Council approves Keene EDC Type A and Type B budgets; board plans road, skate park and sidewalks funding steps

The Keene City Council unanimously approved fiscal-year 2025–26 budgets for the Keene Economic Development Corporation (EDC) Type A and Type B boards on Aug. 7.

Council approved the Type A budget on a motion by Rob Foster with a second by Johnny Shaw; the vote was unanimous. The Type B budget passed unanimously on a motion by Johnny Shaw and a second by Thomas Smith.

EDC representatives walked council through key items and funding assumptions. Don (last name recorded as Martin) and other staff said the Type A budget will focus on a capital-project phased approach for County Road 317, with an initial allocation of $250,000 to widen the road, address drainage, install larger box culverts and leave a base-rock surface as a first step toward a multi-million-dollar reconstruction. “We had an estimate…about $2,700,000 to redo that road,” the EDC representative said, adding that the board chose a baby-step approach.

Type A also adjusted staff-cost allocations to reflect actual time city staff spend supporting EDC work. Council discussed that staff time previously absorbed by the general fund will be reflected in the EDC budget; one item raised was an increase in allocated city-services staff charges (the Type A allocation rose from roughly $7,600 to about $37,000 compared with last year) after a time-allocation “hourly-rate” accounting was applied. City Manager Jonathan Seitz described the change as an accounting update that “tells what is actually happening versus…just safe” budgeting.

Type B’s budget includes a $100,000 set-aside toward a skate park; staff explained concrete skate‑park builds can cost $350,000–$400,000, so the Type B board chose to reserve $100,000 in the plan and said a final design and public hearings will determine if and when the full project is built. Type B also set aside $200,000 for sidewalk engineering and construction in candidate corridors (staff said that amount might fund multiple blocks or fewer blocks depending on site conditions and needed retaining walls). The board also listed a previously ordered exterior sign for the civic campus that remains in prior budgets.

Council and staff clarified that EDC projects will follow standard project-by-project approvals and public hearings; staff said council retains authority to direct or approve each project once the board returns specific project proposals.

The council’s votes on both budgets were unanimous. Staff recorded motions and seconds on the meeting minutes as required.