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Pelham~Windham News


Volume 8 Number 14 October 22, 2010 18 Pages


School Board Asks for Two CIP Items


by Barbara O’Brien School Board members thought long and hard about what items to ask to be placed on the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) list for next year. Eventually, though, they came up with two requests, both of which, as School Board Vice Chairman Ed Gallagher said, “are two familiar concepts.” Although other issues were initially discussed by School Board members for inclusion on the CIP for 2011, due to the continuing recessive condition of the economy, they decided to ask for the support of only two of those originally discussed. The first CIP request is for Phase Two of the study intended to determine the needs of the school district in regard to facilities. Phase One is being completed this year. Voters approved the expenditure of $160,000 for this purpose this past March. School Board members want another $240,000 to finish the study next year. The architectural firm of Lavallee/Brensinger of Manchester was hired to do Phase One, and is currently working with members of the school facilities planning committee, which is comprised of community members and those working for the school district.


“I am very pleased


with the progress” of the committee, Gallagher told CIP members earlier this month.


CIP committee members


wanted to know how much of the $160,000 set aside for the first phase of the study was being spent. School Superintendent Frank Bass said he expects that about $125,000 of the total will be used, leaving a surplus of $35,000. This anticipated surplus left CIP committee members wondering if they should reduce next year’s request for $240,000 by $35,000. Bass did not feel that the reduction was warranted at this time. “We will take as conservative a position as possible,” he said. “If there are ways to save, we will,” he concluded. Gallagher said that part one of the study is intended to identify the problems existing with the current facilities; the second part will be for the purpose of coming up with a design solution, including architectural drawings. “We need to identify the issues,” Bass said, “to determine the need for modification, expansion, and new facilities.” “What we have accomplished in the first phase is a real catalog,” Gallagher said. “We now have a good snapshot of what we have,” he continued. “Now, we need to explore the options.” “We know we need to increase student capacity,” Gallagher said, “but we


aren’t saying, yet, whether we need to expand the existing schools or build a new facility.” “The ultimate goal,” Gallagher added, “is to save money.”


Bass said the facilities


study committee is ahead of schedule at this point. “We want to leave no stone unturned,” he said. “We want to do what’s best for Windham as we move forward with our schools.” Commenting that facility issues impact educational issues, he said, “We’re trying to match the two of them. We have to weigh one against the other.” As for which direction the school district might be heading in resolving its facility needs, Bass did not provide any specific details. “We don’t want to straitjacket ourselves” at this point, he told CIP members. Facilities Maintenance Director Warren Billings said that 90 percent of Windham’s educational needs will be met when student capacity needs are met. Currently, the Windham School District has one of the highest student/teacher ratios in the State of New Hampshire. Billings said he believes that a conceptual architectural rendering will be available for voters to view before the March 2011 election. The second request


school district representatives are making of the CIP committee is the establishment of a Capital Reserve Fund (CRF) in the amount of $250,000. “This is not unlike a college savings account,” Gallagher said, where money is put away for a specific purpose until it is needed. The Capital Reserve Fund being requested by the School Board would be used for major repairs at the existing older schools in Windham, such as for a new roof or the replacement of a boiler. In March 2010, a CRF request for $600,000 was turned down by voters, most likely due to the poor economy, Gallagher explained. “We’re asking for a much smaller amount this year,” he added, so, hopefully, voters will approve this request. As for the relative importance of the two requests being put forth, Gallagher said, “They’re tied for priority.” “It’s very important to take a holistic view of the school district facilities and come up with an overall action plan,” he emphasized.


