Planning Board - Regular Meeting

Good evening. We're just going to take another minute to let everybody get settled and then we'll start in just a moment. Thank you. Okay, good evening again. The hour of 6:30 p.m. having arrived, I will call to order this regular meeting of the planning board. This meeting is being broadcast live on the city of Keen YouTube channel. The video will be a also be streaming on the city's website and will be posted on the website by the end of the next business day barring any technical difficulties. Anyone wishing to view a copy of the agenda and supporting materials will find it on the city website. To receive electronic copies of future agenda packets, please go to the homepage and subscribe to the city meetings email list. The public and other board members will be recognized to ask questions and make comments on the agenda item under discussion. After being recognized, all remarks are

to be made through the chair. Will the staff please conduct the role? Harold Fairington here. Robera Master Giovani here. Mayor Jay Khan here. Councelor Molly Ellis here. David Burggeron here. Michael Hayer, Kenneth Cost here. Andrew Madison, and for the alternate, Stefan Mayu, present. Um, Tammy Adams and Joey Kosa. Um, and I believe there is room if you'd like to invite Mr. Mayo to participate as a voting member this evening.

Sure. I would like to invite Mr. Mayhe to participate as a voting member for this evening's meeting. Thank you. Okay. Next order of business is are the minutes of the previous meeting. I'll entertain a motion. Um I'd like to move to approve the minutes from the February 23rd 26 2026 meeting.

Second. Second. Thank you, Mr. Berseron. Um any questions, comments, changes that anyone identified? I just had one minor scribers error on line 84. Uh the word if should be replaced with of if I'm reading it correctly. That's the only one I could find. Okay. with uh with that uh correction uh call a vote. All those in favor of approving the minutes. Any opposed? Minutes are approved. Okay. Next on the agenda is a final vote on conditional approvals. Uh Miss Brener, do we have any final approvals uh teed up for tonight?

Uh yes, Mr. Chair. We do have one project that's ready for final approval. This is PB-20225-18 modification number one for 109 to 147 Key Road, which is the major site plan um modifications for the Revo Casino. So, excuse me. There were three conditions of approval, including that the owner signatures appear on the plan, submitt of five full-size paper copies in a PDF version of the final plan set, and submitt of a security to cover the cost of asbuilt plans, landscaping, and erosion control measures. Um, and all three of those conditions have been met.

Okay, that was uh correct me if I'm wrong, but that was November from November's meeting. So, this was the modification to their site plan which was um Okay. last month. Okay. Yeah. Thank you. I Mary I'm having a hard time hearing. I don't know if it's the post or maybe the uh control room. What is the project 202518? I got that far.

Yes. Sorry. This is PB-20225-18 modification number one. Um, so the motion would be uh moved to issue final approval for What is the project I got? Oh, this was the modifications to the Revo Casino that included um so Mr. Mayor, you and the chair recused yourself from this application. It was the um it's mostly about the vestibule that they're creating. It's a and they're doing facade improvements. um some minor land landscaping changes and some um traffic pattern modifications interior to the site. They also had to add some impervious surface in one area. So they removed it from another area of the site.

So this wasn't the change of use. This was them coming in after the change of use. Yep. Thank you. Yeah, that's what I need. Okay. So, is it safe to assume the mayor and I should also recuse oursel from the final vote? Um, so that would be consistent. Yes. Okay. Do you think it's is necessary for us to sit in the audience? I mean, no, I don't think so. It it since it's a administrative vote, but I'll turn over the uh turn it over to Roberta. Uh, is the motion in the packet because I don't see it?

No, it's not because this wasn't in the final approval memo um because they met their conditions of approval after the packet went out. Um, but the motion would be to move to issue final approval for PB-2025- 18 modification number one. Okay. Then I would like to move second. Okay. Do I need to read it? Okay. Perfect. Okay. Thank you. That's been second. Just need to ask for any discussion or question.

Any further discussions on the motion? Okay. Uh that being said, uh we move to vote on it. Okay. All those in favor? Any opposed? All right. Looks like it's unanimous.

Thank you, Miss Master Giovani. Okay. Uh, now we have a public hearing tonight. Uh, the public hearing is PB-2026-04, Congregate Living and Social Services Conditional Use Permit, 268 West Street. Applicant Keen Serenity Center on behalf of owner Kuritzky LLC proposes to operate a group resource center in an existing commercial space on the property of 268 West Street. uh tax map plat number 576- 010-0000 for day program recovery services including groups, trainings and activities. There are no changes proposed to the building exterior or site. The parcel is 5.3 acres in size and is located in the commerce district. Okay. I would like to ask staff if they have a recommendation for completeness.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The applicant requests exemptions from submitting all plans, elevations, and technical reports. Staff have made the preliminary determination that granting the requested exemptions would have no bearing on the merits of this application and recommend the board accept it as complete. Thank you, Mr. Clement. Um any Well, why don't why don't we uh have a motion on completeness and get us get us going. Um I would like to move to see the application as complete. Second. Thank you, Mr. Berseron. All right. Any uh discussion, comments?

Excuse me. I'm from Serenity Center. The only thing is the address. on our contract with Kixy LLC, it says 294 West. Yeah, I noticed that both of those were in the uh packet, but um it's Yep. Thank you for pointing that out,

Mr. Clement. Do you have any uh elaboration on the address? Yeah, we have that shopping plaza as the the common address that you listed um in that legal language. Um I'm I'm not sure if specific units have numerical common addresses. I know some of them are signified with like a unit A or B or things like that. So So this language just is really referring to the entire shopping complex parcel and that's further specified by the TMP number. Um so from a identifying the subject property and and legal notice it's all above board.

Thank you.

Yeah. Thank you. So it is uh uniquely identified by the the TMP number. Good. Okay. So let's uh let's return to where we were which is uh the discussion of completeness. Any comments? Seeing none, we'll call the vote. All those in favor of finding PB2026-04 as complete, please indicate. Any opposed? Okay. The uh application is is deemed complete. Okay. At this point uh at this time I would invite the uh applicant to present on the proposal. Good evening everybody. Can you hear me? My name is Todd Skillinger. I am a person in long-term recovery. And what that means is since October 10th of 2006, I gave my mom back her son. Uh I am currently the co-chair, executive director, I'm sorry, with Emma Seamer of the Keen Serenity Center. uh our executive director uh had a medical issue. He shall be returning to us April 1st. Uh so this is all new to me. I'm not sure what I'm presenting, but I can tell you a little bit about the center, and if you have any questions, I'd be willing to answer them. Um we're a recovery center. We started in 2013 on Water Street, uh on Carpenter Street, and uh which is now another recovery center called Yanner. You are not alone. Uh we left that center and went over to Vernon's uh mechanic street for a short stint um across the street from the kitchen and then we were were over here on Vernon Street for a little over two

years and uh we recently uh moved into the West Street Plaza. Uh we're a recovery center. We honor all pathways to recovery, helping people find their pathways. Uh we practice recovery coaching through SECAR which is a Connecticut-based coaching academy. Uh we have a staff of five. Uh the executive dire I'm sorry six uh and five coaches. They've all gone through trainings. Uh two of them are certified with the state of New Hampshire as CRSW certified recovery support workers. The other three are in process of getting that certification. Uh we hold an open safe environment for people to come to have their recovery meetings. Uh right now we have a Thursday night meeting once we're all set to go with it. Uh for narcotics anonymous will be in our building. Um we also do uh small events. Uh we have a recovery rocks which is open mic night. Invite the public in. A lot of people in recovery will come in and play music. Uh in between sets we'll do karaoke. Uh we work closely with the community kitchen. uh Love Thy Neighbor Ministries out of Swansea, Tiny Tummies here in Keen and other organizations as partners uh and we hope to serve the community. Thank you.

Do uh board members have questions for the applicant?

