By Devon Cormier
Staff Writer

As the Hooksett Town Council works to decide which warrant articles will appear on the ballot, community access television is up for debate once again. Although many public officials and residents support community-access television, the $40,000 warrant article may fail again, as it did last year because so many details are unresolved.

Resident Peter Farwell spoke to councilors at a recent meeting about putting a warrant article on the ballot asking for the money to start a community channel. Farwell tried to do the same last year, but with a contract with Comcast pending, no one knew if community access television would be an option. Now, with the Comcast contract signed and the option for community access television included, Farwell is thinking of taking another crack at the issue.

“I think personally that a lack of public access television hurts a lot of things in town,” Farwell said. “There really is a lack of public forum and our attendance at meetings and deliberative sessions is very poor.”

Town Councilor Michael DiBitetto said the council is considering adding the warrant article and intended to make a decision at the next town council meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 9.

“The last time it came up, we recommended it,” said DiBitetto. “I think it’s great, but there have been some concerns about how exactly it would be implemented. It is a logistical thing, but, as a whole, I think the council is all for openness.”

Farwell was looking for some direction at the council meeting, but was disappointed to receive none. Questions include who would run the channel, whether it would be a volunteer group or paid personnel, and where the equipment would be housed.

With the possible opening of the Village School for use by a community center and town offices on the horizon, Farwell thinks that question is already answered. A separate warrant article will ask voters to approve $1.5 million for renovations to the Village School so the town offices can be moved this year.

“I was kind of disturbed by the council’s lack of interest and the fact that they hadn’t addressed this in their budget,” Farwell said. “They’re moving into a nice new building and that would be a perfect place for the equipment.”

Chairman of the Community Economic Development Corporation of Hooksett Dawn Stanhope agreed. With the town offices in the same building, most meetings could be taped and showed to residents.

“I think there is definitely an opportunity for it with the town moving over to the new facility,” Stanhope said. “The Village School could certainly house it and the school board has shown interest so it might be something people can work together on.”

Stanhope said the town collects about $40,000 a year from fees paid for Comcast cable by residents. The money goes straight into the general fund, but an account could be set up to use that money directly for the operation of a community channel.

“I always say, ‘I wish people knew this,’or ‘I wish people got involved,’” Stanhope said. “This would be another way of getting information out to people.”

Farwell said he will try to pursue the issue if the council shows support for a warrant article asking to start a community access television channel.

“We have to know some direction of how the town council would like to proceed,” Farwell said. “I think we’re missing a great opportunity.”