Greenland selectmen accept state highway block grant, approve manifests and authorize broadband sign-off; discuss fire station and communications committee

The Greenland Board of Selectmen voted Monday, Feb. 10, to accept a state highway block grant and carry out several routine financial approvals while discussing next steps on a planned fire‑station project and restarting a town communications effort.

The board accepted the state highway block grant after a public hearing and a motion to “accept and expend the highway block grant in the amount of $18,885.46,” which passed by voice vote. The board also approved amended minutes that authorize the town administrator to sign grant documents, approved assessor exemptions and credits as recommended, and approved the town manifest for $325,239.05 and a payroll manifest for $92,673.12. The board voted to authorize the town administrator to sign a Comcast letter expressing the town’s support for expanded broadband service in underserved areas of Greenland. Finally, the board voted to enter nonpublic session under the RSA citation read aloud during the meeting.

Why it matters: the highway block grant provides state funds for local road work; allowing the town administrator to sign grant paperwork clears an administrative hurdle for implementation. Approving the manifests moves vendor payments and payroll forward. Authorizing a letter to Comcast is a step on broadband outreach for unserved neighborhoods, and the fire‑station and communications committee discussions set direction for longer‑range capital planning and community outreach.

At the public hearing the packet described the grant as the state quarter‑three highway block grant for 2025. The meeting record also includes an earlier figure in the packet text that differs from the motion: the packet language included an amount read as "$18,008.85" while the motion recorded in the minutes states $18,885.46. The board motion as recorded in the meeting transcript—"I move to accept and extend the highway block grant in the amount of $18,885.46"—was adopted by voice vote. Because the packet figure and the motion differ, the town administrator and staff should be contacted for the official grant award amount and the reconciliation of the two figures.

Town Administrator Steve told the board that the town’s new financial software (MRI) vendor has agreed to hold 2024 pricing and will not charge the additional 2025 annual fees noted in the contract documents. "They are not going to charge us the additional fees that it says for 2025," Town Administrator Steve said, adding that a template chart of accounts still needs review and a rollout is likely in March if the details are finalized. He also said the auditor was completing testing and the town was waiting for a final audit letter from the accounting firm; he identified Brian McDermott at Plozick as the contact who hoped to have the final audit by the end of the month.

On broadband, the board reviewed a Comcast form letter requesting municipal signoff to expand service to under‑served areas. A board member moved to allow the town administrator to sign the letter; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The board did not record a count of individual yes/no votes beyond the roll call "Aye" as heard on the transcript.

Members also discussed restarting a communications outlet (the town’s former "Green Grapevine" newspaper or similar outreach) and forming a small volunteer committee to develop options for notifying residents about town initiatives and events. Several selectmen said residents had asked for better notice of events and town work; one board member volunteered to draft a formal document describing committee composition and present it at the next meeting.

The board reviewed the status of prior work on a proposed new fire station and related site analysis. Selectmen said ground testing had been completed previously and that earlier planning and space programming existed, but the town paused the project after the library construction warrant article passed in an earlier year. Several board members said they favored treating future work as part of a municipal complex planning effort rather than addressing the fire station in isolation; one member recommended restarting a small volunteer committee and pulling together existing documents and site test results before broader public outreach.

Other routine actions at the meeting included approval of amended minutes for Jan. 13 to clarify signing authority for certain grant documents, approval of minutes for other January dates, and the assessor’s recommended exemptions, debts, and credits. The board then voted to enter nonpublic session under the statutory citation read at the meeting.

The meeting record shows these motions passed by voice vote; the transcript records the board saying "Aye" but does not list a roll‑call tally for each member in the public record excerpt provided.

Looking ahead, the town administrator said he would set meetings with the MRI vendor to finalize the chart of accounts and follow up with the auditors at Plozick on the final audit letter. The board directed staff to sign and return the Comcast form, and board members agreed to draft and present committee composition for both communications and the fire‑station/site analysis work at a future meeting.