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This week's stories: (click on the headline
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Hooksett
Hooksett encourages growth with TIF district
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By LARA SKINNER
Staff Writer
lskinner@yourneighborhoodnews.com
Parking lots at Kohl's and Staples looked
empty compared to the crowd of cars at the Home Depot on Wednesday
evening, Jan. 21. Shoppers from Dunbarton and Goffstown made
it a point to check out the new store because it is easier to
get to than the Home Depot on South Willow Street in Manchester.
People lined up for the sneak preview event were an indicator
of more than the store's popularity. They were proof that the
TIF district is doing what it should.
"In my opinion, it's a real solid district," said Town
Planner Charles Watson.
Voters approved the Tax Increment Financing district at the Town
Meeting in 2001 with a bond for $2.6 million dollars. Such an
expensive bond is a difficult thing to get voter approval on,
Watson said. But a TIF district is designed to pay for itself.
There are a few layers to how taxes in
a TIF district are distributed, according to the New Hampshire
Office of State Planning. Tax revenues based on the value of
the property before it is developed are used for the
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BIG BOX STORE HELPS LOCAL
SCHOOL Donations and grand openings are as sure as
a handshake when a large store moves into town. Home Depot Store
Manager Matt Compton, left, gave a check for $2,500 to the Fred
C. Underhill school after the "board cutting" ceremony
on Wednesday, Jan. 21. Principal William Estey helped with the
ceremony, and also received a Home Depot apron signed by store
employees. (Lara Skinner Photo)
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standard taxes of school, county and
town. As the tax base increases with new development, revenues
earned from the higher value are used to pay the bond and to
pay for improvements in the district such as roads or sewer.
Extra revenues for the Hooksett district were used to improve
the roads near Exit 10 and its on/off ramps.
If a district does very well, it will generate enough taxes so
there is some money left over for the community's general fund.
Town Councilor Michael DiBitetto described a TIF district as
operating on its own tax base.
For 2003, the district made approximately $499,000, according
to Hooksett Finance Director Diane Savoie. The bond payment is
$340,000, and next year the TIF will generate more in taxes
because more stores are in the district now.
"Things have proceeded pretty briskly," DiBitetto said.
From a sand lot to a bustling shopping center in almost four
years is good, but state regulations require an advisory committee
to ensure a TIF district keeps growing in the right direction.
Robert Areo owns Northeast Record Retention on West River Road,
and part of his property is included in the TIF district. He
is one of five people who are on Hooksett's TIF committee,
and said he is waiting to hear when the first meeting is scheduled.
Owning a business in the district has helped him. If he were
to sell his business and the land it's on he said he would definitely
profit over the purchase price.
"We'd get that back plus some," he said.
Increased land value and tax base make the TIF a win-win
situation for everyone, according to Areo.
Members of the committee are supposed to either own a business
in the TIF district or live along the borders.
Real estate agent Irene Darrah serves on the committee as a resident.
She lives behind the BJ's store on Kimball Drive, and made it
a point to get involved in the development because her house
and business are so close to the district. Construction noise
and increased traffic were concerns for all of the residents
when the buildings were starting to go up, and Darrah attended
many neighborhood meetings with the developers. She said she
is happy to have the shopping so close to home, but serving on
the committee is her way to make sure her neighbors still have
a voice in the development.
"Is it the same as it used to be? No," she said. "But
that's progress."
Home Depot takes up one of the last few building lots available
in the TIF district. Darrah and her neighbors shouldn't see any
new construction unless someone buys a small lot near the south
side of Kimball Drive.
Businesses in the district are on both sides of West River Road.
Land on the hill across from the Central Park II movie theater
is open for development, some of which might get used for an
auxiliary fire station. Town council, the planning department,
the developer Koeffler-GID and former land owner Arleigh Greene
are negotiating for a suitable piece of land for the station.
Former councilor Tom Young was serving on the council when the
TIF district was approved, and said he thinks the tax base is
paying off.
