Dunbarton news : Selectmen

Dunbarton Selectman gets county seat

Goffstown Editor — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:16:00 GMT

Dunbarton resident and selectmen Chairman Les Hammond was recently elected and sworn in as a Merrimack County commissioner on July 6.

Hammond will fill the remainder of JD Colcord’s term. Colcord stepped down as commissioner after six years in office. Hammond’s term will end in January 2011.

“County government is run very professionally with very dedicated employees, and I am looking forward enthusiastically to working with all 700 county employees to continue providing county services,” said Hammond.

When Hammond saw a notice in the paper that the county was accepting resumes and letters of interest to fill this position, he decided to throw his hat into the ring.

State Rep. Stephen Shurtleff at state, a friend of Hammond, then nominated him.

According to Hammond, the Republican and Democratic parties each nominated a candidate. The Republican candidate pulled out, and Hammond was left to run against another Democrat. Hammond is a lifelong resident of Dunbarton and has served as a selectman for 16 years. Prior to that, he was the town moderator for 14 years.

He also worked for the state of New Hampshire for 14 years.

“I was in charge of financial planning, accounting, audits, computers – all the management activities,” said Hammond.

He also owns a small business for 23 years, Great Meadow Enterprises, a land excavation and development company.

“I have a pretty comprehensive financial background,” said Hammond.

Hammond is one of three Merrimack County commissioners. The other two commissioners are Leo Bernier of Concord and Elizabeth Blanchard of Penacook.

For questions or concerns about county government, residents can call Hammond at home at 774-4026, or at the county offices at 228-0331.

No increase in Dunbarton town budget

Goffstown Editor — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:17:00 GMT

BY PATRICK O’NEILL

Residents debated the operating budget and the need to treat milfoil in the town’s ponds at Dunbarton’s annual Town Meeting on Tuesday, March 10.

The selectmen discussed the town operating budget for this year of $1,871,319, a 0 percent increase over last year’s budget.

Chairman Leslie Hammond indicated the current economic downturn as reason not to make any increases.

“Given the dire predictions for the economy, we decided to craft a conservative budget,” said Hammond at the meeting. “It’s a plain vanilla budget.”

The town does have an unreserved surplus of $187,954 from 2008, but Hammond said it will be saved for 2010.

“We chose not to use the surplus this year, but to see it out to next year.”

Hammond also indicated that there was a 5 percent reduction in all town departments and no pay raises for this year.

The town also discussed a warrant article which would have appropriated $25,000 toward the treatment of milfoil in Gorham Pond. Ann Merrill, of Holiday Shore Drive, presented the issue to the selectmen.

“Our property values are being decreased and recreational value is being depleted,” she said.

Milfoil is a naturally occurring plant in pond water that can harm diversity and stunt fish growth. It can grow to 20 feet long and cause problems for swimmers.

There is no permanent fix, but according to Merrill, chemicals can keep the milfoil from filling ponds. Selectmen at the meeting suggested this year is not the economic climate for the appropriation.

After a lengthy debate between residents, the town defeated the article.

Residents also passed an article to appropriate $25,000 toward the revaluation of the town by a vote of 83-79. Selectmen did not recommend passage of the article, preferring to discuss the issue in 2010. The state mandates revaluations every five years. Dunbarton has 16,016 parcels, or properties, that would be involved in the revaluation.

Other articles that passed included $10,000 toward the maintenance and repair of cemetery monuments in the town and $275 for the Town Forest Committee.

Former Dunbarton selectman; ran The Bow Times for eight years

Goffstown Editor — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 20:10:00 GMT

BY GINGER KOZLOWSKI

The former owner of The Bow Times and former Dunbarton selectman, Beverly Ann Marcou, died Thursday, Aug. 21, at the age of 73.

Karen Tomes, one of Marcou’s seven children, remembered her mother’s love of the newspaper business. “Beverly just loved working there – the camaraderie between us all, dealing with the towns and the people she met,” said Tomes. “It was a lot of fun. We were a family. Laugh ... my God, did we laugh. I have yet to find anything like it.”

