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This week's stories: (click on the headline
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COLOR="#ff0000"Hooksett
A chapter closes
Hooksett library director
Fran Hebert retires after 36 years
By DAYMOND P. STEER
Staff Writer
daymond@yourneighborhoodnews.com
Award-winning librarian
Frances Hebert is saying goodbye to the Hooksett Public Library
on June 30.
She is well known for assisting patrons, finding books and mentoring
children and department heads alike.
Hebert also possesses a business savvy that will be hard to beat.
"We recently had some necessary maintenance work done in
the library and we were expecting quite a sizable bill. When
the bill arrived, the vendor had discounted the amount by 65
percent as a result of the rapport he has built with Fran and
the library," wrote library trustee Mary Farwell in a two-page
testimonial to Hebert's career.
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"Anyone that
needs help; all they have to do is ask," said Hebert, who
was named New Hampshire's Librarian of the Year in 2001. She
and entire staff works very hard to help find people feel welcomed
and find what they are looking for.
"I've always been impressed by her accomplishments in life,
the most important being the fact that she's been able to bring
the library from such humble beginnings to its current state-of-the-art
condition. For these reasons, Fran has commanded my deepest respect.
I will sorely miss her," said Mark Glisson, who works in
tech services at the library.
After graduating from high
school in 1949, Hebert went to the Manchester City Library.
In 1968, her days as a Hooksett librarian began at the Arah Prescott
Memorial Library. The building only had one room. There were
no bathrooms and the books weren't catalogued. To be qualified
to be a librarian, she took courses at the University of New
Hampshire, she said.
In 1973, the library was
moved to a 4,000-square-foot location on the D.W. Highway. During
the late 1970s, the movement to automate the library began, she
said.
"A lot of work went into the card catalog," she said.
"I think the hardest thing for me to do was to throw out
all those cards," she said.
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TIME TO READ Hooksett librarian
Frances Hebert, 72, is retiring after 36 years at the Hooksett
Public Library. She looks forward to some free time to read.
(Daymond Steer Photo)
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One highlight of her career occurred in 1998, when the library
moved into its current location by the Mount Saint Mary's Apartments.
The building is more than five times larger than the previous
incarnation.
This year, the library received a grant from the Bill Gates Foundation,
which allowed the library to acquire 12 new computers, she said.
"We can do so much more with the computers than we could
in 1968," she said.
Although the computers make the job easy, they are not her favorite
part of the job.
"I love children and I just think that's the best part for
me," she said.
When Hebert first started, she did all the story hours and all
the children's programming. Today, the children's librarian handles
that, she said.
"Well, I'm 72 years old. I've worked at the library 36 years.
That's half my life. I think it's time," she tells those
who balk at her upcoming retirement.
Hebert said she plans to spend more time with her husband, Roger,
and her grandchildren after she leaves the library. "I read,
naturally," she said of her free time. She also enjoys needlepoint,
cooking and sports. Hebert is also on the board of directors
of the Kiwanis Club in Hooksett.
As for favorite books, she has recently enjoyed reading a series
of historical novels by James Reasoner. The cat mysteries by
Lilian Jackson Braun, are very good too, she noted.
Hebert said the new librarian Amy LaPointe is going to be great
and will do a lot for the library.
Residents have fond memories of Hebert.
Garden Club member Lee Campbell, of Hooksett, said Hebert would
help do Campbell's high school homework during the 1950s.
Farwell first met Hebert in the early 1970s when Farwell said
Hebert would assist her in lugging the stacks of books and her
children up and down the Arah Prescott Memorial Library's many
stairs.
Pat Cate, who also recently retired from the library, will be
glad to have Hebert free from the demands of library work.
"I worked with Fran for almost 30 years and she was my friend
and employer," said Cate. "She is no longer my employer
and I am looking forward to her retirement so that we can again
do the things that friends do. We were so involved with raising
families and working, that friendship was put aside and I miss
it. My friend will be back as of June 30, 2004."
A retirement party is slated for Sunday, June 27, from 2 to 4
p.m.at the library.
Pembroke
Agreement at last
PA teachers OK new contract
By RUSS CHOMA
Staff Writer
rchoma@yourneighborhoodnews.com
Ending months of impasse and stalemate,
the Pembroke teachers' union has OK'd a contract proposal.
