YourNeighborhoodNews.com: The Goffstown News

At election time, it is often argued that there are needs and there are wants when it comes to paying for ballot items.

And it’s true. Not everything listed on a ballot is a dire necessity. People do have an agenda sometimes to get money for their pet project or group.

But sometimes, there is a real need that can’t be overlooked without serious consequences.

Such a need is a new middle school in Weare. Deterioration at the school is such that waiting is only going to increase safety hazards and poor conditions for these students.

One only had to be present at the assembly held during School Spirit week recently to see how the school is bursting at the seams. Seeing several hundred middle-schoolers crammed into an insufficient gym is evidence that a new school is needed – and needed now.

It’s obvious that the school is outdated, uncomfortable and unsafe. The town is growing and more space is needed.

And there’s no better time than now to build.

Support Weare students. Vote yes for a new middle school.

-Christine Heiser

The Kindergarten Committee has been working on this project for more than four years, and this latest proposal to use townowned land near Glen Lake is a win-win situation for all of us. It’s no secret that the State of New Hampshire Board of Education plans to include public kinderarten as part of their “minimum” standards in 2007- 08. It would be a huge mistake to walk away from the millions in state aid, only to pay the full cost later on.

Like with most decisions we make in life, procrastinating or stalling rarely helps. Bringing kindergarten to Goffstown needs to be acted on now. Please vote yes on town Article 24 and school Article 5.

Only a while ago, aids and many others worked in our cafeteria making sandwiches so we could eat. Why you ask? Because our power went out in three quarters of school and our water pressure was very low. A day later, the same thing happened, and staff and students were forced to use Porta-potties. Many of our computers are broken and a couple of water fountains don’t work. There are some people so desperate to get a new middle school they’d gladly pay for it. Then there are others who would rather have a run-down middle school than pay some extra money. If you are the second type of person, all Weare Middle School students beg you to vote for a new middle school.

I believe his values and skills will be an asset to the board of selectmen and serve the town well.

The security of having a computerized machine count ballots was also discussed. With the concerns raised about computers and voting in the national news over the past few years, we want to assure voters that this machine, approved by the New Hampshire Secretary of State and in use in many communities in New Hampshire for years, is simply a scanner that counts votes, leaving a paper trail of actual paper ballots for recount and sorting any ballots that have write-ins or that cannot be read so that they can be hand-counted later. The Nader campaign commissioned a vote recount of the 2004 presidential race and the New Hampshire Secretary of State reported that the accuracy of the vote count by the Optical Scanners in the multitude of communities that utilize them was essentially 100 percent.

Until 1999, before New Boston adopted the so-called Senate Bill 2 form of town government, we had a town election separate from the Town Meeting, where the only thing on the ballot was the list of candidates running for office and zoning changes. All of the other articles were taken up at Town Meeting. On Election Day, people voted during the day on candidates and zoning, and ballots were then easily and accurately counted. Beginning in 1993, Town Meeting was held on a separate Saturday, and all the other warrant articles were discussed and voted on. With the advent of the Senate Bill 2 form of government, New Boston has changed its way of doing the town’s business and everything is now on the official ballot. Town Meeting is now a relic of New Boston’s traditional New England past.

The reason we are asking for this scanner is that as the town has grown, and with the long ballots, the process of counting has become problematic and we are no longer confident that our work after 18 to 20 hours at the polls is accurate. After the polls close, we must reconcile the number of voters who check in and out and the number of ballots that have been cast and the number unused. Once that has been done and the counting tables are set up, volunteers come in to perform the actual count. We have always been greatly appreciative of the help and community spirit.

However, if 2,000 votes are cast, and a team of two can reasonably count no more than 150 ballots, it takes many volunteers. It is then that we pull out the adding machine to tally many different tally sheets. Results must be certified to the state and or federal court. Because of the length of the day, the supervisors and moderator are worried about the validity of the count.

All of us feel very strongly about your right to vote and that the voters should have confidence in the way that their vote is handled. We have more than 50 years of experience between us and we realize that, while our system is not broken, it is far from ideal and it is no longer an adequate way to conduct the most important function of democratic government – the very counting of our citizens’ votes. Although, there is a small cost involved if Article 14 passes, we feel that ensuring the accuracy of our count is worth the expense to purchase this scanner.

We researched how other towns felt about this scanner. We investigated the company that makes it and distributes it. We had a demonstration of the scanner. We had several conversations with the secretary of state who oversees elections in New Hampshire.

