Celebrating Birthdays are: February 11, Joshua Rogers, Dale
Derosier, Jennifer Blais; February 12, Daniel St. Laurent,
Richrd Frost, Dwight Morse; February 13, Lorrie Cornell, Jesse
Giordano; February 14, Russ Courtemanche, Ogden Boyd, Jr.;
February 15, Lenny Deane, Peggy Chagnon; February 16, Margaret
Snedeker.
A Very Happy Birthday To One and All!
Come join The Greater Pittsfield Chamber of Commerce as we
enjoy our monthly Business After Hours. The event will be held
at Quantum Life Healing located on Route 28 in the Suncook
Business Park in Allenstown. The event will be held on Thursday
February 25th from 6-8pm. There will be light refreshments
served. A brief overview of the services provided by Quantum
Life Healing will be given to all who participate in this event.
This is a networking opportunity for your business, so remember
to bring your business cards. Everyone is welcome to come. If
you are not a member and are interested in becoming one, this is
a great opportunity to learn what The Greater Pittsfield Chamber
of Commerce is involved in and how it could benefit your
business. Find out more information about this and upcoming
events at
www.pittsfieldchamber.org.
Congratulations to Nellie and Albert Riel who will celebrate
their 55th Wedding Anniversary on February 12th!
Pittsfield High School
All Class Reunion
The
Pittsfield High School All Class Reunion Committee will meet on
Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 6:15pm at Pittsfield Youth Workshop. The All
Class Reunion is being planned for Sat. July 17 in conjunction
with Old Home Day. If you’d like more information or if you have
any questions, please contact Andi Riel at 435-6346.
Letter
Dear Pittsfield Residents,
My name is Don Chase and
I am a candidate for one of the two selectmen positions that you
will be voting on at our town elections on March 9th of this
year. I would like to start by saying that I am not running
against the other two candidates. I am running on my own merits.
Many of you already know me as I have lived in town for about 15
years. I am known for being a very honest and outspoken advocate
for the people of our community. I am also a strong believer in
open government and RSA 91-a (the right to know law).
I am
against “micro-management” by the Board of Selectmen. We have
some of the very best department heads in the state and we
should be able to trust their judgment when it comes to their
individual budgets. It goes without saying that we need to keep
our overall budget as low as possible, but not at the expense of
crippling our essential services such as Police, Fire, and
Highway.
As owner/operator of Don’s Taxi, I am painfully
aware of the impact that our stagnant economy has on every
resident and business owner in this town. As a selectman, I
obviously have no control over that, but I will certainly make
all of my decisions with it foremost in mind.
If I am
fortunate enough to have your vote and get elected into office
for the next three years, you can rest assured that every single
decision I make as a board member will be made with the resident
and taxpayer in my mind.
Don Chase
School Lunch Menus
February 15-19, 2010
PES
Monday
-
Taco salad, salsa, dessert, milk.
Tuesday - Chicken
sandwich, fries, fruit, milk.
Wednesday - Ravioli, veggie,
fruit, milk.
Thursday - Fish and cheese sandwich, veggie,
fruit, milk.
Friday - Pizza, veggie, fruit, milk.
CHICHESTER
Monday
- Chicken teriyaki, spicy fries, corn,
chocolate cake, milk.
Tuesday - Toasted cheese sandwich,
chicken noodle soup, carrot sticks, fruit, milk.
Wednesday -
Variety pizza, garden salad, fruit, milk.
Thursday - Chicken
nuggets, baked fries, mixed veggies, fresh fruit, milk.
Friday - Mozzarella cheese sticks, marinara sauce, green beans,
pears, milk.
Enjoy your February Vacation and be safe!
PMHS
Monday
- Pizza, corn, mixed fruit, milk.
Tuesday -
Nachos and cheese, meatsauce, lettuce, tomato, fresh fruit,
milk.
Wednesday - Pasta with meatsauce, garden salad, bread,
milk.
Thursday - Baked chicken, potato, cranberry, peas,
bread, baked dessert, milk.
Friday - Make your own grinders,
cheese, ham, turkey, lettuce, tomato, fresh fruit, milk.
Salad Bar each day unless stated otherwise.
Have a safe week!
Pittsfield Boys Basketball
The Pittsfield Boys Basketball
teams are having a great season so far. The JV Boys are 10-1 and
the varsity boys are 8-3. We have a 5 game home stand coming up
in the month of February. The support has been great and we look
forward to seeing you at the upcoming games.
