The Hooksett Banner ­ May 6, 2004

This week's stories: (click on the headline to jump to story)

Too bursy to keep minutes The Old Meetinghouse comes full circle A playground for all abilities Hooksett votes May 11 Grocery co-op may relocate in Pembroke

Are you interested in chatting about Hooksett issues? Want to help plan Hooksett's future? Check out the new Internet chat group begun by the master plan committee at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hooksett_chat/ Auburn has a similar group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/auburn/

See Hooksett Town warrants for the May 11 vote here.

Auburn

Too busy to keep minutes

Auburn selectmen fail to keep records of all public meetings

By JUDITH DIONNE Staff Writer jdionne@yourneighborhoodnews.com Being a public official means long hours of hard work coupled with a distinct lack of respect. More often than not, these positions are volunteer or pay only a small stipend for the official. It's a thankless job, where officials must try to balance pleasing the public that elected them and the town or city they work for. Not all officials are overworked heroes, however. To make sure public administrators keep residents abreast of all they do, New Hampshire has the Right To Know Law, RSA 91-A, to spell out what information must be made public. Governing bodies, such as aldermen, selectmen and school board members, do this by posting all meetings, public and nonpublic, at least 24 hours before they're held. At those meetings, they must keep minutes. In the case of public meetings, minutes must be made available to residents within 144 hours.

Auburn Selectman Harland Eaton

However, not all towns in New Hampshire follow these rules. Go into some small towns and you may hear citizens grumble about meetings they've witnessed going on after hours or at a local diner between members of the governing body. Many of these meetings are innocent, a chance passing perhaps, but the perception is there that something is going on behind residents' backs.

Auburn concerns In Auburn, complaints have been launched against the selectmen, even though many say the selectmen are doing a good job running the affairs of the town. Resident and former Auburn selectman Paula Marzloff said the three men who work on behalf of the town are truly dedicated and only want what is right for Auburn. However, she said that dedication is what is undermining the town's well-being. "Drop by there any time of the day and you'll probably see two or three of them in the town hall," said Marzloff. "It's not a crime for them to be there, but they always hold meetings and planning without minutes being taken while they're working." "The reality is we just can't document everything we do," said Selectman Bruce Knox.

Auburn Selectman Bruce Knox

"We can't always advertise a week ahead that we're having a meeting. We're here all the time doing administrator's work." ­ Bruce Knox, Auburn selectman	"We've been operating a long time," said Selectman Harland Eaton. "We don't do anything different now than we did in the past." Eaton said the selectmen haven't changed the way they do business, but what has changed is the size of the town.

The town has grown considerably, said Eaton, and the selectmen do their job plus the work of a town administrator.

"The reality is: If the basement floods, we can't post a meeting and wait to hear from the town to see what we should do about it," said Knox. "We operate in the capacity of an administrator making decisions daily."

To bid or not to bid

Those daily decisions created a hotly debated discussion at a meeting in March 2003. According to the minutes of March 31, a resident stated he requested information regarding several jobs that had been done that did not go out for bid.

Both Knox and Eaton said the reason the Coleman Road rehabilitation and Dearborn Road weren't put out to bid was because they already had Don Wheeler Construction working out there. They just extended the contract and saved the town money because there were no additional costs incurred by putting out a new bid.

In addition, Rene Labranche from Dufresne-Henry agreed with Eaton and Knox about the money saved and added they didn't incur any additional mobilization costs because they were working there already. Also, familiarity with Don Wheeler Construction saved the town from having to do additional background checks on the company.

As far as not getting a bid on the town hall addition, Knox compared it to his flood analogy ­ the room needed to be done.

Undocumented decisions

Resident Don Canedy said the room was added to accommodate the company that was doing the revaluation of town property, which needed a private room in which to work and speak with homeowners.

Canedy said the room did not have to be done so quickly that a bid was impossible. Neither Knox nor Eaton commented on this, just saying bids cost money.

Bids are necessary to save the taxpayers money and open the market up to fair competition, said Canedy, adding the selectmen may feel they are working in the best interest of the town, but it is in the best interest for all to open up a job for bids.

Beyond the bid process being questioned, Marzloff, Canedy and others are concerned too much business is being done without the public's knowledge, specifically at budget time.

