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City high schools consider forcing payment for extracurriculars

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:26:00 GMT

City school officials are drafting a pay-to-participate policy that would include athletics, a policy that many say would have negative consequences at all three city high schools, but particularly bad at West High School.

Facing a budget crisis that could lead to layoffs in the city, Manchester school officials discussed the proposal as a way to save money.

The policy could have a big impact on West, which is already facing the challenge of fielding teams while no longer being able to turn to Bedford athletes.

With or without the pay-to-play policy, several Blue Knight teams are likely to get the ax because of low numbers, including hockey, field hockey, golf, swimming, nordic skiing and boys lacrosse.

Manchester School Board member Stephen Dolman said he does not see pay-to-play as a good option.

“My opinion is that it’s not the best way to go. I don’t believe in pay to participate,” said Dolman. “It would be devastating and you’d lose at least 30 percent of participants. That’s unfair and it becomes a system of haves and have nots.”

Fellow board member Chris Hebert said the proposal likely wouldn’t be across the board, meaning the teams which cost the most for the schools to operate would cost athletes money to participate.

Hebert used hockey as one example as that, and said the potential policy is far from set in stone.

“It’s got to be modified of course,” said Herbert. “I don’t think it’s a one-size fits all kind of thing. We have to tailor it so we can maintain as many of the sports that we can afford, but also share the cost.”

Board member Katherine Labanaris said she wonders how students who can no longer afford to play varsity sports will choose to spend the free time that they would have.

Labanaris said the Blue Knights would be the school most impacted by the change.

“At West in particular, it would death knell. It would decimate the programs at West,” said Labanaris. “I think it’s the duty of the people who craft budgets and pass budgets to fund the school district so it can have an athletic program that serves the needs of the students.”

In many cases, Dolman said having students participating in sports goes much further than wins and losses.

“All these programs are a part of a child’s education. Many people say that sports are what kept them in school,” said Dolman. “That can be a carrot to keep them going, and other students it can be a way to earn a college scholarship. It’s about educating the student as a whole, and this is a big part of that.”

City budget cuts worry Hooksett School Board

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 19:05:00 GMT

By Lauren Sausser

Hooksett School Board members are concerned about the kind of education the town’s high school students will receive given budgeting problems in the city of Manchester.

At the School Board meeting on Tuesday, June 2, they did not publicly speculate on whether legal action would be necessary surrounding budget cuts to Manchester schools, but did meet in a nonpublic session after its regular meeting with Hooksett district administrators to discuss legalities of the situation and if the budget cuts have the potential to jeopardize the long-term tuition agreement between the districts.

The Hooksett School District sends its high school students to city high schools in Manchester through a tuition contract. Members of the public and the Hooksett School Board spoke during the public session at the June 2 meeting about concerns they have with the proposed Manchester cuts and the impact of those cuts on local Hooksett students.

Joanne McHugh, a former School Board chairman, urged current board members to send a strongly worded letter to both the Manchester School Board and the city’s aldermen, expressing concern about the budget cuts.

“I think it’s high time we put them on notice,” McHugh said.

Maura Ouellette, another former Hooksett School Board chairman, said the Manchester budget process is starting to play like a broken record.

“It seems that every year we’ve watched the Manchester budget process holding our breath, wondering what will make it and what programs or staffing will fall by the wayside,” Ouellette said. “It’s time for Hooksett to flex its financial muscle and demand that Manchester live up to its end of the agreement.”

Hooksett sends about 500 students to Manchester schools each year at a cost of about $7,000 per student per year. Additionally, the Hooksett district is obligated to contribute about more than $900,000 a year to the Manchester district to help pay off old renovation loans.

Local parents said at the Hooksett board meeting that the Manchester district is not holding up its end of the bargain to provide all students with adequate education and extracurricular opportunities.

Marie Papp, a parent of a Hooksett sophomore at Central High School expressed her worry that program cuts and staff layoffs will jeopardize her child’s education. “They will be absolutely slaughtering the music programs.

A concert band without concerts? A marching band without marching? What’s the point?” Papp said. “Please on behalf of our district, on behalf of our kids, be vocal. The cuts that have been proposed are huge. They are deep and they are wide.”

Hooksett Superintendent Charles “Phil” Littlefield said he is in daily contact with Manchester Superintendent Tom Brennan about the status of the Manchester budget.

“On Thursday, we thought the (Manchester) aldermen might be convinced or receptive to changing that budget number. As a result of an opinion of the city solicitor … the aldermen cannot amend that amount even if they wanted to. The only way to add money would be through a supplemental budget appropriation,” Littlefield said.

Littlefield emphasized that administrators are keeping abreast of the situation and would deal with issues as they arise. “We need to reassure the public that we’re keenly aware of what the provisions of the tuition agreement are and all of us are committed to making sure the provisions of that agreement are enforced,” he said.

Hooksett Town Meeting takes place April 4

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 17:58:00 GMT

BY GINGER KOZLOWSKI

Hooksett voters will give their yay or nay to 18 warrant articles to be presented at the deliberative session of Town Meeting on Saturday, April 4. The meeting starts at 1 p.m. at Cawley Middle School.

