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Record of Proceedings

Bedford Town Council Meeting - January 21, 2026: Bridge Contract, Perambulation Report, Facilities Committee, and Warrant Recommendations

Town Council — Wednesday, January 21, 2026
BodyBedford, New Hampshire
SessionTown Council
DateWednesday, January 21, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:24:39

Transcript — Verbatim
0:12

Good evening.

0:13

Welcome to the uh Bedford Town Council meeting.

0:16

January 21st, 2026.

0:19

Before we begin, we'll do our uh roll call.

0:22

Uh joining us via the telephone is Council Michael Strand.

0:28

Good evening, Bedford.

0:29

There you go.

0:30

Counselor Beamis.

0:32

Good evening.

0:34

Councillor Beck.

0:35

Hello, Bedford.

0:36

Counselor Sowell.

0:37

Hey, Bedford.

0:38

Uh Councilor Vice Chair Griazzo.

0:40

Hello.

0:41

And I'm Council Chair Laurie Radke.

0:43

At this point, I'd have you please stand for Pledge of Allegiance.

0:46

And Phil, would you mind leading us?

0:49

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

0:54

And to the Republic for which it stands.

0:56

One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

1:01

Thank you.

1:02

Thank you.

1:04

All right.

1:12

For public comment.

1:15

Nope.

1:16

Hearing none, we'll move on to our new business.

1:20

First item on the agenda is the award of the engineering services contract for the design and permitting of the Nashville Road Bridge and consideration of an agreement with the New Hampshire Department of Transport for Construction.

1:33

And we have our newly appointed Director of Public Works joining us.

1:39

Hello, sir.

1:40

And welcome.

1:41

Good evening, Brian.

1:43

Mr.

1:43

DeFossis.

1:49

Thank you.

1:50

Good evening, Madam Chair and Town Councillors.

1:52

Again, Brian DeFosis from Public Works.

1:59

In front of you is a picture of our existing Nashville Road, not a bridge, but will soon be a bridge, we hope.

2:08

This is a, I believe, a historic structure.

2:10

It's built out of granite.

2:12

Somewhat narrow and tall.

2:16

We are working to replace uh this existing uh structure which spans Riddle Brook.

2:23

Uh historically, the structure partially failed in 2008 due to heavy rains and high flood waters, resulting in the collapse of the northbound land of Nashville Road.

2:32

The consultant estimates that the crossing cannot adequately pass the 50-year flood event without being overtopped.

2:39

In 20 uh in 2023 at the Governor's Advisory Commission on Intermodal Transportation, which is also known as Gassett hearings, the project was presented and accepted in large part due to State Senator Denise Rashardy, who uh was our advocate for the project.

3:00

Uh as the structure is not presently a bridge, it could not have been considered a red list structure and could not therefore be part of the bridge aid program.

3:08

By DOT incorporating it into the 10-year plan, it allowed DOT funding of 80% of the structure, with the town of Bedford responsible for the remaining 20 percent.

3:18

The entire cost of the structure is estimated at 2.5 million dollars, of which $2 million will be two DOT funded and a half million dollars will be funded by the DPW using local roads funding and possibly some remaining special bridge aid money.

3:34

Uh we're waiting to see what uh what our what our remainder of special bridge aid money is after the completion of the Greenfield Parkway and Beals Road Bridges.

3:45

We anticipate $400,000 in engineering costs and have selected Hoyle Tanner as the bridge design consultants.

3:52

They're the same firm who provided construction engineering for the Beals Road and Greenfield Parkway bridges and played a significant role in the success of those projects.

4:01

We have already uncovered 120,000 from 2025 local roads funding.

4:06

We're looking to encumber 140,000 more from local roads in both 2026 and 2027, and then a final payment of 100,000 to be encumbered in 2028.

4:18

That being said, I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

4:22

Thank you, sir.

4:22

What a great report.

4:24

Um I'll open it up to the council.

4:25

Does anybody have any comments regarding it?

