BCEP
is seeking Community Service volunteers on Saturdays to assist
patrons with their recycling needs.
Please contact Lisa at 435-6237 if you would like to help out.
“Boundaries” is the movie chosen for the matinee on Wednesday, Feb
13 at 1:30 at the Epsom Library. Laura, played by Vera
Farmiga, is a single mother living in Seattle. When her estranged
criminally-minded father Harry, played by Christopher Plummer, is
kicked out of his retirement home, she agrees to drive him to LA.
With out her knowledge, Harry convinces his grandson to help him
sell of his supply of marijuana at every stop on their journey
resulting in unexpected reunions with old friends and family.
Congratulations to Niklaus Bair of Epsom, Majoring in Game
Programming, who has been named to the Champlain College Dean’s List
for achieving a grade point average of 3.5 or higher in the Fall
2018 semester.
Letter
To my
constituents in Allenstown, Epsom, and Pittsfield,
This
week, my committee held more public hearings. I presented my HB 710,
on the process of building and fire code amendments. There was some
opposition on limiting local code amendments, but that’s addressed
in another bill: I’ll reword 710 to merely require publishing them.
The section on waivers also needs some work to better align with
language in the building codes. HB 562, updating the state building
code, also updated the energy code. The building code review board
is actually working on amendments to the energy code at the moment,
so this gives a place to use them.
HB
524, on day care business compliance with local codes, was an
attempt to solve the declining numbers of day care businesses, but
the sponsor brought an amendment to create a committee to examine
the problem more broadly. HB 343, on the application of the state
fire code to foster homes, was an attempt to regulate foster homes
more uniformly across the state. It was a joint project of the fire
marshal and the department of children, youth and families, and is
in response to some (eleven, we heard) cities and towns that attempt
to regulate foster homes like boarding houses rather than family
homes.
I
presented my HB 629, a defined contribution retirement plan, to less
opposition than I expected, but I’m not optimistic about it passing.
HB 616, creating a small cost of living allowance for people retired
at least 5 years, brought out a lot of retirees in support. The only
opposition was from the municipal association, which pointed out
that it would be largely paid for from increased property taxes,
over the next 20 years.
Interested people can email me for my newsletter, with more
information than can fit in The Sun.
Representative Carol McGuire
[email protected]
782-4918
Letter
Fellow Epsom Citizens,
We’re
debating the pros and cons of offering FDK in Epsom. I’ve
spent 28 years as an Early Childhood professional, advocating for
children, families and staff, as a teacher, curriculum specialist,
special education staff, and higher education faculty. I’ve
struggled with my feelings on children attending FDK and the impact
of these programs on children, families and taxpayers. I’ve
had to reflect on my values and re-examine my beliefs about how
children learn in early years and how society views teachers that
work with young children.
My
conclusion: Our children deserve the best educational services that
90% of kindergarten aged children in the state receive. We
have to realize that this might look differently from what we’ve
known in the past. Family structures and educational outcomes
have changed. Today, many families have two working parents or
single parents, or grandparents raising grandchildren. We need to be
a town that supports each other and our children while not
dismissing the importance of the school community. Do I wish
more families could be home for their children- yes! Do I worry that
curriculum may be “pushed” down to children who are not
ready-absolutely. Do I know that every penny counts for some
taxpayers and that another increase is concerning – yup.
I’ve
spent time wrestling with these issues and decided it’s the right
thing to do. I have to trust the educators to provide an environment
that knows how young children learn and is developmentally
appropriate for all children. I have to trust that people who are
concerned with how the state funds education will take action toward
a solution. I will be supporting the warrant article to
provide FDK on March 12th and urge you to learn the facts and
reflect on what your decision is too.
Respectfully,
Jessica Emond
Shadows Fall North: Slavery, Segregation And The Myth Of NH And The
North
This
documentary on Black History in New Hampshire will be shown at the
on Saturday, 2/16/18 at 10:00 AM, at the Epsom Public Library, 1606
Dover Rd. This FREE screening is sponsored by Epsom DICE and is open
to the public. Refreshments will be provided and a discussion will
follow.
The
film highlights the stories of individuals who have been rendered
nearly invisible—from men, women, and children laid to rest at the
African Burying Ground in Portsmouth, to the novelist Harriet
Wilson, to the twenty slaves who petitioned the state legislature
for their freedom in 1779, and many more—as well as the women who
brought this history to light, historians and activists Valerie
Cunningham and JerriAnne Boggis.
We
hope you’ll join us for this interesting and informative event!
Letter
To The Editor
It’s
been an interesting winter with rain at the end of storms, then
getting very cold which freezes the surface water which includes the
water inside our culverts, which is one of the biggest reasons we
need to clean our culverts.
For
the most part, a clean culvert cleans itself most of the time. But a
culvert with leaves, grass and/or dirt inside trap the water and
freeze into an immovable mass.
