CLAREMONT, N.H. – Three Claremont residents spoke during the citizens forum portion of the Sept. 9 Claremont City Council meeting, two of them voicing concerns with the rising prevalence of e-bikes in the city and their potential safety issues. First, Chris Anastopoulos introduced himself as a dog trainer and stated that he had three concerns, which were the noise of backfiring cars, the number of e-bike riders who ride past crosswalks without stopping or checking for pedestrians, and the lack of appropriate street signage alerting the public of blind curves and children playing. Anastopoulos’ niece died in an e-bike accident. He stressed that regulations should be created for e-bikes.
Next, Elizabeth Diamond spoke of her concerns about e-bike safety. She recommended that Claremont not wait for the state to develop regulations. “If an e-bike is pedal-assisted or not, it shouldn’t go over 30 miles per hour. I just don’t want people to get hurt,” Diamond said.
Finally, Rob Wallace, owner of the Wheel House, a bicycle shop in Claremont, wanted to let the council know about the collaboration he’s developed with Kearsarge’s New England Bike Association (NEMBA). “NEMBA is dedicated to creating, maintaining, and protecting sustainable trails for mountain bikers and all outdoor enthusiasts,” said Wallace. The group sees a real potential in Claremont. He has already spoken to Bergeron about this.
Wallace went on to say that NEMBA wants to work on Claremont’s trails, and that any of their trail work development will be at no cost to the taxpayer. NEMBA would also like to bring a trail school to the city to teach people how to build trails for biking and hiking. This will bring people into the area looking for places to stay and places to eat. He concluded by saying, “Professional trail maintenance, volunteer labor, and economic wellness is what I’m talking about with this group.”
During an earlier portion of the meeting, City Mayor Dale Girard announced that the Kiwanis Club will hold its annual Brewfest and 5K race on Sept. 19. The VIP race will start at 12 p.m. The other runners will begin at 1 p.m.
Municipal Resource Inc., an outside consulting firm aiding Claremont in its selection of a new city manager, has selected 19 candidates and has sent essay questions to each of them. After the essay responses are received, MRI will arrange for the council to interview these candidates.
Interim City Manager Rick Bergeron informed the council that, due to the current lack of a city planner, the city is contracting some of the application and permitting work of that position to the Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission to avoid creating a large backlog, which may lead to some costs over budgeted expenses. Bergeron also stated that Dale Bastian from the city’s planning and development department has been working with a local garden club to coordinate a downtown clean-up day. Alex Gleason, director of public works, has arranged for a city truck to be there when volunteers are cleaning out the beds up and down Pleasant Street. Bastian will purchase composting bags, and the city truck will haul bags to place in composting area. An electrician will be repairing damaged outlets in the Pleasant Street area.
Bergeron is working with the city’s nighttime shelter staff to identify options for placing a daytime winter warming hut somewhere in the city.
The No. 2 candidate for parks and recreation director has accepted the position with a tentative start date of Sept. 24. In addition, Bergeron asserted that the Green Mountain Road paving project is still in the plan for this year.
Nicholas Koloski thanked Bergeron for getting the lights at Broadway Park working again.
The council approved of the appointment of Charlotte LaCoste to seat A1 on the Claremont Arts, History, and Culture Resources Preservation Committee.
The city council passed a resolution allowing the city mayor to sign the lease agreement with Fidium Fiber to install fiber optic cables underground. The areas affected will be Sugar River Road, Case Hill Road, Lincoln Heights, Elmore Heights, and East Green Mountain Road. No driveways will be dug up or disturbed during the instillation.
The council also voted to allow a pilot agreement between the city and Kearsarge LLC to proceed. The agreement detailed the placement of a 0.814-megawatt, solar-powered electric generating facility to be built and operated on the property at the corner of River Road and Callahan Hill Road. The terms state that this company will pay $3,400 annually per megawatt with a guarantee of a minimum of $2,700 per year.
The council also approved the purchase of a new truck to replace the 2015 sewer foreman’s truck. The cost of the new truck is $73,010, with a five-year lease and an interest rate of 5.03%.
The Claremont City Council meets on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month, at 6:30 p.m., in the Claremont City Hall Council Chambers.