Bedford Town Council Meeting - June 10, 2026
Bedford Town Council Meeting - June 10, 2026
The Bedford Town Council met on June 10, 2026, at 7:00 PM. The meeting included presentations on BCTV/WBNH operations, fire department preparedness for electric vehicle fires, transfer station redesign options, and several routine approvals. The council voted on donations, a building permit for a Girl Scouts pool, and appointments to boards and commissions.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public spoke during the public comment period.
Discussion Items
- BCTV/WBNH Presentation (Bill Jennings): Bill Jennings, representing BCTV and WBNH, provided an overview of the organization's operations, community connections, and viewing options. He noted that BCTV streams on multiple platforms and reported 10,825 streaming viewers in May 2026, 4,500 over-the-air radio listeners, and 3,894 cable subscribers. He discussed revenue challenges due to declining cable subscriptions and highlighted the underwriting program, which has six annual sponsors. He also mentioned a recent donation from the Bedford Men's Club ($4,400) and a pending 501c3 status. Jennings emphasized the importance of community support for sustaining operations.
- Fire Department All-Hazard Preparedness (Chief Frank Freitzel): Chief Freitzel presented on the department's capabilities, focusing on a recent electric vehicle (EV) fire at the toll plaza. He described the incident, which involved an all-electric vehicle that entered thermal runaway, requiring 8,000 gallons of water and mutual aid from Merrimack, Litchfield, and Ford. The vehicle was ultimately submerged in a brine solution for 10 days to render the batteries safe. Chief Freitzel noted that the department has trained for EV fires and works with local dealerships on safety measures. He also provided an overview of call volume: 4,000 calls in 2025, with 1,739 through May 2026, and discussed staffing challenges, including the need for a fourth ambulance and extended lead times for new apparatus. Councillors asked about mutual aid, equipment inventory, and the impact of assisted living facilities on EMS calls.
- Transfer Station Redesign Options (Brian DeFosis and Erica Douglas): Public Works Director Brian DeFosis and Environmental Coordinator Erica Douglas presented four options for the transfer station: no-build/minimal repairs, rebuild as-is (zero-sort recycling), upgrade to sorted/baled recycling, and curbside pickup with a smaller facility. They recommended option 3 (sorted recycling) due to structural issues in existing buildings, safety concerns, and rising costs of zero-sort recycling ($157/ton in 2025 vs. $119/ton for trash). They estimated potential annual savings of $150,000 and revenue from baled materials. A public survey and further cost analysis were proposed as next steps. Councillors discussed the need for cost estimates, public compliance, and the potential for a facilities committee to oversee the project.
- Girl Scouts Building Permit Request (Patricia Meller): Patricia Meller, CEO of Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains, requested a building permit to construct an above-ground swimming pool at Camp Kettleford on Camp Road, a class six road. The planning board had already reviewed and supported the request. The town would not assume liability for the road. The council approved the permit with conditions.
Key Outcomes
- Donation from Bedford Men's Club ($4,400): Motion by Councillor Strand, seconded by Councillor Sol, to accept the donation for BCTV camera equipment. Approved unanimously.
- Donation from Jacob Corvo ($165): Motion by Councillor Sol, seconded by Councillor Strand, to accept the donation for skateboard park maintenance. Approved unanimously.
- Girl Scouts Pool Building Permit: Motion by Councillor Strand, seconded by Councillor Bader, to authorize the building permit with a liability release. Approved unanimously.
- Appointments to Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission: Motion by Councillor Bader, seconded by Councillor Sol, to reappoint Mark Snyder (full member), Daniel Advanc (alternate), and Natter Awe (alternate) for terms expiring June 30, 2030. Approved unanimously.
- Appointment to Zoning Board of Adjustment: Motion by Councillor Sullivan, seconded by Councillor Strand, to appoint Kelly Gleason as an alternate member for a term expiring in 2028. Approved unanimously.
- Approval of Minutes (May 27, 2026): Motion by Councillor Strand, seconded by Councillor Bader. Approved unanimously.
- Adjournment: Motion by Councillor Strand, seconded by Councillor Sol. Meeting adjourned.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening and welcome to the Bedford Town Council meeting for June 10th, 2026. I'm Phil Griazzo, and to my far left is the wonderful town administrative assistant, Don Buford. Rick Sawyer. Good evening. Counselor Bader. Good evening. Counselor Sowell. Good evening, Bedford. Councillor Levesque. Hello, Bedford. Councilor Sullivan here. Counselor Fahy. Good evening, Bedford. Councillor Strand. Hi, Bedford. I'm Phil Griazzo. Would you like to say uh the leash for us? Sure. Thank you. Pledge of 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. Next is uh public comment. Is there anybody in the audience wishing to speak? Seeing none, we'll go into new business. Uh first item is discussion with BCTV at WBNH. Uh that would be represented by Bill Jennings. Come on up, sir. This is the first time in a long time that I have given a presentation to the council beyond just discussing the budget. And I want to thank uh Council LeBec for suggesting this after uh one of our BCTV board meetings after she was enlightened on a lot of things that we uh have going on, and she thought the rest of the council should understand exactly what we do and how we do it. So let me just bring up my and here we go. And a slideshow from the beginning. So you might know about BC TV and WB and H, but you probably don't know a lot about BCTV and WH in terms of what goes on behind the scenes. You've all had the opportunity to be in the studio from your perspective for the interviews, you understand how that works. And you also had the opportunity to be in here once or twice a month with everything that's being broadcast out. You're the what we call a talent in front of the camera, but a lot goes into. I thought Phil give the yes talent. And uh this graphic that I took time to put together, and it was beautified, if I can say that by Colleen, who is outstanding with the graphics work, shows you exactly how we are connected to the community. As a matter of fact, we are we are coming up with a new slogan, and I really like this one. BCTV, WBNH. We're strong together, connecting our schools, community, and town through BC TV and WB and H. One thing I hear regularly is communications. It's always a topic that everybody has when you're up here. We know what's going on, but sometimes you feel you're not aware if everybody knows what's going on. I want to acquaint you with how everybody that's involved has the opportunity. Remember, I use the word involved. In other words, you can bring a horse to water, but you can't make the the horse drink. And what you're looking at right now is how we are connected through fiber or IP connection. The SAU is a mirror image of what we have in terms in terms of our infrastructure where they have the same hardware that we use back here in this control room.
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