All of the above sanctioned the scanner and found that it was a worthwhile investment. All endorsed its accuracy as the best in the business. Again, this is only a scanner. It only reads and counts votes and leaves a paper trail in the event of a recount. We have genuine concerns regarding human error after 18 to 20 hours. The request for the Accu Vote Scanner is about maintaining the integrity of your vote. We respectfully request that you vote in favor of Article 14.

Lee Nyquist, Town moderator; Irene Baudreau, town clerk; Kim Merron, deputy town clerk; Supervisors of the checklist: Sarah Chapman David Mudrick Cathy Strausbaugh
New Boston

I recently received a mailing from the “Concerned Land Owners of New Boston” urging me to vote no on a proposed zoning amendment to limit development on steep slopes.

I called the contact given in the mailing, Ursula Gordon, at the number at the local realtor office. I asked Ms. Gordon to tell me about what type of group it is and the names of those involved. She explained that the group is a limited liability corporation, but she was unwilling to share all the names, which she said was a “private list.”

I called again later and asked if she would be sending a second mailing with the names or print the names in the paper – she did not indicate that she would. She did invite me to a weekday morning meeting to learn more.

Will this meeting reach all the citizens who received the townwide mailing and inform them about who was responsible for the mailing?

To make an informed decision, voters need to know who is behind the opinions expressed, and why. Even the quote included in this mailing was anonymous. Who exactly are these folks, who do they represent, and why don’t they tell us who they are?

I don’t know yet how I’ll vote on the zoning proposal, but do I know this: I should not put any stock in the opinions of a group that evades putting their names with their words.

Now we have the opportunity to use the town-owned land across from Glen Lake on Elm Street. This land was previously believed restricted, but further research into the deed has proven that a school would be a suitable use for the land.

The contention now seems to be which piece of town-owned property, the Glen Lake property or the sand pit property, is the best site on which to build a school. While both of these sites may be suitable for a school, the Glen Lake land is tied to public use while the sand pit property is not. It makes sense to use the land that is restricted to public use. The sand pit property can be used by the town for other municipal activities or possibly for future revenue generation.

Please, let’s not waste any more time. The due diligence has been done; it is time to build the school.

Please vote yes for town Article 24 and tes for school Article 5 on Tuesday, March 8.

A lawsuit filed by abutters changed all that and now Goffstown risks losing more than 2.2 million dollars in state aid unless we can announce our opening day by June.

Luckily, Goffstown voters have the power to make that happen. As Crystal Tilton and a group of local educators so well stated in last week’s Goffstown News, the educational benefits of kindergarten are not in question.

Since 1971, people in this town have worked to create public kindergarten; hardly a hasty enterprise.

Last year voters proved that they agreed with the other 49 states and all but 15 towns in New Hampshire: public kindergarten is the right thing for our children. We just need to get it built.

There is a solution. The town owns property designated to be used for a public purpose, even designated in the town’s master plan as a potential school site. All it will take to solve the kindergarten problem is for voters to vote yes twice – yes on town Article 24 and yes on school Article 5.

Town Article 24 will allow the town to transfer the land to the school district and school Article 5 will allow the school district to accept it.

Our students deserve the benefit of a uniform kindergarten curriculum designed to lead into our schools’ first-grade curriculum.

This vote carries no tax impact, but the impact it will have on thousands of children over the years is clear. It is time to really consider the positive impact we as a town can have on our youngest citizens.

They can’t vote, but we who are responsible for them can. It’s time to be responsible. It’s time to build a kindergarten.

Be part of the solution. Please vote yes on town Article 24 and school Article 5 on Tuesday, March 8.

Well, you did, and it passed! Your votes proved that our community wants public kindergarten to be available to all 5- year-olds. The curriculum is ready, the community is ready and the kids are ready – but a school building is not. We need to build the school!

This year, we need another great effort from the community to pass two articles at next week’s voting day. Voting yes on town Article 24 will authorize the selectmen to transfer ownership of real property to the Goffstown School District for the purpose of establishing a school.

Voting yes on school Article 5 will enable the school board to accept a donation of land from the town of Goffstown.

The land available is the town-owned parcel across from Glen Lake. The transfer of land to the school district will not generate any new tax burden to the community. The Goffstown Kindergarten Building Committee was charged with following standards in bringing professionals together.

