The Waterville Valley Select Board convened on July 16, 2026, to address a wide range of town business, including a major transition in municipal solid waste services, a disputed outstanding balance with the Waterville Valley Resort over shuttle service, and updates on several significant infrastructure projects.
Municipal Solid Waste Transition Underway
The Board and the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Working Group engaged in an extended discussion about the town’s planned transition to a centralized transfer station model. The current system — in which the town operates a trash truck and provides dumpsters for commercial and multi-family entities — is reaching the end of its useful life, with aging dumpsters increasingly failing and the town’s trash truck projected for replacement as early as 2027 (link).
The working group expressed a strong preference for a decisive transition rather than continuing to invest in the existing infrastructure. The new model would require commercial entities and condo associations to either contract with private haulers or bring waste directly to an expanded transfer station. Board members noted that some single-family homeowners already use the transfer station, meaning a portion of residents are already effectively operating under the proposed system.
To prepare the community, the working group plans to hold at least two public information meetings, tentatively in late August and fall, to ensure commercial entities, condo associations, and residents understand what changes are coming and have time to plan accordingly (link). The working group emphasized the importance of communicating early, including direct outreach to property managers and potentially placing notices on dumpsters themselves.
A member of the MSW Working Group addressed the Board to stress the importance of equity and fairness in the new system, noting that the current arrangement has historically subsidized certain waste generators, and that the goal going forward — whether through scales, fees, or revised billing — is to ensure everyone pays proportionally for the waste they produce (link).
The Board also discussed the reintroduction of single-stream recycling. A resident spoke in favor of restoring household recycling, noting that Waterville Valley has been without it for approximately six to seven years. The working group confirmed that plans for a covered, single-stream recycling bin are included in the transfer station redesign. While single-stream recycling will come at an increased cost, the expectation is that reduced tonnage would help offset the expense (link). A covered facility was also described as operationally necessary to avoid paying tipping fees on snow and water weight when open bins are collected.
The MSW Working Group is scheduled to meet on July 21st and August 11th and welcomes public input before bringing a formal recommendation to the Select Board for an anticipated fall public presentation.
Resort Shuttle Service: Plans and Payment Dispute
The Select Board met with Tim Smith, General Manager of Waterville Valley Resort, and James Sununu, representing the resort’s ownership, to discuss two matters: the go-forward plan for the resort’s shuttle service and an outstanding payment dispute.
Go-Forward Plan: Tim Smith explained that the resort, the Waterville Valley Lodging Association (WVLA), and other participating lodges have agreed to scale back the Schuss Bus to weekends and holidays only, in order to operate within current budget constraints. Most of the transportation budget is tied to fixed costs — bus depreciation, labor, insurance, and maintenance — which cannot easily be reduced. The resort indicated it will re-evaluate the budget in October and will plan future service based on whether the town elects to participate in funding (link).
Outstanding Bill: A more contentious part of the discussion centered on an outstanding balance of $18,230 billed to the town for shuttle services provided between January and March 2026 — before the Town Meeting at which voters did not appropriate sufficient funds for the agreement. The Board’s current position, informed by consultation with Town Counsel, is that the agreement’s language — specifically sections 1.1 and 2.3 — does not obligate the town to pay, given that Town Meeting failed to authorize the funds (link).
James Sununu disagreed, arguing that the extended billing terms were written into the agreement specifically to accommodate the town’s budget cycle, and that services were provided in good faith with the understanding that outstanding fees would be paid regardless of the Town Meeting outcome. He expressed a preference for resolving the matter collaboratively rather than through legal proceedings.
A member of the public raised a question about whether residents would be notified if the Board ultimately chose to make the payment despite the failed Town Meeting vote. The Board confirmed that any such expenditure would require proper authorization and public notice (link). The Board stated it would discuss the matter further internally before responding to the resort.
The two parties also discussed a separate trail maintenance project along Valley Road — from the golf course through the Moose Run area to the existing trail system — that the resort intends to undertake on private land subject to a multi-use easement. The Board was notified as a courtesy, as the work will involve light grading and equipment near a visible area of the village.
Town Manager Updates
The Assistant Town Manager provided updates on several ongoing matters:
Cemetery Drainage: A contractor installed a four-inch perforated drainage pipe along the high side of the town cemetery to address a persistent spring. The system is flowing at full capacity. Once conditions dry, a second pipe will be installed to further reduce water pressure. Staff are also working to identify and contact adjacent landowners about potential cemetery expansion (link).
Theater Under the Stars Tent: An enforcement order was issued for the removal of a tent used by Theater Under the Stars after it was damaged in a storm and reinstalled without certification from a design professional. The tent came down again during a recent windstorm. The organization has been advised that the tent must be professionally certified — or replaced — before it can go back up (link).
Park and Recreation: The summer camp has seen strong enrollment, and the after-school program is set to begin September 8th. Adult programming is running more than 15 offerings, including a music bus to the New Hampshire Music Festival on Thursday evenings and a space weather speaker series (link).
Building Permit Process: A comprehensive building permit guide has been developed and is expected to be posted on the town website within the next two weeks, with streamlined links for residential, commercial, and other permit types (link).
ATV Use on Town Roads: The Board discussed a request from the resort to allow ATVs to travel on a short stretch of town roads — Boulder Path Road, Snow’s Mountain Road, and Greeley Hill Road — to access ski lift equipment for maintenance and emergency repairs. The Police Chief and the Board supported the request provided the ATVs are properly registered. A suggestion was made to register the vehicles as agricultural vehicles to limit broader use (link).
