From Your Merrimack County Commissioner
Submitted By Attorney Bronwyn Asplund-Walsh
So much has happened during these last few months. You will be very
pleased to know that Merrimack County has recently received the
highest rating possible for our Tax Anticipation Notes- an SP1+.
Our long term rating has been upgraded to AA by Standard and Poor.
Because of internal reviews by our Insurance Company, we have
received $9,527.00 back on our property and liability program,
$34,926.00 on our worker’s compensation program, and $17,170.00 on
our unemployment compensation program. This is all because of very
careful management by your County and your County Administrator,
Kathy Bateson. After years of working for Merrimack County, Kathy
Bateson is retiring at the end of October. The Commissioners have
just finished a diligent search reviewing dozens of applications for
Kathy’s position (some as far away as Alaska). We have hired
Stephen Marro who has been County Administrator for Pike County,
Georgia, and acting Town Manager for Gorham, New Hampshire. Stephen
will start October 31, 2014.
Our Nursing Home Administrator, Lori Shibonette, recently was
awarded an Outstanding Achievement Award from the National
Association of Counties. I was recently elected as
President of the New Hampshire Association of Counties. As
President of the New Hampshire Association of Counties, I am a
voting member of the National Association of Counties. This gives
Merrimack County a tremendous advantage when it comes to County
issues.
Issues of importance to Merrimack County at this time include the
managed care rates for the nursing home, the renovation of our old
correctional facility (Edna McKenna) which we hope to use to help
our increasing population of inmates with drug and mental health
issues, and the recent push by the Superior Court Justices to have
all felony cases be brought in Superior Court rather than District
Court.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at (603)
796-6840 or write to the County of Merrimack, 333 Daniel Webster
Highway, Suite 2, Boscawen, N.H. 03303-2415.
November Events At The Josiah Carpenter Library
Submitted By Beverly Pietlicki, DIrector
The
Library will be hosting its First annual Tellebration event on
Thursday, November 13th featuring New Hampshire writer, storyteller
and creator of Coyote’s Inkwell, Michael Lang. This event will be
from 3:30-4:30 at the Pittsfield Elementary School Media Center. No
registration required. Come enjoy a mix of some old and some new
traditional and international folktales from an “old” pro.
On Tuesday, November 25 th at 7:00pm, Bob Veilleux will return to
the library to present his program on meteorites and the New
Hampshire Astronomical Society will take participants up to True
Road for another pre-winter Sky Watch. Please call the library for
further details.
Preschoolers! Join Ms. Grainger for story hour on Thursday mornings
from 10:00am – 11:00. It’s always fun to discover new books, learn
about fall, do a crafty project and have a snack! Upcoming themes
include eating your harvest veggies, gingerbread, and giving
thanks.
Josiah Teen Book Worms will be reading and discussing The Giver by
Lois Lowry, (before seeing the movie!) on November 6th at 7:00 pm.
The Writer’s Circle will be meeting on November 13th at 7:00 pm. We
will open with a fun writing exercise and then continue listening to
some new writing by members.
The “Read, Meet and Talk” book club will be meeting on Tuesday
December 2nd at 10:15 am to discuss Jodi Picoult’s “Nineteen
Minutes” at the Pittsfield Senior Center. We will also be making
choices for 2015 reads, so come with your ideas! Have a cup of
coffee or stay for lunch after the discussion.
An initial meeting will take place on Thursday November 20th at 6:30
pm for all those interested in organizing a quilting fundraiser with
next year’s Summer Reading Theme: Every Hero has a Story.
Josiah Carpenter Library Updates Its Audio Book Collection
The staff at the Josiah Carpenter Library has been busy weeding old
books out of the collection in preparation for the Annual Friends of
the Library Book Sale in June as usual, but this year it took a look
at the audio book collection and found many audio books were on
still on cassette tape. These were not circulating very well and so
it was decided to complete the grant that was generously given to
the library by the Globe Corporation, the library would upgrade its
audio book collection to include more CDs. To date the library has
added more than 25 new books on CD. Some of these new titles
include: Personal by Lee Child; Remarkable Creatures by Tracy
Chevalier; The Bone Orchard by Maine author, Paul Doiron; 11th Hour
by James Patterson and The Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. You
will also find that the library has acquired some discarded audio
books from its membership to the Suncook Valley Cooperative. These
audios are still newer than some of the original collection and
include some by authors such as Stephen King, Kathy Reichs and
Khaled Hosseini. It’s easy to look these up in the library catalog
by searching for audio CDs, but did you know that you can also look
up eBooks and audio books that exist on the New Hampshire State
downloadable books subscription “Overdrive” right from the Josiah
Carpenter Library’s catalog? Next time you are looking up items in
the catalog, look for the “Overdrive tab” to be linked directly into
the state database. All you need is your library card! We hope you
will visit the library and see “what’s new” soon.