They included civil engineers, architects, building contractors and school and town officials. Our site subcommittee worked very hard in identifying the present Glen Lake site. They reviewed many past recommendations.

Remember, this process started years ago. It’s the best site for our new school.

So, here we go again. It’s up to you again. It’s going to take voting yes twice again! Vote yes on town Article 24. Vote yes on school Article 5.

The selectmen are in charge of day-to-day operations of the community. Approval of the BOS is required in order for any checks to be sent, for employees at any level to be hired or terminated, for changes in daily procedure to be implemented, for implementation of process.

The BOS meets once a week and a majority must approve those actions I just listed and more. That means on a daily basis your town administrator and department heads are handicapped in their ability to manage their departments as they see fit.

Under the proposed charter, the responsibility for day to day administration would be given to a town manger and the council would be responsible for policy level decisions.

For some reason this change has been equated to the equivalent of handing your community to a power hungry dictator over whom there would be no control.

The fact is it would give an individual specifically trained and experienced in town operations the authority to direct department heads as compared to our current system that has our administrator spending time every week on issues with no authority to resolve.

Your school department is run by a superintendent who has the training and authority to administer the schools operations, reporting to a board that sets policies. I don’t think anyone is proposing that by virtue of their residence, school board members should be able to direct a principal as to what lunches should be served. Yes, a manger would have a contract. Did you know that our town administrators have always had a contract until the current town administrator? So a contract is not the issue.

Did you know the town council would have the power to hire and fire the town manager? Given that scenario how many unpopular decisions do you think a town manager would make?

The proponents of the charter commission advocated the size of municipality warranted a change in our form of government. Those same proponents, none of whom felt it was important enough to run to serve on the charter commission, now say the proposed changes are not good and if the current system is not broken why fix it?

Am I the only one wondering if perhaps they just don’t like the result? I wonder what they wanted.

Am I in favor of every one of the proposed changes? No. Do I think we have a town administrator who would make an excellent town manger and in doing so make far better use of time you pay for? Yes. Do I think the changes can improve how your municipality is run? Yes. Do I ask you to vote for the charter commission recommendation? Yes. Will I run for the council? Yes.

Collis, who is a planning board member, conservation committee member and an engineer, is a fine public servant who has served faithfully for years and has not buckled to deplorable back-room politics.

Collis is the only public servant who dares to publicly question to motives of the selectmen. What’s truly amazing is that none of Kindergarten Mafia can see past the end of their collective noses.

After the kindergarten vote was passed, the Kindergarten Committee asked the selectmen for a list of eligible properties. For some reason the property now in Article 24 wasn’t deemed appropriate until after the Tibbets Hill Road property ran into legal issues. The property that never appeared on the list is the “sand pit” property. Collis just wants to know why. I think he and every one of us are entitled to an answer from the selectmen.

One possibility the selectmen didn’t include the sand pit property on the list is that they may have plans to develop it into an industrial park. Did you know that the town already has plans to make the intersection at Henry Bridge and Goffstown Back roads into a rotary?

Wouldn’t a “T” intersection work just fine and be cheaper? Of course it would, but then a tractor trailer wouldn’t be able to make the 90-degree turn on its way to the industrial park.

Collis contends the sand pit property is spacious, has room for much expansion and would need little in the way of excavation. The Article 24 property would need major excavation and blasting to remove the ledge. Last time I checked, the only people doing blasting for free were the insurgents in Iraq.

Collis is just telling everyone there may be a better choice and may actually save on our taxes.

Kindergarten is coming whether by our own will or by force. I’d rather see it come with state funds.

Collis is no NIMBY (not in my back yard) as charged by the publisher of this paper. He stated his house would be almost a half mile away from the school on the proposed property and would be impacted minimally. But not a single person in the Kindergarten Mafia could comprehend his message. It boils down to the fact that the Kindergarten Mafia are so angry and have been in such a long battle, that they’re ready to just railroad everyone, including themselves at this point, to get this school built.

It is not the integrity of Collis Adams that should be questioned, but the selectmen.

For all of you who berated Collis, I think you owe him an apology. If you’re not mature enough to do that, you should at least consider that maybe you can’t see the big picture of what is going on in your little town. Maybe Collis has more of that picture and was just trying to lead you down that road. But your narrow-mindedness clouds your judgment and it is simply a “me, me, me” issue.

And to the publisher: You certainly owe Collis an apology for calling him a NIMBY.

