CLAREMONT, N.H. – At the Jan. 28 Claremont City Council meeting, Mayor Dale Girard announced that the Claremont Winterfest will be running from Feb. 9 – Feb. 15. Information about different activities can be found at www.claremontparks.com.
Sitting in for city manager Nancy Bates, Fire Chief Jim Chamberlain expressed appreciation for all the excellent work done by the department of public works during and after the recent snowstorm. He reported that all the external lighting on the city hall’s clock tower is working properly. Valley Restoration will be installing the 12 archway windows in the clock tower in February. Chamberlain also stated that SBH Engineering will be giving a full report on the condition of the visitors center in February. The firm declared that the building was safe for the occupants and the general public.
Councilor Nicholas Koloski asked if Claremont was experiencing a salt shortage for the roads, as many other towns are. Director of the Department of Public Works Alex Gleason stated that Morton Salt is experiencing major delays in getting shipping containers into port. American Rock Salt has made a delivery in the interim. There is currently 150 tons of salt in Claremont’s salt shed, according to Gleason.
Upper Valley Aquatic Center (UVAC) gave a presentation on how collaboration with the Claremont Savings Bank Community Center could be beneficial for both the City of Claremont and the aquatic center.
The aquatic center could offer professional swimming lessons and the development of local swim teams, while not interfering with the use of the local pool by community members. Councilor William Greenrose asked if these swimming classes would offer scholarships, to which the answer was yes. Councilor Cogswell asked what were the aquatic center’s expectations of Claremont. Sam Govera, UVAC’s swim school assistant director, answered that their nonprofit’s only requests were for the use of Claremont’s pool, with the possibility of involving area schools in swimming lessons in the future. Councilor William Lamoge was reassured that swimming lanes would be open during swimming lessons.
Gleason requested approval for moving forward with a $30,000 Water System Sustainability Program grant from the State of New Hampshire, which would require a 50% match from the city. This grant application was approved by the councilors.
A request for a balance transfer for cemetery repairs was made by Treasurer Cathy Parks. The original budgeted cost that was approved totaled $5,000. However, the final repair cost was $8,675. Parks said, “We’re looking to transfer $3,675 from the Cemetery’s capital reserve [to pay the remainder of the bill], and that account has more than enough to cover this transfer.” The council approved the transfer.
The Claremont City Council meets on the second and fourth Wednesdays of every month, at 6:30 p.m., in the Claremont City Hall Council Chambers.