4:29

So I do have one question.

4:30

Uh the 400,000 engineering costs.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████47%
Budget Equity Analysis██████████████15%
Engineering And Infrastructure███████████11%
Boundary Management███████████11%
Facilities Management███████████11%
Public Engagement████4%
Community Engagement█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Bedford Town Council Meeting – January 21, 2026

The Bedford Town Council met on January 21, 2026, to consider several agenda items. Key actions included awarding an engineering contract for the Nashville Road Bridge project, accepting the 2025 town boundary perambulation report, discussing the formation of a facilities committee, and voting on recommendations for the March 2026 warrant articles. All council members were present, with Councilor Michael Strand joining by telephone.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Ron Carvel (31 Coleco Lane) addressed the council on warrant article recommendations, arguing that the format should remain consistent (all articles listed as "recommended" with the tally indicating support or opposition) to avoid confusing voters. He suggested using "recommended" with numbers for both support and opposition, rather than switching between "recommended" and "not recommended."

Discussion Items

  • Nashville Road Bridge Engineering Contract and DOT Agreement
    Brian DeFossis, Director of Public Works, presented the project. The existing stone box culvert over Riddle Brook partially failed in 2008 and cannot pass a 50‑year flood event. The project was accepted into the state’s 10‑year plan with 80% DOT funding and 20% town funding. Total cost is estimated at $2.5 million ($2 million DOT, $500,000 town). Engineering costs are $400,000; Hoyle Tanner has been selected as the design consultant. Funding sources include $120,000 from 2025 local roads, $140,000 each from 2026 and 2027, and $100,000 from 2028. Construction will be scheduled to minimize impact, ideally during school breaks. Councilors asked about traffic detours and location; the structure is on Nashville Road just north of Wallace Road.

  • Acceptance of 2025 Perambulation Reports
    DeFossis presented the report, noting three boundary markers missing or disturbed (possibly by DOT projects). The council discussed the legal requirement (RSA 51:2, dating to 1791) and the practicality of replacing markers given modern GPS technology. Some councilors questioned the need for physical markers while others emphasized the legal obligation. The council authorized the town manager to negotiate cost‑sharing with adjoining communities for replacement or restoration.

  • Discussion on Formation of a Facilities Committee
    Councilor Beck led the discussion. Voters rejected a $36.5 million bond for a combined police/fire substation in March 2024 and a $9 million bond for a fire substation in March 2025. A survey of 508 residents (≈3% of registered voters) was conducted. The proposal is to set up a table at the March 2026 election to gather broader feedback. A committee would be formed with council and resident members; department heads (police, fire, DPW) would serve as subject‑matter experts rather than voting members. Councilor Beamis noted staff fatigue from previous committees, and Councilor Griazzo suggested waiting until after the March election to determine public appetite. Councilor Beck proposed a two‑year sunset for the committee. No formal action was taken; the subcommittee will prepare materials for the March election.

  • Warrant Article Recommendations
    The council debated whether they were required to make separate recommendations on each warrant article beyond the initial vote to place them on the ballot. Town Manager Rick Sawyer cited Charter Section 5‑3 and RSA 32:5. After discussion, the council proceeded to vote on recommendations for each article. A public comment from Ron Carvel urged consistent wording (all articles listed as “recommended” with the vote tally). Councilors disagreed on the approach but proceeded with the votes as described below.

