The
Merrimack County Stamp Collectors will hold its monthly meeting at
the Bow Mills United Methodist Church, 505 South St., Bow, on March
20, beginning at 1 pm. We invite all who are interested in
stamp collecting to attend, share their interest, buy, sell and
trade. Meet other collectors and learn more about their hobby
and enjoy the fellowship of others with varied interests in
Philatelic resources and issues. Gain new insight and
knowledge, sharing news articles and stories abut stamp collecting.
Learn of the latest cutting edge information on stamp collecting.
For more information call Dan Day at 603-228-1154.
From The Farm: Why Eat Meat?
Submitted Carole Soule
“Why do
we eat meat?” This a question I struggled with when I was a
vegetarian. In the 1990’s I was sure it was wrong to eat beef. I
hated the fact that cattle spent a great part of their lives in
Confined Animal Feed Operations ‘CAFO’….. that those same animals
received routine antibiotics and were implanted with growth hormones
to grow faster just seemed wrong to me.
Older
and wiser I now ask, “Why is it important that we eat meat?”
Since leaving my computer career and becoming a farmer, my
perspective as well as my diet has changed. I now eat meat… but only
meat that is locally raised, usually from my own farm. Picture a cow
grazing on a hillside grabbing clumps of grass growing around a rock
or the base of a tree. With its four legs, cattle can go where a
tractor would fear to drive; where even a weed-whacker would
struggle.
Did you
know that most of the surface land on Earth is suitable only for
grazing but not for crop production? That is certainly true in New
England. We have more rocky hillsides than flat land for raising
crops. Where do you think all those stone walls came from? They were
built by farmers using teams of oxen and horses to drag rocks out of
the fields. Anyone who suggests we should use grazing land to grow
crops has not lived in New England.
It is
true that cattle can graze where machines cannot go. And what do you
think happens to all the water that cattle need to drink? Do they
keep it in their bodies until they burst like a water balloon? No,
the water they drink returns to the earth as urea to add back
minerals to the ground and help create more grass to eat.
Did you
know that 80% of what a cow eats returns to the earth as fertilizer?
This manure not only enriches the earth by building topsoil; it
sequesters carbon and helps retain rainwater. Cattle are perfect
machines. They not only produce their own fertilizer and eat grass
that humans cannot eat; they increase the soil’s fertility and
capacity to retain water as well as provide nutrition for humans.
So, why
do I eat meat? Not just because of the delicious taste but because
grass-fed, local meat makes a quality difference in our health, in
our soil and in our community.
Carole
Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm, in Loudon, NH, where she
raises and sells beef, pork, lamb, eggs and other local products.
She can be reached at [email protected].
Letter To The Editor
School
Budget
The
Budget Committee examined the proposed School Budget at length.
There were areas the committee felt could be modified and the School
responded appropriately. The majority of the Budget Committee
approved the proposed budget and the comment was made that it was a
“reasonable budget.”
The
teachers have worked without a contract this year. They accepted a
health plan with higher co-pays and agreed to pay a higher portion
of their insurance. In order to have a take home pay that doesn’t
decrease, a pay increase is needed.
Two
thirds of the districts in the state have a cost per student greater
than Pittsfield. Comparing Pittsfield to other schools with a
similar size student body it has one of the lowest costs per student
in the state.
Voters’
requests have been heard and accommodations to the budget have been
made. Academic programs continue to make progress. I urge you to
support the budget and the teachers’ contract to help Pittsfield
continue to progress.
Ralph
Odell
Citizen
and School Board Member
Letter
To the
Citizens of Pittsfield,
I am
writing this letter to encourage you to vote in support of this
year’s school budget and teachers’ contract. The board, along with
school administration, has worked very hard to provide the best
possible education for our children, while putting together a
reasonable budget. We have uncontrollable costs such as special
education and the dwindling stabilization which is reduced by
$85,000 each year.
The
budget committee has scrutinized our budget and made recommendations
which we took very seriously and followed.
Our
teachers’ contract reduces the health plan that is offered, and they
have agreed to pay more toward their health care coverage while
receiving a 1.5% increase. The teacher’s association was very
reasonable throughout the negotiations process.
I would
also ask you to support Heidi Asdot and Ralph Odell as our school
board candidates. Each of them bring knowledge and talent that will
benefit our children and our community. They are both very budget
conscious while keeping the education of our children their top
priority.
