City Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening. I'm going to call this meeting of the city council to order. The hour 7:00 having arrived. Uh this meeting is being broadcast live on the city of Keen YouTube channel and on Spectrum channel 1302. The video is also streamed on the city's website and is posted by the end of the next business day, barring any technical difficulties. If you would like to receive an electronic city council packet to reference while viewing future broadcast, please contact the city clerk's office during business hours or go to the city's website and subscribe to the city mailings email list. The agenda is also accessible from any mobile device. I'd like to ask the clerk to please call the role. Randy Elilio

here. Michelle A. Chalice here. Katherine I. Workman. Brian J. Lake here. Jacob R. Favalis here. Laura E. Tobin here. Robert C. Williams here. Philip M. Jones here. Chris E. Roberts. Patina A. Chadbornne here. Edward J. Hos here. Laura E. Ruddle Miller here. Molly V. Ellis here. Thomas F. Powers here. Mitchell H. Greenwald here. Uh I don't see councelor Workman.

She was given the remote access. Let's find out from our AV if they she is on the meeting. Okay. Uh, I'd like to ask our AV folks to uh please make us aware when uh councelor Workman uh is connected so that we could uh uh consider her attendance remotely. And there she is

right on the money. Uh Council Workman uh has asked that she uh attend remotely for uh health reasons this evening. Uh and councelor Workman, would you state where you are at, uh are this evening?

Thank you. Uh your honor, I am home um regrettably and I am alone. Um and I have not setting up today was uh a flashback to many years ago, our COVID days. Um would like to ask uh our counselors, is there any objection to allowing councelor Workman to participate remotely this evening? Seeing none, uh we will uh you are admitted into the meeting and uh all of our votes this evening will be uh by roll call. I'd like to ask Councelor Lake, could you please lead us in the pledge of allegiance? To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you all. Uh, I'd like to ask Council Greenwald for a motion to adopt our minutes of the previous meeting. Thank you, your honor. I move to adopt the minutes of the March 5, 2026 meeting. Second. Seconded by Councelor Powers. Are there any comments on the minutes? Any corrections. Uh, seeing none, the clerk, please call the role. Councelor Fillio, yes. Councelor Chalice, yes. Councelor Workman, yes. Councelor Lake, yes. Councelor Favis, yes. Councelor Tobin, yes. Yes. Councelor Williams. Yes. Councelor Jones. Yes. Councelor Chadborn. Yes. Councelor Hos.

Yes. Councelor Ruddle Miller. Yes. Councelor Ellis. Yes. Councelor Powers. Yes. Councelor Greenwall. Yes.

Motion carries 14 to nothing. Um some announcements. Uh tomorrow evening is the last day of Ramadan. Uh and congratulations on those who have celebrated that. and uh over the last 30 days. Uh the vernal equinox is occurring tomorrow as well. That it will uh occur officially at 10:46 a.m. Uh the first full day of spring is recognized the following day, March 21st. It's something that I'm sure all of us are looking forward to. Um, this month is uh Women's History Month and in as is a custom at Keen State College, the president's annual outstanding women of New Hampshire awards will be presented that evening at the college uh March 26th. Uh for location, please consult the Keen State College website. Um, look ahead into the first couple weeks of April. It is child abuse prevention month. Uh, those who wish to honor children affected by abuse uh can wear a blue ribbon which serves as a national symbol for child protection. It's also the month in which uh it's recognized sexual assault prevention month where wearing a teal ribbon signifies awareness and support for survivors. Uh other religious uh holidays that occur then in April. Uh the holiday of Passover is occurring between April 2nd and April 9th. And on April 5th is Easter Sunday. uh Good Friday preceding it by two days

and uh April 6th through April 10th is New Hampshire Energy Week and we're taking up uh something later in on our agenda which might be very fitting for that. Um the uh city council will be hosting the legislative delegation meeting on Monday, April 6th at 6 PM in the county's delegation hall. Representatives from New Hampshire's municipal association will present an overview of legislative initiatives of mutual concern to towns, cities, and association. Invitations have gone out to Cheshire County state legislators, town managers, and administrators, elected schoolboard members, and key persons involved in legislative issues. A light refreshments will be served at 6 with the presentation commencing at 6:30. And a reminder about the council's break. Uh we will hold our uh regular city council meeting on August 6th as planned. However, the August 20th and September 3rd council meetings will be cancelled. Uh and that should give us that one month break. Uh all standing committees in August are cancelled. And this includes the uh PLLD meeting on August 12th, the FOP meeting on August 13th, and on August 27th, and the MSFI meeting on August 26th. Our regular meetings will resume with September 9th's PLLD meeting and September 10th FOP meeting. And my apologies to the public if you didn't know all those initials mean. and shorthand for the counselors to mark their calendars uh for that break period which is kind of important given their 12 month of the year schedule. Um I'd like to uh at this

time uh have uh keen high school athletes for the winter sports to come up and join me at the microphone with the bowlers. if you would uh step to the front of the line and others we'll we'll do some rotation.

Yep. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. Thanks. You can

the bowlers. We'll figure this out because I'm going to introduce you. I won't catch everyone else.

All right. will uh so I I got to thank Mike Gatkins, the athletic director at Keen High School, uh for setting this up by working with me to recognize a really successful uh Keen High School winter sports season. Uh and tonight, the Keen City Council honors our winter sports athletes who demonstrated outstanding achievement at state competitions. Their awards are the result of years of mentoring that began in grade school at the Keen YMCA, at Keen Parks and Recreation, our local schools, at skiing mountains and gymnasiums across the Manadnok region. And together, these organizations and others contribute to the outstanding youth development opportunities that exist in Keen and the Manadnok region. I'm going to begin with the bowlers uh which uh uh the keen high school sport with outstanding success winning the New Hampshire state championship for the second straight year. Bowling is a game that requires scoring s consistently. It's not like other sports that when your offense isn't scoring, the defense can pick you up. Uh unless you've got some tricks up your sleeves. Um this season the Keen Blackbird Bowlers won all 10 of their meets uh going undefeated during the regular season. In the final round of competition, Keen Bowlers won 14 games in one day to become the 2026 state champions. Isaaclair and Jacob Moody.

Not here. They're the co- captains. Somebody's stepping up in leadership next year. Um and uh they that those two bowlers uh had consistently throughout the year been among the top four bowlers in the state. The bowling team uh members come from all parts of school life. For many bowlers, it's the only sport that they play at a competitive level. This year, the team won championships with only seven out of the possible eight players, including three junior varsity members, one of whom bowled every game, helping lead the team to the championship. Which one was that? Congrats. Um, so team members by grade, uh, we don't islair is not here. Uh, neither is Jake Moody. Is Sebastian Bolton?

No. No, it looks the seniors just aren't showing up. Tre Trevor Clark. All right, Trevor. Way to go. Uh, and Evan Evan Chesher. No. Okay. Well, we'll get better as we go along. Junior's Cam Newer. Cam. Hi. Uh, Caitlyn Dixon. Yep. Uh, Chris Chering. Seth Clark. Uh, and sophomores Jax Whitney, uh, Kaden Cur Kaden Carl, Earl Jacobs, Evelyn Swart out.

Lily Sanderson. All right. Uh, freshman, uh, Theo Hos, David Wilbur, and Palin PVA. Nope. Uh well, congratulations to all of you for uh just outstanding records for the last two years. And coach, would you please introduce yourself? Aaron Moody and assistant coach Jack Borard. Congratulations, folks.

