May 24th Select Board Newsletter
May 24, 2019
Dear Stratham Residents,
Please join us this coming Monday May 27th for Memorial Day in Stratham. See below for details.
Also, in this edition ….Emergency Preparedness, a reminder from the Cemetery Trustees, a Stratham Memorial School celebration, a Master Plan Update, Safe Routes to Schools Action Plan, Dog License and ATV registration information and more.
Please advise your neighbors about this resource for keeping on top of information from the Town of Stratham. To sign-up for these updates and other notifications from Town, please visit: https://www.strathamnh.gov/subscribe.
The Select Board
Michael Houghton, Chairman Joe Lovejoy, Vice Chair Allison Knab, Selectwoman
Stratham Memorial School
SMS has announce there will be a SMS 30th Anniversary Celebration. On Sunday, June 2 at 4:30pm (at SMS) the community will recognize the important role SMS has played in the lives of generations of Stratham children and honor the remarkable support of the community, which continues to ensure that our children flourish. Please, join us in the unveiling of six pottery murals - each a special tribute to the qualities and experiences that make Stratham and SMS a truly beautiful and unique place to grow up. https://sms.sau16.org/home
Emergency Preparedness and Planning in Stratham
Preparedness: Emergency preparedness is ultimately an individual responsibility which starts in each of our own homes with our own households. Stratham’s Office of Emergency Management suggests residents prepare themselves by keeping adequate emergency supplies and stock at home and by reviewing the annual Seabrook calendar of emergency information (extra copies available at the Municipal Center). Please visit www.readynh.gov for a variety of resources for preparing yourself and your family.
Planning: This coming fall, the Town will be working to update its Hazard Mitigation Plan. This plan identifies long term strategies to reduce, or eliminate future risk from natural hazards. Funded with a grant from FEMA and coordinated with NH Homeland Security & Emergency Management, this work will be coordinated locally by the Town’s appointed Emergency Management Director (EMD) David Barr. A Committee made up of public safety staff, building and code professionals, and other Town staff will be joined by resident participants. If you have an interest in serving as a Committee member for a series of up to six meetings this late summer early fall, please contact EMD David Barr at DBarr@StrathamNH.gov.
Stratham Master Plan—Update and Next Steps
A special Thank You to all who attended the May 13 Master Plan Forum. Almost 80 participants attended to learn, discuss and contribute to the vision being developed. Following almost an entire year of work—including meetings, public presentations, and other outreach efforts by the Master Plan Committee — a Draft Master Plan will soon (June) be available for public review and comment. Town staff anticipate a series of joint public workshops (all open to the public) involving the Master Plan Committee and the Planning Board. Ultimately the Planning Board will convene a public hearing and adopt the Master Plan this summer. An updated workshop schedule will be presented in the next newsletter. In the meantime, please watch the Town website (www.strathamnh.gov) and the Master Plan page www.strathamplan.com for updates! Please do not hesitate to contact Tavis Austin, Town Planner with questions you may have: taustin@strathamnh.gov or 603-772-7391 ext. 147.
Memorial Day Observance in Stratham
This coming Monday May 27th is Memorial Day, the federal holiday dedicated to remembering and honoring persons who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. In Stratham, there are a number of opportunities for observing the holiday’s purpose. Please see below for a list of start times and locations.
12:00 P.M. - The Stratham Volunteer Fire Department will have a Memorial Service at the fire station flagpole in memory of past firemen.
1:30 p.m. - The Memorial Day Parade will march from Jackrabbit Lane, east onto Portsmouth Avenue to Stratham Hill Park.
1:45 p.m. - The Memorial Day Program will begin at the Veterans Memorial Garden at Stratham Hill Park.
From the Town Clerk’s Office
The Town Clerk’s Office would like to remind residents that dog licenses were due by April 30th. In June penalty fees will start and July will start the civil forfeiture fees. Please come in and license your dog(s) if you haven’t already. If you no longer have your dog(s), please let the Town Clerk’s Office know, as they have no other way of knowing this. Thank you!
Also, for your convenience, the Town Clerk’s Office can now register your All-Terrain Vehicles, dirt bikes, trail bikes, and snowmobiles. You do not have to be a resident to come in and register your ATV’s. Please come in anytime during the Town Clerk’s open hours.
Reminder from the Cemetery Trustees
The Cemetery Trustees would like to share the following highlights from the Town’s Cemetery Regulation as a reminder.
The Cemeteries are open to visitors during dawn to dusk hours. There is no skateboarding, roller skating, recreational bicycling or any other recreational activities allowed on cemetery grounds. Animals are permitted as long as they are on a leash and you clean up after the animal.
Flowers, wreaths, and flags may be placed on a grave. We request that the number be limited to two and that they be placed such that they do not inhibit mowing. Rocks, mulch, and small items which can be carried by the wind are not permitted. When memorials become aesthetically undesirable they must be removed by the owner or by Stratham Public Works crews. The planting of trees and shrubs is not allowed. Flower gardens are permitted but they must be placed directly in front of the headstone, and they cannot be larger than three square feet and must be maintained by the family. Oversized or unkempt areas will be removed.
The Cremation Garden will have only flat stones and only one potted plant is allowed.
Please see the full set of Cemetery Regulations on the Town of Stratham Website https://www.strathamnh.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif5051/f/uploads/cemeteryre...
Safe Routes to School—Action Plan Adoption
Congratulations to All! The Stratham Planning and Select Boards have each formally adopted the Stratham Safe Routes to School Action Plan (SRTS-AP). This adoption marks the successful completion of more than a year of work by the Pedestrian Cyclist Advocacy Committee, Town staff, school and citizen volunteers, as well as Scott Bogle of the Rockingham Planning Commission, and Rick Friberg of The Engineering Company (TEC), who each were third party consultants on the project. Together the project team worked first to secure federal grant funding of a Safe Routes to School Grant and second to develop an action plan for Stratham. The SRTS-AP will weave nicely into the in-process Master Plan (www.strathamplan.com) and provides key insights and directives to ongoing municipal work pertaining to roadway signage, lane striping, and other corridor improvements that both further the work of the PCAC and the SRTS-AP, as well as providing a stepping stone to a community less dependent upon vehicles to commute and recreate within Stratham. Please remember to keep in touch with the Master Plan process to see how all of the work to date moves forward. Thanks to all who took part in this process!