Once the wording of the articles is approved, a secret ballot vote will take place on May 12, along with the elections of town candidates. The filing period for those interested in running for town council and other offices ends Friday, April 3, at 5 p.m.

Here’s a rundown of the articles up for discussion: Article 3 – In order for Hooksett to receive federal stimulus package money, this article will need to be approved. It asks for $6,224,375 in bonds for construction, replacement and expansion of the wastewater treatment plant. If the article receives the necessary three-fifths majority vote, half would be paid by the state and the other half would be paid by the federal stimulus package funds. Should the federal money not come through, the article would be null and void.

Article 4 – This article asks for a town operating budget of $15,878,857. This amount is lower than the default budget number of $15,937,590.

“The budget being lower than default was the work of the Budget Committee, mostly from cuts in the Police Department,” said Town Councilor David Ross.

The Hooksett Police Commission’s request to the town was for a police budget of $4,192,073, said Chief Stephen Agrafiotis. The Town Council suggested $4,119,849 to fully fund 29 positions, which citizens had approved in 2004.

The Budget Committee recommended $3,913,308, decrease of $206,541 from council.

Should the recommended operating budget pass, said Agrafiotis, he can’t fund two positions that are currently open now anyway, so there would be no layoffs. He would also still have to make up $36,000 from other line items. If voters say no to the proposed budget, the Police Department would have a budget of $4,206,588.

Article 5 – A collective bargaining agreement between the town and the Hooksett Permanent Firefighters Association outlines increases for the next two years.

Article 6 – If Article 5 is defeated, approval of Article 6 would allow for a special meeting to reconsider the vote.

Article 7 – This article asks for $75,918 for salaries and raises for nonunion town personnel.

Article 8 – This article asks for $130,000 for the Town Building Maintenance Capital Reserve Fund. This does not raise taxes as it comes from the general fund balance.

Article 9 – In order to complete repairs to the northeast retaining wall at the corner of Martin’s Ferry Road and North River Road, this article asks for $64,000. This does not raise taxes, as the money would come from the general fund balance.

Article 10 – This article asks for $10,000 to be placed in the Town-Wide Computer Development Capital Reserve Fund.

Article 11 – This article asks for $40,000 to be placed in the Town Revaluation Capital Reserve Fund.

Article 12 – This article asks for $10,000 to establish a capital reserve fund to update the town’s master plan.

Article 13 – This article asks for $34,000 to establish a capital reserve fund for a road impact fee traffic study.

Article 14 – This article asks for $10,000 to be placed in the Fire Cistern Capital Reserve Fund.

Article 15 – This article asks for $10,000 to be placed in the Parks and Recreation Facilities Development Capital Reserve Fund.

Article 16 – This article asks for $10,000 to be placed in the Emergency Radio Communications Development Capital Reserve Fund.

Article 17 – This article asks for $140,000 to purchase a plow dump truck for the Highway Department.

Article 18 – The Hooksett Public Library would hire a fulltime children’s librarian if this article is approved. It asks for $31,955 for six months’ worth of salary and benefits for the new librarian.

Article 19 – This article asks for $20,000 to be placed in the Fire Air Packs and Bottles Capital Reserve Fund.

Article 20 – This petitioned warrant article asks to take the franchise fees currently charged to Comcast customers in Hooksett and direct the money to establish and operate a public access television service for Hooksett instead of placing the money in the general fund.

Hooksett Budget Committee approves most warrants

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:48:00 GMT

BY LAUREN SAUSSER

The Hookett Budget Committee finalized its municipal budget proposal, officially recommending more than $200,000 be cut from the proposed Police Department budget.

The final budget figure, which includes revenues and expenditures of the Sewer Department, is $15.8 million – also the dollar figure townspeople will mull over at the deliberative session of Town Meeting on April 4. It brings the total recommended operating budget under the default budget by almost $60,000.

In separate action, committee members voted on recommendations for over a dozen proposed warrant articles. Most of the votes were unanimously in favor of recommendation.

Only two articles were not recommended by the committee, including an article that would have raised $10,000 toward the Police Department’s existing emergency radio capital reserve fund. Financial records indicate the current balance of that account is at approximately $165,000.

The only other warrant article that was not recommended by the committee was one that would have raised $10,000 towards the Parks and Recreation Department’s reserve facility fund.

The balance of this existing account is in excess of $80,000.

Budget Committee member Marc Miville, who participated in the discussion via intercom telephone from Oklahoma, said economic times dictate the committee must draw a hard line on some of these “wish-list” items.

“Not this year,” Miville said after casting his vote against the proposed Parks and Recreation warrant article.

The committee voted in favor of recommending the majority of the proposed warrant articles including one that will hire a children’s librarian in December for about $32,000. The salary and benefits of the full-time employee would be absorbed in the following year’s operating budget should this article pass during Town Meeting voting.