So maybe if you'll swing around and we'll uh or actually if you guys stay stay where you are. if you guys would would come forward up here. We we'll eventually get one group photo and uh get this to the website eventually. Um so

yeah, and I also want to say uh a shout out to Yankee Lanes, which no doubt has been a real great partner for you folks uh along the way. um gymnastics. Is uh Olivia Adams here? Not here, but uh just want to recognize that Olivia Adams uh as a sophomore uh competed at really high levels this last year. Uh broke records uh in uh that stood for 18 years at Keen High School. uh placed in the all-around and on the floor exercise in the state championships and uh she tied for eighth place all round. Uh and that's that's a real achievement for uh a gymnast at Keen High School. Uh Olivia trains year round at the Manadnock Gymnastics Center in Peterborough and has competed at multiple National Gymnastics Association National Championships. So, she's just a sophomore. Uh, and that's going to be fun to watch. Um, girls wrestling. Uh, want to recognize uh actually I before that I want is Andrew O'Donnell here? Uh, Andrew, you had an an incredible season uh swimming competitively since the age of six uh with the Keen YMCA Dolphins. Uh, Andrew continued to swim for the Dolphins through middle school, earning numerous awards and setting records in several events. In high school, Andrew qualified for the state championship meet all four years with notable achievements including a sixth place finish in the 50yard freestyle during his freshman, sophomore, and junior years and topped seven finishes in the 100 butterfly during his sophomore and junior years.

This year he concluded his high school career with a second place finish in both the 100 freestyle and 50yard freestyle, setting a new Keen High School record in the 50yard freestyle. Additionally, Andrew contributed to his relay teams, securing second place finishes in the 400yard freestyle in 2025 and this year in the 200yard freestyle relay and the 200 uh uh yard medley relay. Uh outside of the pool, Andrew is an avid mountain biker and snowboarder and also values just hard work. Uh upon graduating, he will continue as an electrician apprentice with Hamlet Electric and also be working for Falner Falner Landscape and Drainage Solutions. So hopefully you'll meet Andrew somewhere along the way as he continues his endeavors in Keen. Congratulations for a great season, Andrew. Uh now turning to wrestling uh and uh Sophia uh Domatrovic.

Sophia, nice to meet you. Uh Sophia didn't start wrestling until she was in sixth grade at Keen Middle School. Uh at her first tournament tournament, Sophia placed third, giving her the confidence to move forward. Sophia's mental toughness and resilience pushed herself uh uh past any self-doubt and had an excellent middle school career. Her eighth grade season culminated in her winning the individual title of girls state champion, helping the team finish a historic season as the girls team ch state champions. She also competed at the youth New England's finishing second. Sophia brought these accomplishments with her to Keen High School. There were some losses as well as a couple first place finishes with her earning this year the title of state championship at the girls state championships on February 27th. Sophia is now the third female Blackbird to call themselves wrestling state champs. Sophia looks forward to continuing her success over the next three seasons and hopes to wrestle for the Iowa Hawkeyes. uh quite an ambition uh uh when she graduates high school. Until then, she will continue to play soccer and be part of the girls track team throwing discus and work on her culinary skills with the hopes of eventually becoming a chef. Congratulations again, Sophia. And boys wrestling. Uh you might remember the name Runes. Uh Leo uh uh Leo won the his second state meet of champions title this year at the 144 pound weight class. With his second state title, Leo becomes only the 14th wrestler in Keen High School history to win multiple state championship titles.

Other season highlights included a fifth place finish at a highly competitive Lowel Holiday Invitational and a first place finish at the local Minello Holiday Invitational. He's been wrestling since elementary school and now trains year round wrestling at tournaments throughout New England in the United States. He finished his junior season with a record of 41-6, bringing his career varsity record to 106 wins and 25 losses. off the mats. Leo excels academically, raking in the top 25% of his class with his favorite subjects being mathematics and environmental sciences. Leo is also an avid rock climber and hiker uh and obviously a great asset to our community. Congratulations, Leo. And in skiing, there you are. Uh in I'll introduce Lily Vidters who's a junior at Keen High School and a skiing standout. She is a a division one skimeister as a freshman. Uh she was the division one skimeister and this year finished second. And what might you ask is a skier? Uh Lily had the fastest combined times in both the slalom and giant slalom alpine and the classic uh and freestyle Nordic which is uh cross-country skiing. Uh so in addition to that accomplishment meaning uh being uh state level competitive uh at the highest levels in two sports during the winter season. Uh, but Lily is also a three sport athlete competing in field hockey, alpine skiing, and Nordic skiing. She's a unique winter athlete because she competes in both the varsity Nordic, the cross country, and the alpine downhill ski teams. This

requires significant dedication, planning, and flexibility, and she had an outstanding season this year after having had knee surgery the prior season. Uh Leo Lily is also a multi-time athletic scholar, athlete, and a member of the mayor's youth council. Uh Lily's coaches are Bob Dumont and Pete Hills. Congratulations, Lily, on your uh I don't know who's grabbing a photo for this, but this is this is really too good to pass up. If uh someone will do the honors. already done.

Got it. Thank you. Pass that on to me and I'll uh we'll we'll use it with the citations and get it on the city website. Congratulations to all of you. Thank you. Okay. All right. feel free to get up and spread around if uh you felt like you were in tight quarters previously. Uh we are going to open a public hearing tonight on the proposed capital improvement plan for 2027 to 2033 and like to ask the clerk to read the notice of the public hearing.

Notice is hereby given that a public hearing will be held before the Keen City Council relative to the appro proposed city of Keen capital improvement program for the seven years starting July 1, 2026 and ending June 30th 2020 2033. The plan identifies non-school capital projects and equipment acquisitions that are planned to be undertaken in the community and outlines the city's planned investments from local, state, and federal resources. The local portion of the program is funded by the sale of bonds, property taxes, and other miscellaneous sources.

Uh joining us uh on the dis is uh Carrie Chamberlain, the finance director and treasurer of the city. And uh I'd like to recognize the city manager for opening remarks.

Thank you, mayor. Um so good evening everyone. Um I want to first thank the council and any planning board members we have out in the audience as well as the public for participating in tonight's public hearing on the proposed fiscal 2027 through 2033 capital improvement program. The CIP is the city's primary long range planning tool. It guides how we evaluate, prioritize, and schedule investments in infrastructure, facilities, equipment, and community assets while balancing those needs with affordability and the city's fiscal policies. The proposed CIP represents approximately $29.9 million in capital investment over the next seven years with about 61% uh within the general fund. This is a balanced program, one that reflects the need to invest in aging infrastructure while also supporting public safety, community amenities, and overall quality of life. The key component of the plan is how it's funded. Approximately 70% of the general fund capital program is supported through bonds, grants, and capital reserves. This allows us to leverage outsized funding, spread costs over time, and reduce the impact on the tax rate. We are also using capital reserves and in select cases unassigned fund balance to offset costs and smooth tax rate impacts over time. As we do this, it's important to note that the use of unassigned fund balance will be closely monitored to ensure continued compliance with the city's fiscal policy guidelines and to maintain appropriate reserve levels over time. In the first year alone of the plan, we

