April 7th Select Board Newsletter

Dear Stratham Residents,

Please read below for news and notes from the Town of Stratham.  In this edition:

• NH Button Up Workshop
• Best Wishes On Your Retirement Tim Slager!
• American Red Cross Blood Drive - April 13th and 15th  
• Spring Time Updates from DPW - Transfer Station Summer Hours Have Begun
• Clerk's Corner
• Assessing Building Permit Verifications Field Work
• Stratham Memorial School Information
• Stratham Historical Society's Antique Appraisal Day
• Transfer Station Fees Public Hearing
• Congratulations Stratham Fire EMR Nicholas Denton
• Seed Library and Gardening Program

Please remind your neighbors about this resource for keeping on top of information from the Town.  To sign-up for these updates and other notifications, please visit this section on our website and check the "Select Board" box under News and Announcements.
The Select Board
Michael Houghton, Chairman                    Allison Knab, Vice-Chair                   Joe Anderson
 

BUTTON UP YOUR HOME TO SAVE
Button Up New Hampshire, the popular home energy savings workshop series, is coming to Stratham.  The Wiggin Memorial Library, Stratham Energy Commission, and the Stratham Select Board are partnering to present this free workshop.  It will take place Thursday, April 20th from 6:30-8pm at the Wiggin Memorial Library.  The workshop is sponsored by NHSaves and coordinated statewide by the Plymouth Area Renewable Energy Initiative (PAREI).  Residents wishing to use energy more efficiently, conserve energy, and save money on their heating and cooling bills will find the workshop presentation very helpful.

BEST WISHES ON YOUR RETIREMENT TIM!
With sadness we said good-bye to retiring DPW crew member Tim Slager after 15 years of service.  Tim's easy-going nature, good humor and knowledge of DPW operations will be missed.  It is likely that everyone in Stratham has interacted with Tim either at the Stratham Fair, via his plow routes, at Fire Association events, at parades at the wheel of the fire apparatus, or at bonfires pulling "Big Red".  He may have even showed up at your house to check your burn permit.  Whether Tim was the first person you met in Town or the 100th, he embodies the spirit of volunteerism and helpfulness.  We are pleased that Tim will continue to serve the Town as a Captain in the the Fire Department.  Congratulations on your DPW retirement Tim and thank you!

AMERICAN RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE
April is National Volunteer Month!  The American Red Cross relies on volunteer donors to ensure blood is available to patients all year.  Please sign up to share the gift of life this month!  Together with PEANUTS®, we’ll remind donors to put kindness into action, and that it’s cool to be kind and help save lives.  All who come to give April 1-23 will receive an EXCLUSIVE Red Cross and PEANUTS Joe Cool T-shirt, while supplies last.  Visit www.redcrossblood.org to schedule an appointment today.

Stratham is hosting two opportunities to give this month:

• Thursday 4/13  1-6 pm Stratham Volunteer Fire Department
• Saturday 4/15  9:30-2:30 pm Stratham Community Church

The American Red Cross offers other programs too.  Click here for info on free emergency preparedness trainings. 

SPRING UPDATES FROM PUBLIC WORKS
Spring is here and no one is more excited to put away winter than your local DPW crew.  Here are some important notes about our activities:

• We are repairing plow damage within the right of way throughout the Town. Shoulder gravels are being re-established, turf damage is being graded and replanted and any damage to asphalt will be repaved once schedule and availability allows.
• Landscapes at our facilities, parks and cemeteries will be cultivated.  Municipal lots will be mechanically swept during the month of April.  Patrons enjoying Stratham Hill Park during rainy spring conditions are encouraged to park within the main paved lot and not the gravel areas.
• Town cemeteries reopen for interments on April 15th, burial arrangements can be made by contacting the Department of Public works at 603-772-5550.
• Our Transfer Station has transitioned to summer operations as of April 1.  Hours of Operation are Saturday 9AM – 4PM and Thursday evenings from 2PM – 6PM.  Please remember that Transfer Station payment may only be made via properly written checks.  Please see elsewhere in this newsletter about proposed changes to our fees.

Stratham DPW is hiring!  Click here for details.



