It is time to choose the 2015 Pittsfield Citizen of the Year. Please
send the name of the person you are nominating and the reason you
feel they should be considered to:
Citizen of the Year
P O Box 173
Pittsfield N H 03263
Deadline for nominations is June 3.
The Suncook Valley Area Lions Club (serving Pittsfield and
Barnstead) is requesting your gently used donations for the Multi
Town yard sale on June 6 and 7.
We cannot accept televisions or clothing, but please clean out your
closets and garages and call 435-5052 to arrange for a pick up.
TOPS News
Submitted By Terrie Azotea
Well, this past week our KOPS best loser was Barbara and our TOPS
best loser was Heather. We have two Miss Angels who are almost to
their goals. They are Suzie and Joyce.
We had an awesome time with a lot of laughs doing chair exercises
that anyone can do while watching tv or just needing to do some
stretches. One of our members brought in some tips that we might not
be aware of about our breakfast foods, it was called 10 breakfast
foods that are full of sugar. That was something for us to think
about.
We had awards handed out for royalty, our best loser of the month
was April and runners up were Joyce, Heather and myself. Flowers
were also handed out to those who also had a weight loss. All in
all, we had a really encouraging night of good tips and laughs.
Kudos to all of those who had a weight loss. Once again, I cannot
say it enough, as hard it is to lose it’s even harder to keep it
off!
If anyone is interested in joining us, we meet on Tuesday nights at
the Berakah on Fairview Rd. in Pittsfield at 5:30 for weigh-in and
at 6:30 for our meeting! We welcome new faces! Hope everyone has a
good week and see you all lighter next week!
Update On The Floral Park Cemetery Fence Fund
Submitted By Carole Richardson
Spring is finally here, Memorial Day is just a few weeks away, and
thanks to the financial support of countless individuals, businesses
and organizations, I am overjoyed to announce that Phase 2 of the
fence project will be underway next week. This phase will include
520 feet of fencing along with the granite posts with a walk-through
gate on High Street, at a cost of $20,000.(Phase 1 included 445 feet
of fencing at a cost of $18,900.) Rick Sykes from Superior Fence
has been extremely generous and helpful by giving me the same price
for the granite posts and fence sections as last year, as well as
donating the walk-through gate. A special thank you to Matt St.
George for his donation of time and equipment to remove and dispose
of the old fencing on High Street, which also contributed to a
savings on Phase 2.
Special thanks continue to go to Paul at Jitters for allowing me to
keep the collection box on his counter, and to all who have donated
to the fence fund by dropping your change in that box; thanks to
the SUN for publishing my updates and to Andi Riel for her
articles in the Sunday Monitor. I am already collecting
for Phase 3, and with your help this phase will hopefully be
completed by Memorial Day 2016. Please consider making donations in
honor of loved ones during this very special time of year when you
visit their gravesites to place flowers and mementos in their
memory. The Floral Park Cemetery is a beautiful resting
place, and a special thank you to Superintendent Don Fife for his 44
years of continued hard work and caring – he makes the job look
effortless. Please continue to send your tax deductible donations
made payable to the “Floral Park Cemetery Fence Fund”, P.O. Box 98
or 595 Tilton Hill Road, Pittsfield, NH 03263. Thank you.
Letter
Dear Pittsfield Residents:
On April 7, 2015, the Board of Selectmen commissioned an
investigation into the Planning Board’s actions and procedures with
regard to a subdivision application. The action was initiated by
complaints by the applicant. Because of the desire to seek an
impartial opinion, the Board of Selectmen hired the Law Firm of
Upton and Hatfield to conduct the investigation.
The findings of the report include “several instances where the
board or Chairman Wood failed to follow the proper rules of
procedure, including: (1) conducting a meeting without a quorum; (2)
Chairman Wood’s unilateral decision to order engineering services
and (3) the Board’s reliance on ad hoc rules. Despite these errors,
the board has ratified Chairman Wood’s action…” The full report is
available on the Town website (pittsfield-nh.com)
and every resident is encouraged to read it.
