Meeting of the Board of Public Works Order on January twenty-two, two thousand twenty-six.

Yeah.

Uh Ms.

Edwards, would you please call the role?

Commissioner Shea?

Present.

Commissioner Lemon.

President.

Commissioner Greg.

President.

Commissioner Speedia.

Present.

Mayor Donchess.

Here.

And we have Alderman Brian and Alderman O'Dowd with us tonight.

And they're talking over in the corner.

Did we start already?

It's all in city business.

All right.

First item is uh motion to approve the agenda.

Commissioner Shea.

I move to approve the agenda as submitted.

All those in favor of the motion say aye.

Aye.

Motion passes.

Next, uh the approval of the minutes from the last meeting.

Commissioner Lemon.

I motion to approve the minutes of the Board of Public Works meeting of December eighteenth, twenty twenty-five.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Motion passes.

Uh we have a item excuse me, public comment.

Is there any member of the public who would like to speak on any of the items uh that are on today's agenda?

I want to sleep, but uh what's on the agenda.

Oh well what we'll like just go ahead now then.

Okay.

You gotta jump on the microphone.

You gotta sit by a microphone.

Okay.

And then you've got to give your name and address and then uh tell us what you're thinking about.

Give me a microphone.

Oh, that's right, there you go.

Oh, he's got one, okay.

Uh my address is five minutes road in Ashua.

Um halfway through last winter about no hockey at Robbie Park.

Um what?

No hockey at movie park.

Is that something I can speak about?

Okay.

Um I've done a lot for hockey in the city of Nashville, boys and girls club, pal, and just being active at Rodie Park for the last 15 years or so.

Um I've seen a lot of the kids that have learned to skate there, learn to play hockey there, they've gone on to play high school hockey, they've gone on to become very productive members of society.

Um it's a very healthy way for them to get out, get active, stay active, and socialize.

Um about halfway through last season uh parks and rec put in a rule and said no hockey up there, uh which has been going on forever.

Um there was the hockey hours, there was the skating hours.

I understand there was some friction about that.

Um for the most part, it works out well.

If there's people down there playing hockey, even if it's during the hockey hours and people come out to just skate, um generally we'll move to half the ice and let them skate on the other half.

Uh when it snows, I understand that uh parks and rec has a lot to do.

It's usually the hockey players that are shoveling it off so that people can't skate and can't play hockey.

Um if I'm out there and it gets snowy, I'm shoveling off the entire ring, even if it's people skating on one side and playing hockey on the other.

Um so hockey players do contribute a lot to it.

And if you drive past there in the evening, if there's no hockey allowed there's generally nobody there.

So I just think that it needs to be revisited and we need to allow hockey there.

I understand Lean is the alternative but there's a lot of kids that can't get to Lean Liban's not refrigerated so it's not good as much as Rovi is and Roby's just a better environment all around thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Appreciate it.

Thank you.

All right.

Are we supposed to do a little vice chair that's a fan so it's an administrative alternate referral resolution article 26007.

Commissioner speed referral from Board of Alderman resolution R 26-007 authorizing the mayor and city treasurer to issue bonds not to exceed five million five hundred thousand for the public works division garage design any discussion has the does this mean that the board of alderman have already approved this no no no no that means they're looking for it comes to us and then goes back to if I may Mr.

Yes go ahead it's been on the docket a couple of times but it been asked to be repealed and I think it needs your approval first that's what we're doing yeah and then I think it will come correct in saying that that it'll come before the full board at that time first we would budget this we have to go to budget Monday night Monday night may not happen if we get too big snow.

Oh we have great plowing people we will have in front of the board in front of their houses all right any discussion all those in favor of the motion say aye motion passes wastewater item A the um item A Commissioner I motion to approve the user warrants as presented all in favor say aye aye motion opposed motion passes street department item a commissioner Shea I move to approve change order number one to the contracts with eastern mineral and granite state mineral for a net change in an amount not to exceed 1500 funding will be through department 161 streets fund general count classification 61 supplies and materials so superintendent Iber is not here it's been working a lot of hours um so I can speak to this with between what we have used and what we have on order uh we're up to about 46000 of our 545 thousand dollar market so we're rapidly getting close to that so we've had a lot of small events as you know we're up to uh I think last night was our 15th event uh a lot of small so we've been using a lot of salt uh so we thought as a precautionary measure we we should probably get some additional salt approached uh in the in the event that we need it which I think by the end we're only um in January so I think by the end of uh the season we won't need some more so that's what this approval is for anyone all those in favor of the motion say aye solid waste department item a commissioner I move to approve amendment one to the contract for phase four stage one construction project Q CQA series with sandboard head and associates incorporated in the amount of 14172 dollars funding through department 168 solid waste fund activity landfill expansion phase four Mr Lecointendent solid waste so uh last month I came before you for a change order for charter construction to do the uh the added miner and all the other anomalies that we found inside the landfill well this is just the CQA to make sure that everything was done correctly do all the added uh recording to BBS and any other special meetings that we would have with it anybody all those in favor of the motion say aye aye motion passes item B Commissioner Speedia move to approve the contract with Sam Sam Bornhead and associates of Bedford New Hampshire and the amount not to exceed 250,000 to provide engineering hydrogeol hydrogeologic and laboratory testing to further the find the extent of fire fighting foam PFAS impacts in the area of Nashville Fire Training Center at the Four Hills landfill funding will be through Department 168 solid waste fund bond activity phase three and four engineering

