Selectboard Meeting Minutes – 8/13/26
Town of Walpole, New Hampshire
Meeting of the Selectboard
August 13, 2026
Selectboard Present: Carolyn Vose, Chair, Cheryl Mayberry (delayed at work), and Steven Dalessio
Staff Present: Jodi Daigle, Tax Collector, Water-Sewer Clerk and Administrative Assistant, and Sue Bauer, Recording Secretary
Guests Present: Tara Sad, Charlotte King, from the Brattleboro Reformer, and Steve Varone, Treasurer
Call to Order: Ms. Vose called the Selectboard meeting to order at 6:30 PM in the Walpole Town Hall.
Old Business was moved to the top of the agenda to accommodate a guest who wished to speak to an item.
Old Business
River Valley Seniors at Home Event: Tara Sad attended with an event update. The RVSAH events committee will be meeting to discuss the event. The RVSAH Board meeting is on 8/18/2026 to vote on the RVSAH event. The event, if approved, will most likely be held in October. Ms. Sad will be back early in September with an update. Ms. Sad left the meeting.
Accounts Payable
Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the Accounts Payable Check Register totaling $119,976.17 dated 8/18/2026. Ms. Vose seconded. With Mr. Dalessio and Ms. Vose in favor, the Accounts Payable was approved.
Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the ACH payment for $583,655.19 to Fall Mountain Regional School District (FMRSD) for July. Ms. Vose seconded. With Mr. Dalessio and Ms. Vose in favor, the ACH payment was approved.
Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the ACH payment for $583,655.19 to Fall Mountain Regional School District (FMRSD) for August. Ms. Vose seconded. With Mr. Dalessio and Ms. Vose in favor, the ACH payment was approved.
Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the ACH payment for $142,121.00 for North Walpole Village District. Ms. Vose seconded. With Mr. Dalessio and Ms. Vose in favor, the ACH payment was approved.
Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the ACH payment for $42,063.08 for NH Retirement System (NHRS) with a due date of 8/24/2026. Ms. Vose seconded. With Mr. Dalessio and Ms. Vose in favor, the ACH payment was approved.
Payroll
Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the Payroll Register totaling $39,059.99 dated 8/14/2026 and the 941 Payroll Tax Transfer of $7,234.96. Ms. Vose seconded. With Mr. Dalessio and Ms. Vose in favor, Payroll was approved.
Selectboard Meeting Minutes
Selectboard Meeting – August 6, 2026: Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the Minutes of the Selectboard meeting of August 6, 2026. Ms. Vose seconded. With Mr. Dalessio and Ms. Vose in favor, the Selectboard minutes were approved.
Non-Public Selectboard Meeting – August 6, 2026: Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the Minutes of the Non-Public Selectboard meeting of August 6, 2026 with the minutes to remain sealed. Ms. Vose seconded. With Mr. Dalessio and Ms. Vose in favor, the Non-Public minutes were approved.
Committee Reports
Mr. Dalessio brought to the Board’s attention the following committee reports:
- Walpole Conservation Commission Meeting Minutes – August 3, 2026
Ms. Vose acknowledged these minutes.
Building Permit
2026-26, Map and Lot# 008-011-000: Mr. Dalessio moved to approve Building Permit #2026-26 for Map and Lot # 008-011-000 to construct a 28’ x 5’ mudroom. Ms. Vose seconded. With Mr. Dalessio and Ms. Vose in favor, the motion was approved.
2026-28, Map and Lot# 003-013-000: Mr. Dalessio moved to approve Building Permit #2026-28 for Map and Lot # 003-013-000 to construct a 20’ x 16’ shed. Ms. Vose seconded. With Mr. Dalessio and Ms. Vose in favor, the motion was approved.
Before entering the Non-Public meeting, Charlotte King from the Brattleboro Reformer was excused.