Loudon Fine Art Show And Sale
And
Antiques Appraisal
Original paintings, prints, and photographs will be presented at the
Fine Art Show and Sale, on November 8 and 9, at the Maxfield Public
Library in Loudon, New Hampshire.
Sponsored by the Loudon Village Arts group, the show will run on
Saturday, November 8, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on Sunday, from
noon to 3 p.m. Each day of the show will feature a door prize. A
portion of the proceeds from the sale of artworks will be donated to
the library.
The Sunday event will also feature free antique appraisals by John
W. Bruno from noon to 2 p.m. There is a limit of 3 items per
person.
The Loudon Village Arts group is dedicated to celebrating, teaching,
and promoting the arts. Made up of artists and art enthusiasts, the
group meets at the library, at 7 p.m., on the first Wednesday of
each month, and weekly, from 2 to 4 p.m., for open workshops.
Newcomers are welcome.
For more information, please contact Nancy Hendy at 798-5153.
Dorcas Guild Plans Christmas Fair
Mark your calendar! The Dorcas Guild of the First Congregational
Church, 24 Main St., Pittsfield, is holding their annual Christmas
Fair Saturday, November 22 from 9 am to 2 pm.
There are many handmade items to choose from, as well as gourmet
products, baked goods, “Unique Boutique” and the wonderful silent
auction. Corn chowder and sandwich lunch with homemade pies will
also be available. Plan to be there for this handcraft goldmine!
Plenty of free parking in the rear, and the church is wheelchair
accessible.
Church Continues Celebration with Special Service
The First Congregational Church, 24 Main Street, Pittsfield, will
continue to celebrate their 225th anniversary with a special
service, “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow,” Sunday, November 16 at 10
a.m. Be sure to attend to see and hear a page from their history as
Henry Cooke brings their first pastor, Rev. Christopher Paige, to
life. Period dress encouraged. Parking and wheelchair accessible
entry are available at rear of church. For more information, call
the church office at 435-7471.
Letter To The Editor
“Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the
desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).
It’s hard to believe that we are in our tenth year of operations
here at Vintage Hill! After several years of prayer and planning
(not to mention the actual construction), Vintage Hill, LLC and all
that it entails was dedicated to the Lord on July 16th, 2005.
“Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it”
(Psalm 127:1a). And so, our ministry began on Berry Avenue!
We would like to take this opportunity to say “thank you” to those
who have left a fingerprint on our hearts and lives, our residents
and their families, our family, friends, staff, neighbors and
community members. Your support and encouragement over the years has
been priceless! Most importantly, we thank our Lord for allowing us
the privilege to serve Him in this way, for sustaining us through
extremely unstable economic times (Luke 6:31-34), and for prospering
us above and beyond anything we could have ever imagined or asked
for! He has entrusted us with much and continues to deliver us
through it all, and so we praise Him simply for who He is and look
forward to all that He has in store for the next ten years,
beginning with the completion of our Great Room!
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to
the glory of God” (I Corinthians 10:31).
Always to His glory,
Linda Small
Pittsfield
Globe Manufacturing Company
Hosts Pittsfield Middle School Students
In Support Of What’s So Cool About Manufacturing? Video Contest
Contest Partners Middle School Students with Local Manufacturers to
Produce Video Exploring Career Opportunities in Advanced
Manufacturing.
NH
Governor Maggie Hassan and Commissioner of Department of Resources
and Economic Development, Jeffrey Rose, recently launched the What’s
So Cool About Manufacturing? Video Contest. Aimed at introducing
middle school students to advanced manufacturing, the What’s So Cool
About Manufacturing? Video Contest partners participating schools
with a local manufacturer to produce a video that explores career
opportunities in manufacturing, how the industry has changed and its
importance to New Hampshire’s economy as the state’s largest
industry.