Move to approve the contract with Sam Sam Bornhead and Associates of Bedford, New Hampshire, and the amount not to exceed 250,000 to provide engineering, hydrogeol, hydrogeological geologic and uh laboratory testing to further define the extent of firefighting foam, PFAS impacts in the area of Nashville Fire Training Center at the Four Hills Landfill.

Funding will be through Department 168 Solid Waste Fund Bond Activity Phase 3 and 4 engineering.

Jeff LaFleur so we can find the solid ways.

So as a part of my uh groundwater monitoring for the landfill, we we do specific areas, and we're we found that the uh PFOS is a little elevated downstream from where the fire training rounds is.

It's something that DES has been wanting us to do for years.

I've been kind of holding off on it because of remediation.

And I wanted to find out more what was happening with PFOS, and no one really knew what to do with it when we found it.

We knew we'd find it there.

We're just trying to figure out what to do.

So this uh contract will help us try to figure out with the state what you know what would have to happen, remediation or any other you know, added testing.

We're still not sure exactly what DES wants, but we're gonna continue on and do the monitor.

Commissioner Shay.

Are they still you uh are they using firefighting foam in that facility?

No, not in fact any of the foams that any firefighters have Mr.

O'Brien would tell us, or all the mobile, they don't have PFOS in them anymore.

We had an incident out at the uh uh out of our yard waste pile a couple years ago, and that was the first thing they wanted to use foam out there, and I was like, whoa, is this have PFOS in it?

And they guaranteed us that they don't.

So there's different technologies out there.

I I think I was gonna ask you before the meeting when P when the foam was last used that had PFAS in it, 70s or 80s.

I think it was probably yeah, I think I would say probably yeah, even into the 90s, yeah.

Uh they had a life expectancy.

I think it can with last five years.

So you know yeah.

So to answer your question, the firefighter phone is not being used, and I don't think they trained it here anyways because the new the new uh technology and the the new uh fire training center that they have is mostly smoke.

It's not like heater fire.

I don't know if they would go to Concord and test form or what, but I haven't in my 28 years here seen them use foam here.

Yeah, they well go ahead.

And and do we have a suspect in terms of like the source of this, like like long distant prior use of foam on that site or otherwise?

We're assuming that I I have the landfill has wells upstream of the of the firefighter, the fire training area, and we have new wells that are downstream.

We've always seen some kind of PFOS from the closed landfill.

It's just elevated now because we're downstream, so we're seeing uh uh an increase, and we're trying, and that's what this money is gonna do.

It's gonna give us an investigation and a possible remediation or you know, more testing, whatever is decided on this.

That's good.

Thank you.

Yeah, Mr.

May, yeah.

I just want to say as a firefighter, sorry we put it there.

But I get the cancer too, so here you go.

There's there's communities all over the state that that they have this, and they're they're asking everyone to do the testing.

So you know they're really trying to get down to it and figure out what's happening.

Good.

Thank you.

All those in favor of the motion say aye.

Aye.

Motion passes.

Next, the engineering department.

Item A, Commissioner Greg.

A motion to approve the sewer service permits and fees as submitted.

All those in favor of the motion say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Motion passes.

Next we have the informational item uh of street opening permits.

If there's no objection, we'll just accept this and place it on file.

Uh our now we're under we're under administration.

Item A is the nomination and vote for vice chair of the Board of Public Works.

Are there nominations?

Commissioner Speedia.

I move to nominate uh Commissioner Matty Gregg for vice chair of the Board of Public Works.

Okay.

Any other nominations?

If not, is there a motion that nominations be closed?

This is kind of normal procedure.

