Select Board hears Town Docks drainage update and Libby Trustees OK appraisal contract up to $10,000

Select Board members spent part of their June 3 meeting on a drainage issue at the Town Docks and on the trustees’ decision to commission a full appraisal of the Libby Museum collection.

Select Board member and Health Officer Dave Senecal reported that a pipe serving the Town Docks had been dug up and found crushed; the pipe has been capped at both ends. Senecal said photos and video were taken showing no other pipes feeding into the capped line and that recent tests have shown no contaminants. The board discussed mapping gutters and pipes in the area and agreed dye testing of adjacent buildings would be deferred until lake levels recede. John Thurston and other members asked for photos and a drainage map; Mr. Senecal said the town has photographs and will follow up with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) if necessary.

During the Libby Trustees meeting held in tandem with the Select Board session, trustees voted to contract with the New Hampshire Antique Cooperative for a complete appraisal of the Libby Museum collection, not to exceed $10,000. Trustees discussed logistical details: the cooperative will photograph items, spend several days at the museum to document artifacts, and deliver a complete report in approximately three months. Board members and trustees discussed coordination with Friends of Libby and a newly forming Libby Museum Preservation Society about documentation, potential moving and storage, and funding for appraisals and relocation.

In public input later in the meeting, Suzanne Ryan urged inclusion of Charitable Trust Unit (CTU) information for the public record and recommended trustees adopt bylaws and include public comment in their process. Derrick Brown urged more permanent crosswalk infrastructure and requested a dye test for runoff near the Town Docks parking lot once water levels allow testing.

The trustees’ motion to contract for the appraisal was approved 5-0. The Select Board also approved a motion to reconvene the trustees meeting and returned to its regular agenda later in the evening. Next steps identified included preparing a work plan for the Libby building, coordinating documentation with stakeholder groups, and scheduling follow-up dye testing of docks-area drainage when lake levels permit.