Thank you,
Michael R Williams
Town Administrator
Town of Pittsfield
85 Main Street
Pittsfield, NH 03263
603-435-6773
Loudon Center Freewill Baptist Church
Spring Fair Saturday, May 16TH., 2015 Hours: 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Join us at the Fair. We will have many Vendors, and
Crafters. Face Painting will be available and The Middle River
Gospel Band, will be playing all day. Raffles will held all day as
well. Get your chance for a Hand Crafted Doll House for your child
or grand-child. Tickets are moving fast For more info or to have a
table, please call or email:Gayle Doyle at 60.435.0496/
[email protected] or Lorraine Welch
603.435.6510. We look forward to seeing old friends as well as
making some new.
Letter
Notice of Resignation
Myself, Matt Goodwin, and my wife, Jen Goodwin, regretfully resign
from the Pittsfield Website Committee effective immediately. Our
resignation is due to the fact that the Website Committee was
forcefully demoted to an advisory only committee by the Board of
Selectmen, and a paid company has been hired to take the place of
the dedicated volunteers of the Pittsfield Website Committee who
have served the town for the past 7 years. We feel it is not in the
town’s best interest for us to support what we consider to be a
needless hostile takeover of the town’s website that was driven by
false information and will negatively impact taxpayers directly.
While it’s a shame that the majority of the Board of selectmen came
to this uneducated decision without regard to the taxpayers and with
such disrespect for the volunteers, we would like to thank Selectman
Nick Hayes for supporting the Website Committee and for simply doing
what is right for the taxpayers. Mr. Hayes you are an asset to the
town of Pittsfield.
We would like to thank the Pittsfield Website Committee members that
we served the town with, it was a pleasure working with such a
dedicated and enthusiastic group over the years. We would also like
to thank the residents who supported the Website Committee and those
who submitted information to us. It has been a pleasure working with
all of you.
Sincerely,
Matt & Jen Goodwin
Center Barnstead, NH
Letter To The Editor
Please be informed what is happening in our/your Town of
Pittsfield.
Seemingly out of no where, the BOS has fired the Pittsfield Website
committee and is hiring a Mass. Commercial website company.
The Pittsfield website committee was a volunteer group formed by the
BOS back in 2007 and has been maintaining and developing the
website ever since. We responded to residents concerns and were not
aware of any complaints with the site. Evidently the BOS and the
Town Administrator have different ideas when it comes to spending
our tax dollars.
Please visit the Town Hall and read the draft minutes from the
4/21/15 and the meeting from last night 5/5/15. This is no way to
run the town government or to treat volunteers.
I have sent a letter of resignation to the Town Administrator. My
photos no longer have my permission to be posted to the town website
or to the future commercial website vendors.
This is a very sad time for the town of Pittsfield due to the
actions of those who operate out of the Town Hall.
Bob Legg
Catamount Womenaid Plans Perennial Plant Sale
Gardeners will be delighted with the wide variety of locally grown
plants at Catamount Womenaid’s Perennial Plant Sale on Saturday, May
23 from 9 to 2:00. The sale will be at Christie’s Antiques on Route
4 in Epsom--the purple house on the hill across from Cumberland
Farms. All the plants, which have been donated by local gardeners
and nurseries, will be ready for transfer into home garden beds.
Choose from dozens of varieties suitable for full sun to shade.
All proceeds will benefit Catamount Womenaid which provides
emergency financial relief for individuals and families in
Deerfield, Epsom, Pittsfield and Strafford (see
catamountwomenaid.org).
Pittsfield Continues To Improve!
Submitted By Selectman Eric Nilsson
The Town is even closer to rehabilitating the properties next to the
Library at 37 and 33 Main St. We are on-track to request proposals
from developers by mid-Summer.
The dilapidated fences and foundations at 14 Depot Street have been
removed leaving a flat useful lot. We are considering our options
on that parcel of property ranging from an open greenspace to a
parking lot. If you have any comments about the project, please
contact any of the Selectmen or the staff at Town Hall and let us
know your opinion.
42 Chestnut Street is slated for demolition this Summer to make way
for a parking area adjacent to Drake Field. However, it may be
delayed a bit because we are applying for a FEMA grant that may pay
for the demolition. In the meantime, you will be seeing the Fire
Department and the Police Department using the building for
training.