In the Feb. 2, 2004, minutes it was stated that "The selectmen noted they have been over the final budget lines, but there had not been a formal vote on them," and the rest of the meeting continued with the selectmen listing off the warrant articles like a laundry list and approving them with no discussion.

"You can't go to a meeting as a selectmen and bring up items and not have a discussion about them, especially warrant articles," said Marzloff.

"I don't go to many meetings, but whenever I'm there or I see minutes following a meeting, business transpires like that 90 percent of the time," said resident Everett Harriman, referring to the Feb. 2, 2004, minutes.

The selectmen said they hold work sessions to prepare prior to a meeting, especially at budget time. The work sessions are valuable at budget time to go over the warrant articles.

They do not take minutes at these meetings however, saying the secretary is too busy and they're not hiding anything.

"If a resident walked in and wanted to be part of the meeting, they're more than welcome," said Knox. "The door is always open."

The law requires minutes

The Right To Know Law clearly states that at any meeting where a quorum is present, minutes must be taken and that meeting should be posted to let the public know it was being held.

"We can't always advertise a week ahead that we're having a meeting," said Knox. "We're here all the time doing administrator's work."

The law is clear, however, said Marzloff. Work like that should never be done without minutes being taken. Beyond budget planning, any town planning, like preparing bids and road work decisions, needs to be documented for the public. It's residents' money the selectmen are spending.

Aside from the ongoing process of budgets and bids, the selectmen must prepare weekly for public meetings so residents can be kept abreast of the work they do, and at these meetings minutes are taken.

Web site issues

However, in March 2003 several residents accused the selectmen of editing minutes and using their own private agendas to stop a town Web site.

Prior to the March 2003 Town Meeting, Harriman wrote a letter to selectmen stating he wanted to set up a town Web site and manage it for the town free of charge. He'd been in touch with Virtual Town Hall, the company preferred by the New Hampshire Municipal Association to host Web sites for towns. They said they could host it.

When Harriman didn't hear back from the selectmen prior to Town Meeting, a friend in town suggested he approach the microphone at the meeting and make a motion to amend the town's operating budget on the floor for $1,600, the amount it would cost to set up and host the site for a year. The motion was accepted at the meeting.

The Monday following the meeting, March 17, Harriman said he went to the selectmen's meeting to get the money and information he'd need to begin his work. He met an unpleasant surprise in the form of opposition by the selectmen.

Harriman said Eaton felt it was in the best interest of the town if the site wasn't set up, stating Auburn has about 2,100 registered voters in town and only about 250 turned out for the meeting, so the outcome at the meeting couldn't be viewed as the wishes of the town.

"So the Town Meeting be damned," Harriman said he thought as Eaton spoke.

Further, Harriman said, selectman David Anderson added "Auburn is a nice town. Let's keep it that way," meaning if the town had a Web site, everyone would be privy to the town's business.

Not word for word

Regarding the minutes, Eaton said they're not supposed to be a transcript of what happens at a meeting. They're supposed to let residents know what business was transacted and be a historical record of what transpired.

When asked who edits the minutes, the question went unanswered and Eaton said if people go to a meeting they want to see their comments on a page and that's all, they don't need every detail.

That may be true, but an accurate description of all events must be given for public record, said Marzloff. When an exchange happens between parties in a meeting, it must be on record.

"When I was on the board, we never changed a thing in the minutes," said Marzloff.

Auburn selectmen are a very dedicated group, but need to be more accountable for the work they do daily, agreed Marzloff, Canedy and Harriman.

All the selectmen agree they're doing the best they can do and have only the interest of the town at heart.

"We're an unusual town with an unusual board," said Knox. "We're very dedicated to the wellbeing of this town."

"Obviously we're doing a good job," said Eaton. "We keep getting re-elected. All those voters must think we're doing something right."

Auburn

The Old Meetinghouse comes full circle

By AMY FORTIER
Correspondent

For the many organizations in Allenstown, competition for the small meeting rooms in the town hall and fire station will soon be less fierce when a new meeting space opens up. Actually, when an old meetinghouse reopens.

