Bonnie Tucker was elected to the Select Board, and Daron Janis was chosen as the new Zoning Board of Adjustment member during Tuesday's Peterborough town election.

Tucker, a member of the Peterborough Affordable Housing Committee, was elected with 709 votes to River Marmorstein’s 401 votes. Janis, a real estate attorney, was elected to the ZBA over Christopher Maidment by a vote of 679 to 270. Neither Tucker nor Marmorstein could be reached for comment.

The town budget of just over $19 million passed, eliminating the need for a Town Meeting on Wednesday night.

The election had a 20.86% turnout, with 1,129 of 5,413 of Peterborough’s registered voters turning out. Town Clerk Linda Guyette said that the stream of voters had been a bit uneven through mid-afternoon. Voting was moved to the Town House this year because of construction at the Peterborough Community Center. 

"It's been up and down a lot, but it was dead for the first two hours this morning,” she said.

Arthur Pope said he supported Tucker because of her experience in affordable housing.

"That's a real and current problem," he said.

No other races were contested. Dan Grosz, David Odland and Antony Pascale were elected to three-year terms on the Budget Committee.

Andrew Manns was elected to a three-year term as trustee of trust funds. Linda Guyette was elected as cemetery trustee, and Tina Kriebel was elected library trustee. Matthew Harris and Helen Fairman were elected to the Recreation Committee for three- and two-year terms, respectively. 

All warrant articles pass

Along with the budget, all warrant articles passed, including a petition warrant requesting the town reclassify the east end of Bass Road as a Class VI road. The vote was 636-415.

The change means the town will no longer maintain the road and access from Route 101 will be limited by a unlocked gate.  The Peterborough fire and police departments stated they were in support of the change as long as first-responders could still access Route 101 from Bass Road in an emergency.

Residents cited safety concerns because of excessive speeding on the road, which cuts a corner between Route 101 and Route 123. John Gillies, who was at the Town House with the Peterborough Renewable Energy Project, said he had voted for the Bass Road warrant article.

“It seemed like a good idea,” he said.

Three zoning amendments also passed. The first amendment, which was recommended by the Peterborough Conservation Committee, revises and clarifies the regulations in the wetland protection overlay zone. It was approved 934-158.

The second zoning amendment approves the rezoning of one property, 75-77 Hancock Road (Route 202), from the Commercial District to the Village Commercial District at the request of the property owners, who want to sell the building. Currently, properties in the Commercial District are restricted to low-income housing. The change would allow the property to be converted to market-rate housing. 

The vote was 912-186.

The third amendment changes the minimum lot size requirements in the Family District to be the same as the requirements in the General Residence district, making it easier for homeowners in the Family District to create a duplex or subdivide their lot. The vote was 799-301

Planning Board member Lisa Stone, who advocated for the change, stated that “this change could allow people to stay in their homes.”

Spending articles approved by voters were $113,672 for the Pay-as-You-Throw  Special Revenue Fund, $125,000 for the Police Department Fleet Management Capital Reserve Fund, $300,000 for the Fleet Management Capital Reserve Fund, $400,000 for the Roadway Systems Upgrade Capital Reserve Fund, $400,000 for the Bridges, Culverts, and Dams Exendable Trust Fund, $35,000 for the Adams Pool Capital Improvement Fund,  and $375,000 for the Ambulance Service Revolving Fund.

Voters also approved appropriation of funds from the town’s three Tax Increment Finance Districts, with approximately $1.2 million from the West Peterborough District Expendable Trust Fund, $700,943 from the Greater Downtown District Expendable Trust Fund, and $829, 560 from the South Peterborough District Expendable Trust Fund. 

Article 14 approved discontinuation of the following capital reserve and expendable funds, with funds transferred to the town’s general fund: the 1973 Fire and Ambulance Expendable Trust Funds, the 1972 Sewer Expendable Trust Fund, the 1944 Water Department Capital Reserve Fund, the 1998 Bridge Reconstruction Capital Reserve Fund, the 2005 Landfill Pollution Abatement Fund and the 2020 Library Renovation Project  Expendable Trust Fund.