roads have an average PCI of 64.1. While it appears that conditions are not “dire,” we have fallen behind. (In 2020, it is estimated our PCI was closer to 80, but a budget freeze followed by years of budget cuts resulted in deteriorating roads.)

The next step will be to develop a repair strategy for each road with associated costs and generate a five-year detailed plan and a 20-year conceptual plan and build those plans into the Capital Improvements Program process. The goal is to have an implementation plan for the 2026 budget that the CIP Committee can use for project planning and budgeting.

There was a citizens’ request to create a new Expendable Trust Fund to replace the Meredith Village Cemetery fence on Route 3 with a more aesthetically pleasing one. This historic cemetery is surrounded by a chain link fence with a rotted gate and posts. The cost estimate to replace the fence on the Route 3 side with simple granite posts and black powder coated fencing was between $50,000 and $60,000 for materials, with labor provided for free. Of the cost, $20,000 has already been pledged by the Meredith Rotary Club and a private donation. The Department of Public Works Director advised that he also solicited a quote for heavier posts to better withstand snow load from plows for the Route 3 and Boynton Road side at a cost of over $200,000. Neither quote addresses the entryway gate and posts.

Members of the Short-Term Rental Committee presented their recommendation for license fee and fines for non-compliance to the selectboard for consideration. The $400 annual application fee is based on the estimated cost to administer the program so that there is no financial burden to taxpayers (cost is $108,000 per year, which includes administration and software and assumes 300 licenses annually). The proposed enforcement and fines address: 1. Licensing (renting without a license) which escalates from $300/day to $1,000/day) and 2. Compliance (failure to comply with terms of the STR license) which begins with a warning letter escalating up to suspension or revocation with increasing fines in between.

The selectboard approved the expenditure of $14,850 to engineer a solution for the Waukewan Canal wall which needs repairs. The total repair cost is expected to be between $150,000 and $180,000, with funds coming from the Waterfront Infrastructure ETF.

Mark your calendars. Town elections are on Tuesday, March 11, and Town Meeting is on Wednesday, March 12.

The next meeting of the selectboard is on Monday, Jan. 13.

•••

Jeanie Forrester is vice chair of the Meredith Selectboard.