The committee also voted to endorse raises for town firefighters as well as an article that will create a $75,000 merit wage pool for raises for nonunion town employees.

The deliberative session of Town meeting for the Hooksett is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 4, at Cawley Middle School, on Whitehall Road.

Hooksett Budget Committee criticized for police cuts

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:32:00 GMT

BY LAUREN SAUSSER

Despite hopes that many residents would turn out from the municipal Budget Committee hearing on March 5, only two residents spoke out at the public hearing and the majority of the input criticized the committee for slashing the proposed Police Department budget by more than $200,000.

Hooksett resident Vincent Lembo, a former Budget Committee member, blasted the committee for cutting proposed police positions and unnecessarily reducing other areas of safety spending.

“Because (the police chief) can’t fill those positions, you, as a Budget Committee, are eliminating those positions. How can you do that?” Lembo asked. “I would request that you have a reconsideration vote. Crime rate’s going up. Everybody is out of work and the crime rates are going up.”

Currently, the Police Department employs 26 sworn officers, although its operating budget is large enough to fund 28. In the department’s proposed budget, funding for a 29th officer was added, but was subsequently cut by the Budget Committee. An unfilled dispatcher position was also cut from the police budget.

Budget Committee Chairman John Pieroni said the Police Department likely will not suffer from the proposed cuts because the revised budget still accommodates two unfilled positions.

Furthermore, the reductions to the Police Department budget – totaling about $206,000 – brought the entire proposed municipal budget under the default level, he said.

The Budget Committee’s proposed operating budget is $15.8 million. If this budget is defeated by voters, the town would default to a $15.9 million bottom line.

“The Police Commission had left over $300,000 in their budget last year, even after spending money on the sign, the training range and other police equipment,” Pieroni said. “To say it’s a punishment – no. It’s a reality.”

Budget Committee member Marc Miville said he expected more input from the residents who turned out for the hearing last night.

“I was expecting more, but I’m new to this,” Miville said. Based on the small number of residents that turned out for the school deliberative session last month, Chairman Pieroni said he expects the municipal deliberative session to be relatively quiet, too.

“I would like to see a lot of people there, but I’ve been disappointed in the past,” he said.

The deliberative session of Town Meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 4, at Cawley Middle School.

Hooksett police needed on streets, not school

Hooksett Editor — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 01:51:00 GMT

BY LAUREN SAUSSER

The Hooksett Police Department needs more officers on the street and – to that end – it is pulling the town’s school resource officer out of the schools and onto the road.

Hooksett Police Chief Steve Agrafiotis said personnel issues dictate that the department’s school resource officer will need to cut back his hours spent at the three Hooksett schools from 40 hours a week to somewhere between four and eight.

“Right now we’re down staff. We have a number of personnel who would have been going on the road that aren’t,” Agrafiotis said. “So basically we’re not up to full strength to fill our normal openings on the road so we’ve cut back the hours that the school resource officer can be in the schools.”

Agrafiotis said he does not know how permanent the officer’s new schedule will be. Private personnel issues and the upcoming budget cycle will dictate the length of the arrangement, he said.

Hooksett school Superintendent Charles “Phil” Littlefield addressed School Board members on Oct. 21, briefing them on the conversation he had with the police chief. Littlefield said if it comes down to the school system funding the officer’s presence in the schools, he couldn’t find a way to fiscally justify it.

“Under no circumstances do I think we’re in a position to cut back services to youngsters to fund the public safety position,” Littlefield said.

Cawley Middle School Principal Steve Harrises said the position cutback would be felt.

“He is a part of the building,” Harrises said. “I think there is a nice rapport developing that we will lose. We will miss him here. The students will miss him. I think he’s had such a positive impact.”

School Board Chairman Maura Ouellette agreed.

“He has developed as such a positive role model in all the buildings.” Ouellette said. “We will really miss that. And he is ideal for the position. He really likes spending time with the kids but we have no control over this. It is too bad.”

Agrafiotis said if a safety issue arises at any of the district’s schools, the police will not hesitate to respond. He also said cutting back on the school resource officer’s hours should not pose a real safety threat.

“The schools have very good safety programs in place,” he said. “We were just there to give an extra presence and interaction for the children. If we have any issues that pop up, we will certainly readjust.”

Fuel prices hit Hooksett hard

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:02:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

Hooksett department heads are going to have a tough time staying within their fuel budgets in the coming year given the default budget they got in March.

With both gasoline and diesel fuel topping $4 a gallon right now, fire, police and highway departments are going to have to spend almost double what their fuel budgets will allow for 2008-09.

The current budget number for gasoline assumes a price of about $2.60 per gallon, far less than what the current purchase price is.

“The numbers are much higher than what we have budgeted,” said Hooksett Town Administrator David Jodoin. “Everyone is going to have to monitor their budget accordingly.”

