Potential.

Every year at this time we come together as a community to discuss budgets. We talk about whether or not to replace fire trucks, fix water mains and build new schools.

Every year - it's about the future.  This year is no different.

On Saturday, I had the opportunity to attend Ignite, the inaugural event at the Millspace in Newmarket.

It blew me away - not just the quality of the presenters, the commitment of the organizers, or the incredible space. But the fact that it represented a willingness to move Newmarket forward. Some of the people instrumental in the development of that space have been working on it for over a decade. They had an incredible vision and saw the potential of this Town.

Hundreds of people were gathered to celebrate that forward momentum Saturday night.

I hope the Town of Newmarket has that same vision at Town Meeting this year. 

At the Deliberative Session on February 8th and later when we vote on March 11, we have the opportunity to come together and help shape Newmarket's future. 

Let's move Newmarket forward. 

It's official.

Attendance.

I don't expect every elected official to attend every meeting in Newmarket. 

But last night was the bond hearing for the proposed Jr. Sr. High School and arguably the biggest and most divisive issue our town will face in the foreseeable future. 

So, I was surprised that of the approximately 150 people there, I did not see one Town Councilor in attendance.

Fixing what we have.

Last night a budget committee member said that he was supportive of the school repairing its facilities and that we should, in fact, be doing more of that. 

He then voted against the school putting money into its building repair fund. 

You can't have it both ways. 

Tweeting.

Because doing nothing is not an option.

Join the conversation: @toniweinstein

The cost of doing nothing.

At tonight's Town Council meeting, they approved a resolution to include a bond for $1.05 million to install a 16 inch water main on Route 108. 

This was on the warrant 2 years ago (and was rejected by voters) for approximately $875,000. **

Apparently, the cost of doing nothing is $175,000.  


**I asked Sean Grieg on our way out the door tonight what the amount was 2 yrs ago. He didn't have the figures in front of him, but said it was approximately $875,000.

Reminder.

I wrote this last year and as things start to heat up, I thought we could all use a reminder: 

The voters make the final decision. Clearly, the vote in March is important. That's where the final decisions get made when we all fill out our ballots. But, a lot happens prior to that vote and there are meetings that everyone should attend. 

The bulk of what we vote on has to do with money. The voters will decide the budgets for the following year for both the town and the school. Maybe you don't think it matters to you. But this isn't just about water, roads and schools. We get the privilege of deciding what kind of town we want to live in through Town Meeting every year. 

And that should matter to everyone. 

There are plenty of meetings that you can watch from the comfort of your living room, but these aren't them. You need to be there. 

Put these dates in your calendar: 

Public hearing: Monday, January 13 at 7pm
Bond hearing: Tuesday, January 21 at 7pm
Deliberative session: Saturday, February 8 
Voting Day: Tuesday, March 11.