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Athletes perform – and watch – at state meet

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:16:00 GMT

BY JERRY LIPTAK

At the girls gymnastics state championships, the hosts won the title, but the guests – teams and individuals – still enjoyed the show.

Salem High beat second-place Pinkerton and third-place Central on Saturday, Feb. 21, for its third straight New Hampshire championship, but Little Green athletes, as well as individuals from Goffstown, Pembroke, John Stark and West, took their turns on vault, bars, beam and floor, then cheered on friend and friendly foe alike.

“They really appreciate when they see a talented gymnast,” said Ginnie LaVallo, Salem’s head coach, mentioning no team in particular. “They know the work that goes into doing any of this. So it’s nice to see them watching the other competitors.”

Manchester Central
Central’s Ainsley Smith finished fifth in the all-around, helping the Little Green to 130.625 points, 5.575 behind the Blue Devils and two back of the Astros. Spaulding’s Kaitlyn O’Brien won the individual allaround with 36.2 points.

Sarah Conley and Hooksett’s Liz Wong added important points for Central, with Wong a top-10 performer on vault and bars.

Meg Norklun, who coaches Central and the lone West entrant, Jill Dusseault, said the sport fosters friendship because so many of the athletes know each other through gymnastics training centers, not just as school teammates or opponents.

Conley co-captained this year’s Central team with Chelsie Gilbert. They graduate, along with Bonnie Duval, Laura Robitaille and Molly Friedman-Cowan.

But Smith returns as a senior in 2010, and Wong, Abby Noonan, Jessica Carignan and Katie Williamson are back for their junior years. Emily Harrises competed on bars as a freshman.

Manchester West
Dusseault put up a top-20 effort on uneven bars, posting her best score of the year. Afterward, Norklun and Goffstown’s coach, Carol Raza, shared a laugh. “All season long, she’s either jumped off the bar or landed on her butt,” said Norklun good-naturedly. The coach embraced and congratulated Dusseault after the event.

Pembroke Academy, Goffstown and John Stark
Ashley Reade led a trio of individuals with Neighborhood ties in the all-around. John Stark’s Reade placed 19th overall, including a tie for 12th on beam.

Pembroke’s Kelsey Dobe was 25th in the all-around, keyed by strong showings on vault and floor.

Jana Hieber, representing Goffstown, finished 30th in the all-around. Her best performance came during the floor exercise.

Kristin Paradis, Trinity High’s mentor when the school had a team, coached Reade and Dobe, who train together in Bow. Paradis also mentored Prospect Mountain’s Haley Farnham, tied for 18th in the all-around, and Belmont’s Joy Piper, 23rd.

This year, shoppers frugal, family comes first

Hooksett Editor — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 19:29:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

While the state of the country’s economy is forcing local residents to change holiday plans, it has also caused volunteers to step up their efforts during the upcoming season.

When it comes to purchasing gifts, Joan Therrien of Salem has been forced to be more selective due to financial constraints.

“We’ve had to cut back on giving to kids of other families so we can give our kids what we can,” said Therrien, who may turn to a more creative method of gift-giving this year. “Handmade crafts are definitely an option this year.”

May Hedges, also of Salem, said the uncertainty of the economy is the biggest worry when it comes to planning a budget for the holidays.

“You have to be tight with money because you don’t know what will happen with the rest of it,” said Hedges. “Taxes are coming and heating bills too. You have to hang on with money that you need to live with. Spending for the holiday and trivial things like that you don’t even think of, it’s the important things you need to focus on.”

Though the shopping she does may be less, Hedges said there is one thing that doesn’t change.

“That’s about the only thing we have left is to get together. Family is everything right now,” Hedges said. “We all help one another. Getting together is the good times that we could do before things were bad, and spending that time doesn’t cost anything.”

Bedford resident Cheryl Mousseau said that with two children in North Carolina it is getting the entire family together that is most being affected by the state of the country.

