Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks And Recreation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Keene board advances park-naming and schedules public hearing on park projects; staff previews $194,000 solar-lighting bid for Carver Park
Summary
The Type B board named a pocket park and set park projects — including new lights at Carver Park — for a public hearing Nov. 18. Staff presented a solar lighting turnkey proposal priced at about $194,000 and outlined options and battery-replacement uncertainties.
The Keene Type B board voted to name the previously unnamed pocket park after a local land donor and moved several park projects toward a public hearing, while staff presented a large solar-lighting proposal for Carver Park.
The board approved naming the city pocket park the Lewis Rosso Park (agenda language: naming the Pocket Park to the Lewis Rosso Park). A motion and second were made and the board approved the naming at the meeting.
Why it matters: the board is actively programming quality-of-life spending from its sales-tax-funded budget and municipal parks plan. At the meeting staff said the city has budgeted funds for park work and that the next step is a public hearing scheduled for Nov. 18 to finalize Capital Improvement Program (CIP) projects.
Lighting proposal: staff briefed the board on two purchasing options for adding lighting at Carver Park — utility co-op extension using existing-style wood poles, or a solar-powered system from a private vendor. The turnkey solar proposal presented to the board was approximately $194,000 for the whole park (installation included). Staff said the turnkey price covers solar LED fixtures for walkways, two additional poles at the basketball court, four parking-lot lights and bollard lighting along the walking trail.
Staff noted the solar fixtures are expected to run on battery systems with an 8-year battery life estimate provided by the vendor; staff said they had not yet received firm pricing for future battery replacement. "There would be some savings there. I mean, granted you're talking, you know, $14.15000 for some of the lights, but they're good for 8 years as long as, you know, the battery on it. I did not get a price on what it would cost to replace a battery yet," a staff member said.
Board members discussed tradeoffs: Co-op-supplied poles would be lower cost but use existing wood poles and provide limited brightness; the solar option avoids trenching and monthly power charges. Board members asked staff to obtain battery-replacement costs and to add the lighting proposal to the Nov. 18 public hearing and to next meeting discussions about midyear budget and the FY27 budget.
Other park items: board members discussed a possible donation of a portion of the Wallen Ridge property for green space or a neighborhood park and debated whether a small lot behind homes would be suitable for a new pocket park. The board agreed to focus on finishing the newly named park first and tabled further action on new park acquisition until they complete design and budgeting on the current project.
What’s next: staff will add the lighting and park projects to the Nov. 18 public hearing packet, seek competitive bids and report back with battery-replacement cost estimates and engineering layouts for the Luzerraujo/Lou Araujo Park improvements.
