By Devon Cormier
Staff Writer

About 40 residents gathered at the Cawley Middle School for the annual deliberative session of Town Meeting on Saturday, April 2, but made only one change to the 21 warrant articles that will be on this year's ballot.

The change adds $50,000 to the Parks and Recreation department's line in the operating budget. The addition brings Hooksett's operating budget to $13.5 million this year.

Resident Peter Farwell made the suggestion to add money to the budget for the reconstruction of the Kids Kaboose playground at the request of his grandchildren, he said.

"For all the people who donated money and donated work for the playground, for the town to turn their back on this one good, nice area we have is unconscionable," Farwell said.

The Kids Kaboose playground is currently closed because of a lawsuit against the town. The playground, built with $50,000 in donated money, was built in 1993. In the decade since the Kids Kaboose was constructed, codes for playgrounds have consistently become more strict, leaving the town liable for out-of- date equipment. The susceptibility to lawsuits has forced the town to temporarily close the playground while most of the structures are removed. Dale Hemeon, highway director, said the money would be well spent at the Kids Kaboose. Hemeon also said it would be easy to locate and install plastic equipment that was up to code, leaving the town protected from lawsuits.

"The money would go quite a way to put a lot of new structures in," Hemeon said.

Raises
The only other controversy came with Article 19, an article asking for about a 4 percent raise for all nonunion town employees upon a successful performance evaluation.

The amount in the approved warrant articles asks for $78,564. Budget committee member Bryan Williams submitted an amendment asking for a 3 percent raise, the same teachers will be receiving, but the amendment was voted down as residents stood to speak in support of providing raises for nonunion personnel.

"I want to urge you to vote down the amendment," said resident Tina Paquette. "The town has grown and there is more work for the town people and we haven't increased the staff for a number of years. You want good workers and want them to stay in town."

Town employees
More town workers were also on the warrant. Article 14 asked for $44,802 for the salary and benefits of another full-time employee for trash collection.

"There are two things people bring when they move into town," said Town Councilor George Longfellow. "They bring more kids for the school system and they bring trash."

It has been 16 years since employees were added to the transfer station payroll and the increase in trash has been nearly impossible for the transfer station to keep up with, Longfellow said.

Village School
Growth in Hooksett's population has also meant expanded need for personnel and services at town hall. Voters will be asked for $1.5 million to renovate the old Village School to use it as new town offices and a community center. Residents had no comment about the big-ticket item despite having received extra handouts about the article. Composting
Residents had little comment on Articles 6 and 7, which ask to use $3.5 million to expand the wastewater treatment plant to allow composting. However, the money will come from sewer fees and existing funds, not taxes, and residents won't see an increase in the sewer rates. Other articles
Voters also approved the following warrant articles to be put on the May 10 ballot:

. Article 5, a petitioned article, asks for $410,00 to construct and expand the sewer system on Deerhead Street, Bartlett Street and Fairview Circle. An article asking for more money failed last year.

. Article 9 asks to use existing funds to purchase a solid waste skid steer loader for $32,000. The current loader is 16 years old.

. Article 10 asks for $90,000 to be put into a fund for phase two of the library heat and ventilation work. About $88,000 is in the fund currently.

. Article 11 asks for $15,000 to be put in a fund for police computer system development. There is about $56,000 in the fund and Police Chief Stephen Agrafiotis said the department needs about $85,000.

. Article 12 asks for $35,198 for the first year of a five-year lease of a street sweeper. Hemeon said he has been trying to get developers to pick up the costs and has convinced two developers to agree to picking up a year each of the lease so far.

. Article 13 asks for $25,000 to be put into a solid waste containment fund. Longfellow said a federal mandate will force the town to put a cover on all trash at the transfer station.

. Article 15 asks for $9,000 to be put in a fund for aerial photography. Town Planner Charles Watson said this is something the town will be asking for throughout the next seven years. The photography is expensive but invaluable to the town's planning and zoning boards as well as the police and fire departments.

. Articles 16 and 17 each ask for $51,846 to enter into a seven year lease/purchase agreement for two fire pumper trucks. The department's current trucks are from 1981 and 1989.

. Article 18 asks for $10,000 to be put in the parks and recreation fund. There is currently about $14,000 in the fund.

. Article 20 asks to establish a fund for a feasibility study and costs associated with the southern leg of a proposed parkway that would alleviate Route 3 traffic. The article asks to put $50,000 into the fund.

. Article 21 asks to establish a fund for community access television and to put $40,000 into that fund. About that amount of money is collected from taxpayers in franchise fees each year. The money collected currently returns to the general fund.

Finance Coordinator Diane Savoie said she expects the town portion of the tax rate to increase by about $1.22 if all the warrant articles pass on May 10.