January 17th Select Board Newsletter

January 17, 2020

Dear Stratham Residents,

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

In this edition:

• PFAS in Town Center Update
• Town Meeting Coming Up
• Senior Event Calendars Posted and other Parks & Recreation News
• Zoning Related Warrant Articles
• Voting and Elections Information
• Updated Information on Farms from the Conservation Commission
• Party at the Library!
• Household Hazardous Waste Collection Report

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

PFAS IN TOWN CENTER UPDATE POSTED

An update for the community has been posted to the Town's Resource Page for PFAS, click here for more information:

TOWN MEETING COMING UP

Preparations for Town Meeting will begin in earnest in the upcoming weeks, stay tuned for updates and more information, including a public hearing on the Warrant scheduled for February 10th.  As a Board, we are preparing for additional outreach concerning the Gateway Implementation and proposed Tax Increment Financing District adoption. All of this along with details about Voter Information Night hosted by the Wiggin Library and Town Report availability will be announced in the coming weeks.

SUMMER CAMPS - summer camp registration opens on Tuesday, January 21, 2020. Check out our camp offerings or log into your RecDesk account to register for these FUN summer camps.

SPRING SPORTS - Registration for our recreation baseball and softball programs are OPEN! Register Today!

SENIOR PROGRAMS - Registration is open for our next six (6) week sessions of Tai Chi and Painting/Drawing class. Registration is FREE to Stratham seniors. Non-residents and those under 55 can register for $50. Signup today!

You can find a FEBRUARY listing of senior events, programs and activities here!

STRATHAM HILL PARK
Community Bonfire at Stratham Hill Park, Saturday, January 25th 5-8pm.  Earlier this month the SMS 5th grade class collected 200+ trees to burn in our community bonfire. The SVFD Ladies Auxiliary will be there selling hot beverages and snacks.

For further information on any of these items please visit https://www.strathamnh.gov/recreation 
 

PROPOSED WARRANT ARTICLES
The Planning Board has been working on proposed amendments to the Town’s zoning ordinance in accordance with NH law.  The proposed amendments are ultimately placed, individually, on the Town Warrant for Town Meeting. Recall, Zoning Amendments are included on the Town Meeting Ballot for the Town Meeting.  

This is a link to the 2020 Proposed Zoning Amendments: https://www.strathamnh.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif5051/f/uploads/2020_propo...

Please note, Town Offices will be closed for business on Tuesday, February 11th to allow for elections to take place.

VOTING INFORMATION
The Supervisors of the Checklist will be in session at the Stratham Town Clerk’s Office on Tuesday, January 21, 2020 from 7:00 pm to 7:30 pm to accept voter registrations for the Presidential Primary held on February 11, and for the filing period for the Town Election held on March 10.   If registering to vote, residents will be asked to provide photo ID and proof of residency.  If you do not have this, you will be asked to sign an affidavit.  There are no party changes accepted at this session.

The filing period for Town and School officials starts Wednesday, January 22nd, 2020 and ends Friday, January 31st, 2020.  Candidates must be registered voters in the Town of Stratham, and must either apply in person with a photo ID at the Town Clerk’s Office, or if filing by mail, we must have your filing papers in the office by 1/30/2020.  Our hours are Monday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  In addition, on Friday, January 31st, we will have additional hours for filing purposes only, from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

Town positions open for the March 10, 2020 Town Election are:

Select Board - 1 position, three year term
Town Clerk/Tax Collector - 1 position, three year term
Library Trustee - 2 positions, (one) three year term, (one) one year term
Trustee of the Trust Funds - 1 position, three year term
Cemetery Trustee - 1 position, three year term
Town Moderator - 1 position, two year term

Stratham School District elected positions open for the Town Election are:
School Board Member- 2 positions, each a three year term

CONSERVATION COMMISSION - FARM INFORMATION
Please check out our newly updated farms list to see what our local farmers have to offer!  And if you are a farm that would like to be added, please contact us!

https://www.strathamnh.gov/conservation-commission/pages/stratham-farms 

To receive other information on the Conservation Commission, please go to https://www.strathamnh.gov/subscribe.

PARTY AT THE LIBRARY!

Join us for a Library Lovers Month Open House on Saturday, February 8 from 1 – 3 p.m. Enjoy homemade cookies and a surprise themed cake, win prizes, help us fill our heart wall, and create some art. Popular children’s book character Mother Bruce will make a visit for high fives and pictures!

HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION
Please follow this link for information about how many households participated, the items collected, etc.  Household Hazardous Waste Collection Report