The Cub Scouts of Pack 85 in Chichester would like to express our
sincere gratitude to all the town residents who supported local
scouting by purchasing lunch and snacks at the Town Meeting on March
17th. We would especially like to thank the Chichester Country Store
for donating their delicious homemade doughnuts again this year and
Bette Bogdan, a town resident who reached out to the pack and
donated all the hotdogs, mustard, ketchup, and relish! We are so
thankful for the great community we have in Chichester!
The Chichester United Methodist Church will hold a Service of
Shadows (Tenebrae) on Thursday, April 5th, at 7 pm. This is a
Passion Week Service reflecting on Jesus’ ministry and last days on
earth, concluding with His last words from the cross. Any questions,
please call Rev. Huntley Halvorson, 798-3220.
Chichester Grange will meet on Wednesday, April 4, at the Grange
Hall. The meeting will begin with a Youth Night supper at 6 p.m.
Happy Birthday to Avonne Jarvis on April 1st.
Chichester Grange will be holding a Penny Sale on Saturday, March
31, from 10 am until noon at the Grange/Town Hall. Buy a block of
tickets for two dollars. Distribute them on articles you would like
to own, and see how lucky you are when the numbers are drawn.
Proceeds will benefit the Window Pane Project. Please come to
support a worthy cause and see how much fun a Grange Penny Sale can
be.
It was mentioned at Town Meeting that the Selectmen are always
looking for volunteers to serve on Town Committees. If you can help
out, please contact Jamie Pike at the Town Hall during open hours.
Out Of Your Attic Thrift Shop News
Submitted By Carol Hendee
We had quite the surprise outside our back door on Tuesday, March
13th – a big console TV and another big TV, along with 1 boot and
bags of wet clothing.
1. We do not accept TVs, computers, or any items that you
have to pay to dump.
2. We do not have any volunteer who could even lift the TVs to get
them out of the yard so as not to infringe on our lease (no
dumping!)
I truly hope this never happens again, as a $10.00 dumping fee is a
lot of quarters, which makes up most of our business. No items
should ever be left outside when the store is not open. Wet, moldy
clothes are of no use to anyone.
Other than that, we had a pretty nice week as people came to the
store because the weather was so nice. Good to see old friends.
Easter baskets are selling quickly; if you need baskets, come now!
We’re open Mon. 8-12, Tues. and Thurs. 8-4, Wed. 11-4 and Sat. 10-4
and are located at 345 Suncook Valley Highway, in Chichester. You
can call us at 247-7191.
Chichester Library News
Ayn Whytemare, owner of Found Well Farm in Pembroke will be at the
Chichester Town Library on Wednesday, March 28th at 6:30. Her
program is titled Starting Your Organic Garden. Ayn spoke at the
library last year and she was so knowledgeable and helpful, we have
invited her back. Bring questions. Please call the library at
798-5613 if you’re planning on attending so we can be sure to have
enough seating.
The trustees and staff at the Chichester Town Library would like to
thank you for your overwhelming support at the town meeting. With
it, the Community Meeting Room will soon become a reality.
Our annual Ukrainian Egg Workshop will be held Wednesday, April 4th
at 6:30. If you’ve longed to learn this method of dying eggs, now is
the time. Call the library at 798-5613 and sign up. Space is
limited.
The library has a Ukrainian Egg dying kit to lend out to our
patrons.
Chichester Town Meeting March 17, 2012
Submitted By Hannah West
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, the voting cards were green at
Chichester’s Town Meeting on March 17th. Moderator Doug Hall
announced this was his last two-year term as Town Moderator, so next
year will be his last time to chair a Chichester Town Meeting. At
that point he will have served for fifteen years.
The Selectmen and the Budget Committee had worked very hard to
present a low budget. The voters were either so satisfied or so
shocked there was almost no discussion on the line items and the
budget article passed without the usual hour or more of discussion.
The voters spent the next hour or so discussing whether the town
should raise nine thousand dollars by taxation to make improvements
to Carpenter Park. The $137,600 project was already being funded by
grants of $81,975; $31,625 in matching donations of cash, labor,
materials, and equipment; $8,000 in timber sales; and $7,000 from
the Parks and Recreation Capital Reserve Fund. It might seem that
nine thousand dollars was a very small piece of the whole, but the
discussion went on and on as voters tried to find a way to fund the
project without resorting to taxation.
Two amendments were suggested and failed. Finally, the article
passed as written. Then, in typical Town Meeting style, the voters
passed the next article, authorizing $27,677 from general taxation
for the first year’s payment on a five year lease/purchase plan for
a $137,784 plow truck, with hardly a murmur.
The meeting went on to authorize the purchase of a new pumper truck
for the Fire Department and to rehabilitate 2,378 feet of East
Ricker Road. In fact, all the articles passed except one about stone
walls and one designating Bear Hill Road as a scenic road. In both
cases the voters felt that land owner’s rights were being infringed
upon.
The most unusual article to pass was an additional motor vehicle
registration fee of five dollars, which would be used by the Town
for improving the local transportation system. The money raised by
this fee is intended to replace money that the town will no longer
receive from the State of NH for highway repairs and maintenance.
The meeting ended at 2:47 pm with a thank-you to Jaan Luikmil who
has stepped off the Old Home Day Committee. Earlier in the meeting
John Martel was thanked for his work on the Budget Committee. The
bottom line of the budget plus warrant articles was $2,464,168.
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