Windham Taxpayers

September 10, 2008
Eagle Tribune

WINDHAM, N.H. — Voters soundly defeated a $1.25 million bond for a secondary access road to the new Windham High School yesterday, 794-986.

Article 1 on the special Town Meeting Ballot needed a 60 percent majority — 1,058 votes — to pass.

Voters were clearly dissatisfied with the town bringing forward a proposal similar to the one voters defeated in March.

“We said no and they wouldn’t take no for answer,” Linda Connors said after casting her ballot against the article.

Connors said spending in town is out of control, especially given the tough economic times. Her husband, John, agreed. He said the proposed secondary access road was an example of runaway spending.

Selectman Bruce Breton said the town may end up paying a hefty price for defeating the proposal.

“The town may lose their (school building) aid if the access road doesn’t go in,” he said.

Breton said he was disappointed the School Board had not done more to rally votes for the proposal.

But School Board Vice Chairman Bruce Anderson said he doesn’t think the defeat will influence the $17 million in school building aid the district is due to receive from the state.

“We have all of our state approvals,” he said.

Selectman Roger Hohenberger said it’s clear voters don’t want a paved secondary access road and he, for one, will not bring forward a similar proposal in March.

But he said it is crucial school officials, town officials and the fire chief brainstorm to find a solution to the problem.

“Everybody agrees the school has to open by 2009,” Hohenberger said.

Fire Chief Tom McPherson has said he will not sign a permit to allow the school to open without a secondary access road.

Voters did approve, 1,170-571, having 83 acres of town land near Goodhue Road managed as a conservation easement by the Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire.

September 5, 2008
Pelham-Windham News

Windham voters are being given a second opportunity to decide whether a second access road should be built at the site of Windham High School. The school is scheduled to open in September 2009 now. Voters will go to the polls to vote in the state primary and cast ballots on the proposed access road on Tuesday, September 9.

The special town meeting was petitioned by selectmen. Permission to hold the meeting was granted by Rockingham County Superior Court in early August.

A similar warrant article was presented to voters in March during the annual school district meeting. That article was defeated, however, and failed to garner even a simple majority, not even close to the required 60 percent majority needed for a bond issue.

During the school board workshop on Tuesday, September 2, the entire agenda was devoted to discussing the town’s latest proposed warrant article. Despite information being presented that indicated a second access road is not required before the school is opened, school board members remained at odds on whether it should be built. The currently proposed roadway is designed to meet town standards and would not be used just as a second emergency access to the high school. It would also provide access to the other side of Windham and thus be deemed a public road. There also is talk of new homes being built in that area sometime in the not-too-distant future, resulting in residents who would most likely benefit from the paved road.

Glenn Davis, the school district’s representative for the $53 million high school project, said he would “like to see the road go through, but I don’t think we need this access road for the school to open” next September. Davis read several passages from documents written by state officials indicating that the state fire marshal has already reviewed all current plans for the high school. “We have all the required approvals to open,” Davis said. Based on this documentation, Davis said, “I’m not sure that the (local) fire chief (Tom Mcpherson) does have the final say.”

McPherson has maintained he wants a second access to the school for the safety of students and staff. He has also said he is willing to work with town and school district administrators to resolve the issue and to come up with a solution. McPherson did not attend the September 2 workshop, but has said previously he wants to see Windham High School open on time.

School Board Member Mike Hatem said it was the fire marshal who gave the local fire chief the right to issue a final decision. “The fire marshal is not going to back down on this,” Hatem said, adding that trying to open the school without a second access could lose Windham $18 million in state educational aid.

According to Davis, the two main issues surrounding the road dilemma are funding and timing. “I want the high school to open on time,” he said. “And I don’t want neighbors suing neighbors.” Davis explained that he would hate to see the school district and town become so embattled that the issue could wind up in court. “There are other reasons for this road beside access to the high school,” he said, referring to the proposal to make the access a public road, rather than just a gated dirt or gravel road to prevent public access.

