Search results matching tag 'Epsom'

Epsom teacher hurt in double fatal accident

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:51:00 GMT

A head-on crash has killed a Concord couple that was reportedly active in the fight against AIDS and seriously injured an Epsom school teacher.

Police say a pickup truck traveling southbound on Route 3A crossed the center line near Hidden Ranch Drive and slammed into a sport utility vehicle on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at about 12:15 p.m.

The truck driver and his wife, Sherman Ordway, 64, and Bridget Ordway, 50, of Concord, were both killed. The SUV driver was identified as Cynthia Damelio, 50, of Concord, who teaches third grade at the Epsom Central School. Damelio’s dog was rescued from her vehicle by firefighters.

Police say Sherman Ordway likely suffered a medical episode during the accident.

A doctor was traveling in the vehicle behind the Ordways and told police Ordway slumped over the wheel before his car veered into oncoming traffic.

Patrick Connors, principal of the Epsom Central School, says Damelio has taught at the school for more than 20 years. A retired teacher is teaching Damelio’s class until she returns to work, which could take months.

“She’s strong-willed and she’ll pull through,” Connors said. “It’s just going to take time.”

Connors says Damelio’s students were told about the crash before a letter was sent home. He said guidance councilors are available to answer any questions students might have.

The Ordways were active in volunteer groups to help people infected with AIDS, according to a published report.

Historical building is full of soot

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:44:00 GMT

By Kathleen Bailey

T.J. Rand, president of the Epsom Historical Society, thought he was preparing for a normal board meeting when he went over Tuesday, Nov. 3, to open the building.

“I turned on the lights and looked around, saw the soot on the walls -- it looked like there had been a fire.”

He got in his car and drove over to the library, where he met library director Nancy Claris coming out.

“I said, ‘Hey, the furnace blew up,’” Rand recalled.

The Historical Society and library staff are regrouping after a faulty igniter caused oil-based soot to spread throughout the historic building on Route 4.

The building, formally named the Epsom Public Library Historical Center, served as the town library until 2006, when the new library opened down the road. Still under the auspices of the library, it is used by both the library and Historical Society to store items and hold meetings.

Professionals and members converged on the building Wednesday, Nov. 11, to assess the damage.

Dan Flynn, insurance adjuster, went through the building with Claris and Historical Society member Carole Brown. Brown showed him the red velvet drapes, or “portieres,” that hung between rooms on the first floor, and Flynn warned that the soot probably wouldn’t come out.

“The oil penetrates velvet,” he said.

Harsher chemicals are needed to get it out, and often result in damage to the delicate fabric, he said.

An intricate needlework hanging depicting a peacock, made by a resident in 1926, fared better.

“You can hand-wash this and line-dry it,” he told Brown and Claris.

Carl Campbell, a representative of the cleaning company ServePro, said there is hope for the building’s intricate woodwork.

“We use something called woodcream paste, which ‘massages’ the wood. It goes deep and pulls more dirt out,” he said.

Both he and Flynn told the women that because the soot was oil-based, special techniques would be needed for much of the cleaning.

Claris said the library doesn’t store circulating books in the old building -- they were moved to the new building in December 2006. The building is a repository for a few historic artifacts owned by the library, including photographs and a few books of historical value.

She and Campbell paused near a wooden cabinet on a stand, an old card catalog.

Claris opened a drawer, looked at the hundreds of tiny cards, and said, “This just has sentimental value -- it can be thrown out.” The members had already answered a call to action, Brown said, and turned out in force Sunday, Nov. 8. They donned rubber gloves and began hauling items outside.

Members Norm and Miriam Yeaton “went through every photo album, wiped every page,” Brown said.

Others assessed the damage.

A few chairs were thrown out on the spot, she said. Ricky Belanger, owner of Ponderosa Salvage Co., was on the scene with a trash receptacle as soon as he heard about the soot, she said, and Epsom resident Scott DeCota loaned the group a storage trailer.

Rand said most of the historical material was salvaged. The very oldest items were in fireproof cabinets or otherwise locked away, he said. Photo albums were out on the shelves but fared relatively well.

“Only about an inch of their spines was protruding from the shelves,” he said.

The society had to toss a few photocopies of old records, Rand said, and a computer monitor and printer could not be saved. But the items that can’t be replaced don’t need to be. “We are very grateful that the damage wasn’t worse,” Brown said.