Mayor Khan. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I I think that the organization has been incredibly resilient to have had several locations over time and and still maintain a strong client base. I I guess I'm wondering now that you've found this new home, uh have you seen uh an uptick in uh people using the services that you are providing at the location.

Without this permit, uh it was my understanding that we wouldn't be able to actually service people in in the building. Uh but we have seen an up Can you turn on your microphone please?

Sorry. There we go. Is that on now? Um we have seen an uptick. We also do transportation. We provide free transportation to people in recovery or seeking recovery. Uh and we do uh medical assisted treatment transportations every morning. Uh we recently purchased a larger vehicle, a a 16 passenger van and we went from transporting 12 people a day to 18 people a day now with this van uh 6 days a week year round. Uh and so that those numbers have grown and the number of people calling for services and stopping in has been increasing even though we're not open yet. Um, we have been taking a lot of doing telephone recovery services and meeting people like over at Fritzes for coffee and talking with them there. Um, I see this as a positive move for both the community and us because it is out in the open. We're not tucked down in an alleyway like we were before. And, uh, you know, it gives us an opportunity to meet more people where they are. I will say driving into that plaza over the weekend uh and seeing your facilities uh the signage and uh yes the visibility is remarkably greater. A good thing I think for our community.

Thank you. I would certainly echo that. Other questions? Okay. Thank you very much. Thank you guys for your time.

At this time, I'll invite staff uh for the staff comments. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Evan Clemens, planner, zoning administrator. The subject property is an existing 5.3 acre shopping plaza located on the south side of West Street at the southwest corner of the West Street and Island Street intersection. The property contains two commercial buildings, one standalone building with one and one multi-tenant building. The standalone building current contains a CVS pharmacy. The multi-tenant building contains a variety of retail and office uses including uh total fitness equipment, US cellular Gemini screen print. The existing site contains 181 parking spaces, drive aisles, access points on both West Street and Island Street, and other associated site improvements customary of a shopping plaza. The purpose of this application is to obtain a congregate living and social services conditional use permit to allow for a group resource center to operate within an approximately 1500 square ft tenant space located in the multi-tenant building. The unit contains two office spaces, a conference room for groups and trainings, two bathrooms, and a common area. The applicant states in their narrative that there is no outdoor space available for their use. Keen Serenity Center generally operates Monday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 pm with occasional night and weekend activity. These activities are usually less than two hours long. There are five full-time and two part-time staff members as well as several volunteers. Per section 515 of the land development code, this use is permitted in the Commerce District subject to the issuance of a congregate living and social services conditional use permit which the applicant seeks before you this evening. Regarding regional impact, staff has made a preliminary evaluation that this

proposal does not appear to have the potential for regional impact. However, the board will need to make a final determination on that. At this point, I'm going to go through the uh the congregate living conditional use permit criteria. Um in this case, uh the site development standards in article 21 are not going to be evaluated with this application as uh no exterior modifications to the site are being proposed at all. Um so regarding the uh the congregate living criteria uh a the nature of the proposed application is consistent with the spirit and intent of the zoning regulations this LDC and the city's comprehensive master plan and complies with all applica applicable standards in the LDC for this use in section 834. The applicant has stated in their narrative that the Keen Serenity Center provides peer support services for individuals experiencing substance use disorder and incorporates support with family members and support staff. Recovery coaching is proposed by certified staff and trained support specialists. It appears that this use will operate operate similar to an office use which is permitted within the zoning the commerce zoning district. There is no specific use standards in article 8 for a group resource center. uh besides uh obtaining the conditional use permit um and a license. So it appears that that standard has been met. The next standard is the proposed use will be established, maintained and operated so as not to endanger the public health, safety or welfare. The applicant states that the use will operate safely in a manner that will not endanger public health safety or welfare. The door will be locked outside business hours and a security camera will be utilized inside the unit. The existing shopping center has accessible walkways and entrance facilities that will remain unchanged. The center does not offer housing and many clients are not on site for longer

than an hour or so. Staff will be present during all operating hours. So, uh staff believes that the standard has been met. The next standard is the proposed use will be established, maintained and operated so as to be harmonious with the surrounding area and will not impede the development, use or enjoyment of adjacent property. In addition, any parking lots, outdoor activity areas, or waiting areas associated with the use shall be adequately screened from adjacent properties and from the public right of way. The applicant states that the use will be operated in a respectful manner and does not impact adjacent tenants in the shopping plaza. The site itself is a fully developed large multi-tenant commercial plaza and the proposed use will operate in a manner similar to adjacent offices uses. Impacts to surrounding uses or properties would be the same as other permitted retail and office uses in the district. Waiting areas will be located within the tenant space. The large existing parking lot containing 181 parking spaces is screened from the public right ofway and adjacent properties with rows of perennial shrubs and trees. The existing buildings also provide screening from adjacent properties. Staff believes the standard has been met. The next standard, the proposed use will be of a character that does not produce noise, odors, glare, and/or vibration that adversely affects the surrounding area. The applicant states that all activities of the proposed use will be located indoors and will not generate any noise, odors, glare, or vibration outside of normal office activity. It appears that the standard has been met. Next standard. The proposed use will not be placed, excuse me. The proposed use will not place an excessive burden on public infrastructure, facilities, services, or utilities. The proposed use is located within an existing shopping plaza with adequate water, sewer, and transportation facilities. That standard is met. The proposed use will not result in the destruction, loss, or damage of any feature determined to be

significant, natural, scenic, or of historic importance. Again, no new development is proposed as part of this application. It is all going to be located within an existing shopping plaza. That standard has been met. The proposed use will not create a traffic safety hazard or a substantial increase in the level of traffic congestion in the vicinity of the use. The proposed use is located within an existing shopping plaza with adequate connection to West Street and Island Street. The proposed use is not anticipated to increase traffic in a substantial way that would cause congestion in the vicinity of the use. Due to clients utilizing the shuttle service provided as well as access to pedestrian facilities, the traffic generation for the proposed use in real terms may be less than a permitted retail or office use of similar size. It appears that this standard has been met. The proposed use will be located in proximity to pedestrian facilities, multi-use trails and sidewalks, public transportation, or offer transportation options to its client population. As I just mentioned, and as the applicant stated, uh they do have transport, private transportation facilities that they offer, including uh uh two shuttle buses. And then West Street is equipped with pedestrian facilities such as sidewalks and crossing lights. So this standard appears to be met. Um that's all I have. Um the recommended motion can be found on page 21 of your packet. And uh staff has uh recommended that the board uh grant final approval for this application this evening with a single condition subsequent to final approval stating that the applicant shall obtain all required state and local permits and approvals. be happy to answer any questions at this time.

Thank you, Mr. Clemens. Uh, questions for staff. Mayor Khan.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, the conditional use permit, does that assure the public that on an annual basis this is going to come back for what what what makes this conditional? It's that's a great question. The the name is a little confusing. Um some states refer to these as a special permit or a special use permit. In New Hampshire, we call them conditional use permits, which basically means that the use is not allowed by right. It's allowed under specific conditions. And so those specific conditions are laid out in the ordinance. Um, and it requires coming to the planning board to receive this conditional use permit. So, that's why we're here this evening. If um this was a a more traditional office use, for example, um they wouldn't need to come before you this evening. But because the this is considered a congregate uh and social services use, it falls under that umbrella that requires the CU. Does that answer your question?

Most of it. Uh yeah, I think he was asking is this is this a one and done?

Yes. I uh this this is a um a they will not need to come back every year for a new cup provided they stay in the same location. One of our triggers for for getting a new conditional use permit is when um the use moves to a new location. So, the Serenity Center had to get a CUP when for their Vernon Street location, and they're back here before you again because they've moved. Uh the the Congregate Living and Social Services license is an annual license that uh they apply for initially and then needs to be renewed every year. Uh that's a different board and a different time.