“Children are now outside of our family unit, so it makes it difficult,” she said. “It’s so expensive for my son to come and justify coming for a few days, so it’ll be difficult this year.”

More local residents are being forced to ask for help, and pastor Ron Clow of Hooksett’s Emmanuel Baptist Church said he expects the number of people attending his church’s free Thanksgiving dinner to be up. With about a week left until Thanksgiving, Clow said the church had 125 people signed up for the dinner, and he expected even more through last-minute sign-ups.

“It looks like it’s increasing. It seems like people are hurting,” said Clow. “We used to give away Thanksgiving baskets and we weren’t really getting them to the people who needed them.”

In Bedford, the Knights of Columbus organized a turkey drive to benefit the New Hampshire Food Bank with the help of St. Elizabeth Seton Church, raising $7,600 to purchase 615 turkeys.

“Unemployment is up, people are out of work. It certainly is a need,” said Grand Knight Rene Pincince. “I had many members say it was the greatest thing we’ve ever done. When you sit at Thanksgiving, you can think that you’ve done something for someone who has nothing.”

Clow also said members of his church get a special feeling being able to give to the less fortunate.

“It’s one of our greatest gifts,” said Clow. “It warms our hearts. You see the people returning every year, and sometimes people will come in and serve when things get better for them.”

For businesses, holiday sales are important for keeping customers shopping during difficult times, such as the three-day after-Thanksgiving sale at Ace Hardware in Goffstown.

Karen Henderson, the store’s general manager, said she doesn’t expect business to be down this year, but expects customers to be more selective.

“I would say that we haven’t noticed a significant change in overall volume of customers, but people being more careful with what they choose,” Henderson said. “People are starting their Christmas shopping already, and really looking for those bargains early on.”

Henderson also said she expects people to give gifts that focus on what people need, such as gift cards, rather than luxury items.

Giving a holiday experience to town residents at no cost is important to the Hopkinton Recreation Department, as Recreation Director Justin La Vigne has organized several programs that town members can take part in.

The department sponsors a holiday lighting contest, breakfast with Santa, and a new program that allows children to receive a call from Santa, all for a minimum price.

“They’re fun things, and it’s good to do stuff for the community that is free or very low cost,” said La Vigne. “It isn’t just the children that love it, it’s the adults who do too.”

Residents may be forced to change their holiday plans, but one thing remains constant. “We cut back on gifts, but we still get together to eat,” said Therrien. “That’s 100 percent important to us.”

Rules change aims to stifle fouling, raise sportsmanship

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:26:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

Consider this: Team A and Team B enter the final game of the regular season. Team A is in first place, and team B is out of contention. At some point in the game a player from Team A goes for the ball and trips a Team B foe in the process.

A yellow card is drawn.

Team A wins the game and locks up the top playoff spot, yet that squad isn’t headed to the postseason.

The yellow card, Team A’s 12th, eliminated the top squad from the postseason based on a new rule. It states, in part:

… Any team, whose players/ coaches receive a collective total of 12 yellow cards during the regular season, will be ineligible for NHIAA tournament play and required to attend a hearing with the Soccer Committee.

(Editor’s note: the rule can be found at nhiaa.org under “Policies & Procedures.”)

Consider the alternative
As recently as five years ago, athletes ran around the pitch with little fear of repercussions. Of course, there were injuries, but there was an underlying lack of sportsmanship as well, said Steve Beals, chairman of the soccer rules committee. He began recording data on the amount of warning cards handed out in 2002, when there were 714 yellow cards among Granite State sub-varsity and varsity boys squads. The girls accumulated 161 such warnings.

Those numbers increased slightly in 2003, and in 2004 the NHIAA instituted rules that, in addition to personal penalties levied against the offending player, disqualified a coach for a game following 10 team yellow cards in a season.

That year, the numbers dropped to 576 yellow cards among males and 124 among females.

