Congratulations to Noah Bernardi of Northwood. Noah was named to
the 2018 Fall Dean’s List at UConn.
Letter To The Editor
WHERE is the Big Woods of Northwood?
WHAT conservation lands does it hold, and can you walk there
without trespassing?
WHY
is Northwood at the headwaters of two major watersheds?
WHO
lives in the area, and goes on in the area?
WHEN and HOW can you learn more?
Come to the Northwood community center in the Narrows on
February 27, at 6 p.m. to learn more!
Respectfully submitted,
Shelley Frost
Letter To The Editor
Update from Rep. David Coursin
Now
that I’ve begun my term as State Representative for Northwood, I
have new contact information. My email is
[email protected]
I
can still be reached by phone at 603-736-7770.
I’m
serving on the Children and Family Law Committee and
participating in the Children’s Caucus where I am helped by my
years of clinical experience working with families in extreme
circumstances. I am also closely following legislation
related to DCYF prevention services, adequate school funding,
the developing statewide addiction treatment system, the
relocation of the Secure Psychiatric Unit at the state prison,
and the creation of a statewide mental health reporting system
for fair and accurate background checks when purchasing
firearms.
Please don’t hesitate to be in touch with your thoughts about
bills and issues being considered by the Legislature.
Thanks again to all the voters who put their trust in me to
serve as your representative in Concord.
Rep. David Coursin
Letter To The Editor
Public Safety Complex
On
January 8th I attended the bond hearing for Northwood’s proposed
public safety complex. I have said before there is a definite
need for new space to house our police, fire and EMS
departments. However, given our demographics, it has to be at
both a reasonable and affordable cost. Unfortunately, the cost
proposed at $6 million is more than double what several other
communities our size have paid. This proposal cannot be
considered best value for our taxpayers.
With 625 seniors living in Northwood, many of whom are on a
fixed income, their paying an additional several hundred dollars
in property taxes every year for the next 20 years would be cost
prohibitive.
Since the advisory committee did not start meeting until October
29th I can understand why they were unable to complete a more
thorough cost-effective analysis. Without the benefit of
benchmarking, this proposal should not by supported by voters.
Rather, the selectmen should expand the committee and require
the committee to do their due diligence. Not comparing other
communities our size and their cost and square footage is not
due diligence. Also the committee cannot be in violation of the
right-to-know law.
A
few weeks ago in a letter here I mentioned the new safety
complex in Bow which is 24,000 square feet versus Northwood’s
16,000 (50% more than Northwood). Bow reduced their cost from $7
million to $4.3 (a reduction of 40%) after voters rejected it
twice. Northwood’s proposed cost is 37% more than what Bow paid.
The estimated household income in Bow for 2016 was $113,634
compared to Northwood’s at $71,220 or 60% higher than Northwood.
As
Patriots Coach Bill Belichick is fond of saying to his players –
do your job. Selectmen and advisory committee members – do your
job.
Sincerely,
Jim
Hadley, MPA, MBA, MS
Northwood
CBNA Robotics Team Qualifies for States
CBNA Robotics Team from left: Alasdair Morrison, Cordelia
Norris, Noah Sinnamon, Nick Dyer, Emily Buehne, and Austin
Carrier.
On
Saturday, January 19, CBNA’s Robotics teams, Ursa Major A, B,
and C, competed against 42 other teams at ConVal Regional High
School in the last tournament of the season.
Competition was fierce as teams tried to secure a spot in the
upcoming State Tournament. All three teams finished strong in
the quarterfinals qualification rounds. Team members Austin
Carrier and Emily Buehne had a 7th place finish heading into the
quarterfinals. Noah Sinnamon and Nick Dyer finished 19th and
Cordelia Norris and Alasdair Morrison finished 23rd. Emily and
Austin then became Alliance Captains heading into the
quarterfinals.
Choosing Team C, Nick and Noah, for their alliance, the two
teams faced off in the first elimination round against two
Pinkerton Academy teams. After a solid win, Teams B and C
advanced to Round Two of elimination where they were outscored
by teams from Thetford, Vt.