Very good. Thank you. Other questions? I have not really a question, but just I I do find myself in that plaza frequently. And uh I I would just mention that there's almost never any there is a roadway behind this uh this office space that they're in that part of the building. And most people don't ever stop or look. So, I would just say that please try to be careful when you're uh when folks are using that because uh people do kind of uh go kind of every which way on that in that parking lot. But that's all I have. Thank you, Mr. Clemens. At this time, I'll invite uh the public, anyone from the public here to to comment or ask a question regarding this proposal. Seeing none, I will close the public portion of the meeting and we'll move to deliberation uh which will start with a motion. Move to issue the final approval for PB2026-04 as shown in the application and supporting materials received on February 10, 2026 with the following condition subsequent to final approval. One, the applicant shall obtain all required state and local permits and approvals.

Thank you, Mr. Mr. Madison. May I have a second? Thank you. Uh Mr. Mayor. All right. Um, questions, comments, opinions, regional impact maybe. Yeah, Mr. Cost. Um, I I I would say this, um, project has no regional impact.

Thank you. Other other comments? you trying to buzz in or No,

no, I I'm just to say just to say that uh I I think whatever impacts there are are positive and uh I I think uh this as explained satisfies the conditions of approvals. I should have thought of this before, but has your mission changed uh in with the various moves?

No, the uh this is actually the first place we were able to put our mission up on the wall and no, it hasn't changed. It has stayed uh it did go through a change in 2019, but it has stayed the same for the last seven years.

Okay, great. Thanks. And uh I I agree with the mayor that I think it's a it's a a significant net positive for the community and appreciate what you're doing. All right, any other comments? Let's call the vote. Uh, all those in favor of final approval on what's our MO uh PB 2026-04. All those in favor? Any opposed? Final approval is issued. Thank you.

Okay. Thank you very much. Sure. Thanks for what you do. Uh just a quick question for staff. The uh next agenda item, is that a public hearing or that's just a board deliberation?

Yeah, that's not a public hearing. It'll just be a presentation um by staff and then you can move to the vote. Um you're always welcome to take public comment, but I don't think we have anyone here so yeah. Okay. So, uh, so we'll move on then to discussion of the, uh, capital improvement program for 2027 to 2020 33. Hopefully, everyone's had gotten their book and has, uh, had a chance to look through it and I'll turn the uh, the microphones over to uh, to you folks.

Good evening. I'm Carrie Chamberlain, the finance director, and joined by Don Lucier, the public works director. Um, just tonight we wanted to give you a little overview. I hope everybody does have their book. Finally, um, just wanted to give you a little overview of the CIP process um, and what's included and just some important things um, to look at within the book just to give you a a kind of an overview of of the um, the program um, in total. So the um the the basis for our capital improvement program is our um comprehensive master plan and our city council goals. Um that lays the foundation for all of the decisions in the CIP. And it's a very involved process. Um it starts with department meetings with the city manager and the finance department. Um each department goes through their proposals for the CIP. It moves from that into a CIP kickoff um which is open to the public um and it's also open to um city councilors um to you know go and they actually have presentation boards so that it gives the um opportunity to walk around and meet with each one of the departments and understand what the projects are um and you know basically try to figure out when the um the projects anticipated to happen what the cost is. So it really just discusses the um the variables with each project. From that process we have special um finance organization and personnel committee meetings. The departments then do another presentation. Um public is also welcome to attend those meeting just to gain some additional insight. Um we also have um had a public hearing um just last week week before. Um and then of course

we are here um to to meet with you and then it does go to um the finance um organization and personnel committee meeting um for a recommendation on Thursday of this week and then to the full city council um for a vote next week. Um the CIP process it's a a balancing act. Um, while we want to make sure that we are investing in the infrastructure of our community, we also need to maintain the affordability for our taxpayers, we give um a lot of consideration to the timing of various projects um as well as the funding sources that we have available. Um we certainly try to obtain grant funding as often as possible um just you know to maintain that affordability. Um and through the careful evaluation and analysis um we want to make sure that we're able to um ensure long tame long-term sustain sustain sustainability um for the for the city of Keen. The um CIP program is reviewed on a bi-annual basis, but we actually review it annually internally. Um especially the the the first two years of the CIP program um are really kind of at the forefront because right after the adoption um of the CIP, the 2027 plan um is what we're going to look to incorporate into our fiscal year 27 operating budget proposal. We've already started having our department meetings for the operating budget. So, there's going to be a little bit of an overlap there. Um, but we need to make sure that um through the CIP process as well as our operating budget process that we are meeting our fiscal policy guidelines

specifically with regards to our debt funding um and our unallocated fund balance. So I think that covers most of the the um kind of highlevel overview of the process and I just wanted to bring your attention to could uh could the projectionist turn on the televisions please? Oh there it is. Okay. So I just wanted to give you a a couple of um places to Yeah, these aren't on yet. Yeah, I think the TVs might be off. Oh, this one's coming up.

Oh, okay. Don't touch anything. Just the uh Yeah, that's good. Yeah,

a lag. So if you look um as I just mentioned about our fiscal policy and making sure that we are in alignment with that um we do have discussion about the unassigned fund balance, the percentages um where we are and where we look to be over the next seven years um as part of the CIP. Um it also discusses our debt service percentages and it does give you an overview for all of our different funds. um not just the general fund but um our enterprise funds, the water and sewer fund as well as our parking and solid waste funds. And then if you go a little bit further, if I make everybody dizzy, um here's a schedule of, you know, the the last few meetings that we have as part of this process. And then um if you want an an overview of the CIP um by year and then by fund, it shows you what our funding sources are each year for each one of the funds. Um so these couple of pages is just a nice breakdown. Um and it also shows you um for instance for fiscal year 27 um you can see that um 12.71% um of the project expenditures um are projected to be from capital reserve funding. And a little bit further, this will show you what our proposed bond schedule is for any um debt funding that we will need for any of the projects by year. And then um Don is going to talk about some of the projects in public works but this shows about shows us um some of the

multifund projects infrastructure programs that we have and then just wanted to show you if I can these pages here. So, I'm not uh it looks like it's page nine. I think it's actually 9 through 13 in the books, but um for the general fund, and this is shown for each one of the various funds throughout the book, but just using the general fund as an example, it will show you um by year what our capital reserve appropriations are going to be. The first couple of pages um are broken down by department. So it shows you, you know, for instance, for the airport, um, you know, the the fiber optic replacement project, you can see that, um, that is going to happen or is projected to happen in fiscal year 2027. Um, but this just gives you a nice overview by department um, as to the various projects that are included in the CIP. And then over the next couple of pages, it'll tell you um by funding source um you know how we expect um to fund the various projects that you saw in the previous pages. Um and as I mentioned, it's very similar throughout the book. You'll see at the beginning of um each fund tab um an overview of the various projects um within those funds. um it talks about um you know the the funding sources and then within each um each fund you'll also see that we have the individual project um re worksheets is what we refer to them as but it shows you it has a little narrative about what the project is um and then down below shows

the schedule and the financial plan for each of And if nobody has any questions, I'll pass it over to the director of public works.

