David Pierce
The New Hampshire Union Leader, Manchester
(TNS)
Mar. 12—A second fire station that would cut response times in half to the busiest part of Bedford and a Parks and Recreation project that would have created a new Little League complex both fell well short of approval in Tuesday’s election.
Only 42% of voters were in favor of the $8.9 million fire station project on South River Road. The bond for the proposal needed 60% approval and failed 2,909-2,117.
About 41% of voters said yes to the $3.2 million bond for the Parks and Recreation project, which included renovating the town’s skateboard park and fixing fields built on an old town dump. That plan died, 2,909-2,117.
“I am just so disappointed because (the need for a fire station) impacts all of our residents,” said Town Councilor Kathleen Bemiss, who was reelected to another three-year term. “I know that there’s a lot of controversy over it, but we need it and we needed it last year. So, that’s not going to change.”
Soon-to-be-retired Fire Chief Scott Hunter said the town has been trying to get a new station approved for 30 years and building a second facility for the town in the area with the greatest concentration of emergency calls was essential. The department would’ve cut response times in half to a crucial part of town separated from the rest by the F.E. Everett Turnpike.
“I was hopeful residents would see the value and that it could be life or death for somebody,” Bemiss said.
Town Council Chairwoman Lori Radke said she was disappointed the Parks and Recreation project failed after councilors worked with Little League parents to get a commitment of $100,000 to help offset the interest on the proposed 10-year bond.
“We need those fields because we can’t be having our kids playing on fields where old dump materials are now coming up,” Radke said. “I hope it doesn’t come to a point where some kid trips and gets hurt. I don’t think this group is going to give up. They’re going to come back next year, hopefully with a plan that people will accept.”
The fire station would have added an estimated 17 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value or about $119 to the bill of a home valued at $700,000.
The Parks and Recreation warrant article would have raised taxes an estimated 7 cents per $1,000 or added about $49 to next year’s tax bill for a home valued at $700,000.
David Pichette of Bedford said no to both big-ticket ballot items.
“Baseball has always been paid for with fundraisers and donations, and it should stay that way,” he said.
Jessica Chambers, who lives in Hampshire Green near South River Road, said she voted for the new fire station because of her firsthand experience when her building went up in flames and her family was among the 36 residents displaced by a September 2022 fire.
“I cannot say enough good things about our fire department. We lost everything,” Chambers said. “The firefighters are phenomenal, and we really need a fire station in our part of town.”
Town council election
Gail Levesque garnered the most votes in a three-person contest for Town Council with 2,843 electing her and reelecting Bemiss (2,780 votes) for a second term. The other incumbent, David Gilbert, was the odd man out with 2,559 votes and won’t be heading back after serving on the council since 2016.
School Board election
Incumbent Andrea Campbell, who served as vice chairwoman of the School Board, won reelection in a landslide, getting 3,005 votes to best Russan Chester (1,002 votes) and Beth Purcell (619 votes).
Turnout and registration
Just about 30% of Bedford’s more than 17,000 registered voters cast ballots this first year after opting for SB 2 ballot voting instead of traditional town meeting, in which 25% voted in 2024.
Fifty-six voters registered at the polls Tuesday, the first election since new voter identification requirements were in place. Town Moderator Henry Veilleux said of the six people who showed up without sufficient proof of citizenship, five went home to grab their documentation and returned. All five were able to vote.
More ballot highlights
Full-day kindergarten and a new three-year teachers’ contract both passed, as did the School District operating budget.
The proposed $38.9 million municipal operating budget failed, 2,592-2,343. The town will go forward in the next fiscal year with a default budget of $38.3 million. The proposed budget would not have raised, officials said.
Voters overwhelmingly approved adding $2.6 million to a capital reserve fund for several long-term town expenses. The article will add an estimated 42 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value or about $294 more to the tax bill for an owner of a home valued at $700,000.
A combined $5.5 million for bridge replacement projects on the Greenfield Parkway and Beals Road sailed through. The money will come from the state’s bridge aid fund, and those projects will not require additional taxes.
Voters also supported spending $670,000 to build a sidewalk on Old Bedford Road from Route 101 to Memorial Elementary School. That state will pick up 80% of the cost with the final 20% developer fair share contributions. So, no additional taxes are needed.
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