OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Bedford Town Council Meeting - May 13, 2026: Interviews, Appointments, and Energy Credits

Town Council — Wednesday, May 13, 2026
BodyBedford, New Hampshire
SessionTown Council
DateWednesday, May 13, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:18:41

Transcript — Verbatim
0:03

Okay, good evening and welcome to the town of Bedford Town Council meeting for May 13th, 2026.

0:11

We have an agenda to go by for interviews for facilities committee.

0:15

But first we're gonna start with our roll call.

0:17

Joining us on the telephone is Councilor Michael Strand.

0:21

I guess maybe not.

0:23

Counselor Fahy.

0:25

Laura Feyhi.

0:28

Councilor Bader.

0:29

John Bader, present.

0:31

Counselor Sol.

0:33

Good evening, Bedford.

0:34

Counselor LeBec.

0:35

Good evening.

0:36

Vice Chair and myself, Phil Griazzo.

0:38

Uh so now we'll go to the Pledge Allegiance, John, if you can read us in the pledge.

0:44

I push it in the middle of the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

0:52

One nation under God.

1:00

So under 530 interview for facilities committees, we'll start with that.

1:05

Um do we have a list of who's who's starting?

1:09

Are you got to left you a package?

1:15

This one?

1:16

Uh-huh.

1:17

Separate agenda.

1:18

Okay, thank you.

1:20

Um Christopher Petsky would be up first.

1:26

Come on up, sir.

1:28

You can come sit right up here.

1:31

Instruction Angels.

1:32

It's all right.

1:34

Good evening.

1:35

How are you?

1:36

Good, yourself.

1:36

Good, thank you.

1:37

If you want to please give us uh an introduction and uh let us know why you want to be on the facilities committee.

1:41

Yeah, name's Chris Petzky, uh 25 Butterfield Lane.

1:45

Uh moved here about eight years ago.

1:47

Um come from the trades pretty much my entire life of working at least uh and working around the house.

1:57

Um I'm based out of the HVAC industry.

2:00

Uh went through as an apprentice journeyman in uh building trades, uh chiller mechanic for what you'd find in hospitals and schools and such.

2:10

Um from there, I moved on to sales and estimating uh in Indiana and then moved here uh with the role of uh commercial estimating.

2:19

So I've been doing that for eight years at Callahan AC out of North Andover.

2:23

Um I specialize in uh value engineering for plans.

2:28

Oh good.

2:29

So a lot of the plans we get um a lot of the engineers that spec this equipment out or sent out nice trips from all the providers, and uh they're usually not the cheapest option.

2:41

So you'll find on plans that are spec'd for high dollar equipment um furnishings and such.

2:47

So um, yeah, pretty much my job is to take that and I will find other options that are so suitable.

2:56

Um, but also keeps prices down more affordable for the end user.

3:01

Thank you for that.

3:02

Uh questions.

3:05

Um Counselor LeBec.

3:07

I think that that probably was a pretty good explanation of um plan and spec off training.

3:13

So it's really kind of going through the blueprints and the estimating and looking for value.

3:18

I I personally have uh gone on those trips uh as a as a vendor uh or as buying from buying from the vendors and supplying.

3:26

And uh my question was is like why are there so many engineers here and you know guys designing this stuff?

3:31

I was like, where they're not buying it from you.

3:33

And they said as long as that brand ends up on that plan, nine times out of ten, the contractor is gonna go with that brand.

3:40

Uh so then I've kind of tried to fight that and you know get the customer the best price.

3:45

And I see a lot of that you know, with the various things that we get bids on.

3:50

Um I feel like they're not they're subbing for brands, but they're not really requesting design changes, things that make it more affordable.

3:58

Um in the end, the engineers gonna find what's easiest for them and what they're used to doing, and not providing you know alternate options.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Engagement███████████████████████████27%
Facilities Management███████████████████19%
Procedural██████████10%
Personnel Matters█████████9%
Public Safety████████8%
Budget Equity Analysis███████7%
Renewable Energy Credits█████5%
Environmental Protection████4%
Energy Management███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Bedford Town Council Meeting - May 13, 2026

The Bedford Town Council held its regular meeting on May 13, 2026, beginning at approximately 7:00 PM. The agenda included interviews for the Facilities Committee, recognition of retiring board/commission members, appointment of a new Town Clerk, authorization to sell renewable energy credits, a Town Manager report, councilor comments, and a retreat brainstorming session. Key decisions included the unanimous appointment of Bill Carter as Town Clerk and a unanimous vote to sell renewable energy credits to Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire. The council postponed making appointments to the Facilities Committee until the next meeting.