The Kindergarten Mafia would have you believe that unless you vote yes on Article 24, Goffstown will lose $2.2 million dollars. This is simply not the case and a classic “the sky is falling” tactic. If you vote no on Article 24, you’re effectively telling the selectmen to give the Kindergarten Committee a list of all the properties available in Goffstown. Not just the properties that won’t interfere with some plan for Goffstown that its citizens know nothing about.

The Kindergarten Committee need only submit plans for a school by June to retain the state funds. This could easily be done with the “sand pit” property.

There is so much going on behind the political scenes in Goffstown, you’d think we were a larger city. Don’t you wonder why the selectmen are so opposed to the new charter in Article 22?

If the new charter is voted in, the selectmen lose all their power. They have spent years working themselves into these positions. Doesn’t it seem odd that of five selectmen, only one thinks a new charter would be a good idea? Personally, I don’t know if a new charter would be good or not. If nothing else, it would get rid of the same old group that counts on the apathy of the voters to retain their positions simply because they get their friends to vote for them. And with the usual turnout at the polls, it doesn’t take many friends to get in office. Vote out the incumbents.

We also want to thank the voters of Goffstown for joining us each year in this commitment to revitalize the historic downtown, to make it more attractive, vibrant and economically stronger. Main Street is a partnership between the public and private sectors, and we are grateful for local residents’ willingness to play a role in that partnership. Each year town residents have agreed to spend a little less than $1 per person to keep this program active and healthy.

As local business owners we are a part of this community, we support the sports teams, extracurricular activities in your schools, and other youth programs. We donate to scholarship funds, the food pantry, and groups like the Police and Fire Rescue Association, as well as health-related charities. We also volunteer with you in civic organizations. We are your neighbors and we’re pleased to be able to make a contribution to this great town. We hope you will join us in supporting the Main Street Program on March 8 by voting yes on Article 19.

Antoinette Byers, Suttons Flowers and Gifts; Jennifer Brown, Brown Graphics; Brian Dexter, Cumberland Farms; John Putnam, Putnam’s Waterview Restaurant; Sandra Godbois, The Happy Tomato Cafe; Michael Kaluzynski, Rhonda’s Pizza; Don Gendron, Goffstown Financial Services; Randy and Tobi Longchamps, Travers Village Eatery; Jo Marie Denuncourt, Jo-Marie's Gift Shop; Patti Patenaud, Bridge Boutique; Gene Young, Monument Laundromat; Reta Young, Travel About; Bruce Normand, Greenthumb Landscaping; John Denoncourt, Sully’s Superette; Karen Henderson, Goffstown TrueValue Hardware; Linda Jolicoeur, Kameleon’s Gift and Flower Shoppe; Gretchen Whittier, Luna Salon; Kate DalPra, Iris Framing; Mike Sakelrios, Howe’s Pharmacy

First, please come to the high school or the Bartlett Elementary School on March 8 to vote for our local officials and the several important issues presented on the town and the school district warrants.

Secondly, and the inspiration for this letter, is to voice my strong support for Donna Bergeron, who is running for re-election as town clerk. I do not personally know her opponent and do not intend any disparagement of this lady’s qualifications. I support Donna Bergeron for several reasons.

Foremost amongst them is the fact that Donna Bergeron has proven herself to be truly dedicated to her very important work as town clerk. She runs the one town office which all citizens deal with on a personal basis, and she does this efficiently and with the courtesy due the citizens, all in the manner of by her predecessors, including George Aimo, Elaine Emerton and Marlene Gammons.

I have more interaction with Donna than many citizens because of my job as town moderator. I depend upon Donna as I have depended upon other town clerks in order to perform my duties at town meeting time and at all elections. Donna is always well prepared for these events, as she should be, inasmuch as the town clerk is a statutory election official. She is a hard worker, anticipating and preparing for these occasions, interacting with the supervisors of the checklist, school officials, the Municipal Association, the Secretary of State and the vendor of our ballot counting machines, to name a few. Much of her work is behind the scenes and conducted after Town Hall business hours.

For all these reasons, I will vote for Donna Bergeron in her re-election bid. She is a known performer, and I would urge you to vote for her as well.

The first concern being, do we really need a new form of government? The answer from the majority of the commission is that while the system is not broken, a new form of government will work better in the years to come. How do they know this? Forms of governments are not like computers or cars to be traded in just because time has passed.