Thank
you for your support of our schools, our children and our future.
Sincerely,
Bea
Douglas
Pittsfield Players’ Come Blow Your Horn
Auditions Coming Up
Director Carole Neveux will hold auditions for the Pittsfield
Players’ spring production of Neil Simon’s comedy Come Blow Your
Horn. Auditions will be held at the Scenic Theatre, 6 Depot St. in
Pittsfield on Sunday and Monday, March 11 and 12 at 7 pm each
evening. Come Blow Your Horn was Simon’s very first play, one that
he rewrote several times before it actually premiered in 1961, and
it was so successful that Simon was able to leave his job as a joke
writer and pursue his career as a playwright. The show has roles for
3 men and 4 females. The Players first presented this show in May of
1989.
What
does it mean to “grow up?” When does it happen? And, does everyone
have the same experience? Neil Simon’s semi-autobiographical play,
Come Blow Your Horn examines all of these questions through the lens
of the Baker Family. There is Mr. Baker, who began working at age
eleven and was married at twenty-one. Alan, his eldest son, is a
thirty-three-year-old confirmed bachelor and womanizer. Buddy, the
youngest son, is Alan’s opposite -- hard-working, obedient,
reserved, and unsure; Mrs. Baker is adept at the art of emotional
manipulation and is prone to hysterics. Throughout the course of the
play, the family struggles to understand and adjust to one another,
as the two sons begin to grow up, and the parents realize that they
are not nearly as young as they thought they were.
The
show will run at the Scenic Theatre on May 4, 5 and 6. For more
information about the show and auditions, contact Carole Neveux at
226-0039
Kentek
employees, Carol Cummings, left, and Marianne Abany hold yet another
check to be presented to the Pittsfield Food Pantry. Proceeds
from a Valentine’s Day raffle resulted in $240 from the employees,
matched by an additional $240 from Kentek Corporation.
Letter
To My
Fellow Pittsfield Citzens
Spring
is coming and so is the opportunity to vote for the folks running
for seats on the various Town Boards. VOTE for those that you feel
would do the best job for you and your town.
I ask
you to put aside any disagreements you may have with those running
and disregard any information that looks suspect. Give your
vote some serious thought. Your vote is most IMPORTANT.
I would
like to recommend two men, currently serving on the Pittsfield
Planning Board, Chairman, Clayton Wood and Daren Nielsen. Both
of these candidates have served their community admirably during
their current terms. I do not have room here to spell out what has
been accomplished during their tenure. Please take time to
read the town report that states what has been done by the Planning
Board for the past three years.
Clayton
and Daren have the experience needed and have served you and your
Town well. They have proven their value and worth to all you
citizens and the Town of Pittsfield.
When
you vote, please check off the boxes for Clayton and Daren.
Thank you for your consideration.
Helen
Schoppmeyer
Letter
Dear
Pittsfield voters;
My name
is Cedric Dustin. I am running for the position of Town Moderator
and am asking for your vote on March 13th.
My
parents raised me on the ideal that a person has an obligation to
work to better the community in which they live. In the 34 years
that I have lived and worked in Pittsfield I have attempted to live
up to this ideal. I have served in many positions in both government
and non-governmental organizations during those years. Among those
positions were one term as School District Moderator and multiple
terms as Town Moderator.
I truly
enjoyed my previous terms as Moderator and felt I performed the
duties of the office very well. I chose to give up the office due to
other commitments I had at that time. Serving as Moderator Pro Tem
at the December town meeting regarding the water district reminded
me of how much I had enjoyed the position. No longer having the
commitments that caused me to leave, I have decided to run again for
the position. I bring years of experience as Moderator as well as
hard-earned knowledge of many other facets of town government that
may affect the Moderator’s duties.
I hope
you will see fit to give me your vote and I thank you for your time
and attention.
Cedric
Dustin III
Letter To The Editor
The PES
PTO supports the Pittsfield School District budget, and especially
our teachers’ contracts.
“Working conditions of our teachers = learning conditions for this
community’s children”
“Better
Teacher Retention = Improvement of Instruction”
The
district listened to concerns and teachers are making concessions
about their insurance policy. The policy has switched to an HMO and
instead of paying the 9% they were paying, they have agreed to pay
13%. They also agreed to settle on a 1.5% increase after being
without a contract for this current year.
