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Pelham~Windham News


Pelham~Windham News Volume 8 Number 41 May 6, 2011 20 Pages


For 36 Years, I Wanted to Go to Work Every Day


by Len Lathrop The first sign that something special was happening was the parking lot at the Pelham Senior Center, which was full for a Sunday afternoon. The retirement party for Sue Hovling at the beautiful addition to the Pelham Senior Center, which did not start until 1 p.m., was half-full by only 12:35 p.m., with people parking on the street and across the street at the Pelham Funeral Home. When Selectmen Bill McDevitt and Hal Lynde called for everyone’s attention at 1:30 p.m., it was standing room only—what a tribute. The proclamatory took 10 minutes to read; well, maybe not quite 10. Don Brunelle, chairman of the Council on Aging, presented Sue with an envelope from the Council as a going-away gift, and then declared it time for lunch. A wonderful buffet had been set up in the original Center with extra seating, and the line for the food formed up the ramp. But Sue stayed behind in the new portion of the Center visiting with family and friends and opening some of the many gifts she received. Sue’s career began in 1976 when the Town


of Pelham hired her as a cook for the Pelham Senior Center. She served in that capacity until the Pelham Council on Aging subcontracted with her as Director/Cook in 1989. On July 1, 1996, just before the celebration of Pelham’s 250th Anniversary celebration, her status and job description changed from subcontractor to town employee when she was hired as an employee with the Town of Pelham as Director—the first director ever. While working at the Center, Sue took college classes and graduated from Castle College in Windham with a degree in Science of Human Services and from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in Nutrition. When asked what she felt was her greatest


achievement during her tenure at the Center, Sue’s eyes lit up and she stated that the new expansion that doubled the size the of the 100- year-old farmhouse that houses the Center—an eight-year project that came to fruition just a few weeks ago.


Among other projects Sue is proud of is the


Strawberry Festival, which began in 1996. This June marks the 15th annual event. She also established the “Prom Room,” which is located on the second floor of the Center. A group of high school volunteers came in one day to clean, scrape, and repaint the room, which has several racks that hold gently worn prom dresses. Any girl who finds herself in need of a prom dress can purchase one for $5. Sue said she receives quite a few dresses after the prom, which are donated and added to the racks. While Sue was a delegate to the NH Council


on Aging, the Council nominated her for her work with Positive Pairs, where she would


Sue Hovling, retiring Pelham Senior Center Director


Phil Blanchette presents Sue with a replica of Dale Earnhardt’s NASCAR car


Second Drug Take-Back Day a Success


by Lynne Ober It’s a growing problem—what will the millions of Americans who take prescription drugs do with leftover medicines? How will they handle over-the- counter medications that have reached their use-by date? Most of us don’t know. However, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is trying to help. On Saturday, April 30, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., unwanted or expired prescription and over-the-counter drugs could be turned in with no questions asked.


Saturday’s effort


was the second such event since September. In September, the collection netted more than 242,000 pounds of prescription drugs at 4,100 sites nationwide. With over 1,000 additional sites this time around, DEA expects higher figures from the April 30th event.


Selectmen Bill McDevitt and Hal Lynde present Sue Hovling with a Proclamation from the Pelham Board of Selectmen


match people up with others who have similar interests. For example, two gentlemen who both enjoyed fishing; however, one had Alzheimer’s disease. The other man would pick him up and take him fishing. Or the woman who was very lonely … she was matched with a family. Sue’s replacement has been named. She is


Sara Landry of Nashua, who has been Senior Center Director in Londonderry for the past nine years. Sue stated that it was important that the new director be personable and have an open- door policy, and feels that Landry will fit right in. Landry starts May 16 and was introduced at the party—by Sue, of course.


Sue’s family from Clintondale, NY:


son Peter Hovling and his wife, Joanne; Jack, Adam, and Teo


Sue’s plans for the next year are quite full. She


will begin with a one-month train ride around the country (Circle USA Amtrak), stopping and visiting various cities along the way, and will squeeze in a visit with family members in California. Upon her return, she will spend a week in


North Conway, visit with her grandchildren in New York, take a trip to Quebec, and attend an Elvis concert in Tennessee—an itinerary that brings her to the year 2012. Sue said she has always loved her job; she


never got out of bed and said, “I don’t want to go to work today.”


