Council votes to waive Hawkins Field disposal fee, appoints alternate to conservation commission

The Bedford Town Council on May 7 voted unanimously to waive demolition debris disposal fees for a Hawkins Field dugout improvement project carried out by the Bedford Men's Club and appointed Kate Kelly as an alternate to the Conservation Commission.

Town Manager Rick told the council the dugout work produced “2 loads that went to the transfer station, just under 3 quarters of a ton or $136.90,” and showed before-and-after photos of the dugouts. Councilor Kathleen Bemis moved to grant a waiver of the tipping fee for the Hawkins Field dugout improvement project; Councilor Michael Strand seconded the motion. Chair Lori Ratke called the vote and recorded the motion as passing 7-0.

On the conservation commission appointment, Councilor Bill Carter moved to appoint Kate Kelly as an alternate to fill the term to 2027; Councilor Becky Soule seconded the motion. The council approved the appointment by a 7-0 vote.

The council also approved a set of meeting minutes: retreat minutes from April 16, 2025, and public-session minutes from April 23, 2025, votes that carried with recorded abstentions; the nonpublic-session minutes of April 23, 2025 were approved with multiple abstentions noted in the transcript. The votes on minutes were procedural and recorded without extended discussion.

Councilors and the town manager thanked the Bedford Men's Club for volunteering and funding the dugout repairs; Chair Ratke called the work “great” and praised the group for completing the repairs quickly.

Why it matters: The waiver reduces or eliminates a modest disposal fee the club would have paid and recognizes volunteer maintenance of town recreation facilities. The appointment fills an alternate seat on a key local board and restores the commission’s membership for upcoming work on conservation matters.

Speakers

- Rick (Town Manager) — Town Manager, Bedford (government) - Kathleen Bemis — Councilor, Bedford Town Council (government) - Michael Strand — Councilor, Bedford Town Council (government) - Lori Ratke — Town Council Chair, Bedford Town Council (government) - Bill Carter — Councilor, Bedford Town Council (government) - Becky Soule — Councilor, Bedford Town Council (government)

Authorities

[{"type":"other","name":"Hawkins Field dugout project fee waiver request","citation":"Waiver request submitted by Bedford Men's Club (as presented at meeting)","referenced_by":["consent-votes-waiver-appointment-minutes"]},{"type":"other","name":"Conservation Commission alternate appointment","citation":"Town council appointment to fill term to 2027","referenced_by":["consent-votes-waiver-appointment-minutes"]}]

Actions

[{"kind":"other","identifiers":{},"motion":"Grant a waiver of demolition debris disposal fees for Hawkins Field dugout improvement project","mover":"Kathleen Bemis","second":"Michael Strand","vote_record":[{"member":"Kathleen Bemis","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Michael Strand","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Lori Ratke","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Bill Carter","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Becky Soule","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Gail Levesque","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Phil Griazo","vote":"yes"}],"tally":{"yes":7,"no":0,"abstain":0},"outcome":"approved","notes":"Two loads, under 3/4 ton; fee was $136.90."},{"kind":"appointment","identifiers":{"project_slug":"conservation-commission-alternate"},"motion":"Appoint Kate Kelly to the Conservation Commission as an alternate with a term to expire in 2027","mover":"Bill Carter","second":"Becky Soule","vote_record":[{"member":"Bill Carter","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Becky Soule","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Kathleen Bemis","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Michael Strand","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Lori Ratke","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Gail Levesque","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Phil Griazo","vote":"yes"}],"tally":{"yes":7,"no":0,"abstain":0},"outcome":"approved","notes":"Term expires 2027."},{"kind":"other","identifiers":{},"motion":"Approve retreat minutes from 04/16/2025","mover":"unnamed in transcript","second":"Michael Strand","vote_record":[],"tally":{"yes":6,"no":0,"abstain":1},"outcome":"approved","notes":"One abstention recorded in transcript."},{"kind":"other","identifiers":{},"motion":"Approve public session minutes from 04/23/2025","mover":"Becky Soule","second":"Gail Levesque","vote_record":[],"tally":{"yes":6,"no":0,"abstain":1},"outcome":"approved","notes":"One abstention recorded in transcript."},{"kind":"other","identifiers":{},"motion":"Approve nonpublic session minutes from 04/23/2025","mover":"Becky Soule","second":"Councillor Baskin","vote_record":[],"tally":{"yes":4,"no":0,"abstain":3},"outcome":"approved","notes":"Three abstentions recorded in transcript."}]

Discussion_decision

{"discussion_points":["Town Manager Rick presented before-and-after photos and said the men's club removed siding, added new siding and painted dugouts.","Councilors thanked the Bedford Men's Club for volunteer labor and funding."],"directions":[],"decisions":["Fee waiver approved 7-0","Kate Kelly appointed as alternate to the Conservation Commission 7-0","Minutes approved with recorded abstentions as noted"]}

Clarifying_details

[{"category":"debris_amount","detail":"Two loads to transfer station; total just under three quarters of a ton","value":"<0.75","units":"ton","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Rick"},{"category":"debris_fee","detail":"Disposal/tipping fee for the two loads","value":136.9,"units":"USD","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Rick"},{"category":"appointment_term","detail":"Term length for appointed alternate to Conservation Commission","value":"2027","units":"year","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Bill Carter"}]

Proper_names

[{"name":"Hawkins Field","type":"facility"},{"name":"Bedford Men's Club","type":"organization"},{"name":"Kate Kelly","type":"person"},{"name":"Conservation Commission","type":"agency"},{"name":"Bedford Town Council","type":"agency"}]

Community_relevance

{"geographies":["Bedford, NH"],"funding_sources":[],"impact_groups":["recreation users","volunteer organizations","conservation volunteers"]}

Meeting_context

{"engagement_level":{"speakers_count":6,"duration_minutes":10,"items_count":4},"implementation_risk":"none","history":[{"date":"2025-05-07","note":"Waiver and appointment actions completed at meeting."}]}

Searchable_tags

["Hawkins Field","fee_waiver","conservation_appointment","minutes_approval"]

Provenance

{"transcript_segments":[]},