Our
district is recognized nationally for the work they’ve done to
improve our schools. There are schools from all over the country who
visit our school to observe our student centered approach to
competency-based education. The school’s improvement has been
documented on video by Edutopia- a very well recognized educational
resource used by schools all over the world.
Our
teachers continue to work hard and support our community, we need to
show them we support their efforts, too.
Pittsfield Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization Officers
Letter To The Editor
Selectboard Meeting 2/27/18
Adopting SB2 will be on the ballot for municipal voting and a
required hearing took place. There was a small amount of public
input, both for and against. Do your homework, understand the
consequences and vote accordingly. You owe it to yourself and the
town to be an informed voter.
Considerable time was spent with the police chief discussing his
present staffing. The Board requested he make arrangements with
neighboring towns to cover shifts that he doesn’t have manpower for,
so that Pittsfield has 24/7 coverage for the next month.
During
that time there will be hard decisions made regarding the extra cost
involved in covering shifts with paid details or overtime for our
officers. If we reduce coverage to stay within budget, we want
residents to weigh in. We don’t want widespread announcements of
coverage changes made, if any.
Chief
Cain is cautiously optimistic that he can hire some officers by
June. That is a two-edged sword, as we must use budgeted money to
pay new hires without being able to have them on the street right
away.
Consequently we’d have to find considerably more money for 24/7
coverage during their training period. We reduced the age to apply
to the police dept. from 21 to 20, considering most applicants would
be nearly 21 by the time they could actually patrol alone anyway.
This gives us a year’s edge on hiring over many towns. The BOS
continues to be frustrated with the length of time required to hire
new officers and discussed ways that might be improved.
Jesse
Pacheco was in to discuss simplifying the building permit process.
We also expressed our desire to make sure inspections are complete
the first time, with property owners notified in writing of any
shortcomings.
Carl
Anderson
Letter
Dear
Pittsfield Voters,
Please
join me in voting for Clayton Wood and Daren Nielsen for re-election
to the planning board.
Clayton
is current chair of the planning board, and Daren is vice-chair.
Clayton and Daren have contributed to the planning board for years,
they prepare extensively for every meeting, and the board has made
major accomplishments under their leadership, including
comprehensive revisions of the subdivision regulations and the
zoning ordinance to clarify rights and responsibilities under the
law.
And
they listen to the public. Many years ago, I sat as an abutter
in the audience of a planning board that acted as if all development
were good and that ignored abutters in opposition. That planning
board was mistaken. Development can be good in providing jobs
and improving quality of life, but development can also be bad in
burdening taxpayers and degrading quality of life.
Clayton
and Daren understand and have repeatedly stressed that abutters know
their own neighborhood better than anyone else and that abutter
feedback is crucial to the board’s understanding of how proposed
development will affect that neighborhood and the town overall.
This sensitivity to abutter concerns was evident in the board’s
hearing in January when two property owners expressed concern about
how correcting a zoning provision that conflicted with state law
might affect their property. Although only two people expressed
concern, the board recognized from this feedback a larger problem in
the zoning ordinance and immediately made correcting it a priority.
Many
people have little direct contact with the planning board, but
having a board that listens matters if you do get that notice of
public hearing. Clayton and Daren work hard, prepare well, and
listen carefully. Please vote for them for planning board on
March 13.
Thank
you,
Jim
Pritchard
University Of New Hampshire Announces December 2017 Graduates
The
following local students graduated from the University of New
Hampshire in December 2017. Students who received the honor of summa
cum laude graduated with a GPA of 3.85-4.0; students who received
the honor of magna cum laude graduated with a GPA of 3.65-3.84; and
students who received the honor of cum laude graduated with a GPA of
3.50-3.64. Students are only graduated after the Registrar’s Office
has certified that all degree requirements have been successfully
completed. Participating in the commencement ceremony is the act of
honoring and celebrating academic achievement.
