By Rod Hansen
Staff Writer

With fewer people leaving town on summer vacation, more are staying to use Goffstown’s library and recreational sites.

Selectmen heard that message at their first meeting of the budget season on Monday, Sept. 11.

Library Director Dianne Hathaway and Parks and Recreation Director David French outlined their budget requests for the upcoming year at that meeting, with both citing increased activity as a reason for expanded budgets.

Library

“We had a record-breaking summer this year,” said Hathaway, noting that an automatic attendance counter shows heavier traffic than ever before.

According to figures Hathaway provided to selectmen, there have been 34,287 visitors to the library this year, up 9 percent from the same time frame in 2005.

The library’s programs grew in popularity this year, Hathaway said. The library saw participation in the summer reading program jump by 127 percent. Children’s attendance was up 71 percent over last year, and adult attendance is up 80 percent.

An overall spike in program participation has caused the library to double its programming line in budget requests for next year, Hathaway said.

The library’s requested budget for the coming year is $593,913, Hathaway said, up 5 percent from last year. Total revenues of $7,570 reduced the budget increase from an expected 6.3 percent, she said.

School board member Scott Gross commended the library’s abilities in providing quality programs.

“When you look at the increases and uses, this program looks pretty good,” said Gross, who sat in the audience at the meeting.

Responding to Hathaway’s comments that the library budget had seen increases in supply costs, Gross inquired whether the school board and library should consider pooling some of their resources.

However, selectmen Chairman Barbara Griffin suggested such arrangements had met with limited success in the past.

“That path has been attempted before,” Griffin said. “Maybe something has changed that would make it work out differently than it did.”

Parks and Rec

Parks and Recreation Director David French approached selectmen with a requested budget of $342,618, an increase of 1.5 percent over last year.

Salaries account for the majority of the increase, French said. He noted increases in seasonal employee salaries in order to compete with surrounding communities, as well as increases in maintenance salaries, as reasons for budget additions.

Pool operation also accounts for budget increases, French said. About 24,000 people used the town’s pools this year, he said.

The growing number of people using town resources may be due to fewer people leaving on vacation, French said.

“This year, I think people stayed home” instead of going on vacation, he said.

Monday night’s discussion marked the first of several meetings selectmen will have with town department heads in the coming weeks. Under a process begun three years ago, members of the budget committee and selectmen hear departments heads’ initial budget presentations at the same time, Town Administrator Sue Desruisseaux said.

After deliberating on the budget for the last three Mondays in October, selectmen will make recommendations to the budget committee by November, Desruisseaux said.