anticipate more than $9 million in grant funding along with approximately $3 million in unassigned fund balance to further offset costs. Maintaining a consistent level of capital investment is important. It helps to mitigate the impact of larger projects over time. In the CI Pbook on page 12, there's a worksheet and at the bottom of the worksheet, there's a a label called new funds needed. This calculation serves as a guide in managing these annual funding requirements. The primary driver of the CIP is aging infrastructure. We are continuing to invest in roads, bridges, sidewalks, storm water systems, and water and sewer infrastructure. These are essential investments critical to public safety, system reliability, and long-term fiscal stability. The downtown infrastructure improvement and reconstruction project is one of the most significant investments in the plan. Much of this underground infrastructure is more than 120 years old. and replacement is critical to maintaining reliable service and supporting future economic vitality. The financing for this project is intentionally structured to mitigate impacts on the tax rate. This includes a more aggressive use of unassigned fund balance, planned roadway funding, downtown infrastructure reserves, and available grants. This layered approach allows the city to advance critical investment while reducing reliance on bonding and smoothing the overall tax impact. The lower Winchester Street reconstruction project and West Street corridor improvements are aligned in the plan with the state's 10-year

transportation plan, allowing the city to leverage approximately 80% state funding. Our storm water resiliency program is coordinated with these efforts to maximize efficiency and reduce long-term disruption. Together, these are coordinated multi-year investments designed to address multiple infrastructure needs while making the best use of available funding. The CIP includes significant investment in our water and sewer systems totaling more than 60 million combined. These investments support regulatory compliance, system reliability, and the long-term replacement of underground infrastructure, which is foundational to public health and environmental protection. We continue to prioritize public safety infrastructure, including fire and ambulance apparatus and communication systems. in this capital plan. These investments ensure our first responders have the equipment necessary to deliver services safely and effectively. The plan also includes continued investment in community assets, including Robin Hood Park, one of the city's major recreational facilities. Improvements will address aging infrastructure, including the pool, enhance accessibility and safety, and ensure the park continues to serve residents for generations to come. The project represents a total investment of approximately $3.9 million, including $500,000 in anticipated federal and state funding, with the remaining costs supported through capital reserves and planned borrowing. The city is also pursuing congressionally directed spending funding to further offset costs and reduce the impact on local taxpayers for

this project. We also continue to support trails, open space, and river corridor improvements that contribute to community health and quality of life. The CIP includes investing in municipal buildings, energy systems, and information technology infrastructure. These investments are focused on protecting existing assets, improving efficiency, and supporting reliable operations. So, in closing, the CIP reflects a careful balance. It's driven by the need to address aging infrastructure while also maxim maximizing external funding, maintaining fiscal discipline, and continuing to invest in the services and amenities that define our community. Importantly, even for our largest investment, the downtown infrastructure project, we have layered funding sources to reduce reliance on debt and mitigate the impact on the tax rate. It's important to remember though that the CIP is a planning document. It does not bind any public body to undertake any project. Rather, it serves as a guide for the council to identify and schedule needed improvements that align with the city's master plan and to forecast their financial impact. Once adopted, the first year of the CIP becomes the foundation for the upcoming fiscal year's cap capital budget and is incorporated into the annual operating budget process. Public participation remains an important part of this process and we appreciate the feedback we will receive tonight and any additional written feedback between now and the deadline. I'm not exactly sure when the deadline is for the written comments. Tuesday

Tuesday at 1. Tuesday at 1. And then next Thursday, the CIP will be reviewed and considered by the finance committee and they will take a vote on a recommendation. Well, that will then come back to the city council for full vote on April 2nd. Those are my opening remarks.

Very good. Thank you for that scheduled preview and uh we are now uh at the point of a public hearing. Uh like to see how many people in the audience uh intend to testify this evening. couple uh then there's uh not a huge crowd to uh testify this evening. Uh feel free to come up to the microphone. Please identify yourself by name and uh town and uh your local address and uh please uh come forward.

Councelor Jones. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Just a note for the city councilors. Um I have my book here with all my notes in it. Um but we were just so we the counselors know we were given a revised book tonight. So it's if it says revised in the lower right corner that's that's the one when we refer to page numbers because there were a little bit it's one it's one number off if you if you're using the old book.

I can comment. Um, so yes, you do have a revised book. There were some additional changes in the out years, mostly of public works projects. And so instead of pointing them out, we've decided to just give you a revised book this evening.

I guess we'll transfer our notes. Yeah, that's what I'm going to do. Uh first uh guest. Yes, you sit or stand at your leisure. Uh please uh make sure that the mic is turned on. It it'll turn green at the base. Thank you.

Um good evening. Uh I am Len Fleer and I'm representing Manadnock uh interfaith project also known as MIP. MIP believes in the inherent dignity of each person. Our diverse faith traditions encourage us to care for our neighbors and to strive for the common good. These values are frequently demonstrated by the city of Keen as well in their policies and planning. From 2017 to 2019, MIP heard in listening gatherings around the the county a need for public res downtown that were accessible for as many hours of the day as possible. for older folks, families with young children, people who are unhoused, visitors to the city. Really, for all of us, the need for bathroom access outside traditional city service hours is important. We spoke to the city council about this in 2019 and sincerely appreciate the goal of public accessible bathrooms is still alive. We still appreciate that. We're grateful to see a public restroom included in the CIP plan for 2027 through 33. This public amenity is a typical feature of cities in our country and around the world. It signals our municipal commitment to meeting basic human needs and creating a welcoming downtown.

Our preference has been for a staffed bathroom for safety reasons, but we know this is a challenge. Keeping a downtown public bathroom in the CIP may hopefully lead to seeking funding in creative ways. We urge you to keep this proposed downtown bathroom in the CIP plan and to prioritize getting the bathroom built in the upcoming years. Access to a bathroom is a matter of human dignity for all of us. Thanks for your consideration. Thank you. Any questions? See, thank you. This is on. Yeah. Um Ken Cost at 51 Railroad and and like Len um also very much support having a downtown bathroom um for all of our population. So, I'm really glad it's been put forward and it's in the plan. Um, I do have though uh something for we don't have to there's no decision today, but when I read the description of this particular bathroom, it's going to be a fully automated self-washing piece of machinery. And um I think they're built really well and they have a strong reliability about them. But um these bathrooms, you know, I just did a little research on one of the brands that you all indicated in the CIP and uh it just for fun. It has eight motors and four pumps and 12 actuators and valves and 25 sensors and nozzles and filters and heating elements and all kinds of controls and everything else. It's really complicated. And so um my concern is that although it's reliable, it will break down because any

one of those bits and pieces will break down. And then when it breaks down, um I think these are proprietary pieces of equipment and so it would take it can't be our local plumbing company who fixes a lot of this stuff. So it will take a service company, maybe a service contract. I'm not sure how it will work, but um I have a sense that when it breaks, after we spend a half a million dollars and we build this thing um and open it up and everyone will be excited, it's going to start to be out of order and there'll be little out of order signs on it. And um you know, I wouldn't want to be personally the decision maker who spent a half a million dollars on this and then it breaks down and it will break down. Um, so what I would like to see, there was also mention of another type of toilet in there, a Portland lube, which is not automatic. It's it's a manual, very heavily built. It's used throughout New England. You don't have to worry about the winterization and everything. And so, um, I would hope that we consider something simpler like a Portland loo. It does have to be maintained. It does have to be cleaned by people. Um, but maybe that's an opportunity, you know, to put some people to work uh on a part-time job to come and clean it. Um, it could be a community service type project. It doesn't have to be another whole full-time staff, but I would like us to think about getting something simpler where we don't have to depend on this very, very complicated piece of machinery. So, thank you.

Thank you.