Thank you, Carrie. Um, so thank you, Mr. Chair. Don Lucier, public works director. Um the the community development director asked me to to speak tonight about I guess a little bit about how the the CIP relates to and supports the the the the city's comprehensive master plan. Um so I'll be brief but I I just wanted to touch on a kind of high level um you know correlation. Um the the way to think of this, I think, is that the the CIP is the implementation tool for the the master plan. Um the the master plan establishes your long-term vision, what you want the city to look like in in 10 or 20 years where the ma where the the CIP really identifies the specific infrastructure investments that are going to move us closer to that goal. Um, and I think to that end, the the CIP is is strongly aligned with the six core pillars of your master plan. Um, for example, a significant portion of what the public works program is focused on is connected mobility. Um, for example, the we have a roadway preservation program, roadway rehab, sidewalk, and various trail uh pedestrian and bicycle improvement projects. Uh, traffic signal upgrades. All of those speak to connected mobility and they directly support the the plan's emphasis on safe, efficient, and multimodal transportation. Of course, projects that improve streets, sidewalks, and public spaces also contribute to walkability, neighborhood connectivity, uh quality of place, uh which are the central central themes for maintaining a strong and vibrant neighborhood across the city. Uh at the same time, investments like the downtown infrastructure project, the Winchester Street or West Street corridor improvements, uh managing our

downtown parking assets, uh the numerous uh airport upgrades, all of them help to strengthen the Keen's thriving economy and reinforce our role as a regional economic hub. U another major component of the CIP are projects that protect and enhance our flourishing environment. um to in those in that category, I would point to things like uh storm water management, flood mitigation. Um there's a salamander crossing to to help save and protect the the Jefferson salamander up on Jordan Road. Very excited about that one. Uh road salt reduction initiatives, upgrades to the city's recycling facility. Um even planning for future wastewater treatment plant upgrades that are going to be necessary. These investments align with the plan's focus on environmental stewardship and climate resiliency. And while the the CIP is primarily infrastructure focused, I think it also does advance the city's goals for livable housing and workforce, adaptable workforce. Um, for example, uh we provide highquality emergency services through investments in the fire and police department. Um, we help attract younger workers with amenities like beautiful trail network and well-maintained city parks. Um, for the record, I would insert here that I tried mightily to find an example of how the the assessing assessor uh reevaluation project supported your master plan. I got nothing. I'm sorry. Um but be that as it may, uh the from a planning board perspective, one of the most important considerations is that the CIP helps ensure that infrastructure investment is aligned with future land use framework and that the city is making targeted investments where uh growth and development are desired and

planned. Um an excellent example of that I think is our proposed upgrade to the Blackbrook pump station. This project will allow for additional development and densification in a part of the city that's already been developed and built out. Um, and it allows us to to move closer to the meeting those goals for uh housing and and everything else but while also protecting our natural resources and green space. Finally, the CIP reflects a proactive approach. Throughout the document, you'll see an emphasis on maintaining and extending life of existing assets, uh, planning former emerging regulatory and environmental considerations, and as Krie alluded to, using a a mix of funding mechanisms to avoid uh spikes in either the the property taxes or the utility rates. Um, this approach supports the master plan's broader goal of building a resilient, sustainable, and economically competitive community over time. So, in summary, the CIP is not just a list of projects. It is a direct extensive of your comprehensive mass master plan. It translates your long-term vision into specific, coordinated, and thoughtfully funded improvements. And with that, I would love to take your questions.

Thank you. Uh questions, Mr. Madison. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Evening. Uh good evening. So, I see we moved um the fire suppression system updates for the um the transfer station to next fiscal year. Correct. Correct. Um what kind of a suppression system is it going to be? Is it going to be water or more like a a foam or dry can?

Thank you. Um, so right now at the transfer station there is an existing sistern. Uh, it's a 30,000galon water tank that we keep full for the use by the fire department to to fight fires when we have them. Um, the the facility is also equipped with a dry sprinkler system. What's missing is the piece in between those two components. Right. So, when there's a fire at the the this pump at the fire at the transfer station, um there's an automated alarm system. The fire department will get an alarm that there's a a fire at the facility. They race up there with their trucks. They'll hook up to the sistern and begin pumping water from the 30,000galon tank into the sprinkler system. Um, the project that we put into the CIP for FY27 will be essentially a pump and pipe network to connect those two components and it'll be automated. Essentially, it will replace that that first to arrive fire engine

the sprinkler system. Well, that was weird. Uh it'll replace that that first to arrive fire engine and it really gives the fire department, you know, an extra 20 or 30 minutes to establish a water supply, a tank or shuttle or whatever is needed to to fully extinguish the fire. Mr. Cost,

thank you, Mr. Chair. I I kind of have a process question. So I I I went to the the um kickoff and I attended one of the FOP and listened to the other one on YouTube and I came to the public hearing and I got the sense that for the public um even at the kickoff meeting it was it was pretty fully baked um the CIP I mean a lot of thought went into it obviously each group had a lot of input and know what's needed But by the time it got to the kickoff, I I didn't and even beyond, I didn't sense that the public would have much opportunity to influence projects or if someone had a real serious disagreement with a project, how how that even is such a fastmoving it's such a fastmoving process that I didn't even see how someone could say, you know, that's a terrible project and here's all the reasons and say that made sense how how that would happen. And then just to add on that, I was wondering if during all of the project deciding um if um you you did have um maybe citizens or committees involved like conservation committee who was sitting in with the group who was coming up with flourishing environment projects or h how it's more integrated with the community

um or does it happen sort of just within the city's departments and then gets presented.

Thank you, Mr. Cost. Um, so in terms of process, I I appreciate that you think it moves very quickly. For me, it's been like interminable. Um, but you know, uh, Carrie kind of explained the the public side of the process. Um, what she didn't mention is that, uh, city staff really begins working on this plan, um, August, September of last year. So, yeah, it is true that it moves quickly once it's completed. Um, that said, the kickoff meeting that we hold with the city council really is the the start of the public process. Um, and you know, that first meeting is really about just explaining what's in the plan, giving people time to digest it before it goes to review at FOP. Of course, the public hearing is is really designed for exactly that, for for the public to come express support or discontent with what's in there. Um, that also includes after the public hearing, there's a about a week where, uh, the city clerk will accept written comments. So, uh, written comments can still be submitted through the end of the day tomorrow to the city clerk. Those will also get forwarded to FOP for their consideration on Thursday night. So, any comments that are received from the public, and I know there was a number of comments uh received last week at the public hearing, those are all going to be deliberated by FOP next week or excuse me, this Thursday. Um and then ultimately, it's the city council's decision on whether to make changes or uh you know, accept the staff recommendations and what have you.

Okay. Thank you. I mean, yeah, I understand there's a lot of work went into this. like it's clear. So I was just and that's what was my thinking. It was so so much work and you know so intertwined and interconnected that to start changing things and moving things significantly would probably be difficult starting from the kickoff. But Mr. Madison,

uh thank you Mr. Chair. If I could just offer my thoughts on that uh as a former counselor through the chair. Um, so a lot of times the public will share with counselors um, things they want to see done in the city, projects they want to see done, and we'll work with city staff or with the uh, the city manager to make sure those get into the CIP. So just breezing through it, I saw a couple things that I had brought up when I was a counselor with the uh, the city manager. And so then that constituents had brought to me then I brought to the city manager and now they're you know in this kind of planning document but all that happened way last summer. So so it's kind of a a long-term game that that goes on of people reaching out about concerns they have in the community or things they want to see done or things they want to see changed to their counselors or to the committees or to the various boards of commissions in the city. then those committees or boards or councilors sharing it with city staff and then city staff turning that idea into a tangible product that then winds up in the CIB. That kind of sounds about right.

Yeah, m Mr. Chair, if I may, um he uh former councelor Madison is exactly right. Um that process though never really ends. It's not just last summer. Um the engineering division actually has a a running inventory of CIP requests, initiatives, projects that people have asked for um that they keep, you know, for for the next two years they'll be building that list and that becomes a starting point when they begin the the the next sausage making process. So um you know, boards and commissions want to submit that information, they can do it at any time. we'll add it to the list to for you know trying to work into the process next goround.

Can I just follow up? I I like that. That all sounds fantastic. So, thank you. I wonder if there's a way, maybe everyone knew that happens and I'm the only one who didn't, but if I'm not, I wonder if there's a way to communicate that maybe next time around that this is really a it sounds like it's a public driven process rather than department by department driven process or at least they're they're working together and and that seemed like the missing piece for me. So that would be an important thing because it sounds like a very positive approach. Thank you, Mayor Khan.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, so I'm going to start with a net and then move to some more global that looking for the Blackbrook water pump station. And if I elaborate while you're looking for the page, it it 153, Mr. Chair. 152.

