Bond issue.

The warrant was briefly mentioned at the school board meeting last night. (The warrant is the list of items that goes before the voters at the Deliberative session and what we eventually vote on in March.) A copy of the proposed warrant was distributed to the school board members and a quick overview was provided. 

The first article on the warrant is a bond. No explanation was given and no discussion took place. Though this was the first mention of a bond that I can recall, not one school board member looked surprised and not one question was asked. When the board was asked during public comment for clarification and explanation, the chair replied that the discussion at the workshop on January 8th would focus on the warrant.

Here's what is concerning. 

I'm shocked at the idea of the school board proposing a bond at the 11th hour – the Deliberative session is in just 6 weeks – with no explanation.

There are many questions that need to be asked now. A bond for what? Is there a proposal? If so, who has been working on this? Why hasn't the community been engaged? What about the JAC? Does the Superintendent really think that he would be able to rally enough support and provide enough information to the community to pass a bond at this late date? 

The superintendent and the school board clearly have a lot of work to do -- not just to put the warrant together, but to engage and inform the community. And they need to do it now.

Summary.

Did you catch last night's School Board meeting? Here are some of the highlights:












Hiring the Interim Superintendent was supposed to save us 20%, according to SB member Nathan Lunney. But this Superintendent is making $13,000 more, working less and we have outsourced a big component of his job to consultants. Where's the savings? And if the SB decides to contract with him for another year, which they seem on track to do, then we start the new fiscal year $13,000 in the red because they are choosing not to budget accurately for this position. How is this good for our district?

Last night, the School Board chair talked about "responsible bonding" when comparing recently approved building projects in other districts. However, the numbers were presented completely without context. I think it's important to note that our town hasn't completed any significant upgrades to facilities in 27 years. Is that responsible?

I don't know how a 36% turnover compares to other districts, but it seems significant to me. 

A vote for Newmarket.

I love voting day. I love being at the polls holding signs and I love voting. I even love counting ballots at the end of the night. 

I'm looking forward to casting my ballot today and I know there are many important races to consider. But I'm most looking forward to voting for Michael Cahill for State Representative.

Michael has embraced the school facility issue completely and no one has worked harder for our community on this issue. He has attended meetings here in town, advocated for us in Concord and together with his wife Atinuke, has worked tirelessly on this issue. 

Thank you for your service, Michael.

Misinformation.

Did you see the mailer sent out by Michael Sununu, attempting to discredit State Rep candidate, Ella Walichnowska? I read it and thought that I'd look into some of the content in the mailer.

I read the minutes of the Newfields Deliberative session, which told a different story than the mailer. I'm disgusted by the misinformation and I'd like to use this forum to help set the record straight.

From the minutes: 

 
AND...

I FAIL TO SEE THE CONTROVERSY. 

This is a message from Ellen:

“Firstly, I have NEVER worked for a "DC pressure-group", now, then, or any time before in my life. At the time of the meeting my ONLY job was as a BUSDRIVER. 

I told everyone there that I didn't work for any group and that I lived in Newmarket. Anyone could merely look at the record of the deliberative session
to see who I was and where I lived. 

Although I support Ella's candidacy, I did not "back" Ella's campaign, nor did any supposed "DC group". The only group I was involved with was a local
listserv called "nh4democracy" that had a couple of hundred members, all in NH, except one, and that was a member from Public Citizen, who was not in charge of the group but just gave advice. 

Also, I noticed Mr. Sununu did not explain anywhere that the warrant article's purpose was just a resolution, not a law or anything having to do with the budget, to restore control of elections to the People, the actual citizenry. I believe he didn't mention it because it was wildly popular and passed easily in Newfields.

I believe Mr. Sununu deliberately lied, and deliberately got my name wrong, and waited until this late date so that there would be little we could do about it."

  
And from the Newfields Democrats:  

Finally, Ella is not running for State Rep. at the behest of DC lobbyists, she is running at the behest of the Newfields Democratic Committee. We personally asked her to run, and she graciously accepted. She is running to represent us, the people of Newfields and Newmarket, and any claim to the contrary is completely fabricated."

Know the facts before you vote tomorrow!

Budget season.

The TC met for several hours this past week to review the budget presented by the Town Administrator. We reviewed each department with the department heads, going through the budget line item by line item. Being new to the Council, it was an eye-opening exercise.

