Bow residents weren’t in a chatty mood for the 2017 town meeting.
All warrant articles passed with hardly a peep from the audience gathered in the Bow High School auditorium Wednesday night. It was a stark change from the school district’s meeting Friday, which saw a packed room in the same location with almost two hours of public comment on the district’s operating budget alone. In contrast, town meeting moderator Peter Imse said it took just 47 minutes to cover the 13 articles discussed.
Even Article 4, which approved the spending of $722,000 to repair a bridge on Birchdale Road over White Brook, saw little discussion. Residents who spoke at public hearings and to Monitor staff were previously divided on whether the bridge should be replaced: Some wanted the bridge to remain closed because they said motorists sped when the bridge was open, and others were concerned the closed bridge could prevent emergency vehicles from responding to a call.
Only Tim Morrison, who lives on Birchdale Road, asked about whether a speed table would be installed on the road to dissuade speeding. Select board member Christopher Nicolopoulos said a speed table was included in the final designs for the project, but said the select board has not made a final decision.
The project to rehabilitate the bridge, which has been closed since July 2015, will begin in the spring and is expected to finish in four months, Nicolopoulous said. The project will have no impact on the tax rate because the majority of it will be paid for by state bridge aid, money the town won’t qualify for until 2025. The rest will come from funds set aside for infrastructure projects.
The town’s $10 million operating budget passed with no comments from the audience. Select board member Ben Kiniry hailed the fact that this year’s budget barely saw an increase from last year’s approved budget despite a nearly $500,000 increase in spending
This year’s budget is 2 percent higher than last year’s budget, and includes health insurance increases and a $384,000 bond payment for the new public safety complex.
The total amount of money in warrant articles is $1.9 million. The projected tax rate impact is 10 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, or $20 on a $200,000 home.
(Caitlin Andrews can be reached at 369-3309, candrews@cmonitor.com or on Twitter at @ActualCAndrews.)