If you ever wondered how decisions are made in town you should attend this Tuesday’s Select Board meeting. If you plan to attend I would suggest you arrive between 6:00 PM and 6:30 PM.
Water and Sewer
The bids are in and the cost to build a traditional water and sewer system are now known. The bids were constructed to provide several different build out options. One option is to build the entire system. This would cost about $12.5 to $13 M and require town approval of an additional $3M. Within the Business District Development Committee there have been several related discussions including current and immediate future capacity needs and ongoing operational cost associated with a water and sewer treatment facility. The current choices are town employees or a private contractor.
Members of the committee have also identified and talked with three businesses that have plans to build/expand an additional 50,000 square feet of space if there is water. One of these business owners may go public at Tuesday’s meeting.
Yesterday morning at the monthly BDDC meeting we heard from a resident who proposed the town consider using a newer technology for waste water treatment. The claim is that newer type of treatment systems are less expensive to build, have the added advantage of increasing the system only need expands, and producing a more environmentally friendly end product.
By yesterday afternoon the Selectman were sent an email from the town manager with additional details on the newer technology. I have read the materials and have many questions. Does Bow own the land necessary to build such an alternative system? If so, is the land located in the area required by such a plant(s)? What is the continuing operational cost? All will be revealed on Tuesday night.
Town Manager Replacement
The interviews for a new town manager have been held in non-public session to protect the names of applicants who might not want their current employers knowing they are looking for a new job. As many of you know I have a strong commitment to the public’s right to know how their elected officials make decisions and in that way the public can make an informed decision about reelecting or not reelecting their representatives. Once the search has concluded I will ask the Board to vote to release all emails and any minutes to the public.
9-1-1 Committee
AKA/ the renumbering every house in town and the renaming of many streets committee
I anticipate the Select Board will decide on the make-up of the committee. I am proposing a representative from the PD dispatch service, the Fire Chief, a representative from the Heritage Commission and three town members. The issue was bogged down by different data bases for the town and state until I volunteered to help resolve the problem last January or February. By March the State was able to use synced data bases to develop their list of recommended changes for the Town of Bow. Their recommendations (note they do not provide any funding for their recommendations) include renumbering every house and business in town, changing many of the existing street names and taking houses currently on one street, creating a new street and placing these houses on the new street.
The committee will send out notifications to affected residents, hold hearings, develop suggested changes and report back to the Select Board. The Select Board will then decide on what if any changes are to be made.