In the end, the TC has recommended an additional $110,000* in cuts to the operating budget. This will be presented as a resolution Wednesday night, voted on, and then the budget will go to the Budget Committee.

The $110,000 represents a lot of small cuts and one big change due to a mistake that was found while we went through the budget. Some of the cuts include: Welfare, cut by approximately $11,000; IT cut by $2,500; Buildings and Grounds, cut by about $16,000; Fire, cut by $2,500; and Solid Waste, cut by $5,000.

In addition, we had a discussion about the fund balance and what to do with it. After much debate, the consensus was to use the funds a little differently than in recent years. We are recommending to use $450,000 of the fund balance to offset expenses in Fiscal Year 2016. But this year the CIP contributions have been separated from the operating budget and people will vote on those as individual warrant articles. The bulk of that $450,000 will go toward funding those contributions. The remainder, approximately $75,000, will be used to offset general expenses. 

We will also create a new Capital Improvement item (recommending to place approximately $100,000 in that fund) for road repair and then applying the remainder to lowering the tax rate for next year (approximately $100,000). 

I know there are things that we probably should spend more money on - roads are a great example -  but we tried to find a middle ground. Overall, the Council worked very well together and it was a positive experience for me (or as positive as spending hours on a Saturday morning looking at budgets can be.)

The Budget Committee will review the Town budget on 11/17 & 11/24 at 6:30pm.  The public hearing for the Town budget is scheduled for 12/17 at 7pm. In addition, the school district is also starting their budget process. The School Board will meet this Thursday at 6:00pm to discuss the budget.


*All numbers are approximates. 

Is this right for Newmarket?

Let's not forget this one, Newmarket:

This is something that has had a direct impact on Newmarket: Josh Davenport voted for a moratorium on school building aid and grants. 

Note--Adam Schroadter did not vote.

**Originally posted on 10/26/12 

Remember the issues?

I was surprised to read the Seacoast Media editorial staff's endorsement of Phil Nazzaro last week.

At first.

Then I remembered that this isn't the first time I've disagreed with their endorsements. Remember this?

I like Phil and I work with him on the Town Council here in Newmarket. He has done a lot of good things for our town, which I'm sure he will continue to do. But this election is about the State of NH and some very important issues. 

Here are some of Martha Fuller Clark's recent votes that support not just with what I believe in, but what the Seacoast Media editorial board seems to support:

• She supported an increase to the minimum wage.

• She voted to repeal the death penalty in NH.

• She believes New Hampshire citizens should have access to affordable, comprehensive health care and voted to expand Medicaid eligibility in NH.

• She supports same sex marriage.

• She voted for the legalization of medical marijuana.

Perhaps Seacoast Media should take a look at the issues and examine voting records before making an endorsement.

As I said, I like Phil. But this election is about issues, not just people. I encourage you to take a look at Martha Fuller Clark's voting record. And most of all, make plans to vote on November 4.

Maybe he forgot he has a voting record?

When asked to explain his stance on women's rights at the candidate's forum in Newmarket on Tuesday, Adam Schroadter said "I am in favor of a woman's right to decide what she wants to do with her body, if that's how you're coining it."

His record says otherwise:

• Adam voted for removing comprehensive preventive health services for women, such as contraception, from benefits expected to be covered by insurance companies. (HR29, Roll Call #103, 2/22/2012)

• Adam voted for allowing any employer to deny coverage for contraception based on the employer's personal beliefs. (HB1546, Roll Call #117, 3/7/2012)

• Adam voted for defunding Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. (HCR41, Roll Call #123, 3/7/2012)

• Adam voted for purposefully obstructing a woman from receiving a legal abortion and forcing doctors to provide false and inaccurate information to patients, such as stating that abortions cause breast cancer. (HB1659, Roll Call #148, 3/14/2012)

• Adam voted for making it illegal for a woman to receive an abortion after 20 weeks. (HB1660, Roll Call #214, 3/29/2012)

• Adam voted for adding a 24-hour waiting period for abortions to a bill that otherwise addressed research and development tax credits for businesses. (SB295, Roll Call #249, 5/15/2012) 

• Adam voted for prosecuting individuals who knowingly or unknowingly caused the death of a fetus starting at eight weeks. Medical experts believe that approximately one out of four pregnancies ends in miscarriage by the end of 8 weeks; under this law women are unfairly targeted without any basis in sound medical science. (HB217, Roll Call #10, 1/4/2012)

• Governor's Lynch vetoed a bill that would ban abortion even when a woman's health is in jeopardy. Adam voted for overriding that veto in an attempt to establish this controversial law. (HB1679, Roll Call #303, 6/27/2012)

• Adam voted for overriding Governor Lynch's veto of a bill that makes it difficult for New Hampshire residents to obtain fertility treatments and unreasonably restricts a woman's rights during pregnancy. (HB217, Roll Call #311, 6/27/2012)  

I know what he said, but this is how he voted. How will YOU vote on November 4th?  

