The New Boston Connects Action Team has come up with some wonderful ideas to make New Boston a great place to live for people who like to walk, bike and hike, as well as make roads safer by slowing traffic down through the center of town.

We often hear residents of communities like New Boston complain that amenities such as sidewalks take away from the rural character of a town, but this comment has not surfaced so far here. We believe it is possible to create walkways and bicycle paths that keep a town’s rural character intact and reduce the need for cars and trucks to be used for every little trip. If more of our children walked to school or the library, they’d be healthier for the effort. If more adults could walk or ride a bike for a quick errand or just for fun, their mental and physical health would improve – and they’d likely gain appreciation for local surroundings that are hard to see when whizzing by in a car.

Great ideas come to fruition when the majority is in agreement. Now is the time for New Boston residents to give this committee their ideas and efforts to make the town better than ever. The next meeting is Wednesday, May 10, 7:30 p.m., at New Boston Town Hall. Be there!

— Editorials published by Neighborhood News Inc. are written by an editorial board. The board is composed of Publisher and President Amy J. Vellucci, Executive Editor Ginger Kozlowski, Managing Editor Christine Heiser and News Editor Susan Clark.

To the Editor:
The Lynchville and Danis Park neighborhood has been waiting for public sewer for 30 years and public water for 40.

Public systems are lacking for homes on the streets of Lynchville, Danis, Sonny, Chatel, Russell, Dumont, Bay, Cove, Aurel, Pine Grove and part of Morgan Estates.

Investors and homeowners purchased parcels since the 1970s under town promise that a sewer was coming. Those who already owned stayed and waited.

Single family and condominium owners have spent years patching failed systems at high costs. Current problems are also anticipated to be impacting the Piscataquog River water quality.

Many owners pay a property tax premium for water frontage and the total taxable property value is estimated near $80 million.

The sewer project could have been done right after the town undertook system improvements in 1991 (as planned in the 1987 CIP) but it wasn’t.

The project was again listed in the CIP plans for 1999, then 2006. After a basic proposal in 2004, in June 2005 town officials put together an expensive and broad project covering all homes. This plan includes sewer, public water, drainage and road improvements.

The funding structure proposed is a typical structure for small sewer projects in Goffstown and includes state grant sources, and a sewer commission allocation. Following the June 2005 proposal, the sewer commission sent ballots to residents asking them to contribute $13,000 per property toward the infrastructure cost plus the cost of home hookups to the lines in the street.

Returned ballots were 70 percent in favor (83 percent within Lynchville and Danis).

As described in the town’s 2005 annual report, the sewer commission took the action of putting the project on “hold” in the fall so that selectmen could seek federal grants. Grant awards may not be known for several months.

Recent information from over 100 properties indicates that only about half have septic systems in good working order.

In many cases, septics cannot be replaced due to space, soil and drainage limitations. Some properties are on holding tanks that were permitted by the state in anticipation of public sewer access.

The sewer commission has the full authority to undertake the sewer project, town officials and hired engineers have described the area as unsuitable for onsite systems and publicly stated the needs due to soil conditions, environmental concerns, small lots, flooding and deteriorated roads.

The town building inspector suggested the project be done in 2005. The town undertook a preliminary survey of septic system age, type and quality in 2004. Those surveys sit unevaluated in a box at town hall.

We recently asked the selectmen to form a working committee to pool existing talent available and to provide a direct point of leadership for this project to manage its complex financial and planning considerations.

The neighborhood has been waiting for decades. A petition was sent by residents of Lynchville Park in 1967 begging for an extension of the Mast Road water lines down to the neighborhood.

Most of the signatories are dead. Owners have been waiting many years for sewer and water access to protect their properties, the river and their families.

Let’s do this before these properties pass to the third generation. This is a complex project and must be a well-coordinated town priority for 2006.

Construction must begin in 2007. For details please see www.LDPSewer.org.

