Ivy Green Rebekah Lodge #36 is hosting a Scrap Book Event on
Saturday, March 16th from 1-8 pm at the Epsom Public Library. Plan
to join the fun for a great time of scrap booking with friends. Food
and beverages are included in the fee. There will be raffles for
some great prizes! Proceeds from the event help the lodge with their
community outreach. For info and to register, please call Vickie at
736-4707.
Spartan Singers
Pancake Breakfast
Cost: Only
$5.00 Per Person
Saturday,
March 16, 2013
Time: 8AM - 10AM
At Pembroke Academy
209 Academy Road
Pembroke, NH 03275
2nd Annual Fundraiser
Sponsored by the
Pembroke Academy Music Association.
Michael Briggs Spaghetti Dinner
On Tuesday, March 12, 2013 the Epsom Central School will be holding
the 7th annual Spaghetti Dinner to raise additional money for an
award in remembrance of Officer Michael Briggs. This award will be
given to a graduating eighth grade student from Epsom. This will
then be distributed upon the end of high school as this student
pursues his/her post secondary education or enters a public service
career. In order to make this award a reality we need your empty
stomachs and generosity. Epsom School Staff will be cooking and
serving the dinner in an effort to raise money for the award. The
dinner will be from 5:00 to 7:00 pm in the multipurpose room. The
cost will be $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for children. Tickets will
be available in the office ahead of time or you may purchase them
the night of the dinner. We will once again be offering “take out”
diners. We will make it fresh for you when you come in to pick it
up. With your support, we can make this award a reality. Any
questions, please call Mrs. Donovan or Mrs. Paine at 736-9331. Thank
you.
Letter
Re-Elect Ellis For Road Agent
In my 60 years of experience in construction and excavation and
being familiar with the roads in Epsom, it amazes me to understand
how Gordon Ellis does such a Excellent Job with the Limited Budget
that he has to work with. I’ve seen Road Agents come and go in this
Town but never like Ellis. He is incredibly efficient in everything
that he does for this town of Epsom.
I believe as a Taxpayer and Registered Voter that Gordon Ellis
should remain our Road Agent.
Also, Thank you Joanne for your article in the paper. These are
exactly my sentiments. The people that were in office during those
times (and they all know who they are) tarnished this Town with a
lack of dignity, respect and a disingenuous concern for the Town
residents. The residents did not vote them back into office because
of their inability to be honest, their poor judgment, lack of
knowledge, unfair procedures, self righteousness and lack of
evidence. Two people were fired during their watch. One
overwhelmingly got voted back in and the other was exonerated in
court costing the Taxpayer a phenomenal amount of money. We, as
Taxpayers and registered voters, do not want to go backwards. We
want to go forward. Our Selectmen, now, have proved themselves
beyond a reasonable doubt. Please think about this when you vote,
but do vote.
Herb Bartlett
Epsom
Concord Regional Visiting Nurse Association Offers “Honest
Discussions With Your Healthcare Providers” Presentation In Epsom
Concord Regional Visiting Nurse Association is offering a free
presentation “Now We’re Talking: Honest Discussions With Your
Healthcare Providers” on Thursday, March 21 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
at Epsom Public Library, 1606 Dover Road in Epsom.
Effective communication is one of the keys in receiving good health
care and at times communicating with your team of providers can be a
challenge. Learn practical strategies to strengthen your ability to
share information with your physician while building a good
patient-doctor partnership.
For more information, call (603) 224-4093 or (800) 924-8620, ext.
5815.
Letter
On Epsom’s ballots this year there will be many important items to
vote on. The budget committee has made recommendations for items
for approval and hope that the citizens will support their
recommendations. The teacher’s contract is one of those important
items and I am hoping that you will support this contract. It is a 3
year contract and has been worked on for over a year by our teachers
and the School Board.
Last year not enough voters supported their negotiated contract and
so it has been several years since our teachers, who are the
backbone of Epsom’s education, have gotten any salary increase. ECS
has been blessed by an excellent staff, many who began their career
in our school and have stayed for many years. That is a testimony to
a great school district! Help ECS keep their excellent staff and
vote yes for the teacher’s contract.
Virginia Drew
Letter
To Epsom residents:
Thanks to the Select Board and School Board for putting the tax
impact question on the ballots. The warrant articles are numbers 3
on the school and 14 on the town ballot. This action came about
because of House Bill 1170 allowing municipalities to vote to put
this after each warrant article. This was introduced by Reps Carol
and Dan McGuire and Senator Barnes and passed in the state
legislature and signed by Governor Lynch in 2012.
In addition to these warrants, there is the school budget, if
passed, will result in a 2.83 estimated tax increase, default
increase of 2.80. The town budget, if passed, will result in a .42
increase and the default will be a .23 increase. The teacher’s
contract, if passed, will result in a .20 increase and a warrant to
put 150,000 in a road capital reserve fund resulting in a .37
increase, if passed.
