Hooksett Town Council Meeting - July 22, 2026

The Hooksett Town Council met at 6:02 p.m. on July 22, 2026. There were no public hearings. The council heard the town administrator's report, received public input, approved a Heritage Commission book contract, debated and adopted the Quimby Mountain Stewardship Plan, acted on a commercial/industrial tax exemption, approved routine transfers and insurance, and ended with committee reports and a nonpublic session.

Town Administrator's Report

• Town Administrator Andre Guerin introduced Carrie Barton as the new administrative assistant in Public Works Recycling and Transfer, starting July 27, 2026.
• Cybersecurity training for town employees is underway; the first session was July 21 and the second is scheduled for the following week.
• The MRI salary market analysis is in progress to update job descriptions and compensation data.
• The Town Council goal-setting workshop is scheduled for August 1 at the library; it is open to the public and minutes will be taken, but it will not be recorded.
• The NHMA Academy for Good Governance, a free virtual seven-course program for elected officials, begins September 3 and requires registration by September 1.
• National Night Out is August 4, 2026, 5:00-7:30 p.m. at Donati Field. A police/fire blood drive is scheduled August 17, 12:00-5:00 p.m. at the Safety Center.

Public Comments & Testimony

• John Pieroni, a Conservation Commission member and resident of Moose Pond Terrace, spoke in favor of the Quimby Mountain management plan, describing it as a valuable town asset and the highest point in Hooksett.
• Cindy Robertson, former Conservation Commission chair and 21-year member, supported the stewardship plan. She recounted the commission's past effort to identify and purchase key conservation parcels, including Quimby Mountain, and argued the property would likely have been developed otherwise.
• Phil Denbow, a School Board and Zoning Board member, read an email into the record supporting the plan, saying abutters lack standing to object and that the town should make conserved land accessible.
• Mike Horn, a 45-year resident, supported the plan. He recalled successful trails at Heads Pond and the Pinnacle and noted the Quimby Mountain easement was tied to a $30,000 payment that helped purchase Petersbrook fields.

Heritage Commission History Book

• Heritage Commission Chair Carrie Hyde and author Melissa Moore asked the council to approve Peter E. Randall as publisher for the town history book.
• The council voted to waive the town's bidding rules because the project cost exceeded $20,000 and six other publishers were contacted but did not provide quotes or were not suitable.
• Council approved the publisher contract subject to legal review, leaving decisions on hardcover versus softcover and color photographs to the Heritage Commission.
• Project funding comes from a $75,000 voter-approved warrant article; about $29,000 remains, and the estimate for 1,000 copies was about $27,675.

Quimby Mountain Stewardship Plan

• Crystal Balanoff, executive director of Bear Paw Regional Greenways, and stewardship manager Julie Tyson explained that Bear Paw holds the conservation easement, has reviewed the draft stewardship plan, found it consistent with the easement, and would approve it if the council approved it.
• Conservation Commission Co-Chairs Alan Stein and Joe Carroll Woodburn presented the property history: Quimby Mountain Conservation Area was acquired in 1985, the conservation easement was placed in 2012, and the property is nearly 100 acres with about 337 feet of elevation change, from 564 to 901 feet. The plan documents more than 43 species of conservation concern, a 600-year-old black gum tree, and American chestnut.
• Abutter Mark Lacasse, owner of 34 Quimby Mountain Road, said he supports the stewardship plan in principle but asked the council to amend it to remove the proposed summit trail until further consultation. He said the trail shown in plan graphics runs onto his property, raises trespass and liability concerns, and conflicts with best-practice trail guidance requiring surveys and buffers.
• A second abutter, Jesse, supported Lacasse's position. He cited fire risk, difficult emergency access, deed restrictions, and concerns about public safety near a luxury-home subdivision, and asked that the summit trail be removed or lowered to a spur.
• Bear Paw and Conservation Commission representatives responded that the trail graphic in the plan is a schematic sketch, not a formal trail design. Approving the stewardship plan would not approve a trail; future trail work would require further planning, surveys, Conservation Commission and Town Council approvals, and permits.
• The council adopted the Quimby Mountain Stewardship Plan on a roll-call vote. Several councilors said the concerns raised would be part of future trail-planning discussions.

Commercial/Industrial Tax Exemption for Marmon Wire and Cable (Marmon Aerospace)

• The council considered a tax exemption request for a major expansion by Marmon Wire and Cable, referred to as Marmon Aerospace in the transcript and Marvin Aerospace in the agenda heading. The project includes a roughly 354,600-square-foot facility, including a 255,000-square-foot building and about 100,000 square feet of mezzanine space, with 210 jobs expected between 2027 and 2029.
• Town Administrator Andre Guerin said the project is the type that could justify the maximum 30% exemption for seven years, which the council previously made available by amending the program. The exemption applies to incremental assessed value.
• A motion to grant the 30%, seven-year exemption failed on a 3-3 tie.
• A compromise motion to grant 25% for five years was approved on a roll-call vote. Some councilors questioned the benefit because the property is in a TIF district, meaning incremental tax revenue would be held in the TIF fund rather than immediately flowing to the general fund.

Routine Approvals

• Budget transfer 2026-04, $5,600 from the administrative budget to finance for a contracted employee, was approved.
• Budget transfer 2026-05, $2,000 from the administrative budget to the town clerk's budget for unanticipated election costs, including banners/magnets and a state-mandated tablet, was approved.
• The council approved staying with Primex for property, liability, and workers' compensation insurance for FY2026-27 after a bid process that produced only Primex as a bidder.
• The council approved the annual town and school report using the third cover option highlighting nine Revolutionary soldiers buried in Hooksett, and approved memorial wording recognizing Frank Gray and David Bernard, as well as others who served the town and may have been overlooked.
• Public and nonpublic minutes from July 8, 2026, were approved.

Capital Improvements Program

• The town administrator presented the Planning Board-approved Capital Improvements Program for information only. Tax-funded and non-tax-funded projects were outlined, including a 2028 statistical revaluation, Quimby Mountain parking area, fire and police vehicles and radios, drainage, paving, building maintenance, and school infrastructure bonds.
• No council action was required.

Committee Reports

• Parks and Recreation reported the Heritage Commission approved correcting historical signs and discussed adding safety edges to the sign boards.
• The union negotiation team has begun town-only meetings, and ground rules were set with the fire union.
• Planning Board developments include approval of two 55-plus-unit projects, a tabled daycare capacity request, a presentation by Catholic Charities on the Greens Marine property, and James Valeo of SNHPC serving as the interim circuit-rider planner two days a week.

Key Outcomes

• Quimby Mountain Stewardship Plan adopted; no specific trail was approved.
• Heritage Commission book contract with Peter E. Randall approved, subject to legal review.
• Marmon Wire and Cable tax exemption approved at 25% for five years, after a 30% for seven years motion failed.
• Budget transfers, Primex insurance, and annual town/school report approved.
• The council entered nonpublic session under RSA 91-A:3 II (a) and (c).

Nonpublic Session

• The council voted by roll call to enter nonpublic session under RSA 91-A:3 II (a) and (c).