The Town of Pittsfield’s website is undergoing an exciting new
facelift and upgrade, but unfortunately change can be painful and
sometimes hard to accept which has generated dissatisfaction with a
few residents. Pittsfield has had a dedicated and hard-working group
of volunteers who have maintained the Town’s website for years and
every resident who has used the website should thank the committee
for their work. The Board of Selectmen certainly appreciate their
efforts. Unfortunately, the website committee was not able to
achieve the level of progress sought, so we have contracted with a
company to design and implement a new and improved website.
The Safe Routes to School project to build sidewalks and repave the
streets near the school continues. You may see surveying and
markers on the ground on and around Berry Avenue. Once the
surveying is complete and the residents can see the proposed changes
on the ground, the Board of Selectmen plan to have another public
hearing to listen to citizen concerns.
Letter To The Editor
22% of NH town websites are served by small business webmasters who
live in the town they host or a neighboring town. They likely
charge very little, perhaps nothing, and I commend the residents of
these towns for supporting their local businesses and volunteers.
Another 37% of NH town websites don’t even use a third party vendor
for website hosting. These towns host their own websites using
identical or similar software that our website volunteers have used
- and continuously upgraded - for 7+ years. Now that the tyrants
(excluding Selectman Hayes) in our town hall have fired your
volunteers, you’re expected to pay for this unnecessary service.
But it doesn’t stop there. This website redesign will cost more
than the numbers being quoted. While your taxpayer-paid town
administrator(TA) will relish his power to pick hunter-green or
sky-blue for a wallpaper background, choose his ‘FAV’ drop down
menus, and make his awesome template choices, a website is nothing
without content. What you click on depends entirely on whose
fingers are on the other side of the keyboard. Whether that person
is an out-of-town consultant, or whether that person is a
taxpayer-paid town employee, either choice will cost you money.
Let’s not forget that our town hall employees were already so busy
that there was talk last year about adding a part-time position to
alleviate their burden. I can assure you that the TA doesn’t care
about adding employee hours and additional costs to complete his
website control needs.
Matt & Jen Goodwin, Bob Legg, Bill Provencal, & Clayton Wood have
been despicably kicked out with the trash by a group of town hall
tyrants (excluding Selectman Hayes). If this can happen to a
volunteer group providing a successful service, the question is who
in the town of Pittsfield is next?!!!
God Bless Our Troops,
Rachel Wood
Globe And 3M Donate $28,080 To Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund
Corporate Supporters Raise Funds at FDIC International 2015
Globe Manufacturing Company continued its partnership with the Terry
Farrell Firefighters Fund at the Fire Department Instructors
Conference (FDIC), the nation’s largest firefighter training
conference and exhibition held April 23-26 in Indianapolis. With its
supplier partner, 3M, Globe invited attendees to try its new
G-XTREME® 3.0 turnout gear on the Globe Virtual Firefighter Athletic
Circuit and committed to make a donation to the Terry Farrell
Firefighters Fund in each firefighter’s name. This year Globe had
firefighters spin a wheel to determine the donation – $10, $20, $50,
or $100. In total, Globe and 3M donated $28,080 to the Fund from the
Globe Virtual Firefighter Athletic Circuit at FDIC.
“We believe in the mission of the Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund
and are delighted that we’ve helped them make a difference in the
lives of firefighters, their families, and departments over the past
year,” said Rob Freese, senior vice president of marketing at Globe
Manufacturing Company. “Globe has always given back to the fire
service and we are proud to partner with this worthy cause and hard
working group of volunteers.”
Terry Farrell was a father, a husband, a brother, and a dedicated
firefighter who lost his life on September 11, 2001, during the
World Trade Center attack. Among the 343 heroes who died that day,
he was in Tower Two when it collapsed. A decorated member of Rescue
4/FDNY and chief of the Dix Hills Volunteer Fire Department, Terry
was a devoted firefighter who embodied the spirit of courage and
giving. The Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund was established in his
memory to assist firefighters and families across the nation with
financial, educational and medical support, and to provide equipment
donations for fire departments in need.