Nominate that the motion be closed.

Commissioner Lemon.

Um all those in favor of the motion say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

And uh all those in favor of I would like to say nay.

Nay.

Yeah.

I I mean, I it hasn't been discussed with me.

I'm surprised by this.

And it is what it is.

It sounds like maybe it's been talked about.

Um so yes, I would register my objection by voting nay.

All right, so the motion is to close nominations.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Opposed?

Nay.

Motion passes.

All those in favor of electing commissioner Gregg as the vice chair say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Opposed.

Motion passes.

Did Matty vote for himself?

I didn't hear it.

Oh, sorry, I shouldn't have to.

I think it was.

I wasn't sure if the procedure required uh abstention if you were no no, no, no, no.

This is not this is when I was in fifth grade and we were electing the whatever it was.

I didn't vote for myself, but since that time you kind of have to do that.

Um item B.

Uh would anyone like to be on the pension board?

This is the board that oversees the basically the investments of the pension system.

And you've been on it, right?

Yeah.

Um so the um, and I know uh Commissioner Shea served on there before I did.

Uh this is one of those really important roles.

And I think Commissioner Shea would agree.

It's it's one of those things where um, first of all, you learn a lot, you learn a ton about investments.

We have um partners that help us with uh investments and advisory uh on that.

You learn a lot about um the retiree system as a whole when it comes to um the the pension board.

We have had some success in the last two years of raising the total, and of course, a lot of this has to do with the market and fluctuations and all that kind of stuff.

Alderman O'Brien, you you sit on there.

We've gone from 42 million to 60 million in the time that I've been there.

So it's been very successful.

We have a great manager of the funds.

They've been doing a remarkable job, and we've had to make some really difficult decisions because there have been some times in which the question came like where should the pension fund sit?

But we've made some really great decisions, I think, for the actual pension fund itself.

And um it's it's just a very important role.

I don't I don't consider it to be ceremonial.

I consider it to be very like uh you know, get into the details and try to um help with with the uh future of the pension itself.

So would love for someone else to potentially start.

Um Commissioner Shea, would you like to do that again?

No, thank you.

I'd I'd like to make a nomination if I may.

Okay, go ahead.

I'd like to nominate Manny HP too.

Although it's technically my appointment, you want to do it?

What time is it at?

When does it meet?

It's around 10 o'clock.

We are they they're very flexible during the day, yeah.

They're flexible.

Uh uh Chairman Fred changes it depending upon what is it 10 o'clock or one o'clock, I forget.

10 o'clock.

How long does it last?

Typically an hour.

If um 30 to an hour, yeah.

And it's with Mr.

Ferdet.

Oh man.

You want to do it?

Of course, and I'll be happy to do it.

All right, I'll appoint Commissioner Speed to you.

Um next we have the director's report.

Looking forward to it.

Um this is the clock tower uh bridge reconstruction.

Um it began on January 5th, and uh bridge was open to travel on January 7th.

Uh this is parks after moving a hazard's tree on sorts.

We use this time downtime when we're not plowing.

Um did you see free work?

The uh this is park staff working at the ice rank at four corners.

Uh this has been a great winner for maintaining ice.

We have been able to maintain the ice uh at Four Corners, Levine and Rodi.

During uh again during uh some uh downtown we're building some new fitning tables for Briley Park.

Works begun to secure camp directors and programming for our summer season.

We're hoping to expand our youth pickleball camps and possibly add some adult programming this year.

Registration opens at the beginning of March.

The dates have been set for our summer fund free family events.

Uh new this year, our opening day, DPW day will now be called Super Heroes in the Park.

Uh so we're hoping this will attract some more people, but they'll be the same fund, lots of activities, and um all the DPW departments of course will be there.

We'll have giveaways, educational displays, and of course our touch and front.

This is the street department installing a new berm on Northwood Drive to improve drainage and prevent water from entering the residence yard.

Analytical chemist Sadie was spreading holiday cheer with her participation in the city's holiday door contest that was sponsored by our HR department, and she was one of the winners.

And rightly so look at that.

Our laboratory intern uh he is collecting some samples of stormwater during a rain event in December.

Our new flare has been installed at the landfill and has started.

We had a resident call and uh give a coup uh uh superintendent, uh Jeff, LaFleur and I uh a bit of a heart attack saying that the uh landfills on fire because the flare was just off.

So fortunately it was just a bit it was just the flare but we do we do appreciate residents being vigilant, but we thought our building was on fire for sure.

The um solid waste department will be closed on Monday, February 16th in observance of President's Day and trash and recycling uh will be delayed by one day that week.