In 2006, Beals said teams became noticeably complacent about the rules, and the amount of yellow cards jumped to 676 and 142, respectively.

Last year, such stats were recorded electronically for the first time and only included varsity numbers, which produced a large margin for error in the data, said Beals.

This season, with the new rules in place, Beals said there’s no doubt the policies are working.

“The amount of yellow cards is way down, and there are currently no teams ineligible for the tournament,” he said. “We’re certainly confident we’re moving in the right direction.”

As of Thursday, Oct. 16, the varsity boys teams in New Hampshire had accumulated roughly 232 yellow cards, and the girls garnered 50 cards in that time.

While the results aren’t open to debate, the reasons for success are.

Stuart Pepper has coached boys and girls for many years with Seacoast United, and he’s mentored seven years at the high school level – five at Hollis- Brookline, where his team won a state championship without receiving a yellow card all season, and two years at Bedford, where he’s guided the secondyear Bulldogs to the postseason, again, without a penalty.

Pepper, who said he coaches his players the same way no matter the playing field, conceded he’s torn on the issue of stiffer penalties.

“On the one hand, I support anything that cleans up the game and stops dangerous fouls. But my feelings are, this season, referees are more lenient on giving out yellow cards, and I think many fouls are going unpunished,” he said. “So in a way, I think it’s not helped a team like Bedford that’s a clean team and plays the game the right way.”

Competing without seniors and regularly facing larger opponents would force many teams to adopt a chippier brand of soccer. That hasn’t happened at Bedford High.

“We have players that play aggressive and do compete, but they understand how to play within the laws of the game. Giving away stupid fouls hurts you more anyway. You conceded possession, and you take players off the field,” Pepper continued. “You do see teams that are overly aggressive and use that style of play to win games, but with me it’s a moral and a spiritual thing you take with you as an educator and a coach. You’ve got a job to do, and it’s not just winning games. It’s developing young adults.”

Players are seeing that mentality applied throughout the state.

Following an early-season contest in which the Goffstown boys received two yellow cards in one game, senior Ian Downing said coach Randy Lovering pulled the players aside at the next practice. He told them to maintain their intensity while being wary of unnecessary fouls that could cost the team later in the season. The Grizzlies want to win, said Downing, but they want to be smart about it.

For his part, Downing said he’s still aggressive against players of similar height and build, but takes a more cautious approach when going head to head with a smaller player because he feels he’s more likely to be carded for incidental contact.

There’s little doubt the nature of play is more physical in the boys game, yet Kendrick Whittle, coach of the Salem High School girls soccer team, also has questions about the new rules.

“I think in girls soccer, officials are reluctant to give players cards anyway, but what’s happening is it’s taking the officials’ ability to control the game away from them because nobody wants to keep a team from the playoffs,” said Whittle, who acknowledged he supports keeping the game clean, but noted the difficulty in being fair when cards are such a subjective part of the game.

“People forget a yellow card is nothing more than a warning for hard play,” he continued. “What’s next? Are we going to start penalizing a hockey team for too many penalty minutes or a basketball player for fouling out two games in a row?”

Talking points
R. Patrick Corbin, executive director of the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association, said he and the 11- member soccer board consulted with state representatives throughout the region, which includes schools from New England, New York and New Jersey. He said Connecticut and Massachusetts have the best results in minimizing the amount of cards handed out, so the NHIAA has attempted to model its policies after those states.

“I’d say it’s just another step in what has been a multi-year process to get a handle on the enormous amount of yellow cards and red cards that occur in soccer,” said Corbin, who noted that players and coaches learned to take advantage of the previous set of rules, so it was deemed a priority to make the policies more stringent in those areas.

Since 2004, a team’s 10th yellow card resulted in a onegame suspension for the coach. The count would then recycle. Because a coach didn’t want to miss a playoff game, some sent in players to purposely draw a card with a few regular-season games remaining, all in an effort to reset the count.