The commission cannot point to any major fault in our present system other than they think that one person controls our present board of selectmen. If that is their concern, then expand the present board to seven members rather than change the form of government.

The commission also seems to be concerned that the board of selectmen micromanage each of our town departments. It is interesting to note that while they want to lessen the powers of the board of selectmen by making it a council with a town manager, the commission would keep the budget committee.

As someone who has been on the budget committee and was its chairman for two years, I can tell you that the budget committee has, over the years, often micromanaged the departments by controlling each department’s budgets.

Ultimately it is the budget committee that decides how large each department’s budget is, what goes into the budget and what gets cut.

The budget committee has as much say over each department than any town manager will. If the Charter Commission has so much faith in the town manager, why won t the commission give the department heads and the town manager the power to develop a budget to be approved by the town council?

Also, it is my understanding that many communities that have a town council and a town manager form of government do not have a budget committee. So why keep the budget committee and the present budget process?

Does the Charter Commission really believe that leaving the present budget process in place is an improvement over what exists today?

Since the majority of Charter Commission has failed to answer in the negative the basic question that they were elected to answer, that being, “Does the present system meet the needs of the town?” the voters should vote against the proposed charter. There is no need to fix something that has not been shown to be broken.

Often municipal jobs are not as lucrative as jobs in the private sector for highly skilled professionals therefore eliminating another pool of talent. The three-year term is a deterrent for many people because they won’t consider campaigning for a job with no guaranteed longevity.

The fact that the 2005 race for town clerk is contested benefits all the residents of Goffstown. This competition compels future town clerks to put forth their best effort. The race will scrutinize past job performance and stimulate discussion of new ideas and areas for improvement. The ongoing challenge will remind the winning candidate that their management skill set, technological progressiveness and customer service style will be evaluated by the people in the voting booth again in 2008.

Multiple candidates will give residents a choice to “hire” the best qualified applicant for the job.

I applaud Karen Johnson’s spunk to vie for town clerk, not just because she’s my niece, but because it takes tremendous courage for any young person to run for public office for the first time. Karen’s can-do attitude and her diligent work ethic are inherent family values.

Karen is proud of the quality education she received in the Goffstown school system before going on to a two-year business school. Her 12 years of business office management experience for a national firm have provided her with a solid background to capably perform the duties of this office.

We can not wait any longer to solve this problem; it won’t go away, it will only get more expensive to fix.We need to stop sinking taxpayer money into the old buildings, and begin investing in our future.The time is now to support a new Weare Middle School.

Dawn Weber-Braun, Audrey Janssen, Lisa Weatherbee, Joan Aubin, Melina LaPorte, Charleen Nikias, Patrick Scott, Jennifer Scott, George Coidakis, Laura Coidakis, Donald Burke. Stephanie and Roland Bowie

But, ironically we’ll vote to build a gas station in a heartbeat but when it comes down to building something the town actually needs, there’s hesitation.

I’m all for the expansion of the intermediate town I live in, but isn’t it a bit ridiculous to has gas stations build on land that could be used for something more useful like a kindergarten.

Everyone seems to complain about what they have in their backyards about the noise and traffic it would bring.

It seems like the voters of Goffstown rather have a gas station that would bring twice the noise and traffic then a kindergarten, thus continuing being one of the only districts without public kindergarten.

On Mast Road alone there are about 10 gas stations stretching from one end of the town to the other.

They’re within miles of each other and each time I pass them, I think, what were they thinking – that a driver is going to run out of gas from one station to the next? It’s very unlikely.

The Shell station that sits in between the Exxon station and the Irving station is a good example of land that could have been better used for a kindergarten.

Just think how much better it would look driving down Mast Road mid-day and seeing little kids laughing and playing, swinging from a jungle gym, fully knowing that those little kids would be learning in the building they play around.

What our town needs is not another gas station on a parcel of good land that could never be used again, but rather a school for little kids to learn and grow.

Personally, I’d rather have screaming kids and now and then traffic outside than constant noise and light and traffic from a gas station.

Come on now, how about seeing a building that’s useful and not redundant such as a gas station.

It is long overdue but financially wise to do while there is any (30 percent) state funding available.

Mismanagement in Concord has created a large deficit and much confusion over state funding of education.

We must strike while we have this money still available. Other important financial decisions on behalf of Weare voters pertain to articles 22 and 55.

These have to do with zoning and creating a new commission or layer of government. What do these have to do with finance for the town of Weare? Allow me to give you my opinion.

