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BCEP is
seeking Community Service volunteers on Saturdays to assist patrons
with their recycling needs.
Please
contact Lisa at 435-6237 if you would like to help out.
Letter To The Editor
The
Suncook Valley Regional Development Corporation (SVRDC) verbally
proposed to the Board of Selectmen (BOS) to purchase and renovate
the 1 Fayette and 11 Watson Street town owned properties (as
outlined in last week’s letter). The BOS accepted (and voted on) the
offer(s) with the condition that memorandums of understanding (MOUs)
would be forthcoming from the SVRDC as soon as possible. Both MOUs
were submitted to the BOS on February 22, 2016. Unfortunately, the
incoming BOS did not honor the agreement that was made between the
SVRDC and the outgoing BOS for the two properties. One Fayette
Street was then sold to a private citizen.
On
April 12th the SVRDC withdrew its proposal for the Fayette Street
Property and submitted a revised proposal to purchase 11 Watson
Street for $50,154 (representing outstanding taxes, interest,
incurred costs and penalties). The proposal remained the same; to
enter into an agreement with the town for a simple interest loan (to
come from the Property Acquisition & Redevelopment Expendable Trust
Fund) for the purchase price. The multi-family dwelling would be
converted into a single-family home and sold, at which time the town
would receive a balloon payment for the purchase price and
accumulated interest. The SVRDC proposed to keep taxes current
throughout the duration of the project.
On
April 19th SVRDC members met with the BOS regarding the above
proposal and were asked, “Why Watson Street?” Our answer was simple,
“It’s a good starter project.” The BOS asked if we would be willing
to consider 33 / 37 Main Street. SVRDC members agreed to a
walk-through of the property(s) with a BOS member. The proposal to
renovate Watson Street was not accepted by the BOS. The Board of
Selectmen sold 11 Watson Street to a relative of the Building
Inspector in July of 2016.
Truly
yours,
Linda
Small
Letter To The Editor
When
you’re checking off your choices for elected town offices on the
official ballot in March, make sure you take advantage of an
opportunity to put someone in the position of Library Trustee that
will do a wonderful job- AnnMarie Chapman.
Mrs.
Chapman is a country girl with a friendly, warm personality, going
about her business up on Mountain Rd., raising and educating her
family with the help of her husband. She also has a
flourishing egg business which is how I have come to know her.
Over
the years, I’ve noticed that she has an intense, sincere, wide
ranging interest in what’s going on in town. She’s an excellent
listener and has well-expressed thoughts on solutions. AnnMarie will
make a dedicated, smart, realistic addition to the important
oversight of Carpenter Library by the Trustees. Please give her your
well-deserved vote.
Carl
Anderson
Hay Feeders Can Be Cow Traps
Submitted By Carole Soule
Topper, a Scottish Highlander ox, with his head
stuck in a hay feeder.
Topper, in the snow, months after his close call with the hay
feeder.
Topper's horns were wedged tight in the metal hay feeder. While
reaching for a tasty bit of hay, he pushed his head into the feeder
and turned his horns just so. Like a Chinese finger trap, the feeder
wouldn't let him back up. But he didn't panic; he managed to keep
munching the hay.
Hay
feeders are metal contraptions designed to give livestock access to
hay with minimal waste. In winter, we feed our cattle damp,
fermented hay that looks like giant marshmallows. Cattle love to eat
hay from a newly opened bale. They will grab the feed in their
mouths and yank it to the ground. Sometimes a steer will attack the
bale, tearing at it with his horns, before settling down to eat. But
once that hay gets muddy or trampled they'll walk away, just as you
might turn your nose up at week-old leftovers.
Different hay feeders use different designs to keep hay off the
ground, encouraging picky cows to eat every last morsel. Miles Smith
Farm has three different models. The one that captured Topper is a
square hopper with metal bars in the middle to hold back the hay.
One 1,000-pound bale fits into the center hopper. Bars are set so
that cows can reach through to pull out hay. A metal tray around the
base catches stray hunks of hay, keeping them off the ground.
Being
stuck in a feeder is more than unpleasant; it can be deadly. When
other cattle detect that one of the herd is in trouble, they might
attack the defenseless cow. It is unlovely behavior, and I try not
to think about it, but there it is. Maybe the helpless cow has
offended them, and now it's time for revenge. Who knows?
Years
ago, that happened to one of our steers. I found him, horns wedged
in the feeder, murdered by his peers. Imagine my disappointment in
the herd. Another time a steer's hoof was sandwiched between a wheel
and the frame of a mobile feeder. We were able to extract him, but
his leg was broken.
Besides
the danger, feeders also fail when hay is frozen solid. Since the
cattle can't break it up with their horns, a human (husband Bruce or
I) must climb into the feeder and claw at icy hay, trying to peel it
apart. In some cases, we've fired up the Bobcat, our mechanical
workhorse, and used its grabbers to break up the frozen lump.
Another
downside of a feeder is the mire that builds up around it. Where
cattle congregate...so does manure. When the ground thaws, the area
around a feeder will turn into slime. Yes, feeders can be moved, but
sometimes in deep snow that's not so easy.
We've
sold all but three of our feeders. We've been using them less and
less; we usually just open a bale and put the hay on the ground. A
herd of 15 to 20 cattle will eat an entire 1,000-pound round bale in
24 hours. Because they gobble it up so fast, typically there is no
waste. The quagmire problem is solved because we can place the hay
anywhere we want in a field – picking a new spot every day. This
serves to distribute the cow manure and more evenly fertilize the
fields.