That type of loophole, said Corbin, required elimination. At the same time, he added, the committee decided to become less restrictive in other areas. Card counts used to start in the preseason, during scrimmages and jamborees. That’s no longer the case.

“Speaking with officials and coaches, we determined there were a heavier amount of cards given out early, while teams and players were still transitioning younger players and those who played in more lenient summer leagues. We felt that really put teams behind the eight ball before they even got started, so now we don’t start counting until the first game (of the regular season).”

Corbin also said a team is notified when it reaches six yellow cards, giving the athletics director and coach an opportunity to correct the issue before it becomes a real problem.

In addition, Corbin said the NHIAA is making a better attempt to monitor officials because of complaints of a lack of consistency among referees across the state.

“We want to be able to count on good coaching and are increasingly trying to work with officials. If we want better sportsmanship and behavior, a good official can contribute a lot just in the way that they handle routine situations that occur in the course of the game, and a lot of that involves constant communication with players and coaches,” said Corbin. “Whatever system we put in, there are going to be cynics out there. But our primary concern is injuries and trying to protect the students.”

Downing said he’s certainly noticed a change for the better.

“I’m sure (the referee) doesn’t want to be that person that kicks a team out (of the playoffs), but they’ll still give a card when they need to,” said Downing. “I just think they’re more hesitant to throw the card for the more ticky-tack things. They’re more likely to pull you aside and talk to you about it now.”

Paul Ostberg said he can see both sides.

As an official and 10- year coach at Memorial High School, Ostberg said a good referee rarely pulls a card from his pocket.

On the other hand, he’s seen one of his players take a deliberate elbow to the head and another break their clavicle on a hard takedown. Neither play resulted in a card being issued.

As difficult as it is to see some rough play go unpunished, Ostberg sympathizes with many officials, not only because of the enormity of their task – two referees keeping track of 22 players on a 120- by 80-yard field – but also because he knows they don’t want to punish the whole for the conduct of a few.

“My biggest thing is I don’t think the actions of an individual player should result in a team getting suspended. If you want to punish the player, punish the player, but don’t punish the team for one or two players’ actions,” said Ostberg. “It’s really a terrible thing to have a good season and then not be rewarded by going to the playoffs.”

The Memorial mentor admitted, however, play is cleaner this season, and he said coaches are doing a better job of policing their own players.

Ostberg’s team is one of the cleaner units in the state. The Crusaders maintain a 10-4-0 record and sit in fourth place in Class L. They have two yellow cards all season, and both warnings were given to the same player.

“One of those times (the player) was warned twice not to say anything, and he persisted. I give that official a lot of credit in that situation,” said Ostberg. “It’s amazing what happens when an official calls a player by their first name. That’s the key. Education and communication is probably the best way to get it solved.”

Hooksett’s never-say-die group falls just short in Salem

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:28:00 GMT

BY JERRY LIPTAK

Through five innings on July 9, Salem American proved a most inhospitable District- 1 Little League host, keeping Hooksett’s 11- and 12-yearold all-stars from threatening its house. Strong pitching, flawless fielding and timely hitting gave the home team a 4-0 edge.

Prior to the top of the sixth and final inning, Hooksett coach Jim White queried the subdued group of 12-year-olds.

“Is the season going to end now?” asked White.

“No!” replied the 12 suddenly energized green-and-gold-clad ballplayers.

The season did end, but not before Hooksett nearly knocked down Salem’s front door, scoring three times, putting the tying and go-ahead runners on second and third, scaring the heck out of the hosts, then succumbing, 4-3.

It was the second 4-3 loss by Hooksett in its District-1 run. The locals also fell to Salem National on July 2, but the late-game effort, said White, came as no surprise to him.

“That’s been their signature,” he said. “They make it really tough on the opposition.”

This year’s group outscored its foes, 32-11, crushing Manchester Central, 10-0, and Plaistow, 12-1, in losers bracket action.