When questioned by CIP committee members as to precisely what the CRF would be spent on, Gallagher answered, “We know we have expenses coming up, but we don’t want to earmark them yet.” “We have to see where the dominoes fall first,” he added.


continued to page 10- CIP Items


Windham Harvest Fest Braves the Cold


by Robyn Hatch Windham Recreation’s Annual


Kids from the Kiddie Costume Parade Character at Waterhouse table


Harvest Fest at Griffin Park took place last Saturday on an extremely cold day. The Windham High School Art Club was in charge of the Pumpkin Decorating and Carving Contest. The Pie Baking Contest hosted by the Girl Scouts came next. The Windham Garden Club hosted the Pumpkin Art Table. Clam Chowder samples, compliments of the Weathervane in Salem, started next, which fed hungry attendees on the cold day. The traditional Kiddie Costume Parade quickly took place with silly, funny costumes. There were complimentary hay rides, a petting zoo, and many give-aways. Not to be missed were the baked goods, hot dogs, and snacks for sale. The extreme cold tried hard to ruin the day, but many kids still had fun and actually got their minds concentrating on the real Halloween in a few weeks.


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Citizens Bank table


Breath of Sun table


Representative of Woof Woof


Te Boy Scouts enjoyed the day Scouts Earn Tiger Cub Patch


at Fire Department Open House


submitted by Kimber Leuteritz On Saturday, October 9, four first-grade Tiger Scouts


from Pack 266 in Windham attended the Annual Windham Fire Department Open House. They enjoyed the amazing activities put on by the Fire Department teaching the kids about fire safety and fire prevention. By attending this event, the boys meet one of the requirements to earn the Tiger Cub Patch. If your son is interested in joining Cub Scouts, it’s not too late. Contact Kevin Rochford at 578-2661 or KevinR@KGRTech.com, or Kimber Leuteritz at 893- 2526 or ekleuteritz@comcast.net.


Delahunty’s display


Tiger Cubs visit the Windham Fire Department Open House. In the photo are Leaders Brian Hoag and Roger Smith; parent Mr. Jusczak; and Scouts Jason Smith, Graham Adolt, Joey Hoag, and Mason Jusczak


Community Development Department Wants CIP Support for Sewer Study


by Barbara O’Brien Windham Community Development Director Laura Scott has only one request from the committee that plans for when capital improvements should be on the ballot. “It’s Priority #1,” Scott told committee members earlier this month. Scott’s top priority is the continuation of a feasibility study that could, eventually, lead to a sewer system that would service portions of Windham. The area being considered for sewer lines is along the Spicket River Watershed, which is a tributary of the Merrimack River, running through a portion of New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The area being discussed also includes Cobbett’s Pond, Canobie Lake, and Shadow Lake, and extends west to Wall Street in Windham. The first part of the multi-segment study


was completed in 2009, using funds received from Community Technical Assistance Program (CTAP); money that was provided as a result of the widening of the Route 93


corridor from the Massachusetts State Line to Manchester. Communities along this stretch were eligible for CTAP grants. The second segment of the sewer feasibility study is also being paid for through CTAP money, and is being done jointly with the Town of Salem. Phase Two of the study is currently about two-thirds completed, and is expected to be fully finished by the end of 2010. “The focus of this study is protecting water


quality,” Scott said, referring to Cobbett’s Pond, Canobie Lake, which Windham shares with Salem, and Shadow Lake. The study that is being done involves the feasibility of hooking portions of Windham into the Greater Lawrence Sanitary District. Many years ago, when Salem was hooked into the system, a certain capacity was reserved for the Town of Windham. According to Scott, the reserved capacity for Windham is approximately 326,000 gallons of sewage per day. It is likely, however,


though, Scott added, that additional capacity could be available to Windham. That is a portion of what the third phase of the study is intended to determine. Phase Three of the study will build upon the first two segments, Scott said. It is not anticipated, however, that the third phase will be eligible for CTAP funding. That is the reason Scott met with CIP committee members and presented her request to have the third phase of the study included on the 2011 ballot.


Scott said she anticipates the cost of the third phase would total about $60,000, which includes $25,000 for engineering layout and design, as well as the determination of actual costs for building the sewer project, $20,000 for engineering and technical assistance, $8,500 for legal services, $1,500 for public outreach and education, and $5,000 for professional


continued to page 10- Sewer Study


photos courtesy of Laura Scott


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