Wolfeboro Selectmen approve cyanobacteria protocol, RGGI rebate, sidewalk work and other routine items; trustees seek engineering plan for Libby Museum

Wolfeboro — The Wolfeboro Board of Selectmen on May 7 approved a range of administrative and public‑works items and received updates on hazardous‑waste collection and ongoing infrastructure work. Major decisions included adopting an updated cyanobacteria identification and reporting protocol, accepting a proposed RGGI rebate to ratepayers, authorizing sidewalk repairs from the town’s capital reserve, and approving a public‑works vehicle purchase. The board also agreed, as trustees of the Libby Museum, to fund a $5,500 engineering study to inform repairs on the museum’s failing north wall.

The meeting covered many routine permits and minutes but front‑loaded items the board and public said carried the most immediate public interest: lake health, energy bill relief and sidewalk safety.

The selectmen voted unanimously to approve the town’s revised cyanobacteria bloom identification and reporting protocol, written by the Wolfeboro Waters Committee to align local response with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES). The protocol instructs observers to use the DES bloom report form, call central dispatch to trigger town notifications, and deliver samples to DES for laboratory confirmation and classification as a “watch” or “warning.” Linda Redmond, speaking for the committee, said DES is the agency that “will provide all the information on the bloom and whether it is a watch or a warning” and that DES also declares when a bloom has ended.

The selectmen approved a Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) rebate plan from Wolfeboro Electric. Barry Muchio of Wolfeboro Electric told the board the utility has accumulated about $565,000 in RGGI proceeds and proposed a customer rebate of 2.8¢ per…