Now,
with the cold below, say 10 degrees, the water still seeps out of
the ground forming ice sheets on hillsides and in ditches, then
trickles into the culvert and freezes, then completely fills the
culvert. When we get melting or rain happens, no water can go
through the culvert, forcing the water over our driveways and roads.
That
being said, the resolution is not fun – it’s irritating, time
consuming, and costly. All of the above can happen in a clean
culvert but not nearly as often.
The
challenge of winter hasn’t changed in centuries. The only difference
is how we deal with those challenges and the expected results and
time frame and cost. The expectations of time and results directly
reflect the short and long term costs.
Looking forward to another short winter and good year.
Bless
You,
Gordon R. Ellis
Your
Road Agent
Letter To The Editor
I’m
Scott Elliott, I am running for the position of Epsom Road Agent.
Last week I talked about how I would treat roads with a sand and
salt mixture for winter maintenance. This week I would like to
talk about plowing during winter storms.
Currently the highway department is plowing roads with pickup
trucks. It takes a pickup truck three passes to clear and treat one
lane of road. The first pass, it clears from the center line a six
foot lane leaving heavy snow in the remaining four feet of lane. The
second pass, which could be as long as an hour later, can only clear
to the edge of pavement. The pickups plows are not wide enough to
clear the shoulder and the truck tires are very close to the edge of
pavement and could do damage to the road edge. Especially in the
spring time when the shoulders are soft. On the third pass, the
pickups treat the road with winter material.The pickups can only
carry 1.5 tons of material so they have to make several trips to the
highway department to reload their trucks.
I
plan on using larger six-wheeled trucks with wing plows to plow and
treat roads. They will be sub-contracted the same as the pickups are
now. The larger trucks can plow, treat, and spread material in one
pass. In the same pass the wings are pushing back the shoulders
making the roads wider and safer. The larger trucks can hold 8 tons
of material and is enough to treat that truck’s entire route with
one load, so it won’t have to travel back to the highway department
to reload. This process will make the roads safer in a more
efficient and fiscally responsible manner.
I
welcome any questions or comment.
[email protected]
Letter
Dear
Epsom Residents,
My
name is Cheryl Gilpatrick and I am running for Selectman. I moved
back to Epsom eleven years ago and purchased my home.
For
the past sixteen years I have been the manager of a municipal
assessing firm in Pembroke, working with 28-30 municipalities
throughout NH, so I am very familiar with town government.
My
job is very flexible, so I am able to easily fill the time
requirements to be Selectman. I have in-depth experience with
accounting, budgeting, and human resources. I work with taxpayers
daily, and assist town office employees in many ways. I am also a
certified paralegal, so my familiarity and ability to understand
State statutes and rules, and various legal matters would be a great
asset to the Town. I also worked with municipalities and taxpayers
in my role working for the State of NH.
I
enjoy helping others and serving my community. I have served on many
committees and booster clubs. I am committed to bringing my
knowledge, and willingness to listen to what taxpayers need, to the
table. I believe that transparency and accountability are very
important and plan to be just that.
I
feel I have a fresh perspective to offer to keep Epsom moving
forward and growing in the right direction. I will always listen
with an open mind and I am not afraid to stand up for what is right
for the citizens of Epsom. I believe welcoming more businesses to
the town would be beneficial to the citizens of Epsom, while working
to keep our town the wonderful, quaint, community that it is.
I
would appreciate your vote on March 12th and help me in my quest to
make a difference. If you have any questions or comments please feel
free to email me at [email protected].
Thank you.
Obituaries
Philip J. Currier
EPSOM
– Philip J. Currier, 76 of Epsom, passed away on Wednesday, January
30, 2019 at Epsom Manor following a period of declining health.
Born
on February 19, 1942 in Lynn, MA, he was the son of the late Charles
and Justine (Forcier) Currier.
Philip worked on cars for most of his life, even owning his own
business PDM Auto Repair until his retirement. He was a lifelong
metal worker, enjoyed target shooting and watching Nascar. In his
younger years, he could be found fishing, camping, boating or riding
his motorcycle.
He is
survived by his wife Donna (Lachance) Currier of Epsom, with whom he
shared 53 years of marriage, two sons, Michael Currier and his wife
Ardell of Chichester and Daniel Currier of Pittsfield, siblings,
Jackie Mason of Allenstown, John Currier of Hooksett and Charlie
Currier and his wife Rose of Pembroke, one granddaughter, Renae
Currier as well as several nieces, nephews and cousins.
A
Celebration of Phil’s Life will be held on Saturday, February 9th
from 1:00pm-3:00pm at the Still Oaks Funeral & Memorial Home, 1217
Suncook Valley Highway, Epsom. A brief service will be held starting
at 1:00pm. Friends and family are invited to begin gathering at
12:30pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Philip’s
memory to the American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 15829,
Arlington, VA 22215 or The American Heart Association, 2 Wall Street
#104, Manchester, NH 03101 or to the National Kidney Foundation, 30
East 33rd Street, New York, NY 10016. To share a memory or offer a
condolence, please visit www.stilloaks.com
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