Let's keep moving forward.

Many times, elections are focused on the big races. Millions of dollars and countless hours are spent on those campaigns. But our state elections matter and have a significant impact on our lives, our rights and our freedoms. 

So let's talk about women's health and how the State government can affect it. We've read about what's been happening in Texas, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Arizona. But do you remember what was happening here in New Hampshire under a Republican controlled House in 2011-2012? 

Here are some of the issues that the NH House took on during that time:

• Defunding Planned Parenthood, jeopardizing the health care of thousands of NH women.
• Requiring parental notification before a minor receives an abortion even in the case of rape, abuse or incest.
• Removing comprehensive preventative health services for women, including contraception, from benefits expected to be covered by health insurers.
• Allowing employers to deny coverage for contraception based on the employers' personal beliefs.
• Forcing doctors to provide false information to patients seeking abortions, including that abortion causes breast cancer.
• Banning abortion even when a woman's health is in danger.
• Prosecuting individuals who knowingly or unknowingly cause the death of a fetus, a bill that could make it difficult for women seeking fertility treatment.

Adam Schroadter and Josh Davenport both supported all of these bills. If you're not from Newmarket or Newfields, go to http://votesmart.org/ to find out how your representatives voted.

Do you want to go back to this, New Hampshire? Is this what you want for yourself, your wife or your daughters? In Newmarket and Newfields, vote for Michael Cahill, Marcia Moody, Ella Walichnowska and Patty Lovejoy. Together we can protect our rights.
 

Turn out for what?

I love this for so many reasons.

Our votes matter.

I'm turning out for Education, Women's rights, Equality, Climate change and Gun control. Why are you turning out? 

Edited: After several attempts, I figured out how to make the video display correctly. Or so I thought. Though it works on my laptop, it won't play on my phone. So, in case you're having the same issue, here's the link: http://rockthevote.com/turnoutforwhat/

Strategy.

"Schools seek public input. Volunteers wanted for strategic planning process." 

That was the headline of an article in today's Exeter Newsletter--about SAU 16.

It's no secret I've been critical of the process to find a solution to the school facilities problem here in Newmarket over the last several months. It has lacked input and transparency from the beginning. And it ended with a group of only FOUR at-large community members that many do not feel represent their voice.

The plan for SAU 16's Strategic Planning Steering Committee outlined in today's article is in stark contrast to the path Newmarket has begun:

Morgan said there were as many as 75 people who served on subcommittees when the current strategic plan was created. He hopes there will be just as much interest in the new one.

Each subcommittee is expected to have 12 to 15 members with various backgrounds who will represent different communities and different points of view. Morgan said students, parents, staff and other community members are invited to participate.

- See more at: http://www.seacoastonline.com/article/20141007/NEWS/141009447/101106/NEWS#sthash.nMAg6c74.dpuf

Morgan said there were as many as 75 people who served on subcommittees when the current strategic plan was created. He hopes there will be just as much interest in the new one.

Each subcommittee is expected to have 12 to 15 members with various backgrounds who will represent different communities and different points of view. Morgan said students, parents, staff and other community members are invited to participate.

- See more at: http://www.seacoastonline.com/article/20141007/NEWS/141009447/101106/NEWS#sthash.nMAg6c74.dpuf

Morgan said there were as many as 75 people who served on subcommittees when the current strategic plan was created. He hopes there will be just as much interest in the new one.

Each subcommittee is expected to have 12 to 15 members with various backgrounds who will represent different communities and different points of view. Morgan said students, parents, staff and other community members are invited to participate.

- See more at: http://www.seacoastonline.com/article/20141007/NEWS/141009447/101106/NEWS#sthash.nMAg6c74.dpuf

Morgan said there were as many as 75 people who served on subcommittees when the current strategic plan was created. He hopes there will be just as much interest in the new one.

Each subcommittee is expected to have 12 to 15 members with various backgrounds who will represent different communities and different points of view. Morgan said students, parents, staff and other community members are invited to participate.

