The meeting opened just about 6:00 pm. Present were Scott McCaskill, new members Joe Torro and Kris Foss, and Matt Monahan via Zoom. Libby Webb was also present as a member of the public; she is thinking about joining.
Scott first gave a ten-minute recap of the Committee’s first three years (since October 2019), went over the topics that had been discussed (Town Hall, Transfer Station property, former Naughton property, rail trail, tourism, lack of housing, incentives for business), and the things we have managed to accomplish (RSA 79-E and ERZ tax incentives).
Matt then led us into a follow-up discussion of the Naughton property, working from the 500-page Credere report of 2017. We looked at the layout of the property with regards to slopes and wetlands, the placement of the monitoring wells, and the results of soil sampling, as anything done on the property would need to take all these constraints into account. There was a question of whether current monitoring was still being done, and by whom, DES or someone else? Joe Torro volunteered to follow up on these questions.
Joe Torro left just before 7:00 due to other commitments.
We then discussed the idea of a charrette concerning the Naughton property conducted by Plan New Hampshire. Bradford had done a previous charrette in 1998 that focused more on the business area of the town; it is available on their web site. There is a cost associated with doing a charrette. Scott noted that we should find out all we can about the property before considering a charrette, as they would need the information when considering possible options for the property; and that there is a significant lead time, so there is no need to rush a decision.
The discussion turned to lack of housing and business rental space. Kris spoke of looking in Bradford for a location for her store, for two years, before reluctantly opening in Newbury. Libby noted that while there is space to rent, owners don’t seem eager to rent it out. Perhaps there are some incentives available; we will need to work on this.
The meeting ended at 7:30 pm.
Minutes submitted by Scott McCaskill
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