Hi, I'm Robin Cost, 51 Railroad Street. Um, I live in Keen. I live downtown. I am disabled. I've never had a problem going to a bathroom in downtown Keen, even in the evenings. My concern is that first of all, any bathroom you build has to meet ADA requirements. So, that's a mute point. It has to meet them. So, that's a given. Okay. So, let's not worry about that. Let's worry about the realities. I live downtown. We are concerned about drug problems. We are concerned about hazards. We are concerned that this bathroom remains clean, open, and safe. I understand that the building at the end of Gilbo uh that is unoccupied now is a city property and I can see that very easily being turned into the downtown public restroom. People who are attending events in Keen, they're right off of Main Street. It's right there. It's accessible. The building exists already. There are people in Keen, if you listen to the news yesterday, our growth rate for jobs in the United States right now is at zero. I'm pretty sure it's pretty similar in Keen. We can hire people who are now in need of some kind of financial assistance or work. Also coming through the court system, community service to work cleaning the bathroom once a day. and uh you can employ a few people this way. So I would like to see it personally in the space on Gilbo that already exists, already belongs to the city, that can be locked if we do have a problem and that would be available. Uh you do have to of course have the AD requirements, the family restrooms and all of that. Uh it's a good location because it's frequently trafficked. there are

businesses that are open right next to it. So, that's my two cents for this. The um only other thing I want to add is I've been to a lot of these fully functioning bathrooms in Tokyo and parts other parts of the country. They aren't all they are thought to be. Besides the point Ken Ken made about everything that is electronic going haywire and then having the embarrassment of having spent probably more than half a million dollars to do this, it'll fall back on the people who put that proposal forward. So, I think you have an existing structure, it can be outfitted properly, and you can find people to to service it part-time. Thank you. Thank you. Others uh wishing to testify. I guess you needed need to do the same introduction.

Yeah. Um I don't know if I've met any of you guys. Um Andrew Madison, 178 Elm Street. Uh first time long long time listener, first- time caller. Um I'm not going to go off about a bathroom, guys. Um, you know, we we know that that was put in the Sentinel, you know, largely to try to stir up controversy. If it was a county proposed idea, I think the article would have read differently. What I am going to ask you guys to do is really consider wants versus needs in the CIP and the budget this year. Regardless of what happens in the elections in November, there is a financial reckoning that municipalities in the state are going to have to face. Federal funding is going to be harder to come by as our national debt is being driven up, as resources for municipalities is drying up, and as we see continued chaos at the federal level. At the state level, our budget is a nightmare. Um, the state is working to downshift costs as much as it possibly can to cities and cut revenues by, you know, giving tax breaks to those who need it the least. Um right now we're in a pretty serious budget deficit at the state level and revenues are expected to fall well below their already poultry expectations. So, I would just ask you guys to really consider h as we're moving forward with spending the essential needs of the city um and how we can really uh accomplish what we need to do, the absolute essentials with regard to infrastructure because we know that the downtown infrastructure project is already over budget. We know that there's growing infrastructure needs as aging infrastructure in other parts of the city is going to start failing. We know that there are increasing emergency needs as our fire department is underststaffed and surrounding departments are cutting funding and losing volunteers at alarming rates. We're going to be asked to support our

surrounding towns more and more and more as time goes on. So, a taxpayer and as a citizen, I'm really concerned with what the future looks like both for the city and the state. And so I just really ask that everyone consider needs versus wants as we move forward with the budget and as we move forward with the CIP. And I really don't envy the position you guys find yourself in right now. Uh guys and girls. It's it's going to be a tough few years and I really think you thank everyone here for sticking it out. So thank you.

Thank you. uh others who wish to testify this evening. If there aren't uh others I I recognize

uh any questions from counselors to the manager? We've had those opportunities several times. All right. Uh, I want to call to your attention that we've received two letters regarding the CIP. One is from Reverend Elsa Worth, which is in support of downtown restroom project, and the second is from Anthony Fentello, who is opposed to the restroom project. Both letters have been distributed and are on counselor's desks and will be filed into the record of the public hearing. Okay. going once, twice. I'll close the public hearing. Uh and uh anybody who wishes to further comment uh your written comments can be accepted up until 100 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24th. Uh so if there are further thoughts, please uh get those to the city clerk uh no later than 1 pm on Tuesday, March 24th. Okay. Thank you. And thank you to the uh counselors who have been uh participating in the uh finance operations and personnel committee uh hearings. I think they've been very helpful. Thank you to the departments who've been coming forward and making their presentations and thank you city manager and thank you to the finance director uh who has uh kept this accurate and uh for our considerations.

Uh councelor Favis. Yeah, thank you Mr. Mayor. Just a quick question for the city manager. Do we have a anticipated timeline on when the document that we have in front of us as counselors will be available for public review on the website? So, we were just talking about that. Hopefully tomorrow. Yeah. On the website. Okay. I hope folks heard that. The the CIP in its revised manner will be on the city's website and the finance department under the finance department. Uh and that uh will be tomorrow, Friday. Okay, great. Uh, councelor Rutle Miller,

sorry. As a followup to that, maybe I just want to suggest that I know we make really good nice little I don't know why I'm hunching. Um, I know we make very nice little PSA videos. This may be a good opportunity for that if this isn't one that's already on the docket. So, yeah. Thanks. Okay, we are moving past this and like to ask the clerk to lead us through our nominations and appointments for this meeting.

Certainly. Uh this evening we have two nominations from the mayor. The first is the reappoint reappointment of Claire Oler to serve on the energy and climate committee as a regular voting member in slot 8 uh term to expire December 31, 2028. The second is uh nomination comes to us as a result of uh the recent selection of Pamela Russell Slack to serve as a permanent theer trustee. With this appointment by the FER trustee, slot five on the library board is now vacated and the mayor is nominating Susan Matthews to serve in this regular membership slot for a term to expire June 30th, 2029.

And those nominations are tabled until our next regular meeting.

And next we have confirmations. Uh these were on our agenda last uh meeting and we are ready to confirm these nominations. The first is to the airport development and marketing committee and it is Sally Reinhardt to serve as an alternate in slot 12 for a term to expire December 31, 2028. And to the bicycle pedestrian path advisory committee, David Mast serving as an alternate in slot 11 for a term to expire December 31, 2028. Thank you very much. The next two communications are from city councilors. Uh oh, sorry. They need to be voted on.

Sorry. The nominations. Thank you, councelor Greenwald. Second. Seconded by councelor Filio. And would the clerk please call the role? Councelor Filio. Yes. Councelor Chalice. Yes. Councelor Workman? Yes. Councelor Lake? Yes. Councelor Favalis? Yes. Councelor Tobin? Yes. Councelor Williams? Yes. Councelor Jones. Yes. Councelor Chad Boy. Councelor Hos. Yes. Councelor Roto Miller. Yes. Councelor Ellis. Yes. Councelor Powers. Yes. Councelor Greenwall. Yes.

Now, the next two communications uh are put on the record uh as conflicts of interest for councelor Hos and councelor Ellis. Uh and they're related to the next couple of items D1 and D2 on this evening's agenda. Uh these items. Uh so we're going to uh table these consideration of these two communications until we take up uh those two items. Uh I wanted though to take this opportunity to remind the council about the requirements of our city council rules of order section 15. This section we amended this last February uh in 2025. Under the rule, a councelor with a special interest must file a written particular of a of any special interest with the city clerk for inclusion on the agenda. And the existence of a special interest is determined by a majority vote of the counselors present. Note by a majority vote of the counselors present. So uh counselors are not required to leave their seats when abstaining from discussions or voting on a matter. However, if a counselor with a special interest wishes to speak at a public hearing or meeting where public comment is permitted, they may do so from the audience. Uh so I I think our legal counsel wanted to make sure that we just refreshed ourselves. Uh there is a requirement for a vote. Uh and so that is something that we will take up uh as we consider these two letters under D1 and D2. Uh okay. Moving on,

we do have some other communications to read into the record. Um, we have three. Uh, the first is a communication from Kevin Wat of the Keen Swamp Bats. He's requesting the annual license to discharge fireworks at Alumni Field immediately after their game on July 3rd, 2026 as part of the Independence Eve celebration. The second communication was submitted by Alana Fierro on behalf of the Keen Young Professionals Network and this is their annual request for a license to conduct the Taste of Keen Food Festival on Saturday, June 6th, 2026. Uh finally, we have a communication from Kevin Blake of Copper Cannon Distillery and they are requesting permission to be a vendor at the Keen Farmers Market in 2026 and provide alcohol tastings. All three of these items will be referred to the planning, licenses and development committee. Okay. Now we will take up uh the committee reports and why are we doing D2?

