Recreation

There's been a lot of talk about Newmarket's Recreation Department over the last several months and most recently at last week's Town Council meeting. Mostly, that it should be a mainly self-funded department--with the Town subsidizing part of the operational costs associated with the Rec. Department, but then making the programs pay for themselves. 

I'm not sure exactly what this would mean for programming for the kids in our Town. 

Should the Rec. Department offer more/different types of activities? I'm not sure if enrollment is the main problem, but it is one factor that needs to be examined. Full time summer camp is a need for many parents in town, but not for all. Offering more 1-2 week specialty camps throughout the summer might be an option that works to draw in other families. 

Last year, the Rec. Department offered a one week Lego camp over the summer, but it was canceled due to low enrollment. Looking at that from a strict cost perspective, it can be argued that canceling the program was the right thing to do. But I also wonder if some programs need a year or two to build a little momentum. I hope the new Drama camp scheduled for this year is given a chance to grow.

There has also been some concern that the school and Rec departments are overlapping, competing with each other. As someone who has been an advocate for after school programming at the Elementary school, I can speak from experience that it has been challenging to start new programs and find people interested in facilitating those programs even when the PTA has made the funds available. So, this sounds to me like the perfect opportunity for the Rec. Department and the School to team up and combine resources. Maybe the Rec. Department could offer a program at the school with a combination of free and paid programs and teaming with the PTA to offer scholarships to those unable to pay. 

I would also hope that the School and Rec. Departments can piggy back on each others' programs. For instance, the School started a drama program last year. The Rec. Department should be at Drama club pickup passing out flyers and should have a table at the this year's School performance promoting their own program. The Rec is also offering a new Lego workshop in May--advertising through the Lego club at the Elementary school seems like a good way to spread the word to kids who are already interested in Legos.

Programs that I know parents would like to see in the future--Destination Imagination, Coyote Club, Lego Robotics. Maybe by teaming up, the School and the Rec. Department can expand their programs and their audience. 

The other question that needs to be considered is what do we expect from our Rec Department? The Halloween Haunt and the Easter Egg Hunt are 2 activities that come immediately to mind. It takes a lot of work (and resources) to make these events run so smoothly--and they're so much more than just an activity for kids. It's about building community--seeing friends and neighbors, engaging local businesses and yes, providing a fun, safe activity for Newmarket's kids. 

I think we need to factor that into the bottom line. 

Action

Today the U.S. Senate will debate and vote on gun control. Senator Kelly Ayotte hasn't yet stated how she plans to vote on this issue. Send her an email and urge her to show leadership on this issue and vote in favor of Manchin-Toomey today, a bill that would expand background check requirements.

Read more about the bill here and then contact Senator Ayotte.

Guns in the Statehouse.

I first heard about Sandy Hook on Facebook. 

Initially, there were reports about another school shooting (sad, but not shocking, which is sad in itself) but within a few minutes the information grew and became even more horrific.

I sat in front of my computer, with the TV on, crying.

I remember what it was like to pick my kids up from school that day. And how I wrestled with the decision about whether or not to tell them before they went back to school on Monday, struggling with how to tell my own first grader not to worry--you'll be safe at school. 

I remember the Facebook posts promising that this time was different and we were going to write letters and keep talking about it and make sure that things changed, but to be honest, I haven't written a letter since that first week. Have you?

Gun control is still a big issue in the country and if you've turned the national news on recently you've probably heard that the filibuster was defeated and the Senate will begin debate on gun control, thanks in large part to the efforts of Sandy Hook parents. It's a good first step.

Those same parents were instrumental in getting the most comprehensive gun control legislation in the country passed in Connecticut. Impressive.

And what about closer to home? What's been happening here in NH? 

We're nowhere close to having comprehensive gun control legislation passed in the Granite State. 

The previous legislature worked to make it easier to have and carry guns in NH. Some of the measures passed by the House included allowing guns on college campuses and in dorms, allowing loaded rifles and shotguns in cars, allowing guns in the State House chambers and the "Stand your ground" legislation, to name a few. You can read a more comprehensive list at Granite State Progress and I wrote about how our state representatives voted on some of those bills here and here. 

Here are some current issues around guns in NH:

One of the first items taken up by this legislature was repeal of the controversial bill that allowed guns on the house floor. That passed 196-153 with Reps. Michael Cahill, Patricia Lovejoy and Marcia Moody voting for repeal and Adam Schroadter voting against. You can read more about that bill here.

The House recently took up the repeal of the "Stand Your Ground" bill that was passed by the last legislature. This passed 189-184 with Reps. Michael Cahill and Patricia Lovejoy voting for repeal and Adam Schroadter voting against. Marcia Moody did not vote. 

Another gun related issue is HB 451 "repealing the license requirement for carrying a concealed pistol or revolver." Reps. Michael Cahill and Patricia Lovejoy voted to kill the bill. Adam Schroadter supported the bill. Marcia Moody did not vote.

We clearly have a long way to go. 

But it's not too late to send a message to our elected officials and ask for their support. Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Kelly Ayote need to hear from Granite Staters about universal background checks and other proposed federal gun control and safety measures. 

Contact your State Representatives and State Senators (find them here) and ask them what they are doing here in NH and why they vote like they do.

It's been 4 months since Sandy Hook. I've watched some of the mothers of those children on the news recently and am amazed at their strength.

The least I can do is write a letter. 

Options

It's great to say we have options, but they have to be real options, right? 

Let's face it, if school building aid isn't available, a new school (or a renovated school for that matter) isn't really an option. 

So, here's what's happening with school building aid: The State Legislature is in the middle of budget negotiations. The Governor presented her budget several weeks ago and then the House passed their budget last week, which includes a continuation of the moratorium on school building aid for TWO more years. 

Not exactly good news for Newmarket. 

Now the budget is in the hands of the Senate. Lots can happen by the time things get finalized sometime in June. 

But people need to speak up.

Senator Martha Fuller Clark will be at the next School Board meeting on April 18th. Please consider attending. Consider making a statement during public comment. Let her hear that this is an issue that Newmarket cares about. 

Let's keep our options open. 

Waiting for summer.

At last night's school board meeting Dr. Hayes presented an update on our school facility options. I am familiar with most of the history and what's been done in the past couple of years, but what struck me is how much work has been done with Oyster River to hammer out a draft agreement. Sitting in the audience, I got the sense that all our communities will need to do is sign on the dotted line. 

Naturally, it's not that easy and there are still many hurdles to jump through. I also recently watched the ORSD March 13 meeting where the Oyster River Superintendent laid out the options for their district with the associated pros and cons. (In case you haven't been following, Oyster River is considering Newmarket, Deerfield, Barrington and Deerfield/Barrington as tuition options.) Most of this wasn't new information, but it was interesting to hear their conversation and some of their thoughts on the different communities, even though I really didn't get a sense of their preferences.

What was clear, is that Oyster River will be working on a more aggressive time frame. They will be working with UNH to conduct a survey and also having community forums to try and gauge the public support. Deerfield currently has a tuition agreement with Concord and they need to inform Concord if they will be terminating their contract by the end of the school year, so I guess that is one of the driving factors in this. 

On our end, Dr. Hayes laid out some of the next steps for Newmarket. In addition to working on this potential agreement, they are putting together a middle school budget, considering options for a middle school facility, planning community forums and continuing to work on a new construction option for our district. 

As a parent of a third grader, I realize middle school is right around the corner and I'm concerned. As I've said before, it's hard to plan for your family's future when you don't know what that future will look like. If nothing else, I hope that we will at least have some concrete information about the tuition option by the end of the school year. 

Summer can't get here soon enough.