Hooksett scored runs in bunches during the tournament, and the team tended to unleash its attack later in games. Among the many tournament highlights were Scott Robidoux’s first career home run and Andrew Kehas’ blast against Plaistow.

“That’s where that confidence comes from,” said White. “We know we’re going to hit, we’re going to score. It’s just a matter of when.”

Jake Bjornberg, who led off in three of the games, posted an on-base percentage around .500, while Aidan White led the stingy pitching staff with two wins. He allowed three earned runs in 11 innings, fanning 11 in the process.

Kehas started against Salem American, and he nearly escaped a first-inning jam with the help of right fielder Connor Boucher, whose catch and throw home held a Salem runner at third. Two singles later, though, and Hooksett trailed, 2-0.

The deficit doubled in the fourth. A pair of errors allowed the two runs to cross, but relief pitcher Austin Sprague fanned two straight – one looking at strike three, the other swinging and missing – to avoid further trouble. He fanned two more in the fifth, setting up Hooksett’s sixth-inning rally.

Bjornberg worked a bases on balls. After an out, Kehas walked. Sprague’s infield single loaded the bases, moving the Hooksett faithful to the edge of their seats. After catcher Mike Martinez collected an RBI with another walk, Brian Jutras delivered a two-RBI single to left.

Jake Parker advanced the runners to second and third with a groundout, but Boucher was nipped at first by the pitcher, who was forced to throw from his knees to end Hooksett’s uprising and its spirited season.

“That,” concluded White, “was typical of the team.”

Cam St. George hit cleanup for Hooksett, while Tanner Walls and Justin Smith, who walked against Salem American, completed the all-star roster.

Host Central falls to Salem as Jones fuses visitors’ attack

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 20:35:00 GMT

BY JERRY LIPTAK

Central’s student body had a message for visiting Salem and, more specifically, its star junior forward, Josh Jones: “Napoleon Dynamite – Gimme your tots!” Jones, the Central faithful feel, bears a striking resemblance to the awkward high schooler of film fame.

But on Saturday, Feb. 23, Jones was anything but awkward – though he certainly added to his burgeoning fame – in the Blue Devils’ surprisingly simple 63-47 Class L boys basketball win over the host Little Green.

Jones scored Salem’s first eight points en route to 29 markers overall, drawing “Ooohs” from the Salem fans who trekked to see this battle between the 2006 Class L champs – 11- 3 Central – and the 2007 Class L champs – 16-0 Salem.

To be completely accurate, even the Little Green followers grudgingly uttered, “Whoa!” following more than one (very) longrange three-pointer from Jones.

Central’s coach, Dave Wheeler, was more to the point.

“Sometimes, you’ve got to tip your cap to a better team, a better player,” said Wheeler. “And (Jones) is a very good player.”

And Salem is clearly a very good team. The Blue Devils, 17-0 following the victory, are one win from a perfect regular season. Alvirne, 9-6 following a recent tailspin, stands in Salem’s way.

“People keep reminding us about the Patriots,” said the Blue Devils’ head coach, E.J. Perry. “But these guys stay focused.”

“These guys” certainly were focused at Central, outscoring the hosts, 8-3, 10-0 and 8-2, at the start of the first, second and third quarters, respectively. That forced the Little Green into a constant game of catchup, a daunting task against steady Salem.

Each time Central closed to eight, nine or 10 points in the second half, Salem answered with a basket or free throw, usually involving Jones, or the Little Green committed a turnover.

“We’ve got a home crowd that’s dying for us to make a play,” said Wheeler. “We just couldn’t do it.”

With three regular-season games remaining, Central, Wheeler added, must work on defensive communication, becoming more physical and overcoming adversity.

As an undersized team, the Little Green, playing man-to-man defense, have to shout out defensive switches. That didn’t happen against Salem, which scored countless buckets on backdoor cuts.