These are only 6 of 18 town and school initiatives that we as Epsom
taxpayers will have a say in and thus need to be involved in the
process. Warrant articles 3 and 14 are just a part in that
information.
Please pick up sample ballots at the town offices, check the town
website, and by all means please come to vote on Tuesday, March 12th
at the Epsom Central gym between 8 am and 7 pm. There will be tax
impact sheets available outside at the front doors.
Respectively submitted,
Tom Langlais
Epsom
Letter
New Blood In The Driver’s Seat, Is It Time For A Change?
There are two men running in opposition to Gordon Ellis, the current
road agent in Epsom. Mike Tingsley and Scott Elliott are both
interested in the job. Although they have different backgrounds,
they will both bring a lot of experience to the position. Even
though he has been Road Agent for more than eight years, both Mike
and Scott think that they could do a better job.
Mike has been looking over our roads for the past six months and has
a lot of questions about their condition in general. Scott Elliott,
who works for Gordon, knows that a better job needs to be done with
the road maintenance and saving the Town’s money. Mike has a lot of
experience with road construction and grading as well as landscaping
which he will use to improve the appearance of the town. He also has
plans to review the road policies and is willing to work with anyone
who can improve public relations.
So it seems that we need to choose whether to keep things the way
they are or elect someone with a new vision and who is willing to
work on fixing the things that need fixing.
Richard Frambach
Epsom
Letter To The Editor
As Road Agent, I have accomplished a lot over the past few years. We
have built a new salt shed, acquired a nice office trailer donated
by Audley Construction, made the yard a workable place, and will be
putting up a barn to keep the equipment under cover this year, with
much of the labor and supplies donated.
We have done extensive road work and will continue with drainage
work on Goboro and River Roads this year.
With the help of the office staff, the Highway Department has
obtained hundreds of thousands of dollars from FEMA and the State to
pay for drainage projects that were needed but we just could not
afford.
I am looking forward to working to complete the goals I have set and
with your continued support our roads will continue to get better
every year. I am asking for your support and vote.
Thank you and bless you,
Your Road Agent
Gordon R. Ellis
Letter
In 2003, the Townspeople of Epsom elected my husband, Gordon Ellis,
as Road Agent to a job which he has taken seriously and worked at
with great earnestness and dedication. Having driven the back roads
of Epsom over the past 30 years, I have witnessed the various
changes in our town roads and note with pride the vast improvements
Gordon has helped bring about these past 10 years.
Of course, road improvements come with aggravation for those of us
that travel those roads, myself included, but for the short
inconvenience the end result is certainly worth it on whatever road
we travel. So through wind, rain, floods, snow, ice storms and
whatever Mother Nature has in store for us, know that there is a
Town of Epsom Highway Department working around the clock led by a
Road Agent giving you his best.
As his Highway Department Auxiliary of one, I humbly ask for your
support and vote on Tuesday, March 12, 2013 to re-elect Gordon Ellis
as your Road Agent.
Sincerely,
Pamela Ellis
Letter
I’m looking forward to your vote for Epsom Road Agent on March 12,
2013.
My plan is to build on the progress our Highway Department has made
over the last few years. I won’t try to re-invent the wheel, but
bring new ideas together with proven techniques.
Fiscal responsibility is crucial to maintaining our roads and I
understand that as much as anyone. I’m frugal and know how to
stretch a dollar, I’ve always worked hard to do more with less. Lack
of financing shouldn’t be an excuse why most things can’t get done.
We need an efficient and hard working Highway Department, one that
operates smoothly as a team. I plan to spend most of my time as Road
Agent in the field, on site getting things done. There’s plenty of
time to check emails and make phone calls early in the morning, in
the evening, and on weekends if needed. This is a 24-7, 365 job,
when there’s a will, there’s a way. I’ll be flexible with the BOS,
Town Office Staff, other Department heads, Committees, Contractors,
and Residents.
I plan on developing a working garage. Having a place to maintain
vehicles and equipment will save tax dollars. Most repairs are
cheaper than loan payments in the long run.
I’ll bring with me an optimistic, can-do, team oriented approach to
the Highway Department and find reasons how things can get done as
opposed to why we can’t.
Voter turnout is important, please share my message to any and all
registered voters in town for a fresh start this Spring.
Meet the Candidates is March 3rd at the Public
Library. Thank you!
[email protected].
Mike Tinsley
Epsom
Letter
Support Epsom Central School And Teachers
Please exercise your right of freedom and vote Tuesday, March 12th.
I request your support of the 2013/16 Teachers’ Contract and 2013/14
School Budget.
ECS continues its tradition of providing a phenomenal value of
education to students and constituents. The value is predominately
reflected in two elements: academic performance and fiscal
responsibility.