“The Terry Fund appreciates the great partnership we have with
Globe. Globe not only makes some of the best and most innovative
fire gear on the market today but also strongly supports the fire
service through its direct assistance to the Terry Fund,” said Brian
Farrell, chairman of the Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund and brother
of Terry
Farrell. “Firefighters across America also directly benefit from the
awareness that Globe brings to the Fund.”
3M is excited to continue its partnership with Globe in supporting a
great cause like the Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund,” said Jennifer
L. Sickmann, Global Segment Marketing Manager for 3M™ Scotchlite™
Reflective Material. “The support and enthusiasm shown by
firefighters at the FDIC event was impressive.”
Letter To The Editor
To the good citizens of Pittsfield,
I needed a couple of months to collect my thoughts about this year’s
Town Meeting.
All the Town departments seemed to get funding they needed,
including capital reserves for future equipment purchases.
I’m glad the Pittsfield Town employees got their increase and their
contract. I feel the selectmen got the best deal they could, so we
should support them and the employees.
I remember a few years ago, we cut $125,000 from the proposed
budget. Anyway, we spent $110,000 on legal fees, fighting and
eventually settling with the employees union. Now we don’t fight for
a few years. We can get more done for our town.
I’m glad the Town adopted Floral Park Cemetery as a town cemetery
and committed Town money towards its maintenance.
Another item that put a smile on my face was the affirmative vote to
commit Town resources to be used the operation and maintenance of
the Community Center. This building was built by the people who came
before us. All we gotta do is help to keep it up. What a deal.
I am extremely disturbed (my brother Mark’s phrase, not mine) that
our building inspector did not get removed. He is a contractor in
town. He inspects his competition. He responded he only took one job
in Pittsfield last year. I should have asked if that made him just a
little corrupt.
Dan Schroth Piermarocchi
Letter
Dear Fellow Citizens of Pittsfield,
I don’t know about you all, but I personally have one thing to say
about all the negative and disruptive letters that have been
surfacing in the paper of late, and that is STOP! There
have been so many good things happening in town and positive
actions, and instead of taking a moment to look at and to state the
positive, these people look only to the negative, and create drama
where there really isn’t any!
Personally, after having been in and out of the town hall for many
years, I have to say that since Mike Williams has been on staff, the
mood in the town hall is much lighter and people are much happier
and cheerful! When one has a question, or they would
like to speak to Mike Williams, he is approachable and will get an
answer to the best of his ability!
Then, with actually looking at the town as a business, and seeing
what would perhaps benefit it in the future, there have been some
great strides made for the better of the town. Main
Street has taken an upswing with new storefronts and new tavern, not
to mention another large business that moved down into town with
their specialty business! The rebuild and expansion of
one of the town’s larger businesses. The removal and planned
removal of dilapidated buildings and abandoned cellar holes. It
took more than one person or board to make this all happen, it took
a village. But it also takes one entity to coordinate and keep
things moving!
I think these are some very positive things that have happened in
just the downtown area. This doesn’t include all the rest of the
things that are going on around town! We have a positive
forward movement, which in turn brings us positive press and perhaps
make us more appealing to other businesses or families!
I also noticed that the negative attitudes are coming from one root!
Sincerely,
Carole Dodge
Josiah Carpenter Library Trustees And Friends
To Host Local Author,
Michele Albion
Submitted By Beverly Pietlicki
Michele Albion, Dover New Hampshire resident and author of “The
Quotable Eleanor Roosevelt” will be presenting a talk at the
Pittsfield Middle High School on Thursday, May 21st at 7pm in the
School Lecture Hall. Michele visited Pittsfield in February of 2014
and gave a popular presentation on Henry Ford.
Michele’s background in history, museum science and research
qualifies her as an expert on various historical figures whose
primary resources she has culled for particularly exemplary and
usual quotes. Michele has divided and grouped these quotes into
various categories which during her presentation she brings to life
by her supporting historical facts.
Here is an excerpt from her web site referring to Eleanor Roosevelt
as an important and distinctive figure in our history:
“Born in the late 1800s, to one of the wealthiest families in New
York City, Eleanor
Roosevelt seemed destined for a traditional woman’s role within a
sedate Victorian life. Instead, she married her fifth cousin and was
flung into the highest levels of American politics, culminating in
Franklin’s unprecedented four-term presidency.
