11/10/2025

Bethlehem Board of Selectmen

Meeting Minutes

November 10th, 2025

In person – Chairwoman Strand, Selectwoman Hibberd, Selectman MacDonald, Selectwoman Knowles and Selectman Bruno.

Nonpublic for Reasons of Personnel (5:30-6:00) Chairwoman Strand opened the meeting at 5:30 and motioned to go into nonpublic according to RSA 91A for reasons of personnel.  Selectwoman Hibberd seconded and roll call followed.

Selectman Bruno motioned to increase the Town Administrator’s salary by 6% to $74,160.  Chairwoman Strand seconded and all were in favor.

Public Input- Rich Ubaldo stated he wanted to correct inaccuracies he had been made aware of.  First, Cassella had overpaid their taxes in the amount of $250,000 and filed an abatement.  Second, regarding PFSA’s, the town’s capped landfill is worse than Cassella according to NHDES and the leach spill in 2021 took 14 months to clean up which fixed the problem.  Chairwoman Strand noted this was a controversial topic and there are disagreements on both sides.  Chairwoman Strand continued listened to your request to negotiate with Cassella and voted not to have a warrant article however if you choose to have a petition warrant article that would be a way forward.  Chris Jensen noted the proximity of the NCES landfill next to the Ammonoosuc River in regard to PFSA’s.  Rich Southwell stated he understood the concern over finances noting the $1.3 million quoted was the worse case scenario and we are still waiting to hear regarding two possible grant opportunities.

Updates and other business- Selectman McDonald reminded residents not to blow their leaves onto the road because it is dangerous and clogs the drainage system.  Selectwoman Hibberd updated the board that the Fire Department 1977 Ford Pickup has been brought back to the station and should be sold.

Selectwoman Hibberd motioned to request a seal bid for 1977 Ford truck.  Selectman McDonald seconded and all were in favor.

Selectwoman Hibberd motioned to sell the old fire truck that has been replaced.  Selectwoman Knowles seconded and all were in favor. 

Selectwoman Knowles updated the board that the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance had recently visited the Rocks Estate and thanked Chairwoman Strand, Clare Brown, Mary Moritz, and Linda Moore for participating.  Chairwoman Strand updated the board that NHDES will be giving a presentation during the 12/1 select board meeting on energy opportunities for residents.  Chairwoman Strand read the following statement:

Recently on social media there was a post asking many questions and raising concerns about the Town’s future Transfer Station. I would like to address as many as possible.

Many of the concerns were regarding financing:

There has been full transparency on attempts to finance the transfer station build. The selection of the Rt 116 site was reached after thorough consideration of alternatives and then approved by the Select Board. The site was decided largely based on cost to the town and taxpayers. In addition, the Transfer Station Committee has been working tirelessly over the past 2 years to obtain outside funding through grants. As you can imagine, applying for large grants was a process and took time. All the anticipated steps taken were brought to the Select Board and approved in a public forum. These included an engineering study and cost analysis by Aries Engineering, who was selected after a transparent bidding process. The resulting plans were used for grant applications. We were awarded an actual CDS (congressional discretionary spending) allotment sponsored by Senator Jeanne Sheehan of $750,000, but the current climate in the federal government has frozen that funding. That climate has also affected a large USDA grant that was applied for, and another large grant through EPA called a SWIFER grant has not even announced any awards that were supposed to be allocated long before now.

All this to say that the Committee then advised the SB that there were two options remaining: 1) use the existing Solid Waste Capital Reserve Funds to create a bare minimum way of collecting waste, which may or may not include recycling, or 2) ask the voters for a bond to fund a full transfer station. Both the Transfer Station and CIP committees recommended option 2 for the following reasons:

• construction costs continue to rise and building now avoids further cost increases for the same results
• allows for revenue to be produced from proper recycling
• spreads the cost over time, lowering the tax impact per year and
• distributes the cost to those who actually would be using the facilities including new residents

Our Town treasurer has been directed to research bonding and possible loans to help determine the best way to proceed.

That is where we stand right now and the Select Board will be discussing a possible warrant article for a bond when all warrant articles are addressed in Select Board meetings, before the Town deliberative session and then of course in the deliberative session before voting in Town Meeting in March.

To address the concern of Operation Processes Determination. This has been another focus of the Transfer Station Committee for years. They have been dedicated to creating a forward-thinking transfer station that emphasizes reducing waste to landfills, recycling whatever can be profitable or cost neutral, and reusing or repurposing any items possible. They have visited many other transfer stations to learn what works and what mistakes were made. They have utilized, with Select Board approval, consultants who currently manage transfer stations in this area. A revised engineering plan is expected in the next few weeks as a result of the information gathered since the initial plan was developed. But neither the Committee nor the Select Board has the expertise to determine how the transfer station will operate and of course, some of this will depend on cost.

In the most recent transfer station committee meeting, it was decided to recommend to the Select Board that a consultant would be needed in 2026 to help get these processes set up and could work with the firm overseeing the construction. The other option would be to hire a Town transfer station manager prior to 2027 for the same purpose. The committee felt a consultant would be more cost effective and can be paid from the Capital Reserve Funds.

Once the revised engineering plans are available, the Town can release an RFP for overseeing this build. Many of the items listed in the social media post are included in this RFP. The firm who is selected to oversee the project determines the subcontractors for specific items like water service. In addition, the project manager firm will apply for any permits needed by the state. The committee anticipates the RFP could be released in early January, or even prior to the end of this year.

