February 28th Select Board Newsletter

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February 28, 2020

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

In this edition:

Voter Information Night March 3rd
Come Talk about Gateway Implementation and TIF
Town Meeting Resources Available
School District Meeting
Historical Society Event
Reminder: Status of Future of Curbside Collection
Parks & Recreation Info

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: https://www.strathamnh.gov/subscribe.

The Select Board
Michael Houghton, Chairman Joe Lovejoy, Vice Chair Allison Knab

VOTER INFORMATION NIGHT MARCH 3RD
Don’t forget the Voter Information Night hosted by the Wiggin Memorial Library will be held on Tuesday March 3rd at 7:00 p.m. Come meet candidates and learn about warrant articles on the Town Warrant for the election (March 10th) and business session (March 13th). A voter guide will be available along with the copies of the Annual Town Report. Be on the lookout for more informaiotn useful in preparation for Town Meeting early next week.

COME TALK ABOUT GATEWAY IMPLEMENTATION AND TIF
We just finsihed up our third drop-in open house to diucss TIF; we have had some great conversations. Two opportunities remain for residents to “drop-in” to an open house and discuss and ask questions about the Tax Increment Financing proposal that will be voted on at Town meeting on March 13th. Please join us at the following dates and times in the Hutton Room at the Municipal Center:

Tuesday March 3, 2020 between 10:00 and 11:30 a.m. (Library Info Session is at 7:00 p.m.)
Friday March 6, 2020 between 2:00 and 3:30 p.m.

TOWN MEETING COMING UP
Several resources for preparing for Town Meeting are now available on the Town’s website.

2020 Town Warrant and MS 636 (State Budget Form)

Tax Increment Financing – Gateway Implementation – FAQ document

Gateway Implementation dedicated Town Website

Keep your eyes out for the 2019 Town Report - due out March 3rd. It will be available at Scamman Home & Garden, O'Brien Energy, the Wiggin Memorial Library, the Police Station and, of course, the Municipal Center, includign Senior Community Room.

STRATHAM SCHOOL DISTRICT MEETING
The above meeting will take place on Friday, March 6, 2020 at 7:00 pm in the Stratham Memorial School cafeteria, 39 Gifford Farm Rd.

HISTORICAL SOCIETY EVENT
“The history of agriculture as told by barns”, presented by the Stratham Historical Society jointly with the Wiggin Memorial Library and the NH Humanities Council, at the Morgera Community Room of the Stratham Fire Dept. March 9, 7 pm.

The speaker will be John C Porter, UNH Extension Professor/Specialist and author of “Preserving old barns”, a book published in 2007. He will demonstrate how these majestic barn structures represent Yankee ingenuity, hard work and skilled craftsmanship, as well as providing a link to our past that adds to the state’s scenic beauty.

The program is free to the public, light refreshments will be served and there is plenty of parking.

REMINDER ABOUT STATUS OF CURBSIDE COLLECTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE INTERIM REPORT
In late fall, the Curbside Collection Advisory Committee submitted a two-page interim-report to the Select Board. Those recommendations and next steps included hitting pause on the Automation Program to allow for more outreach in the form of a survey as well as obtaining the most competitive pricing on various curbside collection approaches, including automation. The CCAC and Town staff have been developing a survey instrument for this work which will be launched in the coming weeks. We will work through a variety of channels (electronic and otherwise) to ensure broad distribution of this survey. Stay tuned.

PARKS & RECREATION
Monday, March 2nd

coffee