Jeanie Forrester: Selectboard hears about aging museum, considers tax abatements

The June 8 Meredith Selectboard meeting included a public hearing on a grant, discussion about an historical building, a long-term financial planning proposal, boat launch fees, tax abatement requests, an update on the 9/11 Memorial and interest abatements.

A representative from Lakes Region Community Developers provided an update on the low- and moderate-income housing project at Francis Court. Funds for this project originated from a Community Development Block Grant application. The initial plan was to demolish and replace four manufactured homes that had reached the end of their useful life. Due to significant increases in material and labor costs since the time of application, LRCD modified the project scope from replacing four homes to replacing three homes, and renovating the fourth unit using any remaining funds. To date, substantial progress has been made on the project with two new manufactured homes installed and new residents moving into these homes at the end of 2025.

Representatives from the Meredith Historical Society advised the selectboard that the Oak Hill Meeting House (aka the Farm Museum) on Winona Road has become an unsustainable financial burden. The building is located in a residential neighborhood with limited traffic and lacks heat, plumbing and septic. Their goal is to seek input from the community about how this historical Meredith landmark might be repurposed to ensure its existence.

David Thorpe and the town manager collaborated in a presentation to the selectboard proposing a process to guide the board and town manager in prioritizing large capital projects from a financial perspective. This iterative process will aid in managing the cost impact of large projects and provide the Capital Improvements Program Committee strategic guidance in funding recommendations for these projects. The town manager and department managers will generate the first version with additional iterations by the town manager and selectboard to create a long-range capital strategy prior to the CIP meeting in September.

The police chief brought forward new information about commercial boat launch fees in surrounding communities. In reviewing comparable practices, he found many municipalities with public and privately operated facilities issue permits to commercial marine operations for access to their facilities. Permits generally ranged from approximately $500 to $1,500 annually and typically include an application process. The selectboard agreed to hold another public hearing to receive feedback from the community before finalizing the fee requirement.

The town assessor advised the selectboard the town has received nine abatement applications for the 2025 tax year, and that homes are still selling over the assessed value. He recommended six of the nine abatements be granted for a total of $14,934.83 in taxes including interest accrued to July 1.

The fire chief reported a revised cost estimate for the 9/11 Memorial of between $40,000 and $50,000, about half of which has been raised. After some discussion about locations for the memorial, the final design was approved by the board, and the memorial will be sited at the fire station.

The June 2025 tax bill was the first Meredith tax bill generated from a new enterprise accounting system. Some taxpayers using the online account for automatic payments did not re-register successfully, incurring unexpected interest charges resulting in abatement requests for these charges. The selectboard felt that since, historically, these taxpayers had paid their taxes on time, the requests should be granted.

The next meeting of the selectboard is at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, June 22, at the Community Center.

Other upcoming events:

• Main Street Dance, 6-9 p.m. on Friday, June 26
• Adaptive Boat Launch Ribbon Cutting at Leavitt Beach, 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 27
• 250th Anniversary Parade on Main Street, 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 4

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Jeanie Forrester serves on the Meredith Selectboard.