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Pittsfield NH News

July 18, 2018

The Suncook Valley Sun News Archive is Maintained by Modern Concepts. We are NOT affliated in any way with the Suncook Valley Sun Newspaper.



    

REMINDER

Suncook Valley

Soccer Club

Registration is now open for the Fall 2018 Season!

Visit suncookvalleysoccerclub.com or our facebook page to sign up.

Registration ends 8/1.

 


 

Messy Art Day!

F.B. Argue Town Pool

July 28th 1:00 – 3:00pm

 

The Josiah Carpenter Library and the Parks and Recreation Committee have gathered up paint and paper for your artistic delight.  Enjoy creating glitter fireworks, chalk art (the public works parking area could get very colorful!), balloon burst painting, paintball smash, and (toy) truck track painting.  The rain date is Sunday July 29th.  While you are there relish reading a book on a story walk.  Come have fun and get messy!

 


 

TOPS News

​Left: Sandy Gilmore KOPS for two years,  Suzie, on the right, Pat Smith, KOPS for 16½ years. Meetings are on Tuesdays 6:30 at Joy Church 55 Barnstead Rd. For information about attending a TOPS meeting, call Pat- 435-5333 or Beth 435-7397.

 

Our TOPS chapter recently celebrated  Suzie Fife, upon reaching her weight goal and attaining  KOPS status(Keep Off Pounds Sensibly).  She received a necklace, pin, earrings and other gifts to remember the occasion.  Congratulations, Suzie! Several other KOPS were in attendance.

 


 

Letter To The Editor

Select board meeting 7/10/18

 

I missed last meeting so no update on it, however Chief Collins brought a full-time certified officer on, Sargeant Nance, who’s ready to start patrolling immediately.  That’ll go a long way to alleviating overtime and outside coverage.  We’ve got another full-time applicant who has been made a conditional offer, and another part-timer.  We are rebuilding the PD basically from the ground up, the only long-serving officer remaining being Sgt. DiGeorge, who is guiding all our new uncertified hires through the process as Chief Collins concentrates on daily operations and reviewing the practices of the department.  Things are looking up every day.

 

A sealed bid of nearly $1000 was accepted for 3 vehicles that are no longer serviceable for the town.

 

Avitar came to explain how the tax assessment ratio is determined by the state.  When considering how high our tax rate is, the ratio must also be taken into account. Tax rate alone is often not a true comparison to other towns.  Regardless, everyone’s tax bill should remain the same despite fluctuations in the ratio.  What REALLY affects our tax bill is how much money we spend and we continue to be frugal.

 

Atlantic Broadband (formerly Metrocast) is currently operating here without a franchise.  We’re trying to find other cable providers who’d be interested in giving us a bid proposal, although we understand this may be unlikely due to infrastructure.

 

There’s a number of public hearings coming up that residents should try to attend.  The time to have a say in matters is at a hearing, not a complaint session after the fact.  A hearing for the relocation of the Historical Society to the Washington House lot is July 24 at 6:15 PM.

 

Carl Anderson

 


 

Concord Regional VNA Seeks Hospice Veteran Volunteers

 

Concord Regional VNA is seeking veteran volunteers to offer companionship and support to veterans receiving hospice care. The next eight-week training program starts on Thursday, September 6 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Concord Regional VNA Hospice House, 240 Pleasant Street in Concord.

 

“Our veteran volunteers, as part of our We Honor Veterans Program, have the unique ability to bond with other veterans who are receiving end-of-life care,” said Lisa Challender, MSW, Volunteer Coordinator. “For some veterans, it is the first time they have ever talked about their military experiences and it’s with one of our veteran volunteers. It can be truly therapeutic for all those involved.”

 

Veteran volunteers visit veterans receiving hospice care in their homes, facilities, and at Hospice House.

 

In addition, we are seeking hospice volunteers to assist with:

• Providing companionship to hospice patients

• Offering caregiver respite

• Reading to hospice patients

• Holding a hand and lending a listening ear

• Running errands for hospice patients

• Cooking meals at the Hospice House

• Providing pet therapy, music therapy, and therapeutic arts

• Giving Reiki, Massage, or Therapeutic Touch

• Assisting staff with office work (e.g. filings, mailings)

• Facilitating grief support groups

 

Please call (603) 224-4093 or (800) 924-8620, ext. 2826 or e-mail [email protected] by Friday, August 10 to learn more about volunteer opportunities.

 


 

From the Farm: A Sad Day on the Farm

Submitted By Carole Soule

Pigs waiting for dinner

 

Carole with Charlotte, an "ambassador" pig who has a forever

home on the farm.