The proposed cost of the paved road is about $1.25 million; money which Davis said does not exist in the high school budget. If voters fail to pass the article on September 9, the money needed to build the road will not be found in the remaining high school construction budget. The next opportunity to bring it to a vote would be at the annual town or school district meeting in March. Davis said it would be difficult to get the road built between then and the beginning of school, less than a six-month period. “If the road doesn’t pass in September or March, we are left with an unfunded mandate,” Davis said. Davis said the school district needs to plan for the worst-case scenario. If voters pass the article on September 9, then further discussion “is a moot point,” Davis said. If it fails to pass, school officials need to come up with other options, he added.

During the past year or so, school board members and town officials have tried to work together in finding a solution to the second access road situation, but so far the issue is unresolved. “We jumped through every hoop. We did everything we could to solve the issue,” school board member Beverly Donovan said. “It’s just sad the way it’s played out.”

Davis said he wanted to emphasize that, at no time, did the school board do anything inappropriate in proposing the article last March pertaining to a second access road. School officials had hoped to receive 30 percent state aid by putting the article through the school district, rather than through the town side of government. Davis said school board members always had the best interests of taxpayers at heart.

Mike Hatem said he doesn’t like the idea that some people are taking a tone that blames selectmen for the current situation regarding a second access road. Instead of placing blame, he said, school board members should be focusing on the pros and cons of the road. The only con, in his opinion, Hatem said, is cost. Referring to the divided opinions in town, Hatem said, “We have a very angry town. I don’t understand why anyone on the school board would be opposed. The bottom half of the road is already town-owned.”

School Board Chairman Barbara Coish said she is opposed to the proposed warrant article. “I don’t think we need it,” she said. Coish said she’s not satisfied because the plans for the proposed road are not finished, nor is the cost of the proposal known. “How can the public vote on this question under these circumstances?” she asked. Coish also said she believes plans to build this road are substandard. “The lowest cost is not always the answer,” she said.

School Board Member Bruce Anderson questioned whether the school district should try to buy the land on which to build a second access road, then construct a dirt or gravel road that is gated except for emergency access. He said the cost for doing the project in that manner would be about $800,000. If the town wasn’t allowed to use the road for public access, could the school district obtain 30 percent aid from the state department of education? he wondered.

School Board Member Mark Brockmeier, who attended the meeting via a conference telephone call, said board members are spending too much time on “pre-emptive worrying.” “We have to wait for the vote on September 9,” Brockmeier said, then, if it doesn’t pass, board members need to explore other options.

Superintendent Frank Bass agreed with Brockmeier. “There are so many variables to take into account,” Bass said. “By finger-pointing, you’re only embroiling the situation,” he said. “The best thing to do is to wait and see what happens on September 9.” Bass also said other options have not been discussed by the full school board and will be approached should it become necessary after the votes are tallied next week.

When asked how they plan to vote on September 9, Donovan and Anderson both said they plan to vote for the road as proposed. “Do we need it?” Anderson said. “No. Would it be nice to have? Yes.” Coish said she will not for the road, contending it is not a requirement for opening the school. Hatem said he will vote in favor of the access because it is needed. Brockmeier said he will be voting as a private citizen on September 9 and does not care to share how he will vote.

“It’s really up to the taxpayers,” Glenn Davis said. “It all depends on their vote.”

September 5, 2008
Eagle Tribune

WINDHAM — Paying the lower state rate for road salt is a thing of the past for some Southern New Hampshire towns.

Windham and Derry long for the good old days — last year. Salt was much cheaper when they could piggyback on the rate paid by the state. But to save money this year, the state sought its bids for salt without making a deal that allows some New Hampshire towns to pay the same rate, said Caleb Dobbins, maintenance engineer for the Department of Transportation.

Windham selectmen recently accepted a bid for $72.46 per ton from International Salt Co. of Clarks Summit. Pa. This compares to the $57-a-ton state rate.

Town Highway Agent Jack McCartney figures Windham will spend about $15,000 more this winter on salt if it uses a typical amount — about 900 tons.

Derry recently accepted a bid of $68 per ton. This compares to $48.80 per ton paid last year when Derry paid the same as the state rate, Director of Public Works Mike Fowler said.

“Unfortunately, we have to take this bad medicine, but we never anticipated salt at $68 ton,” Fowler said.