ECS’s achievements on the NECAP are the highest in most elements in
comparison with schools in and outside our district. Our students,
faculty and townspeople should be proud of this performance.
The 2013/14 budget is genuinely modest representing .0015 increase.
ECS’s administration thoroughly accomplishes the task of providing
an exceptional educational experience in a fiscally responsible
fashion.
The teachers of ECS are the heartbeat and engine for the remarkable
performance. Our teachers have been without a contract for two
years. The School Board, Teachers Association, and Budget Committee
worked in concert to deliver a contract that could be approved by
all. The initiative proved successful and the contract is
overwhelmingly approved by all three coalitions. The agreement takes
into consideration the current challenging economic environment
while simultaneously providing a conservative 3% increase per year
for next three years to support our educators into the future.
We have something special and unique in Epsom; a school that is
performing at high academic levels in a fiscally responsible manner.
This is value. I respectfully request your support of the teachers
and school that delivers this value.
Neal Burns
Epsom School Board Member
Letter
To my constituents in Allenstown, Epsom, and Pittsfield:
The House session this week was cancelled due to weather, so the gas
tax and other bills are held over until next week. Committee
sessions continued unabated, so we heard HB455, a committee to study
a cash balance retirement plan for new employees. Despite the fact
that this bill only creates a study committee, people testified
that they didn’t like the details of the sample cash balance plan
included as a starting point.
We also met to vote four bills out of committee. HB463, requiring
property managers be certified, was voted 20-0 to kill, since the
need for action had not been established, the proposed fix was not
accepted by anyone in the business, and the bill amended a statute
that had been superseded in 1977! HB478, licensing supervised
visitation centers, was a repeat of a bill killed last year, and
there is no more need for this licensing than there was last year.
It was killed 18-0. HB421, changes to real estate licensing, was
debated and voted to keep in committee for more work: it greatly
expands the board’s authority over people not licensed by the board.
The proposed statute was almost identical to that about the
unlicensed practice of medicine, which I at least see as more
necessary to regulate than unlicensed real estate!
Finally, HB398, eliminating the ability of HHS employees (only) to
“bank” accumulated leave when they take an unclassified (appointed,
usually management) job, was amended to exempt people who had
already moved. Then it was voted to be killed on a party line vote,
11-9, with the majority obviously hoping to spread this benefit to
all departments.
Interested readers can email me for my newsletter, with more details
than can fit here.
Representative Carol McGuire
[email protected]
782-4918
Letter
Well, there’s less than one week to election day. Again, I want to
remind people that I am running as a Write-In candidate for Epsom
Road Agent.
I want to thank all the people in advance for the huge amount of
support and encouragement that I am getting. As I have said in
previous letters, I have some great plans for our Highway Department
to bring it up to updated times. All of those plans will make our
Highway Department more efficient and will be able to make our tax
dollars more useful.
If you live on or travel on one of our dirt roads, you probably
noticed we used a different material to treat those roads during the
last snow storm. I plan on using those materials on a regular basis
if you elect me as your Road Agent. That alone will save us a great
deal of money and works very well for those slippery conditions.
In the past few weeks I have talked with many residents and we all
seem to be on the same page. It’s nice to know that my ideas are
pleasing people and making them realize who is the best and most
experienced candidate for the Road Agent position. Please Write-In
Scott Elliott For Road Agent. You won’t be disappointed. Don’t
forget to check the box next to the write-in. The vote won’t count
if you don’t check the box.
Thanks,
Scott Elliott
Obituaries
Ethel B. Eccleston
Ethel B. (Milley) Eccleston, 80 of Blackhall Road, died Thursday,
February 14, 2013, at the Epsom Health Care Center.
Ethel was born in Cambridge, MA, on July 18, 1932, the daughter of
Eldon and Selena (Button) Milley. She and her husband lived in
Deerfield for 20 years, then spent 5 years in Florida. They returned
to New Hampshire in 1996 and have been Epsom residents all that
time.
Before her retirement, Mrs. Eccleston worked for more than 15 years
as an administrative assistant at Southern NH University. She was
an avid reader, loved crossword puzzles and also enjoyed crocheting.
Ethel was the widow of Charles Eccleston, Jr., who died in 2007 and
to whom she had been married 58 years. She is survived by six
children and their spouses, Stephen Eccleston of Maskeegan, MI,
Robert Eccleston, Charles Eccleston, and Diane and Ronald Walsh, all
of Pittsfield, William and Ravonne Eccleston and Jayne and Jeffrey
Blodgett, of Epsom; 17 grandchildren; 22 great grandchildren,
several great great grandchildren; and nieces and nephews.
Spring burial will be in the Old Center Cemetery in Deerfield.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Epsom Health
Care Patient Activity Fund, 901 Suncook Valley Hwy., Epsom, NH
03234.
Family and friends may sign an on-line guestbook by visiting
stilloaks.com.
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