REMINDER Pittsfield Citizen of the Year
It is
time to pick Pittsfield’s 2017 Citizen of the Year. We need to know
who you feel should be honored this year. Please send the name of
your nominee and why you feel they should be honored to:
Citizen
of the Year P O Box 173 Pittsfield N H 03263
The
deadline to receive nominations will be June 19. A panel of former
Citizens of the Year will choose this year’s honoree from the
nominations submitted. Thank you for your nominations.
REMINDER Pittsfield Old Home Day Community Fair
On July 22nd
Pittsfield will celebrate Old Home Day “Pittsfield Goes to the
Circus!” The community fair will be in Dustin Park from 9:00 am to
3:00 pm. The Old Home Day Committee is looking for crafters and
community organizations to join the fair. Community
organizations can participate for free, and the vendor fee is
$10.00. If you would like to set up a table or booth please
contact Leslie Vogt at 435-7993 or
[email protected].
REMINDER Drake Field Summer Recreation Program
The Drake Field Summer Recreation Program is free to Pittsfield
children in grades 1-8. High school students are welcome to join in
and help for community service credit. We are located at Drake’s
Field and open Monday- Thursday beginning June 26th and ending
August 3rd . The only cost is for admission is to some field trips,
many are free. Breakfast and lunches will be provided free of
charge. Good behavior is mandatory.
Signup sheets will be sent
home with school children soon. For more information please contact
Mrs. Sawyer at 267-6733.
Do you like to eat and make
new friends at the same time? Grace Capital Church at 55 Barnstead
Road has several opportunities for you to do just that!
Thursday, 6/15 is our family dinner for youth entering 6th – 12th
grade. Come out and enjoy a free meal and get to see what our
youth group is all about. (Parents and siblings welcome.) On
Saturday, 6/24, there will be a pancake breakfast fundraiser to send
our youth to summer camp, and on Friday night, 6/30, we’ll be
cooking burgers and hot dogs on the grill at Dustin Park at 6.
This is a free and fun night for all. Kids games, food and
music! Hope to see you at one (or more) of these great events.
Thank
You
The Pittsfield Beautification Committee would like to thank
all of you who helped make our fund raising yard sales over the past
several weeks a big success. A very special thanks to those
that donated items and plants.
If you did not get a chance to
visit us at the yard sale and you would like to make a cash
donation to the Beautification Committee, please send a check
payable to the Pittsfield Beautification Committee, c/o Tine Fife
1394 Upper City Rd, Pittsfield NH 03263. Collection boxes can also
be found at Town Hall, Bell Brothers, Jack’s Pizza, Town Pizza and
Danis Markets.
Our
thanks again for the many people who support us throughout the year. See you at
our booth on Old Home Day!
Meet
Deborah And Vicky
After meeting ‘by chance’ in November 2016, it
didn’t take long for Deborah and Vicky to realize they both share
the same vision… to help others live healthier, happier, more
engaged lives by offering products and services designed to address
the needs of Body, Mind and Spirit.
Along with running a popular
wellness center, Sage Wellness Center and Spa, that brings you Yoga
Classes, Metaphysical Workshops, Massage Therapy, Community Grief
Support, Holistic Counseling, Hypnotherapy and many other holistic
health modalities and experiences, Deborah and Vicky have recently
expanded their offerings to include a very unique retail shopping
experience!
White Sage Boutique was born from their shared
vision to help support community by being living examples of the
concept of “Oneness” we all hear about but may not understand.
Because they embrace the theory that “We are all one”, they
understand that by celebrating, promoting and supporting another,
they in turn celebrate, promote and support themselves.
Because of this passionate belief they share, they are stocking
their Boutique with predominantly hand-made items from local
artisans as well as artisans from around the globe purchased through
Fair Trade organizations. Deborah and Vicky have created the moto
“Celebrating Local and Global Artisans” for the boutique.
At this
wonderfully, sunny and cheerful place they have created, customers
can spend time wandering the shelves, exploring the original
creations and learning about the artisans themselves as they read
their bios and stories that have been posted around the store.
Deborah and Vicky feel both honored and blessed to be able to bring
such rich offerings to central New Hampshire and offer heart-felt
gratitude to all who support their mission through attendance,
participation, sales and well wishes!