Prior to the event, the DEA stressed that all drop-offs would be done with complete confidentiality and under a “no questions asked” basis. Hudson, Litchfield,


Pelham, and Windham police manned the drug drop-off sites in our four towns. Like many others, I


had some expired over- the-counter medicines and some medicines that my mother had been taking prior to


Barn to be Saved, House in Doubt


by Barbara O’Brien The fate of Windham’s historic Fellows House remains dubious, but it appears that the adjacent barn, at least, will be saved and incorporated into a commercial development in the town’s Historic Village District. This past winter, the current property owners,


Anthony and Susan Meseti, offered to sell the two buildings to the town at a cost of $1. The condition being that the buildings be moved from their present location; a site they have occupied for more than 200 years. Meseti’s attorney, who addressed Windham’s Historic District Commission this past January, said the buildings cannot stay where they are because plans are to put the entranceway to the new development at that location. Members of the Historic District Commission said, at the time, that the cost of moving the structures would be cost-prohibitive. On April 20, Susan Meseti and local engineer


Peter Zohdi met with members of the Historic District Commission again. Zohdi, of Herbert Associates, told those in attendance that plans now are to incorporate the Fellows Barn into the development. According to this proposal, the barn would be moved approximately 100 feet from its current site and would be attached to a new structure, yet to be built. During the selectmen’s meeting on April 25, Selectman Kathleen DiFruscia, who attended the April 20 meeting of the Historic District Commission, said the plans are currently “conceptual” and have not yet been finalized. “Everyone is very pleased,” DiFruscia said. “Although, it’s unfortunate that the house can’t be saved.” There was no comment from the other


selectmen and the issue was not discussed further. A few days later, during a phone interview with Historic District Commission Chairman Carol Pynn, she said not “everyone is pleased’ with the latest proposal. “I’m pleased, of course, that the barn won’t be torn down, but I feel badly that the developers of the property are still saying that the house can’t be saved.” “That’s just not so,” she added.


As for the Mesitis’ offer to sell the property to


the town for $1, Pynn said that “was never a real option.” “The town has no place to put it; no money to move it,” she explained. Pynn said that claims by Zohdi and the Mesetis that the house is not salvageable and was severely damaged by the spring floods in 2006 are not valid. Pynn said Steve Bedard, a restoration expert from Gilmanton, inspected the house in 2009 and found that it was structurally in very sound condition.


Although both the house and barn are likely eligible for the National Register for Historic Places, no one has made application for that status to date. Pynn said that the property owners, who, at this time, are Anthony and Susan Meseti, must make the application. Pynn noted that the only building in Windham that is presently on the National Register is the Searles School and Chapel, located on Range Road. Pynn said she was uncertain what, if any, further steps the Historic District Commission might take to save the Fellows House. The commission will conduct its next meeting on May 11 and it is anticipated that the subject will be discussed at that time.


During the April 20 meeting, Historic District


her death. All of those went into a plastic bag and when I got to one of the two drop-off sites in Hudson, I was told to put the bag into a large box. One box had already been filled and was sealed with tape. While chatting with the officer manning the drop-off in Walgreens Drug Store, I discovered that one could drop off unused or expired medicines at the police station for appropriate disposal. The officer also commented that many who had been in said that they had medicines leftover after the death of a loved one and wanted to get rid of them.


According to the 2009 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health, more their seven million


Americans currently abuse prescription drugs. This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue and the Partnership for a Drug Free America believes that 2,500 teens misuse prescription drugs that they get from friends or find at home in the family medicine cabinet. With all that in mind, the DEA decided to begin “Drug Take-Back Day.” The DEA will


burn the medicines collected in an environmentally safe way.


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Windham’s historic Fellows House and Barn


Commission members did ask that a small, enclosed structure between the house and the barn be spared from destruction. It is believed that this small structure is part of the original house, built circa 1750. The response from the developers was not positive, however, Pynn said. At this point, Pynn just hopes they will salvage some memento from this part of the house; something that could be put on public display.


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Historic District Commission members also asked Zohdi to preserve the original foundation and cellar hole from the barn once the structure is relocated. The cellar hole still includes the original granite stairs and an ancient door and latch, Pynn said, an area that could be turned into a very picturesque garden. “It would be a wonderful focal point for the entrance to the new development,” Pynn said. Zohdi was not willing to make a commitment to save the foundation, however, she stated.


No timeline for the destruction of the house or relocation of the barn was given during the April 20 meeting. Watercolor sketches of the Fellows House and Barn are still being offered for sale at a price of $30 per print. A portion of the proceeds from the sale is being donated to the Historic District Commission to further its preservation efforts throughout Windham.


staff photos by Len Lathrop


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