A Ham &
Baked Beans Supper sponsored by the American Legion Post 112, Short
Falls Road in Epsom will be held on Saturday, February 20, 2010.
(Snow date, February 21, 2010).
Donation will be adults, $7.00; children, 6-12, $3.00; Under 6,
free.
The
menu will consist of ham, homemade baked beans, salads, homemade
brown bread, desserts and beverage.
Door prizes and 50/50 Raffle.
Bring your appetite and join us for another great supper.
Epsom Public Library
During the week of February school vacation the Epsom Public Library
will be showing family friendly movies on Monday, Feb. 22nd at 2 pm
and Wednesday, Feb. 24th at 6:30 pm. The movies are free and popcorn
and drinks will be provided. For more information call Mrs. Benner
at the library 736-9920. Story Time will be on Tuesday, Feb. 23rd at
2 pm and Thursday, Feb. 25th at 3:30 pm during vacation week! Crafts
and games for school age children will be on Thursday, Feb. 25th at
3:30 pm in the large meeting room. Snacks and drinks will be
provided. Plan to come join the fun!
Ivy
Green Rebekah Lodge #36 is hosting a “Sugar and Spice” Scrap Book
Event on Saturday, February 27th from 1-9 pm at the Epsom Public
Library. Cost for the day is $10.00 and includes dinner, snacks and
drinks. In keeping with our Rebekah tradition of helping our local
neighbors, we are having an infant/toddler drive to help those in
need. Please bring donations of baby/ toddler items to the event.
Suggestions include clothing size infant thru 4T, diapers, wipes,
onesies, socks, blankets, etc. Please RSVP by Feb. 20th to 736-8681.
Plan to join us for a great time! You don’t have to attend to help.
Anyone interested in donating items for our Infant/Toddler drive can
call Vickie at 736-4707! Your help will be greatly appreciated!
Special thanks to our Scrap Book Coordinators Jen Prusia and Jillian
Cote for their outstanding efforts. Our January event was a huge
success and we were able to donate many winter coats to a local
charity.
The
First Congregational Church in Pittsfield is very fortunate to have
a handbell choir, “JuBellation,” made possible with a gift from Leha
Varney, in memory of her husband, John. The choir will be offering
two special musical selections during the worship service at 10:30
a.m. on February 28. You are invited to attend to see and hear how
wonderfully JuBellation brings praise to God through these beautiful
instruments. The church is located at 24 Main Street, Pittsfield.
Bill and Judy Small lost their home and beloved pet on Lords Mill Rd
in Epsom due to a fire. A benefit account has been opened for Bill
and Judy Small at any TD Bank branch. Any donations are appreciated.
Every little bit helps. Deadline to donate will be March 1st. Thank
you.
Connor Moroney of Epsom has accepted a full four year Army ROTC
scholarship and will be attending Carson Newman College in
Tennessee. He will begin school in the Fall of 2010 and plans to
study History and Political Science and play baseball.
Congratulations Connor!
The
next meeting of the Pittsfield Area Chamber of Commerce Satellite
Networking Group in Epsom is Thursday, February 18th from
8:30-10:00am at the Epsom Library on Route 4. The FREE coffee is
donated by Cumberland Farms of Epsom.
You do not need to be a member of the Greater Pittsfield Chamber of
Commerce to attend. Bring business cards and a friend.
The
Epsom Satellite group meets the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month
weather permitting. Refuse to participate in the recession and get
out there!
Letter
Nine warrant articles were brought forth for consideration before a
healthy gathering at the Epsom Central School on February 6. Article
1 looked for the approval of $350,000. for the construction and
equipment of a new town office building. Other than hear say there
was no documentation to justify any discussion of this Article. It
would the same as shopping at JARED’S with a dollar in one’s pocket.
I’m sure all will agree that 2010 is the wrong time to want
anything. To need is a totally different story. People in hell want
ice water. People in Epsom need and demand the cooperation and
understanding of its governing staff. My appearance at that town
meeting was to share the results of my research with those in
attendance about a choice they have to house our leaders in suitable
office space utilizing the basement in the Former Baptist Church.
With my gathered information one would be in a better position to
understand what they would be up against and how to vote. I doubt if
this article will return anytime in the near future. At that time I
shall return.
Jim
Breagy
Epsom,NH
Students Named To Dean’s List At The University Of Vermont
The
following students have been named to the dean’s list for the fall
2009 semester at the University of Vermont:
Kaitlyn Moulton, of Epsom, NH, a first-year student Recreation
Management major in the Rubenstein School of Environment & Natural
Resources
Jenna Makarewicz, of Northwood, NH, a sophomore Animal Sciences
major in the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
To
be named to the dean’s lists, students must have a grade-point
average of 3.0 or better and rank in the top 20 percent of their
class in their respective college or school.