The state has also seen a big increase in the price of salt this year, about 25 percent or $2 million more than it paid a year ago, Dobbins said.

The price would be even higher if the state included its usual provision that allowed highway District 5 towns to buy salt at the same rate. District 5 includes Derry, Londonderry, Salem, Windham, Concord, Manchester, Milford and Nashua.

Many communities lack the capacity to store enough salt for the entire winter, so multiple deliveries are required over the course of a season. More deliveries mean increased transportation costs, so the contractors included the added expense in their bids. The high cost of fuel is driving the price increase.

Salem won’t be affected by the jump in salt costs as much as other towns since its contract for $55.20 per ton runs through October. Public Works Director Rick Russell said he will have a full shed of salt by then and will likely only have to buy an additional 1,000 or 1,500 tons to get through the winter.

Neither Derry nor Windham has the luxury of waiting until October since they have already accepted bids for this winter. In addition, they are limited in how they can immediately conserve salt since the weather will dictate usage. Fowler said Derry won’t curtail its salt use if it means putting public safety at risk. In the event of a severe winter, the town will have to look elsewhere — scrimping on repairing catch basins, clearing culverts and repairing sidewalks — if it is to make up for the additional cost of salt, Fowler said. “We really don’t have a choice,” he added.

September 4, 2008
Eagle Tribune

WINDHAM, N.H. — Athletic Director Bill Raycraft doesn’t have any sports teams, physical education classes or coaches. In fact, Raycraft doesn’t even have a school — yet.

But Raycraft has plenty to do in the year before Windham High School opens next August.

Superintendent Frank Bass calls Raycraft’s mission a daunting one.

It includes everything from determining what teams the school will field and whether there will be junior varsity and varsity squads, to hiring all the coaches and working with the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association to schedule all the games.

He also must build a physical education program for the school.

“It’s a daunting task — no question about it,” Bass said. “But one of the reasons we chose him is because we sensed he had that kind of ability, including perseverance and fortitude, to get the job done and done well.”

Raycraft, 40, was most recently the athletic director at John Stark Regional High School in Weare. He’s the son of a veteran athletic director. He said starting an athletic program from scratch is challenging but exciting.

“I’m wearing many hats,” Raycraft said. “One hour I’m working on new curriculum for the physical education and wellness program for the high school, the next hour I’m looking at what sports we will play on which fields. It’s a high school being built on a lot of research. We’re taking the best components from other high schools and bringing them to Windham.”

R. Patrick Corbin, a former Salem High School principal and now executive director of the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association, said he was impressed by Raycraft when he was at John Stark Regional High School.

Corbin said he knows what it’s like to create a new athletics program — and he doesn’t envy Raycraft. Corbin oversaw the creation of an athletics program at Nashua North High School, where he served as that school’s first principal.

“I have a good sense of how monumental a task it is to start an athletic program,” Corbin said. “But I think Windham school officials made a good choice with Bill Raycraft. He’s bright. He has a good analytical mind, and I know he’s excited about the new school and his role as athletic director.”

Raycraft said he has enjoyed watching the school’s athletics facilities take shape since he came onboard July 1.

“It’s sort of like watching your child grow,” he said. “Seeing the facilities in drawings is one thing. But it’s a different feeling when you walk into the gym or other facilities and see them coming along.”

The heart of the athletics program will be in the gym.

“I think the gym will be a centerpiece of the school,” he said. “It’s going to be a place where students will be proud to host events. It will be large enough to hold 1,200 people and for practices for two teams at the same time.”

The gym will have an adjacent weight lifting/fitness room and a separate cardiac fitness room, equipped with treadmills and stationary bikes. While these rooms will be used for the physical education curriculum, students and teachers will be able to work out in them, too, Raycraft said.

Windham High School will open with a freshmen and sophomore enrollment of 335 next year. Those student athletes likely will face the Pelham High Pythons, Oyster River Bobcats and Bedford High Bulldogs in their inaugural year. They won’t, however, compete against nearby Pinkerton Academy, Londonderry High or Salem High, all much bigger schools.

Raycraft wants to give the first students attending Windham High a big say in what sports teams the school will field.