Anthony
Frangione of Barnstead
Leah
Tzizik of Barnstead
Hollie
Foster of Center Barnstead
Suzanne
Fraher of Chichester
Marissa
Bates of Chichester
Carissa
Hodgdon of Northwood
Michael
Wolfendale of Northwood
Joseph
Miseirvitch of Pittsfield
Letter To The Editor
If you
attended the deliberative session for the school district, some
brave citizens tried to level fund the school. The first reaction of
the school board was that the sky will fall! We will lose
certification. They even referred to level funding as cutting the
budget. When questioned about the funds and cuts, the school board
couldn’t even get their own numbers to add up. Their lack of
preparation would make you question whether they actually need these
increases. Level funding was only defeated by 10 votes. Because of
SB2, the town has two choices: pass the budget for a $427,000
increase or fail the budget for the default budget - a $100,000
increase. Not the perfect scenario, but at least a choice. Please
vote NO on Article 4 Operating Budget on the School District Ballot.
The
problem is that too many people feel that small increases in the tax
rate are not only OK but also needed. Get more business in town and
that will take care of all our problems. A letter in last week’s SUN
showed that adding three Globe level businesses in town will only
reduce the tax rate by $0.83/1000! This year’s proposed school
budget alone would wipe out any benefit of adding three $2.7 million
dollar businesses. The only way to save this town is to stop
spending money that we don’t have.
Level
funding the town and school is one way of saving this town! It will
force these people to evaluate new ideas and real solutions. It will
keep special interest groups from making politicians feel bad
because they do not have to make the tough decision - no more money!
SB2
will allow us to make these tough decisions for the politicians.
Please vote YES on Article 8.
Clayton
Wood
Letter
Hello
Pittsfield Voters,
My name
is Belinda Nielsen, and most of you know me from working at the down
town drug store. My husband, Daren, is running for re-election to
the planning board. He is a dedicated and hard working person
who has spent his past three years on the board working for the
residents of Pittsfield. He graduated from UNH with a master’s
degree in Mechanical Engineering and has been grateful for the
opportunity to advocate for the town on the planning board.
Daren is a fair and honest man who will do his best to continue and
serve the residents of Pittsfield. We would appreciate your
support and your vote on March 13.
Thank
you,
Belinda
Nielsen
Letter
Dear
Pittsfield Voters,
I am
writing to ask you to join me in voting to re-elect Clayton Wood and
Daren Nielsen to Pittsfield’s Planning Board on March 13, 2018.
Clayton
has been a member of the Planning Board since 2009, and an effective
chair for six years. As chairman, he has been committed to
fairness and the best interest of the town and its citizens.
Daren’s
presence on the board has been a true asset, with his thoughtful
commitment to detail, and impartiality.
Both
Clayton and Daren work hard at preparing for meetings and keeping
abreast of current rules and regulations. These qualities are
necessary to sustain an effective board.
Please
vote for Clayton Wood and Daren Nielsen, Pittsfield Planning Board !
Thank
you,
Paula
Belliveau
Letter To The Editor
I’d
like to thank you for the privilege of serving on the school board
for the last three years. I’m very proud of our school and can
confidently say that the teachers and the administration work over
and above for our children. It was a pleasure learning and working
on the School Board.
Please
consider supporting Heidi Asdot for your new school board member.
She has
a daughter in the system and a background in finance. She will keep
our children’s education in the forefront while keeping in mind the
tax impact on our town. She will be an outstanding school board
member.
She’s
running for the right reasons to make a difference, and doesn’t have
an axe to grind or a personal vendetta. Please, consider voting for
Heidi.
Linda
Freese
Letter To The Editor
To the
good Citizens of Pittsfield,
One
last word before we vote on the proposed school budget and the
teachers’ contract on March 13th. Back in 2003 I was part of an
effort to cut $400,000 from the school budget. Most of the reasoning
was Barnstead was going with Alton and taking their $400,000 to
$500,000 in tuition payments.
The
other main reason was many of us were struggling to pay our property
taxes. Add to that the high interest charges of 12% and 18% for late
payment of taxes. Well, you get the idea. Oh, and of course, many of
us felt distant and disconnected from the school and equated the
same people who wanted to tell us what we could do with our land,
with the vote to support education and raise our property taxes.
That
was then, this is now.
I have
gotten to know John Freeman, Susan Bradley, and Tobi Chassie, along
with teachers, coaches, committee members, the School Board, and the
Budget Committee. They have not lied to me yet. You can trust them.
