REMINDER
BCEP
Change of Hours
Effective January 1, 2018 B.C.E.P. Solid Waste will have new hours
of operation:
Tuesday
– Saturday 8:00AM – 4:00PM
Scales
close at 3:45PM
Closed
Sundays and Mondays
Pittsfield
Historical Society’s
Annual Meeting
Pittsfield Historical Society will hold its Annual Meeting on
Tuesday, January 9, 2018, at the Society’s headquarters at 13 Elm
Street. The meeting will start at 7:00 p.m.
Concord Regional VNA Holds Loss After Addiction Drop-In Discussion
Group in Concord
CONCORD, N.H. – Concord Regional VNA is holding a
Loss After Addiction Drop-In Discussion Group, a new offering for
anyone adjusting to the death of a loved one to addiction, on
Wednesday, January 17 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Concord Regional VNA
Hospice House, 240 Pleasant Street in Concord. Loss After Addiction
is held on the third Wednesday of each month at the same time.
Pre-registration is not required. For more information, please call
(603) 224-4093 or (800) 924-8620, ext. 2828 or e-mail
[email protected].
From The Farm - Animal Relationships
Submitted By Carole Soule
The two sheep, Faith and Joy would not leave the trailer.
They huddled behind Eleanor, the Sicilian donkey, who had placed her
body between me and them. If I walked around Eleanor, the sheep
ducked under her head to Eleanor’s other side. Always just out of
reach. The three were working together to keep me away.
We had
just returned from a “Living Nativity” event produced by the
Brookside Congregational Church and Friends of Stark Park in
Manchester. The oxen, two white Scottish Highlander working steers,
Ben and Snuff, were from my farm, Miles Smith Farm. I had borrowed,
Eleanor, the donkey and the sheep from a farmer in Chichester.
During
the event, Mary and Joseph stayed in the manger watching over baby
Jesus while Eleanor, her sheep gang, and the shepherds watched. I
stood near the manger, dressed in period custom as Jewish farmer,
with Ben and Snuff while the Church pastor, Rev. Eric Jackson,
narrated the story of Jesus’s birth over a loudspeaker at Stark
Park. Eleanor and her sheep were just a bit jumpy and my
Highlanders, totally dressed for the freezing weather in their heavy
coats, mooed just once during the service.
I don’t
understand the bond Eleanor and the two sheep had, but it was
strong. After the event I could not lead the sheep out of the
trailer; they wanted to stay with the donkey, Eleanor. Only when I
untied Eleanor and lead her out would the sheep cooperate. They
followed the donkey right into the pasture and ran off into their
shed together.
Not
only do sheep and donkeys bond but cattle develop friendships as
well. I’ve seen cows that have been separated for a few months run
mooing to each other when reunited. I also have seen cows that hate
each other. I cannot keep Clemy and Laverne, two Highland cows, in
the same pasture. Clemy will chase Laverne through the fence if I
put them together. I don’t know what Laverne does to irritate Clemy
but I have to keep them in separate pastures to keep the peace.
Farm
animals develop relationships just like people. Some relationships
are positive, some are not but, as a farmer, it makes sense to pay
attention. It was easy to get Eleanor and her sheep to do what I
wanted once I figured out they wanted to stay together. While a
“time out” might not work for a thousand pound cow; figuring out
what the cow is saying is what makes farming interesting. You don’t
have to be a “cow whisperer” to keep peace on the farm but it helps
to listen to your cows and donkeys and sheep.
Carole
Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm, in Loudon, NH, where she
raises and sells beef, pork, lamb, eggs and other local products.
She can be reached at [email protected].
Letter to the Editor
I am
proud of the Town of Pittsfield. Fortunately, we have many
people in Town that feel the same way I do, and want to return it to
a vibrant community that supports both businesses and its
residents.
Recently, I’ve read letters to the editors which indicate that we
don’t need a building inspector. I am dismayed by this
response in a community wishing to grow business, jobs, and improve
its tax base. Our building inspector is qualified, fair, and
reasonable in his inspections. He provides consultation, but
never offered me services through his company.
Our
corporation owns a Northwood cottage business, apartments, and No
Worry Storage. Before purchasing Pittsfield properties, I
hired Mr. Pacheco’s company for work in Northwood. I was
satisfied and planned to use his services again. I called Mr.
Pacheco for quotes in Pittsfield, but since he was the building
inspector, it would be a conflict of interest for him. He
proved he is fair, impartial, and provides useful advice to those of
us who relish information from knowledgeable people.