The Town Council recently voted to take $82,000 in funds raised through taxes in the 2007- 08 budget year and apply them towards the gas contract for the 2008-09 year rather than using them to offset the tax rate, said Finance Director Christine Soucie, adding that there would be additional funds from other revenue sources to offset the 2008- 09 rate. Towns are permitted to do that under New Hampshire law only to pay for contractual obligations, she said.

“We could only get them to guarantee the fuel, not a price. The market is too volatile. All we could get them to lock in was the delivery fees. No one would lock in (to a set price),” Jodoin said.

The encumbered funds are not going to come close to covering all the anticipated budget overages from fuel costs, however. “I’m looking at being about $200,000 in the hole before I get going,” said Dale Hemeon, head of the Highway Department, adding he’s already had a conversation with his employees warning them about the very real possibility of layoffs. Hooksett Highway Department vehicles run primarily on diesel, which is selling at a higher price than regular gasoline right now.

Hemeon said his fuel line for 2008-09 is $50,000, and he’s anticipating having to spend more than $200,000 in the coming year if the department uses about the same amount of fuel it did last year, about 40,000 gallons.

Hemeon said he’s been trying to put more workers in the same vehicles to cut down on driving, but pointed out the dump trucks at the department only get about 4 miles to the gallon.

“I’m not going to be able to do any paving at all. I may not be able to pay for fireworks for Old Home Day,” Hemeon, also the Parks and Recreation director, said.

The Police Department is anticipating using about 30,000 gallons of gasoline to run its cruisers in the coming year. Police Chief Stephen Agrafiotis said he’s still worried about this year’s budget numbers, which have yet to be finalized, and predicts the police department will have gone about $30,000 over budget because of fuel this year.

“If it gets any worse, we may very well have to look at eliminating positions,” Agrafiotis said, adding the department just came up to state and national standards for a town with Hooksett’s size and population by having 29 positions filled.

With the town’s growth, it gets harder every year to maintain services without expanding patrols.

The department has tried to save on gas in other ways, he said, such as stretching the time between oil changes for the cruisers and switching to synthetic oil; cutting back on training and overtime; and constantly maintaining the optimum air pressure in cruiser tires.

“The whole goal is to keep a reasonable level of service,” said Agrafiotis. “If the citizens don’t or can’t pay for certain levels, we’ve given it the best bang for our buck we can.”

Fire Chief Michael Williams was not available for comment by press time, but Assistant Fire Chief Dean Jore said the department is struggling with diesel costs, and there are not many ways for the department to save on fuel when an engine has to respond to most calls.

The department has done things such as using their smaller vehicles as much as possible, particularly for less important calls, including trouble alarms indicating a low battery in someone’s fire alarm control panel, as well as condensing errands. “It’s tough because all we can really do is say, ‘Guys, stay in the station,’” Jore said. “There wasn’t a whole lot that we could change that we haven’t already tried to address.”

Town Council Chairman Paul Loiselle said being stuck with last year’s energy budget lines will have a trickle-down effect to other areas of the town’s budget, and said there is no latitude in the budget to cover shortfalls.

“It’s going to be a tough year from the overall picture of the finances of the town. You have to deal with the neccessary things first, and the things you need versus the things you want,” said Loiselle. “The largest part of any town budget is salaries, when you get right down to it. Hopefully, it won’t come to fruition, but if it does, there’s going to be some very hard decisions made by the council.”

Default budget worries officials as prices increase

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 21 May 2008 18:10:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

Hooksett voters surprised town officials – and in some cases themselves – with how they decided to spend their money, leaving officials to wonder how to fill town gas tanks and cover other expenses.

About 12 percent of registered voters showed up at the Cawley Middle School on Tuesday, May 13, and rejected 508- 468 the town’s proposed 2008-09 $15.7 million operating budget, which had a 2 percent increase over what the town spent last year. The default budget will be $15.3 million.

The town also said no to a $1.5 million bond to fund the second phase of the town’s sewer plant expansion. While 504 voters cast ballots for the funding and 500 voted against it, it needed a three-fifths majority to pass.

Two Town Council members lost their seats to their challengers. “It was strange the way the vote came in, and we were amazed,” said Councilor-At- Large incumbent Stuart Werksman, who was defeated by Nancy VanScoy at the polls after a three-year term in the seat. Michael Pischetola will take over for Jason Hyde in the District 2 Council seat.

Werksman added fuel costs are going to pose major problems for the town’s budget. “It’s going to be a tough year, there’s no doubt about it,” he said.

The default budget would add about 25 cents per $1,000 of assessed value to the tax rate compared to the proposed budget’s 40 cents per $1,000, said Town Administrator David Jodoin.

Almost all the warrant articles passed, plus the default will add an estimated 61 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, about a $152 increase on the tax bill of a home assessed at $250,000.

If the proposed budget had passed along with the warrant articles that were voted in, the tax rate increase from last year would have increased by an estimated 76 cents per $1,000, which would result in an estimated $190 increase on the tax bill for the same home.

The Highway Department was approved to hire two new workers in 2008-09, after running for more than a decade with the same number of workers, according to highway manager Dale Hemeon.