Remaining Games:
2/11/10 - Home vs. Moultonborough JV & V Boys, 5:30-7:00 (Senior
Ceremony Prior to game).
2/12/10 - Game @ Concord Christian V
Boys, 7 PM.
2/15/10 - Game @ Newmarket JV & V Boys,
5:30-7:00.
2/23/10 - V Boys 1st Round of State Tournament - 7
PM (Home of higher seed) @ Pittsfield.
2/26/10 - V Boys
Quarter Final of State Tournament - 7PM (Home of the higher
seed) hopefully @ Pittsfield.
3/2/10 - V Boys Semi Finals of
State Tournament - 5:30 or 7:00 @ Plymouth State University.
3/5/10- V Boys State Finals - 7 PM @ Plymouth State
University.
The JV Girls Tournament sponsored by The
Pittsfield Police Association held at PHS - 2/13/10-2/15/10.
The JV Boys Tournament sponsored by The Pittsfield Police
Association held at PHS - 2/20/10-2/22/10.
PMHS Students Hold Empty Bowl Fundraiser
Pittsfield Middle
High School students recently held their first Empty Bowl
Fundraiser to benefit the Pittsfield Food Pantry. Art students
created ceramic bowls to be bid upon by faculty and staff in a
silent auction. High bidders then enjoyed a bowl of delicious
homemade soup prepared by food and nutrition students. Over
300.00 dollars was raised in support of The Pittsfield Food
Pantry.
Empty Bowls is a grassroots movement meant to end
hunger. Begun in 1990, Empty Bowls states their goals “are to
raise money to help organizations fight hunger, to raise
awareness about the issues of hunger and food security, and to
help bring about an attitude that will not allow hunger to
exist. From its humble beginnings as a meal for the staff of one
high school, Empty Bowls has spread across the United States and
beyond and has raised tens of millions of dollars for
anti-hunger organizations.”
White House Seeks $125 Billion For Veterans In 2011
Homelessness, Claims Increases And Access - Priorities for VA
Budget
To expand health care to a record-number of Veterans,
reduce the number of homeless Veterans and process a
dramatically increased number of new disability compensation
claims, the White House has announced a proposed $125 billion
budget next year for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“Our
budget proposal provides the resources necessary to continue our
aggressive pursuit of President Obama’s two over-arching goals
for Veterans,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K.
Shinseki. “First, the requested budget will help transform VA
into a 21st century organization. And second, it will ensure
that we approach Veterans’ care as a lifetime initiative, from
the day they take their oaths until the day they are laid to
rest.”
The $125 billion budget request, which has to be
approved by Congress, includes $60.3 billion for discretionary
spending (mostly health care) and $64.7 billion in mandatory
funding (mostly for disability compensation and pensions).
“VA’s 2011 budget request covers many areas but focuses on three
central issues that are of critical importance to our Veterans -
easier access to benefits and services, faster disability claims
decisions, and ending the downward spiral that results in
Veterans’ homelessness,” Shinseki said.
Reducing Claims
Backlog
The president’s budget proposal includes an increase
of $460 million and more than 4,000 additional claims processors
for Veterans benefits. This is a 27 percent funding increase
over the 2010 level.
The
1,014,000 claims received in 2009 were a 75 percent increase
over the 579,000 received in 2000. Shinseki said the Department
expects a 30 percent increase in claims - to 1,319,000 - in 2011
from 2009 levels.
One reason for the increase is VA’s
expansion of the number of Agent Orange-related illnesses that
automatically qualify for disability benefits. Veterans exposed
to the Agent Orange herbicides during the Vietnam War are likely
to file additional claims that will have a substantial impact
upon the processing system for benefits, the secretary said.
“We project significantly increased claims inventories in the
near term while we make fundamental improvements to the way we
process disability compensation claims,” Shinseki said.
Long-term reduction of the inventory will come from additional
manpower, improved business practices, plus an infusion of $145
million in the proposed budget for development of a paperless
claims processing system, which plays a significant role in the
transformation of VA.
Automating the GI Bill
The budget
proposal includes $44 million to complete by December 2010 an
automated system for processing applications for the new
Post-9/11 GI Bill. VA also plans to start development next year
of electronic systems to process claims from other
VA-administered educational programs.
The Post-9/11 GI Bill
authorizes the most extensive educational assistance opportunity
since the passage of the original GI Bill in 1944. Over $1.7
billion in regular Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit payments have been
issued since the implementation of the program on Aug. 1, 2009.
In 2011, VA expects the number of all education claims to grow
by 32 percent over 2009, going from 1.7 million to 2.25 million.
