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Swansea select board approves policies, schedules meetings and funds dam engineering work
Summary
At the same meeting the board approved a right-to-know policy, a Primex post-traumatic stress policy, an updated Wickham Hall rental agreement, and authorized up to $140,400 from the dam capital reserve for engineering; the board also discussed meeting cadence, a road-name/911 request, and a solar group net-metering opportunity.
The Swansea select board handled several routine and budget items after public comment, approving administrative policies and moving forward on infrastructure spending.
The board approved a town right-to-know request policy as presented by the town administrator and adopted a post-traumatic stress policy recommended by Primex and the human resources coordinator; members noted Primex typically provides template language and that keeping these policies current preserves insurance discounts.
The board also approved an updated Wickham Hall rental agreement that clarifies liability insurance requirements and confirms that a $50 cleaning fee will not apply to standard town meetings.
On capital spending, town staff presented the first invoice from the engineering firm retained for the Swansea Lake dam project. The board moved to expend up to $140,400 from the town-owned dam capital reserve fund to cover the awarded engineering services and instructed staff to code the invoice to the reserve fund.
Board members debated meeting cadence for the coming months. After discussing anticipated absences and busy budget windows, the board agreed to add a May 27 meeting if needed and to revisit whether to resume weekly meetings in September during their August review.
Other items: staff will research a resident request to rename part of Aldridge Road to reduce 911/address confusion and will check which office (code enforcement, 911, or the fire chief) should lead the record change and public hearing process; town staff will also follow up on a Keene-led group net-metering offer for a regional solar project and confirm whether Swansea's existing West Swanzey net-metering arrangements affect participation.
The board closed the evening by noting several items will be carried forward and that members would be informed in writing about next steps and any required follow-up meetings.