The Fire Department got two more firefighters, bringing their staffing levels more in line with state standards. That passed by just three votes, 492-489. Voters also approved raises for non-unionized town employees, something Jodoin didn’t’ expect to pass during the tough economic times.

Voters did not add a part-time building and zoning inspector to the Town Hall, nor did they vote to spend money on updating the town’s Master Plan or vote to establish and deposit $33,000 into a road impact fee study.

A 13-vote margin separated the request to put $10,000 in to the parks and recreation capital reserve fund, which was voted down 481-494.

Jodoin said the voting results were a little surprising, but added the ballot was rather long and said the Town Council may consider ways to cut down on the amount of warrant articles on the ballot for future votes.

He said one of the biggest issues the vote raises is how the town will handle rising costs for necessisities such as fuel, salt and paving materials on a default budget. The town also has to make good on its contractual obligations and fund increased costs for areas of the budget out of the town’s control, including health insurance.

“We were kind of strapped as it is,” Jodoin said. “I think everyone’s going to have to be a lot more fuel conscious.”

The fuel funds in the default budget for 2008-09 break out to about $2.65 a gallon, Jodoin said, because they are based on costs from last year. The town is currently paying just over $3 per gallon for fuel. If prices makes it to $5 during the winter, as some experts have predicted, it’s going to put the town in a bind, Jodoin said.

The police, fire and highway departments use the most fuel. Officers are on patrol at all times and highway workers drive to work zones and use a lot of gas plowing over the winter. The large fire trucks are also gas guzzlers, Jodoin said.

And while Hemeon said he’s thrilled voters approved his new employees and two new trucks, he’s not so happy about the fuel line shortage he’s about to enter into.

Hemeon said his default budget fuel line breaks down to about $2.50 per gallon, and he recently found the department would have to dish out $3.49 per gallon for diesel fuel.

“I’ll be $135,000 in the hole if we use the same amount of fuel we did this year,” Hemeon said, of the 2008-09 budget year, and added he would likely forego on paving and other road projects this year to save money.

Even with the passage of a proposed budget, the Highway Department would have still run over its fuel budget, having come into budget talks under budget to begin with.

“Our job is to come in and say what we need. We try to be realistic,” Hemeon said.

After the salt shortage in many towns across the state this winter, the price of salt has climbed to about $43 per ton, a number that could climb to around $60 this year, Hemeon said.

“It’s going to be tough because we had a really tough winter,” Jodoin said, adding if there is any fund balance left at the end of this fiscal year, it could be devoted to stocking up on salt to avoid a buyer’s rush and potential price increase in the coming months.

Jodoin added that moving the town offices to their new location at the Village School will provide an opportunity to further refine and streamline the town’s practices.

If the situation gets bad enough, staffing changes would not be out of the picture as a last resort, Jodoin said, citing towns such as Allenstown and Concord, which had to cut hours and benefits for town employees to save money.

Hooksett, Candia, Auburn and Bedford all warn city that budget cuts violate tuition agreements

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:47:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

Cassie Hobbs of Auburn said she might have gone with other friends from Auburn Village to Derry for high school had she known the sports and art classes she loves at West High School would be struck from the school’s budget for her senior year.

“I wouldn’t be in this district if it weren’t for these programs,” said Hobbs, 17, who plays on West’s junior varsity soccer and varsity lacrosse teams and has a growing interest in photography.

“I hope that you think this over,” Hobbs told Manchester’s Board of Aldermen at the city’s budget hearing for the 2008-09 fiscal year.

Thousands of concerned parents from Manchester and its contracted school districts, including Candia, Auburn, Hooksett and Bedford; teachers, many anticipating pink slips; Manchester taxpayers and dozens of students wearing school colors and raising signs showed up at the hearing on Monday, April 28, quickly overflowing the 550-seat auditorium at Memorial High School.

“We estimate that there was close to 2,000 people there,” said Manchester Fire Chief James Burkush, adding the auditorium and cafeteria were both filled to capacity with the rest spilling into the gynasium, which was about half full.

The Manchester Fire Department herded hundreds of others toward the cafeteria and gymnasium to watch the proceedings on projection screens.

The hearing started shortly after 6 p.m. and finally wrapped up around midnight, with the majority of the budget discussion focusing on the school cuts.

The $140 million school district budget Mayor Frank Guinta included in his budget preparation is $13 million less than what Manchester’s Board of School Committee asked for, largely due to the reduction in revenue from Bedford’s high school students transition out of West to their own high school.

This year, the Manchester School District is running on a $147 million operating budget. The $153 million request was a 4 percent increase in the budget.

The cuts mean a level tax rate for Manchester, but also the loss of many teaching positions, eight vice principals, athletics, music and art classes, NJROTC program, performing arts, and virtually all other funded extraand co-curricular programs.

The academy structure that West High School was planning to implement next year has also been canned.

Hooksett School Board Chairman Maura Ouellette spoke around 10:30 p.m., warning aldermen and the mayor that cutting these programs and eliminating teaching positions that would inevitably increase class sizes, which would constitute violations in the Manchester’s tuition contract with Hooksett.