"For years I used to drive by and think, 'What a god
awful site that is,'" he said.
Now, business development has helped to improve the roads, and
the better the area looks to developers the more new businesses
should come in. It all comes back to the town, Young said.
Pembroke
Town Meeting too tiring?
Residents petition for ballot voting
By GINGER KOZLOWSKI
Staff Writer
editor@hooksettbanner.com
It seems a simple choice: hours and hours
on a hard folding chair or bleacher seat, discussion and voting
on warrant articles, or a few quick minutes in the voting booth.
But the decision to leave the traditional Town Meeting behind
and adopt the official ballot law, often referred to as SB2,
is a choice being presented to Pembroke voters this March that
involves more than just time spent at a long meeting.
Glorie LaFond of 76 Front St. and Ruth Ann Esch of 12 Church
St. presented the petition to adopt the official ballot law.
"I never noticed it before, but now that I'm in my 70s,
it's awful hard to sit there for three or four hours," LaFond
said. "It's not fair that you should attend the meeting
to vote."
They started the petition shortly after last year's Town Meeting,
said Pembroke Town Administrator David Stack.
Stack said he'll support whatever form of government the voters
choose, but has reservations about changing.
"My only thought is: It's disappointing that the deliberative
session is very poorly attended. I think if you are going to
vote on it, you should attend the deliberative session and hear
the reasoning."
Town Meeting and School District Meeting have generally been
fairly well attended, said Stack.
"I do know discussion at the meeting can have an influence
on people," he said, "and questions can be answered
and rumors quelled."
Under the official ballot law, Town Meeting and School District
Meeting would still take place. The change is in the voting process
and name. The meetings would be called the deliberative session
of Town Meeting or School District Meeting, meaning there would
be discussion of warrant articles and possibly amending wording
or dollar amounts, but no vote. Voting on warrant articles would
be done in private at the same time as voting for candidates
about a month later.
While it is appealing to many to avoid the long meeting, uninformed
decisions are a risk of ballot voting.
"A report said it's great because more people are voting,
but is it quality voting? Is it informed voting?" asked
Stack.
School board member Gerard Fleury asks in a letter to the editor
that people consider this decision carefully.
"Once made, a decision to move to SB2 is not easily undone,"
said Fleury. "Several surrounding towns have adopted SB2,
but are they any better off for it?"
Pembroke selectmen voted unanimously on Monday, Feb. 2, against
adopting the official ballot law.
Those who support the law say it at least opens the process to
more people, whether they are able to attend the meeting where
articles are discussed or not.
"I believe it's the right of every registered voter to be
allowed to vote on town and school issues," said LaFond.
"If you can't attend the meeting, you lose the right to
vote."
Those interested in discussing the pros and cons of this change
are invited to a public hearing on Monday, Feb. 9, at 6 p.m.,
at Pembroke Academy.
Allenstown
Town Meeting
Fire chief gives up all to get new fire
truck
By GINGER KOZLOWSKI
Staff Writer
editor@hooksettbanner.com
What it all came down to for Fire Chief
Everett Chaput is this: He needs a new fire truck, whatever the
cost to the rest of his department.
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At the deliberative
session of Town Meeting on Saturday, Jan. 31, most of the warrant
articles presented by the fire department were zeroed out by
the 55 people in attendance.
Going into the meeting, Chaput was aware motions to zero-out
his articles would be made.
"I need to pick and choose which battles I'm going to fight,"
said Chaput.
Most of the other articles did not generate much discussion,
including the operating budget of just over $3 million dollars,
other than the need to put aside some money for changes federal
and state inspectors may require for polling stations.
Fire truck
Of the seven articles pertaining to the fire department, four
were effectively denied voter input by amending the request for
money to zero. |
Everett Chaput
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Those four originally asked for $75,000 for the Fire Department
Capital Reserve Fund, $50,684 for the salary and benefits to
hire two new full-time firefighters, $18,000 for a digital repeater
system for the fire alarm system, and $9,950 for eight sets of
protective firefighter gear.