Almost 90 percent of the union's members voted Tuesday, June
15, the last day of school, to accept a three-year contract deal
put on the table by the school board last week. Both sides have
said the offer amounts to a compromise.
Roger Miknaitis, chief negotiator for the Education Association
of Pembroke, said the teachers felt the deal was fair.
"The membership thought it was a good compromise,"
he said. "They didn't get everything they wanted, but it
is indeed middle ground."
School Board Chairman Clint Hanson said he had developed the
accepted offer by literally taking the middle ground.
"We had made three different offers and they had made no
comprehensive response other than to say no," Hanson said.
"I simply took a shot and split the difference (in positions)
which is what I believe should have been going on all along."
The deal offers teachers a 11.99 percent salary increase over
three years, including a 4.12 percent increase for the upcoming
year. When negotiations started last year, the union had asked
a 14 percent increase, while the school board suggested near
10 percent.
Miknaitis downplayed the importance of the final percentage increases.
The union had been most concerned about keeping salaries up at
the higher end of the scale for more experienced teachers.
"The top step (of the pay scale) was moving farther and
farther away from other districts," Miknaitis said. "Even
from the salaries in the other districts of the SAU."
According to Miknaitis, 51 percent of the union's members were
in the upper steps of the pay scale. Changing those salaries
was the union's chief sticking point, he said.
"(The school board negotiators) were reluctant to do that,"
Miknaitis said. "But in this proposal, they seemed to finally
get the message, and came in with a proposal that tended to the
higher end."
Hanson said the board had been reluctant to give more at the
higher end, because it was concerned the newer teachers with
less experience were getting ignored.
"We can't ignore the people at the bottom," Hanson
said. "Because those are the salary steps that I have to
have reasonable money in to compete for new teachers when this
group retires.
"They may not be concerned about the bottom of the scale
but I'm very concerned about it," Hanson said.
According to Hanson, the new contract offers salary increases
of $300 for teachers in their first, second and third years.
The salary increases then increase from that level on each step
of the pay scale. Hanson said that at the 14th step, the top
level, teachers will receive a $1,650 increase.
When asked if the pay is now competitive with other districts,
Miknaitis said "it's at least in the ballpark."
Negotiations came to an impasse in December. On Jan. 27, the
union offered to accept a one-year contract on the school board's
salary scale, but the board rejected the offer. With no agreement
by the beginning of February, the school district's budget went
to the annual meeting with no new teacher's contract included.
Although the union's 114 members have now approved the offer
on the table, the process is far from complete. The school board
must now also formally approve its own offer.
The school district must also petition a superior court judge
to OK a special election so voters can approve the new contract.
Because of Pembroke's budget process, the financial portions
of the agreement must also be approved by the municipal budget
committee.
Hanson said the compromise might be tough for some to swallow,
but it is fair.
"I haven't given away the store, but I also haven't created
a situation where we have a problem with existing teachers or
a problem recruiting new ones," he said.
"Personally, I think it's a great contract," Hanson
said. "It reflects the tenor of the times and it reflects
the ability of the town to pay."
Hooksett
Administrator chosen
State planning commission head to take
charge in Hooksett
By DEVON CORMIER
Staff Writer
dcormier@yourneighborhoodnews.com
The search for a new town administrator
is once again over. The Hooksett Town Council unanimously voted
to offer Moni Sharma the recently abandoned position.
Sharma, the executive director of the Southern New Hampshire
Planning Commission, had planned to retire this summer after
24 years with the commission. He had given his notice and planned
to leave July 20.
However, his retirement will be short-lived. Sharma, 62, of Manchester,
accepted the town administrator position and is expected to begin
his new job on Aug. 9.
"It's something I have never tried in my life," Sharma
said. "I will have a very short retirement, but it's a new
challenge. We'll see whether or not I can live up to my expectations
and the expectations of the council. It was a nine-zip vote.
We'll see if I can deliver."
Despite his uncertainties, Sharma said he isn't nervous and looks
forward to starting his position as town administrator despite
his short retirement.
Sharma isn't the only one who's excited. Chairman Michael DiBitetto
can't wait to put Sharma's skills in planning to work.
"He's got a lot of experience in the transportation sector,"
said DiBitetto. "We're pretty excited about that."
Town Planner Charles Watson said a lot of Hooksett's most pressing
issues relate to planning and transportation, making Sharma the
perfect candidate for the job.
