Facilities committee outlines public education and survey to set priorities for town buildings and public safety needs

Members of the council’s Facilities Committee reported on June 25 that they have drafted a one‑page educational summary and a draft survey to solicit resident priorities for repairs and renovations to town buildings, including the police and fire facilities, DPW sites, and town offices.

Councilors Michael Strand and Gayle Levesque, who helped craft the materials, said the goal is to educate the public about relative needs — for example, space constraints, HVAC and roofing needs, evidence and locker space at the police facility, and outgrown apparatus bays at the fire department — and to ask taxpayers how they would prioritize limited capital dollars.

The committee proposed distributing the one‑page summary (including a map and square‑footage/age summaries of buildings) in the Bedford Bulletin and using a QR code to drive residents to an online survey. Draft survey questions ask respondents to rank priorities, explain why past fire station proposals failed, and choose preferred funding approaches (e.g., phased work within the existing budget, multi‑year bonds, or targeted tax increases). The draft intentionally omitted school facilities and sought to avoid leading questions.

Council feedback: Councilors recommended removing the word “unsafe” from materials (to avoid perceived admissions of hazard that could create liability) and to avoid abbreviations/acronyms that ordinary residents might not understand. They suggested refining answer choices for prioritization questions and adding plain‑language examples of non‑tax revenue when listing funding alternatives. Several councilors also recommended providing free‑text comment boxes to capture nuance.

Next steps: The Facilities Committee will revise the materials to address council feedback and return with a final draft. Council members expressed support for the outreach approach but asked the committee to bring a finalized online survey instrument and distribution plan (for back‑page placement in the town bulletin, website, library postings and public events) before broad distribution.

Why it matters: Multiple recent citizen votes have failed to advance large facility projects; the committee said a neutral public education and a structured survey will help the council understand voter priorities and design proposals with higher chances of public acceptance.