The cuts may affect the accreditation renewal of Manchester schools, also a breach in contract, Ouellette said. “With the proposed budget, Manchester will certainly put its accreditation status at risk, thereby jeopardizing students competing for slots in the highly competitive college arena,” Ouellette said.

She added cutting such programs would affect Manchester students’ college applications and scholarship eligibility.

“These programs not only offer a student the chance to excel, it gives them a reason not only to attend school but to do well in school,” Ouellette said.

The Hooksett School Board’s attorney sent a letter to Guinta and aldermen Chairman Michael Lopez informing them of this point.

Ouellette added the cuts would increase class sizes to levels beyond the state’s accepted levels, the minimum being 30 students per class or 24 students for lab classes.

“The ramifications of an ill funded school budget are far reaching and almost impossible to correct at a later date,” Ouellette said.

Elaine Hobbs, mother of Cassie Hobbs and Chairman of the Auburn School Board, agreed with Ouellette’s statements and added that the cuts may overwork the school district administration and remaining staff at the schools as well as affecting students’ well-roundedness.

The Auburn School Board’s attorney also sent a letter to the Board of Aldermen outlining their concerns about violating their tuition contract.

“So, if the cuts are to take place, you may be in breach of contract, which would allow for Auburn, Hooksett, Candia and Bedford to opt out early without penalties and/or (those districts) would not be responsible for the capital component of the contract,” Hobbs, one of the last speakers, told the Board of Aldermen, adding that could further affect the budget.

Candia School Board Chairman Ed Caito said he could not make the meeting, the board being represented at the meeting by other board members who did not speak or issue a statement.

“I really feel that the mayor and the acting superintendent should try to get beyond the rhetoric and both be willing to roll up their sleeves with their own people and say let’s work on this together and come up with a solution,” Caito said, adding Mayor Frank Guinta and Superintendent Henry Aliberti have taken “extreme positions” on both sides of the coin.

“There’s no question that the economic environment is different, but there’s got to be some middle ground,” Caito said.

Prior to the meeting, Ouellette said Hooksett sends 560 students to Manchester schools.

The Hooksett School Board has been searching for buildable land to possibly go to voters with to construct a high school in town.

“We knew that it would be coming up,” said Ouellette about Manchester’s school cut, “that’s why we’re looking at sites for a new high school.”

Town Meeting debates sewer, cable TV needs

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 19:37:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

The 60 or so voters who showed up at the deliberative session of Hooksett Town Meeting on Saturday, April 5, sent all monetary warrant articles to the May 13 ballot virtually unchanged, except for a few clarifying amendments.

Articles including a $1.5 million sewer expansion bond, hiring two additional firefighters and establishing a public access television program absorbed the most discussion.

The town’s proposed operating budget, totaling $15,786,795, was sent to the ballot with little discussion. The proposed budget would comprise an estimated $6.60 per $1,000 of assessed value. If the proposed budget and all warrant articles are approved, it would result in a tax rate increase of $1 per $1,000 of assessed value, a tax bill increase of $300 on a $300,000 home.

According to Town Administrator David Jodoin, Hooksett’s taxes did not increase at all in 2007, and in 2006 only increased about 2 percent.

Sewer bond
The sewer bond, which represents an increase in taxes of 17 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, would pay for the second phase of a $14 million construction project. The expansion would double the plant’s capacity, bringing it up to 2.2 million gallons per day.

The tax bill for a $300,000 home would increase by $51, should voters approve the bond.

The $1.5 million for phase two of the project was included as part of the Cabela’s package, but with the sporting goods giant delaying the construction of its Hooksett store after a drop in profits at the end of 2007, Sewer Commissioner Sid Baines said the expansion needs to happen sooner rather than later.

The total cost of phase two of the project amounts to about $8 million, and Baines said the bond would bring the total funds available for the construction to around $6 million.

“Even if the $1.5 million does pass, we’re still going to be about $700,000 short,” Baines said at the deliberative session. “If the money isn’t approved, we’ll upgrade as much as we can, but won’t look for any more capacity,” he said.

Currently, according to Baines, the plant has no more capacity to sell to commercial or residential developments, which would bring in more money for the project.

Baines added that Cabela’s representatives have assured the Sewer Commission that they would still be good for the $1.5 million after they’ve completed the planning process, but there’s no time line on when that would happen.

“It might not come in until 2012, when they break ground,” Baines said.

He added the Sewer Commission hopes to get to a point where the state would allow a 10 percent increase in the plant’s capacity so they could sell gallonage and make more money to complete the project.

Fire Department
Article 24 from the Fire Departments asks the town to approve $129,548 for the salaries, taxes and benefits to hire two firefighter/EMTs.

Approval of this article would reduce the Fire Department’s overtime budget by $99,672, setting the net cost to taxpayers at $29,876.