You know, I I I liked your approach to All right. 453. I liked your approach to link projects and uh the master plan. It is obviously what this committee's primary attention. If there's logic to why we're looking at this this evening,

it's for that link, right? And and to say yes, this and and relative to our housing needs. Uh I I think there's a case to be made, very strong one, about this upgrade being uh an essential part to having the water and sewer supply uh that's needed for future housing on what is some of the flattest land that's still undeveloped in the city. Yeah, agreed. can't happen soon enough, huh?

I know you've applied for a grant for this. Yeah, I was I was going to mention that um you know, we we did apply for a grant through uh a congressionally directed spending grant um you know, what some people uh used to call earmarks uh through Senator Shaheen's office. Of course, that's not a guarantee. So, it is in the CIP and and we hope to get a grant, but if not, I think it's still a worthwhile project. Offer a couple more. Please do. Yeah.

Thank Thank you. So our we are going to be using reserve funds pretty heavily right in the next few years to fund what we have right these projects. Yes, we actually we we look at the um the capital reserves to see what is being appropriated to the capital reserve on an annual basis and then um how much we're utilizing for the various projects.

And it's we're we're not at the at the edge of our limits, but we're we aren't too far from it either. it. Well, it's important to differentiate between when we're looking at our fund balance that we're differentiating between our capital reserves that the capital reserve portion of our fund balance and our unallocated fund balance. Um we look to maintain a consistent um and sustainable level obviously in both um but we ensure that we are appropriating enough every year um to cover the various projects that we have. It's all part of the of the CIP.

So we're staying within our guidelines. We are we we did look um and there was um I think you'll note on when we've talked about the debt funding um that towards the end of the CIP so I think we're looking out fiscal year 32 fiscal year 33 um those limits are are getting higher um so we're going to have to kind of re-evaluate and that's why we do this every couple of years because it gives us an opportunity to really re-evaluate our funding sources is and see where we are to see if those funding sources that we had included in the plan say for for this CIP if that's still really the best funding sources to be using when we re-evaluate this in a couple of years

and and some of these funding sources get get timed for uh when other funding sources are available. Correct. And and when the state moves projects out two, three years, uh that's when we maybe get some flexibility because uh they've moved them out further. Uh but we do need to have our dollars lined up with with their funding. Correct.

It's also true for uh as Mr. cost was uh wondering where projects come in. Uh they the thing about a six-year plan is that if you we execute two years at a time, uh it guarantees that the there's a a set of projects that are coming forward uh because they've already been in the plan. Yeah. And it's, you know, just just to reiterate as well, you know, the with looking at this every couple of years, it also gives um the departments the opportunity to look at additional grant resources um that may come up during that time as well. So, what we have for funding sources right now might look different in a couple of years when we're looking at it.

And I guess I I want to add I Having been in the legislature for a half dozen years and seeing regardless of the party that was in leadership, uh, a a very usual allocation of state funds, surplus funds back to municipalities for them to accelerate some of their projects. uh that spot seems to have dried up in the last couple of years and uh if there is any kind of surplus that the state has as a result of uh a tax forgiveness uh program that they've instituted. Uh here's one place where municipalities and towns could benefit significantly to accelerate their programs, limit their debt. uh if the state could uh reinstate some of those fundings, whether that's for water uh or roadway improvements, both of which have been uh in the last couple of years not funded. That isn't that right? So we do get uh an annual allocation from the state DOT uh for I forget the provisions the the the citation and in the law but uh we get about $430,000 to $440,000 per year from the DOT um through the legislature ultimately but uh for our highways and that's based on a formula um related to the the number of miles of class four and five roads that we maintain um in the population of the city. Um but the there in recent years I

think to your point there's been additional appropriations above those statutory appropriations and those are those are I don't think they're coming back anytime soon. Um as you kind of alluded to that's uh DOT has a similar capital improvement planning process. They call it the 10-year plan. um in the most recent 10-year plan, still being uh reviewed and approved by the legislature, uh but they not only didn't add any new projects to their outy years, um they actually canceled, I believe it was 39 projects out of that that 10-year plan that got cancelled entirely. Um several of our projects, like West Street, for example, got pushed down the road by a year or two um because of the funding shortfalls. And it really it relates to the cost of construction going up pretty pretty dramatically. Um certainly faster than the rate of revenue increase for the state.

And I guess I one more just just uh Go ahead.

Go for I I I I I've said before, but I think relative to our neighborhoods was strong neighborhoods and I there was one of the in the master plan, one of the pillars that I think really came from uh the public's input into the master plan. And uh one of the things that strengthens neighborhoods is the infrastructure, the roadways, the walkways. Uh and uh I think anything that we can do to improve the amount of money that we have for roadway and uh walkway improvements uh is is really uh that's what's going to help that pillar. uh walkable neighborhoods uh and and those that are safe uh uh and we've had a brutal winter. If there's an example for us uh to to remind us that we need to have an ongoing program of neighborhood renewals on the streets and sidewalks. This was the winter to do that. Okay. Well, I um did take the time to go through this um and it's the third cycle that I've gone through. Um, so I have a couple questions, but first I wanted to to just preface it by saying that I think this is just an absolutely outstanding uh manifestation of government transparency. And I mean, the people in Keen who are

interested have access to a tremendous amount of information about what the city is is going to do. And I applaud you for that. Um, but I do have a couple questions and if I get out of my lane a little bit, I apologize ahead of time. Um, but in terms of terms of flexibility and process for uh not spending allocated money or rep prioritizing what does that look like?

Um, so Mr. Sheriff, I understand the question. Are you saying like what's the process if uh like city staff wanted to change the the purpose of of funds that are appropriated in the book? Yes. Okay. Um obviously between the bianial versus the outer years, but yes.

Right. So, uh as Kerry alluded to, um this is a planning document. the first year of the CIP gets incorporated sort of by reference into the operating budget. So, um you know that by by approving the the CIP, the the council won't have actually authorized us to spend any money yet. when they approve the FY27 budget, they will also be approving the what's in its book for, you know, minus any amendments that that they make um for the the the first year of the CIP. If uh something happens where we either say no, we don't want to do that project or we don't think it's a good idea, um or conversely, we need a lot more money for a specific project. um that would be uh an action that would have to be taken by the city council. So they would have to either authorize the the manager to reallocate money that was appropriated for a specific purpose to to go towards another purpose or they'd have to appropriate new money to increase the budget of a project that's approved in this document. Um, and within that, I should also mention that there there's multiple funds as as we talked about. Um, and and moving money from one fund to another is an extra level of squirreliness that we really try not to do that. Um, you know, that money that's raised from rate payers uh is is intended to uh pay for the the operation of the water and the sewer utilities, not to pay for a new public park or paving or what have you.

Thank you. Thank you for that. Um, next question I have is regarding uh bond issues. Um, I know you uh uh Miss Chamberlain uh indicated that in the outer years we might possibly get close to our debt service limit. Um, and obviously the bond, not telling you anything you don't know, but outstanding debt has significantly increased throughout the the the length of this CIP. Is can you just talk a little bit about what that means as we get deeper into debt and have higher debt servicing?