Seamus O’Neill, recently returned from a knee injury, should help Central compete near the basket, using his 6-foot-4, 240-pound frame as a low-post equalizer.

Most importantly, the team must learn to come back from deficits and overcome unfavorable game sequences, said Wheeler. He looks to Will Bayliss and Michael Stys to provide leadership and added the team’s postseason performance is directly related to theirs.

That suits Wheeler just fine. He called Bayliss “a born leader, a born worker” who simply tried to do too much against Salem. Stys, according to his coach, averaged nearly 30 points in the previous five games, of which four were victories.

Against the Blue Devils, Stys netted 19 points. Bayliss added 13. Central, 11-4 after the loss, dropped to fifth place in Class L, but the team closes the regular season against the current No. 4 seed, Londonderry, on Sunday, March 2.

Strong finish garners CHS No. 2 ranking

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 20:30:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

With the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Class L girls basketball tournament locked up, Manchester Central didn’t have much to play for in its regularseason finale vs. Salem High School.

But when the contest on Saturday, Feb. 23, was over, the Little Green left with a 61-47 win in one of their most physical games of the season, heading into the postseason on a positive note.

“We don’t normally see the physical aspect as much as we did against Salem, so that was a nice test for us. We haven’t really experienced that,” said Central head coach Mike Wenners.

“They’re very talented, and it was a physical challenge for us. Our kids responded well … They didn’t react to some of the other stuff.”

Salem committed multiple intentional fouls, and the Little Green shot 46 free throws compared to 15 for the Blue Devils.

Although Central led throughout, Salem cut the lead to four points with little more than two minutes remaining in the game.

Hooksett’s Sam Walker dropped in seven key points in the final quarter, and Central made its free throws down the stretch to seal the victory. Walker had 10 points in the game.

“They came out in the fourth quarter and made some threepointers,” said Wenners. “We wanted to just make sure we didn’t lose their shooters. We had to get a hand in their face while they were shooting jumpers, and we made some big free throws.” Alicia Doucet paced the Central attack with 16 points, while Catherine O’Neil followed with 15.

Central’s last loss came on Feb. 2, a Saturday matchup against Londonderry. The Little Green ended the regular season 16-2, but Wenners knows it is the second season that matters most.

“You can’t look ahead, because if you do, there may be no tomorrow. The nice thing is that eight of our 13 kids were on the team last year that lost in the semifinals,” said Central’s coach, who has six seniors on his roster.

“They know what it’s like to be close, and they know that it’s do or die. The seniors understand that the season doesn’t just end, their high school career does with the next loss.”

Frustrating night for Central means loss at Salem

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 22:29:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

Manchester Central generated little on offense, falling 3-0 on the road to Salem High School in Division I boys ice hockey on Saturday, Jan. 5.

Salem scored little more than two minutes into the contest when forward Derek Tomes put in a rebound past Central goalie Jared Cox.

Central trailed by three when, with 9:20 remaining in the game, the team produced its best chance to score.

After an initial shot was stopped by Salem goalie Robbie Liberatore, nearly every Central player put a stick on the puck during the ensuing scrum, but Liberatore stopped all five putback chances, and the Blue Devils cruised from there.

Salem head coach Mark McGinn said discipline helped his crew beat the Little Green. “I think for the most part until the end we stayed out of the (penalty) box. We played good team defense and eliminated a lot of shots from their offense,” he said. “We brought a little more energy and had a bit better spirit.”

The game was physical, with multiple roughing penalties throughout. The two teams committed 23 penalties, including a 10-minute major on Greg Tebbetts.

“If you look at the first period, there were only a few penalties. As we got the lead on them, they started taking a few more, and ours were kind of reacting,” said McGinn. “If it were a tighter game, I don’t think you would see those penalties.”

Entering the contest, Central had been averaging four goals per game, having scored seven, six and five goals in wins over Memorial, Berlin and Trinity, respectively. The Little Green also boasted a 3-2 win against perennial power Bishop Guertin on Jan. 2.