The building is fully covered by insurance, Claris said.

Flynn, Campbell and duct expert Dave Monson laid out a tentative plan. Campbell’s crew will come in and do a rough cleaning, for three to five days. Monson will follow to clean the air ducts, and then Flynn will come back and assess what else needs to be done.

“The rugs should go -- they’re nasty,” Campbell said, to which Claris replied, “We were going to replace them anyway.”

Family hosts special Thanksgiving meal

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:40:00 GMT

By Kathleen Bailey

George and Karen Reese are expecting a crowd for Thanksgiving this year. How many? Try 100 -- and there’s room for more.

The Reeses and their two sons, Ian and Sean, will host their fifth annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner Thanksgiving Day in the Epsom Fire Hall. The meal is open to anyone in the Greater Concord area -- or the state -- who can’t afford the meal or doesn’t want to be alone.

It was a chilly November afternoon, and the last of the leaves fell from trees outside her window as Karen Reese relaxed at her dining room table. Laundry tumbled in a dryer, chili simmered on the stove, and the men of her family came in from hunting. It was a comfortable domestic scene -- but in word and deed, Reese made it clear that she knows others aren’t as fortunate.

Reese, a native of Epsom, had had the idea for a free Thanksgiving for years before she started hers in 2004.

“It was embedded in me,” she said, “to reach out to people in need.”

Five years ago, she told George, “It’s time.”

They had 10 helpers and five “guests” that first year, Reese recalled. The Reeses prepared the majority of the food. Though the turnout was small, Reese and her family walked away from that first dinner “knowing it was good.”

Though the dinner is open to anyone, any faith or no faith, the Reeses bring a Christian perspective to their work. They have established Reese Family Ministries, an outreach to couples and families, and they also have their own praise and worship band.

Members of Higher Ground Ministries in Barnstead, they enlist church members to help. Volunteers come from other churches or are family or friends. Last year they had 25 volunteers. She’s organized her regular volunteers into a corps including a kitchen coordinator, food coordinator, and “take-home” coordinator.

Yes, there are leftovers, Reese said with a smile.

The food is all donated now, and Reese doesn’t cut up so much as a carrot stick. She’s too busy greeting people, filling holes in the volunteer corps, and singing onstage with the family band.

They also work. Several volunteers are whole families, and the little ones put on rubber gloves and help out. While she doesn’t let them near any of the hot food or knives, Reese said they can pass out rolls or pie slices -- and are delighted to do it.

Other young people work the dinner to fulfill school community service requirements, she said. And one mom actually called her to ask if her daughter could serve. “She told me, ‘I want my daughter to know what it’s like -- she has everything,” Reese recalled.

The menu hasn’t changed much from 2004. Instead of three turkeys, her volunteer cooks will roast seven this year. There’s stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, rolls, squash, corn, peas, carrots, and pies. If someone wants to make a “gourmet” item, she lets them, she said, but asks them to go easy on the salt, sugar and fat.

“We try to keep the menu healthy,” she said.

This year she’s expecting the same number of guests, or more, because of the economy. But her volunteers and donors have stepped up their efforts, and she already has seven 20-pound turkeys and most of the trimmings. She’s all stocked for paper goods and supplies, she said. A few more vegetable dishes might be nice, but as of Nov. 24, she’s ready to go.

“It’s not me, it’s God,” she said.

Why do they do it?

“We’ve been there, in need, ourselves,” Reese said. “People need to know hope, that they’re not alone, that other people have gone through it. That’s our message -- you’re not alone.”

She added, “We do a lot of praying before each dinner. We don’t want anyone to stay away because of pride.”

And she’ll continue to take her inspiration from Scripture, especially Matthew 25:35-40. In the waning afternoon light, Reese put on her glasses to read, “Inasmuch as you have done it unto the least of these, you have done it unto me.” The dinner is Thursday, Nov. 25, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. “or whenever we get done,” Reese said. The dinner is free and the public is welcome. To volunteer or donate, call her at 736-9954.

Keith Cota to stay on river task force

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:04:00 GMT

By Kathleen Bailey

Epsom Selectman Keith Cota has survived a challenge to his participation in the Suncook River Task Force, a group that members found out Thursday has no formal roster or charge. And the plan for dealing with the river’s avulsion will stay the same for now, despite challenges from a Pembroke resident and his attorney.