Our kids are being saddled with the consequences of climate, debt,
inequality, and gun violence. How about we pass the proposed school
budget and give the teachers their contract?
Try to
think of the administrators, teachers, and support staff as our
employees. If we don’t treat them the very best we can, we will not
have people to do the job.
Just
ask the Police Department about that.
Dan the
Stoneman
Letter
To the
citizens of Pittsfield,
I
strongly encourage you to vote in this year’s ballot voting on
school district matters on March 13.
This
year’s school budget represents a greater than usual increase.
We have done our best to explain the reasons for this increase
throughout the winter.
Two
cost functions that have attracted the most attention are technology
and special education. With technology, we used grant funds to
get us started with one-on-one devices. Unfortunately,
technology always seems to be one of the places where we look when
we need to bring the budget down.
As a
result, we have not been able to keep up in providing current
equipment to our students, and many struggle due to the age of our
devices. As always, our technology decisions are based both on
practical usefulness and cost of equipment. Of course, we are
persistent in seeking the most cost-effective solutions to student
needs.
Special
education costs have risen in recent years due to the increasingly
complex learning needs of our students. Last year, for
example, when the cost of out-of-district placements exceeded the
budget, we froze spending and accessed funds intended to support
other areas of the budget to accommodate these needs. This
area of the budget is potentially most volatile, but we are proud of
our efforts to support the needs of all students.
Despite
this year’s increase, the district held spending to below the
cumulative inflation rate over the past ten years. Rest
assured that we take seriously our twin responsibilities of
providing the best that we can for our students while remaining
sensitive to the ability of our community to support our schools.
Your support of our children and youth with a YES vote on this
year’s warrant articles is greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Mike
Wolfe, Chairperson
Pittsfield School Board
Letter To The Editor
To the
Editor,
Once
again a few residents of Pittsfield have placed a petition on the
ballot to adopt the so-called SB2 provisions. This initiative
was wisely rejected by Pittsfield voters last year for municipal
issues.
In
place for a year in the school district, SB2 has given us two
expensive voting sessions to deny the teachers a contract, while at
the same time not improving public participation in the deliberative
process in any appreciable way.
Meant
for cities such as Manchester, Nashua, and Salem that are too large
to conduct town meetings, SB2 is a serious detriment to small
communities such as ours. It destroys the essence of the town
meeting that has sustained us for generations. It adds a cost
burden of unnecessary elections and deliberative sessions. And it
does nothing to increase voter participation or voter education.
I urge
all of my fellow citizens to once again reject this Red Herring.
Yes, we need more participation at the annual town meeting, but SB2
is not the way to achieve it. What is truly needed is a citizen
effort next year to repeal it in the school district.
Sincerely,
J. C.
Allard
Obituaries
Roxanne L. Price
Roxanne
L. Price, 44 of Pittsfield, passed away on Wednesday, February 28,
2018 at her residence following a lengthy illness.
Born on
June 8, 1973 in Germany, she is the daughter of Marjorie (Higgins)
White and Glenn White.
Roxanne
worked for many years at the Shell station on Loudon Road in Concord
as well as the Hess station in Chichester, more recently she was
employed at Dunkin Donuts in Concord. She enjoyed time with her
family, baking and being outdoors, whether it was four wheeling,
mudding or riding motorcycles.
Roxanne
was predeceased by a granddaughter, Addison Scribner.
She is
survived by her fiancé, Keith Scribner of Pittsfield, children,
Amanda Wiggin and her husband Charles of Pittsfield, Glenn Scribner
and his fiancé Kelsie Cartier of Allenstown, Jonathan Scribner and
his fiancé Courtney Allison of Pittsfield, Sara Scribner and her
boyfriend Tyler Thompson of Ossipee, Andrew Price of Pittsfield and
Carlie White of Pittsfield, sisters, Jessica Booth and her husband
Glen of Pittsfield, Shirley Lagor and her husband Robert of VT,
grandchildren, Tyson, Payson, Lane and Scarlett as well as several
nieces, nephews and cousins.
A
Memorial Visitation will be held on Sunday, March 11th from 1 to 3
P.M. at the Still Oaks Funeral and Memorial Home, 1217 Suncook
Valley Highway, Epsom. To share a memory or offer a condolence,
please visit www.stilloaks.com
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