Pelham - Windham News July 30, 2010 - 5


More Letters to our Editor


Representative DiFruscia Prioritizes Education


Windham and Salem homeowners have been fortunate to continue to receive state aid, while many other communities are donor towns. Since the Supreme Court’s decision requiring that the state provide for an adequate education, both Windham and Salem have consistently received increases in state aid. For fiscal year 2011, Salem is projected to receive $15,420,078 in state aid, while Windham’s projection is $7,319,629. The state aid formula is based upon student population. Both of these towns have had expanded school populations; thus they continue to receive state aid. The real estate tax rate in Salem has dropped from $6.60 per thousand in the year 2000 to $2.135 per thousand in 2010. The estimate for 2012 also reflects increased state aid to both towns. These projections were provided to the Board of Selectmen


and School Committee members of both towns in order to assist them in their future planning. The Supreme Court decision circa


Fireworks Relocation Draws Some Controversy by Barbara O’Brien Although the recent Independence Day


fireworks celebration in Windham was by far an overwhelming success, there were those residents who were not happy about the new location. After many years of putting on the fireworks display at the Town Beach over Cobbetts Pond, this year’s festivities were held on the grounds of the new Windham High School off London Bridge Road. One of the reasons the locale was changed was the significant parking problem, which existed at the Town Beach. This year’s fireworks display was held on Saturday, July 3, following the annual Town Day at Griffin Park. Former Windham Selectman Dennis Senibaldi, who now works as a supervisor at the town’s transfer station and is also involved as a volunteer with the Recreation Committee, said about 1,000 people attended the Saturday, July 3 celebration. “It was very successful,” Senibaldi


said. “The parking lot was cleared in about 15 minutes.”


According to Senibaldi, everyone Change Made to Salt Shed Contract by Barbara O’Brien Less than a month after selectmen


approved giving the contract for Windham’s new salt shed/highway garage to a local firm, the contract was brought back for a change. On July 12, Sy Wrenn, owner of Wrenn Construction located on Range Road in Windham, told selectmen that he wanted to add a new partner to the agreement. The original contract had been approved by a selectmen’s vote of 4 to 0 on June 21. The company being added to the original


contract is CMGC Building Corporation, which is headquartered in Bedford. Wrenn said that he has been doing business with CMGC for many years and has the utmost faith in the company’s abilities and reputation.


CMGC Building Corporation is a


general contractor serving southern New Hampshire, Downeast Maine, northeastern Massachusetts, and Vermont. The firm specializes in commercial, industrial, and institutional projects. Wrenn Construction has been in business for the past 26 years. When questioned as to why he was seeking a business partner, Wrenn explained that the dual-status would increase the project’s bonding capacity. Wrenn also told selectmen that CMGC Building Corporation and Wrenn Construction would be jointly and separately liable for completing all the work on the new salt shed/highway facility. Selectmen voted 4 to 0 to accept CMGC Building Corporation as a partner with Wrenn Construction in constructing the town project. Voting in favor were Chairman Charles McMahon, Vice


Chairman Bruce Breton, and Selectmen Roger Hohenberger and Galen Stearns. Selectman Ross McLeod did not attend the July 12 Board meeting. Voters approved construction of the combination salt shed/highway garage this past March at the annual Town Meeting. A total of nine bids were received on the project, four of which were fairly close to one another and all less than the approved total budget of $960,000. The four finalists included Wild Horses Construction, Wrenn Construction, Ricci Construction, and Hutter Construction. “They are all reputable companies,” Town Administrator David Sullivan said. Ricci Construction has a little more experience with building salt sheds and garages, Sullivan said, while Wrenn Construction is a local company and has ample experience with municipal buildings. Ricci and Wrenn came in with the two lowest bids; “pretty much identical prices,” Sullivan said. In the end, due to changes made in roofing materials, the bid was awarded to Wrenn Construction. One other issue that was raised during


the July 12 discussion was in regard to the emergency generator slated to be installed in the new highway garage. Selectman Breton said he felt that the generator would be of more use if installed at the town’s transfer station. Breton said there would be more impact on town residents if the electricity at the transfer station were lost


Being there is why I’m here.