The Suncook River Task Force held its second meeting on Nov. 4 in the Epsom Elks Lodge. The meeting, chaired by Steve Landry of the Department of Environmental Services, brought together two dozen people affected by or interested in the river, which changed its course during the Mothers Day flood of 2006.

Landry and Epsom officials support an option to stablize the river that includes installing grade control structures at the main channel, Little Suncook River and Layton Brook; reshaping the channel for a lower flow; creating access to a flood plain; installing box culverts near the railroad tracks; and restoring stream crossings at Little Suncook and Layton Brook.

Rejected for a federal grant earlier this year, they are trying again with an application for a $450,000 Federal Emergency Management Agency grant for the design and permitting process, and a second grant for the construction arm of the project.

Tom Beaumeister of Pembroke and his attorney Brandon Guida favor a different approach. They say the Epsom/DES plan makes a too-abrupt turn to redirect the river. They favor an option that creates a levee further upstream, with a gradual return of the river to its original bed.

The problem of erosion is getting worse, both residents and officials agreed. The erosion of the river banks has spread upstream to Chichester, Landry said -- and that’s more silt and sediment to wash downstream, through Epsom to Pembroke and Allenstown.

“The dunes are moving downstream,” said Rob Flynn of the U.S. Geological Survey. “It’s like a conveyor belt.”

Cota warned of a second possible avulsion in the Epsom Central School area.

“We are already seeing it during heavy flows,” he said of Layton Brook, which runs under Black Hall Road.

While the people at the table agreed that something needed to be done, they differed on how to do it. Beaumeister said the town of Epsom should bear more responsibility for the avulsion, as the town was warned in 2006 to stop excavation in local gravel pits.

“It was never an ‘act of God,’” he said, citing a popular phrase used to describe the avulsion. “The town of Epsom bears some responsibility here.”

Landry said for now, Epsom and the DES would stick with their plan.

“We’re going along with the option that has the highest likelihood to get some money to stabilize the Suncook,” he said.

He said the proposed project was modeled on one sucessfully used in the Pemigewassett River, among others.

Beaumeister objected to Cota’s presence on the task force, and publicly called for his resignation.

“It is a conflict of interest for you to be on this committee,” he said, citing the facts that Cota is both an Epsom selectman and an engineer with the state of New Hampshire.

Guida disagreed with his client on this point.

“I’ve dealt with Keith on a number of occasions,” he said. “If he sees a solution, he’ll take it.”

Selectmen Chairman Bob Blodgett didn’t see a need for Cota to resign.

“I don’t see why he can’t stay,” he said of Cota. “He’s a good man for that job. He knows what’s going on -- he’s been involved since day one.”

But Cota’s resigning was a moot point, attendees discovered: the group was never formally chartered and its members never formally elected.

“We are an ad hoc group, not created by the government,” Landry said. “Anyone with an interest in the Suncook is a member.”

The group agreed to investigate a more formal structure, including a charter by the Legislature.

“I didn’t see that coming, but I’m not surprised,” Cota said after the meeting. “Mr. Beaumeister and I have not seen eye-to-eye on a lot of things.”

He said he would discuss the issue with his colleagues, selectmen Chairman Bob Blodgett and Selectman Joanne Randall, and see if they want him to resign.

“In the meantime,” he said, “I’ll serve with this group.”

Property taxes up in Epsom despite school cuts

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:37:00 GMT

By Kathleen Bailey

The Department of Revenue Administration has set Epsom’s tax rate for 2009. Residents can expect to see an increase of 39 cents per $1,000, in a year where the town portion of the bill went up and the school portion went down.

Epsom’s current rate is $17.35 per $1,000 of taxable property. It breaks down into $2.60, town portion; $2.51, county; $10.09, local school; and $2.15, state school portion.

The new rate, set Oct. 15 by the Department of Revenue Administration, is $17.74 per $1,000. This breaks down into $4.03, town share; $2.41, county; $9.13, local school; and $2.17, state school portion.

The Epsom School District increased its revenues this past year, and even turned approximately $94,000 back to the town, financial adminstrator Nancy Wheeler said.

There are “a couple of reasons” the town portion went up, according to Wheeler. First, the town passed a budget in March 2009, after three years of being on a default budget. The total appropriations went up $207,000 when the operating budget was voted in, she said.

In addition, Wheeler said, the town did not use any surplus funds to mitigate taxes. In previous years Epsom would use its undesignated fund balance to offset taxes, but this year, she said, “there wasn’t that much to play with.” The Department of Revenue Administration requires that a certain amount be left in the fund, she said.