While previous first ladies refrained from public discussion of
their personal views, Eleanor’s bold opinions on political, social
and racial issues took many by surprise. She held press conferences
and wrote a syndicated column. She spoke at national conventions,
granted interviews, and often made appearances on her husband’s
behalf.”
Michele will talk for about forty minutes and then take questions.
She will finish her presentation with a book signing. As an
historian, researcher and writer, Michele has written “The Florida
Life of Thomas Edison,” “The Quotable Edison,” “The Quotable Henry
Ford,” “The Quotable Eleanor Roosevelt,” and most recently, “The
Quotable Amelia Earhart” (University Press of Florida, 2015.)
Join us for a free and fun presentation with Michele Albion, author
of the “Quotable” books and celebrate the special spirit of one of
our greatest First Ladies! All of her books will be available for
sale at the conclusion of the presentation.
A gift certificate to Molly’s Tavern will be given away and a
special taste testing of one of Eleanor Roosevelt’s favorite recipes
will be offered.
Please contact Beverly Pietlicki or any of the staff at the Josiah
Carpenter Library (435-8406) for further questions or information.
Obituaries
John A. Paige, PhD
John A. Paige, PhD, 67, of Delaware Township NJ, died suddenly at
his home on April 28.
Born in Pittsfield, NH, he was the son of the late Courtland and
Olive (Elkins) Paige. He attended Pittsfield schools, UNH and
University of Florida at Gainesville.
He was a Marine Biologist at heart and by trade for most of his
career, as well as, Digital Communications and Business Operations
Manager with Bristol Myers Squibb. John also worked at Harvard for
many years, specializing in heart disease research. John was an avid
fly fisherman, Civil War enthusiast, and straight Egyptian Arabian
Horse breeder.
He was President of the Saco River Salmon Club and a member of
Madison Avenue Sports Car and Chowder Society, the Pyramid Society
and the Arabian Horse Association.
He is survived by his wife of sixteen years, Patricia Beddiges
Paige, cousins, nieces, nephews and numerous friends.
Funeral services and interment will be private under the direction
of Holcombe-Fisher Funeral Home, 147 Main Street, Flemington NJ.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Team
Velvet (a horse therapy group for children w/ disabilities). PayPal
donations accepted via the website at
www.teamvelvet.com.
Melanie Guptill
Barrington – Melanie Guptill, 51, of Barrington passed away as the
result of an automobile accident on Thursday, April 30, 2015 in Lee,
NH. The daughter of Philip and Audrey Guptill, Melanie was born on
December 4, 1963 in Rochester, NH. Her mother Audrey; her father
Phil; her daughter Hailey Senter; her brother Paul Guptill; her
granddaughter Bristol Senter; Aunts, Carol Golledge and Marilyn
Ross, survive Melanie. Melanie’s larger than life personality will
be greatly missed by friends and family.
Melanie was a graduate of Spaulding High School Class of 1981 and a
graduate of McIntosh College. Upon graduation from McIntosh she
attended NHSU and worked as an accountant. She started her own
accounting business after working for the family business.
Melanie was an avid animal lover and accumulated many over the
years. She had a passion for horses at a very young age and
followed through with that passion throughout her life. She
eventually passed this passion on to her daughter, Hailey, and they
spent the majority of summers traveling the east coast participating
in horse shows. In 2004 Melanie and Hailey attended the Appaloosa
Youth World show in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Melanie was an artist
and enjoyed artwork. She also had a passion for muscle cars
throughout life. Anyone that knew Melanie knew about her “baby’, her
Z28!
Her cousin Dennis Guptill, paternal uncle Frank Guptill, her
maternal grandparents, Melvin and Myrle whom she was very close with
growing up, predeceases her
In lieu of flowers the family has asked donations be made, in
Melanie’s name to the Humane Society of New Hampshire or the SPCA of
New Hampshire.
A celebration of life for “Mad Mel” took place at
Purdy Memorial Chapel in Lee, NH on Friday May 8, 2015. Rev. Scott
Little field, officiated. A private graveside inurnment will take
place at a later date. Online condolences may be made at
www.purdyfuneralservice.com
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