Got it. Got it. Got it. Got it. Never mind. Um, so, uh, councelor Hos has, uh, provided us with a conflict of interest, uh, that he has, uh, as a board member of the Keen Downtown group. I'd like to ask councelor Filio for a motion. Thank you. I move to acknowledge councelor Hassa's conflict of interest and grant the request for recusal from participation in voting on the two matters pertaining to the downtown group on this evening's agenda. Second. and seconded by councelor Chalice. Uh, and we'll take a simple majority roll call vote. Councelor Filio, yes. Councelor Chalice, yes. Councelor Workman, yes. Councelor Le,

yes. Councelor Favis, yes. Councelor Tobin, yes. Councelor Williams, yes. Councelor Jones, yes. Councelor Chadborn, yes. Councelor Hos, Councelor Hos, can't vote. I'm sorry. Uh, councelor Rutle Miller, yes. And Councelor Ellis, yes. Councelor Powers. Yes. And councelor Greenwald. Motion carries. And uh councelor Hos, you are recused. Uh and we'll take up item D1.

And item D1 is a planning licenses and development committee report um related to the Keen Downtown group's request for use of city property for a series of smallcale downtown festivals. And on a vote of three to zero, the planning, licenses, and development committee recommends the Keen downtown group be granted a street fair license to use downtown city rights of way to conduct up to four smallcale festivals as part of the dig into Keen project with event dates scheduled for Saturday, July 25th, 2026, Saturday, December 12th, Saturday, October 10th, and Friday, November 27th, 2026, including sidewalk displays, buskers on sidewalks, musical and stage performances on a small mobile stage on Railroad Square, and food vendors at locations to be determined. Conditional upon the following: the furnishing of a certificate of liability insurance in the amount of $1 million naming the city as additional insured. Signing of a standard revocable license and indemnification agreement. that the petitioner agrees to absorb the cost of any city services over and above the amount of city funding allocate allocated to the events and agrees to remit said payment within 30 days of the date of invoicing. That the footprint and layout for the events shall encumber downtown city sidewalks, railroad square, and central square if available. The full extent of road closures and detour routes shall be agreed upon with city staff. City staff are authorized to approve changes to the event dates for the applicant's benefit due to weather or logistical considerations, provided that the revised dates are acceptable to staff and will occur within two weeks of the council approved event date. That the actual events will be held from noon to 3 p.m. with times for setup and cleanup to be established with staff. The submittal of signed letters of permission from any private property owners for the use of their property.

said permission is granted subject to the obtainment of any necessary licenses or permits and compliance with all laws and compliance with any recommendations of city staff and that free parking be granted under the provisions of the free parking policy for the following use of spaces with dates, times, and locations to be determined in coordination with the parking division for volunteer parking during pre-event setup and post-event breakdown activities and to be determined spaces within the event footprint on the day of the events. Thank you. Like to recognize councelor Folio for a motion. Move to carry out intent the committee report. Second what she said

by councelor Jones. Basically what she said word for word. Um yeah I mean can't get more explanatory than that. Uh these small events are going to really help with the uh with the downtown project B going on. We all know that and um anything that we can do to help out the businesses during this construction um we should all be in favor of which I'm sure we all are and you know if you have lemons you make lemonade so I hope we'll uh get your support. Thank you. Any comments questions? Seeing none would the clerk please call the councelor Councelor Filio Councelor Chalice. Yes. Councelor Workman yes. Councelor Lake. Yes. Councelor Favis. Yes. Councelor Tobin, yes. Councelor Williams, yes.

Councelor Jones, yes. Councelor Chadborn, yes. Councelor Ruddle Miller, yes. Councelor Ellis, yes. Councelor Powers, yes. Councelor Greenwall, yes. Motion carries unanimously. 14 to zero. Um, we'll take up now uh Councelor Ellis's conflict of interest for the Manadnack 250 event. Uh like to recognize councelor Phillio for a motion. Thank you. Move to acknowledge councelor Ellis's conflict of interest and grant request for recusal from participation and voting on the manadnock 250th celebration license um approval on this evening's agenda.

Second seconded by councelor chalice. Uh any questions comments? Thank you for your role in an act 250. Uh, would the clerk please call the role? Certainly. Councelor Filia, yes. Councelor Chalice, yes. Councelor Workman, yes. Councelor Lake, yes. Councelor Favalis, yes. Councelor Tobin, yes. Councelor Williams, yes. Councelor Jones, yes. Councelor Roberts, oh, I'm sorry, he's not here. Councelor Chadborn, yes. Councelor Hos, yes. Councelor Ruddle Miller, yes. Councelor Powers, yes. Councelor Greenwald, yes. Motion carries 13, nothing. and we'll take up item D2. Oh my gosh.

Oh boy. We We've got to find a way to to to either group these motions or it just ditto. They're very redundant. Yeah, I understand. Okay.

And this is a planning license and development committee report uh relative to the Manadnock 250th independent celebration. On a vote of three to zero, the planning licenses and development committee recommends the Keen Downtown group be granted a street fair license to use downtown city rights of way on Saturday, July 4th, 2026 to conduct the Madnoch 250th Independence Day celebration, including merchant sidewalk sales, family activities, and a parade conditional upon the following. The furnishing of a certificate of liability insurance in the amount of $1 million, naming the city as additional insured. the signing of a standard revocable license and indemnification agreement. That the petitioner agrees to absorb the cost of any city services over and above the amount of city funding allocated to the event and agrees to remit said payment within 30 days of the date of invoicing. That the footprint and layout for the event shall encumber downtown city sidewalks, railroad square, a portion of the Commercial Street parking lot, and a portion of the Gilbo Avenue East parking lot. that the petitioner is permitted to conduct a parade and use the traveled portions of Baker Street, Brutder Street, Main Street, northbound side from Central Square to Route 101 and a portion of Railroad Street. Road closures may include any portions of other streets needed to facilitate detour routes. The full extent of road closures and detour routes shall be agreed upon with city staff. The petitioners permitted to place portable toilets in city parking spaces located in the commercial street parking lot in the parking spaces along the former skate park from Friday, July 3rd to Monday, July 6th, 2026, which will be chained together and affixed to ensure they are not vandalized while unattended overnight. That the actual event will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. with the times for setup and cleanup to be determined with city staff. that free parking has been granted under the provisions of the free parking policy for city parking spaces needed for

storage of equipment from Friday, July 3rd to Monday, July 6, 2026 and spaces within the event footprint on the day of the event. the submittal of signed letters of permission from any private property owners for the use of their property. And finally, said permission is granted subject to obtainment of any necessary licenses or permits and compliance with all laws in compliance with any recommendations of city staff. Thank you. Recognize councelor Filio for the motion. Move to carry out the intent of the committee report. Second. Seconded by councelor Jones

and ditto again what she said. Um yeah, and here here we got another event that's going to be great for downtown right in the middle of of uh of construction and it's um hopefully going to be probably one of the larger parades that we've seen in the history of Kain. And kudo to councelor Ellis who although was stifled to be able to talk about this tonight. Um she's uh pretty buried. It's what that's what happens when you're a new council. You raise your hand, you'll say I do it. You'll know next year. Um but anyhow, I hope you'll uh give your complete support to this. Thank you. Any comments or questions about this event and the license? Seeing none, the cler call the role. Councelor Phillio, yes.