Pittsfield School Board June 1, 2017 Submitted By Ralph Odell
Bernadette Rowley, an elementary school teacher, made a presentation
describing the application of technology in her classroom, the
instructional techniques, and the progress being made with very
impressive results. She had recently given a similar presentation to
the NH Department of Education. Danielle Harvey reported that a
representative from National Public Radio had recently visited the
Pittsfield Schools and prepared a report to be aired to a national
audience. These are just two examples of continued progress.
The
end of the academic year is in sight and several reports followed
with that theme.
Derek Hamilton presented an updated end of the
year budget, attempting to maximize the purchases with limited
funds.
Melissa Brown reported on several activities focusing on
career and post graduate planning. She complemented all those
involved with a recent college fair. Twenty five representatives
from various post graduate opportunities were available accompanied
by workshops for students.
Donna Lehman presented updated student
numbers on those students receiving educational assistance. She
indicated the number of out of district placements that were the
result of children placed in foster care out of the district with
Pittsfield retaining the responsibility to pay for special
educational services.
Dr. Freeman presented an updated 2017-18
school calendar and the schedule for the Drake Field Summer Program.
Steve
Corning’s One Man Juggling And Entertainment Extravaganza
Wednesday June 28th 10:00am at the Drake Field Recreation Program
Josiah Carpenter Library Summer Reading Program will begin with a
free performance by Steve Corning’s One Man Juggling and
Entertainment Extravaganza! You’ll be amazed by fast-paced juggling
routines, comedy magic and sideshow stunts. Following the
performance a maximum of 30 youth will be able to take part in a
juggling workshop that will introduce skills that can build to
life-long exhilarating hobby. Please come and enjoy
awesome juggling entertainment! No reservations are needed;
the rain location is Pittsfield Elementary School.
At the
performance children will be able to register for Build a Better
World, the library’s summer reading program which will continue
through August 3rd. Visit the library any time to learn about
scheduled activities and registration. Questions? Call
435-8406 or email [email protected].
Meet
Your Milk At UNH Open Barn June 17
DURHAM, N.H. – The NH
Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of New Hampshire
and the Granite State Dairy Promotion invite the public to “meet
your milk” at the UNH Open Barn Saturday, June 17, 2017. The annual
statewide event, which is free and open to the public, takes place
at the UNH Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research Center from 10 a.m.
to 2 p.m.
“The UNH Open Barn is an annual event we’re proud to be
a part of,” said Amy Hall, director of Granite State Dairy
Promotion. “Connecting consumers with their local dairy food system
is of the utmost importance. It’s a day of educational fun for the
entire family. We encourage people to enjoy the facility, meet the
staff, and of course, the cows.”
The event gives the public the
chance to see a working New Hampshire dairy farm that is
representative of a typical New England dairy operation. Free New
Hampshire-made milk and ice cream, wagon rides, hourly tours, and
visits with the UNH milking cows and calves are the highlights of
the day’s activities.
According to Granite State Dairy Promotion,
New Hampshire has approximately 101 dairy farms with an average of
115 milking animals per farm. The year 2016 provided many challenges
for New Hampshire’s local dairy farms, resulting in the loss of 19
family-owned farms. The New Hampshire dairy industry strongly
impacts state and local economies with more than $141 million in
total output, 3,717 jobs, and more than $19 million in labor income.
“We encourage the public to join us and learn more about the UNH
facility, but also the industry as a whole. The milk consumers’
purchase, no matter the brand or point of purchase, comes from a
family-owned farm near them,” Hall said.
The Fairchild Dairy
Teaching and Research Center develops new knowledge and management
expertise geared directly toward many state and regional
stakeholders. It houses about 90 milking-age Holstein cows and
approximately 70 growing, replacement animals. Included in that
number is the 20-cow, student-managed Cooperative for Real Education
in Agricultural Management (CREAM) herd, with the remaining animals
devoted primarily to research in the area of dairy nutrition and
reproductive biology.
The Fairchild Dairy Center has been long
recognized for its quality milk and operations by the Dairy Farmers
of America, New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services,
and Dairy One. Cows at the Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research
Center produce an average of about 26,000 to 27,000 pounds of milk
per cow per year for the CREAM and research herds, which is greater
than the national average of about 22,000 pounds per cow a year.
The center is located at 36 O’Kane Road off Mast Road Extension in
Durham. It is open to the public seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 6
p.m. Visitors can observe the milking of cows at 3:30 p.m. each day.
