Absentee ballots for the
March 12 Town Meeting are available from the Town Clerk’s office.
Absentee ballots are available for the Town Official Ballot, the
Zoning Ballot, and the School Official Ballot. Contact the Town
Clerk at 798-5808x1 for any questions or email
[email protected].
Did you forget to return
your sign-up form for CYA Baseball or Softball (T-Ball, Rookies,
Minors, Majors)? You can still register until March 1, if you pay a
late fee. For further information contact Steve Burris:
[email protected] for
Baseball or Clark Thorne: [email protected] for
Softball.
Happy Birthday to
Catherine Snow on February 24.
Out Of Your Attic
Thrift Shop News
Submitted By Carol Hendee
End of the month already!
Thursday, Februrary 28th, is 1/2 price day! Last chance to get
winter jackets and ski pants 1/2 price. Plan for next season -
winter hats, gloves, mittens, and winter scarves 25¢ each!
Next week, if the weather
cooperates, spring tops coming out!
Find us at 345 Suncook
Valley Hgwy, (Rte 28) Chichester, near the Pittsfield line.
Mon. 8-12; Tues & hurs. 8-4; Wed. 11-4 & Sat. 10-4. 247-7191
Look for specials on our Facebook page !
Chichester Town Library News
The
Knitting Circle will meet on the 27th at 3:30 p.m.
Recognizing that this is
vacation week, a special LEGO Day has been scheduled for Thursday,
February 28th, starting at 10:45 a.m. This is a great
opportunity to bring the kids to the library for an interactive,
creative and fun activity.
Just in time to welcome
in St. Patrick’s Day, a Celtic Music Show presented by Jeff Snow is
scheduled for Friday, March 8th at 7 p.m. at the Grange. Jeff
has been a presenter before for the Chichester Library and was well
received and appreciated. And, although we give a nod to the
Irish with the reference to St. Patrick’s Day, Jeff brings in the
music and stories of Scotland and England, as well. There is
no cost to the public and refreshments will be available.
With school vacation
over, Toddler Time and Preschool Story and Craft Hour will be
resuming. Toddler Time is scheduled for Tuesdays at 10:30. The
Story and Craft Hour is scheduled for Thursdays at 10:45.
The Down Under Poets will
be meeting at the library on Sunday, March 3rd at 1 p.m.
Library hours, except for
holidays and major weather events, are Monday and Wednesday 2:30 -
8:30 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; Friday 1:30-4:30
p.m.; and, Saturday 9 a.m.-12 noon.
Letter
Dear Chichester Citizens:
I am seeking re-election
and hope you consider voting for me. I’m a professional engineer and
a project manager with the NHDOT. In this capacity I oversee
budgets and direct multiple groups of professionals to bring
projects from conception to final inspection.
I was chairman of the
Planning Board, and I am on the ZBA, BCEP, Parks & Rec Committee,
and Road Advisory Committee. I know how government works and
this gives me a good perspective on how to manage the town as a
Selectman.
The biggest challenge we
face is how to provide quality services to the citizens and still
keep taxes reasonable. This is a difficult balance because if you
cut something too much, it costs more to bring it back to an
acceptable level in the future. This creates a yo-yo effect in the
budget.
I use input from our
citizens, committees, and staff to make decisions. I am always
open to hearing from the public as to what is important to them.
This interaction gives me a good perspective on if we need to
increase or reduce services.
If re-elected, I will
continue to seek out and encourage citizens to let me know what is
important to them, or what needs fixing. People have a voice
through their elected officials, and I will always be available to
listen. Please consider voting for me for Selectman.
Thomas Jameson
Selectman
Letter To The Editor
One of the proposed
Zoning Amendments in Chichester would create a new “Town Center”
zone along Main St. from the vicinity of the Fire/Police Station to
the Town Office vicinity as recommended by the 2014 Charrette. The
Purpose of this proposed District is to allow for mixed use
development/redevelopment in the Old Town Center at a density higher
than found in other sections of Chichester.
The intent of these
proposed regulations is to implement in part the vision created in
the Main Street Land Use Charrette from 2014. The standards herein
are intended to promote a more pedestrian friendly environment, to
allow for a range of residential uses not normally found along Main
Street, and to allow non-residential uses compatible with rural
residential nature of the corridor.
The minimum lot size is
one acre and several uses would be allowed including single and
two-family residential, townhouses, small retail, small offices,
small elderly housing, small assisted living, small daycare, small
elderly daycare, small café/deli/restaurant, and similar low impact
uses.
More than one use may be
allowed on a single property, or within a single building, subject
to Site Plan Review and approval by the Planning Board. Condominium
ownership is allowed and encouraged, including condominium building
and land units.
Details of this proposed
zoning district are available at:
http://www.chichesternh.org/Public_Documents/ChichesterNH_BBoard/06502E0A-000F8513.0/2019%20Draft%20V_5_1-23-2019.pdf. The Charrette report including the Charrette Team members
from the Selectmen, Agriculture, Planning Board, Parks & Rec,
Conservation, Heritage, Central School, Road Advisory, and Old Home
Day Commissions, the Methodist Church, and others is available at:
http://chichesternh.org/Public_Documents/ChichesterNH_Charrette/Project%20History/The%20Plan%20For%20Main%20Street.pdf
Please vote YES for all
of Chichester’s proposed zoning amendments. Thanks.
Richard Moore,
Member of the Chichester
Planning Board
Letter
Chichester Residents,
Due to the unfortunate
passing of longtime Selectman Jeff Jordan we are electing two
selectmen this year, one for one year and one for three years. I’m
running for the three year term.
I’ve served the town in
the past on the budget committee (ten years) and believe that
experience will help me greatly as selectman. I’m fiscally
conservative but understand Chichester can’t run for free. Roads
don’t get plowed for free, our Police and Fire Departments are
necessary assets that come at significant cost.