“To meet this increasing workload and process education claims
in a timely manner, VA, has established a comprehensive strategy
to develop industry-standard technologies to modernize the
delivery of these important educational benefits,” Shinseki
said.
Eliminating Homelessness
The budget proposal
includes $4.2 billion in 2011 to reduce and help prevent
homelessness among Veterans. That breaks down into $3.4 billion
for core medical services and $799 million for specific homeless
programs and expanded medical care, which includes $294 million
for expanded homeless initiatives. This increased investment for
expanded homeless services is consistent with the VA secretary’s
established goal of ultimately eliminating homelessness among
Veterans.
On a typical night, about 131,000 Veterans are
homeless. They represent every war and generation, from the
“Greatest Generation” to the latest generation of Veterans who
served in Iraq and Afghanistan. To date, VA operates the largest
system of homeless treatment and assistance programs in the
nation.
Targeting Mental Health, Preventing Suicides
“The
2011 budget proposal continues the department’s keen focus on
improving the quality, access and value of mental health care
provided to Veterans,” Shinseki said.
The spending request
seeks $5.2 billion for mental health, an increase of $410
million (or 8.5 percent) over current spending, enabling
expansion of inpatient, residential and outpatient mental health
services, with emphasis on making mental health services part of
primary care and specialty care.
The secretary noted that
one-fifth of the patients seen last year in VA’s health care
facilities had a mental health diagnosis, and that the
department has added more than 6,000 new mental health
professionals since 2005, bringing to 19,000 the number of
employees dedicated to mental health care.
The budget request
will enable the department to continue expanding its programs
for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain
injury (TBI), along with the diagnosis and treatment of
depression, substance abuse and other mental health problems.
Shinseki called PSTD treatment “central to VA’s mission.”
The
proposed spending will continue VA’s suicide prevention program.
Since July 2007, the department’s suicide prevention hotline has
received nearly 225,000 calls from Veterans, active-duty
personnel and family members. The hotline is credited with
saving the lives of nearly 7,000 people.
Reaching Rural
Veterans
For 2011, VA is seeking $250 million to strengthen
access to health care for 3.2 million Veterans enrolled in VA’s
medical system who live in rural areas. Rural outreach includes
expanded use of home-based primary care and mental health.
A
key portion of rural outreach - which shows promise for use with
Veterans across the country - is VA’s innovative “telehealth”
program.
It links patients and health care providers by
telephones and includes telephone-based data transmission,
enabling daily monitoring of patients with chronic problems.
The budget provides an increase of $42 million for VA’s home
telehealth program. The effort already cares for 35,000 patients
and is the largest program of its kind in the world.
Serving
Women Veterans
The 2011 budget provides $217.6 million to
meet the gender-specific health care needs of women Veterans, an
increase of $18.6 million (or 9.4 percent) over the 2010 level.
Enhanced primary care for women Veterans remains one of the
Department’s top priorities. The number of women Veterans is
growing rapidly and women are increasingly using VA for their
health care.
Shinseki said the expansion of health care
programs for women Veterans will lead to higher quality care,
increased coordination of care, enhanced privacy and dignity,
and a greater sense of security among women patients.
Among
the initiatives for women in the 2011 budget proposal are
expanded health care services in Vet Centers, increased training
for health care providers to advance their knowledge and
understanding of women’s health issues, and implementing a peer
call center and social networking site for women combat
Veterans. This call center will be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week.
Delivering World-Class Health Care
During 2011, VA
expects to treat 6.1 million patients, who will account for more
than 800,000 hospitalizations and 83 million outpatient visits.
The total includes 439,000 Veterans who served in Iraq and
Afghanistan, for whom $2.6 billion is included in the budget
proposal. That’s an increase of $597 million - or 30 percent -
from the current budget.
The proposed budget for health care
includes:
* $6.8 billion for long-term care, an increase of
$859 million (or 14 percent) over 2010. This amount includes
$1.5 billion for non-institutional long-term care;
*
Expanding access to VA health care system for more than 99,000
Veterans who were previously denied care because of their
incomes;
* $590 million for medical and prosthetic research;
and
* Continuing development of a “virtual lifetime
electronic record,” a digital health record that will accompany
Veterans throughout their lives.
VA is requesting $54.3
billion in advance appropriations for 2012 for health care, an
increase of $2.8 billion over the 2011 enacted amount.
Planned initiatives in 2012 include better leveraging
acquisitions and contracting, enhancing the use of referral
agreements, strengthening VA’s relationship with the Defense
Department, and expanding the use of medical technology.