 

Victor studied the three pigs in the pen and pointed out that the one we had chosen probably weighed over 300 pounds, much too big for a “roaster.” He pointed to a different animal and said, “That one would be a better size.” I got the buyer's OK, and the smaller pig was dispatched.

 

It's a sad day at Miles Smith Farm when we sell a hog to be processed for meat – a hog we have raised and cared for. In this case, the buyer had purchased this hog for a pig roast. Then we contracted with Vic Huse to come to the farm, dispatch the animal, and prepare it for roasting.

 

Because the hog was purchased while alive for roasting, it became the property of the new owner even though it stayed on our farm for processing. In all other cases, we are required by law, to bring our live animals – cows, pigs or lambs – to a USDA-approved facility for processing. There an inspector watches the animal walk into the chute. If the animal seems sick, the inspector can reject it, and it won't be processed. 

 

Once a healthy animal is humanely killed, the carcass is skinned, gutted and continually washed -- all subject to USDA inspection. Depending on the meat (beef, lamb, goat, pork) it hangs in a cooler for a few days to two weeks, then goes to the meat-cutting room where hanging sides are cut and Cryovacked into individual packages of steaks or roasts or ground into hamburger, ready to sell. This meat carries the seal of the processing plant, which indicates it is USDA-approved. The processor then delivers boxes of delicious, humanely processed meat to our farm.

 

The plant we chose for processing always treats our animals as we would – with respect. They are handled carefully in a state-of-the-art facility. The animals wait calmly in pens until it is time to walk through the curved chute to be processed. I want no less for the animals I've lived with for months or years.

 

Even so, I prefer that an animal meet its end on the farm, in a familiar environment. And while I know it is better for the animal, it always hard for me. I wish I could keep all the animals I raise, but that is not an economic reality. Just like you, I have a mortgage, insurance premiums and utility bills to pay. Hay alone costs $30,000 a year. The farm may run on sentiment, but my creditors want money.

 

Even more importantly, we started this farm as an alternative to factory farms where livestock have numbers, not names. I want to know that our pigs got to express their pigness; that cows could graze on tall grass; that lambs were raised with kindness. 

 

Within an hour, Victor was done, and the pig hung in the cooler ready to be taken to the pig roast. The purpose of raising this pig was to provide food. His life was good, and the end was quick, without suffering. I don't regret my decisions, but that doesn't mean I can't be sad at the same time. On days like this, I can't always hold back the tears.

 


 

NH School Funding

Submitted By Laurel Bissonnette

 

Paying too much in property taxes? Not getting the quality education that your child deserves?  You’re not alone. 74% of adults in NH live in a town that is at or below the equalized valuation per pupil.

 

What is equalized valuation per pupil (EVP) you ask? Great question! In its simplest form the EVP is a number that represents a town’s available tax base to pay for its students. It’s calculated by dividing the town’s total property values by the number of students in the town.

 

If your town’s EVP is high you can afford to have a nice low tax rate and still have lots of money for education.

 

If your town’s EVP is low you must have a high tax rate in order to afford basic educational costs.

 

In 2017 the average EVP for the state was about $1 million. The average EVP for Pittsfield was $470,000. Pittsfield has less than half the state average! Are your kids worth half as much as a kid who lives in a property rich community?

 

It’s not a school budget problem, it’s a state funding problem.

 

Left wing, right wing or stuck in the middle, this is the ONE thing we can all agree on. We need a solution that equalizes property tax rates across the state of New Hampshire. We need a solution where the state contributes funds from wealthy communities to assist poorer towns. A great education is a right for all NH kids, not just those fortunate enough to live near a big lake or ski resort.

 

Property poor communities cannot continue to pay more and more than our wealthier neighboring communities. The state needs to step up and own its constitutional responsibilities. Students are the ultimate victims as their schools continue to decline and taxpayers are pushed beyond their limits.

 

In the Claremont lawsuit, the court concluded that the provision of an “adequate education” was a state responsibility and under the constitution must therefore be funded by taxes that are uniform in their rates. How can we provide an “adequate education” to our students without breaking the backs of the majority of NH property owners?

 

Following the School Funding 101 forum given by Andru Volinsky, Executive Councilor and John Tobin last month, educators and concerned citizens are meeting to address the underlying tax issues and what we can do about it.

 

Be part of the solution to this educational funding problem. Please join us in taking action. Laurel Bissonnette, [email protected].

 

Doug Hall provided the data in regard to property tax.

 


 


 

 











 

 

 

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