ALEXANDRIA TODAY AUTUMN EDITION 2007

A reminder that on November 13 the Newfound Area School District is holding a special vote on the teacher’s contract. You will be able to cast your ballot at the town hall at 45 Washburn Road between the hours of 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.

YOUR VOTE COUNTS! Due to this special vote, the tax rate will not be able to be set until around the last week of November. That means that the tax bills will be coming out approximately December 15, and you will have thirty days from that date to pay the bill without incurring interest.

 Thank you to all who have donated plants to the friendship garden this year. We have enjoyed looking out the window and watching the plants grow. Thank you to Parkhurst Hardware for the bark mulch.

 A thank you to Erma Lord for her donation of a flagpole in memory of Sherman Wadhams. We hope to have this project completed before the winter. It will be placed to the right of the new municipal building.

 A big thank you to all who worked on Alexandria Community Day! It appeared to be quite successful, and plans are underway for next year’s event.  

The office will be closed on the following dates: November 8 (LGC Conference); November 12 (Veteran’s day); November 22 and 23 (Thanksgiving Break).

COMMUNITY DAY

Community Day in July was a huge success. Meetings have already been held and plans are in the works for the next Community Day to be held on July 5, 2008. The events are expected to begin at 10:00 am and last all day, finishing with a dinner in the evening.

Pat Moore and Nancy Whitman are heading up the Community Day Committee. Anyone interested in volunteering or participating in the day long events are asked to contact the Alexandria Municipal Building at 744-3220 and leave a message or drop a note off addressed to the Community Day Committee.

THE TOWN BANDSTAND

We don’t have one just now, but thanks to a pledge to the Town of Alexandria, for the purpose of constructing a gazebo/bandstand we will have one! The Shapiro family has made a pledge to the town for constructing such a building in memory of Harriet Benshimol Bennett and Harold Shepherd Bennett. The gazebo/bandstand will be placed in the field behind the grange and library buildings. Exact location to be determined by the selectmen.

It is hoped that the community will come together to see that this project is completed before June 2008 so that dedication will be made at the 2008 Community Day.

 While materials and such will be covered by the pledge, we are hoping volunteers come forth to offer their labor on this project. Plans, site work and construction needed. A list of volunteer positions and duties is posted in the municipal building and at the transfer station. For information call Maggie Laberge at 744-5803 or speak to Christie at the Selectmen's office.

ALEXANDRIA PLANNING BOARD

The planning board has been working hard on your behalf to organize and streamline procedures and to present items to you for decision. Several issues have been solved and we hope you are pleased with our efforts.

Public hearings for the proposed zoning ordinance have been held. The ordinance will appear on the ballot in march, 2008. You will notice when the proposed zoning ordinance is distributed that the definitions section and the appendix will be printed on different colored paper.

The capital improvement plan committee has held its first hearing and will hold another in November or December. Please check the bulletin board for dates. The capital improvement plan, as you know, is a schedule of future capital expenditures. This must be voted on by the public and will be placed on the warrant in March, 2008. If you have any suggestions for the capital improvement plan please leave them on the planning board phone line at 744-8986.

After three years, the compliance of gravel pits has been nearly completed. We have two pits that have either completed reclamation or are in the process of completion. Four pits are completely permitted by state and local regulations for operation. New legislation has clarified the fact that each pit MUST comply with local regulations. As you all know, there are not now nor have there ever been any grandfathered excavation sites in Alexandria.

The subdivision regulations are being revised and updated. The major changes are the road sections. They have been revised to reflect the same standards adopted by the town at the March 2007 town meeting.

We have had several proposed subdivisions presented to us for consultation as well as boundary line adjustments and one of the issues continues to be perimeter survey. The planning board is requiring full perimeter survey for subdivision parcels as stated in the regulations. Over the next few months, the planning board will be defining what ‘active’ and substantial completion is regarding the subdivision process, and will be researching old paper subdivisions for RSA compliance.

Training of the planning board members continues to be an ongoing process. The training process insures well informed board participants.

The planning board dates and hours are changed as follows:

November meeting-will be changed to November 14, 2007-6:00PM (due to Thanksgiving)

Winter hours change:

December, January, February meetings will be held, as usual, on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. However, hours change to 6:00PM. Work sessions will be held 1 hour prior to the meetings at 5:00PM. Separate work sessions will be scheduled and posted if needed.

I want to thank the entire planning board for their hard work. I believe that we have a well rounded and hard working group of people sitting on the board.

We welcome the public to all of our meetings. If you have any questions, complaints or comments regarding the planning board, please submit them in writing to us and we will respond to them after the nearest planning board meeting.

Maggie LaBerge

Chairman, Alexandria Planning Board

HEALTH OFFICER

The annual influenza (flu) season is about to start and the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is encouraging all residents to consider getting immunized against the flu, especially those who are at increased risk of complications from the flu. Influenza results in about 36,000 deaths annually and 200,000 hospitalizations.

Influenza is a very serious disease of the lungs, nose and throat. The illness is spread from person to person through coughing and sneezing. Typical flu symptoms include fever, headache, extreme tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, and muscle aches.