Epsom also saw a decrease in its anticipated revenues, which are down by $142,500, Wheeler said. These include car registrations, dog licenses, building permits, the land use change tax, the timber tax, and other licenses, permits and fees. A decrease in auto registrations was responsible for the biggest part of the drop, she said.

The town also saw reduced revenue from state highway block grants and the rooms and meals tax, and saw state “shared revenue” completely eliminated. Peter Aubrey, business manager for School Administrative Unit 53, credited the lower school portion to two factors.

First, he said, the town’s assessed value went up by $6 million in 2009. Second, he said, the school district actually returned $94,955 to the town to help offset taxes.

This was the result of good budgeting by Epsom Central School Principal Patrick Connor, he said.

“The principal is very frugal and runs a tight ship,” Aubrey said.

Vandalism has Epsom police on alert

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:16:00 GMT

By Kathleen Bailey

The Epsom Police Department is responding to several recent incidents of vandalism, though Police Chief Wayne Preve warns that the nature of the crime makes it difficult to pin down a perpetrator.

While the vandalism is not widespread, Preve said he’s received several complaints. Selectmen Chairman Bob Blodgett reported a drive-by BB gun shooting, the second this year. In addition, Preve said, two or three mailboxes have been damaged, the side of the American Legion Hall spray-painted and several town signs defaced.

The problem isn’t just Epsom’s, Preve said. He’s spoken

to chiefs in surrounding towns who said many of the incidents were similar.

“We think it’s people of high school age,” he said, “and we think it’s a group of them.”

But small departments and the hit-and-run nature of vandalism slows the process.

“If we only have one or two guys on at night, it’s hard to catch them in the act,” Preve said of the vandals. “We’ve come close, but they’re never exactly where we are.”

But based on some of the graffiti, he and neighboring chiefs have begun to piece together an identity for the vandals. He puts on extra patrols when he can, and has told his officers to be especially vigilant.

Blodgett said he’s been targeted by vandals twice this year. His wife Anne was washing windows on a recent Saturday when the vandals drove by and fired several shots at one of the windows. Last Nov. 23, the Blodgetts received a BB attack to a kitchen window. That was a little too close for comfort, he said.

“If I’d been sitting there, I would have gotten it in the shoulder,” he said.

While Preve said Blodgett’s was the only BB gun complaint, Blodgett doesn’t think he’s being singled out, either for his role with the town or other reasons. He thinks it’s random, “probably bored kids.”

In his 30 years in Epsom, Blodgett has been the target of vandalism several other times. At least three mailboxes were damaged, someone sprayed the side of his house and someone “egged” his wife’s car.

Preve also advises neighbors to look out for each other, “though people in Epsom do that anyway,” he said. It’s difficult because some houses are far back from the road, he said. But anyone who sees an unfamiliar vehicle, or notices a car filled with cans of spray paint, should get the plate number and call the department, he said.

For more information, or to report an incidence of vandalism, call the department at 736-9625.

Grant may be part answer to shifting Suncook River

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:46:00 GMT

By KATHLEEN D. BAILEY

The town of Epsom has completed its paperwork for a grant which Department of Environmental Services river specialist Steve Landry said will put the town and the Suncook River on a better course following the “Mother’s Day Flood” of 2006.

The Suncook River, which has its headwaters in Alton and Gilmanton, changed its course during the 2006 flood in an action river experts call an “avulsion.”

The avulsion, the largest event of its kind in New Hampshire history, affected businesses and homes in Epsom, Allenstown and Pembroke. It’s too big a problem for the towns or the state to address on their own, and Landry, colleague Steve Couture and the Epsom selectmen have been working to find funding.

The Suncook, a tributary of the Merrimack River, rose to flood level May 16, 2006. Before that time, it split around the northwest and southeast sides of Bear Island. The river veered to the southeast, then broke through an active gravel pit, a half mile to the east and continues to move east, eroding land. Since 2006, it has moved 140 feet to the east, affecting property and property values along its route.

Selectman Keith Cota, a professional engineer who is working with Landry and Couture, said Monday, Sept. 28, that Epsom has done its part of the paperwork and returned the application to the local office of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

DES and the town will pursue two grants, Landry said. The first, an Emergency Management Progress grant, will be for $400,000 for designing the project and the permitting process. There will be no cost, not even a grant match, to Epsom or any of the towns affected, Landry emphasized. The “match” will come from the state of New Hampshire, which will provide in-kind services to complete the design and permit process.