Dan
Schroth truly cares about Pittsfield. His business acumen and
ability to motivate people to get involved is amazing. He was
able to successfully get the attention of our residents so that a
meaningful dialogue could begin.
We NEED
a building inspector in Pittsfield to assure our positive growth
continues. We cannot rely on the State, or on consulting
services to provide a consistent, accessible building plan. The
petition to remove such an integral role concerns me and may impact
business owners’ consideration of Pittsfield as a place to locate
to.
We’ve
heard from both sides. Now, I urge Mr. Schroth and the
citizens who signed the petition to rescind it. Let’s put this
behind us and “Make Pittsfield Great Again!”
Thanks!
Lee
Carver
Letter To The Editor
Select
Board Meeting 12/12/17
First
on the agenda- a vote, up or down, as required by law not later than
this night, on Gamble’s proposal to purchase property now known as
33 Main St. This includes the ‘mansard roof’ historic building
beside the library and some of the previous 33 Main St lot where a
building was previously razed. The only other interest in this
property besides Gamble was a proposal by Larry Berkson to purchase
the property, demolish the building, then donate the bare lot to the
Historical Society to build themselves a 30’x80’ two story storage
bldg/museum/meeting room. Either proposal, on its’ own merit,
could have been acceptable to complete the revitalization of one of
our most visible locations. In a 5-0 vote, the Board
unanimously agreed that the most people would be best served by
having the existing historic building saved, rehabbed and returned
to the tax rolls by Mr. Gamble. It will take at least $180,000
and 1½ years to accomplish the task.
There
are two unions that represent Pittsfield town employees, both with
contracts negotiated by the BOS team. Our board reps have done
a great job getting the fairest deal worked out for all concerned.
Circumstances beyond our control prohibited them from negotiating
what we would have considered ‘perfect’ contracts. We voted
4-1 to approve both proposals which now go to Town Meeting for
consideration by the voters who as always have the final word.
Speaking of final word, voter attendance at the Special Village
Water District (defeated loud and clear) meeting was tremendous!
This is truly how town government is supposed to work- with
residents taking charge of their own destiny. Thanks very much
for taking the time!
Next
meeting is Dec. 26, when we will tackle the 2018 budget.
Carl
Anderson
American Legion Peterson-Cram Post 75 News
Our
first annual Christmas Turkey raffle was a success. The winner is a
member of the Post and asked to be annonymous and have their
complete Christmas Turkey dinner given to a family who needed it.
And so it happened. Based on this news, the members of the
Post wish everyone to enjoy a Happy Holiday Season.
Our
January meeting will be at Post Adjutant’s home at 50 Deer Meadow
Rd., Pittsfield, on January 8, 2018 beginning at 7:30 pm, as a
result of our normal first Monday of the month will be New Year’s
Day. The change in meeting place is necessary due to unplanned
situations at the Post Home. Even though the meeting will be
in a residence, all members are encouraged to attend. We have
plenty of information to discuss that night and 2018 through 2020
promises to be busy years for not only the Post Executive
Committees, but of the future of the Post 75 as well.
If you
are a new veteran in town and wish to attend the meeting, you are
more then welcome to attend the meeting. The American Legion
is the only active Veterans Service Organization left in Pittsfield
and we are looking to beef up our membership. Stop by and
check us out. If you are a new resident of Pittsfield and need
to change your Post affiliation, you can do that, too, on January
8th. We hope to see you at the meeting.
If you
have any questions on the Legion or about our Post, contact the Post
Adjutant, Merrill Vaughan, at either his home phone 435-5207 or his
cell at 603-340-1375.
Final Recipients Announced For 2017 Globe Gear Giveaway
Since
2012, Globe, DuPont Protection Solutions (DuPont), and the National
Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) have been annually awarding
state-of-the-art turnout gear to help volunteer fire departments
better protect their responders. A total of 52 sets of turnout gear
are being distributed to 13 departments in 2017. The final
recipients of this year’s giveaway are the Buffalo (KY) Fire
Department, the Cherokee (AL) Volunteer Fire Department, and the
Pulaski Township (PA) Volunteer Fire Department.
Buffalo
Fire Department
The
Buffalo (KY) Fire Department serves over 400 residents. Their 21
volunteers all have personal protective equipment (PPE); however,
all of their PPE is over 10 years old and not recommended for use
according to national safety standards. While the department is
striving to properly outfit their members, budget constraints
haven’t allowed them to purchase new gear for over 16 years. The
four sets of turnout gear from the Globe Gear Giveaway program will
greatly impact the safety of their volunteers and the residents they
serve.