Letter To The Editor
Epsom’s Deliberative
Session
I
attended the town meeting Feb. 6, 2010 and due to health reasons I
promised myself that I just sit, listen and relax. That worked OK
until article #7 came up. It covered whether or not the estimated
tax impact of each article would be printed on the town warrant. We
were told that the LGC (Local Government Center) said that would be
against the law. I could feel my blood pressure rising. I broke my
promise and spoke up but I couldn’t express myself as I wanted to,
thus this letter.
A
few years back the townspeople at a town meeting voted to have the
budget committee put the tax impact on the ballot.
Town meetings have been around since the 1600’s and were used for
the townspeople to set policy and budgets for their own towns. It
has been suggested that this printing could be considered
“electioneering”, meaning a way to secure votes in an election. I
don’t see how that applies here. This is not an election. This
estimate is used for information only. We know that an estimate is
just that and subject to change.
We
all ask for an estimate for almost anything if we don’t know what it
will cost us.
It
seems that it is OK for the town of Epsom to ask for estimates but
the taxpayers don’t have that right. In the Town Office Building
report the word “estimate” appears twice on page 5 and five times on
page 8, and each time it sounds like a good idea to me.
Speaking of rights, this type of Big Brotherism is stealing our
rights from us all too often. I think it’s time for a little civil
disobedience and I challenge the board of Selectmen to print the
estimates on the ballot.
I
don’t blame the Selectmen’s Office. I blame Concord.
Les
Cash,
Epsom Voter
Letter
To
our constituents:
The Epsom Planning Board would like to call
your attention to the three minor zoning items on the March 9
ballot. We unanimously recommend voting for all of them. The first
item changes the date of our flood zone map to the most recent
version. This is necessary for obtaining federal flood insurance.
The other two items allow small bed & breakfasts (up to four guest
bedrooms) to open in residential areas without a Zoning Board
hearing. A public hearing before the Planning Board would still be
required.
Our
meetings are on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at
6:30pm at the town office. We welcome public input both in and out
of meetings. On March 10 there will be a public hearing to update
the master plan. A copy of the proposed master plan is available at
the town office for your review.
Yours,
The Epsom Planning Board
Letter
To
Epsom Citizens,
At the deliberative session on February 6, it was
decided that Warrant Article 1 essentially states: Shall the town of
Epsom raise the sum of $1.00 to finish the basement in the present
meeting house into the town offices. This was cut down from the
original $350,000 because those in attendance felt that there were
insufficient cost estimates presented. Warrant Article 3 essentially
states: Shall the town authorize spending $30,000 in engineering
studies for an addition to and renovation of the current
meetinghouse.
If
the vote is in favor of Article 3, the door will be opened to
constructing a brand new two-story addition into a town office
complex. If Article 1 passes, the message sent would be to renovate
the current meetinghouse and utilize all the space, up and down, for
the purposes of using it for the town offices. In looking at the
last four years of voting, townspeople voted 2 to 1 against
constructing a brand new addition or free-standing building,
possibly because of cost, but also because they felt there was
another option of using the existing structure more fully and
preserving the historical character of the building.
If
taxpayers were to vote against both 1 and 3, there is another option
which will be cheaper for now. The property owner has agreed to an
additional three-year lease at the existing town offices, so there
is no need to make a hasty decision. Figuratively speaking, while it
is laudable that taxpayers have recently paid off the library bond,
there does not seem to be a reason in these economic times to
building a mansion and incurring another bond when improving the
present meetinghouse or staying where we are would be suitable and
fairer to the taxpayers who pay the bills.
Respectfully Submitted,
Tom Langlais, Epsom
Freeze – Thaw
Freeze – Thaw
We’re in the cycle yet again. Have you noticed the paved
roads, not just in your town…This was caused when we had those few
40° + days, the January thaw, of which, didn’t thaw deep enough,
which left something like a water bed, which has frozen the top
three inches. When the rest freezes it can only expand up
unequally.
I’m
glad the global warming hoax has been exposed because we’re in the
beginning of the next global cooling cycle.
Spring will be coming and I’d appreciate your help flattening out
our roads by driving on the humps, so as the frost comes out, the
road will flatten.
Gordon Ellis
Your Road Agent
Letter
To
my constituents in Allenstown, Epsom, & Pittsfield:
Tuesday, the
licensing subcommittee met on HB1139, updates to podiatrists
regulations. They will not increase fees at all; we also trimmed
their rule making authority. HB 1593, regulating dental hygienists,
was more trouble, as they have been struggling with their
professional regulation. Being within the Board of Dental Examiners
means hygienists’ concerns are subordinate to dentists’; that nearly
all hygienists are employed by dentists complicates professional
issues. The state’s budget problems mean that a separate board will
be awkward, even though hygienists will pay for it with their
licensing fees.
My
committee met and voted on ten bills. HB131, on personal trainers,
was killed as there was no justification for licensing. We killed
HB1365, a committee to study licensing motor vehicle appraisers,
since there is no need to license appraisers: the problems were
business practice and consumer protection issues, and licensing made
no sense as a solution.
