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Record of Proceedings

Board of Public Works Meeting Summary - January 22, 2026

Board of Aldermen Meetings — Thursday, January 22, 2026
BodyNashua, New Hampshire
SessionBoard of Aldermen Meetings
DateThursday, January 22, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 33:45

Transcript — Verbatim
1:34

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

1:40

Yeah.

1:40

Uh Ms.

1:41

Edwards, would you please call the role?

1:43

Commissioner Shea?

1:44

Present.

1:44

Commissioner Lemon.

1:46

President.

1:46

Commissioner Greg.

1:47

President.

1:48

Commissioner Speedia.

1:50

Present.

1:51

Mayor Donchess.

1:52

Here.

1:53

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

1:57

And they're talking over in the corner.

2:01

Did we start already?

2:03

It's all in city business.

2:05

All right.

2:06

First item is uh motion to approve the agenda.

2:09

Commissioner Shea.

2:10

I move to approve the agenda as submitted.

2:12

All those in favor of the motion say aye.

2:15

Aye.

2:15

Motion passes.

2:17

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

2:20

Commissioner Lemon.

2:21

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

2:29

All those in favor say aye.

2:30

Aye.

2:31

Motion passes.

2:33

Uh we have a item excuse me, public comment.

2:37

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

2:45

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

2:49

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

2:52

Okay.

2:54

You gotta jump on the microphone.

2:56

You gotta sit by a microphone.

2:58

Okay.

2:59

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

3:08

Give me a microphone.

3:10

Oh, that's right, there you go.

3:10

Oh, he's got one, okay.

3:12

Uh my address is five minutes road in Ashua.

3:15

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

3:24

Um what?

3:25

No hockey at movie park.

3:27

Is that something I can speak about?

3:30

Okay.

3:31

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.

3:42

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.

3:53

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

4:04

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.

4:13

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

4:16

I understand there was some friction about that.

4:19

Um for the most part, it works out well.

4:23

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.

4:36

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

4:41

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

4:46

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.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████48%
Public Works████████████████████████████████34%
Parks and Recreation███████7%
Water And Wastewater Management█████5%
Public Health███3%
Public Safety███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Board of Public Works Meeting Summary - January 22, 2026

The Board of Public Works convened on January 22, 2026, with Commissioners Shea, Lemon, and Gregg, President Speedia, and Mayor Donchess in attendance. Aldermen Brian and O'Dowd were also present. The meeting covered standard consent items, public testimony regarding ice rink regulations, multiple contract approvals for public works and environmental testing, internal board elections, and the Director's report.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the agenda as submitted.
  • Approved the minutes from the December 18, 2025, Board of Public Works meeting.
  • Approved user warrants as presented.
  • Approved Change Order No. 1 to contracts with Eastern Mineral and Granite State Mineral for an amount not to exceed $1,500.
  • Approved Amendment No. 1 to the contract with Sanford and Associates Incorporated for $14,172.
  • Approved sewer service permits and fees.
  • Accepted street opening permits for the record.
  • Approved and unsealed non-public minutes from the December 18, 2025, personnel session.
  • Accepted the retirement of Kevin Broder, wastewater operator, effective January 25, 2026.
  • Approved the nomination and election of Commissioner Matty Gregg as Vice Chair of the Board of Public Works.
  • Appointed Commissioner Speedia to the Pension Board following a nomination by Commissioner Shea.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Public Speaker (Five Minutes Road, Ashua):
    • Position: Expressed strong support for allowing hockey at Robbie Park, arguing it is a vital, healthy activity for local children who have learned to skate and compete at high school levels.
    • Concerns: Noted that a recent Parks and Recreation rule banning hockey (despite existing skating hours) reduces community engagement, as the area remains empty without hockey. Highlighted that hockey players often shovel the ice for skaters.
    • Alternative: Stated that while Lean is the alternative, it is not refrigerated and therefore inferior to Robbie Park for the community.

Discussion Items

  • Resolution R 26-007 (Garage Design Bonds):

    • Commissioner Speedia discussed the resolution authorizing the Mayor and City Treasurer to issue bonds up to $5.5 million for the Public Works division garage. The Board confirmed the resolution requires Board approval before being finalized and returned to the Board of Aldermen.
    • Outcome: A budget workshop was proposed for February 6th at 1:00 PM to discuss budgeting, which the Board agreed to schedule.

  • Solid Waste / PFAS Testing Contract (Item B):

    • Project Description: Superintendent LaFleur presented a proposal to contract with Sanford and Associates of Bedford, New Hampshire, for up to $250,000 to perform engineering, hydrogeological, and laboratory testing to define the extent of firefighting foam (PFAS) impacts at the Nashville Fire Training Center near the Four Hills Landfill.
    • Context: Elevated PFOS levels were detected in groundwater downstream from the fire training area. Superintendent LaFleur clarified that current firefighting foam does not contain PFAS, and historical usage likely dates to the 70s or 80s.
    • Positions: Mayor Donchess noted that while the Board should not be blamed for past foam use, the state is requesting testing from communities with this issue.

  • Infrastructure & Maintenance Reports:

    • Director's Report: Superintendent LaFleur reported on the Clock Tower Bridge reconstruction (ongoing), hazard tree removal at Four Corners, and successful ice maintenance at Four Corners, Levine, and Robbie Parks. He noted the new "Super Heroes in the Park" branding for DPW Day and the installation of a new berm on Northwood Drive. A false alarm regarding a landfill fire (caused by the flare) was addressed, and a closure notice for President's Day was issued.
    • Commissioner Greg: Expressed gratitude for the new fence installed at a local playground, noting positive feedback from families.
    • Commissioner Speedia: Publicly thanked landfill staff members, specifically Tom, for recovering a lost wedding ring from the dumpster.
    • Commissioner Shea: Noted a need for additional hay bales at Robbie Park for safety.
    • Alderman Down: Raised a safety concern regarding a large, deep hole in the courthouse parking lot that poses a risk to pedestrians and residents, requesting city assistance in addressing it.

Key Outcomes

  • Contract Approval: The Board unanimously approved the contract with Sanford and Associates for up to $250,000 for PFAS investigation (Vote: Aye, Aye).
  • Budget Workshop: Scheduled for February 6th at 1:00 PM to discuss the upcoming budget.
  • Board Leadership: Commissioner Matty Gregg was elected Vice Chair of the Board of Public Works (Vote: Aye, Aye).
  • Pension Board Appointment: Commissioner Speedia appointed to the Pension Board.
  • Safety Directive: The Board committed to investigating and addressing the large hole in the courthouse parking lot, noting it may be state responsibility but requiring immediate attention.
  • Meeting Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 4:34 PM after going into non-public session for personnel hiring.

Meeting Transcript

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.

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