Pittsfield Youth Baseball/Softball Sign-Ups
Wednesday March 8,
2017 from 5:30-8 and Saturday March 11, 2017 from 10am-1pm at the
Community Center.
VA Offering Up To $8 Million In Grants For Adaptive-Sports Programs
That Aid Disabled Veterans
Submitted Via Merrill Vaughan
WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) is providing up to $8 million in grants to fund adaptive-sports
programs that offer activities for disabled Veterans and members of
the armed forces who have disabilities, VA announced Feb. 22.
The
application period for the fiscal 2018 Adaptive Sports Grant begins
Feb. 21, 2017, and will close at 11:59 p.m. (EST) on April 21, 2017.
“We
know disabled Veterans and military members of all ages and
abilities report better health and an improved quality of life when
participating in adaptive sports,” said VA Secretary Dr. David
Shulkin. “We encourage organizations to apply for a grant to better
assist those who have faced life changes due to their military
service. At VA, caring for Veterans, day in and day out, is a noble
cause.”
Previous VA grants included eligible nonprofits, Veterans’ groups,
universities and municipalities, which plan, develop, manage and
implement adaptive sports activities. Funding may be used for
training, program development, coaching, sports equipment, supplies,
program evaluation and other activities related to adaptive-sports
program implementation and operation.
In
fiscal 2016, VA awarded $7.8 million in adaptive-sports grants to 90
programs providing services nationwide. The Grant Notice of
Funding Availability is published on the Grants.gov website (www.grants.gov) under opportunity number
VA-ASG-2018-01, linked through
https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/search-grants.
Letter To The Editor
SB 2
Lots
going on in our little corner of the world...Northwood’s issue is
kindergarten, Epsom’s is town office location, etc... Now for
Pittsfield.
We have
a great opportunity this year to vote yes on SB 2. This basically
breaks town meeting into a discussion time and a private voting
time. This little piece of legislation will allow the taxpayers to
vote in a more private and non-intimidated way.
For too many
years a vocal minority has been spending away and our highly
outrageous taxes are a reflection of this. When our children want
something that is not within our means we find a way to make do and
are able to live without everything and still find we can do quite
well. We cannot have everything-even every good thing. More money
and more programs do not cure all ills a town may have no matter how
well intended the folks may be.
You cannot keep this up, taxing
us right out of our pocketbooks. What happens when you run out of
other people’s money? It’s not sustainable and is not going in the
right direction for our small town.
Back to the matter at hand...
SB 2 will allow the more frugal among us to vote for keeping more of
OUR money. There are many towns in our state with wonderful schools,
well-equipped departments, and high property values. This is
something you can’t conjure up. It happens in some places and not in
others. There needs to be a few places left where we can quietly go
about our business and be decent people without feeling year after
year that we are bullied into funding all sorts of things to make
Pittsfield into something it is not.
This may be a hard pill to
swallow for some but there is nothing wrong with being a nice,
humble, small town and proud of it!
Please make the effort to
support SB 2 - Come out on March 14th and vote yes on #7
Most
sincerely,
Sharon Matras
World
Day Of Prayer
A World Day of Prayer service will be held this
year at the First Congregational Church of Pittsfield, 24 Main
Street, this Friday, March 3 at 7 p.m.
World Day of Prayer is an
ecumenical movement of Christian women of many traditions coming
together to observe a common day of prayer the first Friday of
March. Each year a different country’s committee serves as writers
for the World Day of Prayer service. This year the ladies of the
Philippines have written the program.
Plan to join in prayer and
song in this community of faith service. All are welcome. Parking
and wheelchair accessible entry are available at rear of church at
Chestnut Street. For more information contact the church office at
435-7471.
Service
Observes Ash Wednesday
The First Congregational Church, 24 Main
Street, Pittsfield, will hold an Ash Wednesday service, March 1, 7
p.m. The service, signaling the beginning of Lent, will be a time of
prayer and reflection and the imposition of ashes. The Rev. David
Stasiak will lead the service with the addition of special music by
the Chancel Choir and the JuBellation Handbell Choir. Everyone is
welcome to attend.
Lent is the beginning of the 40-day period of
repentance and preparation, which concludes on Easter Sunday, April
16. Parking and wheelchair accessible entry are available at the
rear of the church building at Chestnut Street. For more
information, call the church office at 435-7471.