Councelor Chalice, yes. Councelor Workman, yes. Councelor Lake, yes. Councelor Favalis, yes. Councelor Tobin, yes. Councelor Williams, yes. Councelor Jones, yes. Councelor Chadborn, yes. Councelor Hos, yes. Councelor Rule Miller, yes. Councelor Powers, yes. Councelor Greenwald, yes. Motion carries 13 to zero. Okay, we are moving on to item D3. Did you catch your breath yet? No, but I did call councelor Hos in that role and I should not have apologized for that. Oh, that's true. I'm sorry. I'm not going to count your vote. You are you are refused. I'm sorry.

You voted. I I That's my my error. Apologies. Question. Certainly. Thank you, your honor. Um, so I understand you're recusing me from the first motion that was directly with the downtown group uh for events that the downtown group was sponsoring, but the second one, the downtown group is in support of the 250th committee. Yeah. Actually, they are the actually you are the the Keen Downtown group is the license holder for that event. All right. All right, everybody pay attention now.

And so your vote is not to be reflected and thank you for abstaining from the conversation.

Okay, moving on to D3. This is a planning licenses and development committee report um related to the farmers market of Keen request for use of city property. Thankfully the motion is slightly shorter. Um, on a vote of four to zero, the planning licenses and development committee recommends that the farmers market of Keen be granted permission to use 22 parking spaces along Gilbo Avenue and 18 spaces on the other side of the median strip in the Commercial Street parking lot from Saturday, April 25th, 2026 to Saturday, October 31st, 2026. Said permission is subject to the following conditions. The furnishing of a certificate of liability insurance in the amount of $1 million, naming the city as an additional insured. The signing of a revocable license and indemnification agreement, the receipt of a total rental fee of $932 payable on the first day of every month at $155 per month. Access to city electrical shall also be provided at a fee of $60 for the season. obtainment of all necessary permits and licenses and compliance with all laws and compliance with any recommendations of city staff. It is further recommended that the farmers market of Keen be allowed to erect sandwich board signs on city property prior to the start of sales subject to review and approval by city staff with respect to the number and location. The signs must be removed immediately after sales have concluded.

Councelor Filio for the motion. Move to carry out the intent of the committee report. Second second by councelor Jones for the third item in a row. Um this is an annual request um which never runs into too much opposition but another case of uh an event happening downtown that's going to help downtown and what a better time for it. So obviously this passes unanimously and I hope you'll vote for it also. Hey councelor J.

I uh managed the farmers market one summer and I will tell you that this is a rough road hoe. No pun intended. I'm embarrassed that we are charging for the use of our city space to these farmers who are barely I can vouch. I had to do the numbers each week. This is not a money-making venture. We are graced by the fact that these people are willing to come every week and bring food that they have grown. I hope that in the future we find a way to not charge these people to be able to use our property. So I'm in full support. I'm I'm just embarrassed.

Councelor Greenwald, on the other hand, they are taking parking spaces which is removing re revenue from the city and for the most part they are not residents of the city of Keen. It's very very fair that they pay their fair share. It's never been an issue. It's not a lot of money. It's just paying their fair share. Uh, councelor Chadwart.

Um, I feel it's it's funny. I never imagined myself being the um historian, but um this has been a discussion that's been ongoing for years and dating back to John Mlan when he was city manager. We discussed, we were talking about the findings property and such way back then and there and we also discussed about different areas where we could potentially have um or offer space to the farmers market. And one of the other areas that we were considering was Ash Reut Street with that new newly uh well at that time we didn't have possession of it but now we do and um so there's been an ongoing discussion and I think what's really important is that we all remember this is very fluid and um there's constant conversations and shifting and then shifting back and uh I think it's important to leave the conversation open for reconsideration. It it I think councelor Shalis bringing it up is a good reminder that we should revisit this.

Council Phillio,

with all due respect to councelor Chalice, if you do this, if we were to say, okay, it's free, you set a precedent that any group can come in now and say, you allow this group for free on city property. We want that same spot for free. You set a president that winds up in the city attorney's lap. We don't want to go there. We have a nominal fee just to prevent people from coming in and just saying we want city property for free. There's always a reason for everything and that's the reason behind this small fee. Okay. Um I'd like to just to ask a question about the motion. Uh, I know that the intent is that this be on Saturdays from April 25th to October 3rd, but it doesn't say on Saturdays from April 25th. It says from Saturday, April 25th to Saturday, October 31st. So,

you're correct. Typically, it would say on Saturdays. Could we could we consider that a good news? And uh yes, note that for the record. That's right. I'll take my I'll take my lumps. It's okay. It made it through a couple hearings. Okay. Uh seeing no further comment. Okay. Would you call the role? I certainly will. Councelor Filio, yes. Councelor Chalice, yes. Councelor Workman, yes. Councelor Lake, yes. Councelor Favalis, yes. Councelor Tobin, yes. Councelor Williams, yes. Councelor Jones, yes. Councelor Chadbornne,

yes. Councelor Hos, yes. Councelor Roto Miller, yes. Councelor Ellis, yes. Councelor Powers, yes. Councelor Greenwald, yes. And that motion carries 13 to nothing. No, 14. Sorry, 14. All right, we D4. So D4 uh is anformational report from the planning, licenses, and development committee, and it relates to a communication submitted by Carolyn Ogrren requesting a review of warehouse zoning as it relates to the potential housing of detained individuals.

And this report will be filed asformational. Moving to D5. D5 is a planning licenses and development committee report relative to a request for um the city council is signed on to a letter of support for Senate Bill 538 relative to net metering credits for solar projects serving political subdivisions. And on a vote of 4 to zero, the planning, licenses, and development committee recommends that the city council authorize the mayor to sign a letter in support of Senate Bill 538 provided by the Clean Energy New Hampshire. Thank you, Councelor Fia. Move to carry out the intent of the committee report.

Second. Um, seconded by councelor Jones. As the clerk just mentioned, it's uh Senate Bill 538. One of the very few bills that ever come out of conquer that we can actually support. So, I really think we should all jump on board this because we don't get many of these. It extends eligibility for municipal municipal easy for me to say energy projects to receive net metering compensation and it restores the 20-year net metering term. Um, this is something that, uh, Senator Fenton co-signed on. It's something the mayor is 100% behind and all it's saying is we're allowing the mayor on our behalf to send a letter to Conquered saying we support this bill and I hope we can get a unanimous vote on this. Thank you.

Um, seeing no other comments, I hope it comes out of the house in the same manner that it's going in. Right. That's a question mark. Yep. Uh, but we'll trust uh the process and thank you. Please call the role. Councelor Filio, yes. Councelor Chalice, yes. Councelor Workman, yes. Councelor Lake, yes. Councelor Favalis, yes. Councelor Tobin, yes. Councelor Williams, yes. Councelor Jones, yes. Councelor Chadborn, Councelor Hos, yes. Councelor Rule Miller, yes. Councelor Ellis, yes. Councelor Powers, yes. Councelor Greenwald, yes.