The restoration of the Old Meeting House on Deerfield Road in Allenstown's Bear Brook State Park is the current endeavor of the Allenstown Historic Society and the New Hampshire State Historic Preservation Office. After a 200-year history, the Old Meeting House is now back in the possession of Allenstown and many organizations and committees are enthused about preserving the last remaining one-story meetinghouse in the state. The Old Meetinghouse was originally constructed in 1815 by the town of Allenstown, which at that point had fewer than 400 residents. As with most meetinghouses, this one was multifunctional and was used for meetings, voting, worship and weddings. It served this purpose until about 1876, when many of the Allenstown residents had moved to be closer to Suncook Village, which was rapidly growing into a busy manufacturing center due to the availability of waterpower. With this shift in the population's center, the Old Meetinghouse was no longer convenient and meetings were moved to an auditorium in the village. The Old Meetinghouse stood empty and unused, barely opened or maintained, until Allenstown voted to transfer all rights of the building to the Buntin Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1901, with the condition that the DAR restore and maintain the building. The DAR did restore the building and it was rededicated in 1909, but still it was not often used.

THE OLD MEETING HOUSE ­ Members of the Allenstown Historical Society convene outside the Old Meeting House that has stood on Deerfield Road since 1815. The title to the historic structure was turned over to the town of Allenstown in March and many plans for its restoration and preservation have already been put into motion. (Amy Fortier Photo)

In 1991, the DAR lacked the resources and members to continue the upkeep of the building, which was badly damaged by weather and fire. The DAR turned the building over to the state of New Hampshire, but limited budget prevented the state from accomplishing much renovation.

In March, the state transferred title of the building and its lot back to the town of Allenstown, thus the ownership of the little Meetinghouse came full circle.

Today, the Meetinghouse still maintains much of its original integrity. The interior has the original sloped floors, elevated pulpit and rows of hard, wooden pews. Many of the pew boxes owned by old Allenstown families still have the original paper placards denoting the family name that were pinned to the pew gate two centuries ago.

"This building has a huge educational potential. It gives a real feeling of what life was like in the 1800s because it has predominately stayed the same for almost 200 years," said Jim Garvin, an architectural historian working for the state Historic Preservation Office. "Imagine sitting in this unheated building in the middle of winter!"

The Meetinghouse is in need of some very serious and very expensive repairs. The building has a severe mold problem causing members of the committee with allergies to hover near the doorway. It needs a new roof, new windows, a handicap entrance and a new plaster ceiling. The Allenstown Historical Society members are hopeful they will receive a $10,000 grant from the state Conservation License Plate Fund, and they have many fundraising ideas. Ambition is high, but choosing where to begin seems to be problematic as their current funds are tight and the restoration list is long.

Carol Martel, author of "The History of East Allenstown, New Hampshire and Bear Brook State Park," and chairman of the steering committee, shared her confidence that the Allenstown Meetinghouse will continue to stand with her analogy of the "Seven Wonders of the Meetinghouse."

Martel told the attendants of a meeting on Saturday, May 1, that the Meetinghouse has survived at least seven disasters in its nearly 200 years of existence. In 1815, while still under original construction, the Meetinghouse stood up against one of the worst hurricanes ever to befall the region. A hundred years later in 1914, the Meetinghouse survived a huge fire that engulfed its surrounding forest because 50 local men worked together to dig a huge ditch around the entire building that successfully diverted the flames.

In 1985, the Old Meetinghouse had an even closer call when an arsonist set the building on fire, yet it was detected early enough that only one corner and the roof were destroyed, thus maintaining most of the original structure and its internal contents. Severe winters have caused the roof to collapse twice, which again threatened the structure of the building.

Yet the Old Meetinghouse still stands, a staunch monument to the hardy forefathers who built it, and now with the enthusiasm and determination to preserve it that has been demonstrated both by the people of Allenstown and the state, will continue to do so for centuries to come. After its restoration, the Old Meetinghouse will again be open for organizations to host meetings and weddings, and as a historical site.

"We have a lot of work ahead of us," said Laura Bonk, president of the Allenstown Historical Society, "but this building has a long history and, with our help, it will continue its long life."

Epsom

A playground for all abilities

By JAMIE COUGHLIN Contributing Writer Twenty volunteers gathered bright and early at Webster Park in Epsom Saturday, May 1, equipped with screwdrivers of every size, bags of cement and the all-important Dunkin' Donuts coffee, to complete the last phase of the park's brand new playground. It was a glorious day and everyone was bustling around making sure that every piece of the playground's new main play structure was in place and every socket was tightened. The project began three years ago when the Friends of Webster Park Committee decided that it was time to breathe life back into the park. The park hadn't been renovated since the 1970s. The original playground was actually used equipment, given to the park by Epsom Central School after they renovated their own playground, said volunteer Pat Keeler.