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than if it went out at the highway garage. Selectman McMahon said he didn’t feel it would be appropriate to use money intended for the new facility for a generator to be used elsewhere. Town Administrator David Sullivan said that the money that was raised for the salt shed/highway garage was intended exclusively for that project. Sullivan said the cost of an emergency generator would be in the range of $15,000. McMahon said town officials should look into the need for a generator at the transfer station and if one is needed at that location, a separate warrant article to that effect should be proposed next March. Selectmen also approved spending additional funds ($5,500) out of the salt shed budget for the testing of materials and for various inspections. “There is not sufficient in-house experience” to have local employees complete these tasks, Highway Agent Jack McCartney told selectmen.


Also pertaining to the salt shed project, selectmen waived the cost of any building permit fees. Contractors will still have to obtain the necessary permits, Sullivan explained, but the town will not have to pay for them.


involved in the event “worked as a team to make it happen,” including both town and school district employees and volunteers.


“It was a great family event,” Senibaldi said, referring to both Town Day and the subsequent fireworks display. “It seemed to suit everybody,” he said. Not everybody was thrilled by the


change in venue, though. Barbara Coish, long-time Windham resident, said members of the Cobbetts Pond Improvement Association (CPIA) had met to discuss the event after the fact, and have decided to appoint a committee to make recommendations regarding next year’s Fourth of July fireworks show. “This may affect the budget,” Coish said, referring to the portion of the fireworks money that has traditionally been donated by Cobbetts Pond residents. Currently, there are 190 members of the CPIA, a number that is somewhat diminished from years past. CPIA members donated approximately $7,500 toward the purchase of fireworks.


According to some residents, a number of people who live near Cobbetts Pond chose to set off their own fireworks display at the same time the recent town-sponsored event was underway.


1998 concerning an adequate education was amended in 2009 to define what an adequate education is, as a result of Londonderry’s lawsuit in 2006. RSA 193-E:2 defines an adequate education thus: “Beginning in the school year 2008-2009, the specific criteria and substantive educational program that deliver the opportunity for an adequate education shall be defined and identified as the school approval standards in the following areas: English, Math, Science, Social Studies, Arts Education, World Language, Health Education, Physician Education, Technology Education. The standards shall cover kindergarten through twelfth grade ...” Representative DiFruscia said that it is clear that the towns of


Windham and Salem, while receiving state aid consistently and obtaining funds for an adequate education, have provided our children with not merely an adequate education, but consistently provide superior education for our students.


Representative Anthony DiFruscia - Windham


Outdoors Keep America Fishing


Charlie with Chalk


Across the country, preventing or limiting recreational anglers from accessing public fisheries’ resources are being touted as a new way to manage fish populations, undermining the achievements of proven fisheries’ management methods that focus on conservation and promote sustainable fishing. As a result, the past 10 years have seen a dramatic increase in bans, or efforts to ban, recreational fishing from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. “If this alarming trend continues, anglers nationwide may risk similar restrictions being implemented on their favorite lakes, rivers, and streams,” said American Sportsfishing Association’s President and CEO. Through policy, science, and conservation, Keep America Fishing works to minimize access restrictions, promote clean waters, and restore fish populations. With its conservation partners, Keep America Fishing works to limit science-based closures to areas in which they are clearly beneficial to the health of the fishery. At www.KeepAmericaFishing.org, anglers, retailers, manufacturers, and other recreational fishing-dependent businesses will find the latest news regarding fishery closures and Keep America Fishing efforts to keep them open, clean, and abundant with fish.


Charlie Chalk can be reached at outdoorswithcharlie@areanewsgroup.com


Town to Continue Saving Money with Alternate Electricity Supplier


by Barbara O’Brien Windham selectmen have decided to continue getting the


town’s electricity through Satori Energy, rather than paying the charges assessed by Public Service of New Hampshire (PSNH).


Selectmen first decided to make the switch to Satori about a year and a half ago, after seeking alternative bids for electricity and discovering that money could be saved by making a change from PSNH. The decision to stay with Satori was made recently when it was learned that PSNH was increasing its rates once again. According to Windham Town Administrator David Sullivan, approximately $2,500 will be saved by taxpayers during the next year by staying with Satori. The new contract will go into effect in August, Sullivan said.


Satori Energy is headquartered in Chicago, IL. It


was founded in 2006 and provides supply-side energy procurement for its customers.


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