Non-Public Business RSA 91-A:3 II (a)(c)
Mr. Dalessio moved to enter into Non-Public Session pursuant to RSA 91-A:3 II (a)(c) at 6:46 PM. Ms. Vose seconded. With Mr. Dalessio and Ms. Vose in favor, the motion was approved.
Ms. Mayberry joined the meeting at 6:56 PM. The meeting was reconvened at 6:57 PM.
Mr. Dalessio moved that the Non-Public Session Minutes be sealed. Ms. Mayberry seconded. With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Ms. Vose in favor, the motion was approved.
Adjournment: Ms. Vose declared the meeting adjourned at 6:57 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
(Note: These are unapproved Minutes. Corrections will be found in the Minutes of the August 20, 2026 Selectboard meeting.)
Walpole Police Officers to Receive Award
On December 5, 2025, Walpole Police Officers Joshua Healy and Jonah Merkle responded to a call to locate a missing person. They quickly realized that this was not simply a search for a missing individual—the person was likely injured and in urgent need of assistance.
Within a very short time, Officers Healy and Merkle located the individual lying in the Cold River and suffering from severe hypothermia. Thanks to their quick response and the efforts of the Walpole EMS team, the individual was rescued, transported to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, and ultimately made a full recovery.
On September 25, 2026, Officers Healy and Merkle will receive the New Hampshire Congressional Law Enforcement Award. This award recognizes law enforcement officers who go above and beyond their normal duties in service to others and is presented by members of New Hampshire’s congressional delegation.
Please join me in congratulating Officers Joshua Healy and Jonah Merkle on this well-deserved recognition and thanking them for their dedication, professionalism, and service to the citizens of Walpole.
Steve Dalessio
“The Whaling Ship Catalpa” at the Walpole Historical Society – 8/22/26
An event every Saturday, 12:30 pm at the Museum
Please join us this Saturday, August 22 at 12:30 pm when Jim Ryan joins us from New Bedford, MA, with the story of his great-grandfather, American captain George S. Anthony and the whaling ship Catalpa, the Irish fight for independence from Great Britain, and the daring rescue of the Six Fenians from Freemantle Prison.
* * *
The collections of the Walpole Historical Society contain thousands of items: clothing of all descriptions and eras, photos, pamphlets, books, tools, business ledgers, furniture, minutes of civic organizations, souvenir china, kitchen implements, even some vehicles. These objects have entered our collections through myriad sources: individuals and families donating family heirlooms, eagle-eyed folks at the Transfer Station or the Library Book Sale, basement and attic explorers, collectors seeking a home for their treasures. The Walpole Historical Society collections contain the commonplace and the rare and everything in between–all representing possible stories to discover. Please visit www.WalpoleHistory.com.
Selectboard Meeting Agenda – 8/20/26
TOWN OF WALPOLE
SELECTBOARD MEETING AGENDA
August 20, 2026
Starting at 6:30 PM in the Town Hall
SELECTBOARD MEETING
WALPOLE SCHOOL UPDATE with Principal Justin Cassarino
- Walpole School Open House on 8/25/2026
NON-PUBLIC BUSINESS: RSA 91-A:3 II (a) (b) (c) (e)
PAYROLL
- Payroll Register totaling $41,119.14 dated 8/21/2026 and the 941 Payroll Tax Transfer of $7,531.08
SELECTBOARD MEETING MINUTES
- Selectboard Meeting – August 13, 2026
- Selectboard Non-Public Session – August 13, 2026
- Police Station Bond Informational Meeting – August 15, 2026
COMMITTEE REPORTS
- Special Town Meeting Minutes – August 17, 2026
- Planning Board Meeting Minutes – August 8, 2026
- Police Station Building Committee Meeting Minutes – August 10, 2026
- Trail Committee Meeting Minutes – August 12, 2026
BUILDING PERMITS
- 2026-29 Map and Lot# 003-059-001
REFUNDS
- Map and Lot# 027-001-006
- Map and Lot# 012-025-000
OLD BUSINESS
Pending Further Actions: Old North Main Bridge/Culvert, School and Union Street Drainage, Parking Ordinance
- Special Town Meeting Comment Letter
- Letter to State Fire Marshall
- Library Ramp Railing Extension
NEW BUSINESS
- Quitclaim Deed for Map and Lot# 012-046-000
- Quitclaim Deed for Map and Lot# 015-004-003
- Recycling Center Truck
- Recreation Dept. re: Private Shed
- Scout Mum Sale and the Common
- Town Clerk’s Office – Special Labor Day Hours
HOOPER TRUSTEES MEETING
HOOPER TRUSTEES MINUTES
- Hooper Trustees Meeting – August 6, 2026
HOOPER TRUSTEES PUBLIC BUSINESS
- Hooper Reimbursements to the Town
HOOPER TRUSTEES NON-PUBLIC BUSINESS: RSA 91-A:3 II
**Any recording, audio or visual, and/or other devices must be declared at the beginning of the meeting**
Special Town Meeting Results
At 7pm on 8/17/2026 voters met at the Town Hall to vote on just one Article. The article was in regard to the Town acquiring a 3 million dollar Bond to help build a new Police Station.
