Select Board Newsletter - Town Meeting Edition
Dear Stratham Residents,
This special edition newsletter is dedicated to preparations for attending the Town Meeting business session on Saturday, March 27th at 9:00 am. The meeting will be held at the Exeter High School at 1 Blue Hawk Drive, Exeter, NH 03833.
In this edition:
- What to Expect at Town Meeting at Exeter High School
- Links to the Town Warrant, Town Report, Voter Information Guide and more
Thank you and we look forward to seeing you at Town Meeting.
The Select Board
Michael Houghton, Chairman Joe Lovejoy, Vice Chair Allison Knab
WHAT TO EXPECT AT EXETER HIGH SCHOOL FOR TOWN MEETING
The Stratham Town Meeting will be the sixth meeting of its kind held at the Exeter High School this year. The SAU and Exeter High School staff have worked closely with the Town to meet the needs for our business session and we are grateful for their work and support. Please read below for more information about the meeting.
The Town Moderator, Select Board, Town Clerk/Tax Collector, Supervisors of the Checklist and members of the Town administration appreciate greatly your cooperation in helping to ensure a safe meeting. Thank you!
Masks will be required at Town meeting, which will be held in the school’s auditorium. Residents will be greeted by Town staff at the main entrance to the building. Next, please sign-in with the Supervisors of the Checklist and then move on the auditorium. Please avoid congregating in groups in any area of the building at any time.
Residents unwilling or unable to wear masks should park in the main parking lot and follow signage and Town staff directing unmasked attendees to door B5 on the side of the building. A representative of the Supervisors of the Checklist will be there and unmasked attendees will be shown to the nearby gym space where there will be video and audio of the proceedings based in the auditorium.
Seating in the auditorium will be marked to promote social distancing for individuals as well as groups from the same household attending Town meeting together. The auditorium ordinarily seats 1,000 people; but for this event only 190 will be in the auditorium.
Residents who do not wish to enter the building will be able to listen to the proceedings from the parking lot in cars through the use of a public address system that will be set up in the parking lot. This area will be on the left side of the parking lot as you face the school. Users of this area, will need to come inside momentarily to sign-in with the Supervisors of the Checklist.
Additional notes:
- Please arrive in plenty of time to sign-in.
- A parking attendant will be in the parking lot to assist.
- All residents should bring something to write with to reduce the need to share or hand out pencils to mark any secret ballots.
You may be aware that Exeter High School is a vaccine distribution site. All of the vaccine activity is taking place in the rear of the building. The front parking lot will be available for the Town meeting activity and there will be no conflicts between the uses.
Need a Ride to Town Meeting?
The Town is obligated under state law to provide transportation to Town Meeting’s held outside of a Town’s jurisdiction. A bus will be at the Stratham Memorial School by 8:00 am on Saturday, March 27th. It will leave promptly at 8:15 am to go directly to Exeter High School. If you plan to use the transportation, please call Executive Assistant Karen Richard at 603 772-7391 ext 187 to register any time prior to Friday, March 26th at 3:30 p.m. Registration is not required, but will be helpful to understand the extent of need. Please leave your name, phone number and e-mail if you call after hours.
VOTER INFORMATION GUIDE AND TOWN REPORT
The 2021 Town Meeting page has a number of resources for your use in preparing for Town Meeting. Please visit the 2021 Town Meeting page. Some information that can be found there includes:
- 2021 Voter Information Guide
- 2020 Town Report
- 2021 Stratham Budget Summary
- 2021-2026 Capital Improvement Plan