Article 22 expands the minimum acreage and frontage to allow someone to develop their property if they choose.

Innocent on its faces but creates a major liability for the town. Weare’s Planning Board does not recommend this article.

Properties that have been investment nest eggs for some (not I mind you) will be taken away. This would leave legal remedies as their only option.

Article 55 has to do with creating a commission or board to decide what lawsuits should be pursued and which should be settled.

We presently leave this to our elected selectmen, planning and zoning boards which all rely on town counsel advice. This article would change this to an appointed commission.

Who would be appointed – selectmen, chairmen of planning or zoning – none of them.

It would be the moderator, chair of the finance committee and chair of the conservation committee.

This is not a healthy avenue for the town. The selectmen sit in on many legal discussions with town counsel. They are constantly dealing with the budget.

The finance chair is appointed each year and serves about four months out of the year. The chair of the conservation committee is elected by its members each year. I believe they have changed chairs three years in a row.

This is not a fiscally sound idea. Preserving open space and rural character is important to me. Having people focus on paying for our new school is more important to me.

We need a new middle school more than another layer of government with little legal knowledge. we need to pay for said middle school and not more law suits.

Weare currently has five lawsuits pertaining to the growth and management article from last year.

Weare is still involved in a lawsuit involving the Mt. Dearborn Historic Overlay from a few years ago.

Who also went back to the voters to remove one of their family members property from the historic overlay – the moderator.

Please do not let this happen again. Who also stated in court that Weare can afford more lawsuits because of our general fund balance? You guessed it, our moderator.

I have lived in Goffstown for 27 years. My husband has, with the exception of his military service in Europe, lived in Goffstown all of his 50 years. We both have deep roots in the Town of Goffstown.

My grandmother, a Brown, was born on the Uncanoonuc Mountain and laid to rest on Shirley Hill at almost 100 years of age.

My husband’s grandfather, John E. Parker, was born and died in the very house we live in at Parker Station. Our home has never been out of the family in now, seven generations.

We have both served this community on various boards and committees. We do not any longer because my husband does not have the time to commit and for health reasons, I cannot. However, we do care about his community and its well being, which is the reason for this letter.

Phil D’Avanza is the incumbent candidate for Goffstown Selectman. He has been a selectman for 14 years.

In that time I have had the opportunity to work with him on many projects, usually having to do with the Goffstown Historic District Commission /Heritage Commission.

I have always found him to be knowledgeable, honest, conscientious and a pleasure to work with.

Even we were not in agreement, we were able to respectfully disagree and work toward an acceptable outcome.

I have found Phil does not make decisions because of his personal feelings. His decisions are based on what he believes is best for this community.

As a selectman, Phil has helped to institute many positive changes for Goffstown. He is an integral part of many projects that the Historic District Commission is overseeing.

Phil also runs a successful clock repair business in this community. He has even made a couple of house calls to repair my temperamental old grandfather clock.

Phil is always reachable. If you ask him a question, he will give you a direct answer, not a condescending rhetoric.

If he does not know the answer to your question, he will tell you he does not know and make a point of finding the answer.

When you go to the polls to cast you vote, please consider Phil D’Avanza has done an admirable job as selectman for the past 14 years. Why change what works?

This is why Article 29 was drafted; I drafted the article knowing that repairing at 26- year-old fire engine is not a wise ay to spend our tax dollars.

I originally drafted the article to purchase two fire trucks for $700,000 dollars. After seeing the board of selectmen and the budget committee work to keep one of the trucks in the budget, I decide to change the Article 29.

The article was rewritten after I worked with town administrator to get the wording and the figures to where it is today. The figure was brought down to $385,000 dollars for the purchase of fire engine.

I believe that this is a better way to spend our tax dollars when it come to the public’s safety and to keep the fire departments fleet at the same number it has been for many years.

I write this being a taxpayer for 14 years and being a member of the fire department for 20 years.

I am writing to thank you for all the support you have showed your fire department these many years and I am asking for your support again on Article 29.

No one seems to have an answer. The only argument that would have swayed my vote was if the selectmen (who are our existing governing body and have the first-hand experience to speak on this issue) had recommended the charter to make town hall run more smoothly with a town council and town manager.

But none of them did; in fact they voted 4-1 to state we are better served by the existing form of government.

There may be individual items on the charter worth pursuing, but we ought to consider them one by one, like this year’s Article 14 to make the ZBA elected rather than appointed. The charter has too many changes for me to vote yes.