What we cannot do is
allow government to grow bigger year after year without good cause.
For the past five years, revenues have been almost flat, hovering
around $1M while the budget has increased substantially. In 2015 our
budget was a little over $2M, in 2019 it’s almost $3.3M (65%
increase).
Our property taxes make
up the difference. Most saw an increase in taxes due to the 2018
re-eval, without a change in direction these increases will
continue.
How can I help? I’m
fortunate that my job keeps me in Chichester and allows me
significant time to dedicate to the town. Being a small business
owner, I understand trade offs have to be made and some things put
off until finances allow it. I have the background, the time, the
energy, and the desire to help keep Chichester the great little town
it is, while keeping it an affordable place to live.
Give me the opportunity
to convince you that I’m the right person for the job. I hope you’ll
find me knowledgeable and passionate about our town and worthy of
your vote on March 12th. Thank you and reach out ot me anytime!
Jason Weir
545-5538
[email protected]
Letter
Chichester Residents,
Zoning ordinance changes
are up for vote this March. These changes are not only to
correct minor misspellings/discrepancies; it is to update the
ordinance converting from soils based to district based.
At first, I too, felt
unsure whether or not the Map truly embraced the “rural character”
we wish to keep. After months of reading and listening, I feel
the new zoning Map better depicts residents’ wishes. The old
map incorporated all phases of soils, including wetlands, backlands,
slopes, etc., making it confusing. All the soil descriptions
have progressively changed throughout recent decades; the soils are
no longer correct or viable. Further, the soils map is not
accurate within a quarter acre so it can be left to interpretation,
leaving an avenue open to buyers and developers to challenge zoning.
We cannot stop growth; we
can manage it. Since Chichester residents wish to maintain
rural character, we needed to find a way to protect that resource.
Moving from soils to districts seems the simplest way to maintain
character and manage growth. There is one new district
allowing for some mixed use and cluster housing on Main Street,
encouraging home occupations, smaller housing with open space for
singles/elderly.
Residential area -
After a study, it was discovered most of the residences were located
in the southern portion of Chichester, close to major traffic
arteries, where both the Commercial-Industrial and Commercial
Village areas remain the same. Also, new zoning will not
affect current lot usage or taxation; it becomes effective when
redeveloped or subdivided.
In keeping with the rural
character, Rural Agriculture areas (5Acre zoning) actually increased
from 33% to 50%. Be mindful all wetlands, slopes, buffers and
well and septic requirements are still in place.
Hope this clarifies some
issues and you will vote YES for the Zoning Ordinance changes.
Ann Davis,
Chichester Planning Board
Member
Obituaries
Robert A. “Bob” Gagne
CHICHESTER – Robert A.
“Bob” Gagne, 80, of Chichester passed away on Wednesday, February
13, 2019 at Epsom Healthcare Center following a brief illness.
Born on May 16, 1938 in
Waterbury, CT, he was the son of the late Fernand and Laura May
(Lang) Gagne.
Bob was a caring, loving
husband and father. He was an avid outdoorsman and adventurer. To
Bob a handshake mattered, it was your word, your honor. As a lad Bob
held the NH state pole vaulting record while attending Newport HS.
He then proudly served in the U.S. Army National Guard and the U.S.
Air Force. He had to eat bananas at the MEPS station to meet the
minimum weight standards. He was stationed in Cheyenne WY and
Okinawa Japan, where he admired the Japanese culture and took up
martial arts. He enjoyed todays MMA immensely. After the military,
Bob worked for the Valley News printing and writing a weekly hunting
and fishing column. It is also where he met the love of his life,
Kathy Romano. Later he would work for the Concord Monitor, producing
that paper’s first color photo of the first moon landing, Apollo 11.
Next he became manager of Graphic Services for the State of NH for
20 plus years. Upon retirement Bob was acting N.H. Senate Sergeant
of Arms for a short period but the lure of the open road was too
much. Bob and Kathy needed to explore the far corners of this great
nation in their RV.
Anyone who came across
his path was greeted by a smile, a joke, or a funny story. Bob built
2 houses with help from family and friends and became an
accomplished woodworker, building cabinets in both his own homes and
building his son’s oak staircase. Cutting all with wood off his own
property. Bob beat cancer in his late 20s but the radiation
treatments of 1968 did take their toll later in life. This humble,
loving, funny man will be missed by many.
Besides his parents, he
is predeceased by a sister, Jeannette Kelley as well as his
brothers-in-law, George Kelley, John Coronis and Ero Neimei.
He is survived by his
wife, Kathleen (Romano) Gagne of Chichester, with whom he shared 54
years of marriage, his son, Robert “Bob” Gagne of Chichester;
daughter, Charlene Wallace of Deering; sisters, Irene Neimei and
Marlene Coronis both of Newport; three grandchildren, Shayne, Shelby
and Gabriel Wallace; two great grandchildren, Brycen and Brayleigh
as well as several other beloved brother and sister in-laws, nieces,
nephews and cousins.
A Celebration of Bob’s
life will be held on Wednesday, March 6th from 11:00am-1:00pm at the
Still Oaks Funeral & Memorial Home, 1217 Suncook Valley Highway,
Epsom. A brief service will be held starting at 11:00am. Friends and
family are invited to begin gathering at 10:30am. Burial with
Military Honors will be held at 2:00pm at the New Hampshire State
Veterans Cemetery, Boscawen. In Lieu of flowers please make
donations to The Disabled American Veterans, 3725 Alexandria Pike,
Cold Spring, KY 41076 or Live and Let Live Farm, 20 Paradise Lane,
Chichester NH 03258.
To share a memory or
offer a condolence, please visit www.stilloaks.com
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