Preserving National Shrines
“VA remains steadfastly committed
to providing access to a dignified and respectful burial for
Veterans choosing to be buried in a VA national cemetery,”
Shinseki said. “This promise requires that we maintain national
cemeteries as shrines dedicated to the memory of those who
served this nation in uniform.”
The requested $251 million
for cemetery operations and maintenance will support more than
114,000 interments in 2011, a 3.8 percent increase over 2010. In
2011, the department will maintain 8,441 acres with 3.1 million
gravesites. The budget request includes $37 million to clean and
realign an estimated 668,000 headstones and repair 100,000
sunken graves.
Building for the Future
$1.15 billion
requested for major construction for 2011 includes funding for
medical facilities in New Orleans; Denver; Palo Alto, Calif.;
Alameda, Calif.; and Omaha, Neb. Also budgeted for 2011 are
major expansions and improvements to the national cemeteries in
Indiantown Gap, Pa.; Los Angeles; and Tahoma, Wash., and new
burial access policies that will provide a burial option to an
additional 500,000 Veterans and enhance service in urban areas.
A
requested budget of $468 million for minor construction in 2011
would fund a wide variety of improvements at VA facilities.
Letter
My name is Fred Okrent and after long and hard
consideration, I have decided to become a write-in candidate for
a position as Selectman for the Town of Pittsfield.
I have
lived in Pittsfield since 1992 and I am married to the former
Laura Ahearn, who was branch manager of the Citizens Bank branch
here in town. I worked for IBM for 30 years in an
electro-mechanical engineering position in Semiconductor
Manufacturing Equipment Engineering. After retiring from IBM and
moving to Pittsfield, I held a number of jobs, most of them in
high tech areas, for a number of years. I am currently the
Housing Standards Agency Administrator and Chief Inspector here
in town. I do hold certification as a Property Maintenance
Inspector.
I have been a volunteer firefighter since 1970,
serving in various leadership positions over the years. I am
currently a Staff Captain in the Pittsfield Fire Department. I
am also a veteran, having been drafted and served 5 years on
active duty with the U.S. Army and Army National Guard,
including a tour of duty in Korea.
My IBM career taught me
much about planning and project management (including budgeting)
while my Fire Department and military service taught me much
about leadership. I believe that this background, along with a
strong measure of common sense, make me well suited for the
position of Selectman.
I believe in Pittsfield and truly
believe it is a great place to live and work but I also believe
it can be even better than it is now and I would like the chance
to be part of making that happen. I therefore ask for your
write-in vote on Election Day. Thank you for your consideration.
Fred Okrent
Letter
In the February 3 Sun, Hank Fitzgerald misrepresented
our frontage and home occupation petitions.
The citizen
frontage definition does not remove the “right to count frontage
on any Class VI roads,” because there is no “right” to begin
with. RSA 674:41. The planning board expressed no concern that
the definition “could cause a problem with a Municipal Land
Taking”; only Hank expressed that concern, and he refused to let
us answer it. The NH Supreme Court has twice upheld requiring
Class V highway frontage: Trottier v. Lebanon and Sanderson v.
Candia.
The home occupation definition does not “add a sign
ordinance”; it establishes a size for home occupation signs.
CURRENTLY, the zoning ordinance says, “Each home occupation
shall be permitted a sign on the frontage of the property in
accordance with the sign requirements of this ordinance.”
Any
at-home commercial activity with more than 12 car visits per day
is not accessory to the residence; it is a principal use in its
own right. Consequently, the home and commercial activity are a
“combined dwelling and business,” which is permitted by special
exception in all districts except the commercial district, where
it is permitted by right.
We have established objective
conditions for home occupations, and we propose that home
occupations meeting those conditions be permitted by right in
all zoning districts. Anyone wanting to do INCONSPICUOUS at-home
commerce would be able do so WITH NO INTERFERENCE FROM THE TOWN!
What Hank Fitzgerald and Dan Schroth are really fighting is our
proposal to eliminate the currently required but unnecessary
reviews by the zoning and planning boards.
Petitioners,
Jim Pritchard
Dan Greene
Clayton Wood
Letter
Vote YES On Frontage Definition Petition
Mr.
Pritchard’s Frontage Definition petition clearly defines the
issue in no uncertain terms and in fairness to all. The
definition does not complicate the Master Plan, which, in my
opinion, is a very well researched and a very fair assessment of
Pittsfield’s potential forward direction. The Frontage
Definition is just one paragraph of a 51-page Zoning Ordinance
that is very much in need of revision. At the January 7th
Planning Board Meeting, after completely misrepresenting Mr.