This article was amended at the deliberative session because the warrant listed a tax increase of 10 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, which was representative of the total $129,548. The tax information was changed to 2 cents per $1,000, which accurately reflects the $29,876 the taxpayers would actually spend.

The Town Council put its stamp of approval on the article, but the town’s Budget Committee voted 3-7 not to recommend the article.

“Right now, we don’t think people can afford this extra burden on their taxes,” said acting Budget Committee Chairman Tom Keach, adding the two new employees would add costs down the road for training and certifications.

Public access TV
Peter Farwell of the town’s newly formed Public Access Committee spoke to a citizen’s petitioned warrant article asking voters’ permission to earmark Comcast franchise fees to set up and maintain a public access channel.

“This is just the first step in getting public access. We just see this as an unlimited possibility,” Farwell said.

The Town Council already voted to add a line item for the public access station into the budget with an initial appropriation of $1, allowing the Budget Committee to add money into the budget for that purpose at a later date.

Currently, Jodoin said, about $100,000 per year in Comcast franchise fees goes into the town’s general fund to help offset taxes. The fee is about 3 percent of each Comcast bill.

The proposal has been a contentious issue in town, with some residents supporting the station, others wanting the money to continue going into the town coffers and still others saying the fees should be removed from the Comcast bills altogether.

Deputy Emergency Management Director Harold Murray spoke as a resident against the article at the deliberative session, saying he’d rather see the money go toward tax relief.

“This is being presented as no cost to the town. That couldn’t be further from the truth,” Murray said. “That hundred thousand has got to come from somewhere.”

He added public access channels often repeat content, run old programming and often have low viewership.

Resident Frank Gray agreed, saying the town and school appropriations plus the county and state school tax rates would result in an estimated tax increase of $3 per $1,000 of assessed value.

“I have no problem with public television. However, we have to look at priorities,” Gray said. “This is nice to have, but I don’t think we can afford it. It’s only a small amount, but by God we have to stop spending someplace.”

David Pearl, also involved in the public access committee, said there is a growing constituent of Hooksett residents – including himself – who would like to see the fees removed from their cable bills because it is an unfair tax, with Comcast users essentially contributing more money to offset taxes than the rest of the town’s residents.

Other articles
Other monetary warrant articles include the purchase of a new $55,000 backhoe/loader for the highway department; $113,975 in raises for non-union town employees; $33,000 for a traffic impact study to prioritize how impact fees will be spent on construction projects; $118,294 to hire two new highway workers; and $10,400 to hire a parttime Assistant Building/Zoning Inspector.

Residents will vote on the entire ballot on Tuesday, May 13, from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., at Cawley Middle School.

Streets are full of potholes; money is running out

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:40:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

Long after the snow has melted beneath the warm rays of spring sunshine, New Hampshire towns will still be feeling Mother Nature’s wrath. This time, it won’t be barraging residents from the sky. Instead, it will hit them under their tires.

“I was coming from Hannaford the way I come up every day,” said Jane Stanton-Turcotte of Goffstown. “I come up the road, wasn’t paying attention and bang! It was horrifying. I drive a car that can take anything, but my eggs went everywhere. “When I opened the back of my hatch, it looked like someo

ne had already made breakfast.”

Public Works and Highway departments across the state are struggling with how to fix poor road conditions, and many towns are also struggling with budget issues as an extremely harsh winter winds down.

During Hopkinton’s annual Town Meeting, voters approved the addition of $53,000 to the Public Works Department budget, as selectmen informed voters that the town has already gone over its allowance in salt and sand, and is on pace to do so in several other areas.

Goffstown Director of Public Works Carl Quiram said this winter has been the most devastating in a long time.

“It has been the worst in recent memory, and it’s just the way the weather has been,” said Quiram. “It’s been an unwinnable battle with potholes. We have a lot of new potholes on roads we wouldn’t have anticipated.”

Stanton-Turcotte’s pothole disaster happened on Laurel Road off College Road in Goffstown. “The sign says ‘Frost Heaves,’ but that’s not what it should say. It should say ‘Caution: Amusement Park Ahead,’” she said. “They (potholes) are everywhere.

Just going down St. A’s Drive is terrible, and so is my street. We have Manchester beat this year. It’s like when you go in the ocean and float over the big swells, except you’re driving in the street.”

Budget dilemmas
For Quiram, in addition to the battle with potholes, his and other departments in town are facing another battle.

“We took some heavy budget cuts, so it’ll make for an extremely tough year. You do what you have to do,” Quiram said. “We’re not going to not salt roads because we have no money. That’s where the policy comes in. Are we just going to ride it out? Or do we have to hold off on some summer projects?”

Jim Stanford, Bedford’s Director of Public Works, said he has not yet run into issues with salt, as the town built a new salt shed in 2004, and has been able to stock up in that area.

Working on a calendar year budget, Stanford said he is not sure yet what financial challenges his department will face. “I’ll let you know in November,” he joked. “You look at a day like today and say maybe we’re through this. But in November and December you never know. The sun is a lot higher now, so if it snows, it doesn’t stick around as long.”