“As our state’s largest industry, manufacturing is critical to
keeping our economy moving in the right direction and expanding
middle class opportunity,” Governor Hassan said. “By creating
partnerships between job-creating manufacturing companies and local
schools, the What’s So Cool About Manufacturing? Video Contest will
help our students understand that they can stay in New Hampshire and
find jobs here that are interesting and exciting. This contest will
also help build relationships that can lead to a stronger workforce
pipeline to fill the jobs that growing businesses are creating here
in New Hampshire, helping this critical industry continue to
thrive.”
Pittsfield’s own Globe Manufacturing Company has partnered with
Pittsfield Middle School Tech Education classes in support of this
initiative. On Tuesday, October 7th, PMHS Tech Education teacher,
Paul Sherwood, brought 8th grade students to tour the Globe
Manufacturing facilities. Along with a brief history of the fourth
generation, locally-owned Globe, the students received a tour of the
sales and customer service departments. Globe employees also walked
students through each step of the manufacturing process, including a
trip to the factory floor, to see first hand how the firefighter
turnout gear is manufactured.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for the students to see the scope
of the work the Globe does, and it is right here in town!” says
teacher Paul Sherwood, “Having such an opportunity within our own
community will open many doors for our district and our partnering
business leaders.”
Dean of Instruction, Danielle Harvey adds “We are very grateful to
have such a wonderful resource in town. The Globe is a great
supporter of our school and we appreciate the strong community
partnership we continue to build with them. Moving forward, we hope
to explore expanding our partnership with the Globe, and other
community businesses, to enrich Extended Learning Opportunities
(ELOs), Learning Studios and other multiple pathways to learning
offered to our students at Pittsfield Middle High School.”
“At Globe, we’re equally committed to the communities we do business
in and our mission to protect firefighters around the world,” said
Rob Freese, Senior VP of Marketing at Globe Manufacturing Company.
“Having the Pittsfield Middle School students tour our factory and
create a video about what’s cool about manufacturing is a source of
immense pride. We wish them the best in the Governor’s video
contest.”
Over the next few weeks, students will produce a 1-3 minute video
highlighting the multifaceted aspects of Globe manufacturing.
Students will be taking their notes and using that to create a
storyboard draft. From the draft, they will go back to Globe to get
more footage and then create a final video. Look for the video to be
highlighted on the district webpage in December! Winners are
expected to be selected in early 2015.
This Isn’t Some Dusty Musical!
The Pittsfield Players Ramp It up For South Pacific ‘14
Kevin Kennedy and Shaima Al-Hammadi as Lt. Joe Cable and
Liat, star-crossed lovers that may never have been meant to be.
Angelo Gentile and Catherine Martinez as Emile de Beque and
Nellie Forbush know it’s going to take more than Some Enchanted
Evening to overcome the many obstacles that get in the way of their
destiny.
Director Maye Hart brings South Pacific to life once again
on the Scenic Stage November 7, 8, 14 & 15 at 7:30 PM and Sunday,
November 9 at 2PM.
Sailor Joshua Crowell goes from performing on stage to
assistant stage managing off stage, come to South Pacific to see why
this double-duty actor calls for all hands on deck!
Now’s the time to reserve your tickets to South Pacific because if
you’re caught without, it may be another 30 years before we bring it
around again! That being said, this is not the 1980’s version you
saw with your grandmother before the Players even owned the theatre.
Retro this production is not. Prepare to be amazed at the
innovations in set design put forth by Director Maye Hart’s set
guru, her husband, Jim Hart. Anchors aweigh does not begin to
describe the feeling you get when you literally walk aboard the
Scenic for this ultra fantasy trip to the South Pacific. Probably
the biggest set the Scenic Theatre has seen since My Fair Lady, Maye
and Jim go wall to wall with grand murals, drop down and movable
set pieces twice the size of the actors and them some. Besides the
talented actors and actresses, you are in for a treat and a feat of
costuming, set design and Broadway-worthy performances.
The Pittsfield Players present South Pacific at the
Scenic Theatre, 6 Depot Street, Pittsfield, NH November 7, 8, 14 &
15 at 7:30 PM and Sunday, November 9 at 2PM. Doors will be open one
hour prior to performances for refreshments and raffles. Tickets,
$17, will be available at
www.pittsfieldplayers.com, by calling
(603) 435-8852 to reserve or at the box office the afternoon,
evening of performances. Come be inspired by us.
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