The current plan calls for in-stream structures such as rock veins and rock weirs to control erosion, and culverts to release pressure, Landry said. There will also be new snowmobile crossings at Layton Brook and the Little Suncook River, he said. The culverts will give the “new” Suncook access to a flood plain, he said.

When the first grant is completed, Landry, Couture and the town will apply to FEMA for a second grant. While the Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant was rejected last year, the stakeholders hope that a repackaged request, including a lower bottom line, will succeed this time. Last year’s request was for $5 million for design, permitting and construction, and was denied.

“Now we’re cutting out a half million of that, which is funding from the first grant,” Landry said. “We’ve also changed the scope of the project, and won’t do so much channel dredging downstream. That was $1 million by itself.”

The new, scaled-down grant request will be “more attractive” to FEMA, Landry said. In addition to the first grant proposal, Landry and Couture have also drafted a request for qualifications for firms to do the work should the grant be accepted. The application will be filed through Dick Verville of New Hampshire Emergency Planning, who manages the FEMA grant programs for New Hampshire, Landry said.

“We’ll see where this goes,” Cota said of the first grant. “I’m a little disappointed at the slowness of the process,” he added. “This is very important -- it affects three communities.”

Selectmen Chairman Bob Blodgett hopes the second time will be the charm.

“It’s eroded a lot of property,” he said of the wayward river. “Every time we get a severe rainstorm, it eats at even more of the land. Once we get the grants, we hope that will stabilize it.”

Help still needed to finish historic building

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:27:00 GMT

By Kathleen Bailey

Richard Frambach made a sweeping gesture that took in the rebuilt deck area at the Epsom Historic Meetinghouse.

“This is what they call a ‘reception deck,’” he said. “There’s room for people to line up for a receiving line. We hope someday to use the building for weddings, concerts, things like that.”

The meeting house, a fixture in Epsom since the 19th century, is settled into its new home after being moved in February 2007.Many longtime residents were baptized, married or worshipped in the building, which has been a Freewill Baptist Church and the Epsom Bible Church. The Friends of the Meetinghouse envision the structure once again taking its place at the center of town life. But they need two things, money and manpower, to make it happen.

Much about history When the Epsom Bible Church moved to new quarters on Black Hall Road, the Cumberland Farms Corp. purchased its Route 4 property, including the old church. Cumberland Farms offered to donate the meetinghouse to the town, along with $10,000 toward its relocation. Townspeople raised another $95,000 to move the building to its current site in a complex with the new library and old Town Hall.

The Friends of Epsom’s Historic Meetinghouse Committee applied for and received two grants, a $191,000 LCHIP grant for exterior work, heat for the upper level and the electrical connection, and a $10,000 moose plate grant to repair two vandalized stained glass windows.

Town historian T.J. Rand said the Free Will Baptist Society was established in town in 1834. A first meeting house was built and used for several years, though Moses Quimby, who would pastor the flock four separate times, complained that it was “old and ill-constructed.” In 1861, it was replaced by the current one, and the older one hauled to Gossville, where it eventually became the second story of the Gossville General Store.

“The building was moved by oxen, who got stuck in the mud,” Rand said.

And those early churchpeople didn’t skip a service just because their building was being moved: they worshipped in the old building while it was in the middle of the road, according to Rand.

The new building was dedicated Dec. 25, 1861; held its first worship service Dec. 29; and its first communion service Jan. 5, 1862. The structure was different from the one known today, Rand said: it had no central door, but a door on either side; and no belfry, bell or vestibule. The windows were plain -- the stained glass came later. The building still has pews installed in 1894.

Matching funds Penny Graham represented the committee at a recent LCHIP (Land and Community Heritage Investment Program) meeting. She originally planned to ask for just enough money to paint the interior. But on learning that LCHIP requires a minimum project of $10,000, she and the committee added electricity and exit doors to their “to do” list. The electrical panel is in, but the hook-ups need to be made, committee member Dick Frambach said.

Graham said the projects, including painting, are estimated at $20,000. If the town’s application is approved, LCHIP will contribute $10,000; the town will be expected to come up with $5,000; and they will accept $5,000 in in-kind donations.