Hunting and Fishing Licenses: The Board voted to consolidate the sale of hunting and fishing licenses at the Park and Recreation Department, which already handles the majority of such transactions. State Fish and Game had indicated the service can only be offered through one location (link).
Water Main Break: A significant water main break at Mountain Meadow has raised questions about billing responsibility. Staff are updating distribution regulations to clarify who is responsible for repair costs in future incidents (link).
Community Power Committee Update
A member of the Community Power Committee provided an update on the town’s community power launch. As of the initial June count, approximately 98% of eligible meters were participating in the program — meaning only 2% had opted out. Since then, participation has actually grown beyond the original eligible meter count, as some previously ineligible customers have opted in. The committee member attributed part of the increased interest to NH Electric Co-op’s upcoming rate increase, effective August 1st, which raises the energy component from approximately 11.17 cents to just under 14 cents per kilowatt hour — widening the savings differential for community power participants.
The Board also discussed the committee’s composition and membership structure, noting that terms and officer appointments need to be formalized before the second Thursday in August. The community power contract is due for renewal in November and will likely transition to a longer-term agreement.
New Business
Subcommittee Appointment Policy: The Assistant Town Manager presented a draft policy governing the creation and operation of town subcommittees. Discussion centered on whether a single unified policy should cover both elected and appointed boards or whether separate documents are needed. The Board indicated a preference for a single policy document referencing RSA 91-A standards, with language addressing quorum distinctions between elected and appointed bodies (link).
PA-16 Form: The annual PA-16 form — used to calculate Waterville Valley’s share of White Mountain National Forest revenue — has been submitted. The town has 4,779 acres valued at $908.41 per acre, for a total assessed valuation of $37,044,100. The town has already received a payment of $124,000 from the U.S. Forest Service based on this calculation (link).
Title Search for Easements: The Board approved engaging a title research consultant at $100 per hour, with an initial budget of $3,000 drawn from the legal line, to review town deeds, easements, and right-of-way agreements — particularly those involving the resort and Corcoran Pond (link).
Mortgage Search Contract: A contract with Standard Search LLC was approved to conduct mortgage searches in support of the town’s tax lien process, at a rate of $20 per parcel plus a $10 fee for searches exceeding 30 days. The total projected contract amount is $260 (link).
Wastewater Treatment Plant Update
The Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) project continues to move forward. The town held two meetings with the design firm Black & Veatch this week — one on design review and one on equipment selection. A primary focus was compliance with the federal “Buy American, Build American” (BABA) requirement, which mandates the purchase of American-made equipment where possible. Staff confirmed that design costs were included in the original Town Meeting figure, meaning no shortfall has emerged from that requirement.
Three options for equipment procurement were presented by Black & Veatch. The Board is leaning toward an approach that involves pre-purchasing certain long-lead-time equipment as early as possible, potentially saving money on the overall construction cost — though any early expenditure would require town meeting approval. The 60% design milestone is expected to be reached by the end of July, and a public hearing on the project is anticipated for September (link). Black & Veatch is also pursuing an application on the town’s behalf; the federal application fee is currently being waived for small communities, representing a savings of approximately $25,000 (link).
Boulder Path Road and Snow’s Mountain Road
The Boulder Path Road drainage project has encountered significant delays due to undocumented underground infrastructure that was not accurately reflected in existing as-built plans. The contractor has had to make field changes, and while some early decisions produced cost savings, subsequent discoveries of buried infrastructure have resulted in cost overruns. The design elements — including catch basins and siltation sumps — were required by NH DES for project approval and could not be eliminated. All newly discovered infrastructure is being cataloged and will be incorporated into updated as-built drawings (link).
The Boulder Path delays have in turn affected the Snow’s Mountain Road project, which had been planned to start this construction season. The Board discussed the possibility of delaying the Snow’s Mountain project to allow additional time to evaluate the sewer line routing. Concerns about the cost and long-term maintenance burden of the originally planned pump station — estimated at around $100,000 — have prompted exploration of alternative routes, including potential easements through private abutting properties that could allow a gravity connection and eliminate the need for a pumping station. The Board expressed general support for pausing the Snow’s Mountain project to pursue this alternative engineering analysis. A meeting with all involved utility stakeholders is scheduled for July 23rd (link).
Financial Report and Other Items
The financial report showed generally positive trends, with building permit revenues running significantly ahead of projections. The town is also reviewing its staffing model for the wastewater and water departments. The state has indicated that the wastewater department ideally requires six full-time employees; the town currently operates with two. The goal is to grow to at least four in wastewater and two to three in water, which will have a meaningful impact on future budgets (link).
The Board also received an update about concerns over debris and leaf litter in Corcoran Pond, which has prompted questions from residents about water safety. The Assistant Town Manager acknowledged that permission was granted to the resort to cut trees on the pond’s far bank — both to maintain a view easement and to improve sightlines for the Fourth of July fireworks display — and that the clearing was more aggressive than anticipated. A commitment was made to provide more specific direction on future cutting plans (link).
The Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Committee update was briefly discussed. The CIP Committee has been working early in the cycle to develop capital reserve projections, though some initial figures submitted by town departments were noted as needing further refinement. The CIP Committee’s first formal presentation to the Select Board is expected in early fall.
The next Select Board meeting is scheduled for August 5th at 3:00 p.m.