Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Jaffrey select board defends WW Cross RFQ decision amid business owner objections
Summary
At its March 31 meeting the Jaffrey Select Board upheld a subcommittee recommendation for the WW Cross RFQ after finding only one complete submission; local business owner Mike Shea said he was excluded and warned of job losses, while Chair Charles Turcotte said the choice reflected community priorities.
The Jaffrey Select Board on March 31 defended its decision to endorse a single proposal for the WW Cross request for qualifications (RFQ) after a local business owner publicly criticized the process.
Charles Turcotte, the newly elected chair, told residents that the RFQ subcommittee reviewed submissions and found only one that met the stated requirements; that committee voted for the lone complete proposal, and the board subsequently upheld the recommendation with a 2-0 vote by Turcotte and Selectman Andrew Lawn while Franklin W. Sterling Jr. recused himself. Turcotte said the board would not change its decision.
Local business owner Mike Shea told the board he had expected to be “at the table” for discussions about the WW Cross property and said he learned about the RFQ only after it was circulated to the Economic Development Committee. Shea criticized the outcome as “very wrong and poor judgement,” and warned that if he could not use the property to support operations he might move that portion of his business — and the associated jobs — out of town. He added, “you’ll all regret it, it’s a utopian view,” describing doubts that the chosen approach would deliver the outcomes in the RFQ.
Chair Turcotte urged supporters to continue backing the chosen partnership approach; he cited possible collaboration with MEDC and Keene housing interests and said the selection reflected what he understood to be the community’s preference. Harry Young thanked the board for advancing the agenda item, and Janet Grant asked whether documentation from the meeting would be available; the board said the minutes will reflect the discussion.
The board recorded that the committee had voted and that two members of the Select Board had voted to approve the committee’s recommendation. The minutes do not record additional formal reconsideration, amendments or a next procedural step specific to the RFQ; the EDC and the Select Board will continue to be involved in related discussions.
The meeting record shows no formal remedy or referral requested by the speaker. The board did not reverse the committee’s decision during the March 31 meeting.
