Month: May 2016

The selectmen’s Wednesday meeting was canceled. All town offices will be closed Monday, May 30 in honor of Memorial Day. The selectmen’s office will be closed starting Tuesday, May 31 through  Friday, June 3. Though the office will be closed on Wednesday, June 1, the selectmen will meet at 4 p.m.

The Supervisors of the Checklist will meet on Tuesday, May 31 from 7 to 7:30 p.m. to make any and all corrections or additions to the voter checklist. This will be the last time a voter may change their party affiliation before the September 13 primary.

Steve Knox is Albany’s representative on the county’s farm committee.  Tuesday was the first meeting and it was held at the farm.  Steve reports that Andy Kendall of the Kendall Group was on hand as well as Peter Benson of the Charitable Foundation. They did a tour of the farm first and followed with a discussion at which both Andy and Peter gave their thoughts. By the end of 2016 the committee is expected to find answers to questions about the farm and make their recommendations to the commissioners. Steve was appointed chair of this committee by the commissioners.

Rick Hiland along with approximately fifty others attended a workshop for seasoned and new municipal officials held at the Carroll County Administration Building on Wednesday. There were discussions on the Right-to-Know Law, ethics and conflicts, town governance, public employment, liability and more.

Waldorf School: The 4/5 Grade Yard Sale Fundraiser is coming.  Donations of clean clothing, furniture, household items, toys, sporting gear and working electronics are being accepted until Friday, June 3 in the trailer in the Middle Parking lot. The sale will be Saturday, June 4 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the bottom of the driveway in the Ambit parking lot.

Gibson Center: Don’t forget to check out the Memorial Day Craft Fair on the lawn of the Center this weekend. The vendors are there from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Center is closed on Monday for Memorial Day. Make your reservation for the Saturday, June 4 matinee performance of Billy Elliot by calling 356-3231. The bus leaves at 10 a.m. and supper at Hart’s Turkey Farm is on you.

Library: The library is closed on Monday.  On Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. there’s Story Time for Twos and at 6 p.m. check out Savoring Summer: Fast and Fresh Plant-Based Meals from Garden to Table. On Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. it’s Story Time for Wee Ones and at 4 p.m. there’s Advanced Robotics. On Thursday at 10:30 a.m. it’s Story Time for Threes and Fours. At 1 p.m. join Tai Chi with Pat Katz. At 4 p.m. there’s the Family Garden Club.  Saturday at noon there’s a Book Fair at BAM.

UNH Extension: If you are looking for extra training to get a promotion, change careers, or to be more effective at work, UNH Professional Development & Training is a resource you can use. It offers flexible, top-notch education focused on building careers and boosting professional performance. Sign up to receive PD&T’s announcements of upcoming conferences, certificate programs, customized trainings and over 250 one-day seminars at learn.unh.edu.  The first program is for leaders and managers being held on June 15-17 at Mountain Club on Loon, Lincoln, NH.

Starting Home, a non-profit organized to help homeless veterans reclaim their lives, is holding a yard sale fundraiser on Saturday, May 28 and Sunday, May 29 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Route 302, Center Conway just before the state line. There will be furniture, tools, TV sets, electronics, toys, stuffed animals, exercise equipment and more.  Please stop by.  You’re sure to see something interesting.

ServiceLink is here working for you. They can help prevent marketing fraud (misleading or aggressive sales tactics), Medicare fraud or billing errors, and intimidating and unsolicited sales. If you are encountering any of this, call 1-866-634-9412 or go online to www.servicelink.org.

This weekend will be busy in the valley. The weather is supposed to be great. Get out and enjoy. Have a great week!

At Wednesday’s selectmen’s meeting a number of old business items were taken up including fixes to the website, safety upgrades to the doors and the fire/rescue contract with Conway Village Fire Department.

Kathy Vizard, town administrator, reported having sent out notices of the upcoming joint board meeting to all board member for whom she had an email address, but has heard nothing back regarding topics for the agenda. Please contact her if you have any ideas.

Selectman Rick Hiland discussed Our Town Energy Alliance (OTEA), a group of approximately 10,000 members, that negotiates prices with vendors for oil, kerosene and propane. He said belonging to the alliance has saved him quite a bit of money and he wanted to pass this information on to Albany’s residents. He noted that there is still time for people to sign up as prices get locked in by July. For more information, contact Rick.

Selectmen also discussed the town’s cash flow to see if and when they would need to borrow money to pay bills. Generally property taxes replenish funds for the town in the fall. Selectman Hiland shared a spreadsheet he had put together and said that spending is up $273,000 over 2015, thus the cash crunch could come as early as this summer. The board discussed changing the town’s fiscal year to line up with the school district and/or making property tax billing twice a year.

Please note that the selectmen’s office will be closed May 20.

Gibson Center: Master Gardener, Julia King, will speak about ways to attract pollinators to yards and gardens. Join Julia on Tuesday, May 17 at 12:30 p.m. and learn how to make your garden and yard attractive to pollinators. Or, you might like to spend the afternoon at Sip N’Paint. The Centers bus leaves after lunch. The cost is $44 for transportation, canvas, paint, instruction and a smock. Bring your own snack and beverage. Call 356-3231 to sign on. On Thursday, May 19 there will be ballroom dancing after lunch.

Library: Monday at 10:15 a.m. the Morning Book Group meets. On Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. it’s Story Time for Twos, on Wednesday it’s Story Time for Wee Ones followed at 4 p.m. by Advanced Robotics. On Thursday at 10:30 a.m. there’s Story Time for Threes and Fours. At 11 a.m. it’s Yoga for Kids and caregivers.

At the recent Eggs & Issues event held at the White Mountain Hotel there were about 60 attendees who came to hear Governor Maggie Hassan speak about the State of the State.  Of those about 13% were from Albany: Charles Greenhalgh, Steve and Sara Knox, Lauren O’Reilly, Scott McKinnon, Stan and Dorothy Solomon. That’s a pretty good showing for our small town.  We left encouraged and looking forward to more good news with the understanding that the state needed to continue along this positive path.

Robert Kilkelly is still undergoing radiation treatments for his “agent orange” problems.  He is looking well though.  On another level, he will be getting his PHD in Sociology this year.  Congrats!

Mary and Terry Leavitt went to Keene State College last Saturday for the graduation of Jennifer Plummer. Jennifer is the daughter of Bethany Leavitt Plummer thus Mary’s granddaughter and Terry’s niece. It was at this event where William Marvel was given his Honorary Doctor of Human Letters for his books on the Civil War.

A big welcome home to Carol Munroe who has returned from Florida where she spent the winter.  She reported having had a great time.

Nancy and Roger Holmes celebrated their fortieth wedding anniversary in Nashville,Tennessee.  They were joined there by Nancy’s parents who were celebrating sixty years of marriage and Nancy’s sister and brother-in-law celebrating their thirtieth anniversary. All enjoyed good shows and the best food the south had to offer. This was certainly a memorable time for all.

Bernadine Dubois’ son, Bobby Brousseu from Canaan, Vt. came to Albany for Mother’s Day weekend. As an added gift Bobby did some outdoor work and then took his mom to Banners for Mother’s Day dinner.  It was a pleasant weekend for all.

For all those fishing enthusiasts, New Hampshire Fish and Game is now stocking trout and other fish in local streams.  Enjoy!

Let’s cross our fingers and hope that this lovely weather we’ve been enjoying for the past several days means that spring has really arrived.  Have a great week!