Around Milton, This and That.......a Peek Into Our Neighboring Town of Milton NH

Around Milton, This and That                                                     2/4/2016
Shared by Les Elder

There are four contested town positions for the annual town meeting as follows: Selectman for (3) years, Mike Beaulieu and John Katwick, supervisor of the checklist-Diane DuBois and Robert R. Ferris, town treasurer-Pamela J. Arnold, David Buchanan and McKenzie C. Campbell, zoning board of adjustment (3) years-Mike Beaulieu and Larry Brown.

There will be a meet the candidate’s night on Thursday, Feb. 18 at town hall beginning at 6 p.m.

SCHOOL NEWS

The Milton School Deliberative Session will be held Saturday at the Nute High School Cafeteria at 1 p.m.

This session will consist of explanation, discussion and debate of Warrant Articles No. 2 through No. 9. Warrant articles may be amended subject to limitations, and all warrant articles (even if amended by majority vote) will be placed on the official Ballot for final vote.  The proposed budget is $ 9,833,472.00.

 

The Nute Middle High Schools Junior Class will be hosting a "Princess Ball" (a father/daughter dance) on Saturday, February 13th at the Elementary School from 4-6pm and they will be serving dinner, dessert and of course there will be dancing. Flyers should have been sent home last Friday. The cost is $10 per person. This is open to the community ages 5-12.

 

The Teneriffe Sports Club, a non-profit group that is a resource for sport groups, is putting together a fundraiser to support their efforts. There will be live music and dancing at the Milton Moose Lodge on Friday, Feb. 19 from 7 to 10 p.m. Rob and Jodie Gourlay will provide live music and the dance floor will be open. Tickets are $15 per person. There is a limited amount of tickets because of the limits of space. Call 605-285-5136 for information about the event or tickets. Also, there will be raffle and a 50/50 drawing.

Milton Free Public Library

Curiosity Creates, a new program is being offered at the library in Milton Mills. The first event is Saturday, Feb. 6 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Three more events will be held in March, April and May. Children are also welcome to come at any time during library hours and use the upstairs space to explore, play and discover. Young people age 6 through 14 are encouraged to sign up early, as space is limited. Please email the library at mfpl@metrocast.net or call 603-473-8535. Parents are welcome and encouraged to come and play with the children, but be aware the upstairs space will be a "screen free" zone during creative play times.

Can Peanut Butter REALLY Be Deadly for Dogs?? The Answer is YES, If It Contain's Xylitol.......

Is peanut butter REALLY deadly for dogs??

The answer could be YES, if it contains Xlitol, a sugar substitute commonly used in sugar free gums, candy,

and now peanut butter!!!

Be sure to check the ingredients of your peanut butter and encourage children to keep sugar free chewing gum or candy out of the reach of your pets!!

 

For more information, check out this post...........

 

http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/xylitol.asp

New Scam in Town......Scammers Use Fake E Mail to Lure Victims Into Giving Personal Information.

Posted on January 27, 2016 by Amy Herbert, Consumer Education Specialist, FTC

The subject line says “Get Protected,” and the email talks about new features from the Social Security Administration (SSA) that can help taxpayers monitor their credit reports, and know about unauthorized use of their Social Security number. It even cites the IRS and the official-sounding “S.A.F.E Act 2015.” It sounds real, but it’s all made up.

It’s a phishing email to get you to click on a scammer’s link. If you do, a scammer can install malware — like viruses and spyware — on your computer. Or, the link might send you to a spoof site — a lookalike website set up by a scammer to trick you into entering your personal information.



Not sure if an email is really from the government? Here are a couple of clues. Did the email end up in your junk folder? Email providers use filters to help catch phishing scams and prevent spam from getting into your inbox. And when you hover your cursor over the link, is the web address really a trusted website? In this fake SSA email, when you hover over the URL you’re invited to click on, you see the link goes to an unrelated “.com” — instead of the Social Security Administration’s socialsecurity.gov or another “.gov” site.