- See more at: http://www.seacoastonline.com/article/20141007/NEWS/141009447/101106/NEWS#sthash.nMAg6c74.dpuf

"Morgan said there were as many as 75 people who served on subcommittees when the current strategic plan was created. He hopes there will be just as much interest in the new one.

Each subcommittee is expected to have 12-15 members with various backgrounds who will represent different communities and different points of view. Morgan said students, parents, staff and other community members are invited to participate."

The Joint Advisory Committee has said they will look to other communities for information and input. This is a good start.

Know your reps.

Learn about the candidates running for State Office. Project Vote Smart is a great resource. 

For instance, did you know that Adam Schroadter and  Josh Davenport voted for the moratorium on state building aid, voted in favor of eliminating compulsory school attendance, voted against funding for Head Start and voted to repeal universal kindergarten?

Marcia Moody, Michael Cahill and Patty Lovejoy have shown great support for education in NH.

Election season.

State elections are in a little over a month. Are you ready?  

I wrote this almost 2 years ago, and feel the need to repeat it today. Both Adam and Josh are on the ballot again their records speak volumes. 

Here's what I posted on November 5, 2012:

This has not been a question of whether or not these guys are nice people--they are. But being nice isn't a good enough reason for me to vote for them. Too much is at stake.

I've written that Adam Schroadter and Josh Davenport:

• voted to allow guns on college campuses and in the State House
• voted against funding for drug and alcohol treatment
• voted against funding for the Head Start program 
• voted to divert taxpayer money to private and religious schools 
• voted to repeal public kindergarten 
• voted to eliminate compulsory school attendance
• voted to allow parents to object to school curriculum for any reason
• voted for the Voter ID law
• voted to eliminate gun licensing requirements 
• voted to legally allow businesses to discriminate against gay couples
• voted to defund Planned Parenthood
• voted for removing preventive health services for women from benefits expected to be covered by insurance companies
• voted to force doctors to give false information to women seeking abortions 
• voted to repeal NH's participation in RGGI
• they voted for Right to Work
• they voted to expand the death penalty 

Our State elections matter--please do your homework, Newmarket. 

We vote on November 4, 2014. Polls will be open from 7am-7pm at Town Hall. 

Transparency?

Earlier today I was reviewing the School Board packet and was surprised to learn that Dan Wright had been appointed to the Joint Advisory committee. Though this was the rumor, I would have preferred to be informed officially as a councilor, rather than reading it in the School Superintendent's notes. 

I continue to hope for transparency. 

184 Days

We vote in 184 days.

I know that seems like a long way off, and it is, but the School Board has some significant work to do in that time. With all the talk about options and credibility and transparency and consultants, I'm surprised that there has been so little discussion about the final phase of the fire and life safety plan for the Jr. Sr. High School.

184 days.

It's been my understanding that the School Board doesn't want to continue to work with Harriman. I won't pretend to know how long it takes to put together the RFP. Or conduct interviews for architects. Or have them come up with a plan that will suit our needs. But warrant articles are usually due in mid January and I'm concerned that this School Board hasn't even started the process.

Practice what you preach.

 Last night, after the School Board met with legal counsel in a "non meeting" (a non meeting is defined by RSA 91A:2), the School Board chairperson read a statement describing how the joint committee/advisory board will be formed, which I have copied below with my thoughts in bold. 

"The board is, through consensus, comfortable with a joint advisory committee of eight."

First question--why did this discussion need to happen with counsel? 

"Two of whom will be appointed by the school board, two by the Town Council and the remainder would be selected by a process by sending out a general notice to all members of the community interested in serving on this committee."

Please define "general notice." The superintendent, when discussing communication during another point in the evening wasn't even aware that the district had a regular electronic newsletter. I was surprised that not one board member mentioned this when he looked confused.  How will the community be notified?
There needs to be a significant awareness campaign on this issue.

"We are going to develop a process that will solicit interest from members of the community who wish to serve. We will develop more details later. The deadline for submission is September 15, 2014."

I'm having a hard time with this timeline. "They" are going to develop a process. When? How? Who? The deadline for submission is in 10 days, but the process hasn't been developed yet. The next School Board meeting is after the submission deadline, so will this be yet another item decided by one or two people, out of the public view? 

"After the deadline application the board will meet to look at letters of interest, provide comment to the four members of the committee, and then those members will determine which four of the community would serve on the committee."