Rick Broussard, executive editor of New Hampshire Magazine, remembered Marcou as a strong woman. “In whatever she chose to do – business, local politics or newspapering – Bev Marcou was force to be reckoned with,” said Broussard. “She was totally committed to making things work, making them better. I know The Bow Times would not be here today if she hadn’t gotten involved and really believed in it. I had a lot to learn when I was getting started in local journalism, and the two people who taught me the most about small-town New Hampshire were Bev and her dad, Jim Bucknam, the founder of The Bow Times.” The Bow Times began publishing in 1987, and Marcou ran the paper from 1991 until its sale to Neighborhood Publications (now Neighborhood News, Inc.) in January 2000.

Active in politics
Marcou didn’t confine herself to journalism, becoming a Dunbarton selectman from 1989 to 1991. “She could recite an RSA like you’ve never seen in your life,” said Tomes. “She was one of the smartest people I’ve ever known.”

Businesswoman
Along with journalism and politics, Marcou owned and ran a construction business, Marcou Construction, which she started with her husband in 1963. Originally, the company build roads for subdivisions, said Tomes, then they owned Litchfield Sand and Gravel, a sand and gravel pit in Litchfield.

Marcou married Louis F. Marcou on May 19, 1956. He passed away Nov. 1, 1985.

Marcou had seven children – James J. Marcou, Ann M. Marcou, Louis (Bud) F, Marcou Jr,, Karen E. Tomes, Joanne L. Wilusz, Susan B. Kelly and Lynn A.G. Marcou of Dunbarton. She had 15 grandchildren and one newly arrived great-grandchild.

Dunbarton Year in review 2007

Goffstown Editor — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 01:04:00 GMT

BY MICHELLE KIM
Dunbarton saw some of the same themes reemerge from 2006 – issues such as the SB2 ballot, gas pumps at Page’s Corner, the completion of the hearse housing. But 2007 also saw a number of changes particularly in the police department with the departure of Police Chief Jeff Nelson and promotion of executive officer Chris Connelly, and the completion of the long awaited town commons bandstand.

Dunbarton saw some of the same themes reemerge from 2006 – issues such as the SB2 ballot, gas pumps at Page’s Corner, the completion of the hearse housing. But 2007 also saw a number of changes particularly in the police department with the departure of Police Chief Jeff Nelson and promotion of executive officer Chris Connelly, and the completion of the long awaited town commons bandstand.

At the March elections, voters rejected for the second year in a row a warrant article to change elections from the traditional town hall meeting to SB2, or official ballot referendum- style voting, by 419-154 at the town meeting and 415-152 at the school meeting.

Incumbent Selectman Mert Mann, the only contested seat up for election, defeated challenger David Pellenz for another three-year term. Incumbent positions that ran unopposed include Tax Collector Martha Rae, Bryan Clark on the Board of Assessors, Ethics Committee member Brigitte Cook, Library Trustee Tiffany Dodd, Richard Schaeffer as cemetery trustee, Kristen Petretta as library trustee, and Janice VandeBogart as a trustee of the trust funds. On the School Board, Carl Metzger ran unopposed as did incumbent Rene Ouellet.

Voters overwhelmingly approved expanding Town Clerk Linda Peters’ part-time position from 10 hours a week at to a full-time position, despite lack of endorsement by the selectmen, increasing her salary from $23,800 to about $50,000 with benefits.

They also approved a town operating budget of $1,825,744, a 3.2 percent increase over the 2006 operating budget.

The School Board managed to bring in a school operating budget about $38,000 lower than the previous fiscal year, due in part to lower than expected middle and high school enrollments.

Because of the level school budget, the 2007 property tax rate was set in October at $14.56, or 11.5 percent lower than the previous year. The town portion increased by 40 cents, or about 20 percent, but was offset by the school portion drop of $2.39, or about 23.7 percent.

Police Chief Jeff Nelson retired in March, after six years of serving as Dunbarton’s first full-time police chief, for a position with the New Hampshire Juvenile Justice Services as bureau chief in charge of administration.

Previously he had been commander of investigative services with Goffstown police. Under Nelson, the Dunbarton Police Department was recognized by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), the first department with part-time officers in New Hampshire to achieve this.

Chris Connelly, who had been brought in by Nelson in 2003 as an executive officer and potential successor, was promoted to chief in March. Connelly served 10 years at the Goffstown Police Department and for seven years before that with the Hillsborough Police Department as deputy sheriff/sergeant. His main goals include seeking CALEA accreditation and renovation of the police station.