Graham planned to meet with selectmen to discuss the project and the town’s potential share of the cost. The deadline for the LCHIP application is Oct. 16, she said.

Graham said between historic preservation and conservation, there are about 120 projects competing for LCHIP’s $3 million.

If the grant is received and the work done, Frambach said, there’s little left after that to make the building usable. Two restrooms and septic systems are needed and some wainscoting needs to be replaced. But the furnaces are up and running, he said.

Frambach has talked with several local contractors who are willing to give the town a discount on their labor rates to finish the job. He’s also had one contractor volunteer to design the septic system and another volunteer to put it in. But the committee doesn’t have the cash right now for the materials or diesel fuel for the machines, he said.

The main floor consists of a vestibule and a meeting room, entered through double wooden doors. The original pews are intact, and the tall stained-glass windows memorialize outstanding early citizens.

Pressed-tin ceilings add to the ambience. While it’s a little dusty right now, Frambach envisions the auditorium as a bustling part of town life.

While some of the work requires licensed contractors, volunteers can work under them, Frambach said, adding, “I can operate a nail gun.”

But there are projects requiring more attitude than skill.

“Anyone who wants to can come over and sweep, polish the pews,” he said. “Anyone with a weed whacker is welcome to come by.”

He’s planning a town work day in the near future to spruce up the inside, he said.

And Frambach reminds citizens that the meeting house belongs to them. As one contractor told him, “If it means it’ll cost me less in taxes, sure -- I’ll donate my time.”

Town historian Rand has compiled a book about meeting house history. It’s available for $5 by calling him at 736-9695.

Donations for the meeting house can be sent to the Epsom Historical Association Meetinghouse Fund, P.O. Box 814, Epsom, NH 03234. For other information or to volunteer, call Frambach at 736-9295 or Graham at 736-9044.

Residents say part of historic wall is missing and town should replace it

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 20:17:00 GMT

When is a stone wall not a stone wall, what do you do about it, and who pays?

The town of Epsom is grappling with this issue after long-time residents Edward and Glenna Nutter alleged that DBU, a construction firm hired by the town to repair roads after last summer’s tornado, damaged the historic stone wall on their property. While Road Agent Gordon Ellis and his crew repaired the wall, the Nutters are “going to the wall” for it, insisting that only the original stones will maintain the integrity and “iconic nature” of their wall.

But selectmen contend that Nutter does not have sufficient proof that the town is at fault, and they also say it is illegal for the town to pay to repair private property. At a recent selectmen’s meeting, the Nutters said they will pursue legal action against the town.

Wall woes
According to Ed Nutter, 600 feet of the wall “disappeared” when DBU, a local firm owned by Adam Towne, repaved Center Hill Road after the tornado. The road repair happened a year ago this past July. At the time, he brought the issue to Ellis and Towne’s foreman, saying, “We want our wall back.”

After Nutter complained to the town, Ellis and his crew did put new rocks on top of investigationwhat was left of the old wall. The new rocks were donated by DBU and put in by Ellis at the town’s expense. But that’s the problem, according to Nutter: they put “gravel rocks” instead of the old-fashioned stone, and you can see the difference, according to him.

“They are little round stones, horrible looking. It’s a makeshift stone wall,” Nutter insisted.

A year ago, he wrote a letter to the town saying he was unsatisfied with the new wall. The town asked for photos and documentation, which he supplied. He also met with selectmen and Ellis for a site walk Aug. 1 of this year.

Nutter’s attorney, Todd Fahey, said the original wall is a “classic, iconic” New England stone wall.

“The town was good enough to put the wall back,” he said, adding, “But it’s not the wall he lost.” Like a rolling stone Selectmen don’t think the town is at fault, and contend that a “100-year flood” could have been responsible. In a recent meeting with the Nutters and Fahey, they pointed out that the wall could have been damaged by the force of the April 2007 flood.

“I have seen a lot of stones moved in a river,” Selectman Keith Cota, a civil engineer, pointed out. “A lot of water can move good-sized stones.”

When Nutter and Fahey said they had a good idea who had taken the stones, Chairman Bob Blodgett countered, “If you did not see them do it, how can you tell me who did it?”

“I think I know where they are, but I don’t have proof,” Nutter said.

He later said that he had people willing to “come forward” as to the location of the stones.

Adam Towne of DBU donated the replacement stones, Cota said, and maintains that his staff did not take the original stones.