If you get a questionable email, don’t click on any links, or open any attachments. Report it to the FTC by forwarding the email to spam@uce.gov — and to the real organization impersonated in the email. You also can report it to your email provider. Some email providers let you mark messages as phishing scams. Your report is most effective when you include the full email header, although most email programs hide this information. To find out the full header, type the name of your email service with “full email header” into your favorite search engine, and include this information in your report. When you’re done, delete the email.

If you’re unsure about an email that looks like it’s from the government, contact the agency directly. But find the contact info yourself.

Today's News from our Friends and Neighbors in Milton, NH.

The Town Moderator will hold a “Meet the Candidate’s” night on Thursday February 18th 2016 at P.M. located at the Town Hall in the Selectmen’s Chambers. This will be recorded for those unable to attend.

Chris Jacobs, Town Moderator

TOWN OF MILTON
POSTED ROADS
FOR 2016

Unless specifically permitted by the written directive of the Public Works Director, it shall be unlawful for any person, partnership or corporation to haul, transport or cause to be transported by vehicle with a gross weight over eight (8) tons, any material over the class V roads in The Town of Milton from 00:01 am, February 2, 2016 through 11:50 pm, April 30, 2015 or as determined necessary by the Public Works Director.

 

 

Update from the Strafford Regional Planning Commission on the Moose Mountain Regional Alliance

 

Since the inception of the Moose Mountains Regional Alliance in early 2015, Strafford Regional Planning Commission staff have provided facilitation and technical assistance services to those involved in this regional organization. The Moose Mountains Regional Alliance formed in order to promote the resources (businesses, lodging, cultural & recreational areas, etc.) in the towns of Farmington, Middleton, Milton, New Durham, Wakefield, Brookfield and Wolfeboro.

 

At their most recent meeting on January 26th, SRPC staff members Kyle Pimental and Matt Sullivan joined group members to discuss marketing and growth strategies for the group. The group is looking forward to creating a website that will draw attention to this exciting organization. The Branch River Scenic Byway also runs through the region, attracting visitors to the Moose Mountains and surrounding areas.

 

For more information on this effort contact Denise Roy- Palmer. Moose Mountains Regional Alliance chairperson, at drp@WEDCO-NH.org.

 

Milton School Deliberative Session will be held this Saturday, 6 February 2016 @ the Nute High School Cafeteria, 1:00 PM.

This session will consist of explanation, discussion and debate of Warrant Articles # 2 through #9.  Warrant articles may be amended subject to limitations, and all warrant articles (even if amended by majority vote) will be placed on the official Ballot for final vote.

Proposed budget is $ 9,833,472.34.

Additional Warrant Articles included are but not limited to:

School Administrative Unit  Budget of $958,071.24 (Milton's share is 43% which equates to $414,078.00.)

Milton Elementary School repairs $50,000.00

New Computers Lease Proposal $279,034.00

Milton Elementary School New Roof Phase 1 of # phases $32,782.00

Library media request $5,000.00

School Repairs Capital Reserve Fund Request $25,000.00

Special Education Trust Fund request $25,000.00

 

Total Requested:  $11,208,360.

(Eleven Million Two Hundred and eight thousand three hundred and sixty dollars.)

 

 

 