"Some of the major problems that need to be resolved quickly
in Hooksett relate to traffic and transportation and roadways,"
Watson said. "He will bring a great deal of expertise to
Hooksett. I expect to have a very close and productive working
relationship with him."
Also pleased is Liz Dionne, who was the acting town administrator
during the search. Dionne said she's happy she will soon be able
to resume her position as the assistant to the town administrator.
"I'm anxious to get back to the human resources aspects
of the job full time," Dionne said. "But this has been
a really smooth run."
This is the second time that Dionne has filled in as town administrator
for a period of months. She began the fill-in on May 1 and will
continue until Sharma takes over in early August.
"Liz Dionne has done a tremendous job over the past couple
of months," DiBitetto said. "She's done a great job
and we're really pleased."
Allenstown
No more room at the sewer?
Allenstown condominium plan in jeopardy
over limits to sewer plant hookups
By RUSS CHOMA
Staff Writer
rchoma@yourneighborhoodnews.com
A proposal to build dozens of condominiums
in downtown Allenstown may be torpedoed by questions of capacity
at the sewage treatment plan.
Since last fall, plans for an 86-unit condominium development
for 55-and-older residents on a 26-acre plot off Lincoln Street
have been on the table, but recent statements from sewer officials
question the viability of the project.
In January, J.H. Spain Associates, a Concord-based developer
proposing the project, dubbed McNamara's Landing, approached
the Allenstown Sewer Commission with an agreement to secure the
plan 86 sewer system hookups. That agreement was never signed.
According to Jim Rodgers, Allenstown Sewer Commission's chairman,
a recent request for 86 hookups was also rejected.
"We sent that application back because it wasn't complete,"
he said. "As far as we're concerned no, there are
no applications on the table."
On June 7, the Allenstown Sewer Commission announced it would
be immediately limiting the number of new hookups to only 10
each year. Allenstown owns and operates the Suncook Wastewater
Treatment Facility, but the majority of use is by Pembroke customers.
Attorney Richard Uchida, representing J.H. Spain Associates,
said his client is aware of the problems.
"Right now it'll be hard for us to gauge if it'll be a real
problem for us, because we haven't even been through the (Allenstown)
Planning Board," he said.
"If sewer hookups could be made available in a year or two
it wouldn't be bad," Uchida said. "But if you start
getting out three or four years (before capacity is available)
it starts getting to be a problem."
Uchida said that data developed by J.H. Spain Associates suggested
Allenstown's system could handle more use.
"The data seems to suggest there is some inflation from
the Allenstown part of sewer system," he said.
Because of leaks in the system, Uchida said, storm drainage and
runoff may be being treated as sewage. Patching leaks could lower
the amount of capacity used by Allenstown, he said.
When the plant was originally built in 1975, Pembroke was guaranteed
65 percent of the plant's capacity. Currently Allenstown uses
40 percent. Debates over use of the plant led to significant
friction between each town's respective sewer commissions.
Rodgers said the restriction on hookups was not specifically
in response to McNamara's Landing, but rather to calm Pembroke's
concerns.
In recent years the two commissions have developed a better working
relationship, said Rodgers. Money has even been put aside to
discuss plant expansion.
"We were on the way to making a new arrangement. We've had
a pretty good rapport with them," he said, "until this
happened with McNamara's Landing."
While the new proposal strained relations, Rodgers said, it was
not the reason for the new restrictions.
"Let's put it this way. As the application went through
the zoning board, there was more and more controversy,"
Rodgers said. "It became more and more controversial with
Pembroke."
Pembroke Sewer Commission Chairman Harold Thompson said his group
has not discussed McNamara's Landing formally, but is concerned
about any new hookups granted by Allenstown.
"That (original) agreement is still in use today,"
he said. "And as most of us read it, the remaining capacity
is supposed to be allocated to Pembroke."
Thompson added that he believes "Allenstown hasn't got any
flow to limit."
Thompson said his chief concern at the moment was that there
would be enough capacity for proposed new commercial developments
in Pembroke.
Associated Grocers, a large grocery co-op in Manchester has proposed
moving a large distribution center to Pembroke. The facility
would have 308 employees, with the possibility of expanding to
600.
But Thompson said he is trying to handle the situation carefully.