Sure. So we, as I mentioned, you know, we do, as we get closer to those years, we'll be re-evaluating whether or not bond funding is the appropriate funding mechanism for that particular project. Um, you know, we very closely monitor what our debt service is on an annual basis. And, you know, we may have some things that, um, you know, we kind of we we look ahead to see what bonds are being, um, fully paid. um in in upcoming years and try to work with that to make sure that we try to keep our our um bond level, our debt service somewhat stable. Um and I think that that's it's important to note because those are so far out, those are the the outlying years. um we have a lot of opportunity within the next couple of years to really evaluate I mean one if if those projects are even projects that we're still going to be doing um or if they're projects that are going to be put off you know even further um so the entire makeup of of the CIP you know could change over the next few years um we do work um with the New Hampshire Municipal Bond Bank um that's who we we use for our bond sales. Um, you know, they're they're very they do scrutinize um, you know, very carefully what the projects are that we are asking for bond funding for. Um, they look at, you know, the the life of of those assets as part of of those projects. um they want to m maintain um you know the the level of comfort knowing that these are projects that we're going to be doing within you know the next the next few years. So when we apply for the bond funding, we have to be very specific and we work with the various departments, you know,

to know um when the funds are going to be used because we certainly don't want to um bond anything that, you know, we're not going to be using the funds for um in a set period of time. Um so it's it's a very you know it's a very involved and we're very cautious um because obviously we don't want to incur any additional um interest um any more than we have to. So you know it's it's kind of an evolving process over the next few years to look and see if if the debt levels that we have currently forecasted for those years are actually something that that will come to fruition. we we will work diligently to make sure that we maintain the levels that we need to be at um to be in compliance with the fiscal policy.

Thank you. Thank you. You're welcome.

Um I have a couple more just uh these are more like departmentspecific but um I'll start with the uh ambulance. Um, do we obviously the county has an ambulance service as well. Uh, used to be private ambulance services, but are we are we uh overbuilding emergency services in in Keen or should the county step up? Should the city step up? Should one of us step back? Any any feel for that? I'm I'm not the best person to ask. I mean, that would be something I think that would be best answered by the the fire department. Um I I

Yeah. No, I don't want you to Yeah. I just I wouldn't want to give you inaccurate information. You know, if you have specific questions, I can certainly get the answers for you um or put you in contact with with the um chief. Um but I just wouldn't feel comfortable answering those. Just that's not my forte.

Yeah. The only thing I would add and and I with the same caution that that you know that probably is a question for the fire chief um but I we I am responsible for the fleet and maintenance of the vehicles. Um and at least anecdotally I will tell you um the fire department has four ambulances in their inventory. Um, historically, three of them have been the active uh, ambulances and one has basically been a backup and it was it was used when one of them was out for repairs or maintenance or what have you. Um, right now and and I think for the last few years, um, they basically are running all four ambulances every single day. Um, so I I would say that they are one of the heaviest used piece of equipment in the fleet. Um, and you know, whether that's the the way it should be done or the the council wants to farm that out to the county, that's that's well above my pay grade.

Yeah. Just cur if I might, Mr. Chairman. Sure.

Um, so this has been a a topic of discussion for the council. Uh so I I feel a little bit uh uh informed to be able to say the call volume for ambulance services in the city has over the last 3 four years has increased so dramatically uh that it's like twothirds of all of the calls that are going out. it. As a result of the increase, uh the city added a third uh ambulance service this last year and added the additional uh staff to be able to accommodate that that uh flow. It was necessary because uh the overtime that it was taking uh just the staffing level was too wasn't sufficient and that a vehicle would follow I think was just an acknowledgement of part of that plan. So I I it's it's that and we're still facing, believe it or not, even after having added the third uh ambulance service uh still facing overtime uh costs because again the volume we're just we're an aging society and uh uh this this is uh I'm glad the city's in the position to prioritize this Mr. Chair, if I may.

Yeah, Mr. Madison,

thank you. My my understanding is from from my time on the council is that one of the big drivers behind the increase in ambulance calls in facility transfers. Um, historically those were handled by Delusio and then the city handled some but you know mostly did emergency calls and when Delusio went out of business um and a lot of their contracts were taken over by Cheshire EMS, Cheshire EMS tended to focus more on emergency calls rather than inner facility transfers like from nursing home or skilled care facilities and then that just left Keen to pick up those inter facility transfers which has been the biggest driver in the last three years or so of our our ambulance calls.

Yeah, thanks for that insight. Um I I have a question regarding the uh solar removal from the roof of the municipal building. It's what are the implications of that? I mean is do and do we have any sort of life cycle data of what that solar array provided? And Mr. Chair, could you could you uh uh tell me the page that

64 uh Mr. Chair, just to clarify, are you referring to FY31 city hall second floor requires removal of solar array? So that the the project that's described here is is not specifically removing the the solar array. What it's saying is in order to replace the roof, um we have to remove the solar array.

Okay,

that solar array, as I understand it, is is kind of already at the end of its its 25 years or so useful life. Um and and there's a note in here that the new array will be explored. So I think that question still remains unanswered whether um you know it's it is a viable to put in a new system for another 25 year life. Um I think since that solar array went in 20 or so 25 years ago um the the there's a lot of changes to that market. You know the uh solar panels have gotten a lot better. um the the different ways that we can interconnect and have uh purchase power agreements versus owning the panels outright. Um you know, the financing tools are a little bit different than they used to be. So, um I think that's just saying that

we're we know we're going to have to replace the roof. We're going to have to remove the solar array as part of it. And at that time, we'll figure out whether or not it makes sense to replace it.

Okay. Thanks very much. Um, since you mentioned the uh Jordan Road salamander crossing, um, and I'll couple that with the Gilbo a solar pavilion that those are two projects that are uh almost 100% paid for via grant. So, congratulations on the grant writers. It's uh great work because those are two good projects and uh I'm glad to see that we could uh could do that uh on the cheap, if you will. And I had had one question about the EV charging stations. Those are in the parking lot, I guess, behind off Gilbo. And those how many how many does the city run now? Uh currently there are two uh chargers at that location. Um and the the the program here um has sort of two components in FY29. We have a relatively small amount of money uh to uh replace or rehabilitate the existing stations. Those are two level two chargers um two charging ports essentially. It's I think it's actually like one charger but two ports. Um those were installed in 2015 uh with a grant. Um and they they were reaching the end of their useful life. Um so the the money in 2029 would be to replace those with with newer up equipment. Um then in 2032 uh and this got pushed out a little bit, but uh would be looking at adding additional uh EV charging uh equipment. Um most likely that would be uh at the recreation center is kind of the next target where we thought uh it would make sense. Uh 2000

20 was it? It was either two or three years ago. Um, we actually had a a consultant come in and and look at our our uh city infrastructure where we had parking lot locations and we had land to put them and where uh charging infrastructure, public charging infrastructure would be best useful and mo you know best served. Um the the rec center was one of the the locations that they identified as being um a great opportunity for you know users of that facility that are going to be there for 2 hours or less to be able to charge their vehicles. Um so that's kind of our our target for the next location. Um but I will also say we ended up pushing this out a little bit. Um what we saw is like a very very quick uh adoption up to a certain level. Um but the the the existing charging infrastructure that we have uh kind of leveled off and even um reduced in the amount of usage that we're seeing at it. Um and I I honestly don't know if that's because more EV owners are charging at home and they're they're taking care of it there. um or if uh you know some folks might have been early adopters to EV and and decided that the the drawbacks and the limitations weren't worth the tradeoff in a in an area like ours. So, uh we we thought it was prudent to kind of give ourselves a little time to see how that trend line progresses.

Yeah, I agree. And I think uh in just to quote from the paragraph that you have there, continue to monitor usage trends to see what you will or won't need. And I would uh encourage you to do that. Yeah. A couple of years ago, I think we, you know, we we thought that this thing was going to go straight up to the moon, right? Um but that hasn't been the case. Yeah. Um

until last week things change always. Uh, also I I think our solid waste handling in Keen is really a model for a lot of communities. You know, it basically pays for itself and I think it's great and new project, a composting project I think is a is really a great idea. So, I applaud you for the activity there.

