DATE CORRECTION
The
Northwood Recreation 11th Annual Kid’s Fishing Derby will be
held on Saturday, February 17 from 8 am to 11 am. Complete
details on the event are available at the Northwood NH
Recreation Commission Facebook page.
Candidates’ Night
Would you like to meet the people running for local office?
Friends of Northwood Libraries and the Harvey Lake Woman’s Club
are co-sponsoring the event which will be held at the Northwood
Town Hall on Wednesday, February 21 at 7 pm. Former
Moderator Robbie Robertson will lead the program and introduce
the candidates who will have an opportunity to speak and answer
questions from the audience.
Northwood Town And School Filing Update
The
filing period for town and school positions is closed and the
results are three contested races. Four people are seeking
the one 3 year selectmen seat including incumbent Selectman Rick
Wolf. Challengers Ann “Beth” Boudreau, Babette Morrill and
Michael (Mike) Smith have also filed to secure the one opening
for selectman.
Incumbent Richard Cummings is seeking re-election to the 3 year
police commission position; Colleen Krochmal is also hoping to
secure the one open seat on the commission.
The
following names will appear on the ballot in March for one open
position: Moderator for 3 years: Hal Kreider; Road Agent for 3
years: Charles Pease; Town Clerk/Tax Collector for 3 years:
Savannah Audet; Library Trustee for 3 years: Betty Smith;
Cemetery Trustee for 3 years: John Schlang; Trustee of Trust
Funds for one year: Betsy Colburn; Trustee of Trust Funds for 3
years: Peter George, Jr. Incumbents Betty Smith and Robert
Strobel are seeking to retain their two open planning board
seats. There are 4 open budget committee positions for 3 years.
Incumbents Daniel McNally, Jon Boudreau and Tom Chase will be on
the ballot. The fourth budget committee seat and one supervisor
of the checklist position for 6 years may be filled by a write
in candidate-if you are interested in either position, get the
word out by attending Candidates’ Night on Wednesday, February
21 at the Northwood Town Hall.
On
the school district ballot the only contested race is for school
board member. Three have filed for two open positions.
Incumbent Tim Jandebeur is interested in returning to serve on
the board. Amy Hanavan and Brian Winslow are also looking
to secure a 3 year term on the 5 person board. Other
candidates on the school district ballot are: Moderator: Hal
Kreider; School District Treasurer: Betsy Colburn; School
District Clerk: Penny Hampl.
Election Day is Tuesday, March 13. Voters will choose their
local elected officials; all town and school warrant articles
including operating budgets; and the planning board’s proposed
amendments to the zoning ordinance. Polls open 7 am to 7 pm.
Letter To The Editor
I
attended the deliberative session at Coe-Brown on February 3rd.
During the discussion on Warrant Article 19, Northwood Narrows
Fire Station Expansion ($200,000), I was astounded to learn that
neither of our fire stations have adequate bathroom or shower
facilities. It is disturbing to me that our First Responders do
not even have a place to shower when they return from a fire or
when they have to spend a 24 hour shift at the fire stations.
Please join me in voting yes on Warrant Article 19 when you go
to vote on March 13th. Let’s support those who put their
lives on the line every time they respond to a call. Thank
you.
Fred Borman
Northwood
This Weekend’s LRPA After Dark Feature:
1930’s “Abraham Lincoln”
Lakes Region Public Access Television is throwing a cinematic
celebration of the President’s Day celebration and you’re
invited! Join us at 10:30 p.m. this Friday and Saturday
(February 16 & 17) for our “LRPA After Dark” feature, 1930’s
dramatic biopic “Abraham Lincoln,” starring Walter Huston and
Una Merkel. We are especially pleased to present this “lost
classic,” as it is rarely seen on television. “Abraham Lincoln”
was one of only two talkies directed by D.W. Griffith, a pioneer
and innovator of silent film. It also was the first sound film
about the Civil War that could be viewed by veterans of that
war: historically remarkable! The film’s screenwriter was
Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Stephen Vincent Benet. The movie is
presented in a series of “personality sketches” – tableaus from
Lincoln’s life and career. While the film was critically well
received during its time, it has since fallen into relative
obscurity, despite the fine performance of Walter Huston. If you
love classic film, how can you resist? So grab your popcorn and
join LRPA after dark for this vintage classic!
Letter To The Editor
Good
money after bad?
During a snowstorm earlier this month, my vintage snowblower
ground to a halt. Upon inspection, I determined that a drive
gear had lost a tooth. Consulting the parts manual, I called the
manufacturer and found that this part cost $66, plus s&h.
I
then went to a dealer in Concord and consulted with their
mechanic who warned me that it might not just be the gear, but
also the axle shaft. And at $75/hour, I was probably looking at
a minimum of $200 labor. And who knows how much for the
additional parts that might be needed. A new machine - with the
fewest bells and whistles - costs $950.
A
similar dilemma faced the town last year with the aging
loader/backhoe at the transfer station. Some selectmen wanted to
allocate $25,000 for repairs. Instead, the remedy appeared as a
warrant article to purchase a new machine with a five-year
lease/purchase agreement.
Though defeated by the voters last year, a similar article
appears this year with an important fact: the old backhoe will
be traded in for $15,900.
So
last year, serious consideration was given to spending $25,000
on a machine that’s worth less than $16,000.
This year, the Budget Committee recommends (13-2) the purchase
of a new backhoe, and I voted with the majority. AND I think
that we need a new Select Board member who isn’t so inclined to
“throw good money after bad.”
I
bought the new machine, and so should we.
Tom
Chase
Northwood