Motion carries uni. We can call this unanimously. I think we can because I I think that'll be worthy of note to the uh in the letter of support. Okay, moving on to D7 six, sorry. D6 is a finance, organization, and personnel committee report relative to the reallocation of capital funds for the skate park. And on a vote of five to zero, the finance organization and personnel committee recommends that the city council reallocate $75,000 from the Patricia Russell Park construction to the skate park improvements project. Councelor Powers for a motion.

Thank you, honor. Move to carry out the intent of the committee report. Second. Seconded by councelor Lake. Councelor Powers for the committee.

Thank you, honor. We're back at Russell Park and we're going to finish it up here pretty soon. Um, these are all funds that we already have in in our uh finance uh organization here. It's just a matter of moving them around because we were delayed in completing certain parts of the project because we had to tear down findings. So, these funds along with a land, water, and conservation fund grant will complete a driveway between the parking lot on one side of the skate park over towards Russell Park. The finance committee looked at this and unanimously recommends that the city council pass this. Thank you.

Uh, any comments on this? Councelor Hus. Yeah, thank you your honor. Um I'm sorry if I've not followed this close enough to know exactly what's going where, but um could city manager or someone clarify as to is this additional parking spaces? Is this just a driveway from behind the skate park up to the uh Pat Russell parking spaces? And how wide is it going to be? And anything else you care to illuminate us with? Thank you. Yes, please.

Um, so I can't tell you how wide it's going to be, but it is a a pathway that would connect the parking lot on the west side of the skate park to the parking lot on the Russell um park side. So, and there it's also for a parking lot. So, the pathway and the parking lot are part of this project. This could not be done until the findings building had been torn down and then we needed to get final approval from New Hampshire dees in terms of any restrictions on site before we could uh move forward with the project. Follow.

Thank you, your honor. Um, do you know how many parking spaces will be put there? And a ballpark number would be fine. And these parking spaces go behind the skate park. So, I'm getting sign language from the back of the room. It looks like 15. Okay. Thank you. Good. Councelor Charles.

Um, I've had requests from uh community members to look at locations for raised bed community gardens on the east side. This has been suggested as the location that would be central to quite a bit of the near east sides uh people who live there. So, I just am giving notice that I'll be looking to understand more about that site plan and be speaking to uh parks and wreck to see whether it would be possible and if how it seems that funding is available to have this happen and just wanted to let folks know that I'll be pursuing this on behalf of a group of um east side residents. I'm just going to clarify one thing. So this movement of money is a match for the landwater conservation fund grant that we received and the plan has already been obligated through that grant.

So that granting agency has approved the plan with a scope. Yes. And uh so this we we clearly are dealing with the scope as has been uh in the plan. Councelor Chalice's

just to clarify, I have no no qualms with the plan or the funding. I'm not asking for any of that funding. I'm hoping that there is a grassy area with full sunshine where we may be able to place these without disturbing what has been already designed. And if not, then not. I was only elected recently, but I am not looking to disturb what has already been approved or reassign funding.

Thank you. I'm sorry, Council Little. Yeah, I just wanted to just for like general as somebody who watches meetings from home. Just a reminder, please point your face at your microphone because there was a meeting I watched last week where I heard half of what everyone was saying as they turned every few seconds away. You cannot hear from home. So just Thank you. volume at microphone for those who are watching from their house. It it's a good reminder comments from counselors are to be directed to the chair and uh hopefully you can direct him like Mike in a consistent manner. Okay. Thank you. Thank you

councelor Hos again.

Yeah. Thank you your honor. Um yeah I I I guess after being around a couple years I can start being a little little different then. Um yeah I know this is in the plan. It was in the plan. Uh we have the funding for it. it's matched and all. Um, but frankly, I see no need for additional pavement and parking in that area. Um, if this goes through, um, I would ask that the type of pavement that gets put down be permeable, be some kind of natural substance that suitable there. I know that requires more maintenance for plowing and such, but um, we can look at things like that. Uh uh however, I'm not sure we have a need for anything more than just a walkway from the skate park, from Water Street, from a potential future crossing there over to the parking lot of Pat Russell Park. Thank you.

Just one more clarification. Manager wishes to address this. Yeah. So, we did need to get sign off from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services on what we were doing in this location because of the foundry that was there before and so the type of pavement might not be able to be changed. Okay, seeing no further comments, we will go to a vote. Councelor Filio, yes. Councelor Chalice, no. Councelor Workman, yes. Councelor Lake, yes. Councelor Faves, yes. Councelor Tobin, yes. Councelor Williams, no. Councelor Jones, yes. Councelor Chadborn,

yes. Councelor Hos, no. Councelor Rutle Miller, yes. Councelor Ellis, yes. Councelor Powers, yes. Councelor Greenwall, yes. Three. So, we have uh 12 to two. Three. 11 to three. 11 to three. Mhm. Okay. Motion carries. Thank you. Moving on to D7.

This is a finance organization and personnel committee report regarding an acceptance of the local source water protection grant. And on a vote of five to zero, the finance organization and personnel committee recommends the city manager be authorized to do all things necessary to accept and execute a local source water protection grant from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services in the amount of $39,500. And Council Powers for the motion. Thank you, your honor. Move to carry out the intent of the committee report. Second. Seconded by Councelor Chad Born. Councelor Powers.

Thank you, your honor. Uh New Hampshire Dees has um been very u helpful to us on a number of different grants surrounding our water system. And in this case, the $39,500 is going to be used for some fencing around the West Street Wellfield facility for protection of the the whole aquifer and the building. And the second half of that grant will be for some fencing and a gate at the Babage Reservoir. That's our major um reservoir for our drinking water. So making it safe is very important. And this was passed unanimously by finance organization and personnel. Thank you.

Any questions on this grant? Seeing none, the cler call the role. Councelor Filio, yes. Councelor Chalice, yes. Councelor Workman, yes. Councelor Lake, yes. Councelor Faves, yes. Councelor Tobin, yes. Councelor Williams, yes. Councelor Jones, yes. Councelor Chadborn, yes. Councelor Hos, yes. Councelor Roto Miller, yes. Councelor Ellis, yes. Councelor Powers, yes. Councelor Greenwall, yes.

Motion carries 14 to nothing. Uh, and on to our last committee report. the Finance Organization and Personnel Committee report relative to acceptance of the donation of office equipment. And on a vote of five to zero, the Finance Organization and Personnel Committee recommends the city manager be authorized to do all things necessary to accept the donation of office furniture and equipment from Guild Mortgage Company with an estimated value of up to $100,000. And councelor Powers for the motion. Thank you, honor. Move to carry out the intent of the committee report. Second. Second by councelor Lake. So here we are accepting another donation.

It's just a little bit different than what we normally see, but I think uh some kados to the purchasing office that uh they're able to find this for us and they do a number of different things that aren't typical in that office. They're able to find materials um equipment for us at reasonable price and they're also able to take our surplus through that system and get us some value as it's coming back. But in this case, we had a need for some updated office equipment. And there's a large business over in the Bedford area that's closing up their shop. And this equipment is quite nice, quite available to us. in fact may already be here and is going to take care of some issues on the third floor and downstairs in the tax office so that our equipment is much more effective when we've got the right material holding it in place. So it's valued at uh estimated to be around $100,000. You know conference table desks the you know use with your computer that if you want to stand you can do that. uh chairs and the office, I call them cubicles,

dividers. Um but again, this is all more modern than what we have. I know for a fact that the cubicles on the third floor were put in 29 years ago, so I think it's time to be replaced. We recommend we accept this. Thank you. Thank you. And thank you to the staff that arranged this. Uh any questions? Yes. Councelor Riddle Miller. Yes. I just have a question for additional clarification. Was this something that was sourced by the city or because the way I read it was it a donation and I was just really confused why a company from Bedford was donating furniture.