Interviews for Facilities Committee

The council interviewed five candidates for the Facilities Committee:

  • Christopher Petsky: 8-year resident, HVAC/commercial estimating background. Emphasized value engineering and scrutinizing project costs. Expressed interest in reviewing the substation bid numbers and ensuring due diligence.
  • Raymond Pizarka: 30-year resident, mechanical engineer, former Facilities Committee member (2024-2025). Advocated for a master plan and community education on space needs. Noted the previous fire/station project did not pass.
  • Dave Gilbert: Former town councilor (2016-2025), 30-year resident. Supported a refreshed master plan covering fire, police, DPW, and town offices. Emphasized public outreach and leveraging expiring road bonds to fund projects.
  • Tom Leanza: Retired, 42-year resident, founder of Bedford Off-Broadway. Highlighted experience with town hall renovations, ADA compliance, and fundraising. Stressed the importance of messaging and “evangelizing” projects to the public.
  • Ed Comiskey: Brother-in-law of Dave Gilbert, accountant/manufacturing background, offered to assist if not appointed. No application on file but interviewed per his request.
  • Judith McClellan: Applicant listed but unable to attend.

Council members appreciated the candidates’ diverse skills and indicated they would deliberate appointments at the next meeting.

Recognition of Retired Board and Commission Members

Certificates and plaques were awarded to retiring members for their years of service, including:

  • Brian LeBrie (3 years, Conservation Commission)
  • Denise Rasharty (3 years, BCTV/WBNH Board)
  • Barbara Shagnan (3 years, Cemetery Trustee)
  • Carolyn Mahoney (4 years, Energy Commission)
  • Bob McPherson (5 years, Zoning Board)
  • Deborah Evans (5 years, Conservation Commission)
  • Priscilla Malcolm (7 years, Planning Board)
  • Plaques to Matt Sullivan (8 years, Planning), Bing Lu (8 years, Energy), Dave Gilbert (8 years, Zoning), John Moran (17 years, Zoning Chair), and Ken Peterson (23 years, Highway Safety Committee – founding member).
  • A plaque was also presented to outgoing Councilor Bill Carter (6 years on council, 2 as chair).

Council expressed gratitude for volunteer service.

Appointment of Town Clerk

The council unanimously (6-0) appointed Bill Carter as Town Clerk to fill the remainder of the current term until the March 2027 local election, where the remaining two years will be filled by popular vote. Councilor Sol read a statement highlighting Carter’s six years as councilor, election experience, and customer service background. Carter thanked the council and pledged to work diligently.

Authorization to Sell Renewable Energy Credits

Assistant Town Manager Jean Walker presented a proposal to sell Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) from the new Chubbuck Road Landfill solar facility. RECs represent the environmental benefit of 1,000 kWh produced. After evaluating four brokers, staff recommended selling to Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire (CPCNH) at a fixed rate of $35 per REC for one year, compared to a volatile market rate averaging $35. CPCNH offered $2 above their standard rate. Councilor Bader, also on the Energy Commission, noted informal consensus supporting the fixed-price approach to avoid market risk. Revenue will initially go to the general fund, with potential future dedicated fund discussion. The motion passed 6-0.

Town Manager Report

Rick Sawyer reported:

  • Ribbon-cutting for the Chubbuck Road solar array on Monday (now operational).
  • Clerk’s Week recognition of Deputy Clerk Paula.
  • Upcoming national weeks: Police Week, EMS Week, Public Works Week.
  • Dog registration deadline passed; reminder to register.
  • Farmers market at Murphy’s Taproom Tuesdays 3-6 PM.
  • Camp Witzel summer camp sign-ups open.
  • Drought: Moderate drought in southern NH; urging voluntary water conservation. Wells may go dry if severe drought continues.
  • Upcoming events: Garden Club plant sale May 16, Memorial Day parade May 17, transfer station closures for employee appreciation.
  • Party affiliation change deadline June 2 for September primary; candidate filing June 3-12.

Councilor Sol added that the solar array will make the library net-zero energy.

