The Epsom Public Library is offering a basket class taught by Betsy
Bosiak on Saturday, April 25 starting at 9:00 AM. The class will
run between three to four hours. Participants will be making a
small rectangular basket which is on display at the library. There
is a fee for cost for materials and includes a pizza lunch. The
class is not for beginners and reservations are required. Space is
limited. You may sign up on the sheet at the front desk or by
calling the library at 736-9920.
Epsom Boy Scout Troop 80 is having a chicken dinner fundraiser to
defer costs to attend the 53rd Annual West Point Boy Scout
Invitational Camporee at the United States Military Academy at West
Point, New York.
This took us over 2 years to find a USMA West Point Cadet to sponsor
our Troop.
This fundraiser will occur on Friday April 17th at the Epsom Fire
Department from 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM. The scouts will be preparing,
making and selling bourbon and teriyaki flavored chicken with rice
and corn. They will also be having hot dog with chips for children
meals. Adult prices are $6 each. Children ages 6 to 11 are $4 each.
Children 5 and under are free. Please come and support your local
Boy Scout Troop as they take a what could be one of their Boy Scout
trips of a lifetime.
Donations can also be mailed to:
Epsom Boy Scout
Troop 80”
461 New Orchard Road
Epsom, NH 03234
Epsom Earth Day Clean-up 2015
Volunteers Will Receive a Christmas Tree Sapling
Submitted By The Epsom Conservation Commission,
Alison Parodi-Bieling, Chair
As we longingly watch for crocuses and daffodil greens to emerge
from the melting snow, after a very snowy winter, what emerges along
our roadsides is litter that has accumulated over the winter. In
honor of Earth Day the Epsom Conservation Commission is offering
Epsom volunteers who assist with roadside clean-up a Christmas Tree
sapling. Since Earth Day 1990 the Commission has encouraged folks to
volunteer their time to clean up some area or section of road or
trail in Epsom that is meaningful to them. Won’t you volunteer to
help? It is easy. Do it when you can and the area you chose.
Saplings will be at the Town Library the week around Earth Day,
April 22nd. If you would like trash bags they will also be
available at the library.
Many of you volunteer each year. We encourage businesses, service
organizations, families, neighbors, and individuals to volunteer. As
I drive Center Hill Road daily I am so grateful to the neighbors who
picks up litter on her early morning walks. We hear from those who
take on this task year-round or organize groups to help. One family
volunteers to clean up the trails in the Town Forest as well as
miles of roads that they travel. Families say their children are
amazed at the number of beer cans they find. One young Mom pushes a
stroller as she collects the litter in her area. There is a feeling
of community pride seeing clean roadsides and community areas.
How it works? Pick up bags at the library or supply your own bags.
Do it at a time that works for you or your group. If you would like
to bring unsorted roadside trash to our BCEP Recycling Center in
Pittsfield you must do it the week of Earth Day and let the
attendant know it is for this effort. From April 19th through the
27th you can bring roadside trash unsorted to BCEP, there will be no
cost for items found on the side of the road.
Sign up at the library or contact the Conservation
Commission with the area you cleaned-up, who volunteered and how
much trash you collected. You will be eligible for a Christmas Tree
sapling. Saplings will be available starting April 19th at the Town
Library. Your information can be left at the library, e-mailed to
[email protected], or mailed to
the Town of Epsom Conservation Commission PO Box 10 Epsom, 03234.
We hope you will volunteer for this community effort in honor of
Earth Day April 22, 2015.
Help Keep Epsom Beautiful!
Letter
To my constituents in Allenstown, Epsom, and Pittsfield,
This week, the House met on the budget. As usual, the proposed
budget satisfied nobody, and changes from the governor’s proposed
budget or any previously proposed budget item were labeled “cuts”
even if they were actually increases from current spending!
This year, for the first time in memory, HB2 (which has all the law
changes necessary for the budget to work) was special ordered ahead
of HB1, the actual budget. The first item was the committee
amendment, which deleted the governor’s tobacco tax, keno, and a
whole list of fee increases along with an extension of expanded
Medicaid beyond its current expiration at the end of 2016, when
federal funding drops off. This was debated at length, then passed
219-161; all votes on the budget were essentially party line, with a
few free thinkers crossing over on each.