Nutter and Fahey shared photos from the storm event, allegedly showing that the wall was still there in April 2007. Nutter also said neighbors walked along the wall while they were out inspecting storm damage. But selectmen argued that the smaller or “top” stones could still have been moved, with Cota saying, “The ‘act of God’ in 2007 did quite a bit of damage. It removed stumps -- it could have also removed stones.”

Selectmen also contend that it’s not necessarily the town’s responsibility to restore private property.

”Is there justification for spending public funds for something someone percieves as damaged?” Cota asked. And Selectman Joanne Randall said, “Until Mr. Nutter shows us absolute proof that the town is responsible, it’s not our responsibility to replace the wall.”

The state constitution prohibits towns from spending public funds for private property unless there is proof the town was negligent in some way, Randall said.

Nutter offered a “compromise” to the town, saying the town could repair the wall with stones from other parts of his property, at town expense and with Ellis supervisiing.

The selectmen agreed to send a letter to Nutter detailing their position on the matter, and to listen to the compromise “if it is agreeable to the board,” Cota said.

“We have a ‘standard of care’ as town officials,” Cota said. “Did we do our due diligence? I think we did.”

Epsom Old Home Day tradition

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 19:42:00 GMT

By Kathleen Bailey

Epsom is throwing itself a party, and you’re all invited.

Gary Perry, the new chairman of the Epsom Old Home Day celebration, has been working to get Webster Park ready for the annual celebration of all things Epsom. Perry, who took over the chairmanship this year from Kevin Reeves, said the Aug. 8 festival will include many traditions from years past, plus a few surprises that he hopes will also become traditions.

The national recession has come home to Epsom, with many local merchants unable to donate as much as they have in the past. “We have not had a lot coming in for funds,” Perry said.

While this has hampered his ability to bring in “outside” groups and shows, Epsom residents have volunteered their time and talent in a number of areas, according to Perry.

The fun actually begins Friday night, when Linwood Marden of Chichester comes to Epsom to produce his bean hole beans for the supper the next day. It’s a painstaking ritual in which Marden and his two sons bury pots of beans in deep pits covered with sand. The beans bake all night in the natural heat, and are served in juicy perfection at the annual ham and bean dinner Saturday. But the Friday night prelude is communal, with members of the Marden family and Old Home Day committee hanging out to watch the process.

A Saturday community breakfast, sponsored by the Lions Club, is new this year, Perry said. It will be held from 7 to 9:30 a.m. at the big pavilion in Webster Park, and offer pancakes and sausage, he said. The meal is $4 per person. Perry said he hopes the breakfast will be a permanent Old Home Day fixture.

The parade steps off at 10 a.m. and takes about an hour to complete, according to Perry. This year’s parade, coordinated by Scott Hahn, will include the Epsom Town Band, fire trucks, floats, politicians and children’s “bikes, buggies and baby carriages,” Perry said.

Hahn said parade entries are being registered with him “slowly but surely.” He has some new entries and some old staples, he said. There will be classic and antique vehicles, old tractors, fire and emergency vehicles and more. Scouts and sports groups will march, he said. The parade will open with the traditional American Legion color guard, followed by Police Chief Wayne Preve, he said.

The Old Home Day will officially open just after the parade, Perry said. At 12:30 p.m., the Citizen of the Year will be announced along with the winners of the winners of the classic and antique car shows. In the afternoon, the mainstage will host folk music with Just Plain Folk, a dance demonstration, and children’s activities.

There will be plenty of physical activity, with a climbing wall, horseshoe tournament and bounce houses for the children. There will be family field games in the afternoon from 3 to 4:30 p.m., featuring old-fashioned games like the sack race, spoon race and three-legged race, Perry said.

Throughout the day, fairgoers can snack at a variety of booths sponsored by Scouts and community organizations such as the Odd Fellows and Rebekahs. And the ham and bean supper, featuring Marden’s beans, will take the edge off people’s hunger before the evening activities, Perry said.

It will also give them strength for the closing events of the festival. After a concert by the Town Band, 6:30 to 8 p.m., there will be ballroom dancing until 10 p.m.

Perry is pleased, so far, with his first term as chairman.

“Where it was ‘lean,’ we tried to do the best we could,” he said, adding, “I work with a great group of people. Every town organization is represented.”

For more information on Old Home Day, call Perry at 496-7485. To enter a float or marching unit, call Hahn at 736-9735.