New London

Three races in New London are warming up for a selectman’s seat, two Library Trustee seats and three seats on the Budget Committee. All other candidates are running unopposed.

Incumbent Larry Ballin is running against R. Peter Bianchi for his seat on the Board of Selectmen.

Robert Bowers, Phyllis Tilson Piotrow and Lisa Ensign Wood are vying for two three-year positions as Trustees for the Tracy Memorial Library.

Six candidates are vying for three three-year seats on the Budget Committee. They are Bernard L. Cushing II, Michael Doheny, Geoffrey W. Helm, John Sheehan, James Wheeler and John B. Wilson.

Andrew W. Hager is running unopposed for a three-year term for Trustee of the Trust Funds.

Celeste C. Cook is running unopposed for a six-year term as Supervisor of the Checklist.

Charles M. Hafner is running unopposed for a three-year term for Cemetery Commissioner.

An Evening with Jack Frost will take place this Friday evening, Jan. 29, from 6-8 p.m. on the New London town common. The 4th Annual event will feature eight bonfires around the common, which participants can snowshoe or sled to via tiki torches. Local restaurants will be set up at each bonfire and offer an entree, beverage or dessert. Snowshoes are available from the New London Recreation Department or Village Sports on Main Street. Registration begins at 5:45 p.m. Tickets are $10 per person, but under age five are free.

Restaurants include Peter Christian's Tavern, Rockwell's at the New London Inn, The Bistro at Ragged Mountain, the Inn at Pleasant Lake, Mount Sunapee Resort, Colby-Sawyer College, Flying Goose Pub, Millstone Restaurant, Screwie Lewiez, and Pizza Chef. Arctic Dreams will also offer free ice cream cones.

On Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 30 and 31, the New England Ski Joring Association will hold a ski joring competition on the town common. The event includes a horse and rider pulling a skier around a course, over jumps. The competition begins at noon both days. Admission is free for spectators.

Town Administrator Jessie Levine presented selectmen with a preliminary design for the new sidewalk to be installed from Cougar Court, across from the end of Gould Road down Pleasant Street to Jobs Seamans Acres, as part of the Safe Routes to School program.

“It doesn’t start at the Main Street intersection because there is a street-walk there by the bank which extends to Cougar Court,” Levine said.

The sidewalk will be asphalt with granite curbing, she said.  Lee said it would not be necessary to cut down any trees or remove anything existing there now.  He added that it is all within the town’s right-of-way.

“So, the landowners have no say about this,” Kaplan said.

“Technically, they don’t, but we will be educating them about this and getting their input,” Levine said.  “The Echo Communications building will have the same design as the [New London] Cleaners.” 

“So, it will be a drive in, drive out design versus backing out,” Ballin said.

Levine agreed, saying that was the whole point of the Safe Routes to School.

She said the town spent $33,000 on the engineering process, the rest, $100,000 will be covered by the grant.

New London business administrator Jessie Levine presented the board of selectmen with a preliminary design for the new sidewalk to be installed from Cougar Court on Tuesday, across from the end of Gould Road down Pleasant Street to Jobs Seamans Acres, as part of the Safe Routes to School program.

"It doesn't start at the Main Street intersection because there is a street-walk there by the bank which extends to Cougar Court," Levine said.

The sidewalk will be asphalt with granite curbing, she said. Lee said it would not be necessary to cut down any trees or remove anything existing there now. He added that it is all within the town's right-of-way.

"So, the landowners have no say about this," Kaplan said.

"Technically, they don't, but we will be educating them about this and getting their input," Levine said. "The Echo Communications building will have the same design as the [New London] Cleaners."

"So, it will be a drive in, drive out design versus backing out," Ballin said.

Levine agreed, saying that was the whole point of the Safe Routes to School.

The New London board of selectmen met with Public Works Director Richard Lee on Tuesday to commend his transfer station crew for their quick actions during a recent fire in the compactor.

Lee said that someone threw something combustible into the compactor. The attendants were quick to react, calling Lee immediately.

"I hooked onto the trailer and yanked the compacter out of the building," Lee said. "The fire department arrived and used foam on it to put it out."

"We want to recognize the employees for their quick thinking," Ballin said. "They are a huge benefit to the town. If this had happened at night we would have lost a tremendous amount of equipment and the building."

Kaplan added that they acted competently and ably. The board instructed Levine to draft a letter of commendation for the three transfer station attendants.

The board asked Lee if he thought the regulations of dumping should be revisited or perhaps the compactor should be monitored more closely.

