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December 15th Select Board Newsletter

Posted on: December 15, 2023 - 3:16pm

town seal
Dear Stratham Residents,
Please read below for news and notes from the Town of Stratham.  In this edition:

  • Lights 4 Lives - Parade Route
  • Christmas Tree Pickup & Community Bonfire
  • Clerk's Corner
  • New Faces in Planning & Building
  • Reminder: Budget and Town Meeting Season
  • Stratham Memorial School Financial Advisory Committee & School Board Meeting
  • Wiggin Memorial Library Needs You

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, Chair                   Allison Knab, Vice-Chair                   Joe Anderson
 

PLEASE NOTE: The Town offices will be closed on Monday, December 26th in recognition of the Christmas holiday and closed January 1st in honor of the New Year holiday.

LIGHTS 4 LIVES
LIGHTS 4 LIVES
CELEBRATING 10 YEARS!
Gather your friends for the Santa Holiday Parade!  Saturday, December 16, 2023, 5pm.  View the route and map here.  Track the parade route in real time on the GLYMSE app.


tree pick up
CHRISTMAS TREE PICKUP & COMMUNITY BONFIRE - January 6, 2024
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 used for a community bonfire that night in conjunction with the Lights 4 Lives ten year celebration at Stratham Hill Park.  Thank you and Happy Holidays!  Check out this flyer or click here to register.
 


CLERKS
CLERK’S CORNER

  • New “Resident Use” stickers for 2024 are available for $5 at the Town Clerk’s office or at the transfer station.
  • The Supervisors of the Checklist will be in session at the Stratham Municipal Center in the Land Use Room on Thursday, December 21, 2023 from 10:30 am-11:00 am to accept voter registrations and name changes or address changes to the checklist.  No Party Affiliation changes can be made at this time, the Party Affiliation change deadline was October 6th for the Presidential Primary.  This will be the last day to make any changes prior to the Presidential Primary to be held on January 23, 2024.  If registering to vote, residents will be asked provide a photo ID (ex. driver’s license), proof of residency (ex. piece of mail or signed lease), and proof of citizenship (ex. birth certificate or US passport).  If you do not have acceptable documentation, you will be provided with affidavits attesting to all of the above.

 

WILL AND MIKENEW FACES IN PLANNING & BUILDING
There are a couple of new friendly faces in the Statham Planning/Building Office to introduce.  Michael Lamb began as the new Office Coordinator in early December.  Michael is a 20-year veteran of the US Coast Guard and resides in Stratham with his wife and two sons.  He previously worked at the US Postal Service and enjoys woodworking, hiking, and photography in his spare time (he is also an accomplished holiday decorator).  Michael is a friendly presence at the Department front window and also takes over the mantle of the tallest-employee in the Municipal Center at 6-feet, 4 inches.

Will Dinsmore is the new Building Inspector/Code Enforcement Officer/Health Officer.  Will previously served as a building inspector in the towns of New Boston and Northwood and has enjoyed a long career in the building trades.  He is a certified home inspector and holds residential and commercial inspection certifications from the International Code Council.  Will resides in Northwood with his family, where he serves on the Northwood Planning Board, and enjoys spending time with his family, hiking, hunting, fishing, and fixing things in his spare time.  Please stop by and welcome Will or Michael the next time you visit the Municipal Center.

REMINDER BUDGET AND TOWN MEETING SEASON
Our last newsletter, provide a link to key information about the upcoming budget and Town Meeting season, including links to the schools and other taxing jurisdictions.  Please see here for more information.

sms sau
DECEMBER FINANCIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND SCHOOL BOARD MEETING 
We hope you can join us!  The Financial Advisory Committee will be held at 39 Gifford Farm Road, on Wednesday December 20, 2023 at 6 p.m.  The monthly School Board Meeting will begin immediately after.  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

library
Our wonderful library is governed by a 5-member Board of Trustees with three Alternates.  Members are elected for 3-year terms.  There will be two Board vacancies in Spring 2024.  Library Trustees are responsible for:

  • Advocating for the budget
  • Planning strategic direction
  • Administration & policy approvals
  • Defending our freedom to read!

Questions?  For more information, contact either Ana Makabali at ana@makabali.net or Dree Sherry at lafnsing@myfairpoint.net.
The Library Board of Trustees meet on the third Monday of each month at 6:30 pm in the Library Meeting Room.  Agendas and minutes can be found here.  If you are interested in filing for a position on the board, "Declaration of Candidacy" forms are available at the Town Clerk's office.  You must file your intent to run between January 24 and February 2, 2024.  

We are your community-minded neighbors, committed to supporting the library and the town of Stratham.  Join us!
Library Trustees:  Kathy Bower, Michele Corti, Connie Gilman, Veronique Ludington, Gale Lyon, Ana Makabali, Dree Sherry, Susan Wilbur.