Lebanon Treasurer Lemay Suspends Department Usage of Town Credit Cards

On the February 1, 2016 Board of Selectmen's Meeting Agenda, Town Treasurer Jeanette Lemay was listed as "Discussion".
During this discussion, the Board questioned Ms. Lemay regarding an e mail sent to all town department heads during the day on Monday, outlining some changes in purchasing.
The e mail ,which LMTS has not seen, apparently was in direct relation to recent Budget Committee conversations and Facebook posts regarding "late fees" as charged to different department budgets.
The late fees, have sometimes been charged back to separate department budgets due to the use of a quicker method of payment, the town's credit card, which is for use for department heads when the need of a speedy or last minute payment is needed.
The town currently does Accounts Payables every 2 weeks, and depending on when the Treasurer receives the invoice in direct relation to the scheduled AP date, sometimes the payment is late getting to the credit card company. In this case, a late payment is generated.
According to Treasurer Lemay, the Department heads have all been made fully aware that if they utilize the town's credit cards, and the payment is late and generates a late fee, that fee would be split between the department budgets that utilized the card during that month.
Lemay contends that she remains the fiduciary of the Town of Lebanon accounts and that she has not been comfortable with the questions of "fault" or "blame" for several rounds of budget discussions where Committee members have questioned the late payment charges, and therefore, as the holder of Lebanon credit card accounts, Lemay has suspended these accounts until things can be worked out with the Board of Selectmen.
Until further notice, all town departments may only make purchases through normal AP procedure of submitting a purchase order, having the purchase order approved by Selectmen, and waiting until the next scheduled AP date to receive a check for their purchases, or they may order supplies through several pre-approved companies that the Town of Lebanon holds billing accounts with.
Furthermore, Lemay went over with the Board the Purchase Order requirements as well. All Purchase Orders must contain the account number, the vendor name and address, the budget item that the purchase will be applied to, and the signature of the department head placing the order.
After this discussion, the Selectmen stated that they would enter into Executive Session, to speak to Lemay about her choices and at 5:15 pm all observing residents were asked to leave the office so the Board could speak privately with the Treasurer.
The Board reconvened public session after several moments and Selectman Thompson asked Ms. Lemay if the late fees only encompassed one month, she answered that they had occurred over several different months and several different departments. Thompson continued, asking the Treasurer if she thought it would help to process Accounts Payable weekly, to which Lemay stated that she thought the extra workload of processing a full AP warrant weekly would be overwhelming, however, she agreed that if the Board presented her with a proposal for a weekly AP schedule, she would review it and have a further discussion. "I'm not agreeing to anything at this time," said Lemay, "but I will review any proposals and give them thought."
The procedure change regarding credit card use will stay in place until further notice.

Final Work Bids Awarded on Expansion and Renovation of Lebanon Selectmen's Office.

At the Selectmen's meeting on Monday, February 1, 2016, the Board of Selectmen opened the following bids for the completion of the work being done on expanding the Selectmen's Office space at the Lebanon Town Office.

Electrical Work: J&S Electric of Milton, NH submitted the only bid for $528.00 The motion was made by Selectman Thompson to accept the bid and award the work to J&S Electric as proposed. Motion was seconded by Selectman Nadeau and all 3 Selectmen voted favorably to award the bid.

Carpeting: Bourque's Flooring of Rochester, NH submitted the only bid for $1200.00. The motion was made by Selectman Thompson to accept the bid and award the work to Bourque's Flooring as proposed. The motion was seconded by Selectman Nadeau and all 3 Selectmen voted favorably to award the bid.

Sheetrock and Painting: Pete's Precision Painting of Sanford Maine was the only bid, totaling $2,070.00 for all work, including sheetrock, painting, and removal of the extra door. The motion was made by Selectman Thompson to accept the bid and award the work to Pete's Precision Painting as proposed. Discussion was offered by Selectman Heath that the door be stored for future needs as it matches the other doors in the Town Office and was an expensive door. The discussion was  noted. Selectman Nadeau seconded the motion and all 3 Selectmen voted favorably to award the bid.

The total remaining cost for the project  is $3,798.00.

Milton NH Eyes New Fire - Rescue Station Proposal, But What About Lebanon?

Yesterday morning LMTS took a break to head over to our neighboring Milton NH on an open invitation by several Milton friends to come and tour their Milton Fire-Rescue station.

As we arrived, the department's main ambulance went out on a medical call.

Entering the building, I was greeted warmly by a Milton responder who was kind enough to take me on a tour of the Fire-Rescue building.