All
three teams had superb performances. Team C (Ruby Carr, Emily
Buehne, and Austin Carrier) moved on to States. Team B
(Noah Sinnamon and Nick Dyer) received the Judges’ Award.
Letter To The Editor
The
pros for the new safety complex far outweigh the bad. I don’t
believe there is a person in town who doesn’t believe this. It
all comes down to dollars, and I, like everyone else, need all
the dollars I can get, but now is the time to finally do this.
Interest rates are at an all time low at 4%, our town has no
debt and both of the buildings being replaced are shamefully
inadequate, and in my opinion dangerous.
The
location chosen is perfect as we need to cover the east end of
town. The Narrows station covers the west end, and the design of
the building fits with town.
The
first payment would May of 2020 at $1.18 on our taxes. If your
house is valued at $200,000 this would be $236 and would be $118
on your first bill and the same on your second, as we get two
bills a year. The payment decreases over time. Also the price of
the building has an $800,000 contingency for cost overruns,
which if not used will be taken off the loan. Grants are also
available.
This safety complex will help to maintain our property values
and keep our insurance rates in check. It will also increase our
chances of bringing businesses into town which will increase our
tax base, helping us all.
Let’s all share this responsibility from start to finish and
make this a point of pride for all of us. As with other areas in
town, we’ve put this off as long as we can. Now is the time!
Vote yes on the safety complex.
If
we get on a roll, maybe we could even replace the shrubs at the
town hall.
Til
Next Time,
Viena Dow
Celebrate The Academy Awards All Month Long On LRPA
After Dark!
This
Weekend’s Feature: 1937’s “Something To Sing About”
Throughout February, Lakes Region Public Access Television will
celebrate the Academy Awards with a month of Oscar®-nominated
films. First up this weekend (February 1 & 2) is the musical
comedy “Something to Sing About,” starring James Cagney, Evelyn
Daw, Gene Lockhart and William Frawley. This film, made
independently at Grand National Pictures, does not feature the
spectacular production values of a studio like MGM. However,
“Something to Sing About” was one of Cagney’s favorite films. He
was particularly proud of the musical number that he danced with
his vaudeville friends Johnny Boyle and Harland Dixon.
“Something to Sing About” was nominated for Best Score. There
were 14 nominees in this category, including such notable films
as “Lost Horizon,” “Maytime,” “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,”
and “One Hundred Men and a Girl,” which won the award.
“Something to Sing About” offers a modern audience the chance to
see a James Cagney movie that time has nearly forgotten, so what
are you waiting for? Grab your popcorn and join LRPA after dark
for this romantic musical from our long-lost past.
Mark your calendars as LRPA After Dark celebrates a month of
Oscar®-nominated films:
February 8 & 9: 1950’s “Panic in the Streets” (Won: Best
Screenplay)
February 15 & 16: 1939’s “Love Affair” (Noms: Best Actress,
Picture, Supporting Actress, Art Direction, Song and Screenplay)
February 22 & 23: 1951’s “Cyrano de Bergerac” (Won: Best Actor)
March 1 & 2: 1952’s “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” (Noms: Art
Direction & Cinematography)
Letter To The Editor
It’s always good to start projects with good intentions. It’s
just that good intentions are not enough.And six million plus
dollars of good intentions is way too much.
There is a proper debate going on as to whether we need a safety
complex and just what it should be. Our own Northwood experience
is one of spending even much smaller amounts of money without
sufficient consideration. This will be, if it goes forward, the
largest amount of money this town will have spent on anything
and so it is critical that we gather all the good ideas that we
can from the taxpayers of the community.
This has begun to happen as I commented on at the public hearing
before the select board. Clearly we need more ideas before we
spend any more money. We have an opportunity, among other
things, to learn from neighboring towns. Farmington was brought
up at said meeting. None on the Select Board or subcommittee had
even looked at it, among others.