Article 11 asks the town to approve a 10-year lease/purchase
of a rescue pumper for $649,000. Chaput said the fire department
is depending on three vehicles at this time which are 18, 23
and 28 years old. Maintenance on these vehicles per year is outstripping
their trade-in value.
Ron Adinolfo, 46, returned
recently to work as a firefighter, having been part of that department
as a young adult.
"The condition of that truck was deplorable," he said,
describing his shock at the state of the fire department he'd
just returned to.
"The day this truck breaks down and they don't get there
to your loved ones, think about what that 37 cents means,"
he said, referring to the amount the tax rate would increase
if the warrant was approved.
For the owner of a home assessed at $150,000, a 37-cent increase
in the rate translates to a $55.50 increase in the yearly property
tax bill.
Firefighters
Voters will not get the chance to approve funding for two new
firefighters, as the warrant article for their salary was amended
to zero.
Chaput outlined his need for the help, saying that this department
simply doesn't have the coverage he needs with an all-call department.
No one is ready to respond during business hours because his
firefighters must all work other jobs.
"You, as citizens," he said, "are getting a guess
as service."
Tit for tat
Immediately following the group's decision to zero-out the firefighters'
salaries, Adinolfo proposed amending the next warrant article,
which would fund a survey on rehabilitating town buildings, to
zero.
"If we can't afford to support our public services, we can't
afford feasibility studies," he said. |
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DEFENDING THE FIRE DEPARTMENT
Ron Adinolfo, 46, persuaded those at Town Meeting
to cut funding for a survey, saying that if the town can't afford
public services like new firefighters, it can't afford studies.
(Ginger Kozlowski Photo)
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It was such a close
voice and hand vote that voters were asked to split the house
and stand on opposite sides of the room to be counted. The amendment
to zero-out the article passed, 25-24.
Polling standards
Town clerk Ed Cyr notified the audience that state and federal
inspectors had come to the polling station at St. John the Baptist
Church during the primary election and marked many items out
of compliance. He convinced the meeting to approve adding $10,000
to the town's operating budget for unknown adjustment that may
have to be made before the November elections.
Should voters fail to approve the operating budget, money for
such adjustments would have to found in the default budget.
Voting
Residents may vote on the 27 zoning and warrant articles as well
as candidates for office on Tuesday, March 9.
If all money articles pass, the tax rate would increase by about
$2.69. |
SPLIT HOUSE Allenstown
Police Chief James McGonigle counts residents on one side of
the room in a vote that was too close to determine by voice or
hand vote regarding a feasibility study on refurbishing town
buildings. The article was zeroed out, 25-24. (Ginger Kozlowski
Photo)
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Epsom
Town Meeting
Epsom to keep fire chief a part-time job
By RUSS CHOMA
Staff Writer
rchoma@yourneighborhoodnews.com
Discussion of Epsom's growth and how the
town should change to accommodate it dominated the deliberative
session of this year's Town Meeting.
The meeting, held Saturday, Jan. 31, at Epsom Central School,
attracted a record low attendance 79 voters of 2,590 registered.
The main focus of those in attendance seemed to be preserving
some of Epsom's small town ways, while others argued the town
needs to play catch-up.
No full-time fire chief
One of the hot topics was Article 7, which asked voters to approve
a full-time fire chief to be paid roughly $50,000 a year. Resident
Sonia Noyes stood to offer an amendment to gut the article and
make it into a reaffirmation of the department's volunteer status.
The amendment was overwhelmingly approved.
The warrant, if approved, would reaffirm the town's commitment
to a volunteer department and there would be no change to the
department. If it fails, there would still be no change to the
current fire department.
Noyes, a former volunteer EMT, said she had several motivations.
"The main one is that I don't feel we don't need a $60,000-a-year
fire chief," she said. "It works pretty well as it
is."
The article was originally proposed by Selectman Micheal Dempsey,
who said his motivation was to help the department run more smoothly.