And the last question I have is just about kind of uh public sewer and water. Um, if am I correct in in reading it that there's there's no plan really to expand the footprint of either of those? Uh, the the capital improvement plan does not include any expansions of the existing, you know, geographical area where we're serving the the the public. Um, as part of the the downtown rehab project, we had looked at and and tried to plan for um expanding the system down Gilbo a to better serve the the properties that are sort of underdeveloped on Gilbo a towards the the west end uh you know to closer to school street. Um that isn't in the the plan currently. Um I think ultimately it's it's going to be the the developer that comes forward and says I'll build it if you can provide the the infrastructure that that catalyst is going to be needed before we you know invest the the money into that. Yeah.

All right. Thanks. You got you um do you monitor like percent of dwelling units served percent of the population served? We do and I probably should know those stats. I don't. Okay. Yeah. But someone does. Yeah. No, we if it's something you're interested in, uh we we do have statistics on the the number of residents that are served by the the water and sewer systems versus on private well and septic. Okay, that's all I wanted to uh take of your time. I appreciate your uh your openness and as I said um

to me this is a real uh uh model of transparency in government and and I applaud you for that. Thank you. Any other questions? Mr. Cost.

Thanks. Maybe a quick one I on on the um I was just interested on the solar pavilion project. In the meetings I went to, I heard that it will provide all of the power needed for downtown, but I didn't know what that meant. Does that mean the residences and the houses? No, I didn't think so. No, Mr. Chair. What that means is uh we're sizing the the solar panel on that pavilion uh to provide all of the city's use of electricity in the downtown area. So that includes um the the lighting along Main Street, uh the the accessory uses like uh you know the the the Rotary puts up lights on on the light poles, the this the sort of uh holiday decorations. Um when there's an event, they use our our power, that sort of thing. So it's really the lighting and those accessory uses that we're offsetting. Um that said, the roof of that pavilion is a is about three times what we need just to to provide that. So part of the consultants analysis is going to be again looking at different funding mechanisms. Does it make sense to overbuild the solar and become, you know, sort of a a net generator of electricity or does it make more economic sense to size it for to offset that need offset those uses and and you just be zero?

Any other questions? Well, we really appreciate your time and we're going to move to the uh to the vote. So, do you have a motion there? Um, I'd like to move to find that the 2027 to 2033 capital improvement program is consistent with the 2025 master plan. Second.

Thank you, Mr. Madison. Uh, discussion, opinions. Personally, I having uh been slightly involved in the master plan uh creation, I would say that these things dovetail very very nicely and uh again I think you guys have done a great job with that. So let's call the vote then. All those in favor of uh of the motion that the capital plan is consistent with the master plan. Any opposed? Good. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you very much for your time. Sorry if I got too many questions in there, but I couldn't resist. Okay. Next uh are staff updates. Miss Brener. Uh thank you, Mr. Chair. So, the first um item is actually going to be Paul Andress uh presenting. Okay. So, yeah.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh Paul Andrew, community development director. This is the first time that I've been in this seat to be able to speak to you in roughly a year. Um, so stay with me. This will be quick, but it's all connected to what you were just discussing because this is one of the um, you know, we talked about transparency, we talked about public involvement, we talked all those things. This this uh, process that I'm going to get into tonight with your help and then we're going to it's it's an iterative process. will be talking about how we continue to interact with the board as we move forward. Um, one of the uh, that's not right. Where did that go? Huh? Hang on. Okay.

Why are you not opening up? Yeah, we'll be done in a few minutes,

okay? We're just going to do this. So, um, one of the first conversations that I got into, uh, as the plan was well underway last year, was how we didn't, um, in the past, uh, there wasn't any concerted mechanism or mechanisms to track the progress of the plan, the last plan, um, and talk about, um, you know, the, uh, the successes that that and the achievements that were made toward those goals. And I think, you know, Mr. chair, you were speaking at the uh the community event last year when we were reaching the kind of the the end of the process and you had a whole list that you had done your own research on, I believe, about the things that had happened over the last 15 years, something of that sort. And everyone's like, "Wow, that's kind of cool." So, that's what we're trying to do here. We're trying to connect um you know connect all of the the the things that are happening in the community associated with the the master plan and um this this uh this is a direct response to all of that feedback that we've received. So what we're trying to achieve is of course transparency. Um you know there's some aspect of of you know from community development and from the city as a whole that you know we want to be able to ex to show the public that we are actually there is really good work being done not only by the city but by our various partners in the community as well. We want to show progress, but we also want to celebrate those progress. And then and then just be mindfully uh in alignment with what council priorities um are. And internally, this really just supports a lot of the internal coordination with the departments, public works, community development, parks, and wreck. And um you know, getting everyone in line with the uh you know, mindfully in line with

the master plan. And then we want to be able to be flexible enough that over time we can make adjustments uh particularly as it relates to the type of data that we have access to and that we can collect. So um this has to be a process that we meaning community development and other city staff who are responsible for collecting information we can actively manage. Um and then it needs to be in formats that are interesting and useful. Uh, you know, we talk about dashboards, um, data, pure data. That's nice and those things will be out there, um, for the community, but we also want to look at ways to, um, interpret the information and present it and create a narrative that will be more um, apt to pull people in who wouldn't maybe not necessarily be looking for this information. So this is just these are just some examples uh that we put out but there's u there's actually quite a bit of data that we can be tracking um under all of the different um uh pillars of the master plan but these are just you know these are just some examples that we just pulled together and I think you heard through the CIP process that there's going to be projects that are going on that we will show as we move along we'll show progress and we just have to look at what that what those measurements of pro progress will be. Uh keeping it visible. Uh again, these are just some ideas that we've thrown out and that's kind of why we're here is to get some feedback um starting tonight and then as we move forward, how do we want to do this uh in terms of uh getting this information out to the the community? Is it you know internet is internal updates uh updates to council updates to the to the commissions and

committees that we have. Um is it an annual public report you know uh what is you know from an outreach perspective how do we you know how do we want to look at this? Do we want to talk about the you know what's the status of the master plan as a community event or part of a community event? And we have other examples of this and I think some of it's actually pretty cool. And Mary um as I'm sitting here the one example just that one example we talked about was it from Oh yeah. So are you talking about the story map?

The story map. Well, so we're actually our staff are working on these this concept called a story map. And the only the way that I can describe it to you is if you if you go on like New York Times or and you get into an article that you you you click on and then as you scroll down it starts bringing images in and it and it presents information in a way that kind of really draws you into it. Um, we would be looking at some similarities to that which would also have a lot of GIS-based information, you know, like visuals, mapping, u just a variety of different information that could, like I said, just tell the narrative in a way that's interesting to people. But we had uh one one town and there's many actually, but one in particular we were talking about and I couldn't remember.

Sure. Yeah. So, um, Montpelia, Vermont has their entire master plan, um, in a in a story map format. Um, and we also have for the, if you go to the keenmasterpl.com website, there is actually already a story map for the master plan that's really geared towards, um, when it was nearing completion to get community engagement. Um, and so yeah, I think it's a really great tool for storytelling and displaying data in a way that's more engaging than just like a spreadsheet with numbers. But we'll still have the spreadsheet with numbers though, so don't worry about that.