The next amendment was one I co-sponsored, which changed the
“stabilization” grants in education funding. This amendment them in
16 and only made a 10% cut in 17, funding the difference by taking a
bit of money from a lot of separate items: cutting corrections
overtime, trimming the community colleges to a smaller increase than
planned, keeping special ed “catastrophic aid” level, cutting two
supervisors at NH Hospital, and draining both the renewable energy
fund and the rainy day fund. After debate, this amendment passed
210-170. I voted for it, since both Allenstown and Pittsfield have
significant stabilization grants and either the governor’s or the
committee amendment would cut them more.
At the end of the day, the budget passed, HB2 by 194-179 and NB1 by
212-161. Both go on to the Senate, probably for a complete rework!
Interested readers can email me for my newsletter, with more details
than fit here.
Representative Carol McGuire
[email protected]
782-4918
Epsom-Chichester Lions Club Offers Free Spot Screening
Children are continually developing their vision by changes
involving coordination between the eyes and the brain. If the brain
cannot utilize their eyes correctly, chances of learning to see will
rapidly decrease. The earlier the vision is evaluated, the better.
Spot Vision Screening works with children as young as six months. It
does not require letter recognition, reading ability, or response
from the child.
The process is 98 % accurate.
The Spot Screening device is held about 3 feet away from the face.
It detects scattering of infrared light from the retina of both eyes
at once and is very quick. It is painless, non-threatening, and the
results are available immediately with eye exam recommendation for
results out of expected range.
The Vision Anomalies detected by this device are as follows:
Astigmatism (irregularly shaped corneas or lenses
Myopia (nearsightedness)
Hyperopia (farsightedness)
Anisometropia (differences between the two eyes)
Strabismus (misalignment of the eyes)
Amblyopia (lazy eye)
Anisocoria (pupil size anomalies)
The Epsom-Chichester Lions will be at the Epsom Library on Route 4
to offer examinations to any child in the area from the age of 6
months to 12 years old from 9am to noon on Saturday, April 11.
Questions: Call 736-9942 or e-mail
[email protected]
Epsom Food Pantry
Well, another busy week at the Pantry. On Wednesday we had our
yearly inspection. Ken had all the troops in high gear. The
facility was as clean as a whistle and ready for the inspection and
of course, we passed with flying colors. Our Ken runs a tight ship
down there and I would not expect anything but the best. We are so
lucky people to have that dear man. He is so kind and thoughtful to
all our members.
Also, I want to thank Miriam Yeaton who donates to us on a regular
basis. And to the Mitchells who are so generous also.
As to our immediate needs, we could use spaghetti and dry milk. As
usual, anything that is donated is appreciated.
I do hope this warm weather and sunshine makes one and all feel
better.
I also hope your Easter was happy, and until next time, Priscilla
THANKS TO THE POPE MEMORIAL SPCA
Again this year the people at the Pope Memorial SPCA of Concord
visited at Circle Child Care in Epsom. This year they brought
along a bunny (coincidentally) and a therapy dog. They taught us
(not easy with preschoolers) how to approach a strange animal, how
to recognize how an animal is feeling,and to show respect for our
furry friends. Thanks again.
Letter
The House passed the state budget this week. It went surprisingly
smoothly. The governor added over $200M in new taxes and
corresponding spending, which the Finance committee had to remove.
That sounds easy; just level fund most areas or give them a slight
increase, but we also had to deal with some lawsuit settlements and
new federal requirements that added another $123M in costs over last
biennium, so real cuts had to be made elsewhere.
Another big problem area was the highway fund which ran for years on
short-term fixes that had expired. I’d like to say that we solved
that problem for the foreseeable future, but in reality we just
scraped up enough money to keep the roads maintained for two years.
The highway system and related agencies like DMV and the troopers
are supposed to be self-supporting; covered by registration and
license fees, the gas tax, tolls and fines. The governor proposed a
very large registration and fine increase. I personally would prefer
to raise the gas tax, which varies with usage and is 40% paid by
tourists. Instead we chose to spend general funds in this area,
which is not the appropriate long-term solution.
One place we saved some money and expect to save more in years ahead
is in aid to schools. We give schools almost a billion dollars a
year based on formulas which include factors like attendance, number
of students who qualify for low-cost lunches, reading scores, etc.
We also give towns a fixed “stabilization” amount that was intended
to help them transition from the old formula to the current one.
Unfortunately that was never phased out. Some towns get a lot like
Allenstown and Pittsfield, some get a moderate amount like Epsom,
and some get very little like Chichester. This is a very contentious
area.
Rep. Dan McGuire
782-4918
[email protected]
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