Big impact

Newmarket has an impact fee program. Don't know what it is?? Don't worry, you're not alone.

I honestly don't know whether or not the impact fee program is a good one and I knew nothing about it before last week. But what I understood from the meeting on Wednesday night is that the school can use these funds to pay for a portion of the work that has been done thus far on the architectural drawings for the new school/renovation project. (Just to clarify--it is my understanding that the impact fee monies can ONLY be used for expansion/upgrades--they can't be used for repairs or maintenance. In other words, they couldn't be applied to the bill for fixing the ceilings.)

Here's what I know about it:

• Developers pay an "impact fee" when they build a new home in town. 
• The fees can be used to pay for the increased demand on systems in town, including water, sewer, recreation and school.
• The fees expire after 6 years.
• When the fees expire, the monies are returned to the current homeowner.
• A percentage of those fees are designated to pay for expansion of school facilities. 
• The School Board needs to request permission from the Town Council to use these funds.
• Over $100,000 in unused impact fees have expired and more will continue to expire each month.
• The town oversees the funds but the school has not been given a regular accounting of the impact fund balance/availability.

Here's the rundown of the conversation Wednesday:

• Dr. Hayes requested that $30,000 be released to the school. 
• Matt Angell explained that some of those fees (about $3800) would be expiring within a few days and if the council didn't take action, they would be returned to the homeowner.
• Mike LaBranche seemed annoyed that this was brought up at all, saying that people had specifically asked him if this would be on the agenda. (Apparently there was a miscommunication and Dr. Hayes thought it was going to be on the agenda--other people must have thought so too.)
• Phil Nazarro commented that this is an example of how the school and town share some finances.
• The TC voted to release only the $3,800 because it needs to look into the impact fee program further.

And...here are the lessons I learned from the conversation:

• Don't surprise the TC--this wasn't on the agenda and the TC didn't feel that they had enough information to make an informed vote on this and some councilors seemed annoyed. 
• The TC doesn't seem to have a clear understanding of the impact fee program or how it works. 
• I hope that the town and school can work together on this. It seems pretty clear to me that the school should be granted the use of the funds and that by doing so, it will save the bottom line in the end. Clearly it needs further discussion and needs to be on the agenda for the next TC meeting. 

Cinderella (and her long lost brother, Bob)

Did you have the chance to see Twinderella? It was the first production of the newly formed Drama Club at the Elementary School and Joanne Lazarus did an AMAZING job directing these kids in a musical based on the story of Cinderella and her long lost twin brother, Bob.

But this post isn't about musical theater. No, it's about money. Money and donations and the PTA and school budgets.

Two years ago the PTA decided that it wanted to have a goal. I was on the board at the time, and we thought it would be important to work toward something tangible. We knew that we wanted to host an auction and thought that the money should have a designated purpose. After a lot of conversations and a parent survey we identified a few programs that people wanted to see at the school and drama was at the top of the list.

All the proceeds (about $5,000) from last year's PTA Spring Auction (our first) went toward funding the Drama program and Lego Club this past school year. The PTA organized the Spring 2012 Auction and, as a result, will be able to fund the Drama program again next year. But the ultimate goal is to continue to bring new enrichment programs to the school.

Last year, I watched a School Board meeting during budget season and the Board had a thoughtful discussion about both of these programs before they cut them out of the budget. But that was before the programs had really even started. We're getting ready to start budget season again and this time we can speak from experience.

I know that numbers are important, so I ask the School Board to consider these numbers:

• Over 50 1st and 2nd graders put there names in the lottery for Lego Club but the program could only accomadate 14. **I'm not sure what the numbers were for the 3rd-5th grade Lego Club, but I'm guessing they're similar.)

• Over 150 kids participated in the Drama Program. Because not everyone could be on stage, some kids worked behind the scenes, helping with lighting and props. Many others helped to create a series of PSA's filmed by Chris Williams which are airing on Channel 13 this summer.

• It cost approximately $3,500 to run both of these programs and Drama will hopefully become more self sufficient as time goes on.

The PTA would love to continue to add more programs - things like Destination Imagination or a language program--but they need the support of the School Board to fund some of the current programs. Budget season starts soon and parents and community members should ask that these programs be included in the budget.

This program happened due to the dedication and support and contributions of time and money by the the PTA and NCEP. There are a lot of people giving a lot extra. Imagine what else can be done for Newmarket with broader support.

Too much of a good thing.

Can you have too many options?

I've always been the kind of parent who likes to give their children choices. But I've recognized that too many choices can be overwhelming for them, so I narrow it down. Asking my son which pants he wants to wear can send him into a tailspin, but asking him do you want the blue ones or the camo ones makes the decision more manageable.

The school facilities committee meeting was last night and I was surprised to hear that the Stratham Voc Tech building is still an option on the table. I guess I assumed the pending purchase of the Carpenter land put that to rest. Along with that, Dr. Hayes brought up the possibility of a tuition agreement with Oyster River, a preliminary proposal for a reno/addition and we still have a new building proposal in progress.

I know that a lot of people want to see all the school options and the associated costs for each one, but at some point we're going to need to eliminate the worst options, choose a direction and move forward. Don't get me wrong, I applaud Dr. Hayes for doing due diligence, but can't we at least take the voc tech building off the table given everything that we already know that makes it unrealistic?