Map: https://colsa.unh.edu/nhaes/directions/Fairchild.
Granite
State Dairy Promotion is a nonprofit organization funded by New
Hampshire dairy farmers. Granite State Dairy Promotion aims to
increase demand for dairy products and a deeper appreciation for
family owned farms.
Founded in 1887, the NH Agricultural
Experiment Station at the UNH College of Life Sciences and
Agriculture is UNH’s original research center and an elemental
component of New Hampshire’s land-grant university heritage and
mission.
The University of New Hampshire is a flagship research
university that inspires innovation and transforms lives in our
state, nation and world. More than 16,000 students from all 50
states and 71 countries engage with an award-winning faculty in top
ranked programs in business, engineering, law, liberal arts and the
sciences across more than 200 programs of study. UNH’s research
portfolio includes partnerships with NASA, NOAA, NSF and NIH,
receiving more than $100 million in competitive external funding
every year to further explore and define the frontiers of land, sea
and space.
The
Friday Night Kayak Group began the 2017 season on Friday
June 2 with eight kayaks paddling Harvey Lake in Northwood. The
group is open to everyone and meets at different local kayaking
sites every Friday at 6 PM during June, July and August. The
paddling trips last just over an hour and are always in the
Northwood to Barnstead area. Simply show up at this week’s Friday
night’s location. Visit our web site at huffnpuff.info for
information and location of the next trip and put yourself on our
email list. You can also call Paul Oman at 435 -7199 for more
information.
Pittsfield Old Home Day
SAVE the date... Saturday, July 22!
(Our Old Home Day event is a week later than “usual” due to the NHMS
Race that is being held on July 15 & 16 - we cannot compete with
that event!) The theme of the day is “Pittsfield Goes to the
Circus!” Please note - MAIN STREET WILL BE CLOSED FROM 8:30 AM
- 3PM (approximately)
Plans are underway and are being finalized
and more information will be coming soon. This is what we know
now:
On Friday, July 21 at 8:30pm, the Rotary Club will sponsor a
FREE Outdoor movie “DUMBO” at Drake Field. All are welcome -
bring your blanket and chairs! Refreshments will be available
for purchase.
On Saturday, July 22 - the Park St. Baptist Church
will start our day by serving a delicious breakfast! The cost
of the breakfast is by Donation.
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church
will hold a Silent Auction and offer all their delicious baked goods
and hot dogs!
Dustin Park will be home to the Community Fair -
KIDS ACTIVITIES, CRAFTERS, LOCAL ORGANIZATION BOOTHS, MUSIC and
more. (To sign up for a spot at the Community Fair at Dustin
Park, contact Leslie Vogt at 435-7993 or
[email protected].
NEW
this year - ARTSFEST (Family Circus Show from Laconia) - They will
feature Aerial tricks, trapeze, hooping and more - I think there
will be jugglers & stilt-walkers too.
CAR SHOW on Main Street
from 9-12.
POPCORN (any Flavor) is the Cook-Off theme this year.
Cash prizes are awarded to the top 3 winners. Call Andi Riel
at 435-6346 to register.
KIDS BIKE PARADE...........followed by
the Old Home Day Parade at 1pm
(Floats and other entries are
needed for the parade. It’s a CIRCUS theme - everyone loves a
Circus! Groups, Clubs, Businesses, Classes and Sport teams are
all encouraged to get together and enter a float- or something and
participate in the parade. The parade is only as good as
the entries in it!!
**** Please call MARK RIEL at 435-6346 if you
would like to put an entry in the parade ****
Cookout and
swimming at the F.B. Argue Rec Area (aka - Town Pool) after the
parade
Adopt A Duck Race at Drake Field Boat Launch
Battle of
the Badges (Police vs Fire) Softball game
Fireworks
We will
need some help with traffic detail before/during/after parade- if
anyone would like to help with that- please contact us.
For more
information, please contact Andi Riel at 435-6346 or
[email protected]
or Louie Houle at 435-6938.
New VA
Online Tool Helps Veterans Learn About And Compare Effective PTSD
Treatments Submitted Via Merrill Vaughan
WASHINGTON — The
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) launched a new online tool that
will help Veterans compare various treatment options for
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The PTSD Treatment
Decision Aid is a free, interactive online tool that helps educate
patients about effective treatment options for PTSD and encourages
them to participate actively in decisions about their care.