He surveyed Windham students who are freshmen at Salem High this year and will be sophomores at Windham High next year to find out what sports they want to play. As expected, football and basketball drew the most support.

Raycraft said he will survey eighth-graders at Windham Middle School, the students who will be the first freshman class at the new school.

He also has met with the athletic director at Bedford High School, which just completed its inaugural year. The athletic director there, Thor Nielson, told him what worked and what didn’t work in the opening year, Raycraft said.

He has reviewed the athletics facilities for the new school, many of which are still being built, and recommended the addition of a track and a multipurpose playing field with artificial turf.

“I think we have a gem in Bill Raycraft,” School Board Chairman Barbara Coish said. “I’m extremely happy with him. Being an athletic director is in his blood.”

He lives in Weare with his wife and 13-year-old daughter, but he may move closer to Windham, he said.

September 2, 2008
Eagle Tribune

New Hampshire and town officials are butting heads over who should maintain about 24 standpipes attached to Interstate 93 bridges.

The pipes, which are slated for installation as the I-93 widening project progresses, channel water from fire hydrants or water tankers on secondary roads to the interstate.

Directing water from a secondary road would keep some water tankers and the firefighters who operate them off the side of the highway, which can be a dangerous place to operate, said Windham fire Chief Tom McPherson.

Furthermore, by using standpipes, firetrucks hauling water would avoid traffic delays on the highway in their response to the blaze.

The standpipes would be a precaution against a major catastrophe such as an overturned fuel tanker.

Otherwise, in the case of a car fire, fire departments would have enough water with them to put out the flames.

Meanwhile, the state-town standpipe standoff is over who should pay for keeping snow cleared from the pipes, as well as periodic testing and inspection.

Southern New Hampshire towns have balked at the prospect of footing those bills.

Salem Assistant fire Chief Paul Parisi told a gathering of fire and police officials and state Department of Transportation engineers and managers last week that his boss said there was no way the town is going to pay for protecting the interstate | a state asset.

“It got shot down even before it got to the (town) manager,” he said.

Derry Battalion fire Chief Mike Gagnon said the long-term maintenance cost would be too expensive for the towns.

“Long term, it is going to kill us,” he said.

But Pete Stamnas, DOT project manager for the I-93 widening, said the state is under the same manpower and budgetary pressures as the towns.

“We are struggling to plow the roads when they need it,” he said.

Stamnas said the state is willing to pay for the installation of the standpipes, but it wants the towns to be stakeholders by paying for their maintenance. Otherwise, the towns might ask to have them installed at every bridge, he said.

As it is, Salem has requested 11 standpipes, Windham and Derry each want four, and Londonderry has asked for several.

Each standpipe costs about $8,000 to $10,000 to install.

The talks about the maintenance took place at Londonderry Town Hall at a meeting of the Technical Steering Committee, an I-93 incident management group where public safety and transportation managers hash over concerns related to the highway project.

Ultimately, the decision on what entity will pay for the standpipe maintenance will likely fall to state and local political leaders or the Department of Transportation commissioner’s office.

Still, in the trenches Wednesday, the steering committee members went to bat for their particular sides, even as they agreed to continue discussions.

Department of Transportation engineer Pamela Mitchell said the state would break with tradition if it paid for the shoveling costs.

“I don’t see how it is any different than a fire hydrant,” she said. “We don’t shovel them out.”

Earlier in the conversation, McPherson said shoveling standpipe sections would put his firefighters at risk from plows.

“I have no intention of sending personnel up there to clear out standpipes when state trucks are winging back snow,” he said.

The two sides agreed to continue the dialogue by exchanging proposals via e-mail.

Public officials in Windham are interested in seeking a political resolution, perhaps through the Legislature.

I-93 would be the first state highway in New Hampshire to have standpipes, as far as Mitchell knows.

Fire officers in Lawrence and Methuen, Mass, said they have no standpipes in their cities, but they have seen them on bridges in Boston.

Lawrence Deputy fire Chief John Marsh said the federal government provided a grant for two fire engines to carry foam in response to a major fuel fire incident on Interstate 495.
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