I sincerely hope that this process happens in public. There is no need to do this behind closed doors, though that does seem to be the preferred method of conducting business by this board. 

"Subject to the final ratification from the Board, which is consistent with our policy."

During the Town Council meeting on Wednesday, Chairman Levy stated "I'm hoping that tomorrow the School Board will make a determination to create a real joint committee." I'm curious to see if this meets his definition of "real joint committee." It's clear that there is still confusion about the composition of this committee and who's "in charge" and Mr. Levy seemed frustrated by the School Board's decision to adhere to its own policies. 

I understand the need for non public sessions and non meetings - non-meetings are typical when a board meets with counsel. But when they started the regular meeting and the chair gave her report, it seemed to me that the School Board changed action that had been discussed and voted on in a previous public meeting. 

They did so in a non public consultation with counsel and then presented it to the community without any discussion or real explanation as to how they arrived at the decision they did. The chair simply read the above statement from her iPad and then moved on to the next item.

Overall, I'm concerned about the lack of transparency with this board and this process. Transparency has been their mantra, but they have yet to practice it.

A separate email will be sent directly to the School Board and the Superintendent to try to get some of these questions answered. I'll keep you posted. 

Summer's over.

If you haven't watched last night's joint School Board/Town Council meeting, I encourage you to do so. Though I have been critical of the process, I applaud the efforts of both the School Board and Town Council Chairs thus far. I was impressed with Mr. Bell's responses to many of the questions and think he will be an asset to our community. Overall, the biggest takeaway from last night should be that the entire School Board and Town Council met together and in the end, the proposal to hire the consultants was approved unanimously. This is a very important first step.

With that said, I have a few thoughts about the meeting I would like to share:

• More effective communication is clearly needed. It's apparent that there is some communication among the School Board, but mentions of emails discussing agenda items that were unanswered by the Chair and the case of all School Board members not being aware that they would be voting on the proposal last night are examples that there is a breakdown in communication somewhere.
• It was clear that Mr. Evangelista was unaware that action would be taken and his frustration was understandable. For whatever reason, both the School Board and Town Council Chairs have not been as forthcoming as they could be regarding this proposal and getting information from them has been difficult. The Town Council is not perfect, but at least when we head into meetings we typically have a clear sense of what we will be voting on during that particular meeting. This allows for adequate preparation. I don't agree with what Matt did last night, but I do understand his frustration. For some reason, getting clear information on this issue has been challenging at best. For example, there was no mention to the Town Council that we would be voting on this proposal either, until I questioned the Chair at the end of our regular Town Council meeting on Wednesday. I am hopeful that this issue will be rectified moving forward. 
• People need to stop talking about the "three failed school votes." There were two school votes, one in 2006 and one in 2014. The other vote was for land.
• I'm glad the 2 boards were able to meet and I hope that can be a somewhat regular occurrence, but I do think we need to adjust the format. It's cumbersome with such a large group and I think some points were lost because of it.
• The School Board's leadership is struggling. Ms. Durocher-Wentworth lost control of the meeting, allowing comments from the audience and from the Town Council Chair, losing track of votes and allowing her frustration to distract her. Asserting one's authority without being perceived unfavorably is not an easy task but the Chair is going to need to find that balance moving forward. Another meeting like last night is unacceptable.
• The consultants will need to look at the totality of documentation in order to move forward. This should include the most recent new school proposal and add/reno drawings that were done. One of the complaints is that those buildings were over-designed for the needs of our district and I think it would be valuable for the consultants to use those as a starting point. There is nothing to lose by reviewing past efforts that we invested so much time and money in. It was not my impression from reading the proposal that we would be asking the consultants to evaluate any one plan, but to help our community decide on a course of action that will best fit both our educational and economic needs.
• "It's ok to disagree without being disagreeable." 

The School Board has a huge task in front of it and it is as clear as ever that they need to figure out how to work together or this process will fail. 

A little push.

This past Spring, community members came to the Town Council asking for the Council and the School Board to work together to find a solution for our school facilities. Now it's August and so far this hasn't happened. 

To be clear, it is my understanding that the Council chair and the School Board chair have had some meetings. But there has been no involvement from the Council at-large, no discussions with the Council, no public input from other council members and no updates from the chair during Council meetings. So to characterize any plans as a collaboration between the Council and the SB is simply incorrect. I respect Mr. Levy's opinion, but he is just one of seven and has neither asked for nor received any guidance from the Council as a whole.