He said the current situation is unfair to current Fire Chief
Stuart Yeaton because he has to run his family farm as well as
supervise one of the town's largest departments.
Dempsey also said selectmen are not looking to get rid of Yeaton.
"There are rumors going around that we're trying to replace
him. Not true," Dempsey said. "We're not
looking to replace Stuart or do anything sneaky. We're trying
to do right by the town and the department."
Following the meeting, Dempsey and Yeaton stood together discussing
the amended article. Both agreed that there were no hard
feelings.
Yeaton said he understood why Dempsey had proposed the article,
but said he opposed it because he does not feel any change is
needed.
He also said he did not feel his work on his family's farm was
infringing on his ability to serve as fire chief.
"The bottom line: Not at this time," he said.
Elect or appoint?
Other contentious items were Articles 16 and 17, which, respectively,
pose the question of whether the town's road agent and welfare
officer should remain elected positions.
Neither article was amended, but a number of residents stood
to voice their dissatisfaction with the proposed changes.
Pat Hickey, the current welfare officer, said she fully supports
making her job a hired position. She said that because it is
a position that involves so much money and is so closely scrutinized
by the state, a professional is needed.
"Right now, anyone can run, and anyone can win," she
said, "And they can just spend the town's money and put
the town in a position of lawsuits."
Robert Berry, chairman of the board of selectmen, said the reason
he and other board members support the articles is that Epsom
is growing and needs department heads who are more professional.
"Small town Epsom is fading rapidly. Life is becoming complicated," he
said. "The days when we can get Joe and his tractor to take
care of the south side of town, and Bob and his tractor to take
care of the north side are over."
Berry said current road agent Gordon Ellis is doing a good job,
but considering the current condition of the roads, the town
needs to ensure it can keep a competent person in the job. With
an elected official, he said, that could not be done.
Resident Kyle Lantt responded by saying that it may be more efficient
to hire a road agent, but electing the position is a way to keep
town officials more directly accountable to the residents.
"You're right it would be safer (to hire)," she
said. "But that's not the way we do things around here."
Library warrants
Articles 1 and 2 both ask voters to approve $250,000 towards
the cost of a new library. Article 1 would bond the money over
five years and Article 2 would raise the money in one year.
Library supporters said their plan, which calls for the majority
of the funds needed to be raised from private sources, is being
offered on two different articles in order to give voters a choice.
"It appears the town wants to do this," said supporter
Valerie Long, referring to past warrant articles on a new library
that narrowly failed, "But we just can't get over that hump."
In response to a question about what would happen to the private
funding already pledged if the articles failed, Long was adamant
that the library would pass.
"It's not going to happen," she said firmly.
Other articles
Residents voted to amend Article 11, which would pay for a $60,000
highway department truck in one year instead of four, and discussed
the value of articles funding the highway department equipment.
Hooksett
School District Meeting
School District Meeting moves to Cawley
School
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By KATE BENWAY
Staff Writer
kbenway@yourneighborhoodnews.com
The transfer of Hooksett Village School
to the town, a land transfer that last year sparked controversy,
and a proposed $20.5 million budget that includes newly negotiated
high school tuition costs are among the items residents will
take up at the deliberative session of the annual School District
Meeting on Friday, Feb. 6.
The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the David R. Cawley School.
There are just six warrant articles up for voter consideration
and possible amendment. Ballot voting will take place on Tuesday,
March 9, at the Cawley School.
Hooksett Village School
Article 6 asks voters to transfer Hooksett Village School to
the town for $1 and places strict stipulations on what the town
can use the building and adjoining land for.
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Voting, meetings now at Cawley
· Deliberative session of School
District Meeting is Friday, Feb. 6, 7 p.m., at Cawley Middle
School. In case of bad weather, the meeting will take place Saturday,
Feb. 7, at 1 p.m.
· Voting for school district offices and warrants on Tuesday,
March 9, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Cawley Middle School.
