Board of Selectmen Meeting, April 21, 2025
Town Beach, Meindl Road, Grading, Committee vacancies.
Town Beach
Concerns were expressed about the town’s management of Town Beach from a resident who heavily uses the beach. They wished to disabuse the board of its previously stated opinion that the beach was receiving little use. The resident has started an online petition to keep the beach open.
Selectmen Dabrieo and Decker said that the Recreation Department had recommended keeping Town Beach closed.
So far, there have been no applicants for the position of Town Beach Attendant.
The board will discuss the issue at its May 5 meeting.
Meindl Road Maintenance
A citizen expressed concerns about the deteriorated conditions on the half-mile section of Meindl Road that goes through Raymond, but is the only access to 40 Nottingham residences.
Historically, Nottingham has maintained that segment, but legal concerns have caused the town to want to stop doing this. According to Selectman Shirland, the Town Attorney says the town cannot legally maintain this section. Selectman Dabrieo said that his understanding was that the board agreed to continue to maintain the section until the issue could be resolved. The Town Administrator corroborated this; however, pointing out that it does appear that the quality of the town’s maintenance has fallen, due to issues associated with personnel turnover.
There was a discussion of the options the Town Attorney presented to the board.
Attempt to get owner approval to continue to maintain the segment.
Attempt to get Raymond to accept the road as a town road
Proposed Improvements to the Intersection of US 4, Rt 152, and Cooper Hill Road
Representatives from the Department of Transportation made a presentation about problems at the intersection of US 4, Rt 152, and Cooper Hill Road. The state is seeking public comment on the proposed solutions. See the online presentation for details. The proposal is to move the intersection and to make it either a traffic circle or a traffic light intersection. Work is not anticipated to begin until 2029.
Police Cruiser Totaled
Police cruiser #3, a 2024 Ford Explorer, was totaled on a call to Coe Brown for a bomb threat. The officer received minor injuries in the crash. The electronic equipment in the cruiser is expected to be salvageable. The insurance company assessed the cruiser’s value at $29.7k. The town needs to come up with $16.9k to buy a replacement.
Road Grading
Highway Director Steve Rollins reported that the town’s old grader is working well this season. Grading is in progress. It takes about six weeks to grade everything. The backhoe is being used to fill in some of the worst potholes until the grader can get there.
Other News
The Recycling Center will switch to summer hours on May 1.
The board decided to buy the Komatsu grader recommended by the Highway Director.
The Planning Board needs to fill a vacancy and is looking for volunteers.
The Budget Committee is soliciting applicants to fill a vacancy.
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