Letter
To The Editor
Select Board Meeting 2/21/17
Three public
heaings;
-$14,095 accepted to continue cemetery fence completion;
- Application for Community Revitalization Tax Relief from Wellbuilt
Cabinetry, a new business in town intending to expand.
- A
citizen petition on adoption of Senate Bill (SB2) which would do
away with traditional town meetings in favor of all warrant articles
(town AND school) being decided by secret ballot on election day.
The biggest complaint was voters might not be as informed regarding
articles as they would become at town meeting. The counter argument
is that changes are made at town meetings preventing voters having
sufficient time to consider it all, so snap judgements are made in
the heat of the moment.
Those favoring SB2 see the 30 days from
the posting of the warrant to voting day as sufficient to research
articles at their leisure. Voters who want to participate in
drafting the articles can be heard at public deliberative sessions.
Proponents of SB2 point to the low turnout on Saturday for Town
Meeting, in contrast to the much larger number who vote on election
day, allowing matters be decided by a fairer share of the
electorate. It was pointed out that many voters feel intimidated
voting publicly. If every article was petitioned to be secret ballot
at town meeting (a right) the typical four hour meeting could go
even longer.
Neither system is perfect, but I like the idea the
largest number of voters would decide ALL matters. SB2 will be on
the ballot election day, so be thinking about it!
Town Report
should be out 3/7/17, specifying where your money goes and
should be required reading for everyone who votes. If you can’t get
to the Town Hall for a copy, call me at 608-7570 and I’ll bring you
one.
Carl Anderson
Letter
To The Editor
My name is Noreen Rollins and I am a candidate for
the Pittsfield Zoning Board of Adjustment. I am currently an
alternate on this board and I am also a member of the Budget
Committee.
A little bit about me. I was born and grew up in
Lancaster, NH and have been a lifelong resident of New Hampshire. I
moved to Pittsfield four years ago from Bow, NH. I am retired and,
along with my husband, run Tilton Hill Goat Farm, 310 Tilton Hill
Road. We raise cashmere goats and alpacas. I worked for the State of
New Hampshire for 34 years as a web application developer. In this
capacity I was required to interact with different department heads
and leaders of State Government. I learned the inner-workings of
state and local government and how to get things done.
Although
at times I may not have agreed with people’s conclusions, I learned
that everyone deserves respect. What may seem a minor issue to some
people may be a major issue to the people who are impacted by
decisions. I tend not to take issues at face value and ask questions
to get to the bottom of the issues, the real story.
I guarantee
to you if an issue comes before me in which I may have a biased
opinion, I will recuse myself from that decision. My view is the
burden of proof is on the applicant for the waiver of zoning
ordinances. The opinion of abutters carries great weight with my
decisions.
Thank you for reading my letter and I hope you can
support me in this election. If you have any questions feel free to
contact me at [email protected].
Noreen Rollins
Candidate for Zoning Board of Adjustment
TOPS
News
Submitted By Beth Odell
Our recent weather has reminded
me of spring, or at least, the hope that spring will be here soon.
Are you hoping to lose some weight by then? If so, you may
want to consider coming to a TOPS meeting for support and
inspiration.
At recent meetings, good information has been shared
by members. April Ellis shared a motivational writing about
seeing life in a negative way or more importantly viewing life from
a positive perspective. Jon Martin shared an article about ways to
reduce the salt in our diet.
Our TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly)
meetings are Tuesdays, 6:30 at Berakah on Fairview Rd., Pittsfield.
Please call Pat 435-5333 or Beth 435-7397 if you have questions.
Soothe
The Savage Beast: Weight Release From The Inside Out
Do
you want a harmonious relationship with food, one without guilt,
shame, or blame?
Do emotions sabotage your best efforts, even
when you try really hard?
Are you looking to feel vibrant and
alive in your body without the struggle of diets?
If you said,
“Yes,” to any or all of these, you are not alone. Science shows that
diets don’t work; they are unreasonable and unsustainable. What does
work, however, is a way of life that incorporates not just healthy
eating but all-important self-care and love. Taking care of our
emotional body is just as important as our physical body.
Beauty
Beyond This Body is all about this. In this 10 week program, we go
beyond clean eating to work with the habits and routines of health.
Calming the stress body and mind
Mindful and intuitive eating
Changing habits that no longer serve
Releasing weight without
deprivation and suffering
Building confidence, esteem, and
efficacy
Let’s build solid strategies with kindness and care,
ones that will support your weight release and health for the rest
of your life.