"Allenstown owns the plant and we're just a big user, "
he said.
If McNamara's Landing were to be granted 86 hookups, Thompson
said he would take action.
"We'd have to talk to the lawyer, but I would think that
we'd probably have to write them a cease-and-desist letter,"
he said.
But, court action is his last resort, Thompson said.
"Years back, we used to fight everything in court,"
he said. "I won't do that. We live side-by-side, so we're
going to get along one way or another."
Auburn
When a football symbolizes
hope
Everett Harriman shows
children with heart defects they are not alone
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By AMY FORTIER
Correspondent
When Everett Harriman was
born with a congenital heart defect in 1933 in Biddeford, Maine,
very little was known about the disease. Harriman, currently
of Rockingham Road in Auburn, was told by the family physician
at a young age that he had a heart murmur. His family was instructed
to prevent Harriman from physical exertion because of the stress
it would put on his heart.
"I remember, at about the age of 7, a gift football was
quietly taken from me and replaced with a Charlie McCarthy ventriloquism
doll so that my activities would be low stress," said Harriman.
Yet even his mother's anxiety could not check Harriman's enthusiasm
for sports. Harriman spent much of his youth playing pick-up
games with his friends. At the age of 12, Harriman's life expectancy
was pronounced to be "20 at the most" by another physician.
Yet in 1976, things got better for Harriman because medical technology
had caught up with his heart defect. Harriman moved to the West
Coast for a job change. His new cardiologist recommended that
he have surgery at Stanford University Hospital which would repair
both atrial and ventricular septal defects that Harriman had
since birth. The surgery was a complete success and Harriman,
now 70, has lived a completely healthy and normal life.
Harriman attended engineering
school and worked for many years in the paper industry. He has
two children and lives with his second wife, Diane Thibault,
in Auburn. Harriman is actively involved in the Auburn community,
volunteers at the Auburn Historical Museum, and is the group
moderator for "Vigilant Auburn Citizens," a community
discussion group on the Internet.
Harriman now gives hope to many children who are born with congential
heart defects that they too can live long and fruitful lives.
As a child, Harriman often felt that he alone had this problem,
but actually it is the most common birth defect in the USA.
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GIVING HOPE Everett Harriman,
70, of Auburn, was born with a heart defect in 1933. At the age
of 7, Harriman's beloved football was taken away because he was
not supposed to engage in too much physical activity as a child.
Here, Harriman stands outside his home with a football he gave
to Jeffrey Cameron, son of Lenore Cameron, who founded the Little
Hearts organization eight years ago when her son was diagnosed
with a heart defect. (Amy Fortier Photo)
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Approximately 32,000
babies, or one in every 125, are born with one of the 35 different
types of congenital heart defects each year in the United States.
One of the ways that Harriman has helped children born with heart
defects is through his active involvement in the Little Hearts
Organization. Little Hearts, an all-volunteer nonprofit organization,
was founded by Lenore Cameron in 1998. Cameron's son Jeffrey
was born with a a congenital heart defect and she was very distressed
at the lack of information and options available to her. After
her son's healthy recovery from his first of three surgeries
needed to correct hypoplastic left heart syndrome, Cameron worked
to establish Little Hearts as a supportive and informative arena
for parents with children born with heart defects.
This past weekend was the Little Hearts eighth annual picnic
in Connecticut.
Each year, Little Hearts hosts a picnic for all the families
affiliated with the organization. It is a chance for parents
to support each other and receive hope and comfort.
"Imagine being a young parent and receiving this terrible
news. If you can find someone of a similar age who has endured
the same problem, they can give you so much hope," says
Harriman.
The annual picnic also gives the children the opportunity to
play with others that have survived a heart defect, showing that
they are not alone.
"When I was a child, I was told I had this terrible illness,
but I didn't know what it was or of any other kids to talk to
about it. I had no reference point to how oddball I was,"
Harriman said.
Harriman attended the picnic with his wife this year with a special
purpose. Harriman planned to give Lenore Cameron's son Jeffrey
a football.
"Jeffrey is about the same age as me when I got my football
taken away. Giving it to him is symbolic of the progress that
has been made in medical procedures over the years." said
Harriman. "The football seems so big, but that will give
him a reason to grow up. This is also closure for me, because
if I am still remembering that football it must have been really
important to me."
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