Preschool Openings!

Now is the time to think about enrolling your child in preschool.  The Center School in Northwood is accepting registrations for the 2011-2012 school year.  The Center School is a parent cooperative preschool located next to the town hall in Northwood, which provides a developmental program for three, four, and five year-olds of Northwood and surrounding towns.  There are openings in our two-day (T/Th) program and three-day (M/W/F) morning programs.  Call us soon and come to visit!  For information, please call director Karen Andersen at the school at 942-7686.

Northwood Congregational Church is hosting their annual roast beef supper on Saturday, March 26th.  The cost is: $8 per adult, $4 for 12 and under.  First seating is 5 pm, and the second at 6:15 pm. Specify seating time preference when you order your ticket(s) by calling either Pam English (942-8501) or the Church (942-7116). This will sell out, so make your reservations early for this delicious event.  With home baked pie and beverages included with dinner, what a bargain!

It has been an interesting winter…would you like to learn more about weather forecasting for television?  Local meteorologist Josh Judge will answer your weather questions at the Blaisdell Memorial Library in Nottingham on Tuesday, April 5, at 7:00 p.m.  Copies of Josh Judge’s books (“Weather Facts & Fun” and “Extreme New England Weather”) will be available to purchase. The program is co-sponsored by the Chesley Memorial Library and the Blaisdell Memorial Library.  Call 942-5472 for more information.

Stroke And Osteoporosis Screenings Coming To Northwood

Residents living in and around the Northwood, NH community can be screened to reduce their risk of having a stroke or bone fracture.  Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Joseph’s  Parish Center will host Life Line Screening on March 30, 2011.  The site is located at 844 1st NH Turnpike in Northwood.

Four key points every person needs to know:
• Stroke is the third leading cause of death and a leading cause of permanent disability.
• 80% of stroke victims had no apparent warning signs prior to their stroke.
• Preventive ultrasound screenings can help you avoid a stroke.
• Screenings are fast, noninvasive, painless, affordable and convenient.

Screenings identify potential cardiovascular conditions such as blocked arteries and irregular heart rhythm, abdominal aortic aneurysms, and hardening of the arteries in the legs, which is a strong predictor of heart disease.  A bone density screening to assess osteoporosis risk is also offered and is appropriate for both men and women.

Packages start at $139.  All five screenings take 60-90 minutes to complete.  For more information regarding the screenings or to schedule an appointment, call 1-877-237-1287 or visit our website at www.lifelinescreening.com.  Preregistration is required.

Life Line Screening was established in 1993, and has since become the nation’s leading provider of preventive screenings.

Anytime Fitness In Northwood Celebrates Six Month Anniversary

Anytime Fitness, the only 24-hour, co-ed, fitness club in Northwood and the surrounding communities, is celebrating its 6 month anniversary in March.

At Anytime Fitness, club members can exercise anytime of the day or night, every day of the year. Using a special access key, members can securely enter the club according to their schedule. In addition to the convenient hours, Anytime Fitness offers state-of-the-art facilities that feature cardiovascular equipment with personal entertainment centers, strength circuit training, and an extensive free weight area.

The owner of Anytime Fitness, Rhoda Sommer, a certified personal trainer and fitness instructor, is very excited about completing her first 6 months in business. “Everything about the Anytime Fitness concept is great! I am honored to have helped my members improve their health and fitness these past 6 months,” said Sommer.  “We offer an environment that is friendly and inviting, which makes it easy for members to stay committed to their exercise goals.  Because we are staffed 60 hours a week by industry professionals, our members get the benefit of a specifically designed workout to meet their goals.  Because of this individual attention, our members are assured that they are getting the most out of their time at the gym.”

“I encourage everyone to come in and experience what Anytime Fitness has to offer. People will see for themselves that the convenience and affordability of Anytime Fitness can’t be beat” said Sommer. “We have surpassed all expectations during our early months, filling almost 70% of our available memberships.”

Club tours are available daily. “We welcome potential members to come in and try out our equipment”, said Sommer. Membership information is available by calling 603-942-6027 or visiting www.anytimefitness.com.

Last Tuesday the Saddleback Mountain Lions Club held their annual awards dinner for participants in the Lions Peace Poster contest. Lion Bill Lounsbury presented Julia Lewis, from Oyster River School, with her award.  Julia was not just the club and district winner but also the State Winner from all NH Lions Clubs. Her art teacher is Valerie Wilson. Julia also received a letter of recognition from Gov. John Lynch as well a an award from Lions District 44H at the last District Meeting held at the Nashua Crown Plaza.

Local Election Results

Northwood voters elected to give up the traditional town and school district meetings by their approval of SB2 by a small margin, enough to meet the 60% required to pass.
The one zoning amendment on the ballot was adopted with 398 votes, 115 opposed; the amendment allows accessory apartments by special exception from the zoning board when specific criteria are met.

In contested races incumbent John Schlang remains on the police commission, he was challenged by Rick Wolf. Incumbent Joann Bailey will serve again as trustee of trust funds, Muriel Johnson ran against her for the three year seat. In a tight race, the three year school board seat was taken by Chris Andrews over Timothy Jandebeur. Ken Witham was elected for a one year term on the school board in a four way race. New faces on the budget committee include Mark Boucher and Tim Jandebeur both for three years, John Difeo for two year term; and incumbent Herb Johnson was elected for three years, former member Kate McNally returns with write in votes. Joseph McCaffrey was elected to a three year planning board seat with write in votes.

Letter To The Editor

Time is of the essence in budgeting for next year’s school year. Our School Board put all of its marbles on their unreasonable request for a huge budget. We said no, approving a budget that gave them  $344K over last years actual expenses.  They still do not have a line item budget, but instead seemed to be intent on a slash and chop policy ridding themselves of a large contingent of teachers and aides. It is not necessary. They do not even have a real idea of what they need to do.

Here is Mr. Overmyer on 3/7/11, “if we don’t cut at least 4 teachers then I’m going to quit because we told the town that it was going to cost us 6 teachers and 4 paras.” With no real budget telling him exactly what needs to be done he is worried about saving face.

Teachers, paras, possibly even my wife are nothing but cannon fodder  for his ego.  He should quit. Time is being wasted on special meetings and elections and programs without even a workable budget. It is a shame.

Tim Jandebeur
Northwood