Join the conversation to learn more on Thursday
March 9 at 6:00 pm. The 10 week program starts Thursday March 23 and
will be offered The Sanctuary Bodywork and Sauna, 175 Barnstead Rd,
Pittsfield. Seating is limited. RSVP tinyurl.com/BBBody or
call Shanti at 228-9007 to reserve. Feel great and free with food
again!
Pastor’s Corner
Submitted By Rev. David Stasiak, First
Congregational Church of Pittsfield
Irish Author Frank McCourt
wrote, “Everyone has a story to tell. All you have to do is write
it. But it’s not that easy.” How true. Our lives are a collection of
stories. They include happy, meaningful and memorable stories, as
well as sad, painful and no doubt stories that we would prefer to
re-write with happier endings. In its earliest form the story of God
and God’s relationship with humanity was passed on from generation
to generation through an oral tradition. That story or compilation
of stories now comprises the still bestselling book of all time-the
Bible. Elie Wiesel believed that, “God made man because He loves
stories.” The Bible is a testimony to that fact. The story of
creation, Adam and Eve, Noah’s Ark, Jonah and the great fish, Moses
and the ten commandments; the life, death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ are all stories that I feel safe in saying many people have
heard. The Bible includes stories about people who struggled with
life and its meaning, people who sought to understand God and God’s
influence on their lives, people who searched for answers to the
suffering, injustice and evil that they experienced and encountered
around them. Our stories are not unlike those of the Biblical
characters.
From the very beginning, God gave people the choice
to create or write their own story. Sadly, when they excluded God
from their story things didn’t go so well. We have the same choice
today. We can include or exclude God in writing our life narrative.
When we include God as a co-author in writing our life story we are
certainly not guaranteed a life free of pain, disappointment, grief
and unhappy endings. There is no assurance given for smooth sailing
the entire journey. We can be certain though, based on the stories
of the faithful who have gone on to their eternal home and the
testimony of those who now include God as the co-author of their
stories, that God will be our companion in the struggle and that we
will be granted the wisdom, courage, strength, comfort and peace to
weather any storm, to brave the roughest seas and to navigate the
most dangerous currents of life. The choice is ours to make. As Paul
Harvey used to say, “And now you know the rest of the story.”
Letter
Dear Pittsfield Voters,
Please vote for the two SB2 petitions on
March 14 to bring about secret ballot voting on all town meeting and
school district meeting warrant articles.
For me, the SB2 issue
is simple: secret ballot voting gives a better measure of what
voters want, because secret ballot voting avoids the peer pressure
and discouragement that comes with the open voting that currently
happens at the town meeting and school district meeting business
sessions.
At the selectmen’s hearing on SB2, on February 21, the
two main arguments raised against SB2 were, first, that voters would
be uninformed because the non-voting deliberative session would draw
fewer voters and, second, that secret ballot voting is already an
option if five people petition for it on any given article.
I
found these arguments unconvincing. The uninformed-voter argument is
unconvincing because the internet, social media, and, of course, The
Suncook Valley Sun put information and discussion opportunities
right in voters’ homes and because voters would have more time to
think under SB2 than they have now at the town/school business
sessions. And while it is true that any five people can petition for
a secret ballot on any given article, petitioning for anything is
always difficult, and each petition applies to only one article, so
petitioning on many different articles is impractical. But more
importantly, the law does not make the identities of the petitioners
themselves secret, so the petitioners themselves do not get the same
benefit that they would get if, as with SB2, the secret ballot were
automatic on every article.
Secret ballot voting is more
democratic than open voting. Please vote for the two SB2 petitions
(town and school) on March 14.
Thank you,
Jim Pritchard
Letter
To The Editor
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new
creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have
become new” (II Corinthians 5:17).
With all the talk of
“identity” I’m led to respond. You see, I too once had a problem
with self. I toiled with my individuality and recklessly grappled my
existence. The truth is that we all struggle with who we are and
what our purpose is, understandably so. After all, the popular
philosophy of life is that we’re nothing more than highly evolved
animals. Our deceived perspective from childhood allows little
wonder as to why our societal problems exist today. It wasn’t until
I was brought to the foot of the Cross that I fully understood me
and became fulfilled with my life (in Christ).