So, uh, we wanted to talk to the planning board just about what the potential roles could be. Um, th this we we wanted to tie this in with, uh, with you all. Uh, tonight's a good example. You know, we're already here for an hour and a half. We want to be able to sit and and have conversations with you. So, we'll have to be strategic about that as we report on progress, as we talk about how we're going to be what the the types of narratives that we're putting out there, where we're putting it out there, and get that feedback from you all in terms of how that's all proceeding. Um but you know looking at again policy guidance how do we want to do this is an annual semianual what sort of what should we be looking at like in the community that might point to um an issue or or a a success indicator um and you know not justformational but but meaningful. So again, just start simple, build over time, use existing data, and um from from the department head's perspective, align with staff capacity. That's really huge. I think we don't want to make this so convoluted or so complex that that we're we're we're not managing it um appropriately. So some questions, what would what would the board want to see? What kinds of information is most useful to you? How often should we check in? Um the role of the planning board and you know what and just those things that you think would make this more valuable than just another report and you know or or just a piece of paper or something that we put on our web page. And these are questions that perhaps you know if there's anything specific that comes you know that's from the top of your mind we can talk about but I would also welcome some feedback after

this meeting and as we move forward um as we build this and we'll have some examples as we talked about storyboards uh dashboards those sorts of things we'll have those examples that we'll be producing um and you know then then just ask for additional just have you all be part of that process. So that's all I have tonight. Uh Director Andress, is there some way you could maybe shoot that deck out to us so that would stimulate our input? Yes, Mr. Chair. Absolutely.

Thank you. and we can provide some links as well to some of this information that we would I just didn't want to start plastering this uh discussion tonight with all of that. Yeah, I think that would be a great way to start. Mr. Cost,

thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, this all sounds fantastic and can't wait. um in the I know when we were developing the master plan and maybe it's in here and you're doing it or we'll do it, but there there's that whole it's almost like a checklist of goals and objectives and lots and lots of things to do and um are will that will that sort of be the guide of are we progressing on those things and and some of them are going to be done by the city um staff and others might just hang out there because no one's going to do anything about them and maybe we can get people or committees to adopt some of those goals. I don't have them in front of me so I can't remember them, but it was a pretty great list and um priorities when they'll be done and maybe progress on those so that they don't and maybe that's what this will all be. But I I think that was the basis of the goals and objectives. Yeah, I think you've uncovered the complexity of this process and that's why it's going to be a uh it's going to be somewhat of a challenge I think to to make some of the you know to to identify some of the higher priorities or within each goal which we have done actually those because it wasn't by one goal uh goal one two three it was one and four were actually the ones that people when they were surveyed said those were the most important. So, so we're going to do a little bit of that piece, but yes, the short answer is yes, we're we're going to use that document that of the the the the breakout of pillars, goals, tasks. I'm not sure how it was broken out, but that's and and certainly look at um the imple or the partners who who might be doing that because it isn't just the city. It really isn't. That's

and and uh we want to make sure that um you know that that folks know that and and it's also going to that part is also going to be the challenge to get uh to be able to collect the information. It's it's going to be a little bit easier if it's just city stuff, but you know, but the the committees will help us as well. It's a great idea.

Okay. Thank you. Cool. All right. Well received. I see you also have uh um New Hampshire BEA 2026 spring planning and zoning conference.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is really um I think it's page 30 of your packet. So just a note for you all that there is a free training available. um this is virtual and you can also go to that web page and at your own time you can view the recordings from past um years and so it's really great training um if you want to just get an overview of the basics and they also I think last year did um a track that was focused on housing sometimes they'll do a track that's focused on historic preservation so sometimes they'll do more specific topics um so just wanted to make you aware of this resource obviously the benefit of attending ing live is you can I believe they do like a Q&A session. Um but otherwise, you know, you can always just watch recordings.

Yeah. And I've I've done it a couple times through the the uh planning track. I highly recommend it. Hint hint. Okay. Uh we also have in our packet a letter from uh Southwest Region Planning Commission Commission regarding the uh sort of bad news 10-year transportation plan. So I I see it says we should read it, but is there something we should uh other than commenting back to them? Oh, so

is there an is there an ask with this letter?

Uh the way I uh Thank you, Mr. Chair. Really quickly, um I think if you look at the very last paragraph of the letter, uh it kind of goes into um you know, reaching out to your elected representatives if you're concerned about this and have ideas for ways that the state could address it. Um uh I think specifically it says you and your town may or may not think that adjustment to tollfares or the gas tax would be acceptable trade-offs for making the tip financially whole. Either way, if this issue is important to you, there's still time to weigh in. So um what I'm reading into that is they're suggesting that if we as a city or as the planning board um think that the state should look at ways to fund the tip that we could reach out and make that case. Okay, I'll have to give that a little bit of thought. I'm not sure how we uh coales around a position as a board.

Councelor Ellis. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, is it all right if we write in on our own just out of interest like even, you know, not representing the planning board, but just personally? Absolutely. Thanks. I just wanted to make sure that wasn't going to be a conflict. It's America. Yes. For now. Mayor Khan.

Yeah. I guess I appreciate the question. I it it uh it's an interesting thought to have a resolution come from a planning board uh to say this is this just is not moving the needle fast enough. The West Street project for instance is pushed off to state funding to fiscal 32. Uh that was scheduled for 29. And uh similar kind of thing for Winchester Street. And you know when we talk about what are what are our arterial ro roads uh we've got like five or six and

uh those are two and uh it just the funding isn't there but that's what the legislaturator's responsibility is is to make sure that the funding is there and these delays uh don't don't become hazards. Miss Master Javani,

it seems like with dealing with anything to do with the state that if we don't stay in the loop ongoing because there's always so many years in advance that we have to plan for any funding and it always seems like our side of the state sort of gets put on the back burner. So, like especially in terms of transportation, if there's things that we need to think about doing, we just need to do it several years in advance and we need to stay on it. Otherwise, it's just going to keep falling off. Okay. Well, I'll uh I'll talk to staff and maybe we'll figure out a discussion with S SWC and maybe generate a resolution that uh could be uh people could get on board with.

Mr. Mayu,

thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh, so I went to two of the Gaset meetings which discussed the 10-year plan and in the research that I did, it kind of seemed as though all of the federal aid that the state was getting from like like COVID era, uh, the planning for postimplementation wasn't as great. So like Keen kind of got lucky and that like we kept a lot of our projects whereas like other local projects were just axed from the 10-year plan. So, um I think they said that the was it the tolls I don't think they've been adjusted since like either the late 2000s or mid tens. So, do what you will with that information. But

well, good perspective, but I think if we want something, we should figure out how to ask for it. Just for a quick example, I've been the Greyhound um agency for like 20 years and most of that is being funded by states around us. You know, Vermont transportation, Massachusetts, they have money for transportation. You know, New Hampshire, we don't pay in, so we don't have as much funding. But I don't know exactly what's going on now. we were at risk of losing our public transportation and out of Keen like I don't know if anyone was around back when that was going to happen but it was within maybe 10 years ago uh they were going to stop coming through Keen at all you know period um but it was because of um monies coming from Massachusetts and Vermont where they continue to travel through our state we're really limited on public transportation and if if we're going to try to maintain it or keep it or try to stay in the loop because mass in Vermont might drop us all together, um we have to ask for help well ahead of when we need it is what I'm finding out.

Mr. Cost,

so I I guess it's appropriate. Could we a few people maybe not the whole board but whoever wants to or cares enough to spend some more time meet with um JB Mack and also they have the new transportation coordinator who's very very knowledgeable. she's getting up to speed really quick and just maybe sit down and work with them because you know they're so deep in the weeds on this and they may help us really understand how it's affecting Keen instead of trying to invent it from you know ourselves and that might even if it's just a you know hour meeting sometime in their office a couple people who would like to craft the letter for the board but I think to start one from scratch would be hard but they could probably really help Yep. I think it's a good idea and I will I will take that as an action item. Okay. Um moving on to new business. Any board member have new business they would like to uh introduce? Okay. Seeing none, we'll move along uh to the upcoming dates of interest. So, joint committee of the planning board and PLLD uh April 13th, 6:30 p.m. Planning Board steering committee, April 14th, 12 noon. Planning board site visit, April 27th, if ne if needed. and plan next meeting of the planning board April 27th 6:30 p.m. in these chambers and I am going to since they printed on the second page

take the prerogative to skip the more time items and uh move to adjournment at 8:22 p.m. Thanks everybody. Appreciate you getting here.