Municipal Complex Plan Almost OK'd; Town 'Railroading' Ideas?

North Hampton officials say they will finalize the municipal complex plan by Aug. 31, and until then will work diligently to find a solution that fulfills the town’s service needs while utilizing the available space in a safe and efficient way. 

Officials finalized the North Hampton Municipal Facilities Committee on Monday, charging its 10 members with developing a clear understanding of what the town’s space needs are for facilities on Atlantic Avenue, settling on a design aesthetic that fits the character of North Hampton, and getting cost estimates for various parts of the project.

The five voting members of the committee are North Hampton Select Board Chairman Jim Maggiore, former State Rep. Judy Day, resident Sue Hills, Planning Board alternate member Tom McManus, and Budget Committee Chairman Rick Stanton. The five alternate members are resident David O’Heir, Library Trustee Chairman Kelly Parrott, Historical Society President George Chauncey, business development consultant James Sununu, and Jeff Hillier, a resident of the neighborhood surrounding the parcel of land.

The plan as it stands now is to bring a bond for the municipal complex project to the 2014 town meeting. The plan currently entails constructing a new police and fire complex on the vacant lot west of the current library — a parcel known as the “homestead” property — as well building a new library and town office building around and next to the historic Town Clerk’s Office and Town Hall buildings.

Residents have raised concerns about placing emergency buildings on the homestead property due to a variety of possible safety issues, most of which stem from the fact the property abuts a road in a family- and child-filled residential neighborhood.

Wally Kilgore, who lives across the street from the property, said he’s also concerned because the previous engineers and consultants recommended that the library be placed on the homestead property. Kilgore said he feels selectmen aren’t being fully “transparent” in their discussions about the project because he feels they’ve “shot down” attempts to further discuss this previously-recommended layout for the municipal complex, as well as proposals that differ from placing public safety facilities on the homestead property.

“[Engineers previously] determined the placement of the safety facility in that location would be dangerous,” said Kilgore, who claimed selectmen are "railroading" the current plan. “The non-negotiable placement of the buildings as they’ve set it up is very, very strange. Essentially I’ve been told to shut up and be quiet.”

Selectmen have stated in previous meetings that they are listening to all opinions, and said no voices will be silenced during public meetings. They opted not to appoint Kilgore and similarly-minded opponents of the current proposal to the facilities committee, though, because they want individuals who will work toward improving the current, publically-vetted plan rather than scrapping it entirely.

Town Administrator Paul Apple said over the past year a "greater emphasis" has been placed on segregating the public safety buildings, which is why the 2012 design was reworked prior to the June 14-15 charrette. He said this was done due to safety concerns about placing visitors of town offices and non-emergency facilities in the path of police cruisers and fire engines. 

The placement also allows for "continuity" of town services once construction begins on the project, meaning that the police and fire departments can continue to function as-is during the construction and move over to the new facilities all in one stage once the work is complete, according to Apple. 

Some have raised concerns about the public safety vehicles using the abutting residential neighborhood as a shortcut while responding to calls if the building is located on the homestead property. Apple said this isn’t true, though, because it “just doesn’t jive with the goal of emergency services.”

“If you stop and think about it, it doesn’t make sense for a police car to go out screaming through that residential neighborhood and take multiple turns before reaching Route 1 when they can take one right and go onto Route 1 directly,” said Apple, who added that public safety is “all about” a fast response using the most direct route possible. “I think there are some concerns and the select board wants to address those concerns, but right now the [focus] is getting a plan that works, and they feel this plans works.”

Apple said the concerns and dissenting opinions of this nature are part of a “good process,” though, and he encouraged residents to continue to voice their concerns at meetings, especially since the project won’t be approved without a town meeting vote.

“Ultimately, it’s the people who have the choice,” said Apple. “They may say the plan is not what they want [through a “no” majority vote]. In that case, it’s a good thing. It’s an absolutely good thing. People who feel they haven’t been heard — I think have been heard. They’ve been given an opportunity to speak, they’ve been given an opportunity to voice their opinion and they’ll have an opportunity to voice their opinion in the ballot box. That’s democracy defined.”