“And the LORD God
formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils
the breath of life;” (Genesis 2:7). God created man in His image to
have a special relationship with Him. Sin entering the world in the
Garden was not a “whoops” moment for the Lord. His plan of
redemption (reconciliation through Jesus Christ) was from the
beginning and is clear throughout the Holy Scriptures. While the
wages of sin is death (eternal separation from God), “God
demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Now that I have been
crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ who
lives in me…my new identity!
“New life in Christ abundant and
free! What glories shine, what joys are mine, what wondrous
blessings I see! My past with its sin, the searching and strife,
forever gone, there’s a bright new dawn! For in Christ I have found
new life!” (John W. Peterson)
Living for Him,
Linda Small
Pittsfield School Board
2/16/17
Submitted by Ralph Odell
The meeting began with three students presenting a petition, signed
by over 50 students, supporting the retention of the Student
Assistance Program Counselor position.
The meeting involved
several summaries of various administrative areas:
Dean of
Instruction, Danielle Harvey, described the evaluation of student
progress to identify if the students are on pace and to provide
opportunity to address any needs.
Dean of Operations, Derek
Hamilton, provided school attendance updates for the last quarter of
the year. There has been a slight reduction in daily attendance but
he gave several examples of individual students taking greater
responsibility.
Director of Interventions, Kathy LeMay,
described a meeting of the Early Childhood Consortium that provides
insight into the needs of four and five year olds. A flyer
will be distributed soon and family activities are being planned to
introduce the parents and children to the school.
District
Administrator, Tobi Chassie, presented a multi-page midyear report
summarizing the progress of the Nellie Mae work.
Superintendent
of Schools, Dr. Freeman, provided a review of a recent evaluation by
the New Hampshire Department of Education- very complimentary.
The meeting ended with public input from a citizen who would like to
support the position of Student Assistance Counselor and not
to be part of any faculty reductions.
The upcoming School
District meeting is Thursday, March 17 at 7:00 PM at the PES
gymnasium. The budget is available online and if you have any
questions, please contact any school board member or Dr. Freeman. We
encourage you to become involved.
Letter
To The Editor
Please Vote for SB2
According to the Pittsfield
town record, the voter turnout for 2016 was: Presidential Election
-1959, Town Election - 668, School District Meeting - 124 and Town
Meeting - 170. That means that only 124 voters decided on the
over $6 million school budget - and only 170 voters on the over $3
million town budget. Many more voters participated in the
presidential election and the Tuesday town election, both of which
provide private ballot voting.
There are a variety of reasons why
taxpayers are absent on the Thursday evening town meeting and the
Saturday morning school meeting. Regardless of the reasons, it
is the ABSENCE of the voters that is the significant issue.
With one of the highest tax rates in the state of New Hampshire, it
is clearly time for greater voter participation.
On voting day -
March 14 - please vote yes for SB2 on both the town and school
district warrants. Your vote is important. We need a 3/5 majority to
pass SB2 so we can have the “privilege” of voting on all
warrant articles on a single day from 7:00 AM-7:00 PM in the privacy
of a voting booth or even the convenience of an absentee ballot.
God Bless Our Troops,
Rachel Wood
Don’t
say “Oh, Pooh!”
Charlie the waiter (center), played by Jonathan
Flower, proceeds down the slippery slope of husband and wife
misunderstandings with Mr. and Mrs. Carter, portrayed by Mike Towle
and Vicki Watson, in “Eat Your Heart Out” now in rehearsal at the
Scenic Theatre, 6 Depot Street, in Pittsfield. Performances
are set for March 24, 25, 31, and April 1 at 7:30pm and April 2 at
2pm. Tickets, $15, will be available later in March.
FIVE
GENERATIONS
Bridget Beckwith - grandmother, Elaine Langevin -
great grandmother, Alice (Sabbia) Lunde - great, great grandmother,
Samantha LaRochelle - mother, and one day old baby Charlotte - born
February 1, 2017.
Letter
To The Editor
The School District has received a citizens’
petition that for the fifth time places the question of whether the
district should change the form of school district meeting to an
“official ballot referenda” method of voting.
The School
Board is opposed to this change and encourages Pittsfield voters to
vote NO on this question on election day, Tuesday, March 14.
Pittsfield voters may recall that voters of the district were last
asked to switch in 2009; 57% voted NO, and 43% Voted YES. To
pass, 60% must vote in favor of the change: SB2 failed by 100
votes.
