October 25th Select Board Newsletter
October 25, 2019
Dear Stratham Residents,
Please read below for news and notes from the Town of Stratham. In this edition: a gathering space for seniors is coming, a reminder about Trick or Treat Day, Master Plan public hearing continuing, and recognition for library staff.
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
STRATHAM SENIOR GATHERING SPACE
You came out, we listened and now we’re ready to act! The Parks & Recreation Department is happy to share, the Town is preparing to establish a Senior Gathering Space in the Municipal Center and launch it later this year (stay tuned for a final schedule). This space will be in meeting room B and serve as a gathering space for our seniors to “drop-in”, have coffee and catch up with friends and neighbors, play cards (or the ukulele). Beginning in the new year, the Parks and Recreation and the Library plan to add formal programming in the space.
This step follows a Senior Brainstorming session held in September that was attended by more than 40 residents and advocates. The discussion was focused on issues relevant to seniors living in Stratham. Broad areas of interest that rose to the top (in order of importance) were space(s), coordination/coordinator, programming, social/community, information sharing, and transportation, and communication. Here is a link to a summary of the discussion https://www.strathamnh.gov/parks-recreation/pages/senior-services-brains...
TRICK OR TREAT DAY
Trick or Treat day will be held on Wednesday, October 30th from 5:00 – 7:30 pm. Please be safe and have fun!
PUBLIC HEARING ON MASTER PLAN HELD OPEN; NEXT HEARING WILL BE NOVEMBER 20TH
On October 16th the Planning Board opened the public hearing on the proposed draft master plan. During the discussion, staff relayed various suggested improvements and edits submitted by the public that clarified content and added to the Plan’s readability; the Board made similar improvements as did members of the public recognized during the hearing. While no substantive directional or strategic changes were proposed, the Board decided to hold open the public hearing and reconvene it at the Board’s meeting on November 20th to allow for refinements to be completed and redistributed in a new draft. The latest plan reviewed by the Board is still available at www.strathamplan.com. A new revised draft Plan will be available on the same website early in the week of November 4th.
Many thanks are due to the community members who have worked extensively to ensure a useful and relevant Master Plan for the Town through participation on Master Plan Steering Committee; participation in the various forums, surveys, and outreach events associated with the Plans’ development; review Plan sections by Boards and Commissions, and through copy editing by those wanting to ensure all of the hard work and time the community has invested is reflected in the end product. Thank you!
CONGRATULATIONS TO PAMELA DZIAMA, READS AWARD OF EXCELLENCE AWARD WINNER
Congratulations to Pamela Dziama, this year’s READS Award of Excellence Award winner. Pam is a Customer Service Library Assistant at the Wiggin Memorial Library. She has spearheaded the library’s efforts to recognize local service members and veterans and to actively welcome their involvement in the library. Through her expansive library displays honoring Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Pearl Harbor Day, and other important dates, she has created an environment which encourages meaningful conversations in the community and between our patrons and library staff – conversations that did not take place before Pam’s efforts. She often sends cards on behalf of the library to express support and gratitude to those who serve. As a result of Pam’s involvement, the library has done more outreach to those in our community serving in the military and their families. Pam was presented with the READS Award of Excellence at the 2019 READS Annual Meeting. Congratulations Pam!