· Filing dates for town offices are March 24 to April
2.
· Deliberative session of Town Meeting, at Cawley Middle
School, will take place Saturday, April 3, at 1 p.m.
· Voting date for town officials and warrants will take
place, Tuesday, May 11, from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., at Cawley Middle
School.
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The property must not be subdivided
and must be used exclusively for governmental, civic and public
educational uses under the warrant.
If those stipulations are not followed, the building reverts
back to the school district at no cost.
"That parcel of land is not to be separated from the playground
and the school board wants the town to at least have the availability
of some classrooms in case the school district needs them,"
said Joanne McHugh, a member of the Hooksett School Board.
A resident survey completed at the polls last year indicated
the majority would like to see the building used as a community
center or for town offices.
Town officials have said the building would make a good site
for town office expansion and have said that they'd consider
using the building as both office space and a community center.
Budget
Meanwhile, voters will consider a proposed $20.5 million budget
that's up from last year's $17.9 million budget. The proposal
includes the addition of a vice principal for Hooksett Memorial
School and new high school tuition costs.
The board held the line with the Manchester School District,
not budging far from their original cost estimates. This coming
school year, the district will pay $8,260 per student.
Should the proposed budget fail, a $20.3 million default budget
will take effect.
Composting land transfer
Article 5 asks voters to consider turning over about seven acres
of Hooksett Memorial School land, which sits in front of the
school, to the town for use by the Hooskett Wastewater Department.
Last year, the town's sewer commission proposed building a $1.1
million composting facility on the land, but spurred the wrath
of some residents when pilot programs created what residents
said were awful odors.
This year, said Hooksett School Board Chairman Becky Berk, members
of the commission will be on hand to present the revamped proposal
at the meeting.
"In terms of the school board point of view, it's incumbent
upon the sewer commission to make the point with the public about
what the land will be used for and what the safeguards are," she
said. "The board has simply had a request by the commission
to use the land and we don't think the school district will need
it in the future, so it's OK with us. It's really not a school
board issue."
Members of the board said commissioners have made several presentations
to them at their meetings and plan to propose enclosing a composting
facility in an effort to curb any odor problems.
Other items
Meanwhile, two other warrant articles will make their traditional
appearance: one devoting $25,000 to a special education fund
and another placing $10,000 in a fund for unanticipated building
repairs.
"If we have a child or a group of children that comes into
the district and we don't have anything in our budget for their
special ed services, this covers it," said McHugh of the
$25,000 appropriation. "With special ed, it's not a choice.
We have to provide those services. This way, there's money set
aside that can only be used for those specific purposes."
The $10,000 appropriation has come in handy in times of emergency
need, she said.
"It was used one year when the Underhill School had an odor
problem and some pipe issues," said McHugh.
Allenstown
School District Meeting
Modular classroom, salaries up for discussion
Feb. 5
By RUSS CHOMA
Staff Writer
rchoma@yourneighborhoodnews.com
The school board and budget committee are
gearing up to sway voters to support their respective budgets
when they present at the School District Meeting on Thursday,
Feb. 5. The meeting will be held at Allenstown Elementary School
at 7 p.m.
Only five articles appear on the warrant, but discussion will
likely be dominated by Article 2, the district's operating budget,
after the school board rejected the budget committee's recommended
cuts.
The budget committee recommended an operating budget of $7,701,973
$34,850 less than the school board's proposed budget.
According to Dave Dziura, SAU 53 Assistant Superintendent for
Allenstown, there are only two items that the two committees
disagree on: a new modular unit at the Armand R. Dupont
School, and a defibrillator for Allenstown Elementary School.
As the article is currently written, the budget committee's recommendation
appears, but residents may vote to amend the item and add in
the extra two items.
The other two items which voters will be able to amend are:
· Article 3: Approval of salary and benefit increases
negotiated in a collective bargaining agreement with the teacher's
union.
· Article 4: The raising of approximately $32,000
to pay for transportation of Allenstown students to Pembroke
Academy.
