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Select Board — April 20, 2026

While most business was routine, tension was evident regarding financial transparency requests and the strategic direction of town assets.

Date Monday, April 20, 2026 Duration 1.9h Speakers 35 Decisions 8 Mildly contentious
▶ Video

Public ⁠impact

Issues from this meeting with documented community impact.
01

Old Warner Road Speed Bumps

Direct impact on pedestrian safety for 25 children daily Affected: Local residents and children using the soccer program
safety change
02

Community Center Long-term Planning

Determines the future use, funding, and community value of a central municipal asset Affected: All Bradford residents
other high impact

Decisions ⁠logged

Every recorded vote, with timestamps and dissents.
Acceptance of April 6th meeting minutes as written.
Motion made by a speaker, seconded.
Approved
Approval of the MOU for BNSU e-Sports.
Motion made by a speaker.
Approved
Approval of the MOU for Friends of the Bradfordford Town Hall Theater.
Motion made by a speaker.
Approved
Decision to table paving construction bids.
Board decided to wait until the next meeting to secure at least one or two additional quotes.
Tabled
Approval of the new personnel manual.
Motion made by a speaker.
Approved
Acceptance of a $550 donation to the scholarship fund.
Motion made by a speaker.
Approved
Allow Steve to sell old/unused town equipment.
Motion made by a speaker and passed unanimously.
Approved
Motion to enter non-public session.
Moved to transition from public to non-public session.
Approved

Topics ⁠discussed

Click a topic to expand quotes and full context.
▶ 01:10 Minutes Approval

The Board reviewed and accepted the minutes from the April 6th meeting.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 03:57 Community Gardeners Update

The community gardeners discussed an upcoming cleanup day on June 6th, maintenance of traffic islands, and clarified that they will not oversee the proposed town hall brick walkway project.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 07:35 BNSU e-Sports MOU

Discussion and approval of a Memorandum of Understanding regarding BNSU e-Sports.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 16:06 Affordable Tomorrow Committee

The committee discussed protocols for communicating with department heads and the necessity of filing 91-A requests for information.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 25:32 Financial Inquiry (Pat Morland)

The Board discussed a request from Pat Morland for deep-level financial access, ultimately deciding against it as sufficient information has already been provided.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 31:14 Construction Bids (Paving)

The Board reviewed a high bid for paving the fire station and town hall parking areas and decided to table the decision to seek more quotes.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 39:07 Website and Onboarding

Discussion regarding the difficulties of using the current town website and the need for better onboarding processes for new board members.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 55:54 Personnel Manual

Review and approval of the updated town personnel manual.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 59:00 IRS Reconciliation

The Treasurer reported a successful resolution of a discrepancy regarding a suspected delinquent payment, which was determined to be a clerical error by the IRS.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 66:30 Affleck Insurance/Benefits

Discussion regarding offering supplemental life and disability insurance to employees through Affleck.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 70:00 Joint Loss Management Committee

The Board addressed the legal requirement to form a joint loss management committee to maintain insurance compliance.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 76:39 Community Center Vision and Planning

The Board discussed the future use and funding of the community center, emphasizing the need for a long-term vision rather than just maintenance, and the importance of community input via facilitated discussions.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 91:00 Culvert Replacement Grants

An update was provided regarding federal funding for culvert replacements, specifically concerning Deer Valley Road, noting that the grant process has reopened following a review.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 92:00 Sale of Town Equipment

The Board discussed and approved allowing the sale of old or unused town equipment.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 103:00 Parks and Recreation Updates

Discussion regarding new evening swim lesson formats, hiring for park attendants with water safety certifications, and improving parking and landscaping at French's Park.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker

Controversy & ⁠dissent

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

Potentially controversial issues

01

Financial Access Request (Pat Morland)

A committee member (Pat Morland) requested deep-level access to financial records and office space. This creates tension regarding transparency versus administrative security and the potential for overreach by committee members.
Board position: The board denied the request for unrestricted access, opting to maintain control through the treasurer/bookkeeper.
medium concern
02

