Letters to the Editor: Feb. 4, 2010

To the Editor:

Shea-Porter Procures Funding for Shipyard

There’s good news for the Seacoast and the nation’s efforts to defeat terrorism. Major improvements for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard have been funded. Congresswomen Carol Shea-Porter (New Hampshire) and Chellie Pingree (Maine) have secured over $9 million dollars in the 2010 Appropriations Act for the upgrade of the Shipyard. This bill has been passed by both houses of Congress and will be signed into law by President Obama.

According to Shea-Porter’s newsletter, $7,090,000 will be used to implement anti-terrorism/force protection measures at the Shipyard. These include a new hardened guard house, active barriers, a permanent, privately-owned vehicle inspection center, an intrusion detection system, and security upgrades at Gate 2.

Another $2 million will be used to consolidate Structural Shop operations which are presently at different locations in the Shipyard. As a result, equipment layout will be improved by removing obsolete equipment, relocating existing equipment, and installing new equipment to provide a streamlined process flow.

Thanks to Shea-Porter and Pingree, the result of these changes will be more efficient operations at the Shipyard and a facility that is less susceptible to terrorist attack. That’s a plus for both the economic health of the region and for national security.

Frank Heffron

Exeter

To the Editor:

Is the Following Evident to all of Us?

It seems to me that in addition to giving speeches president Obama spends a lot of time throwing more of our tax money at a problem. This includes hiring more government employees while free enterprise employers try to hold the line and not over hire. We really are headed to a government run country. Think of all of the Obama ideas, they all need money from us. We have very little choice but I know I would be more economical than they are.

When passing new laws that require our money they do it without benefit of opposition and hide behind locked doors. Thank you Tea Party people for being alert and willing to speak up. Republicans in the House and Senate try but have very little power to participate in anything.

I am not a disgruntled American I love my country and have hopes for the future. How can a year old administration and President do so much damage in one years time?

It hurts me to think that New Hampshire hasn’t stuck to traditional ways but seems to follow the new national example.

Was a message sent and a lesson learned by Scott Brown’s election? I hope so and believe we will see results even if Obama’s ego and the Governor Lynch administration won’t let them recognize the truth.

Mary Smyk

Stratham

To the Editor:

To the residents of Raymond,

I, Frank Bourque, as a citizen, will once again be producing “The Bourque Review”, the yearly television show that provides a common sense description of our upcoming election warrant articles. This will be aired on Channel 13, our RCTV station, until the date of our election on March 9, 2010.

This will be a lively show since we have so many contentious warrant articles as well as a unique cast of characters running for town elections. Raymond is at a crossroads and some groups want to zone businesses and poor folks out of our town.

Please attend Deliberative session for the Town on February 6, at the Raymond High School, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Also, I believe the Raymond Taxpayers Association will be sending out a pre-election mailing explaining which warrant articles will cost you additional monies.

“The Bourque Review” cuts through the fluff and baloney and I hope you are better informed after seeing my show, which I have produced for the last six years.

Frank Bourque

Raymond

To the Editor:

I’m writing again to correct my complaint about Comcast (Carriage Towne News – January 28, 2010). It took several calls to the President at the Corporate Office to get quick action.

After that my complaint was favorably resolved. I received many follow up calls from the corporate people to make sure the problem was corrected and that once again Comcast had a happy consumer. In the end Comcast did care.

Gloria Abramson

Atkinson

To the Editor:

Support Raymond’s Conservation Commission

Hey there Raymond Residents: Please think about why you moved to and live in Raymond. Is it because “Raymond is the Outdoor Lovers’ Paradise” or is it the “Quality of Life” available in Raymond like it says on our new website? Is it because you liked the historic village down town, the quaint neighborhoods for your children, the affordability of the houses, the rural farm and country atmosphere, the location away from the cities, the easy accessibility to the state parks, mountains and oceans or is it simply the river, the lakes, the forests and open spaces within our 19,000 acres? Whatever the original reason was hopefully the Conservation Commission has contributed to the reasons you enjoy living in Raymond.