The traditional meeting has been called “the purest form
of democracy,” allowing voters to meet and actively discuss issues,
to convince others of the opinions, and to be convinced by the
arguments of others. This results in decisions informed by
discussion and debate.
But just as important is a larger question
of what would SB2 mean to the kind of town we wish Pittsfield to
become? Town / district meetings exemplify the neighborliness
and warmth that is Pittsfield, a place where we talk with our
neighbors face-to-face, where we respect the opinions of others,
where we can express our own opinions in a civil process.
Town / district meetings have helped newcomers really become a
part of our community; they have helped voters to see and know who
our elected officials are; they have helped us all to get to know
our neighbors and our community a little bit better, a little bit
more personally.
In the end, we believe that we’d lose much more
than we’d gain, both in process and in being the kind of town that
we want to be. Please vote NO to SB2.
Bea Douglas, Linda
Freese, Ted Mitchell, Ralph Odell, Mike Wolfe
Pittsfield School
Board
Letter
To The Editor
SB2 will not save us money!
I attended the
selectmen’s public hearing on SB2. I heard over and over how
it how it would reduce our taxes.
Epsom, Gilmanton, and
Northwood are all SB2 communities. So, I went to the NH Dept. of
Revenue Administration website to compare some tax history.
From
2009 to 2015, all four towns lost assessed value. Pittsfield
about 63 million, Epsom 41 million, Gilmanton 29 million and
Northwood 104 million dollars. In that same time frame,
Pittsfield reduced the amount of money spent to operate the town by
$278,067, while the other three towns went up. Epsom is up
$1,219,929, Gilmanton is up $398,649, and Northwood is up $347,930.
How is this going to save us money? Vote NO for SB2 for
both the town and the school. Please get out and vote and
attend the School District Meeting, as well as the Town Meeting.
Mike
Wolfe
Obituaries
Paul E
Metcalf SR.
Pittsfield: Paul E Metcalf Sr, 86, of Dowboro Road,
died at his home February 23rd following a brief illness.
He was born in New Bedford the son on Roger and Roxanna (Dustin)
Metcalf. He graduated from Wareham, Ma High School in 1948. He
earned a degree in Ornamental Horticulture from theStockbridge
School of Agriculture at the University of Mass in 1951. He was a
member of the Alpha Tau Gamma fraternity. He served in the US Air
Force fighter Bomber Group as an intelligence operation specialist
during the Korean Conflict. He farmed at the Weir-Dale Farm in
Hingham, MA from 1953-1959 and the Elm Terrace Farm from 1959 until
his death. He was a member of
the NH Farm Bureau, the Jersey Cattle Club and the Deerfield
Fair Assoc. He also was a real estate broker for United Farm-Metcalf
Real Estate. He retired after 20 years from the NH Public Utilities
Commission as a Transportation Inspector. He was a longtime member
of the First Congregational Church of Pittsfield. He was a member of
the Pittsfield American Legion Post; The Pittsfield VFW Post;
Bektash Temple Shriners; and a 50 year member of Corinthian Lodge
F&AM. He served the
town of Pittsfield on the School Board, the Budget Committee, The
Zoning Board, Recycling Center Committee and the Conservation
Committee. He sponsored Little League Teams for many years. He had
played Semi-pro football in Mass. He was a hunter and fisherman. He
was an avid gardener known for growing “great” pumpkins.
He is
survived by his wife of 62 years, Lucia A(Peirce) Metcalf, 2 sons
Paul Jr. and wife Jill and Roger And wife Tina, 2 daughters, Susan
Elliott and Husband Peter and Sandra Osborne all of Pittsfield. 7
Grandchildren, Christine, Jennifer, Wesley, Paul III, Kate, Kelsey
and Briahanna. 3 Great Grandchildren Caitlyn, Olivia and Evan.
Nieces and Nephews. He
was predeceased by 2 brothers Jesse Metcalf and Donald Metcalf.
A
Memorial Visitation will be held at the First Congregational Church
this Thursday from 5:00 to 8:00 PM A Masonic Service will be at 4:30
PM. The Memorial Service will be held on Saturday March 4th at 11:00
AM followed by Military
Honors and a collation in the Church Vestry.
Donations may be made to the Alzheimers Assoc. 166 So River Road,
Bedford, NH 03110 or to the Congregational Church Music Fund
Pittsfield Main St. Pittsfield, NH 03263
The
Waters Funeral, Concord, David Pollard, Director is assisting with
arrangements.
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