 

I apologize and take my share of responsibility for this. When I initially heard that the Council chair and the School Board chair were meeting several weeks ago, I did ask for an update in one of our meetings but was provided with little information. And there has been nothing since. Being new to the Council, I chose not to push too much at the time.

Clearly it's time to push.

Rainy day update.

I know it's been quiet here lately. The transition from the end of the school year to the beginning of summer has proven to be an exceptionally busy time. It's a flurry of end-of-year activities, followed by the race to make sure plans are all set for the summer and then the almost manic need to make sure each ray of sunlight goes un-wasted. For some reason it always takes me by surprise.

But now that we're mid-way through July, I feel like I can breathe and get caught up on a few things. And having a rainy day to force me inside is helping.

So, I'm going to take this opportunity to give you a little update on things happening in town. This isn't an exhaustive list, just the items that have caught my attention recently.

1. Development in Newmarket continues. By now, everyone is aware that the project by the golf course is well underway. But did you know that they've also broken ground on the Chinburg development behind the library, which as far as I know is still planned to be a nano-brewery and space for a restaurant (rumored to possibly be the new home of Panzanella's).  The Planning Board also just approved the Riverdale garage project, which is slated to become a high end market and Aroma Joe's drive-thru. The Planning Board has also been reviewing an application for a 10-home subdivision off of Bald Hill Rd. Not surprisingly, this is also a Chinburg project. 

2. There was a meeting last week to present the plans for pedestrian crossings in downtown. Maybe you remember the plans for the skybridge near the Newmarket Mills entrance? Well, that was scrapped quite a while ago, but pedestrian safety remains a concern. Studies have been done, sight lines measured and now there are plans for increased signage, improved walkways and even an additional crosswalk close to Riverworks. The full engineering report is available on the town website. 

3. The Dam. Remember last summer when the draw down of the river was done and people in the community were outraged? Well, the report is ready to view on the town website and I am adding a link here. In addition, the Town Council will be discussing the formation of another Dam Committee, with a resolution in the first reading tonight and I'm anticipating a vote on it at our August 6th meeting. If the dam is something you're interested in, now is the time to pay attention and get involved.

4. New faces. There are some new faces in the school district this summer and articles in the Exeter Newsletter and Foster's have highlighted some of these. There is a new Superintendent, new NES Principal and a soon-to-be-determined new school board member.

Keep enjoying the summer and I'll update as the weather permits!

Get in line.

"...This is not just a Newmarket problem. There are other school districts having these same debates. Which is why, in fighting to restore school building aid, I did not ask for Newmarket to be at the front of the line, just to have an equal opportunity to compete for funds."--This is a quote from Adam Schroadter's letter in today's Exeter Newsletter. 

But why not ask for Newmarket to be at the front of the line? Isn't that the job of an elected official representing our town?

Town Council Agenda

Now that I have a few meetings as a Town Councilor under my belt, I thought I would give a quick update about some recent happenings.

Our first few meetings were quick and uneventful, but there's been more substance recently and Wednesday's meeting addressed some town business that I wanted to share in case you didn't attend or watch it on TV. We dealt with 9 resolutions, and both the agenda and the backup data are posted online if you care to read through the documents. I'd like to focus on 2 items:

We voted on a resolution to contract engineering services for the bike path project along Route 108. This has been a long time coming! Here's the background:

I support this project and was happy to vote in favor of the resolution Wednesday night. My concern is that we appropriated that money 4 years ago--it remains to be seen what the cost will be in today's dollars and whether or not that will impact future votes.

The second item is paving. The Council approved a resolution to appropriate funds to pave an additional mile of Ash Swamp Road and put the finish course on the part that was done last year. One mile. Our DPW Director explained that we have about 55 miles of roads in Newmarket--if we continue to pave a mile/year, we better hope for some milder winters.

Our next meeting is June 4th at 7pm. 

Choices.

Heading into last night's meeting, I knew who the next Town Councilor would be. I'm sure we all did. Perhaps that's one of the reasons no one felt the need to ask the candidates any questions about their backgrounds or experience.

Though I cast my vote for someone else, I look forward to the opportunity to serve with John Bentley. His experience will benefit the town in the coming months. 
 
For me, selecting the candidate who would receive my vote was a difficult decision to make. The people who threw their hats into the ring came from diverse backgrounds with varying levels of experience in Newmarket. I considered these factors before casting my vote.