Key Outcomes

  • Nashville Road Bridge: Motion to authorize the town manager to enter an agreement with NH DOT as project sponsor passed 6‑0. Motion to authorize the town manager to execute an agreement with Hoyle Tanner for up to $400,000 in engineering services passed 6‑0.
  • Perambulation Report: Motion to accept the 2025 perambulation report and authorize the town manager to negotiate cost‑sharing with adjoining municipalities for monument repair/replacement passed 6‑0.
  • Facilities Committee: No formal action taken; the subcommittee will develop a plan for gathering public input at the March election.
  • Warrant Article Recommendations (roll call votes):
    • Article 4 (Fire conditional special meeting): Recommended 6‑0.
    • Article 6 (Police conditional special meeting): Recommended 6‑0.
    • Article 7 (Operating budget): Recommended 5‑1 (Councilor Griazzo dissenting).
    • Article 8 (Capital reserve fund): Recommended 5‑1 (Councilor Griazzo dissenting).
    • Article 9 (BCTV capital reserve): Recommended 5‑1 (Councilor Griazzo dissenting).
    • Article 10 (Discontinue IT capital reserve): Recommended 6‑0.
    • Article 11 (Skateboard park – citizens petition): Motion to recommend failed 2‑4; motion to not recommend passed 4‑2. Thus, the ballot will indicate the council does not recommend Article 11.
    • Article 12 (Keno games prohibition): Recommended 6‑0.
    • Article 13 (Games of chance prohibition): Recommended 5‑1 (Councilor Strand dissenting).
  • Town Manager Report: Filing period for elected offices is open through January 30. Deliberative sessions are scheduled for February 2 (town) and February 3 (school district) at 6:30 p.m. at Bedford High School Auditorium, with a snow date of February 4. Voting day is March 10, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Bedford High School Gymnasium.
  • Councilor Comments: Councilor Beemis updated that a new “Friends of BCTV” group has filed for 501(c)(3) status. Councilor Beck announced a Highway Safety meeting. Councilors Sowell and Radke thanked the fire department for its awards night. Councilor Griazzo explained his consistent votes against spending recommendations.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. Welcome to the uh Bedford Town Council meeting. January 21st, 2026. Before we begin, we'll do our uh roll call. Uh joining us via the telephone is Council Michael Strand. Good evening, Bedford. There you go. Counselor Beamis. Good evening. Councillor Beck. Hello, Bedford. Counselor Sowell. Hey, Bedford. Uh Councilor Vice Chair Griazzo. Hello. And I'm Council Chair Laurie Radke. At this point, I'd have you please stand for Pledge of Allegiance. And Phil, would you mind leading us? I pledge 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. Thank you. All right. For public comment. Nope. Hearing none, we'll move on to our new business. First item on the agenda is the award of the engineering services contract for the design and permitting of the Nashville Road Bridge and consideration of an agreement with the New Hampshire Department of Transport for Construction. And we have our newly appointed Director of Public Works joining us. Hello, sir. And welcome. Good evening, Brian. Mr. DeFossis. Thank you. Good evening, Madam Chair and Town Councillors. Again, Brian DeFosis from Public Works. In front of you is a picture of our existing Nashville Road, not a bridge, but will soon be a bridge, we hope. This is a, I believe, a historic structure. It's built out of granite. Somewhat narrow and tall. We are working to replace uh this existing uh structure which spans Riddle Brook. Uh historically, the structure partially failed in 2008 due to heavy rains and high flood waters, resulting in the collapse of the northbound land of Nashville Road. The consultant estimates that the crossing cannot adequately pass the 50-year flood event without being overtopped. In 20 uh in 2023 at the Governor's Advisory Commission on Intermodal Transportation, which is also known as Gassett hearings, the project was presented and accepted in large part due to State Senator Denise Rashardy, who uh was our advocate for the project. Uh as the structure is not presently a bridge, it could not have been considered a red list structure and could not therefore be part of the bridge aid program. By DOT incorporating it into the 10-year plan, it allowed DOT funding of 80% of the structure, with the town of Bedford responsible for the remaining 20 percent. The entire cost of the structure is estimated at 2.5 million dollars, of which $2 million will be two DOT funded and a half million dollars will be funded by the DPW using local roads funding and possibly some remaining special bridge aid money. Uh we're waiting to see what uh what our what our remainder of special bridge aid money is after the completion of the Greenfield Parkway and Beals Road Bridges. We anticipate $400,000 in engineering costs and have selected Hoyle Tanner as the bridge design consultants.

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