Bedford Town Council Meeting – October 14, 2026

The Bedford Town Council met on October 14, 2026, to hold a conservation land public hearing, receive a development activity update, award an IT infrastructure bid, schedule budget workshops, and approve updates to its rules of procedure. Public comments, a town manager report, and council committee reports were also presented. No agenda or minutes were available with the transcript.

Public Comments & Testimony

• A resident asked how recent council-approved spending was funded, citing $200,000 for fire department equipment, $165,000 for a Route 3 vehicle detection system, $516,000 for police body cameras and Tasers, and $145,000 for legacy lights. He asked whether voters had approved the expenditures. Officials responded that the projects were funded through capital improvement funds, impact fees, and capital reserves, and that detailed staff reports were attached to each agenda.
• Ed Comasky, 40 Maple Drive, asked about the conservation parcel at 555 Wallace Road, noting it sits near existing conservation land and asking how the trail access and trust land would work.

Discussion Items

• Conservation land purchase – 555 Wallace Road: Planning staff and the Conservation Commission requested authorization to spend up to $335,950 from the conservation fund to buy approximately 2.4 acres from the Marsha A. Marston Trust at Tax Map 3, Lot 2. An additional $30,000 would cover due diligence and closing, for an estimated total of $365,950. The conservation fund balance is $2.15 million, with $800,000 in committed expenses, leaving a projected $1.7 million after the purchase. The Conservation Commission voted unanimously on September 22 to recommend the purchase. Staff said the land was identified for conservation in 2009, is surrounded by protected land, and would include a 100-foot non-disturbance deed restriction on the remaining frontage of Lot 3-5, a trail lease with the town and Piscataqua Lands Conservancy, and preservation discussions regarding the Dunlap House. Funding comes from current-use land sale receipts, not general taxpayer funds; the property currently pays about $6,000 in taxes. A paperwork reference to New Boston Road was corrected to Wallace Road.
• Development activity update: Planning Director Hebert presented an overview of projects across Bedford. Commercial activity is concentrated in the performance zone along the South River Road corridor. Highlights included the renovated former Rite Aid plaza at 1 South River Road with a new Jersey Mike's and Sola Salon; Market & Main phase two substantially complete with J. Crew as the most recent tenant; a new 3,840-square-foot car wash at the Narea gas station; a restaurant planned in the former IHOP building; the 32,000-square-foot Genesis dealership; a 9,000-square-foot veterinary clinic; a proposed 19,000-square-foot medical office building; a proposed 48-unit River Road Landing apartment project with five workforce affordable units; a conditionally approved 35-unit workforce housing development at 9 Sunset Lane with 14 one-bedroom, 14 two-bedroom, and seven three-bedroom units, with 85% affordable; an approved 150,000-square-foot warehouse/light manufacturing building at 308 South River Road; a cardiovascular center expansion in a renovated 16,000-square-foot building; a Yatco gas station and 5,790-square-foot convenience store under construction; a Flex Warehouse building; Millennium Running and Humble Warrior Yoga expansions; St. Anselm's track and field facility; two cottage court developments (30 units at Rumlet Hill and 21 at Bedford Heritage Reserve); Riddlebrook Acres, a 54-townhome 55+ independent living project; and Merrill Farm, a 15-lot subdivision with 24 acres of turtle habitat conservation. She reported about 406,000 square feet of new commercial space approved or under construction, with 97% in the performance zone, and 83 approved multifamily units not yet built, including 35 workforce housing units. Councillors discussed the merits of cottage courts, emergency service impacts of senior housing, and affordability constraints. Staff noted senior housing is independent living, assisted living is not a permitted use and would require a zoning change, and affordability set-asides are set by state law with rates tied to the Manchester HUD region.
• IT bid award – Bid 2026-1002: The town opened bids for servers and two storage devices, advertised since September 14. Two vendors submitted bids, and staff recommended the low bid of $126,570 from VARESORS LLC, funded by a capital reserve with a balance over $174,000. IT Director Paul Connolly said initial quotes were about $250,000, the town's infrastructure is aging, some equipment dates to 2012 or 2018, and the town is three versions behind on some manufacturer-supported equipment. He recommended a roughly three-to-five-year server rotation and said the town lacks formal versioning/sunsetting policies but mitigates risk by zoning and firewalling older systems.
• Bedford Women's Club Festival of Trees: Councillor LeVec brought a request from the Bedford Women's Club for the council to donate and decorate a tree at the Fifth Annual Festival of Trees and Holiday Market. The council reached consensus to participate voluntarily, with individual contributions of about $15–$20 each, and no taxpayer funds would be used.
• Budget workshop scheduling: Town Manager Sawyer noted the budget presentation is scheduled for the October 28 meeting, and the council must finalize the budget on December 9. The council decided by consensus to hold split budget workshops rather than a single six-hour session, starting Wednesday, November 4 at 5:30 p.m. and continuing Saturday, November 7, with an additional session possible if needed.
• Changes to council rules of procedure: Town Manager Sawyer presented revised rules incorporating Councillor Fehey's proposed changes: councilors should provide updates during the council comment/committee update portion of the agenda; council appointees to boards are members or alternates rather than liaisons, with alternates voting only in place of absent members; and a council member expecting to miss a meeting must also notify their alternate.

Town Manager Report & Council Reports

• Town Manager Sawyer reported the Bedford Safety Complex open house drew an estimated 700–1,000 people, praised police/fire/DPW staff, and promoted fire prevention week recommendations on safe charging. He noted Bedford is essentially out of drought conditions for the first time in 60 weeks, with only a small southeast area still abnormally dry. Upcoming events included the Bedford Boomers Model Train Show October 24–25, Red Ribbon Week October 23–31, National Drug Take Back Day October 24, Halloween October 31 from 6–8 p.m., the November 3 general election from 7 a.m.–7 p.m. at Bedford High School, voter registration deadline October 28, and a DES PFAS public information meeting November 16 at 6 p.m. in Merrimack, broadcast on BCTV.
• Councillor reports covered a Water & Sewer Committee meeting on October 1, conservation committee work, a BCTV board meeting October 29, the safety complex open house, Joppa Hill Educational Farm's fall fair, a Polls & Wires discussion of Millennium Running's pavement waiver, and the facility committee's RFQ for contract owners.

Key Outcomes

• Authorized the town manager to complete the purchase of the 2.4-acre Marston Trust parcel at 555 Wallace Road for up to $335,950, plus up to $30,000 for closing and due diligence, by voice vote with no opposition.
• Awarded Bid 2026-1002 for IT servers and storage devices to VARESORS LLC for $126,570, by voice vote with no opposition.
• Approved changes to the town council rules of procedure, by voice vote with no opposition.
• Approved the minutes of the September 23, 2026 public session, by voice vote with no opposition.
• Scheduled budget workshops for November 4 and November 7 by consensus, with an additional session possible.
• Reached consensus to participate voluntarily in the Bedford Women's Club Festival of Trees without using taxpayer funds.