So, I don't know how we found out that they were closing and had furniture available, but it is a donation um to the city. So, they were offering it to municipalities and other nonprofits. And I will just put a plug in for the staff, not just in purchasing, but across the organization. I was in a budget meeting this morning where we were talking about Facebook Marketplace and source sourcing an item from there and finding ways to save money. And so they are very creative and uh they're always on the lookout. So it's possible they saw a posting somewhere. Thank you. Further comments? Seeing none, the clerk call the role. Councelor Fillio, yes. Councelor Chalice,

yes. Councelor Workman, yes. Councelor Le, yes. Councelor Favalis, yes. Councelor Tobin, yes. Councelor Williams, yes. Councelor Jones, yes. Councelor Chadborn, yes. Councelor Hos, yes. Councelor Rule Miller, yes. Councelor Ellis, yes. Councelor Powers, yes. Councelor Greenwall, yes. Motion carries 14 to nothing.

And we are moving to the city manager report. Thank you. Just a few updates for you this evening. Greenup Keen, the date has been set. It's April 25th, and you are able to pick up your supplies again this year through uh drive-thru pickup at Keen Public Works, 350 Marbor Street. Uh, Greenup Keen will uh go from 8:00 am to 12 pm. And if you need supplies before the event, just give Andrea Bixby a call at public works or send her an email a bixby@ keennh.gov to arrange pickup. If you want to if there's a space that's really important to you that you would like to sponsor and that would be your location, take a look at our online map. It's on the public works website. shows some of the sites that we typically do um have volunteers clean up and you can see what's available and claim a spot yourself. Um tonight I also wanted to give uh oh before I do that the public works director asked me to make a plug. He asked that I also let everyone know about an open house at the wastewater treatment plant that's coming up. It's April 16th from t 10 to 6:00 p.m. It's open to the public and it'll be a great opportunity to meet with staff, ask questions, and take a tour. And if you haven't done that, I highly recommend it. And they will be highlighting the um items in the capital plan that are in the plan for the next seven seven years and the importance of those items. So, if you can attend that would be great. Um I also tonight wanted to just provide an update. Uh the city had uh partnered with 100 nights and our local church to open a warming shelter this year. And I wanted to give you a sense of activity at the shelter and as well as some of our other activity at

the other shelters uh in the community. So since the warming shelter was open on January 20th through February 27th um the center has provided over 400 bed nights of service. There are more individuals using the warmer shelter warming shelter from outside of Keen. So 30 so far versus 22 residents of Keen. But the data also shows that the Keen residents are staying longer and therefore account for slightly more of the majority of bed total bed nights. So at 56%. And so while the number of out of town individuals may be higher, the intensity of service measured by length of stay is greater among keen residents which drives the overall use. And we continue to see a similar pattern at our shelters. We often get this question who are um residing at the shelters. Uh at southwestern community services approximately 57% of the individuals are served that we are serving are from Keen and the rest are from out of state out of area. At 100 nights approximately 54% are Keen residents. Um finally the city continues to utilize a limited number of motel rooms. currently seven rooms across two locations as part of a broader strategy to address overflow and emergency needs.

Phillio, are we tracking what towns and what states and what areas these individuals are coming from? Yes. Okay. Thank you. Councelor Tobin, thank you, your honor. Um, I just wanted to say I'm really excited about Greenup Keen and I know we've had a couple of conversations about that and hopefully we can have a couple of more Greenup Keen days because there's just a lot of energy around that and so it's really exciting to see if we're out and cleaning up.

I'll if I can piggy back on the emergency shelter. I uh took an opportunity to go over there and we're we're coming up to the close of the season at the end of March.

Uh and uh you know like others uh who need social services in our community. Uh if you think that you can pick out a stereotype of a person that might use an emergency shelter, uh there is none. Uh and I don't think that comes as a surprise to anybody who is engaged in social service providers uh in the community. Um and it it's a real service. Uh I uh you know I wish there were other means of us providing shelter for uh those who need it. on the occasions that it has been bitterly cold or snowy or just inclement uh during this season. I I think I I applaud all the parties, the city and uh uh the United Church of Christ, the uh uh Southwestern Community Services and 100 Nights and the other churches that have contributed volunteer help because besides the two staff people that were hired, uh this has attracted a lot of the night I I was there at least four other volunteers who were there for the night and uh others who are there for the cleanup the following morning. Uh it's just turned into a community effort and it's uh I'm glad that the city could play a role in that. Thank you.

Okay, we have item G. This is a memorandum from our city planner uh senior planner and it was submitted on behalf of the joint planning board and planning licenses and development committee. It relates to ordinance O202602 relating to the definition of family. And the memo indicates that at their joint meeting on March 9th, the planning board voted unanimously to find ordinance O202602 consistent with the 2025 comprehensive master plan. Um, and the planning, licenses, and development committee has voted unanimously to request the mayor set a public hearing on the ordinance. and we will set that public hearing for May 21st at 7 p.m.

Our next item is I2. It is an ordinance for first reading uh submitted by our emergency management director. This ordinance is 0202604 um and it relates to chapter 30 emergency management.

And we'll refer this item to finance organization and personnel committees meeting of April 9th not the next April 9th meeting. And our final item on the agenda is item J1. Uh this is a planning, licenses, and development committee report. Uh and along with it, uh ordinance 0202540. And on a vote of 4 to 0, the planning, licenses, and development committee is recommending the adoption of O202540. And we have before us ordinance 0 202540, an ordinance relating to setback exceptions, accessory dwelling units, and parking regulations. And uh we will file this report and councelor Filio recognize you for a motion.

Yeah. Move that we uh approve ordinance 02205-40. Second. Second by councelor Jones and councelor Phillyo for the committee. Yeah. Basically this is a lot of this is one of the this is one of these ordinances that just stands out and gets a lot of attention, a lot of flashiness. Um, a lot of it's just uh setting regulations to match the state regulations. Um, it was tweaking things a little bit and it was tweaking the wording and also to make parking a little bit easier for some of these small businesses. So, once again, they came out four to nothing. Not a lot of controversy and hope you'll pass it also. Thank you. Questions? I know these items have gone through quite a few conversations, hearings, and

not the first time that we've heard this. Uh, any questions now? Seeing none, would the clerk please call the role? Councelor Fillio, yes. Councelor Chalice, yes. Councelor Workman, yes. Councelor Lake, yes. Councelor Favalis, yes. Councelor Tobin, yes. Councelor Williams, yes. Councelor Jones. Yes. Councelor Chadborn. Councelor Hos. Yes. Councelor Ruddle Miller. Yes. Councelor Ellis. Yes. Councelor Powers. Yes. Councelor Greenwall.

And I'd like to recognize councelor Greenwald for a motion. to go to nonpublic session 913 and land matters to 913. Seconded by councelor Powers. The clerk please call the role. Councelor Phillio, yes. Councelor Chalice, yes. Councelor Workman, yes. Councelor Lake, yes. Councelor Favalis, yes. Councelor Tobin, yes. Councelor Williams, yes. Councelor Jones, yes.

Councelor Chadborn, yes. Councelor Hos, yes. Councelor Rutle Miller, yes. Councelor Ellis, yes. Councelor Powers, yes. Councelor Greenwald, motion carries unanimously. Uh, we'll take a couple minute break and come back. So, I don't know if Cat wants to stay, but I will find out. She said she