Candia
Woman accused of horse deaths speaks out
in her own defense
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By KATE BENWAY
Staff Writer
kbenway@yourneighborhoodnews.com
Debra and Andrew Izbicki want to clear
their names.
Frustrated they've faced a number of criminal charges in the
wake of a dispute with their Crowley Road neighbors, they said
they and their family have suffered after being accused of killing
two of their neighbors' horses.
Debra Izbicki said much-publicized accusations and charges levied
by her former neighbors, Wayne and Laura Theodore, should be
clarified.
"It's been a long haul. We didn't start it, but we didn't
back down," said Izbicki. "We fought like hell."
In May and June 2002, two of the Theodore's horses died and autopsy
results showed the animals had ingested anti-freeze.
Wayne Theodore maintained he believed his neighbors were responsible
for the deaths, but the Izbickis asserted they had nothing to
do with the deaths.
"I did not kill those horses. I know nothing about it,"
said Debra Izbicki.
In June 2003, Andrew and Debra Izbicki and their daughter, Nina,
were subpoenaed and ordered to testify before a grand jury in
relation to the animal cruelty investigation.
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SPEAKING OUT Debra
Izbicki stands with her champion horse, Trip Rocks My Fantasy,
in this 1995 photo. She wants to clear her name in regard to
the deaths of her neighbor's horses the summer of 2002. (Courtesy
Photo)
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Neither the Candia police nor prosecuting
attornies have charged or indicted anyone, including the Izbickis,
with the horse deaths.
However, the department's prosecutor, Jerome Blanchard, said
the case remains open and active.
Because of its status, he could not comment on it, he said.
In the months following the accusations, the families sparred,
calling the police to complain or file charges.
Izbicki said she and her husband have each been arrested on a
number of charges related to the neighbors' dispute.
What's important, she said, has never been in the press.
"We've been found innocent of these things and it's time
people knew that," she said. "(The charges) were a
pre-meditated attempt to acrimoniously harass my family."
In September 2002, Andrew Izbicki, 43, was arrested by Candia
police and charged with harassment.
Debra Izbicki, 48, said the arrest came out of a comment her
husband made, telling the Theodores they were messing with the
wrong people.
Her husband was found innocent of the charge in Auburn District
Court.
In the meantime, the Theodores were granted a restraining order
against the Izbickis. And in late September, Debra Izbicki was
arrested for, according to court documents, allegedly threatening
to kill Laura and Wayne Theodore.
She pleaded innocent in Auburn District Court and was later cleared
of any wrong-doing.
"It was awful. The officer came to arrest me, and my kids
were here crying their eyes out," she said.
In December 2002, a complaint filed by the Theodores alleged
Debra Izbicki was harassing one of the Theodore daughters while
she was on the job at the Shop'n Save in Raymond.
"I asked the manager to escort me to and from the pharmacy,"
said Izbicki. "But their complaint said I was laughing and
staring (at the girl) and that I was there every day for two
weeks. It's just not true."
Arrested for allegedly violating the restraining order, Izbicki
was found innocent.
And in February 2003, she was arrested again for allegedly violating
the protective order the Theodores had against the Izbickis.
"It was dehumanizing and horrible," said Debra Izbicki.
According to court documents, Izbicki "knowingly violated
a stalking order ... by accelerating and decelerating in a reckless
manner, traveling in the same direction and behind a vehicle
driven by Laura Theodore."
Izbicki said she and Laura Theodore happened to be driving down
Crowley Road at the same time. Izbicki said she waited to allow
Theodore to travel in front of her, and an ensuing exchange of
breaking and slowing down spurred the charges.
Again, Izbicki was found innocent.
The Theodores recently moved from their home and Izbicki said
the feud has calmed considerably.
She maintained she had nothing to do with the deaths of her neighbors'
horses and said the accusation and ensuing disputes have taken
a toll on her and her family.
"I thank my family and friends for their support," she
said. "This has been very, very hard on all of us."
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