I'm encouraged that six (yes, SIX!) fellow townspeople answered the call to serve. It gives me hope.

I urge the other candidates to continue to be involved. There are many ways to serve the community--both officially and unofficially. There are current vacancies on several boards in Town and there will be upcoming opportunities on the CIP committee and cable contract negotiations. But the most important thing you can do is attend meetings and be informed.

Learn more. Get involved. Participate.

Tick tock.

The School Board will need to have a completed, approved budget to the budget committee in approximately 31 weeks. 

To put that in perspective, they have 12 more regularly scheduled meetings until then. 

12.

And still no direction on facilities. 

Progress.

The Planning Board meeting on Monday seems to be speaking to a new era in Newmarket. 

One item on the agenda was a proposal for a small grocer and drivethru coffee shop at the current Riverdale garage site. The property would be developed by Chinburg Builders and the potential tenants were also at the meeting. They currently operate Nature's Way Market in South Berwick, which would serve as a model for the market they wish to open in Newmarket and they would add an Aroma Joe's kiosk. (Though I still plan to get my coffee at Crackskull's.)

The empty Riverdale garage is one of the first things you notice as you head into downtown Newmarket from that end of town. It will be exciting to see this area revitalized.

The second proposal is for a nano brewery located in the back area of the current Millspace/library parking lot. In addition to brewing capabilities, it will be open to the public for tours and tastings. There is additional restaurant and retail space available on that site, though no tenants were named. The project was given approval on Monday night and will be moving forward soon.

It appears that some interesting things are happening to our downtown. 

It's our process, too.

I'm puzzled by the sentiment at recent meetings and expressed by some in our community, that we should sit back and let the School Board's "process" unfold. 

Isn't it more important than ever for the community to be involved and to question time frames and ideas and to push the School Board to act responsibly and to be responsive to our concerns? Shouldn't we be involved now? Shouldn't the community be a part of the "process" that shapes the future of Newmarket?

I think we should take our example from the many people who stood up and spoke at the School Board meeting Thursday night. It's time for us to be in front of the school board (and Town Council, Planning Board, Budget Committee, etc.), asking them to respond to our requests, rather than sitting idly by, hoping they do the right thing. 

Sunday reading.

Here are some things that inspired me this week. Hope you like them.

• Why there is a need for creative people. And why arts education is so important.

• I heard a story a few months ago on NPR about these adventure playgrounds. Love this idea. 

• No More. A new public awareness campaign around the reality of sexual violence.

• Frank Turner. Just because.

Newmarket 101: The CIP

A note about this post: One of the reasons I started writing the blog was to help people understand our local government here in Newmarket. This topic came up via social media and I thought it was something people should know more about. Please see this previous post to see why I think you should be paying attention to the CIP. 

Recently someone suggested that we (the Town and School) should save money for big projects so that we aren't hit with big expenses all at once. The town does have such a program, called the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). Here are some facts about the CIP:

What is the CIP?  
The NH Office of Energy and Planning describes the goal of a capital improvement program:  "The capital improvement program links local infrastructure investments with master plan goals, land use ordinances, and economic development. A capital improvements program bridges the gap between planning and spending, between the visions of the master plan and the fiscal realities of improving and expanding community facilities."
The role of the CIP in Newmarket is spelled out in Section 5.7 of our Town Charter.

Who is on the CIP? 
The makeup of the committee has recently changed due to an amendment of our town charter. The committee will now consist of 6 voting members, including representatives from the Town Council, Planning Board, School Board, Budget Committee and 2 members of the public at large. 

Does Newmarket have a master plan?  
Yes. You can find it here.


Does the school participate? 
The school has relied on a group of trust funds, but will begin participating in the CIP plan in accordance with State law and as per the revision to the town charter which was approved by voters on March 11.  

How is money appropriated?  
Money is appropriated through the town's budget process. Not sure how the school exactly the school will manage this.


How much money do we have in our CIP accounts now?   
Here is a chart with the current amounts:


What does this mean to me? 
A couple of things. For one, it's important to know that this community does plan for the future. The CIP and the master plan are more than just documents--they are expressions of how our community sees itself now and in the future. Becoming a member of the CIP is another chance people in our community have to contribute and help move Newmarket forward.




I hope you find this information useful. Knowing the programs we have in place will help us all to understand the process of our local government and where we can best help.