In a recent meeting someone said that Newmarket keeps looking for a silver bullet to solve it's financial problems and I think the same goes for the school facilities situation. When we finally decide on a solution, it's going to cost a lot of money. Period. We can continue to cling to the idea that some new option is going to present itself and like magic the cost of educating our children will be cut in half---but that's not going to happen. Our chance at a $25 million school died in 2006.

Fasten your seatbelts, we're headed to crazy town.

Last night's Town Council meeting was frustrating. I would love to write a post about Black Bear (they're going to close it) or about sewer rates (they're going up) but the school facilities issue was on the agenda and it was a doozy. Here's the recap:

First off, I've been kicking myself for sending a rant-y, unedited email to a couple of town councilors and the school board chairman the other day in response to an Efficiencies group meeting Monday night. It was pretty bad. As soon as I pressed send, I wished I could take it back, but it was too late.

At least last night I realized that I haven't cornered the market on crazy in this town, that's for sure.

The SB lawyer and TC lawyer have been working on an agreement at the request of the town council. This was first presented at a previous TC meeting and I wrote about it here. Again, I really didn't think this would be a big deal. This article in the Exeter Newsletter yesterday explained the agreement and I thought this would be a formality.

Instead, it is a bureaucratic mess. Truly ridiculous. And this is where I got ANGRY. The lawyer talked about the percentage of the land that would be "returned" to the Town in the event that a school didn't pass/get built. That's OK--made sense to me--but then talked about how they were hung up on some language if the school were to lease the property and how that arrangement would work. This ludicrous conversation went on too long and was made worse when Paul Dietterle stood up and suggested that the council should "consider abandonment of some sort." Meaning that if a school was built, but then gets abandoned for some reason, what would happen then? (Apparently schools get abandoned often??) Who gets compensated and how? That's when I dropped an F-bomb in the audience (As in, are you f-ing kidding me?)  Kind of under my breath, but loud enough that the reporter next to me and Rick Malasky heard it (Sorry!!) 

Some more gems from this evening:

"This is a perfect example of how we are wasting our money and wasting our time."--Al Zink

Yes.

"It's really starting to feel like we are dragging our feet on this."--Phil Nazzaro

YES!

"I think this is lunacy."--Al Zink

YES!!!!

"It's bureaucracy at it's worst."---Phil Nazzaro

OH. MY. GOD. YES!!!

The thing is, I sat in a meeting on Monday and listened to people talk about how the town and school should be working together. I had some concerns about that meeting and the divisiveness I feel in our community and that's what prompted the crazy rambling email I sent to Mike LaBranche and Al Zink (Sorry, guys) I kicked myself for sending it, thinking that I was probably doing more harm than good. But then I heard the lawyer (who is acting at the request of the TC) talk about our funds and their funds and I heard Mr. Levy ask about wether or not the town would be getting the right percentage back from their money and I truly wonder if we can ever work together. Luckily there were people in the audience and some councilors who questioned how this could possibly be happening.

Phil Nazarro compared this to the worst pre-nup ever, and I couldn't agree more.

I know that I won't feel bad the next time I suggest that the efficiency committee is trying to strong arm the SB into something (yeah, it was a bad email). And I won't feel bad for suggesting that our town is divided. Don't talk about their money and our money and then wonder why we don't trust you. 

Not to mention the fact, that in the end, most people just want a safe, affordable facility where our kids can go to school. No one is trying to pull a fast one and this all just left me sad.

I want to place blame and point fingers and scream at some people. But I know that's not the way to deal with this. Instead, I'll write this blog post, I'll send more crazy emails to councilors and I will send a letter to the editor. I'll attend the next meeting and I will make sure I'm at the public hearing. PLEASE do the same.

Plan B

The school facilities.

It's a topic that inevitably comes up when talking to someone with school aged children in Newmarket.

I remember when Josh and I were buying our home. The couple we bought it from had two middle school aged boys who went to private school. When we asked about the schools in town (of course we had NO idea what that really meant--we could barely dress ourselves, nevermind think about raising children) we were told that the elementary school was great, but we'd better get out of town by the time the kids are ready to enter 6th grade. No problemo---when you don't HAVE kids, the idea of having a 6th grader is ridiculous. We had a lifetime and the problem would surely be resolved by then, right?

Fast forward 12 years and here we are. In September we will have one in 3rd grade and one in 1st grade. Whether the solution is to build new or renovate, it will not be done by the time our oldest is ready for middle school. 

This uncertainty leads to a bigger problem. I look around at my peers, my friends, and I see people who are afraid to put down roots here. They live here, sure, but that's not the same as committing to this place. It creates a transient attitude that will never benefit our town. You can't build a community when a good chunk of the population has one foot out the door.

We need to know what's next.

I think it's reasonable to want to know where my kids are going to spend their high school years. Until we settle that question, lots of young families will be looking for a plan B. And if you're looking for what's next, you can't focus on what's here.

There are so many challenges facing our town, but in my mind the school is the biggest and impacts everyone in town in some way. The facilities committee meets next week and I'm anxious to hear about our options. I know we all have a lot happening this time of year, but I urge you all to come to the meeting on Monday. It probably won't be broadcast live, but will be taped so check out Channel 13 if you can't make it.


Maybe I'm being a little dramatic, but I think our town's future depends on people paying attention now.