Pritchard’s Petitions, then voting them down by a 5-2 majority,
the stated plan was to wait until next year and vote on a
document that has yet to be written.
They want us to vote
against this concise Frontage Definition so our freedom and
growth potential are not restricted. Whose freedom are they
referring to? Residents currently have no inherent freedom in
this situation. And just what kind of growth potential do they
think will be restricted? Frankly, I question the judgment of
any Planning Board member who thinks a successful development
plan should not include upgrading a discontinued Class VI road to
a maintained Class V road. How is development on undeveloped
roads in Pittsfield’s best interest?
I will vote Yes on the
Frontage Definition (Article 5). I will vote No on Article 2
which would revert to an appointed Planning Board. Voting a
Planning Board member in or out of office is a freedom that
voters should not relinquish.
God Bless Our Troops,
Rachel
Wood
Pittsfield
Letter
To The Residents Of Pittsfield:
Jim Prichard has
submitted another Citizen’s Petition reducing the Planning Board
from 7 members to 5. I think everyone needs to set him right at
the elections. His intentions are to put more power in fewer
hands, so that he would have a better chance of getting his way.
This is not democracy, this is typical backroom dealing which he
accuses everyone else of doing.
Over the last few years Jim
and his family have sued the Town of Pittsfield Zoning and
Planning Board several times over decisions that he didn’t like
or agree with. The Courts including Superior and State Supreme
Courts have ruled against him. Now he feels he is qualified to
write our ordinances so that he could maybe win one.
Jim has
no background in law, planning, zoning or even building. He
studies on the computer to come up with things that say and mean
what he wants them to say, and not what is best for the Town.
Jim is running for Planning Board again this year and I hope the
residents are tired of his tactics. Jim has been a disruption to
the Planning Board, not an asset.
Jim has questioned spending
money for Central NH Regional Planning Commission to assist the
Planning Board with a complete Zoning rewrite. The CNHRPC is a
professional group with expertise in these matters. They are not
a group of residents with agendas.
Please vote against
anything all of Jim’s Ordinances as well as himself.
Hank
Fitzgerald
Pittsfield, NH
Letter
To My Many Friends,
My vision is not the best, but
I will try to let you know how I’m doing at the NH Veteran’s
Home in Tilton, NH. It sure is a large place and it’s a good
place to be, in my condition. I’ve come a long way since I had
my stroke and mental problems. The staff here is tops and we get
the best of care. Most of the vets here are in wheelchairs and
some like me have walkers. We have plenty to do for therapy.
They furnish all the medication, laundry, barber shop, hair
dresser for the women, library. I could go on and on. I don’t
have a worry to think about. They even take care of my doctor’s
appointments here and in Concord. They take me by bus with a
nurse. She has all my paperwork and gets info from my doctor.
I see Bob Wesson,
formerly of Pittsfield. His son comes every week to see him and
sometimes Royce Elkins comes with him and they come to visit
with me.
I had a surprise visit before Xmas with John and
Shirley Genest and they had a bag of goodies for me. They both
looked good and the visit meant a lot to me.
Terry Robinson
has comes to see me also.
My wife, Nellie and Dottie come
every Monday if the weather is OK, and take me out to lunch.
I received 25 Birthday cards and for Xmas I received 45 cards. I
had them all up on the wall.
All my best to you all,
Al
Riel
Pittsfield Meet the Candidates Night
The Greater Pittsfield
Chamber of Commerce is hosting the annual “Meet the Candidates
Night” on Monday, March 1st at 7:00pm at the Pittsfield Middle
High School Lecture Hall.
All registered candidates have
received a letter asking them to prepare and submit a one page
letter for inclusion in an information packet that will be
handed out that night. CANDIDATES - if you did not receive a
letter (at the time you signed up to run for your position)
please contact Andi Riel at 435-6346. I must receive your letter
by Feb. 19th at 5pm to be included in the packet.
Please note
that we will not allow candidates or other parties to distribute
additional handouts or materials to the audience at the meeting.
Please come meet the Candidates and show your support. Each
candidate will have time to address the audience and then there
will be question/answer time. The Chamber does not, as a body,
support any individual running for election. We are only
providing a platform for the Candidates and the Community to
meet.
If you have any questions about the event, please
contact Andi Riel at 435-6346 or visit
www.pittsfieldchamber.org.