Another concern listed was: Secure agreement with Carberry including high level legal review — will this need a town vote?

The committee has reached out to Carberry for taking our solid waste and was told it would not be a problem for them. However, the Town has not yet signed a contract since we do not yet know when NCES will close the landfill. Carberry will not be taking our recyclables, and the expected Consultant will help determine which recyclables have value and where they should go, as well as the future Transfer Station Manager since the recyclables market changes over time. These decisions do not need a Town vote; they are part of operations and procedures.

This answer is the same for another concern listed: Negotiate a high level legal review of carrier contracts if pickup and contracted transport is to be used – will this need a town vote? These operations fall under the management of the transfer station and do not require a town vote.

Another concern listed is: Set up fee schedule payment system if pay per bag is to be used.

The Committee has thoroughly researched whether or not to use PAYT bags, currently used by many transfer stations in our region, and will be making a recommendation to the Select Board to adopt this practice for the following reasons:

• Data shows that recycling increases and waste decreases by instituting PAYT
• Residents literally pay for only what they throw away
• Revenues from a PAYT system help with operating costs

Another concern was listed as: Frequent information to residents about progress.

The Transfer Station Committee welcomes anyone to their meetings, held monthly. Minutes are submitted each month from the previous meeting and while they are helpful to learn what is covered in meetings, it should be noted they are summaries of the meeting and can take a sentence or two to describe a long discussion. The Committee has made many efforts to communicate with residents about best practices with waste disposal. These include years of Just Be Greener newsletters, a compost bin distribution project, and regular reports to the Select Board. Since 2022, there have been informational summaries included in the Town Report. Just this September, a Just Be Greener issue was titled: Bethlehem’s Post-Transfer Station Future: Part I. Part II is due out any day.

The final concern raised was: Can this realistically all be done? If not, what is the contingency plan?

The Committee believes this can realistically be done. The contingency plan has already been announced that if the NCES transfer station were to close immediately, we would set up a drop off at the Town garage to be transported to Carberry for disposal. This happened once before and can be done. It would most likely not include any recycling and it’s not at all desirable, but the Town has the obligation to provide trash disposal services by RSA 149-M:17.

Some of the committee members have been working in this committee since it was formed in 2017 and all of these volunteers should be commended for the tireless work they’ve put in over the years. The members are Andrea Bryant, Julie Seeley, Chris Jensen, and Barry Zitser. Many others have contributed over the years. I personally can attest to their dedication having joined the committee in 2019.

I’ll conclude with a personal opinion. I do not believe in addressing controversial or adversarial comments on social media. While it’s tempting to respond, in my experience it often does not produce good dialogue or understanding, but elevates perceived grievances and can spin out of control. I apologize for the length of this response but hope it helps to clarify misunderstandings and answer questions that were raised.  The Transfer Station Committee always welcomes further input and their next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec 2nd at 6pm at the Library.

 

Budget Overview:

Rec- Abbie Sawyer, Rec Director, updated the board on 2025 department accomplishments including adding fundraising, hosting a rec parent round table to generate ideas on enhancing rec experience for Bethlehem Families, and increasing the number of participants in the program.  Abbie explained the increases to her budget were mostly relating to personnel and adding a software package that will support the department better.  Abbie also mentioned she will be requesting encumbering the pool cement project because that won’t be completed until spring 2026. The Select Board congratulated Abbie on her efforts to grow revenue.

Cemetery- Clare Brown and Carole Hammerberg, Cemetery Trustees, stated they were planning a level budget for 2026. The Cemetery Trustees will have a question for the Road Agent regarding the equipment line item to confirm that it shouldn’t be increased.

Welfare- Dawn Ferringo, Welfare Director, explained that the Welfare budget was decreasing based on her position change and moving to a monthly stipend from a full-time position.

Planning/Zoning- The board discussed the Planning and Zoning budget noting the secretary line item was based on $25 an hour for 26 weeks at 20 hours a week and the increase to the consultant line item was to cover the North Country Counsil’s Sr. Planner consultant for 26 weeks.  The board asked to confirm if some of the 2025 Master Plan line item should be encumbered. Chris Jensen commented on what a benefit it is to have a Sr. Planner supporting the Planning and Zoning boards.

Assessing- The board discussed the Assessing budget noting the increase is based on the 2025 capital reserve warrant article failing so more must be added to the operating budget.

Wood Assessor- The Wood Assessor line remained the same for 2026.

General Government Buildings- The board discussed General Government Buildings noting the increase was a result of switching cleaning services and Derelict Property Clean-up.

Building Inspector- The board discussed Building Inspector budget noting the increase was due to personnel.

Health Inspector- The board discussed the Health Inspector budget and discussed raising the Health Inspector pay from $22.50 to $25.

Chairwoman Strand motioned to increase the Health Inspector’s pay from $22.50 to $25.  Selectwoman Knowles seconded and the vote carried 4-1. 

Minutes 10/27- Selectwoman Hibberd motioned to approve the minutes from 10/27.  Selectman MacDonald seconded and all were in favor. 

Chairwoman Strand made a motion to adjourn at 7:50. Selectman Bruno seconded, and all were in favor.

Respectfully submitted,

Mary Moritz

Town Administrator