UP IT GOES ­ Volunteers lift a large piece into place at the new Webster Park Playground. Many volunteers came out Saturday, May 1, to work on the project. (Jamie Coughlin Photo)

Spearheaded by committee member Kim Keeler, the committee sought several fundraising sources, including grants, auctions that involved the help of the Epsom-Chichester Lions Club, and donations. Three years later, they reached their goal of $50,000 and were ready to build the playground. "If it weren't for the help of local businesses and individuals, this renovation wouldn't have taken place," said Keeler. "This is something all of us will be able to enjoy for many years to come." And this is some playground. For kids getting ready for summer break, this is definitely the place to visit. With work divided into several stages, the committee and several volunteers installed swing sets, monkey bars, rock climbing walls and the impressive main play structure with its tiered platforms and double slides, which was purchased from Bill Eckhart of Childscapes, who also oversaw the installation. Keeler, who works with special-needs children, made it a point to ensure that all the equipment is handicap-friendly and even provided special swing sets for children in wheelchairs that will be arriving in June.

WHEEEEE ­ Kim and Patrick Keeler enjoy the slide at the new Webster Park playground once it was assembled. (Jamie Coughlin Photo)

"I wanted a playground where everyone could have fun, including handicapped kids, and that is exactly what we created," said Keeler.

Even some young children, who tagged along with their parents to help out, were impressed by what they saw.

Hayley Gelinas and Sam Yeaton summed the playground project up best by giving the ultimate kid approval, "It's so cool and it's awesome."

The children also thought it was great that the parents and adults were helping out.

"I think it's great, because they're giving up their time to help with the park," Gelinas said.

So with the start of summer quickly approaching, Webster Park is sure to draw crowds of both children and adults, said Keeler.

"Webster Park is for everyone and anyone. There are beautiful walking paths and picnic areas that have been renovated and now we have our great playground. It's truly a wonderful family environment."

But for anyone, young or old, interested in using the playground's slide, you'll have to take a number behind young Britney Streeter, who said, "All I know is that I'll be the first one on the slide!"

Hooksett

Hooksett votes May 11

By GINGER KOZLOWSKI
Staff Writer
editor@yhooksettbanner.com

Voters will soon decide who will be sewer commissioner, whether to fund a study and land acquisition to get a Route 3 bypass started, whether the Hooksett Fire Department will get a new fire truck, whether the town should accept ownership of Village School from the school board, and whether the town should rescind authorization to borrow or raise money for a composting operation. Those items are among the 34 warrant articles being presented along with candidates for election on Tuesday, May 11.

Should all articles pass, the tax rate of $20.57 per $1,000 of a property's value would increase by $1.24, said Hooksett Finance Director Diane Savoie. If all articles, including the operating budget, fail, the rate would increase by about 20 cents, she said.

Candidates

There is only one contested race in Hooksett, that of sewer commissioner. John Gagnon and Raymond Robb are running for the slot. Both support composting in Hooksett, but Robb would like to keep the current plan to have composting done at the sewer plant next to Hooksett Memorial School, while Gagnon would like to move it to a location across the Merrimack River.

Composting

If Article 34 passes, where to have composting done may be something no one will have to figure out. The petitioned article, not recommended by the town council or budget committee, would rescind the town's original vote to allow the town to borrow or raise money for composting. Composting advocates say the operation will reduce solid waste disposal costs for the town. Those against it say composting creates noxious odors which they are not willing to see if biofilters will eliminate, and are worried about having such an operation next to an elementary school.

Operating budget

Composting forced a change in the recommended operating budget at the Town Meeting in April. The budget was raised by $170,000 to $13,053,164 to pay for sewage hauling made necessary by the end of the composting plan. If defeated, the default budget figure is $12, 239,217.

