Town Projects

230 Kilowatt Solar Array

In summer 2022 the Town of Bristol completed the final testing and commissioning of a 230 Kilowatt solar energy system adjacent to the town’s Waste Water Treatment Facility. The solar array was designed to provide 90% of the energy required to operate the Bristol Waste Water Treatment Facility. 

The solar array is owned, operated, and financed by Barrington Power. A long-term contract signed by the Town of Bristol will purchase all of the power the solar array can produce. The size of the solar array was specifically designed to match the energy consumption of the Waste Water Treatment Facility to maximize the cost savings. Benefits of the project include:

● Lowering the cost of electricity to power the Bristol Waste Water Treatment Facility by providing sufficient capacity to fully operate the facility on sunny days

● The elimination of unexpected electricity rate hikes that make annual town budgets difficult to manage

● The movement away from dependence on fossil fuels for the production of electricity, and its associated price volatility

● A reduction in greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming

Sewer Extension to the Lake Project Information:

https://www.townofbristolnh.org/water-sewer/pages/sewer-extension-lake-project

The first phase—Central Street Pump Station—of the long planned sewer extension is now being designed. Future phases include sewer line upgrades and extensions to Newfound Lake and surrounding neighborhoods.

Fiber Project

Phases 1 & 2 of a high-speed fiber optic network are complete, which has provided 28 miles of coverage in town. The system will be lit up on fiber and wireless by late summer 2021 for high-speed broadband to homes, businesses, schools and municipal buildings. Future phases are planned for 2021-23.

Community Gardens

A new use for a space that had been ignored for many years in Kelley Park. Garden plots available to grow your own veggies! To provide better access to fresh food and provide new and exciting opportunities for families, the Town of Bristol in partnership with Lakes Region Board of REALTORS, the Pasquaney Garden Club, Minot-Sleeper Library, and Bristol Sustainability Committee has provided several raised garden beds at the north end of Kelley Park to local families at no charge beginning in spring 2021. This new initiative will bring healthy, fresh food to families and will repurpose a portion of Kelley Park.

Mill Stream Park, Bristol Falls Park & The Pemi Trail

Improvements made to Mill Stream Park and the walking/bicycling path make this a rustic must-stop on any trip to the lake. The park Includes the bike path, a picnic area along the river, and historical artifacts.

Bristol Falls Park is a beautiful pocket park on the cascading Newfound River, situated on the site of the old Mica building and completed in July 2020. The park serves as a gateway to the nearby Pemi Trail, a walking and bicycling trail along the Newfound and Pemigewasset Rivers that mostly follows the old railroad bed that served the Bristol Branch; the handicapped-accessible path begins just a few steps from downtown's Central Square and featurs a convenient parking lot. The first phase was completed in 2020 and future phases of 2.5 additional miles along the Pemi are planned for 2022 and beyond. Further reading on the town's ongoing Parks and Trails Expansion projects can be found here.

Cummings Beach

Improvements completed in 2020 to improve the beach and seating areas.

Town Office Building

This former doctor’s office was rehabbed into the new Town Office in 2020, which now serves as a modern facility for residents and visitors to complete Town business.

Transfer Station Re-design and Improvements

Multiple upgrades to the facility have been made since 2019 including a new traffic pattern, equipment and, most recently, the return of a cardboard recycling facility (pictured above).

E. Maude Ferguson Historical Marker

E. Maude Ferguson of Bristol was a woman of many firsts, among them becoming the first female New Hampshire State Senator, elected in 1930. Thanks to the work of Bristol Historical Society member Lucille Keegan and our State Representative Ned Gordon, Ms. Ferguson is honored in perpetuity in downtown's Central Square with a historical marker, which was unveiled on June 5, 2021.

Newfound Family Housing

The Town supported the 32-unit affordable housing project along the Newfound River with a $500,000 CDBG grant to help complete this $6+ million project in 2018.  

Safe Routes to School

The purpose of this document is to share a process that Bristol staff and volunteers completed over the past couple years for our children in grade school. First, a task force gathered data regarding transportation. (How do students get to and from school? Do people want to see change? What are travel conditions like?) As time went along, the task force met several times to discuss issues. Eventually they developed recommendations that should remove barriers for our students who want to be active in their commutes—with the goal of keeping children healthy, safe, and happy. Bristol’s previous “travel plan” was from 2013.

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