Community Center Visioning

There is significant debate over whether the community center should focus on mere maintenance or a long-term strategic vision, with community members warning against decisions being made by small, isolated groups.
Board position: The board signaled support for a broad, facilitated community engagement process rather than isolated decision-making.
medium concern

Community vs. board tension

Action ⁠items

Who owes what, by when.
Speak with the Police Chief regarding the reinstallation of speed bumps on Old Warner Road.
Assigned: a speaker
Obtain at least one or two additional quotes for the fire station and town hall paving.
Assigned: a speaker / Steve · Due: 2026-05-04
Follow up with Affleck regarding a presentation for employees and check availability for health trust updates.
Assigned: a speaker
Reach out to the current website vendor to discuss dissatisfaction and potential recourse.
Assigned: a speaker
Wait for results of New Hampshire Humanities interview to determine if a facilitated 'community conversation' will be hosted.
Assigned: a speaker · Due: Within the next couple of weeks
Review the proposal for road upgrading.
Assigned: Speaker S30 / Planning Board · Due: Next Tuesday
Address tree removal and parking improvements at French's Park, potentially consulting with Brooks or wetland experts.
Assigned: Speaker S33

Notable ⁠statements

Our group feels that we aren't the ones to take [the brick walkway project] on. We don't have the skills that would be needed to oversee the financial aspect or the physical placement. — Unidentified speaker · Clarifying the scope of the Community Gardeners' responsibilities. ▶ 05:16
It needs to be apples to apples, not apples to oranges. If you're gonna compare Bradfordford to another town, don't compare us to a town like Alexandria. — Unidentified speaker · Critiquing the data used by the Affordable Tomorrow Committee. ▶ 22:13
I would let Steve Pierce go in and look at it [the financial records]. I have enough trouble locking the panel door. — Unidentified speaker · Responding to the request for Pat Morland to have unmonitored access to town files. ▶ 26:13
I think we need to step back and have a bigger vision... What is that building gonna do tomorrow in the next twenty years? — Unidentified speaker · Discussing the strategic approach to securing grants for the community center. ▶ 77:40
You have the consensus of the select board that you're going in the right direction and go for it. — Unidentified speaker · Encouraging board members to proceed with community engagement initiatives regarding the community center. ▶ 90:20

Member ⁠positions

10 issues · 0 explicit · 9 inferred
Present
Minutes Approval YES ~
BNSU e-Sports MOU YES ~
MOU for Friends of the Bradfordford Town Hall Theater YES ~
Construction Bids (Paving) ~
Decided to table the decision to seek more quotes.
Personnel Manual YES ~
Acceptance of a $550 donation to the scholarship fund YES ~
Sale of Town Equipment YES ~
Financial Inquiry (Pat Morland) NO ~
Denied unrestricted access to financial records.
Community Center Vision and Planning ~
Supported a broad, facilitated community engagement process.
Beth Downs
Selectman
Present
Minutes Approval YES ~
BNSU e-Sports MOU YES ~
MOU for Friends of the Bradfordford Town Hall Theater YES ~
Construction Bids (Paving) ~
Decided to table the decision to seek more quotes.
Personnel Manual YES ~
Acceptance of a $550 donation to the scholarship fund YES ~
Sale of Town Equipment YES ~
Financial Inquiry (Pat Morland) NO ~
Denied unrestricted access to financial records.
Community Center Vision and Planning ~
Supported a broad, facilitated community engagement process.
Devin Pendleton
Selectman
Present
Minutes Approval YES ~
BNSU e-Sports MOU YES ~
MOU for Friends of the Bradfordford Town Hall Theater YES ~
Construction Bids (Paving) ~
Decided to table the decision to seek more quotes.
Personnel Manual YES ~
Acceptance of a $550 donation to the scholarship fund YES ~
Sale of Town Equipment YES ~
Financial Inquiry (Pat Morland) NO ~
Denied unrestricted access to financial records.
Community Center Vision and Planning ~
Supported a broad, facilitated community engagement process.

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 gemma-4-26b, grok-4.3, grok-4-fast, grok-4.20-0309-reasoning · analyzed 2026-06-01.