Although it was the only regular-season match between the two teams, Salem’s coach said his group was familiar with Central.

“A lot of it is preparation. We’ve watched them a few times,” said McGinn. “We neutralized their top line, and when you get a couple (of goals) on them, they take some more chances. We put them in that position because our offense gave us a lead.”

Online access – Web sites make it easier to stay in the know

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 22:58:00 GMT

BY GINGER KOZLOWSKI

When it comes to getting access to public information, your best bet is often to go in person to the town hall, school district office or police department itself. But that is time consuming and difficult for many people. Going online is not only simple but available at any time.

The Right to Know Law does not specifically address electronic communication, since e-mail and the Internet did not exist at the time of its writing. Many towns and school districts do make minutes and other information available online. One police department in the 16 towns covered by Neighborhood News has even put its arrest logs online.

The law requires minutes to be posted within 144 hours (six days) of a meeting. Posting usually consists of pinning a printout to the bulletin board in a town hall, library or other public spot.

In the six years since Neighborhood News first took a look at what local governments make available online, things have changed significantly. Auburn, Allenstown, Candia, Epsom, New Boston and the Bow SAU didn’t even have Web sites at that time.

Today, every town and school district can be accessed online. Only the Hooksett Police Department has no Web page at all, while most police departments offer at least basic information through pages on a town Web site, and the Weare and Pelham police departments have their own complete Web sites. In one unique twist, SAU 24 has video of a school board meeting right on its home page for all to view.

Most town sites post not only the minutes to the town council or selectmen’s meetings, they also include planning, zoning and other committee minutes.

Costs

Costs associated with Web sites can mount, but hosting one is not always expensive.

In Auburn, Kate Lafond, administrative assistant to the Board of Selectmen and the person who updates and maintains the town’s Web site, said two years of Web hosting cost $48 and the town pays $8.99 annually to use its domain name.

In Weare, Town Administrator Fred Ventresco said they pay about $180 every two years to their Web host.

Keeping up the content

The big cost may be just keeping Web sites up to date. Someone has to put that content online. Lafond typically updates the Web site once a day.

“It takes a few minutes, depending on how much I need to post,” she said. “It’s fairly easy to do.”

Goffstown Town Administrator Susan Desruisseaux said the Web site’s design and maintenance are performed internally.

The minutes are uploaded to the site as soon as they are available and all press releases are sent to the town’s information technology worker.

“The economic development council originated it to get news out to attract business and industry to the town several years ago. It’s grown to provide more public information as time went on,” Desruisseaux said.

Lisa Cox, the Web site coordinator for SAU 53, said she spends anywhere from half an hour to multiple hours per week updating the content on their Web site. The district’s individual schools, she said, maintain their own Web sites.

“It is very up to date and accurate, as it’s maintained on a daily basis. And I also feel that’s it’s visually appealing and easy to navigate,” Cox said, adding that the last time she updated the site was Thursday, Sept. 20.

Sandi Babson, webmaster for Hopkinton’s town site, said she oversees the updates made by 10 other people from different departments.

“Each department is responsible for updating their own department’s information,” she said. “It makes it easier because, as a webmaster, I wouldn’t necessarily know what’s out of date and what isn’t,” she said, adding that the police department update their logs on a monthly basis.

For the most part, she said, updates are made on time.

“We try to always meet that five-day Right to Know (period), just to keep everybody covered,” she said.

Unique features

Most sites provide the type of information you would expect to find on a town, school or police department. Some offer some unique features.

In Salem, the town runs a monthly photo contest, where contestants are asked to submit photos of the town reflecting a monthly theme. The winners are posted online and will become part of a calendar for the next year.

New Boston introduces itself as the “Gravity Center of the World,” thanks to Roger Babson and his Gravity Research Foundation located in the town.

The Hopkinton Web site is the only one offering police logs online, though the Salem Police Department is close to doing the same.