The at risk groups that should receive a flu vaccine every year are listed below:

• Children aged 6 months to 5 years
• Pregnant women
• People 50 years of age or older
• People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions, including asthma, heart disease, or who are immune compromised.
• People who live in nursing homes or other long-term care facilities.
• People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu should also be vaccinated every year, including:
• Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu (see above)
• Household contacts and out-of-home caregivers of children younger than 6 months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)
• Healthcare workers

Those who should not be vaccinated are:

• People with a severe allergy to chicken eggs
• People who have had a severe reaction to an influenza vaccination in the past
• People who developed Guillain-Barre syndrome(GBS) within 6 weeks of previous influenza vaccination
• Children younger than 6 months of age (the vaccine is not approved for that age group)
• People who have a moderate or severe illness with a fever should wait to get vaccinated until their symptoms lessen.

For more information on influenza and the vaccine, contact:

NH Immunization Program at 800-852-3345 ext 4482 or 603-271-4482

or the Communicable Disease Surveillance Section at 800-852-3345 ext 0279 or 603-271-0279

TRANSFER STATION

Well the flatlanders have left

We’ve retaken our town

Now the faces you see

Wear a smile not a frown.

Many people see them

As a source for cash

But to me it just means excess trash.

The bottles and cans

The shells from the clams

Makes the old compactor groan

Until it almost jams.

But we got through it

Like we always do

Time to relax for me and you.

Until next spring

When they return to bask

With their usual trite greeting

“How was your winter?” they’ll ask.

A converted flat person  

The question most often asked is “where does all this trash come from?” According to a statistic I just read, the average American generates 4.5 pounds of solid waste a day. If you multiply that times 7 days, times the number of people in town,  you’ll see where it comes from. That’s why we are averaging almost 12 tons per week in our compactor.

Finally I seem to be getting a lot of “flack” lately about the fees we have to charge for trash other than regular garbage. We are not alone, all the surrounding towns charge too. Remember, I do not set the fees, I only tell you what they are. If you want to complain, do it at the selectmen’s meeting. Enjoy your winter.

Doug C.F.P.

ROAD AGENT’S NOTE

Summer may be winding down, but the highway department sure isn’t. At the time of this writing we are starting our fall grading cycle. A little rain for compaction sure wouldn’t hurt. We are getting the last of three free demo’s of rubber tired excavators. A machine of this type lets us do our work much more efficiently and with less manpower. We are also currently ditching, changing culverts, and still have some paving projects. Soon we will be setting up trucks for the winter season.

We finished the Fowler River Road project in early September. All that remains is some guard rail work. I am very glad to say we completed the project with the funds we were given for this year. I am also very pleased with the outcome of the project. We had some hurdles to struggle through.

We moved on to roadside mowing which we completed shortly thereafter. We have many projects to complete before winter. Let’s all hope it holds off until we are ready. (Are we ever?)

In closing I would like to remind everyone we are out on the roads trying to improve them. We are not out to inconvenience anyone so please be patient with us. I would also like to ask for your help. Street signs are being stolen faster than we can put them up. I estimate there is $4000.00 worth of signs to be replaced right now. If you see anyone attempting to steal signs please report it to the Alexandria Police Department.

Jeff Cantara
Road Agent

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

A dedicated group of individuals continues to work on updating the town’s All Hazards Emergency Response Plan. An update is necessary in order to be eligible to apply for, and receive, hazard mitigation funds that may become available. It is anticipated that this plan will be completed by the end of November. Thank you to all who are participating in this important project.

George Whittaker, EMD   

TOWN CLERK/TAX COLLECTORS OFFICE

Announcing: new Deputy Town Clerk/Tax Collector, Robin Gagnon. 

Robin will be a great asset to this office. She brings many years of experience in customer service and financing, as well as a warm personality. Welcome Robin!

The tax bills will be out late this winter due to the late timing on the voting on the teacher’s contract. (Nov. 13th) We will get them out as soon as possible! Due date will probably be early January.

Regards,                             

Barbara Emery

Town Clerk/Tax Collector

CONSERVATION COMMISSION

Let us begin with a thank you and an announcement. A thanks goes to Janet Towse for serving and guiding the conservation commission, since its reestablishment nearly two years ago. Officers are as follows: Chairman, Don Gagnon, Vice Chair, Bonnie O’Brien, Secretary, Kate Barrett.

Alexandria Community Day in July was a big success for the conservation commission. With the support of the Lakes Region Planning Commission the conservation commission displayed three large maps of Alexandria. The first map illustrated the topography; the second map showed farmland, rivers and wetlands; and the third map indicated the high level of biodiversity and the supporting landscape. Finding the individual homes and proximity to wetlands and the density of wildlife and supporting hills was exciting and meaningful for our residents to learn. At a future time the maps will be displayed at the town offices.

The members have attended may lectures sponsored by the Newfound Lake Region Association. The programs are broad in scope and very informative, open to the public and free. Through the New Hampshire Local Government Center, the members attended the Annual Municipal Law Lecture Series. The lectures were practical and thought provoking.

The Newfound Watershed Master Plan is underway sponsored by NLRA, Plymouth State University, Center for the Environment, and UNH and supported by NH DES. As a part of fact finding on important issues and property owner’s opinions, a survey was sent to randomly selected land owners. The title of the survey is, “Opinion of residents, a Survey to Guide the Creation of Every Acre Counts. If you were selected, have your opinions known. Complete your survey.

The conservation commission has vacancies. If you would like to volunteer, to offer stewardship of our natural resources, you are welcomed. The commission meets on the 4th Wednesday of each month. Your letter of interest is sent to the selectboard or e-mail Don Gagnon at donace@metrocast.net

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