By Darrell Halen
Voters will have an opportunity to let their voices be heard when they take up
a proposed $11.6 million operating budget and 28 other warrant articles at Windham’s
town deliberative session.
They will gather on Saturday, Feb. 9, starting at 9 a.m., at Golden Brook School.
If the $11,645,020 budget and all warrant articles pass and the town receives
grants, donations and other funds, officials hope for, the net increase in spending
would be $757,167 or 6.47 percent.
Voters will consider adopting a new blasting ordinance and a noise ordinance,
and transferring 16 acres of recreation and conservation land to the school district,
land school officials need to accommodate additional athletic facilities, as
part of a land swap.
Other money warrant articles voters will look at include:
• $275,425 for increased salary and benefits to the police union, in accordance
with a collective bargaining union with the town.
• $54,080 for a trailer for the Transfer and Recycling Department.
• $29,630 for increased salary and benefits to the firefighter’s union.
• Add $90,000 to a salt shed/highway facility capital reserve fund
• $70,000 for renovations to the Nesmith Library, including exterior painting
and interior lighting repairs and replacements.
• $26,510 for increased salary and benefits to municipal workers
• $3,985 to replace two part-time maintenance workers with a full-time employee,
beginning in June.
• $15,000 for a salt shed/highway garage engineering/feasibility study,
and to authorize the withdrawal of money from a capital reserve fund.
• Voters are being asked to spend $182,230 to add four new firefighters
and to apply for a $101,200 Homeland Security grant to help cover the costs.
If the grant is obtained, the town’s reimbursement from the government
will diminish each year until 2013, when the town assumes the full cost of the
employees. The article will be null and void if the grant is not won.
Voters will also see requests for money for three projects that have been on
previous warrants: Castlehill Bridge, bike paths on Lowell Road and improvements
to an old train depot area.
The town is seeking to spend $501,585 to replace the bridge, which crosses Beaver
Brook at the Pelham-Windham border.
The state would provide 80 percent – $401,268 – in bridge aid, and
a developer working on a subdivision in the area would pay a $89,000 donation.
That would leave $11,317 to be raised by taxes.
Selectmen are putting forward an article to spend $73,200 to fund a portion of
the town’s 20 percent share of the costs, including engineering, easement
acquisitions, right of way, and construction expenses, to build bike paths along
Lowell Road from Route 111 to Golden Brook School.
The state is picking up 80 percent of the cost, and is committing additional
funds to rehabilitate pavement and drainage on the road.
Voters have already put aside $160,000 of the town’s share of the project.
Selectmen are asking voters to approve spending $33,000 to develop engineering
and design plans to improve and renovate the Windham Depot area, and to accept
$20,000 of this appropriation from the state.
The project’s total cost is expected to be $210,000, with the state paying
80 percent of the cost.
Some warrant articles will have no effect on the tax rate:
• Taking $12,000 from the Searles Special Revenue Fund to pay for marketing
and maintenance costs at the town-owned Searles School and Chapel, which is rented
out for functions.
• Using $12,560 from the same fund to pay on a loan taken to make renovations
and repairs to the building’s west wing
• A warrant article by citizen petition calls for allowing juniors and seniors
to continue attending Salem High School.
Because it was submitted to the town, selectmen felt obligated to put it on the
town warrant.
But the legality of the article – whether a town vote can influence the
school district – will likely be discussed at the deliberative session,
said Town Administrator David Sullivan.º