Bypass

While a Route 3 bypass has been discussed for decades, the first step to its becoming a reality may be the passage of Article 14. This article would raise $150,000 for a feasibility study and land acquisition. Town Council Chairman Michael DiBitetto was clear at the Town Meeting in April that if action was not taken now to get the bypass started, the bypass may never be built, based on the development of land where the bypass would go. Others say such a road is the state's responsibility to build and the town of Hooksett should not have to fund the road directly. The article would raise the tax rate by about 13 cents, which translates to a $26 increase in the tax bill of a home valued at $200,000.

Growth

Traffic woes are one byproduct of Hooksett's growth, but keeping up with the building of homes has also put a strain on the town. Article 3 expands the sewer system in one area of town, Article 5 would raise $85,000 for a solid waste tractor, Article 25 would put all money collected from current use fees into land acquisition to preserve open space, Article 26 would allow the town to hire a purchasing agent at a$15,013 salary for part-time work, Article 28 would raise $34,086 for a part-time building inspector, and Article 29 would raise $30,000 for aerial photography to aid the town in planning for growth.

Fire department

The Hooksett Fire Department is asking for several items, including a new fire truck. Article 31, which would have funded ten call firefighters, was amended to $0 at the Town Meeting, but Article 32 would authorize a seven-year lease/purchase of fire truck, Article 12 raises $90,000 for the replacement of air packs and bottles, Article 15 raises $15,000 for computer hardware and software, and Article 23 raises $23,000 to replace a fire department staff car.

Village School

Hooksett Village School is fast approaching the end of its life as an elementary school. Renovations will soon be finished at Hooksett Memorial School, allowing Underhill to serve grades kindergarten, one and two; Memorial to serve grades three, four and five, and the new Cawley Middle School will continue to have grades six, seven and eight. The building has been made available to the town for use as a municipal building and/or community center, and voters have already approved the transfer at the School District Meeting vote in March. It may seem redundant, but voters now have to vote again to accept the transfer to the town after letting go from the school side. Article 10 allows the transfer to be approved and raises $30,000 for the building upkeep.

Article 27 goes along with the vote, which would raise $60,000 for architectural fees to adapt the building for use as a new town hall. While the Village School is not specifically named in the article, the intent of the article is to use the money for that building.

Other articles

Also to be considered are articles that replace town equipment, approve raises, authorize a fund for public cable TV access, pay for lights at the HYAA soccer fields at Peterbrook Park, and update the heating and air conditioning system at the Hooksett Public Library.

Voting will take place between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. at Cawley Middle School on Tuesday, May 11.

Pembroke

Grocery co-op may relocate in Pembroke

By RUSS CHOMA
Staff Writer
rchoma@yourneighborhoodnews.com

A large regional grocery co-op is planning to relocate a distribution center with as many as 200 jobs out of Manchester and into Pembroke by the end of next year.

Associated Grocers, a Manchester-based grocery distributor with customers in six states and $250 million in annual revenue, is looking to purchase 74 acres of land in Pembroke near the Route 3 and Route 106 intersection. Currently the company runs a 300,000-square-foot distribution center off S. Willow Street in Manchester, but is in search of new facilities to expand.

Conceptual plans for the distribution center, calling for 350,000 square feet of space, expandable to 650,000, will be brought before the Pembroke Planning Board at the Tuesday, May 11, meeting. The proposal, is still in the consultation and review stage, has not officially been submitted to the planning board for approval.

The land being considered for the facility is currently owned by Manchester Sand and Gravel, but lies within a zone designated as a development district by voters two years ago.

Town Administrator David Stack said the purpose of the zone, which includes at least three lots, is to encourage commercial development but with respect to other developments.

"We created it as kind of a transition zone between our regular commercial and our limited office zoning on Route 3," he said. "The intent is to realize the town needs commercial development, but to take some care with the land that's there."

Stack said judging by the fact Associated Grocer's current Manchester facility is valued at $7.2 million means the company could have a positive impact on the town's tax base. Currently, he estimated, 75 percent of the tax base is supported by residential development.

One consideration will be what investment in the area the town would have to make. A loop road, at taxpayer expense, through the entire development zone has been proposed. Stack said the investment the town would have to make in such a road would be recovered from tax revenue, and would contribute to opening up the rest of the development zone.

"We haven't done the math yet, or put the numbers into the spreadsheet," Stack said. "But it would have a pretty significant (positive) tax impact, depending on how much infrastructure we contribute."