Cherokee Volunteer Fire Department
The
Cherokee (AL) Volunteer Fire Department (VFD) provides service to
10,000 residents in western Colbert County in the northwest corner
of the state. The area has many residential, commercial, and
industrial structures; the industrial structures contain hazardous
materials and the Cherokee VFD assists with keeping these industries
compliant with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
They are also responsible for fifteen miles of riverfront coverage
and a four lane state highway.
Station
and apparatus maintenance, along with rescue tools that are over 15
years old and beginning to fail, have completely absorbed the
department’s budget, leaving them unable to equip nearly half of
their 38 volunteers with compliant PPE. New members have volunteered
to help, but the department is not able to provide them with proper
gear because of their limited budget and mounting expenses.
“Providing our firefighters with compliant PPE is a high priority
for our senior cadre,” said Captain William J. Mason. “We are
humbled to receive this gear to ensure the safety our members and
adequately provide for the citizens we serve.”
Pulaski
Township Volunteer Fire Department
The
Pulaski Township (PA) Volunteer Fire Department serves 5,000
residents in New Brighton. In the last two and a half years, the
department’s roster has grown from two active firefighters to 21.
The department had to reissue older PPE in order to provide their
growing membership some protection. While most of the gear is still
in decent condition, about 75 percent is 10 years old or older and
not compliant with recommended safety standards. The department’s
limited budget is allocated towards insurance, bills, fuel, and
repairs, which leaves little room for new equipment or turnout gear.
“Four
new sets of turnout gear would go a long way to protect our
firefighters and also the residents of our township,” said Chief
Alan E. Hickey.
These
awards conclude the 2017 Globe Gear Giveaway. A full wrap-up of the
2017 program will be available in January, so stay tuned to the NVFC
web site, Dispatch newsletter, and Facebook page, as well as the
Globe Facebook page for additional information.
Letter To The Editor
To The
Suncook Valley Sun,
I don’t
know if you will print this or not, but hear me out first. My name
is Jeff. I live here in Pittsfield. Back on December 19, 2014 there
was a movie on called The Secret Santa. It was about a man call
Lucas A. Nast. I thought it was a great family movie. But on the
computer, a lot of people said some really bad things about the
movie.
Why do
people have to be so hurtful this time of year? I’ve always believed
there is a little Santa in all of us. So that night I got on the
computer and told off all the people with closed minds and hearts to
try to help the people that need help this time of year and all year
round, for the fact that they just might like the good feeling they
will feel. What I’m saying is in my letter that night I asked Mr.
Lucas A. Nast my Christmas wish for it not to be my last Christmas,
because that Fall I was told I had lung cancer and it was pretty far
along, so things did not look good for me. It took me three years
later when I found my letter on the computer, December 11, 2017 and
it was a mind blower.
I did
get my Christmas wish. Three years later, I’m still here, getting
ready for my 60th Christmas Day. So what I’m trying to say is,
“People, open your hearts and help each other in these crazy times.
That’s all we really have, is each other. So, to all a very Merry
Christmas and let’s hope the new year is a good one for all of us.
Yours
Truly,
JJS
P.S.
This letter was from my heart. Sorry about my writing. I just went
through eight weeks of chemo and radiation, so I’m shaky and I’m
still fighting cancer. To all with cancer, keep fighting. Don’t let
it win. Merry Christmas!
Obituaries
Zachary A. Marcotte
PITTSFIELD- Zachary A. Marcotte, 23, of Pittsfield,
passed away on December 18, 2017 from injuries sustained in a car
accident.
Born in
Sault Ste. Marie, Canada, Zachary was the beloved son of Tony
Marcotte and Victoria (Brideaux) Marcotte. He resided in Pittsfield
for most of his life.
Zachary
was employed at Maxfield’s Hardware in Pittsfield. He enjoyed
reading a wide variety of books and playing different sorts of
games. He loved his family and always took time to play with his
younger siblings, He especially enjoyed a good argument and was
always eager to debate with anyone who would engage.
In
addition to his parents, he is survived by his brothers and sister:
Matthew Elsker, Christopher Marcotte, Jacob Marcotte, Benjamin
Marcotte, Abraham Marcotte, and Annelissa Marcotte. He is also
survived by many aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.
A
Celebration of Zac’s Life was held on Friday, December 22nd in the
Still Oaks Funeral & Memorial Home in Epsom.
In lieu
of flowers, donations in Zachary’s memory may be sent to Parker
Academy, 2 Fisk Rd, Concord, NH 03301. To share a memory or offer a
condolence, please visit www.stilloaks.com
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