The Chichester Food Pantry would like to thank Grace Poirier and the guests at her 7th birthday party for their donations to the food pantry.

Out Of Your Attic Thrift Shop News
Submitted By Carol Hendee

Through your generosity, we have in stock soccer and baseball cleats for children and a few adult sizes. For the adventurous, we have roller blades! We also have some nice spring type flags- Winnie the Pooh,  Easter themes and just pretty spring flowers.

Some have asked we continue listing what the accomplishments were for 2009. There were 60 Warm up kits plus food and treats for the homeless; 1 case of socks for the homeless; 525 layette bags; 585 backpacks; 100 birthday kits; 50 packages of baby diapers; 155 boxes of food; 15 Easter baskets.

We appreciate every donation to make this giving possible.

We are located in the Blueberry Plaza, Rte. 28 North.

Our hours are Tues., Wed., Thurs., 8-4 and Sat., 10-4. Or call 435-9339 and we can tell you if we have the item you are looking for.

Chichester Grange

Chichester Grange met on March 17 upstairs in the Grange Hall. Plans were made for the Youth Night fund raising supper on April 7. The Chichester Road Agent has offered some wood chips for spreading on Memorial Park.

Members were reminded that the bus tour to Washington, D.C., for the 50th anniversary of the National Grange Building on June 26 is now taking reservations.

Wildlife sightings included Canada geese, mallard ducks, crows, a chipmunk, and a very wet red fox.

The brief St. Patrick’s Day program included a scrambled word game, a discussion of St. Patrick’s life and accomplishments, and a pig balancing game. Refreshments following the meeting were served by Hannah West.

The next meeting will be Youth Night on April 7 with a supper at 6 p.m. and the business meeting and program to follow.

Chichester Town Meeting
Submitted By Hannah West

Chichester’s Town Meeting was called to order by Moderator Doug Hall at 10:05 a.m. on March 13. Seated up front were Town Clerk Evelyn Pike; Selectmen Stephen MacCleery, Jeffrey Jordan, and Richard DeBold; Town Administrator Nancy Tanner; Selectman-elect Michael Paveglio; Road Agent Jim Plunkett; Acting Fire Chief Allan Quimby and Chief of Police Patrick Clark. Donna Chagnon led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.

Moderator Doug Hall administered the oath of office to the candidates with opposition in the election. Those who ran unopposed will be sworn in at a later time.

Richard Moore gave a brief report of the Capital Improvements Committee. Due to the economy the committee drastically slashed the amount to be spent per year on capital improvements, resulting in many projects being put off for a year or longer. Barbara Frangione reported for the Space Needs Committee.

Selectman Richard DeBold gave a power point presentation on the budget, which has been held to a flat level for the coming year. The Moderator then opened the budget for discussion. With two versions of the budget printed in the Town Report and a printed addendum necessary as well, the citizens could have used an extra arm or two when following the budget line by line. Fortunately, a copy of the budget was projected onto a screen for all to follow.

The Police Chief answered many questions about coverage by part-time and full-time officers. There was discussion of whether the Fire Department should be more regionalized so that towns could pool their equipment. Bruce Dyke spoke of the Suncook Regional Association, a group attended by representatives of seven towns in the area, which was formed to discuss issues of cooperation among towns. A motion to pay the Building Inspector with fees only failed to pass.

The Moderator declared a lunch break at noon before the budget article was finished. Cub Scout Pack 85 sold lunch items as a fundraiser. After lunch the budget discussion moved forward, and Article 6 passed at 12:40 p.m.

The meeting then moved on to discuss the rest of the warrant. It was voted to purchase a pick-up truck for the Highway Department and to make some improvements to Lane Road. Canterbury Road will not be repaired this year. It was felt that the town-owned portions of the road were in better condition than the state-owned section and construction should wait until the whole road could be repaired.

The Fire Truck Capital Reserve Fund excited much debate. An amendment to reduce the amount failed. The final vote on the article was so close that it had to be counted twice, and Moderator Hall finally called for a division of the house. All votes were negative and no money will be set aside this year. The Town Mapping Capital Reserve Fund was discontinued, as maps can now be done by computer instead of by hand.

It was voted to replace the 1984 Chevrolet forestry vehicle, not the 1977 Dodge mentioned in the warrant.

The Heritage Commission was re-established with different membership requirements, and a fund of one dollar was established to support the Heritage Commission. An Agricultural Commission was also established.

Property tax exemptions for solar energy systems were voted favorably, and Lane Road was designated as a scenic road.

The article about voting on an amendment to the NH Constitution that would define “marriage” was decided by secret ballot. It was defeated by a vote of 51 to 59.

The final appropriation for the coming year was $1,782,987, which includes both budget and warrant articles.