The Epsom Library will be having another Tuesday Movie Matinee on
March 31 at 2:00 PM. We will be showing the film “The Theory of
Everything”. Eddie Redmayne won Best Actor at the 2015 Oscars for
his portrayal of physicist Stephen Hawking. This film is rated
PG-13.
Letter To The Editor
Thank you to all who came out to vote on Election Day. I am honored
to be re-elected to the position of Overseer of Public Welfare and
grateful for your continued support. I look forward to serving our
community again this year and will continue to work diligently on
behalf of all of our residents.
Thank you,
Celeste Decker
Overseer of Public Welfare
Letter To The Editor
A son asks his father, “Can I use the car this weekend?”
Who owns the car?
A neighbor stops by your house and asks, “Can I use a rake?”
Who owns the rake?
A resident of Epsom goes to the Town Office and begs for permission
to build a garage on property to which they have title.
Who owns the property?
You may pay the mortgage.
Your name may be on the deed.
You may pay the property taxes.
You may bear the liability should someone get hurt on a piece of
property.
But if you have to ask the government for permission to use that
property, you don’t own it.
You may think that you own it. It may look like you own it on
paper, but in reality, you do not.
The government does.
In this case, the local government, in the form of some local
official who thinks that they, not you, know best how that property
should be used.
Zoning ordinances leave you with all the costs of ownership, the
responsibilities, and the liabilities of ownership . . .
But you’re denied the benefit of ownership, of deciding how that
property will be used.
If local officials don’t like what you want to do with “the”
property (can’t really say its “your” property) . . .
Too bad for you.
Change your plans.
If local officials don’t like where on “the” property your project
is located . . .
Too bad for you.
Change the location.
To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, “He who would give up an essential
freedom, like the right to own and control their own property, for
the illusion of temporary security put forth by the advocates of
zoning ordinances, deserves neither freedom nor security.”
And, in the end, they will get neither freedom nor security.
Jack Kelleher
Letter To The Editor
I would like to take this opportunity to express my thanks to the
people of Epsom for providing me the opportunity of serving as your
Selectman for the past three years. My goal was always to do what I
thought was in the best interest of the citizens of our Town and I
am confident that the decisions made by the Board during my tenure
were made in that regard.
I plan to continue to remain active in community affairs including
the Planning Board and the Historical Association and will volunteer
for other projects and activities which have the promise of
improving the quality of life in our Town.
It has been an honor for me to serve. Thank you all so very much.
Betsy Bosiak
Epsom Food Pantry
Spring is just around the corner, I hope. I have had just about
enough of
this snow. Again, to your gardens, please do not forget our Pantry
when planting, as we really look forward to the fresh veggies.
I talked with Ken this AM and he said we could use some tomato soup
and some whole tomatoes in cans. And, of course, anything we
receive is so greatly appreciated.
Just this week a family was cleaning out grandmother’s home and gave
us a great food donation. I, frankly, see in the very near future,
with so many cuts at the state level, we may well be a saving grace
for families here in Epsom who will feel this pinch. Not to worry,
we will take care of those who will be in need.
So until next time,
Priscilla
Letter
To my constituents in Allenstown, Epsom, and Pittsfield,
This week, my committee heard four Senate bills. SB16 eliminates the
mandate for an on-board observer of water skiers when on a slalom
course. Since these courses are marked off from other traffic, the
driver can observe the skier in his rear-view mirror without having
to watch out for other boats.
SB38, a commission to develop a land conservation plan, was the
recommendation of a study committee from last year. There are still
questions about the wording of the bill, so a subcommittee will be
working on this one. SB80, creating a study committee on rail
trails, generated some opposition from horse riders, who are
concerned that these trails will all be paved. This bill will also
be worked in subcommittee.
SB173, creating a study committee on how to arrange a club program
for off road vehicles, probably similar to the snowmobile club
system, had no opposition and a lot of support from the north
country, where OHRV trail riding has invigorated the tourist
business. A few clubs of volunteers create and maintain the trail
network, so they want to get more people involved.
Dan is working overtime on the budget. The governor’s budget has a
lot of tax and fee increases, as well as extremely rosy estimates of
how much existing taxes will bring in over the biennium, so she
could increase spending by 6.5%. The House Ways & Means revenue
estimates have been extremely accurate for the last six years, but
they only support about a 1% increase. Considering that the governor
just approved a labor contract with 2% raises, some programs will be
cut and some employees laid off. Details are still in work.
Interested readers can email me for my newsletter, with more details
than fit here.
Representative Carol McGuire
[email protected]
782-4918
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