Paul Gagne
Martha Fournier
Deb Gaudette
Brian and Judy Evans
Tom and Louise Hanley
LDP Neighborhood Improvement Commitee

To the Editor:
I am a Boy Scout from Troop 135. I have just recently received my Eagle Scout rank, the highest rank in Boy Scouts. In order to be eligible for the Eagle Scout award, an applicant must plan, develop and give leadership in a project that will benefit his community, religious institution or other nonprofit organization.

For my Eagle project, I worked with the Goffstown Conservation Commission to create a small park across from Shaw’s plaza in Pinardville.

This park, on land donated by Tire Warehouse, provides a viewing area for an historical ice house that has been located on Mystic Brook for more than 200 years. I hope that everyone gets an opportunity to visit the park and appreciate one of Pinardville’s historical structures.

Without the help of many businesses in the Goffstown area, I wouldn’t have been able to complete my project. I would like to thank the following businesses for their generosity:

Paquette’s Plumbing and Heating, Liberty Press, Paramount Cleaners, Synergy/REMAX Real Estate LLC, SpaLife Hot Tubs, Jutras Signs, Pro Landscape Supply, All Seasons Power Tool and Equipment, Dunkin’ Donuts (Shell Station), Perennial Design Landscaping and Bedford Fields.

I have enjoyed being able to beautify the town I live in and hope that everyone will be able to enjoy this park.

Brendan Bertagnoll
Eagle Scout, Troop 135

To the Editor:
This week, I attended a slide show presentation at the Goffstown High School put on by the students who devoted their vacation week to helping Hurricane Katrina victims in Mississippi.

The slideshow depicted the devastation that took place and the fact that over the last six months, some restoration has been accomplished but so much is left to be done. People are still without homes, jobs are difficult to come by and the rebuilding and restoration of homes and businesses is proceeding at a very slow pace. Volunteers from all over the country have come to the area and are giving of their time to help the rebuilding process.

The fact that these youngsters would give of their time is a true example of civic engagement. The idea that doing good is part of the American way was manifested by these young people and is truly to be admired by their parents, their classmates and the people of the state of New Hampshire.

I presented each of the students with a certificate of recognition from the New Hampshire Senate commending their volunteerism. I was so impressed with the character of these students and proud of the example they set for others.

On April 5, I was privileged to be able to participate in the dedication of a park in Goffstown in honor of my good friend John Sarette. John was a devoted public servant, volunteer and family man. He served as a Goffstown selectman and as state representative.

The Goffstown Rotary Club raised funds for the park dedication, which was also attended by several members of John’s family and members of the community. The park is located adjacent to the business that John once owned and is now operated by his son Bill.

It was a wonderful dedication and a fitting tribute to a man who gave so much to his community.

On the legislative front, the Senate defeated the smoking ban bill by a vote of 12-11. This in light of the fact that almost 80 percent of the people in the state of New Hampshire support a ban on smoking in restaurants and bars.

I supported the bill for several reasons. First, it is a health issue, in that secondhand smoke has proven to be a cause of lung cancer.

The service people who work in these establishments have no say in whether smoking is permitted or not, and as a result are exposed to permanent health damage.

Second, it is an economic issue because the cost of health insurance is directly related to the health of the individuals being covered.

We could achieve significant savings if the elements that cause bad health are eliminated.

This bill will not go away as the public in general will have its say in the next legislative session. I appreciate all of the e-mails and letters that I received from my constituents in Goffstown and Manchester. It is a wonderful feeling to recognize the fact that people are truly engaged in the public debate and take the time to express their opinion.

This is an example of democracy at work.

The legislative session is reaching its critical point where bills before the House and Senate will be acted on prior to adjournment. There are a number of key pieces of legislation that are currently before the Legislature.

The most significant will be what additional spending will take place for the rest of this biennium. Keep in touch with your representative to let him or her know what your reaction is to certain spending bills.

Lou D’Allesandro
State Senate District 20