“The
health and well-being of the courageous men and women who have
served their country in uniform is the VA’s highest priority,” said
VA Secretary Dr. David J. Shulkin. “The PTSD Treatment Decision Aid
is an important step in putting Veterans in control of their health
care. By helping to bridge understanding and communication between
Veterans and providers about the most effective treatment options
available, we are ensuring Veterans receive the treatments that best
promote their healing and recovery.”
The tool includes
information about evidence-based PTSD treatments, such as talk
therapy and prescription medication options. It also includes useful
information designed for people who have served in the military.
Users can watch videos of providers explaining different treatment
options and what to expect with those treatments, and hear from
Veterans who have benefited from them.
Veterans can also build a
chart to compare the treatments they prefer and print a personalized
summary to share with their providers. All personal information is
erased once the tool is closed to protect users’ privacy.
According to VA findings, approximately eight of every 100 people
will experience PTSD at some point in their lifetimes, and almost
620,000 of the Veterans treated by VA have a diagnosis of PTSD.
“We know from research and our own clinical experience that
Veterans can recover and improve their quality of life with the
right PTSD treatment plan,” said Dr. Poonam Alaigh, VA’s Acting
Under Secretary for Health. “We want our Veterans and those who care
for them to have access to effective treatment options. Knowing
about the latest research can help them get the best care possible.”
To learn more about PTSD visit the National Center for PTSD
website at www.ptsd.va.gov. Health-care
providers who have questions about the PTSD Treatment Decision Aid
or other free resources can email the PTSD Consultation Program at
[email protected] or call
866-948-7880.
Debbie
and John Nickerson and Michael and Frances Sweet are proud to
announce the engagement of their son, Michael Benjamin Sweet to
Katie Lynn Deshaies. Katie is the daughter of Jenn and Matt
Folsom and Sean Deshaies. Michael is also the grandson of
David and Betty Sweet and the late Dick and Pat Lank, all of
Pittsfield. Katie is the granddaughter of Carol and the late
Ed Riley and Patricia and Ron Deshaies. Michael and Katie have
a wedding planned for August 2018 at The Stonebridge County Club in
Goffstown.
Letter
To The Editor
In last week’s Sun, planning board member Paul
Nickerson said that under new state law RSA 674:71 through :73, the
zoning regulation that prohibits renting an accessory apartment is
illegal and void, and he said that “legal attorneys” had agreed with
him.
It is true that on January 12, 2017, following Paul’s
inquiry, the New Hampshire Municipal Association said that new state
law RSA 674:72, VI, “would not permit a prohibition on the rental of
an ADU [accessory dwelling unit].” But no Pittsfield town official
that I know, except Paul, agrees with the NHMA, because RSA 674:72,
VI, says nothing about renting. Here is the statute in whole:
“A
municipality may require owner occupancy of one of the dwelling
units, but it shall not specify which unit the owner must occupy. A
municipality may require that the owner demonstrate that one of the
units is his or her principal place of residence, and the
municipality may establish reasonable regulations to enforce such a
requirement.”
See? Nothing about renting. The zoning prohibition
against renting an accessory apartment has existed since 2006, and
because all members of last year’s planning board disagreed with the
NHMA’s reasoning, the board did not propose repealing the no-rental
regulation.
In the May 31 Sun, I wrote that town boards have a
duty “to correct injustice done by employees, contractors, and
others not accountable through the democratic electoral process.”
The Pittsfield Planning Board majority takes this duty seriously and
does NOT rubber stamp attorneys.
Paul signed his letter “Planning
Board,” but he speaks only for himself and not for the board, and he
has only one vote.
If Paul believes that the no-rental regulation
is unlawful, then he can petition the Town Meeting to repeal it, and
I encourage him to do so.
Jim Pritchard
Letter
To The Editor
Now that spring is finally with us, it is time to
take down our dirty and faded flags, take them to the BCEP where the
American Legion Peterson-Cram Post 75 will dispose of them.
The date is for Flag Day, June 14 beginning at 9:00 AM or rain day
of June 15.
PLEASE do not put your flags in the garbage and
trash, take them inside the office and they will place them in the
back room pending final disposal.
If you have any questions,
please feel free to contact me at 603-340-1375
Merrill Vaughan,
Adjutant American Legion Peterson-Cram Post 75
Health
IT Publisher Recognizes 11 Innovative VA Programs Submitted Via
Merrill Vaughan
WASHINGTON — Federal Health IT, a print and
digital publication, will recognize 11 innovative,
health-information technology (IT) programs within the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) at a June 6 award ceremony in Washington, D.C.