Being a curious fellow, I like to ask questions, I made
arrangements to look at the Farmington safety complex and
contacted others that might like to do so. It was last minute
and only a few could go. It is an excellent example of a town
that was on a very tight budget and got a great result. There
are too many good points to make now but for 2.3 million dollars
(turn key) they are by all accounts very happy.
Lack of due process and thorough consideration has been a
chronic problem in Northwood. We simply cannot afford to goof
this up. Farmington, and numerous other towns, went through many
go-rounds and several years to get a result that will serve them
for many years in the future.
Joseph McCaffrey
Northwood
Letter To The Editor
If
not now, when?
A
recent article (1/15/19) in the Concord Monitor reported that
“the price tag for a new fire department training facility
...has increased by a third,” from $600,000 to $818,526.
“Construction costs are the main driver of the increase....
Non-residential construction costs have risen 18% in four
years.”
I
would also point out that bond interest rates are, for the
moment, still at historically low levels. But the Federal
Reserve Bank is planning 2 more hikes in 2019, so who knows how
fast and how high they will rise. But rise they will.
So
as you decide whether to go forward with the Public Safety
Complex proposal, ask yourself:
If
not now, when? And if then, how much more?
Tim
Jandebeur has written to complain about the initial transparency
of the process, and he makes a good point. But I just hope
that, in the end, the legal fees don’t cost more than the
building.
He
also wants to draw comparisons with a facility in Farmington
that was built in 2016 and dedicated in 2017. It had a
lower price tag, and while it shares many features with the
Northwood proposal, it benefited in several ways...
The
town owned a flat 88-acre parcel that required little site work.
They borrowed heavily on Madbury’s complex plans and enjoyed
some savings through a design/build approach. But most
importantly, they did this five years ago, as the Great
Recession had driven down construction costs and interest rates
well below where they are today - and will be tomorrow.
And
where was Tim Jandebeur four years ago? As Chief Drolet
advocated for this project even then, Selectman Jandebeur was
busy sparring with the Catholic priest and School Board member
Jandebeur was campaigning against full day kindergarten.
Tom
Chase
Northwood
Northwood School Board
January Newsletter-Budget & Voting
Did
you know that Fall is typically known as budget season? We’ve
been working hard to prepare a responsible budget for the
2019-2020 school year. The Strategic Plan and School Board
Goals were our guide throughout the budget process. We hope this
information is helpful when you head to the voting booth.
Highlights of the 2020 Budget/Warrant Articles
•
School Board Goal states: Ensure the safety and security of
pupils in the school.
o
Warrant Article #3
Northwood School received a $100,000 security enhancement grant
from the state this year. We’ve proposed a warrant article to
cover the remaining cost of construction and security upgrades
to the school building.
o
Warrant Article #6
We’ve proposed an SRO (School Resource Officer). A Northwood
Police Officer would be assigned to the school to provide a safe
learning environment and protect all students. Northwood School
would cover 80% of costs and the Town of Northwood would cover
the remaining 20%. The officer will transition to the town for
the summer months.
•
School Board Goal states: Prepare a responsible budget for
2019-2020 school year.
o
Warrant Article #2
Proposed budget: $11,443,582.40
School Board recommends 5-0
•
School Board Goal states: Establish and maintain
staff/administrative consistency.
o
Warrant Article #4
Collective bargaining agreement for Support Staff
School Board recommends 5-0
Information Sources
Proposed Budget-
http://sau44.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/2020-Northwood-MS-27-with-notated-2020-Proposed-Budget.pdf
Warrant Articles-
http://sau44.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Northwood-Signed-Warrants-SB.pdf
Budget Breakdown
School Board FB Page
https://www.facebook.com/northwoodnhschoolboard/
School Board Goals
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XK6wXLwZbcOrYKbNfhWpSkMVxXTcubSGTH00A4CnUHg/edit?usp=sharing
Strategic Plan
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rk5OeX2EHkpdMTUvGJwtk7gQ7MMgOq5Y/view
SRO
Presentation
http://sau44.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Northwood-SRO-Color.pdf