Dec 16th Select Board Newsletter
Dear Stratham Residents,
Please read below for news and notes from the Town of Stratham. In this edition:
- Town Meeting Season Preparations
- Stratham Memorial School Board Financial Advisory Committee and Budget Meeting
- Lights 4 Lives Fundraiser
- Police Collect Toys for Seacoast Area Firefighters Toy Bank
- Trail Management Advisory Committee - Public Forum - January 26
- Christmas Tree Pickup (Fundraiser for SMS 5th Grade) & Community Bonfire - January 7
- Energy Cost Savings Achieved Through Regional Partnership
- Historical Society Program - Digging Into Native History in NH
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
TOWN MEETING SEASON PREPARATIONS
The Select Board is beginning preparations for Town Meeting 2023. In the coming weeks, it will begin meeting with the Budget Advisory Committee appointed by the Moderator (January 9, January 12 and January 19th). In addition, department heads and Boards and Commission chairs are preparing their annual report contributions.
STRATHAM MEMORIAL SCHOOL
The Stratham Memorial School Board Financial Advisory Committee and Budget Meeting will be held at 39 Gifford Farm Road on Wednesday, December 21, 2022 at 6 p.m. The Stratham School Board Meeting will follow after. The agenda will be posted a week prior on the district website at www.sau16.org. Can't make the meeting in person? Watch the recording here Blue Hawk Media
LIGHTS 4 LIVES FUNDRAISER
This year, our 9th, we are raising awareness of firefighter-related cancers and raising funds to help purchase extra sets of bunker gear (25 sets) for Stratham firefighters. Here are some of the things that are happening this year to achieve our goals.
- “Extinguish Cancer” t-shirts for sale
- Stratham Firefighter calendars for sale
- Holiday Home Decorating Contest
- Stratham holiday parade on Saturday, Dec. 17 beginning at approximately 5pm.
- Open House at Stratham Hill Park immediately following the parade – Santa, hot chocolate, bonfire, baked goods, and ice skating (weather permitting)
- Amazing raffles including 4 sets of 2 round-trip airline tickets!
We appreciate your past support and hope you will join us again in our efforts! Please click here for more information or visit our website! Happy Holiday from the Lights 4 Lives crew!
Geri, Jess, Suzie
SEACOAST AREA FIREFIGHTERS TOY BANK
For another year, the Stratham Police Department has partnered with the Seacoast Area Firefighters Toy Bank to collect toys for children in need. These gifts impact the seacoast area directly, going to families in need throughout our area. The police department is collecting new, unwrapped toys now through December 17th. You can find a donation box in the lobby of the police department, wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper, as well as throughout town at local area businesses. On December 17, the police department will host its Toy Drive event, where officers will collect the boxes from the local businesses and send all the collected toys to the Rye Fire Department, where they distribute them to the families in need. If you have any questions, please call the police department directly at 603-778-9691.
TRAIL MANAGEMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE- PUBLIC WORKSHOP- January 26, 2023
TMAC (Trail Management Advisory Committee) has been hard at work over the last few months. Come meet with the Committee and learn about their progress and be a part of conversation regarding potential policy changes at the Trail network. Those attending will be broken into groups to take a deeper dive into some the topics that TMAC is currently working through. Unable to attend? Please send your thoughts to shickey@strathamnh.gov.
ENERGY COST SAVINGS ACHIEVED THROUGH REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP
This month starts new energy rates for Stratham municipal facilities working with the Rockingham Planning Commission (RPC) to aggregate the electricity demand loads of multiple municipal entities. The concept is to leverage the purchasing power of the entire group and achieve savings for each entity.
This summer, the Stratham Energy Commission facilitated the continuation of the electricity aggregation program, originally entered into in September 2019. The Town’s current contract with Constellation Energy has locked in rates for the next 2 years, with current savings almost $0.12 per kilowatt hour (kWh) lower than the retail supply costs in the region. Many thanks to Stratham’s Energy Commission and the RPC for this work.
Electricity aggregation may offer all customers with novel means to lower energy supply costs. New legislation allows towns to consider options for aggregating residential electricity customers through Community Power partnerships. Stratham’s Energy Commission will be looking at the practicability for future participation. There is no need to wait for those residents looking for alternative supply options for electricity. See the link to NH residential competitive electric supply companies here.
CHRISTMAS TREE PICKUP & COMMUNITY BONFIRE - January 7, 2023
Leave the tree removal to us and help support a good cause! Your donation for tree pickup will help fund year-end activities for SMS 5th Grade students. The collected trees will be donated to Stratham Parks and Recreation for a community bonfire that night. Thank you and Happy Holidays! Check out this flyer or Click here to register.
STRATHAM HISTORICAL SOCIETY PRESENTS DIGGING INTO NATIVE HISTORY IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
Monday, January 9, 2023 - 7:00 pm - Digging Into Native History in New Hampshire via ZOOM. Presenter will be Franklin Pierce University Professor Robert Goodby, PhD. This program made possible by a grant from NH Humanities. Find more details here. Interested? Register here!
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