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Council refines facilities survey, agrees to separate ballot items for two past fire proposals and to finalize survey mechanics
Summary
Councilors reviewed a draft facilities survey and education materials, agreed to split questions about the two failed fire proposals (combined police/fire complex and the smaller fire substation), discussed maps and timing, and directed staff to prepare the survey for publication with follow-up on launch timing.
Bedford Town Councilors spent an extended portion of their July 16 meeting refining a public survey and education materials about town facilities and potential solutions to space and service issues.
Councilor Levesque presented the draft survey and a pair of maps and asked the council to agree on question wording, priorities and distribution timing for the public engagement. The council agreed to change the survey so the two recent, failed ballot questions are treated separately — one question on the combined fire/police safety complex proposals and another on the fire substation — because councilors said the projects differed markedly in scope and cost.
Levesque said the survey will include a QR code and a URL and that the town will coordinate placement in the Bedford Bulletin; she asked staff to prepare the online survey (the council mentioned the MonkeySurvey platform) and the supporting graphics. Councilors reviewed map options and asked staff to update and redact features as needed; they discussed adding a simple four‑quadrant map tied to police patrol areas so respondents can identify which part of town they represent.
The council also discussed how to frame questions about addressing heavy call volumes along South River Road, zoning and impact fees. Town Manager Rick Sawyer noted a recent state law change was reported to have expanded rights for multifamily development in commercial zones; he said staff would review the enacted legislation to identify local options. Councilors discussed impact fees for development but staff explained that impact fees generally require an identified growth project and cost basis before the fee can be defended; staff said capital reserve funds and an existing facilities design/build capital reserve already exist and could be leveraged for planning and design work.
Councilors asked staff about timing for the public release; some members suggested waiting until after Labor Day to increase participation among families who may be away in August. Councilor Levesque said she would work with a Bedford Bulletin contact and town staff to finalize survey mechanics and that she expected to have the survey ready to launch after an August check‑in and by the next council meeting.
No formal council votes were taken on project funding or zoning at the meeting; the session focused on survey wording, graphics and the schedule for public outreach.
