Ashland Selectmen Accept $30,000 Water Tank Planning Grant From State

Board of Selectmen · Meeting of March 2, 2026

Ashland selectmen unanimously accepted a $30,000 state water planning grant and heard updates on a proposed hydro dam purchase and a building inspector vacancy at their March 2 meeting. The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services grant will fund engineering work to site a second municipal water storage tank; the town's $15,000 matching share is already in the water department budget. Town Manager Ron Beard explained that Ashland currently operates a single roughly 1-million-gallon tank with no redundancy, and the study will determine optimal placement and elevation for a second vessel.

The board also formally executed a two-year assessing contract after receiving state Department of Revenue Administration approval. Beard told the board that two prospective buyers, identified only as Daniel and Umbarto, are interested in purchasing two hydroelectric facilities at Lane's Mill but pulled back from Monday's agenda after meeting with the town's electric department and identifying issues to resolve with the seller first. On the building inspector front, Beard said he and the fire chief will cover permits and inspections in the near term following the resignation of contract inspector Tom Newcomb, while Plymouth pursues a replacement.

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Source: the Board of Selectmen meeting of March 2, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.