Lee said after the fire was out, they found four bags of sawdust and three bags of construction debris dumped in the compactor.

The New London Board of Selectmen met with Michael Doheny and approximately a dozen residents on Tuesday night to discuss a skate board park for the town. Doheny said he has been working on the viability of a multi-use park in New London. He said Marshfield, Mass. has one that is 10,000 sq. ft. with a 400-seat amphitheater, which is used for open-air meetings and summertime movies.

"It is bowl-shaped, built into the ground because one complaint that comes up is that they are distracting to traffic going by," Doheny said.

The Marshfield park has green space with a pergola and plantings, and a wrought iron fence around it to make it more attractive, according to Doheny. The plan is to run a capital campaign to raise all funds needed, which will include a maintenance fund to maintain it for a 20-year period.

"We are asking for permission to put it on the warrant for Town Meeting," he said.

Town Administrator Jessie Levine said that without any funds from the town, the board of selectmen was not required to recommend the warrant.

Doheny said the lot behind the Information Booth across from the New London Inn is being looked at for the park.

The New England Handicapped Sports Association [NEHSA] held its 13th annual Winter Sports Clinic at Mount Sunapee Resort this week for disabled veterans from across the country, according to NEHSA Executive Director Tom Kersey. Two hundred people, including 55 disabled vets, 75 instructors and various support team members are attending the four-day event.

Kersey said Monday was a fit-up day, to get each veteran fitted with proper equipment and paired up with instructors. Tuesday and Wednesday were half days of skiing and half kayaking at the indoor pool at the Best Western Hotel here.

"They will also be able to try shooting with an air rifle and do some snow mobiling," Kersey said.

Included in the week of activities is a dinner hosted by Colby-Sawyer College in New London and a Monte Carlo gambling afternoon on Thursday, also at the Best Western.

Kersey said the event requires a lot or organization.

The New London Board of Selectmen discussed the upcoming New London Winter Carnival on Monday. The weekend of Jan. 29 - 31 will include the Fourth annual Dinner with Jack Frost on Friday night, a progressive snowshoe dinner on the town common under tiki torches to six to eight designated bonfires. Local restaurants will provide entrees, beverages and dessert. Saturday and Sunday events will include a snowshoe race and the annual ski joring on the town common.

Horses pulling skiers around a snow track with jumps is called “ski joring.”

Town Administrator Jessie Levine reminded the board that it had approved the move of the ski joring from last year's Colby Sawyer College location to the area around the town hall and the common. The New England Ski Joring Association has asked for permission for additional signage than usual, she said.

"Town regulations allow for more signage because it's town property and a non-profit organization," she said. The event is organized by New London residents Jeff and Brook Smith. They do not charge admission, Levine added.

Selectman Larry Ballin expressed concern about traffic control.

The New London Board of Selectmen met on Monday evening to discuss the 2010 town budget, and changes to the transfer station in town.

Town Administrator Jessie Levine presented a handout showing changes to the budget as requested by the New London Budget Committee at its Dec. 14 meeting. The committee had requested a cut across the board to within 1.5% of last year's budget. The handout showed a cut of $351,696 from the budget, due to the removal of several projects, such as milfoil monitoring, a hazardous waste day, and the planned improvement to the Elkins beach area.

Selectman Tina Helm expressed frustration with the process.

"I'm concerned after months of work, there has been no progress at all, we need to show some backbone and take leadership as a board, particularly in support of our employees," she said.

Selectman Mark Kaplan said that New London is a special town.

"If you want a special town, you have to pay the price for it," he said. "If you just cut ad infinitem, the result is a deterioration of the town."

Helm said to catch up down the road is costly.

The New London Board of Selectmen met on Nov. 30 with Russ Aney, of the New London Energy Committee, to discuss upgrading public buildings in town for energy savings. They also met on Dec. 7th with Liz Bedard, of the Northeast Resources Recovery Association, to discuss single stream recycling and the Pay-as-you-throw trash program.

Solid waste

On Dec. 7, Bedard told the board she has been working in solid waste in various positions for the past 30 years, with 15 years managing the Governor's Recycling program and now is a part-time consultant.

"Traditionally, solid waste disposal is part of your property taxes," she said. "But trash is getting more and more expensive, it's similar to water and sewer. With Pay-As-You-Throw, users pay for what they throw away. Some people have the idea, 'I can throw away as much as I want.' There's a disconnect. In 1980, there were 200 Pay-As-You-Throw, now there are well over 10,000 in the U.S., including the cities of Portland, Maine, Worcester, Mass., and most recently Concord, NH, and the results are amazing.