By Jodi Wolfe
Staff Writer

TIME TO MOVE? The Allenstown Police Station may move from the basement of town hall to a new building on Route 3 if the plan is approved by voters this March. (File Photo)

For Allenstown voters, two space needs issues will be on the ballot this March. On the town government side, the big issue is whether the town should purchase a building for a new police station.

Residents may attend the deliberative session of Town Meeting on Saturday, Feb. 5, 10 a.m., at Allenstown Elementary School, to discuss the warrant articles and vote on the wording that will appear on the March 8 ballot.

A warrant article will ask voters for $725,000 to purchase and make renovations to the building on 40 Allenstown Road that currently houses the Allenstown Tractor Company. A three-fifths vote is required for it to pass.

Currently, the Allenstown Police Station is located in the basement of the Allenstown Municipal Building. The police station is not adequate for the 10 full-time employees. There is only one entrance for employees, citizens, victims and prisoners.

The police station’s booking area is located in the main room of the police station where most of the employees work. Prisoners have easy access to the evidence room, guns and other supplies. There is little room for storage.

While the police department has worked to mitigate some of the problems by repainting lines for parking spaces, purchasing an alarm system and evidence lockers, and maintaining the parking lot’s winter conditions, the building still does not meet state or federal standards.

The department also brings high-risk prisoners to the Merrimack County House of Corrections in Boscawen, which is a 45-minute drive. It is expected to cost the $13,000 for pay for the overtime expenses to travel to Boscawen and back.

The Allenstown Building Space Needs Committee looked at other options including constructing a new building, but buying the Allenstown Tractor building was the least expensive option.

“If (this) fails, we’ll have to go for the far more expensive plan,” said Allenstown police Lt. Shaun Mulholland.

A separate warrant article asks voters to put $125,000 into a Public Safety Facilities Capital Reserve Fund. The money would come from fund balance. If this passes, the warrant article asking for $725,000 for the police station would be reduced to $600,000.

However if that warrant article fails and the $125,000 passes, that money would go to improving the police station and designing plans to construct a new building, said Mulholland.

SB2
Another warrant article will ask voters to rescind the official ballot law, commonly known as SB2, which the town adopted in 1997. This warrant article is supported by two of the three selectmen.

Selectman Peter Viar said he was a big proponent of SB2 originally, but he has been disappointed with the turnout to deliberative sessions.

“I guess the words ‘Town Meeting’get people more excited than ‘deliberative session,’” he said.

He wants to go back to the old traditional way of New England voting to get more people to attend meetings, he said.

“I hope it encourages more people to come out and participate,” he said.

Fire department
Two warrant articles ask residents to place money in capital reserve funds for the fire department in order to help pay a new fire truck and truck maintenance.

One asks for $25,000 to go into the Fire Department Equipment Capital Reserve Fund. The fire department is looking to possibly buy a $390,000 rescue pumper. It is hoping to get a Firefighter Assistant’s Act grant and would need matching funds to accept the grant. The truck is currently at the end of its life by state standards.

In order to get the grant, the fire department needs to match the funds by 10 percent, which is about $39,000.

The second warrant article asks the town for $20,000 to go into the Fire Safety Equipment Capital Reserve Fund for the ongoing replacement of cylinders in the tank and other safety equipment.

Town budget
Voters will be asked to spend $3,653,611 on the operating budget. That amount does not include the money appropriated for any of the other articles.

If the operating budget is defeated, the town would be forced to a $3,124,646 default budget. Last year, voters did not pass the operating budget and the town operated on a default budget of $2,977,211.

All of the departments came back with budgets approved by the budget committee last year, said David Jodoin, the town’s administrative assistant.

This year’s operating budget includes $50,000 for the town building fund to pay for improvements at the police station in case purchasing the tractor store doesn’t pass.

Another major item in the operating budget is increased health insurance costs for the town’s employees as well New Hampshire retirement system increases, said Jodoin.

Flea markets
Residents will also see warrant articles making amendments to the zoning ordinance concerning flea markets.

If approved, these amendments would define outdoor flea markets as any commercially run flea market when held outside a person’s property, excluding privately held yard sales.

This distinguishes flea markets from yard sales as yard sales can only be held once a month, said Jodoin.

If approved these ordinances would allow flea markets to be held on Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays on Mondays between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. from April 15 to Oct. 15 in industrial zones. However, the flea markets are cannot be detrimental to the neighborhood or abutting properties.

The person in charge of the flea market would have to provide efficient off-street parking and be responsible for removing garbage from the site and other ordinances.

Other articles
Residents will see a warrant article to approve depositing a maximum of $10,000 collected from the Land Use Change Tax into the Conservation Commission Fund.

Another article will ask taxpayers for $5,000 to be placed into the Police Cruiser Capital Reserve Fund.

Another will ask taxpayers to raise $3,000 to be placed in the DARE Fund.

Two warrants ask voters to give the selectmen the authority to take money from capital reserves. One would be for the Highway Capital Reserve Fund and one for the Recycling Capital Reserve Fund. Currently any money taken from these accounts needs to be approved by the town in March.

Voters will see two warrant articles pertaining to tax credits. One will ask to increase veterans’ tax credits from a maximum of $100 to $500. Another article will ask to increase the disability tax credit from a maximum of $1,400 to $2,000.