The People’s Report

What Happened To The Ossipee Main Street Building?

By Lynn M. Clarke

A review of public records raises questions about governance, transparency, and the handling of a community asset

In New Hampshire, local government is supposed to operate differently than in most places.

Through the Town Meeting system, the citizens themselves are the legislative body. Town officials are not rulers — they are agents of the voters and are accountable to them.

That principle is written directly into the New Hampshire Constitution, Article 8, which states:

“All power residing originally in, and being derived from, the people… all magistrates and officers of government are their substitutes and agents, and at all times accountable to them.”

But when residents begin reviewing public records and asking questions about how municipal decisions were made, an important question arises:

Is the public record complete enough for the voters to fully understand what happened?

A document titled “The People’s Report”, compiled by longtime New Hampshire educator Lynn M. Clarke, attempts to answer that question.

Using publicly available records, the report reconstructs the sequence of events surrounding the historic Main Street building at 15 Moultonville Road in Ossipee, New Hampshire.

The findings do not make accusations. Instead, they organize the public record so residents can review the documented timeline themselves.

What that timeline shows is a sequence of decisions that ultimately led to the demolition of a town-owned community building in November 2025.

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The Building: A Community Investment

The property at 15 Moultonville Road was not just another structure.

Town voters approved the purchase of the building in 2006, making it a municipal asset connected to the Ossipee Main Street Program.

That program followed the National Main Street Four-Point Approach, designed to strengthen communities through:

• economic vitality

• historic preservation and design

• promotion of community identity

• civic engagement

For nearly two decades, the building stood as a symbol of Ossipee’s efforts to support local revitalization.

But events beginning in 2024 would change its future.

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The Timeline of Decisions

According to the public record compiled in the report, the path from community asset to demolition unfolded through a series of municipal actions.

• 2006 Town voters approve the purchase of the Main Street property.

  
  

• March 13, 2024 Town Meeting voters approve funding associated with the Main Street Program.

  
  

• March 18, 2024 Select-board meeting minutes document a discussion about demolishing the building.

  
  

• April 2024 A petition is filed in Carroll County Superior Court.

  
  

• May 14, 2024 The Planning Board and Conservation Commission discuss redevelopment plans for the property.

  
  

• May 28, 2024 The Select-board votes to call a Special Town Meeting.

  
  

• June 27, 2024 A Special Town Meeting vote takes place regarding demolition.

  
  

• December 19, 2024 The Economic Development Council authorizes the formation of a nonprofit organization related to the Friends of Ossipee Rail Trail (FORT).

  
  

• June 2025 Correspondence regarding the matter is submitted to the New Hampshire Charitable Trusts Unit.

  
  

• July 2025 Risk notification related to the property is submitted to Primex, the municipal insurance provider.

  
  

• November 20, 2025 The Main Street building is demolished by the town.

  
  

Each of these events is documented through municipal minutes, public filings, or other publicly accessible records.

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The Municipal Boards Involved

Multiple boards and officials appear in the public record connected to decisions affecting the property.

Selectboard (2024)

Jonathan Smith — Chair

Brian Keyes — Selectman

Sue Simpson — Selectman

Planning Board

Ash Fischbein — Chair

Economic Development Council

Joy Gagnon — Chair

Jim Mueller

Phil Villari

Chris Elliot

Ash Fischbein

Robert Levey

Bob Boose — Alternate

These boards play different roles in town governance, but each participates in the process through which municipal decisions move forward.

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Questions About the Public Record

While compiling the report, residents reviewing the documentation identified areas where records appear missing, incomplete, or unavailable.

Examples include:

• documentation showing the total cost of the June 27, 2024 Special Town Meeting

• municipal records showing the asset inventory for the Main Street building

• detailed accounting for the cost of demolition

• records referenced during discussions that were reported as unavailable

Under New Hampshire law, municipal records are expected to be preserved and accessible.

Public access to those records is protected under the Right-to-Know Law (RSA 91-A).

When documentation cannot be located or produced, it becomes difficult for residents to fully review how public decisions were made.

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Why Transparency Matters

Municipal records serve an important role in democratic governance.

They allow residents to understand:

• how public assets are managed

• how decisions move through boards and committees

• how taxpayer resources are used

• and how local government functions over time

Without complete records, the institutional memory of a town can become fragmented.

That is why Right-to-Know laws exist — to ensure that government actions remain visible to the people who ultimately hold authority.

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Civic Participation and Public Trust

The report also highlights concerns expressed by residents about civic participation and transparency in municipal processes.

In New Hampshire’s Town Meeting system, residents have the right to:

• attend and speak at meetings

• submit petitions

• review public records

• participate in municipal decision-making

Maintaining those rights is essential to the health of local democracy.

When citizens engage with public records and ask questions about municipal decisions, they are exercising the very responsibilities the Town Meeting system was designed to protect.

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Preserving the Public Record

At its core, The People’s Report is not an accusation.

It is a compilation of documentation.

By organizing municipal records, the report allows voters, residents, and oversight authorities to review the documented sequence of events for themselves.

Communities rely on transparency and shared responsibility.

Public records ensure that future residents can understand how decisions affecting their town were made.

And in a system where the people themselves are the legislative body, access to those records is not just helpful.

It is essential.

A Closing Reflection

Communities endure when public trust is preserved.

Municipal records provide the transparency needed for that trust to exist.

The People’s Report was prepared with that purpose in mind.

It is offered respectfully:

In protection of the public trust.

In service to the community.

And in care for the youth who shall inherit this earth.

For Levi.

For Ossipee.