“When you think of life-changing innovations, you don’t always think
of VA first, but you should,” said VA Secretary Dr. David J.
Shulkin. “VA researchers and scientists are working behind the
scenes to make life better for the nation’s Veterans, knowing that
the impact of their work is far-reaching. They don’t do their work
for recognition, but it gives us all great pride when their work is
noticed.”
Federal Health IT saluted VA for the following
innovations: Video Connect: With online medical appointment
visits estimated to increase tenfold by 2018, VA’s Veterans Health
Administration (VHA) recently expanded its video telehealth
capability, virtually connecting caregivers and patients in this
successful program.
Annie: VA’s Annie app provides short message
service (SMS) text-messaging capability, which allows patients to
receive appointment reminders, messages from the patient’s local VA
Medical Center, as well as health-monitoring prompts.
VA Mobile’s
Veteran Appointment Request App (VAR): VA is rolling out the VAR,
which allows Veterans to self-schedule primary-care appointments and
request assistance in booking primary care and mental health
appointments at VA facilities.
Health Hub: Aimed at boosting the
health and well-being of America’s Veterans, Health Hub is a
one-stop shop for all VA programs, with guides to programs that may
complement Veterans’ care or help them better manage chronic
illnesses.
Emerging Health Technology Advancement Center (EHTAC):
EHTAC is a lab environment used to conduct investigations of
emerging technologies or trends that are expected to mature within
the next five years. Currently, the efforts focus on leading VA
interoperability trials and demonstrations.
Innovators Network,
Veterans Affairs Center for Innovation: The VA Innovators Network
program began in early 2015 and was shaped by and built in response
to VA employees’ desire for a more networked organization to
accelerate the department’s ability to serve Veterans and their
families through innovation. The VA Innovators Network provides a
mechanism for employees to see and solve problems at the facility
level.
Continuous Readiness in Information Security Program
(CRISP): CRISP focuses on maintaining a strong cybersecurity posture
across all of VA, including protecting over 50,000 medical devices
connected to VA networks via the Internet of Things (IoT) at over
1,400 locations.
MyVA Performance Management Dashboard: The MyVA
Task Force led an effort to implement a new performance management
structure to improve VA programs and strategic initiatives.
Enterprise Veterans Operations: VA has built a customer relationship
management system (CRM) system that allows care providers to create
a 360-degree view of a Veteran, integrating information from nine
systems in real time.
VistA Intake: VistA Intake leverages
software solutions created by developers outside VA’s Office of
Information & Technology (OI&T). Over 20 local, field and
open-source innovations have been deployed in VA Medical Centers
across the country to improve services to Veterans.
Veterans
Benefits Management System: Veterans Benefits Management System is a
multi-year technology solutions project to transition the Veterans
Benefits Administration from a paper-intensive claims processing
environment to a paperless-based one. For information about VA
innovations, visit
https://www.research.va.gov/about/history.cfm.
VA
Launches Physician Ambassador Program Department partners with
volunteer medical professionals to improve care and services for
Veterans Submitted Via Merrill Vaughan
WASHINGTON — The
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today that it has
launched the Physician Ambassador Program, an effort to recruit
volunteer medical providers, at the more than 1,700 VA health-care
facilities across the nation.
The physician and clinician
“ambassadors” are qualified, trained and licensed health providers
who will meet the same requirements as VA professionals in terms of
credentials, supervision and evaluation.
“Our Veterans deserve
the highest quality of care — at all times,” said Dr. Poonam L.
Alaigh, VA’s Acting Under Secretary for Health. “The Physician
Ambassador Program is one of the many ways we are working to keep
and honor our promise to care for Veterans and their families.
Working with the health-care teams and staff in our VA facilities,
these incredibly skilled and qualified volunteer physicians and
clinicians will improve our ability to deliver great care and
service.”
The Physician Ambassador Program will enhance access to
urgent care, rural health care and emergency medicine for Veterans.
In addition, the program will create stronger collaboration and
allow both VA and community health providers to benefit from the
sharing of best practices and experiences.
Physicians or
health-care providers interested in volunteering as a part of the
Physician Ambassador Program should contact their local VA medical
center.
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