It LOOKS tiny from the street, but there is a lot more to the station than what meets the eye, with a complete lower level exiting out of the rear of the station.

Milton voters will be faced with a Spring 2016 decision on whether or not to fund a brand new Fire Station, and after recent conversations over our own Lebanon Fire Station, I thought I would head over and compare notes.

The first thing I noticed was a horrible vibration. When the ambulance or fire vehicle is started in the station, air handlers automatically turn on. The engagement of only ONE air handler was enough to make me feel as though I were in a earth quake. Really.

 

 

 

The bays are small, much smaller than our own Lebanon station, and the walls and ceilings are cracking and chipping. Continuing downstairs, the responder showed me where the beams that separate the 1st and 2nd floors had been buckling under the weight of the top floor equipment and added steel beams had been added to help support the upper level. Maybe the steel beams would have made me feel a little better if there hadn't been obvious signs of recent building shifts in the back walls.

With many small towns growing in population and demands of services, Milton has moved to part time staffing and is looking at the possibility of adding an overnight shift. And yet there is no place for the crew to shower, no place for them to relax or to have a meeting or training session.

Now I'm not picking on Milton, they, like other small departments and towns all over the country, are doing the best they can with what they have. They make it work. And if Milton voters should decide not to fund the $2.7 million dollar fire house, they will go on doing what they do.

But seeing Milton's fire house in such a shape, it pushed me back into thinking about our own Lebanon Stations.

Milton's voters have prepared themselves for the eventuality of a new fire house. Over the past few years, they have funded the purchase of a piece of property in the central section of town, they have funded over $140,000 in preparation of plans and architectural drawings and studies. Everything is ready for such a time when a new fire and rescue station is needed. All they need is a vote.

I can't help thinking that our town of Lebanon is not so prepared.

 

 

 

With the Code Enforcement Officer sitting on a decision as to whether or not to condemn the Depot Road station, and still no resident interest in seeing the scary conditions that exist there, I wonder if we should be prepared.

Do we need to begin looking for ways to prepare and provide a safe place for equipment storage, and a safe place for our responders to meet, train, and work?

Early preparations will ensure that we are ready.

I have to wonder why there have been no discussions in public forums regarding what was discovered during the Code Enforcement Officer's visit to Station 1.

What plans are there to protect the town if the Fire and EMS Station should collapse in whole, or partially? A collapse could injure, disable, or cause loss of life to town employees (responders) resulting in huge insurance loss. A collapse could put our equipment into unusable condition leaving residents unprotected in the case of a fire or medical emergency.

The damage occurring at the Depot Road Fire and EMS facility in Lebanon is not new. Former Chiefs have done work on the building to assess the amount of damage and to try and discover the scope of the problem and possible repair attempts.

By now, sitting in Milton's Fire Station, I was lost in thought, wondering why Lebanon is not prepared with ideas for acquiring land, architectural plans, or even an agreed upon "Plan B".....

There is no "Plan B".

I'm always encouraging residents to ask questions. Once again, I'm encouraging you to ASK your town officials for an answer.

WHAT is going to be done about the floor (and more importantly UNDER the floor) in Station 1?

What is the condition of Station 2 (Blaisdell Corner on Rt 202)?

What is the TRUTH about the condition of our Fire apparatus and medical response vehicles (Ambulances)?

What might seem very trivial to you while worrying about the antics of Town Boards and Committees, might actually be the one thing that we need to focus on.

Do we have a 5 year plan? Is there a "Plan B"?

Ask the questions, Lebanon!!!

Town Meeting is coming up soon and that's your opportunity to ask questions in a public setting so that everyone will hear the answers.

Start getting ready to attend your Public Meeting.

Arm yourselves with questions, and expect answers.

If you get no answers, get ready for the Town Election that has been scheduled for May 2016.

Your vote shows your town government your concerns, and gives them your answers.