And that's it.

All right.

Any questions for the comments for the director?

And I'll I'd like to add one other thing too, Mayor.

Um we need to have a budget workshop, it's already that time of year again.

And I wanted to just ask the board if February 6th at 1 p.m.

might work for everyone.

What change is that?

Friday, February 6th at 1.

Sure.

If that doesn't work, we'll find another date.

But uh it's already that time.

Well, I did check your calendar.

Yeah, yeah, it's fine.

Um does that look good?

So I'll schedule that if that time is 1 p.m.

1 p.m.

Okay, yeah, great.

Does that work?

Yeah, or okay.

Sure, super.

So let's get that.

So movie time.

Okay, that's all I've had.

All right, Commissioner's comments.

Are there any comments by commissioners?

Commissioner Speed.

Uh Commissioner Speed to you.

I was gonna say uh Superintendent just stepped out, but uh wanna say thank you to uh the wonderful staff at the landfill.

Uh uh about two or three weeks ago, I was depositing my uh my trash in a dumpster at the landfill, and um my wedding wing wedding ring went flying off.

Um happened luckily to fall next to the dumpster, and uh I was able to have uh a wonderful worker, uh Tom assist me in getting my ring back.

Um so I just want to say, you know, who's really nice about it and uh wanted to say thank you to the wonderful staff that works at the that works at Four Hills Ledfill.

Thank you very much.

Uh and it happened on a Sunday, so uh really thankful that it happened and also like 10 minutes before they close.

So very thankful for uh for understanding and being helpful.

So thank you.

Anyone else?

Uh Alderman Down.

Yeah, it's probably not the time, but uh there are a couple on take a road on the bridge from the U.R.M.

They're fortunately right in the center, which is critical, but they're deep.

So uh just wanted to mention I thank you.

Any other comments?

Commissioner Shay.

Um I meant to shoot you an email, but they could probably use some more bales of hay at Robie Park along the edge there, maybe a dozen or sixteen or so kind of stationed towards the bottom end of of where that berm is.

Okay, yeah.

Thank you for that.

All right, personnel.

Oh, Commissioner Greg.

Just want to say thank you very much for Sergeant's app putting in the uh the fence.

Oh, good.

We've already heard from four or five families that are like very thankful.

So it's really cool.

Around the playground.

Yeah, so it was really cool to see.

And well, for sure.

I I didn't know that I would have told you that had done that was already completed.

So that's that's sometimes it's surprising to like that happened um faster than I expected.

So great.

Um can I ask a question?

Yes.

Okay.

Of course.

So where I work, the soup kitchen is very close to the courthouse.

Now there is this gigantic hole.

And almost two of these tables wide.

And I had spoken to you about it before, and you guys patched it, but I don't know who owns that if it because it's the courthouse, if it's the state, or whatever.

But it is getting bigger and bigger.

And I'm watching people like go around and because it's right around a corner, like you go through the main part and you come around the corner, it's not always possible to avoid going into this hole because it's just unbelievably big.

And is this in the street or in the parking lot?

It's in the parking lot, but a lot of residents are parking there to go to court or just parking there to go and do stuff.

So it's but I don't know who could I mean I'm happy to call some other things.

Yeah, okay.

Thank you for letting me know that we'll have technically that is the state responsibility, but given uh sounds like that's a really safe.

Yeah, it isn't safe.

We'll take care of that.

Thank you.

I appreciate it late.

All right, per personnel.

Item A, Commissioner Shay.

I move to approve and unseal the non-public minutes for personnel from the Board of Public Works meeting from December eighteenth, twenty and twenty-five.

All those in favor say aye.

Motion passes.

I move to accept the retirement of Kevin Broder, wastewater operator effective January twenty-fifth, twenty twenty-six.

Motion passes.

Non-public session, Commissioner Shay.

I move by roll call that the board go into non-public session persuading to RSA ninety-one-A three to B the hiring of any person as a public employee.

Commissioner Shay?

Yes.

Commissioner Lemon.

Yes.

Commissioner Greg.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Uh motion passes, and we're going to go into non-public session.

Ready to begin again.

Yeah, okay, good.

All right, we're back in public session.

Uh there is a motion to s there maybe a motion to seal the minutes, Commissioner Shay.

Commissioner Lemon.

Yes.

Commissioner Craig.

Yes.

Commissioner Speed Yes.

Yes.

And is there a motion to adjourn?

All those in favor of the motion say aye.

Motion passes, and the meeting of the Board of Public Works is adjourned at four thirty four PM.