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December 29th Select Board Newsletter

Happy New Year Stratham!
Posted on: December 29, 2023 - 2:11pm

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

  • Christmas Tree Pickup & Community Bonfire on January 6th
  • Stratham's Police Department 2nd Year CALEA Certification
  • Parks & Recreation - Senior Calendar & Nice Rink 
  • Clerk's Corner
  • In Memory of Jim Marchese
  • Dedication of Room A as the Joan M. Sewall Room
  • Martin Luther King Day Events
  • Be a Super Scooper, Don't Pollute
  • Assessing Transition and 2024 Revaluation
  • Reminder Budget and Town Meeting Season

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:

  • Town offices will be closed January 1st in honor of the New Year holiday.
  • Curbside collection of waste and recyclables will be delayed the week of Christmas and New Years.  There will be a one-day delay, for example, the Tuesday pick-up will take place on Wednesday and likewise through the rest of the week’s pick-ups.

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 (with fireworks!) at Stratham Hill Park.  Thank you and Happy Holidays!  Check out this flyer or click here to register.

PD
CONGRATULATIONS TO STRATHAM'S POLICE DEPARTMENT!
We are proud to announce that our Stratham Police Department has successfully passed their year-two CALEA Compliance Review!  This achievement required a great deal of hard work and dedication.  We are grateful for their professionalism and continued commitment to the town of Stratham.  Our department is a leader in New Hampshire law enforcement; congratulations to each one of our SPD members.

PARKS AND REC
NICE RINK
The last several winters have seen fewer and fewer days suitable for ice making.  In recognition of this reality, the Town will not erect the Nice Rink at Stratham Hill Park for this season. The public is encouraged to use the natural ice skating area when the temperatures are low enough to freeze the water in that area.  The Park will remain open for all other winter time usage.  The sledding hill that had been previously closed to accommodate the Nice Rink will now be open for public usage. 

SENIOR CALENDAR
The January adult programming calendar is out!  Please view here. 


clerks
CLERK'S CORNER

  • Dogs can be registered beginning Monday, January 1st, online using this link.
  • The Town Clerk Tax Collector’s office will be closed until 1:30 on Thursday, January 11th for offsite Presidential Primary Training.
  • The Supervisors of The Checklist will be in session on Tuesday, January 16th, 10:30-11 at the Municipal Center in the Land Use Room for changes and voter registration.  No further changes will be accepted after this session until after the Presidential Primary.  No party changes will be accepted at this time, party changes can be requested 1/24/24 at the Town Clerk’s Office.

IN MEMORY OF JIM MARCHESE
James Marchese, Stratham’s Building Inspector from 2021 to 2023, died on December 13, 2023 following a years long battle with bladder cancer.  He was 63.  Jim began as Stratham’s Building Inspector/Code Enforcement Officer/Health Officer in December 2021 after serving in similar roles for several Seacoast area communities, including for the towns of Hampton, Greenland, and Eliot, Maine.  Earlier in his career, he worked many years for CLD Engineering and Underwood Engineers, including as a licensed land surveyor.

Jim was a dedicated professional and a pleasure to work with.  Jim was very civic-minded – having served on a number of municipal boards – and was very committed to his profession.  He was an avid runner, skier, and cyclist – he once ran the Boston Marathon in 2 hours and 50 minutes – and was always happy to share fitness tips with colleagues.  Please join us as we offer our deep sympathies to the Marchese family.

DEDICATION OF ROOM A AS THE JOAN M. SEWALL ROOM
At a Public Hearing on May 16, 2022 the Select Board heard from residents supporting Nate Merrill's recommendation for re-naming Room A at the Municipal Center as the Joan M. Sewall Room.  Ms. Sewall was the elementary school food service director when the town office was Stratham Memorial School.  Supporters spoke of their fond memories of Ms. Sewall and her cooking.  On June 20, 2022, the Select Board voted to adopt the name change.  A plaque with the following inscription has been installed near the two entrances of the Joan M. Sewall Room:

"School foodservice staff are unsung heroes of public education.  Joan Sewall served made-from-scratch meals to an entire generation of Stratham children in this room from 1974-1989.  Her smile and laugh were infectious as she shared her joy of cooking with students, encouraging early development of a valuable lifelong skill.  She empowered kids to make menu and recipe suggestions, and was perhaps best known for her famous apple crisp made with fresh Bunker Hill Orchard fruit from the Sewall family farm just up the street."

We celebrate Ms. Sewall’s legacy and contribution and congratulate her and her family on this honor.

MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY
For the second year in a row, a broad coalition of Stratham organizations are ensuring a meaningful acknowledgment and celebration of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in Stratham.  This year’s program includes an expanded group of partners with the addition of Stratham Memorial School, the Stratham Volunteer Fire Department Association and the Stratham Police Department.

The federal holiday and state observance of Dr. King’s birthday is an opportunity to remember King’s contributions, including his dedication to the fundamentals of vibrant community connections.  The partnering organizations aim to communicate the importance of this work and investment in our community through a number of varied events for people of all ages.

For details on the events, please click here or on the flyer below. 

MLK

BE A SUPER SCOOPER, DON'T POLLUTE!
Stratham is one of several communities in NH required to take action to reduce stormwater pollution.  This effort is enforced by the US EPA under Stratham’s Municipal Separate Sewer and Stormwater System (MS4) Permit.  One requirement of the MS4 Permit is that the Town perform outreach to pet owners encouraging the proper disposal of pet waste.  A short insert will be included with all dog licenses in 2024 to meet this requirement and to encourage continued responsible pet ownership!  Learn more about Stratham’s MS4 Permit on the Town’s webpage at - Stormwater and Stratham's MS4 Permit | Town of Stratham NH or contact the Planning Department at 603-772-7391 ext. 184.

TRANSITION IN GENERAL ASSESSING SERVICES
As of January 1, Whitney Consulting Group (WCG) will perform Stratham's general assessing services and be responsible for performing our 2024 reval.  WCG is a New Hampshire based firm led by Steve Hamilton, a former Director of the Property Division at the NH the Department of Revenue who also worked for the Board of Land and Tax Appeals.  He will be joined in serving Stratham by two WCG staff assessors, Emily Goldstein and Benjamin Heller.  WCG comes highly recommended by a number of other NH municipalities.  We'd like to thank Chris Murdough of Murdough Assessing Services who has done an excellent job of performing general assessing services for Stratham for the last two and one half years.   Our Assessing function will continue to be supported by Deputy Town Clerk/Tax Collector Jim Joseph, who provides great over the counter assistance to residents with credit and exemption applications and more.  We look forward to a smooth transition and to working with Whitney Consulting Group.

2024 STATISTICAL UPDATE / PROPERTY REVALUATION 
The constitution and statutes of the State of New Hampshire require that property subject to a tax based on value, be valued anew at least every five years. Mass appraisal is the method used to update all taxable property within a municipality in order to meet the legal requirement.  Due to Stratham’s last statistical update being completed in 2019, preparations are underway to update the values for tax year 2024.  Please stay tuned to this newsletter for additional information about the 2024 effort.  

REMINDER BUDGET AND TOWN MEETING SEASON
Our December 1st newsletter provided a link to key information about the upcoming budget and Town Meeting season, including links to the schools and other taxing jurisdictions.  Please click here for more information.