On the kindergarten issue Article 24, I’m not sure how I’ll vote. I’m disappointed to see so many insinuations and negative statements, mainly from supporters, but also from critics. I’m very upset to read letters casting doubt on Collis Adams’s motives and character. I respect Collis and he raises some valid concerns about the proposed site.

I know he’d raise those concerns even if he lived across town and weren’t an abutter. I also respect the school board and appreciate the pressure they’re under and commend Scott Gross for his letter in the Feb. 24 paper which clearly reiterates the school board’s position without resorting to negative statements.

I don’t think either side has brought up issues that aren’t subject to different interpretations. On one hand, the deed to the town (Book 2561 p. 80) requires this site’s use “for public purposes only” and a school is a public purpose; on the other hand, 1977’s Article 10 to purchase the land was approved (1977 Goffstown Annual Report p. 15) on a voice vote after Selectman Elmer Nickerson “explained availability of state funds for such land to be permanently green areas for no motor vehicles recreation area.” Article 10 itself (1976 GAR p. 7) does not restrict the property’s use.

Collis has pointed out that RSA 41:14a requires selectmen to hold public hearings and ask for recommendations from the planning board and conservation commission, if they use their authority to sell land. In this case, though, the selectmen aren’t using that authority and are letting voters decide, so those extra steps aren’t required -- though perhaps it would have been a good idea to consult the board and commission anyway.

That leaves the main question. I feel like I’m on “Let’s Make a Deal”: Door No. 1 is the Glen Lake site, which the school board had two months in wintertime to investigate. Door No. 2, no longer an option, is the transfer station site, which has had no investigation. Door No. 3 is to do more investigation, but probably lose $2.3 million in state funding.

I’d like to believe the Glen Lake property is the right choice given the circumstances. My worry is that due to time pressure, we may have missed a problem with this site.

I won’t vote no on Article 24. I may leave it blank. I'll probably vote yes, but it won’t be a pleasant decision.

I have known Phil for over 15 years and have watched him grow into being a top-notch member of the Goffstown board.

We need dedicated, hardworking public servants like Selectman D’Avanza, who has the well-rounded experience necessary to face and help solve the many complicated issues that are becoming commonplace in our society.

I encourage all registered voters to exercise their right and duty to vote on March 8.

To all the citizens of Goffstown who are not registered, take the time to register and vote.

As for the position of selectman for the three-year term, I will be voting to re-elect Mr. Philip D’Avanza.

Having known Mr. D’Avanza for many year, I have found him to be hard working, honest and thorough in all his dealings. Mr. D’Avanza has always been willing to go the extra mile as selectman, looking out for the best interest for all the people of Goffstown.

I hope you will join my husband Lionel and I in re-electing Mr. Philip D’Avanza as Goffstown Selectman for threeyear term.

The proposal is to build a kindergarten school on the Glen Lake land. This land is already owned by the town. If it passes, the state will pay 75 percent of the cost of building and furnishing. This money is guaranteed to us as long as this passes. If this does not pass, we could lose the money.

The State Board of Education has voted to require kindergarten as a state standard beginning as early as 2007. Goffstown will then be forced to build a facility with 30 percent state aid of the 75 percent now available.

Over 50 percent of children entering first grade in Goffstown do not have the skills needed for first grade. Some children, 10 percent, do not attend kindergarten, but when your child enters first grad they are among peers from 39 different kindergartens. These kindergartens do not all follow the same curriculum and some, no curriculum at all.

Your child may get a good kindergarten education, but some of the children in your child’s first-grade class have not. This means that by the time all the students are at level where the first grade curriculum can be taught, months have passed and you child has lost out.

Public kindergarten sets the foundation for academic, social and emotional skills. It provides a consistent program based on the skills needed for first grade.

All students are taught the same curriculum and teachers assess and provide programming that covers a wide range of skills.

Recognizing and helping a child with issues earlier, will enhance self-esteem and success. By the time the child finishes kindergarten, they are ready to learn the first-grade curriculum.

Children who attend kindergarten have higher assessment score than children who did not attend kindergarten.

There is considerable savings in special education down the line when children with learning difficulties get services sooner.

Goffstown needs to have public kindergarten. Our population is growing and this kindergarten proposal will provide future cost benefits for our taxpayers. Please vote yes for both kindergarten land articles on March 8. Every vote counts.