Wednesday was the last session to deal with bills that need a second
committee. In protest that a bill recommendation had been censored,
Representative Vaillancourt of Manchester requested a division vote,
where every vote is counted, on every vote. This takes longer than a
voice vote, since every Representative needs to be seated to take
the vote, and we have a tendency to get up, discuss future votes,
and do other business: getting everyone in place is not easy. As a
result, we pushed almost 100 bills to next week.
HB1530, on pensionable earnings, was killed 180-162. I spoke against
it, intending to keep studying this issue since pension and
retirement expenditures are large and growing. HB1676, requiring
certification of road salt applicators, was kept for interim study
by a vote of 330-14. HB1588, ending the surcharge on motor vehicle
registrations in 2010 rather than 2011, was killed on a roll call,
200-154.
Representative Carol McGuire
[email protected]
782-4918
Epsom Voters Asked To Take Historic Gossville Cemetery
Submitted by Alison Parodi-Bieling
In 1888 the Hopkinson Family donated and had erected the
ornate iron fence that bounds the Gossville Cemetery in Epsom.
We, the
members of the Gossville Cemetery Association, would like to provide
information on the Warrant Article that asks the Town of Epsom to
Acquire the Historic Gossville Cemetery, as well as responsibility
for its care and for managing the funds now held by the Gossville
Cemetery Association.
The
six remaining committee members of the Gossville Cemetery
Association know that they are taking responsible steps by asking
the town to acquire the Gossville Cemetery (Also known as the
Hopkinson Cemetery in Gossville, NH).
We
believe it is our duty to ask the town of Epsom to acquire the
Gossville Cemetery at this time for many reasons. Interest on the
association’s and town’s trust funds can no longer keep pace with
the cost of maintaining the cemetery as the cemetery association has
been doing for 98 years.
It
had been the custom in the 1800s that families cared for their
family plots. As the practice declined, the $2500.00 that the town
held in trust, in 1912, for the care of the Gossville Cemetery, did
not generate enough interest for upkeep of the cemetery and its
beautiful ornate fence.
So
in 1912, the families that had an interest in the cemetery decided
to become a private cemetery association so they could generate more
funds and take care of the cemetery. With a donation of $2.87 the
association was founded. Over the next 98 years the association
collected dues and donations from families for perpetual care or
care of the fence, generated funds through fundraisers and appeals
to relatives and family of those buried in the Gossville Cemetery.
The
original donation of $2.87 grew to over $13,000.00 by 1990. Almost
$12,000.00 of those funds are available today, to transfer to the
town. The town also holds the original $2,500.00 in trust for the
Gossville Cemetery.
The
cemetery funds can no longer be increased by the sale of plots,
since the 94 family plots are occupied. Some plots were sold in the
1800s when family plots sold for $10.00 plus $2.00 for perpetual
care. The interest generated by this principal sum of $12.00 was
insufficient to care for a family plot even in 1912.
The
$2,500.00 in trust funds that the town holds was originally
generated by lot sales and perpetual care donations prior to 1912.
The interest from the town’s $2500.00 in trust reached a high of
$328.00 in 1988; in 2005 this same $2,500.00 generated only $18.00
in interest. Likewise, the association’s funds experienced similar
trends. The interest generated on the association’s $13,000.00 at 6%
interest could earn $760.00. This amount along with the declining
town interest does not cover average maintenance costs of $1,200.00
per year for care of the cemetery.
The
association’s members have been good stewards of the cemetery. Over
the 25 years I have been a member, the Association has lovingly
maintained the cemetery and fence.
We
believe that having the town take over responsibility for the
Gossville Cemetery is the responsible thing to do, for these
reasons: 1) The cemetery is historic and in good repair, 2) the
interest from the town and cemetery association funds are
insufficient to maintain the cemetery, 3) the cemetery association
can transfer all the managed funds, close to $12,000.00, to the
town, 4) cemetery members are fewer and getting older and cannot
contribute labor or generate more funds.
For
these reasons, we hope to give the town responsibility for the
cemetery, along with all funds (before they become depleted) to be
supervised by the town’s trustee of the cemetery trust funds and the
cemetery trustee.
The
town has taken similar action before, acquiring and maintaining
McClary, New Rye, Short Falls, and other cemeteries in town. In
1994, the NH legislature passed a law requiring that towns protect
cemeteries from falling into disrepair. Our hope is that the
historic Gossville Cemetery, with its beautiful silver fence and its
historic markers, will be cared for by the town for many years to
come.
So
the cemetery association asks the town to allow the selectmen to
acquire the Gossville Cemetery and the care of the cemetery and the
association’s funds.
The
Gossville Cemetery Association members hope this information helps
you make an informed decision on election day. Please contact Alison
at 736-9744 evenings if you have questions about this warrant
article.
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