Selectmen authorize $500,000 playground grant application, approve AFSCME highway contract, award farm lease and acknowledge dairy tax abatement

The Board of Selectmen approved a series of administrative actions and contracts at its meeting, including authorization to apply for a $500,000 state grant for an accessible playground, ratification of a negotiated AFSCME highway contract renewal and the award of a heritage farm lease.

The board accepted appointments of Carol Franco and Anna Spencer as alternates to the Veterans Commission and recorded a unanimous voice vote in favor. The board then addressed a state playground grant that staff said has bond-commission approval but requires the town to be the formal applicant. ‘‘This is for us to act on applying for the grant for the 500,000,’’ a staff member said. The board moved to allow Rodney Fournier to sign the grant application on the town’s behalf; the motion passed unanimously.

The board also voted to approve the AFSCME Local 13‑03‑126 highway contract renewal as negotiated by town negotiator Jim (last name recorded in the transcript as both 'Rupert' and later as 'Riper'). The motion approved a three‑year term retroactive to July 1, 2025, with an expiration date of June 30, 2028; the contract changes discussed in the packet included modest adjustments to retirement/health contributions and clarifications to vacation staffing during plowing operations.

On the heritage farm lease, staff said two bids were received; one bidder (described in the packet as Giulio) offered just over $3,000 per year while the recommended bidder’s proposal was approximately $6,127 per year. Board members requested that full bid documentation be included in future packets. The board approved the recommended lease award for the term shown in the meeting materials (presented in the packet as 02/01/2026 through 12/31/2027).

Finally, the board acknowledged a dairy-farm tax‑abatement filing for Don (the transcript alternately calls him 'Don Fish' and 'Don Fisher'). Selectmen reviewed the ordinance language cited in the packet, which specifies that qualified dairy components may receive an abatement equal to 50% of the assessed components that qualify under the ordinance and that the abatement is subject to recapture if farming activity ceases. A motion to acknowledge the application was seconded and approved unanimously.

Votes at a glance
- Veterans Commission alternates (Carol Franco; Anna Spencer): motion carried; unanimous voice vote (tally announced as 7 yes).
- Authorization for Rodney Fournier to sign state playground grant application (approx. $500,000 for an accessible playground at Fulton Center School): motion carried; unanimous voice vote (7 yes).
- AFSCME 13‑03‑126 highway contract renewal (retroactive 07/01/2025 to 06/30/2028): motion carried; mover listed in the transcript as 'chairman' with a second by Duan.
- Heritage farm lease award (term shown in packet 02/01/2026–12/31/2027; recommended bid ≈ $6,127/year): motion carried (moved by Bryce; seconded by Mather).
- Acknowledgment of dairy tax‑abatement for Don (ordinance permits up to 50% abatement of qualifying assessed dairy components): motion carried; unanimous voice vote.

Board members requested clearer packet documentation on bids and asked that future meeting materials include all competing bids, not just the recommended award. Several members also recommended that staff prepare a short SOP or checklist for how grant-application signatories are recorded in packet materials.

The meeting record did not include a calendar date for this session in the transcript provided; times and some proper-name spellings appear variably in the transcript and are noted below where applicable.