Obituary: Cleveland Butch Welch

Cleveland Butch Welch
 

September 14, 2015
Lebanon

Cleveland D.Welch “Butch”, 75, of Lebanon passed away on Monday at the Frisbee Memorial Hospital in Rochester. He was born in Sanford on March 23, 1940 a son of the late Roger and Muriel (Robbins) Welch. He graduated from Sanford High School in 1958.

Butch was employed by the First National Stores for nearly 20 years managing the Sanford store. He was then employed by Cummings Bros. as an on the road grocery salesman. Along with his brother Wally they started Little River Builders. Together they built nearly 200 homes in the area. They also found a niche in building pallets. The business grew and is now today Welch’s Hardware & Lumber in East Lebanon.

Butch was a life member of the Springvale Masonic Lodge #190, serving as Master in 1981. A member of the Shriners Kora Temple, he was also a member of the Pioneer Club, The Renegades, Valley of Portland Scottish Rites, Royal Order of Jesters-Put Stevens Court, #107, Riverside Grange #475, Eastern Star-Ruth Chapter #14 as well as a member of the Central New Hampshire Model T Club. He was also a life member of the Springvale Fish and Game. He was also a volunteer fireman with the town of Lebanon.

He is predeceased by one brother, Wally Welch.

He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Nancy (Chick) Welch of Lebanon, sons, Tony Welch and his wife, Stacie of Somersworth, Dana Welch and his wife, Sue of Lebanon, Scott Welch and his wife, Lynn of Berwick, five grandchildren, Matthew Welch, Kelly Beal, Andrew Welch and his wife, Danielle, Jeremy Welch and his wife, Amanda, and Amanda Welch, six great grandchildren, Ethan Welch, Lydia Welch, Natalie Beal, Howard Welch, Lincoln Welch, Everett Welch. He is also survived by one sister, Ann Torrey of Vermont as well as many extended family members.

Visiting hours will be on Thursday from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8PM a the Carll-Heald & Black Funeral Home, 580 Main Street, Springvale. A graveside service will be held on Friday at 1PM at the Forest Grove Cemetery in Lebanon.

Those planning an expression of sympathy are asked to consider donations in his memory to the Shriners Hospital for Children, 516 Carew Street, Springfield, MA 01104-2396.

Condolences may be expressed at www.blackfuneralhomes.com

Lebanon Maine Budget Committee Meeting, Thursday, September 10, 2015

 

LEBANON BUDGET COMMITTEE MEETING 9/10/15

 

The Lebanon Budget Committee met on Thursday evening 9/10/15 beginning at 7 pm.

The Committee voted in Chip Harlow as their Committee Chair for the 2015-16 season.

Present at the meeting were Chip Harlow, Bette Harris-Howard, Laura Bragg, Chris Gilpatrick, Nancy Neubert, and Skip Wood.

At first the Committee meeting is difficult to hear due to Selectmen Thompson and Heath having a conversation with Selectmen's Assistant Sue Collins at the counter, But I promise, it gets better when Thompson and Heath join the Committee Meeting.

The main item on the agenda is whether the Budget Committee will vote to approve to voters the expenditure of $8,000 for the removal of the wall between the current Selectmen's Office and the current Code Enforcement Office, thus creating a larger meeting room. The current Selectmen's Office can legally hold a maximum of 9.43 people, while opening the wall would allow about 18 people to be present during a meeting.

There is much discussion regarding this change including questions on security, ventilation, whether the job would go out to bid, and questions on whether this is a smart move, or would it be smarter to spend more money and create an addition, including conference rooms, off the back of the current building.

There are questions regarding the tax commitment (due Monday 9/14/15 according to Select Board Chairman Thompson), and the possibility of increasing the "base lot" assessment from $32,000 to $35,000.

The Committee turns back to the removal of the wall and more questions surface with Bragg and Harris-Howard wanting to approve the project at $5,000 while others are saying they're willing to go $6,000.

The Committee finally votes to approve a question on the town's November 3 ballot to spend $6,000 out of the contingency fund to pay for the project.

The Committee votes with 4 approving (Harlow, Wood, Neubert and Harris-Howard) with Laura Bragg and Chris Gilpatrick opposing.

The discussion then turns to budget procedure for the upcoming year, complaints about the town's Purchase Order system and how confusing it is, procurement cards that act like a petty cash account, and the Trio computer software system.

In the discussion regarding the spending by individual department heads, Chris Gilpatrick makes mention of Road Commissioner Tom Torno and his absence from Selectmen's Meetings. He asks how the Board knows what he is spending Road Department budget on and Selectman Thompson admits that he has no idea, however, Thompson can not act on his own to demand MIA Torno into the Board. This leads to a heated exchange between Gilpatrick and Selectman Royce Heath.

While Heath pulls up short of his famous "No Comment", he isn't far off, but Gilpatrick tells it as he sees it, telling Heath exactly what he thinks of him as a Selectman.

The final matter of discussion is with regard to the fact that there are 3 Budget Committee members who never show up for meetings and the need to ask them to resign so that alternates, or newly elected people can fill their positions.

 

TO SEE THE VIDEO of the LEBANON MAINE BUDGET COMMITTEE MEETING OF 9/10/15, Click HERE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLRiUoXG8jA