Councilor Comments and Retreat Brainstorming

Each councilor shared priorities for the coming year:

  • Councilor Strand: Glad to see progress on staffing and contracts; facilities remain focus; open to new ideas.
  • Councilor Faye: Proposed a marketing/communication plan for facilities and better onboarding for new elected officials.
  • Councilor Bader: Echoed onboarding needs; emphasized public buy-in for facilities; noted budget challenges from unplanned tax credits; suggested proactive communication.
  • Councilor Sol: Called for open-minded alternatives to previous costly facility plans; preferred data-driven solutions over “selling” projects; raised concerns about commercial/residential assessment balance and ambulance call volume from nursing homes.
  • Councilor Levesque: Asked for deeper liaison work on department goals; flagged revaluation impacts; DPW contract timing; ambulance costs; sweeper outsourcing.
  • Chairman Griazzo: Listed ambulance service reform (state legislation to require third-party transport contracts), budget pressure, EV fire safety at dealerships, re-establishing access to former police range, resident appreciation events, and fundraising for town hall kitchen upgrades. Also suggested auctioning 275th anniversary banners.

Discussion also touched on:

  • DNA/onboarding checklist for new councilors (agreed to develop).
  • PFAS/St. Gobain soil testing plan (state rejected initial plan; council to monitor).
  • Electric vehicle charging stations at DPW (potential grant but matching funds needed; idea of public charging revenue explored).
  • Community Power implementation status (still not cheaper than Eversource).
  • Upcoming lawsuits (Draco v. Planning Board on impact fees; Stratton v. Bedford; retaining wall case).
  • CIP funding replenishment after cuts.

The council agreed to hold additional retreats with advance agendas and may consider off-site “coffee with a councilor” events on weekends to boost public engagement.

Key Outcomes

  • Facilities Committee appointments: Postponed to next meeting.
  • Town Clerk appointment: Bill Carter appointed (vote 6-0).
  • Renewable Energy Credits sale: Authorized contract with Community Power Coalition of NH (vote 6-0).
  • Minutes approved: April 22, 2026 interviews and public session (5-0-1, Councilor Sol abstained on interview minutes). Non-public session May 6, 2026 (5-0-1, Councilor Bader abstained).
  • Council directed staff to develop onboarding checklists and evaluate ambulance service reform options.

Meeting Transcript

Okay, good evening and welcome to the town of Bedford Town Council meeting for May 13th, 2026. We have an agenda to go by for interviews for facilities committee. But first we're gonna start with our roll call. Joining us on the telephone is Councilor Michael Strand. I guess maybe not. Counselor Fahy. Laura Feyhi. Councilor Bader. John Bader, present. Counselor Sol. Good evening, Bedford. Counselor LeBec. Good evening. Vice Chair and myself, Phil Griazzo. Uh so now we'll go to the Pledge Allegiance, John, if you can read us in the pledge. I push it in the middle of the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God. So under 530 interview for facilities committees, we'll start with that. Um do we have a list of who's who's starting? Are you got to left you a package? This one? Uh-huh. Separate agenda. Okay, thank you. Um Christopher Petsky would be up first. Come on up, sir. You can come sit right up here. Instruction Angels. It's all right. Good evening. How are you? Good, yourself. Good, thank you. If you want to please give us uh an introduction and uh let us know why you want to be on the facilities committee. Yeah, name's Chris Petzky, uh 25 Butterfield Lane. Uh moved here about eight years ago. Um come from the trades pretty much my entire life of working at least uh and working around the house. Um I'm based out of the HVAC industry. Uh went through as an apprentice journeyman in uh building trades, uh chiller mechanic for what you'd find in hospitals and schools and such. Um from there, I moved on to sales and estimating uh in Indiana and then moved here uh with the role of uh commercial estimating. So I've been doing that for eight years at Callahan AC out of North Andover. Um I specialize in uh value engineering for plans. Oh good. So a lot of the plans we get um a lot of the engineers that spec this equipment out or sent out nice trips from all the providers, and uh they're usually not the cheapest option. So you'll find on plans that are spec'd for high dollar equipment um furnishings and such. So um, yeah, pretty much my job is to take that and I will find other options that are so suitable. Um, but also keeps prices down more affordable for the end user. Thank you for that. Uh questions. Um Counselor LeBec.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com