And if
there is any waste, it's put to use. Tired cattle lie on it; it
insulates them from snow and the frozen ground. In the spring that
old hay will disintegrate and create fertilizer for the grass.
Try as
we might, we could not maneuver Topper's horns to extract his head.
It was like trying to solve one of those nail puzzles. So we cheated
– Bruce got out the Sawzall and cut through one of the metal bars.
Then my friend Melissa and I were able to pull the bar just enough
to allow Topper to free himself. Unfazed, he ambled off looking for
his friends.
That
did it; we've retired our feeders for the winter. For now, the cows
don't mind eating from the ground, breaking up the frozen bales with
their horns, and I don't miss climbing into a feeder to break up
frozen hay with numb fingers.
The end
of this negative report might be an ineffective place to ask, but
does anyone want to buy a used feeder with a bent bar? 'As-is.'
Carole
Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm. She can be reached at
[email protected].
Letter To The Editor
To the
NH Pot Commission,
After
reading the January 26 Concord Monitor, the article Panel Says No To
Legal Pot, I must register my not going along with it.
I got
some quotes.
"The
actual experience of the smoked herb has been clouded by a fog of
unrespectability by the unthinking, unknowledgeable few who have not
smoked themselves and yet insist upon setting themselves as centres
of propaganda about the said experience." - Allen Ginsberg
"Nobody
has the right to tell me what I stick in my mouth." - Ron Paul
"Let's
see, I wanna get high. What are my choices? Too many to name. We are
homo sapien. We will always push the limit." - Dan the Stoneman
I think
I may need some of that medicinal stuff to help me cope with good
people in authority that don't know what they are talking about.
Dan the
Stoneman
Concord Regional VNA Offers Walk-In Wednesday In Concord
Concord
Regional VNA offers Walk-In Wednesday on Wednesday, February 27 from
10 a.m. to Noon at Horseshoe Pond Place Senior Resource Center, 26
Commercial Street in Concord. Walk-In Wednesday is held on the
fourth Wednesday of each month at the same time.
Walk-In
Wednesday is an opportunity to get your questions answered. A
Concord Regional VNA team member is available to meet with people
individually regarding their specific concerns. Whether it is
in-home support, caregiver resources, community health services or
questions regarding advance directives, we are here to help.
This
free program is offered on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Pre-registration is not required. For more information, call (603)
224-4093 or (800) 924-8620, ext. 5815 or visit
www.crvna.org.
Thank
You!
A
special thank you to all my family and friends who did so much to
make my 90th birthday so special. It was great! Thanks so much!
Reny
Boyd
Letter
Dear
Pittsfield voter,
I am
running for reelection to the planning board, and I ask for the
honor of your vote.
Since
2016, I have been the board's unpaid volunteer office secretary, and
in this position I have increased the help that the board gives the
public. I have been the board's recording secretary since
2011. My volunteer secretarial work saves taxpayers thousands
of dollars each year and helps developers and abutters better
realize their rights.
When I
was elected eight years ago, I said that I support land-use
regulation when and only when the regulation is clear, lawful, and
necessary for a public purpose. My voting record shows that I
remain committed to that position.
I do
much homework to stay current on land use law. I help
applicants find the easiest way through the process. I help
the planning board avoid mistakes. Sometimes my knowledge lets
me find solutions that others miss.
Although I help applicants whenever possible, I never forget my own
years of experience as an abutter in the audience. ALL people
must be treated fairly--BOTH applicants AND abutters. I wrote
zoning ordinance article 5, section 10, (b), which the town adopted
in 2014, and which requires the zoning board to state specific
reasons for granting or denying variances or special exceptions.
I have been gratified to see zoning board chair James Hetu
rigorously follow this requirement to state the reasons for the
board's decisions. Please keep the zoning board on its current
track of fair and well-reasoned decisions by reelecting James Hetu
to the zoning board.
I am
proud of the work that I have done to save taxpayers money and to
make Pittsfield better. Please honor me with your vote on
Tuesday, March 12.
Thank
you,
Jim
Pritchard
Letter
Dear
Pittsfield voter,
I am
running for reelection to the planning board, and I ask for the
honor of your vote.
Since
2016, I have been the board's unpaid volunteer office secretary, and
in this position I have increased the help that the board gives the
public. I have been the board's recording secretary since
2011. My volunteer secretarial work saves taxpayers thousands
of dollars each year and helps developers and abutters better
realize their rights.
When I
was elected eight years ago, I said that I support land-use
regulation when and only when the regulation is clear, lawful, and
necessary for a public purpose. My voting record shows that I
remain committed to that position.
I do
much homework to stay current on land use law. I help
applicants find the easiest way through the process. I help
the planning board avoid mistakes. Sometimes my knowledge lets
me find solutions that others miss.
Although I help applicants whenever possible, I never forget my own
years of experience as an abutter in the audience. ALL people
must be treated fairly--BOTH applicants AND abutters. I wrote
zoning ordinance article 5, section 10, (b), which the town adopted
in 2014, and which requires the zoning board to state specific
reasons for granting or denying variances or special exceptions.
I have been gratified to see zoning board chair James Hetu
rigorously follow this requirement to state the reasons for the
board's decisions. Please keep the zoning board on its current
track of fair and well-reasoned decisions by reelecting James Hetu
to the zoning board.
I am
proud of the work that I have done to save taxpayers money and to
make Pittsfield better. Please honor me with your vote on
Tuesday, March 12.
Thank
you,
Jim
Pritchard
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