Let me give you some history about the Raymond Conservation Commission. The commission was voted into existence for the first time back in 1969 and voted in again as a “new” conservation commission in 1979.

In 1989, the town voted to create a Capital Reserve Fund for the purpose of purchasing conservation lands and to appropriate 5% of the Land Use Change Tax (or Current Use Tax) to be placed in the fund to expend or use as matching funds with the N.H. Land Conservation Investment Program (LCIP).

The town voted in 1990 to authorize the appointment of a seven (7) member Conservation Commission and voted to create a special Conservation Fund pursuant to RSA 36-A:5 to replace the Capital Reserve Fund for purchasing conservation land and depositing Land Use Change Tax. The town also voted to authorize the Conservation Commission to retain the unexpended balance of its annual appropriations and to place the funds into that special conservation fund.

In 1991, the town voted to authorize the transfer of twenty-five percent (25%) of the Land Use Change Tax funds generated into the Conservation Fund for the first time.

In 1993, the Board of Selectmen began the transaction to acquire the 305 acre Dearborn property. In the 1994 Annual Report, the Conservation Commission reported on page 57, “Through the efforts of the Selectmen, Town Manager and Planning Board, the Flint Hill Conservation property and Dearborn Wilderness property transactions should be finalized this year.” The Dearborn Wilderness property purchase was finalized and the Flint Hill Conservation property was acquired due to non-payment of taxes.

In 1997, the town voted to acquire the Cammett Recreational area for the development of the Riverside Park and Cammett Athletic fields. That same property is one of the town’s aquifers that fills the town water tank with drinking water.

In 1999, the Lillian Cassier Memorial Town Forest’ 370 acres was purchased to be “held in perpetuity by the town of Raymond and managed by the Conservation Commission.” The intent of the original owners was to have the property remain as a town forest.

In 2006 the Conservation Commission worked with the town Planning Board to create a Expandable Pooled Wetland Mitigation Plan intended to attract developers to our town and keep the mitigation efforts and dollars in Raymond. That same year, the voters voted to put a conservation easement on the Dearborn Forest Property but it has not been done yet because it is part of the Exit 4 development plan. It will be finalized as part of the Pooled Wetland Mitigation Plan for the Granite Meadows development.

In the summer of 2007, the Conservation Commission worked with five college students from the Student Conservation Association to clear trails and build a 57-foot natural timber foot-bridge at the end of Jama Drive providing access to the trails on the Dearborn property.

In March 2008, the voters approved the request from the Conservation Commission to purchase the 56 acre Robinson Hill property for $225,000 to block access to any future residential development on the back acreage along Cilley Road. In December, the Board of Selectmen voted to approve the $75,000 expenditure, recommended by the Conservation Commission, to protect the 58 acres of the Bond Property along the Stingy River.

In March 2009, the voters approved to protect 145 acres of Flint Hill with a conservation easement and retain the southern 70 acres for development. Fortunately protecting those 145 acres of Flint Hill from development will help to prevent pollution to our aquifer. The voters also voted against their tax money being spent to purchase land outside of town. The fact is the Conservation Commission has never been authorized to expend any money on land acquisitions without the approval of the Board of Selectmen or Voters per RSA-36.

The Conservation Commission is responsible for reviewing NH DES Wetland Dredge and Fill permits, taking complaints from residents about a variety of environmental concerns, and conducting yearly site walks on the town properties to manage and protect the town-owned conservation properties and the natural resources for the future so that our children and our grandchildren will continue to have clean water and clean air.

Now we have the 2010 voting season upon us with the Anti-Conservation group trying to do away with the Conservation Commission that has served this town for over 30 years. Without a Conservation Commission to help protect the water resources and land from over-development, Raymond could go from our 10,400+/- residents to be totally built out to a maximum capacity of 30,000 people and look like Manchester on 1/5 of the land. Please keep Raymond as the “Outdoor Lovers Paradise” with its “Quality of Life” just like our new motto says “Friendly Faces, Scenic Places –Raymond”.

Cheryl Killam

Raymond

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