Stanford said Bedford is not having as many struggles with potholes as other towns, but is struggling in other areas. “It’s not so much the potholes, but more the deterioration of the pavement and the frost heaves,” said Stanford. “It isn’t like all of the sudden one pothole pops up, but we have roads where the whole section of pavement has failed.”

Bedford has a computerized pavement management database that shows every road in town as well as its length, when it was constructed and the condition of it.

Although two road bonds in Bedford were defeated on Election Day, Stanford said the town still has money left from two previous road bonds.

Dale Hemeon, Hooksett director of highways, said the routine for his workers is the same on a daily basis. “I send out a crew for potholes every day if it isn’t snowing,” he said. “To end this battle, you put them in today and they’re gone tomorrow. It’s been a rough winter. There’s been a lot of damage. It’s really strange.”

Hemeon said he is far over on his overtime, fuel and salt budgets. The town’s budget goes from July 1 until the end of June, so Hooksett still has just over three months remaining on its current budget.

Another problem on the roads has come with the amount of snow.

“The tough part was that we have no more room to put snow. The banks are so high. We need to just get through until April when we can get some asphalt,” said Hemeon. “For the first month of spring we’ll be out paving and patching roads.”

Bow’s Chum Cleverly goes against the Public Works norm in neighboring towns, as he said this winter has been no different from other winters in his recent memory.

“We haven’t done much different from other years. Every year is average. Some years there a few more on some roads, and none on others. It’s always similar,” said the Public Works director, who said he has the most trouble with roads that were paved long ago.

Cleverly said he does expect cost issues for next year, with prices on the rise.

“Trying to keep the roads in good shape with the increasing cost of asphalt is big. Next year, we’re expecting a 30 percent rise in cost of salt,” he said. “I assume that the manufacturing and transportation is the cause of that with the increased cost of oil. I just talked to two truckers who have parked their trucks and won’t move until cost of fuel goes down.”

Temporary fix
Departments are constantly putting cold patch, a compound that is only meant as a temporary fix, into potholes. Hot top is not available for towns until sometime in April, which means many departments are fixing the same potholes on a daily basis.

“The people have to understand that at this time of year, these situations are beyond our control, it’s Mother Nature. Drivers have to slow down and make sure they have proper air inflation in their tires so they don’t blow their tires out,” said Russell.

“Some of them we could patch three times a day. The cold patch is a temporary fix, that’s it. Nothing replaces putting hot top in.”

Russell said the Salem department already has to turn its attention toward potential flooding in addition to filling potholes. His workers are spread thin.

“I have 12 employees who are dedicated to the streets for a town this big to maintain all of the sidewalks and drainage,” he said. “People think we have a 400-man department, but we don’t. We have 41 total in the Department of Public Works, but only 12 assigned to that section.”

In Hooksett, Hemeon summed up what many Public Works employees are feeling across the Granite State. “It’s been a long, frustrating winter for everyone – my guys and the residents,” he said. “Hopefully, spring isn’t too far away.”

Cookie mom – Christine Frydenborg campaigns for Priorities NH

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 16:15:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

Who would have thought a bubbly, unassuming, cookie-serving mom would be at presidential candidate events, educating attendees about wasting the federal budget and what to do about the country’s deficit?

Hooksett resident Christine Frydenborg, 37, says it’s one of the most original tools Priorities New Hampshire uses to get their ideas across to voters.

Frydenborg, a celebrated play actress and performer since the age of 5, responded to a casting call from Priorities New Hampshire in the early spring for the role of spokesperson “Cookie Mom.”

So far, Cookie Mom has been at events for Barack Obama, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney, just to name a few, bearing sugar cookies frosted with pie charts depicting federal government spending.

Priorities New Hampshire does not endorse candidates, but rather attempts to inform voters about what they view as wasteful federal spending.

“Cookie Mom is supposed to be apolitical,” Frydenborg said. “The goal is to be appealing to people.”

She characterized Cookie Mom as the culmination of several different women: teacher, happy homemaker, educator and assertive woman.

Even with her bubbly attitude and winning smile, Cookie Mom occasionally gets the boot.

“There are some events we’re not welcome at, and sometimes, very rudely not welcomed,” she said, adding that being kicked out casts a negative light on Priorities New Hampshire that is not deserved.

At an event at the American Legion in Londonderry, Frydenborg said, state Rep. Al Baldassaro advised police to be on the lookout for an antiwar protester wearing and apron and brandishing a basket of cookies.

“He said my presence was an insult to veterans,” Frydenborg said, adding that one of the goals of Priorities New Hampshire is to get better health care for veterans.

Some campaigns have negative preconceived notions of who “Cookie Mom” is and what Priorities New Hampshire stands for, Frydenborg said.

“Every event is different,’ she said. “We are not here to interfere with candidates’ campaigns.”

So far, Cookie Mom, who is single with no kids and does not, contrary to popular belief, make the cookies herself, has gained endorsements from several candidates including Dennis Kucinich, Mike Gravel and Bill Richardson.