CLERK'S CORNER

• Beginning Monday, April 3rd the Town Clerk/Tax Collector’s Office will be closed Monday-Thursday from 12:00-12:30.  Thank you for your understanding.
• The Town Clerk/Tax Collector’s Office will be closed on Wednesday, April 12th for a Regional Tax Collector’s Workshop.
• You still have time to get your dog entered into the 2nd Annual Top Dog of Stratham Contest!  Please register your dog not later than 4/30/23 to avoid any late fees.
• Starting on April 1st, 2023, our card processing company will be adjusting their citizen-sponsored fees as follows:
  • Online transaction fees: $1.75 per item (previously $1.50)
  • Credit card processing fees: 2.99% (previously 2.79%)
  • Minimum credit card fee & flat ACH fees: $2.50
  • E-Check payments: $1.50 per payment

ASSESSING NEWS
The Town of Stratham Assessing contractors will be verifying building permit information throughout the month of April. We thank you in advance for your patience & cooperation.  Please note that the assessors will have photo ID as well as a vehicle clearly marked "Municipal Assessor". 


KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION OPENS
Register for Fall Kindergarten now!  Registration Packets can be picked up in the Stratham Memorial School front office Monday thru Friday 7:30 - 3:30. Click here for a printable packet. Online registration is currently unavailable.

Please call or email with any questions (603)772-5413.

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
The April Stratham Memorial School Board Meeting will be held at 39 Gifford Farm Road, on Wednesday, April 19, 2023 at 5 pm.  The agenda will be posted a week prior on the district website at www.sau16.org.  If you can't attend the meeting in person, watch the recording here Blue Hawk Media

“STRATHAM ANTIQUES ROAD SHOW”………Sunday, April 16, 2023
Have you ever wondered what your family heirlooms and treasures are worth?  On Sunday, April 16 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 pm, the Stratham Historical Society will hold their Annual Spring Appraisal Day, affectionately known as the “Stratham Antiques Road Show”.  Click here for more information.

TRANSFER STATION FEE PUBLIC HEARING
At the Select Board meeting on April 17th, a public hearing will be held concerning an updated fee schedule for the Transfer Station.  This public hearing is held following the Town Meeting's adoption of Article 19 permitting the Select Board to adopt fees following a public hearing.  Fee increases are recommended for propane tanks, mattresses, large furniture and other items due to the increased costs the Town faces in disposing these items.  For more information about the proposed changes, please click here.  The hearing will be held on Monday, April 17th at 7:00pm in the Hutton Room in the Municipal Center.  

CONGRATULATIONS STRATHAM FIRE EMR NICHOLAS DENTON
Congratulations to Stratham Fire EMR Nicholas Denton who graduated USAF Basic Military Training this week at Lackland AFB San Antonio, Texas.  Airman First Class Denton (A1C) is now attending the USAF/DOD Fire Protection Tech school for his training as a USAF Firefighter/EMR.  A1C Denton will be serving as a traditional member of the 157th Civil Engineering Fire Department at Pease ANGB NH after he completes training.  Congratulations Nick, we are very proud of you!

SEED LIBRARY AND GARDENING SERIES
With our new seed library, you can borrow, donate, and exchange seeds for flowers, vegetables, and herbs. To get started, drop in between 1pm and 3pm on Saturday, April 1st. You can even take a seedling home in a small biodegradable, plantable pot. (While supplies last.)  In addition to the seed exchange, we will be offering these gardening-related programs:

• Plant Container Painting: Special Teen Program, March 29 at 3:30pm.
  Join us for a “Fun Friday” activity designed to get you geared up for spring! We'll be painting our own planters, and each person will go home with some seeds for planting at home.
• Seed Library Exchange Kick-off Event, April 1 from 1-3pm.
• A new gardening-themed storywalk (“It Starts with a Seed”) for families will be up on stakes behind the library from April 1-15.
• Introduction to Raised Bed and Container Gardening, April 10 at 6pm.
  In this program, you will learn how to create and use raised beds and containers for gardening with instructor Patricia Elwell.
• Introduction to Invasive Plants of NH with Doug Cygan from NH Dept of Agriculture, May 1 at 6pm
•  And more to come!