In May, Dunbarton hired master patrol officer Jacqueline Pelletier, previously of the Bow Police Department, as full-time executive officer to fill the position left vacant by Connelly’s promotion. Pelletier began her career at Goffstown in 1999 as a part-time officer and full-time communications specialist. She was recently recognized with an award for her outstanding patrol work with Bow.

John Levasseur was sworn in as Dunbarton’s third full-time officer in July. Levasseur, a Goffstown native and graduate of Goffstown High School, came to the department with four years of experience with the New Hampshire Department of Corrections.

Dunbarton resident Lori Davis sued the town in January under the Right-to-Know Law after allegedly being denied access to financial documents at a budget workshop where $100,000 was transferred from surplus to operating funds. Justice Philip P. Mangones agreed with Davis that the selectmen should have addressed the issue at a public meeting, but ruled that no laws had been broken.

A former Dunbarton Fire Department volunteer, Derek Milioto, turned himself in to the Merrimack County Attorney’s Office in May and was was arrested and charged with stealing fuel from the town fuel pumps, a Class A misdemeanor.

Discrepancies in fuel consumption were discovered by Fire Chief Jon Wiggin in October 2006, and surveillance cameras installed at the facility helped obtain evidence.

There may be up to a year and a half or about $3,000 to $4,000 of missing gas, but proof for only about $600, according to Selectman Les Hammond.

After receiving word that there might be fewer spots available for Dunbarton kids at the New Boston Central and Glen Lake’s preschool programs, a Preschool Committee was formed in the spring to explore the option of bringing a preschool program to Dunbarton, which currently sends only special needs children to preschool.

The School Board, after considering a short list of options generated by the committee, decided to remain with the current arrangement until more specific information could be gathered on the costs of an inhouse preschool program.

The Fire Department received $10,400 in the last year from memorial contributions made after the passing of Vera Fogg, Nancy Graybill, and former selectmen and Fire Department volunteers Peter Montgomery and John Swindelhurst II. Fire Chief Jon Wiggin said the money would go to purchase equipment the department didn’t have the funds for in the town budget.

A storage building to house the historic refurbished and rebuilt hearse was constructed by state prison inmates at Page’s cemetery. The dedication ceremony in August saw about 100 residents and volunteers, many in period costumes.

The uniform of deceased World War II hero Frank Dow Merrill of Hopkinton was on display Memorial Day at the Dunbarton Community Center.

Dunbarton American Legion head Gary MacCubbin helped it find a home with the New Hampshire Historical Society.

In August, Marine Sgt. Justin Somers was presented the Combat Action Ribbon by Sen. John Sununu in a ceremony on the Dunbarton town commons and accepted on behalf of his unit, the 2nd Military Police Battalion, which had deployed to Iraq in June.

The Dunbarton Garden Club offered the Hadley Heritage bulb for 2007, a late-blooming white daffodil with a yellow-pink cup, in commemoration of late Dunbarton historian Alice Hadley.

The Garden Club planted 2,500 bulbs around Page’s Corner in October in the third year of the “Daffodils for Dunbarton” program.

In late September, a fouralarm blaze consumed the barn of Sheri Nuanez and Keith Bernard, but miraculously the couple managed to save all of their 11 horses. However, they discovered their insurance covered the replacement barn but not the cost of temporarily sheltering the horses through the winter, as they had originally been told. They filed a claim with the New Hampshire Bureau of Insurance.

The Zoning Board hearing for a special exception for gas pumps at Page’s Country Store finally got underway in November with more than 120 attendees, after being rescheduled from September due to lack of space.

Experts hired by store owner David Barkie presented his state-of- the-art plan for a six-pump aboveground storage tank facility and studies on the traffic, real estate and environmental effects of the gas pumps. Abutters also hired a legal council and experts to address Barkie’s studies and the special exception criteria. The December continuation of the hearing, with 40 to 50 attendees, saw testimony and public imput from residents and abutters, mostly opposed to the plan, although a few spoke in favor of it. The hearing has been continued to Jan. 14.

After seven years of fundraising, the town commons bandstand project was mostly completed by December and dedicated with a Christmas tree lighting.