Board of Selectmen Meeting, May 19, 2024
Town Beach to open as usual for the 2025 season. Court rejects town’s motion to dismiss defamation lawsuit. Town Hall’s new conference room has been opened.
Town Hall’s new conference room, towards the back of the building, has been opened. This was the board’s first meeting to be held in the new conference room. The audio/video equipment is not installed yet, preventing the meeting from being broadcast on cable channel 22. The meeting was live-streamed via YouTube instead.
Town Beach
The board read a statement that it had decided that Town Beach should be open its usual days and times this season: daily from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm, from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. The statement reiterated all of the rules for use of the beach and the access road.
The board, however, decided to hire a part-time beach attendant to enforce the beach rules. Part of the attendant’s job will be to collect data on usage of the beach and adherence to the rules. After the beach closes for the end of the season, the board will discuss the data.
The Town has secured an agreement with the owners of Beach Road to allow public access to the beach for the season.
On Thursday, the Highway Department cleared several blowdowns from the beach and parking lot.
Other Issues Discussed
The town’s two new police cruisers should be delivered and outfitted to be on the road by early August.
There will be a public hearing about changes to the town’s parking ordinance on June 19. Currently, parking fines are $25. Proposals to raise that will be discussed, including a proposal to have different fines depending on location, with higher fines for locations requiring a Nottingham Resident Sticker (i.e, Recycling Center and Town Beach).
Renovations have begun to convert Town Hall’s old conference room into office space for the Recreation Department. It is anticipated that this work will be completed on June 4.
The Board of Selectmen of the Town of Raymond has passed a resolution declaring that the 0.5-mile section of Meindl Road that leads to public roads in Nottingham is a private road that Raymond will not take care of. This resolution was passed in response to a request from Nottingham for Raymond to maintain that section. The Nottingham Board of Selectmen will respond to this by requesting Raymond declare that section of road an Emergency Way such that it will be legal for Nottingham to maintain it to allow emergency access to the homes in Nottingham that can only be reached by traveling that section of road.
A resident complained about speeding on Rocky Hill Road. He said the road lacked a speed limit sign and could use a children-playing sign. The board approved both of these requests, and approved a no-outlet sign.
The board rejected several applications for elderly tax exemptions.
Other News
Rockingham Superior Court rejected the town’s motion to dismiss the defamation lawsuit filed by the town’s former Fire Chief against the town and two of its former firefighters.