The results of the Special Town Meeting are as follows:
There were 175 ballots cast.
104 were in favor of the Article.
71 were not in favor of the Article.
To pass an Article regarding a Bond, a 3/5 majority is required.
3/5 of 175 ballots is 105.
Therefore, the Article was NOT passed, because 105 votes in favor were needed but only 104 were cast in favor.
Opinion: Police Station Building
[Editor’s Note: Occasionally, The Walpolean receives correspondence that addresses a current topic affecting the local community. Robbie Mahrou asked me to share his letter about the Police Station Building. Robbie is a Walpole resident and Independent candidate for Congress in NH-02.]
When I think about our police department in Walpole, I know the right answer. Justin and his team need a new home. I have spent time with him, I understand his dilemma, and frankly, it kills me how we have failed him.
But we also need to understand how we got here.
For four years this project has been kicked around. I have been to a number of the meetings and asked some pretty basic questions. What is our actual crime profile? What do our officers deal with most? Senior fraud, scams, domestic incidents, traffic issues and the everyday problems of a small rural community. Why do we need three holding cells? Are we designing this building around Walpole’s actual needs?
Too often, the answer came back to the grant and federal specifications.
There is nothing wrong with taking grant money. Hell, we should. But the first question should have been, “Justin needs a police station. What does Walpole need that station to be?” Instead, it feels like we started with what the grant would fund and worked backwards.
Now we are looking at a $5 million-plus project and roughly a $30 tax increase per $100,000 of home value. That is a significant burden, and it doesn’t end when construction does. We will own, heat, maintain and repair this building for decades.
So where was the bigger conversation? If we are making a $5 million investment in Walpole, why weren’t we asking what else we could accomplish with that investment? We have an aging population, medical access needs, farmers who desperately need processing capacity, and a future operating budget to consider. Where was the discussion about solar, renewable energy and lowering the lifetime cost of the building?
I am not saying a police station needs to solve every problem in Walpole. It doesn’t. But a $5 million investment should have brought a broader conversation than simply meeting grant specifications.
And there is another issue: local control. If Walpole taxpayers are paying for this facility, we should have a say in what activities take place inside it and what our building, personnel and resources are being used to support. We have to follow the law, but there should be transparency and local oversight before taxpayer-funded resources become part of federal immigration enforcement or other federal operations.
You remember Andy Griffith? Small town, different needs. Walpole is Walpole. We should build for the community we actually have.
I don’t blame Justin. I think we failed him. We waited too long, and now he is trying to solve a problem inside a process that became too expensive and too restrictive.
Justin needs a new home. Walpole taxpayers deserve a responsible investment. Those two things should never have been put at odds with each other.
We can do better. And frankly, we owe it to ourselves to do so.
Robbie Mahrou
The Walpolean 
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