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Select Board — May 7, 2026

The meeting focused on standard operational procedures, infrastructure planning, and administrative approvals without public opposition or significant heated debate.

Date Thursday, May 7, 2026 Decisions 5 Routine
📄 Agenda 📄 Minutes

Public ⁠impact

Issues from this meeting with documented community impact.
01

2026 Paving Plan and Infrastructure Contracts

Significant capital expenditure including a $400,000 paving plan and additional multi-thousand dollar contracts for road and culvert assessments. Affected: All town residents
other high impact

Decisions ⁠logged

Every recorded vote, with timestamps and dissents.
Defer formal approval of April 16, 2026, minutes.
Minutes will be revised and redistributed prior to the next meeting.
Agreed/Deferred
02:02
Authorization of Road Surface Management System (RSMS) contract with LRPC.
$10,000 fee for road condition assessment.
Authorized
14:10
Authorization of Culverts and Closed Drainage Systems (CCDS) contract with LRPC.
$17,556.64 fee for culvert inventory and assessment.
Authorized
16:00
Authorization of Innovative Surface Solutions contract.
Includes leasing a 3,000-gallon storage tank and a 925-gallon spray system, with a minimum 2026 purchase of 11,000 gallons of magnesium chloride.
Authorized
17:50
Sale of old red dump truck.
Authorized listing at an asking price of $10,000 with a floor price of $7,500.
Passed
35:50

Topics ⁠discussed

Click a topic to expand quotes and full context.
02:02 Approval of Minutes

The Board reviewed the April 16, 2026, minutes and identified necessary corrections regarding the school superintendent's name and meeting notice headings. Formal approval was deferred.

Speakers: Dana Swenson
04:40 2025 Investment and Delegation of Deposit Authority Policies

The Board conducted a retroactive annual review of the Investment Policy and the Delegation of Deposit Authority Policy for the 2025 fiscal year to satisfy audit requirements.

Speakers: Don Sieburg
07:40 2026 Paving Plan

The Highway Supervisor presented a $400,000 paving plan for three projects: Plains Road, Elbow Pond Road, and Flaghole Road, utilizing a shim and overlay approach.

Speakers: Don Sieburg, Jeremy Cornell
14:10 Contractual Discussions: RSMS, CCDS, and Innovative Surface Solutions

The Board reviewed and authorized contracts for road surface assessment (RSMS), culvert/drainage assessment (CCDS), and magnesium chloride supply/equipment (Innovative Surface Solutions).

Speakers: Don Sieburg, Jeremy Cornell
22:20 Employee Annual Review Process

The Board established a framework for performance evaluations, including draft preparation by the Town Administrator and the Board's authority over compensation recommendations.

Speakers: Don Sieburg
24:40 Highway Department Update

A comprehensive update on road sweeping, equipment maintenance, culvert inspections, staff training, and the acquisition/sale of vehicles.

Speakers: Jeremy Cornell, Jim Delaney

Controversy & ⁠dissent

Where the board, the community, or the agenda diverged.

Potentially controversial issues

01

R&D Paving Contract Dispute

The Board is navigating the complexities of a concluded contract with R&D Paving, involving discussions on whether to formally cancel it and the resulting legal risks.
Board position: The Board sought to avoid formal legal exposure by not making a formal motion to cancel a contract they believed was already concluded.
Internal dissent
While not a split vote, there was internal deliberation where Charlie Stewart explicitly advised against a formal motion to avoid potential legal exposure.
low concern

Action ⁠items

Who owes what, by when.
Incorporate corrections into April 16 minutes and distribute to Board members.
Assigned: Don Sieburg · Due: Before May 21, 2026
Deliver sealed bids to the Highway Supervisor’s office.
Assigned: Contractors (R&D Paving, Peckham, Blacktop) · Due: May 21, 2026
Communicate the Town's position regarding the concluded R&D Paving contract to the vendor.
Assigned: Don Sieburg
Pick up the six-wheel truck purchased from New London.
Assigned: Highway Supervisor Cornell · Due: May 13, 2026

Notable ⁠statements

Advised against a formal motion to cancel the R&D Paving contract to avoid potential legal exposure. — Charlie Stewart · Discussion on whether to formally vote to cancel a prior contract that the Board believed was already concluded. 13:00
Magnesium chloride is effective to approximately -30°F and is less corrosive than standard calcium chloride. — Jeremy Cornell · Explaining the benefits of the new surface solution contract. 20:10

Member ⁠positions

6 issues · 0 explicit · 17 inferred
Dana Swenson
Chair
Present
Approval of Minutes ✓
Agreed to defer formal approval until corrections are made.
Authorization of Road Surface Management System (RSMS) contract with LRPC YES ~
Authorization of Culverts and Closed Drainage Systems (CCDS) contract with LRPC YES ~
Authorization of Innovative Surface Solutions contract YES ~
Sale of old red dump truck YES ~
Roland Carter
Vice Chair
Present
Authorization of Road Surface Management System (RSMS) contract with LRPC YES ~
Authorization of Culverts and Closed Drainage Systems (CCDS) contract with LRPC YES ~
Authorization of Innovative Surface Solutions contract YES ~
Sale of old red dump truck YES ~
Present
R&D Paving Contract Dispute ✓
Advised against a formal motion to cancel to avoid legal exposure.
Authorization of Road Surface Management System (RSMS) contract with LRPC YES ~
Authorization of Culverts and Closed Drainage Systems (CCDS) contract with LRPC YES ~
Authorization of Innovative Surface Solutions contract YES ~
Sale of old red dump truck YES ~
Present
Authorization of Road Surface Management System (RSMS) contract with LRPC YES ~
Authorization of Culverts and Closed Drainage Systems (CCDS) contract with LRPC YES ~
Authorization of Innovative Surface Solutions contract YES ~
Sale of old red dump truck YES ~
Present
Authorization of Road Surface Management System (RSMS) contract with LRPC YES ~
Authorization of Culverts and Closed Drainage Systems (CCDS) contract with LRPC YES ~
Authorization of Innovative Surface Solutions contract YES ~
Sale of old red dump truck YES ~

Positions marked ~ are inferred from context and may not reflect the member's explicitly stated position.

Public ⁠comment

What residents said — verbatim, with timestamps.
No public comments were identified in this meeting.
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Report composed by grok-4.3, gemma-4-26b, grok-4-fast, grok-4.20-0309-reasoning · analyzed 2026-06-01.