We published an editorial in last week’s editions expressing our outrage that moderators in several communities, including Hooksett and Bedford, would not allow our publications to be available for pick-up on voting day.

Bullock claims he had always agreed to allow the papers outside the polls. Our disagreement was over how far away they’d be. He has since agreed to allow them in an honor box dispenser outside the school. We think we reached a fair compromise and we thank Ryk for his cooperation. We wish all our local moderators had been as agreeable.

This vehicle will be used to replace Engine 2, a 1976 American LaFrance, that is 30 years old. The fire department badly needs to replace this very old truck.

With the new vehicle emission standards that will go into effect in 2007, the cost of fire trucks will increase by $20,00 to $30,000 in just one year. Plus an additional 5 percent increase will be added for 2007. That means that this truck at $320,000 in 2006 will be $357,00 to $367,500 in 2007.

The time is now to replace this vehicle. I am asking for your support on this very important article on March 14. Please support Article 8.

Everett Chaput III
Allenstown Fire Chief

After considerable thought, I believe that she is definitely the right choice at this time. Owning and operating a successful business for over 30 years, she has the ability to control spending and staying within a budget.

Vote for Carol Merrill, for Allenstown selectman.

Lorette M. Houle
Allenstown

If you have any questions for me, I would enjoy hearing from you. Please feel free to contact me at the following numbers, 736-8150 or 848-8150.

Joni-Lynn Kitson
Selectman
Epsom

I would appreciate your vote on March 14 as a commissioner for the water and sewer commission to be a representative for the voters of Allenstown.

Occupation: construction superintendent retired, commercial and residential real estate agent.

Previous political or volunteer experience: I’ve had experience in another town as an elective representative of the water and sewer district for six years in which I covered an expansion of the sewer plant that cost about $3.5 million, in which the state and federal governments covered about 90 percent of the cost, to be able to double the size of the treatment plant. I also was a member of the planning board for 12 years, and the chairman for six years, a member of the budget committee for four Years, a member of the committee to build a new school. All this experience was in the town of Limestone, Maine, during the ’70s and early ’80s.

At the present there is a need in the sewer district to increase the capacity of the sewer plant to be able to provide growth in Allenstown.

I would appreciate your vote on March 14, 2006.

Larry Anderson
Member of Allenstown Budget Committee, School Board Space Needs Committee and alternate on the zoning board.

Please take note of the recommendations of the municipal budget committee when casting your vote on the warrant articles. The MBC works through the winter months to determine which articles to recommend and their recommendations will assist your decision making.

One very important warrant article is No. 18 and I urge to vote yes to help see our new library completed! The Library Building Committee has worked for years to bring our new library to completion and with this warrant article, the building project can be completed. The initial estimates for the building were done several years before the project was given the approval to move forward.

The committee has taken on the responsibility to raise more than half of the funds needed for this project and continue to fund raise, but is asking the community, to raise and appropriate $100,000 to complete the project.

Costs of materials has risen at a much higher rate than anyone could anticipate due to the steep increases in fuels, so we find ourselves faced with coming forward to both the public and the private supporters to assist us with the completion of the project. Please do your part to support our library!

I am endorsing Valerie Long and Cherylann Arvanitis for the library trustee positions. I am appreciative of the work that former library trustees have contributed and still contribute, but I feel that Val Long and Cherylann Arvanitis are the two most appropriate candidates for trustee at this time.

I also ask support for school board candidates Tracey Miner and Dave Goulet as they will bring enthusiasm and focus to the board.

Virginia Drew
Epsom

The needs have been well documented in public forums, mailings to residents, and through other channels of communication. It is a stated goal of the Candia School Board to move our school into the top 10 percent of academically achieving schools in New Hampshire.

Addressing the school’s space shortage, ventilation and heating issues aligns with this goal. The facility must support rather than impede teaching and learning.

Having a regulation-size gymnasium will provide some scheduling flexibility to enhance the academic and physical growth of our children, as well as providing a safe place for residents in times of emergency.

Providing adequate, ventilated space for math and reading tutoring, as well as for other studies, permits students to focus on learning and improving their grades. These are components of the plan to move Moore School towards the top in our state.

One need only walk through the halls when it’s raining to see the children of Candia sitting on the floor in the halls because the school lacks an indoor space where they can assemble. Sit through a meeting in the present conference room, staring at the wall with pallets of cases of copy paper stacked to the ceiling, and understand the need for storage areas. Accompany the state fire marshall and local fire chief on an inspection tour and realize the deficiencies in both storage and program spaces.

I have had these experiences. I have seen children escape injury in the existing gym only by the grace of God. I have heard the fire officials inform school officials of violations of codes, seen boxes stacked so high they would prevent sprinklers from performing as required.

The proposed renovation addresses these issues in a costeffective manner. Please attend School District Meeting on March 11 and support the children of Candia.

Bill Zarges
Candia

In addition, over the past two years, the budget for the school district has increased by over $2.2 million. This is a rate growth in spending that probably is not sustainable by the Hooksett taxpayers.

Next Tuesday, the citizens of Hooksett will be asked to vote on the school budget as well as several warrant articles. The Hooksett Budget Committee voted not to approve one of the warrant articles.

That is Article 2, which is for the teachers’ contract, and the budget committee could not, in good conscience, recommend voting for the proposed new contract. This proposed contract will add almost another $1 million to the cost of the school district over the next three years.

While some salary increase may well be justified, we feel the amount in the proposed new contract is excessive. The contract calls for an increase of 3.79 percent each year for the next three years. In addition to this increase, there is a step increase of 1.81 percent a year for the first 14 years of a teacher’s career.

This would mean a 5.6 percent increase per year for the next three years. This isn’t just 5.6 percent times three, because it is compounded each year, resulting in an increase of almost 18 percent over the next three years.

And, a majority of the teachers will qualify for this 5.6 percent increase.

The proposed contract also has a substantially larger increase in pay that the last contract did three years ago.

While some have said that if the contract is not approved, we will lose teachers to other school districts. One can clearly see that the scale in Hooksett is not really out of line with other schools in the area. Yes, there are some that have a higher scale, there always will be. There are also schools with a lower scale. If we were in danger of many teachers leaving for other districts, then why are over 40 percent of the teachers at the top of the 14-year step scale?

These salary scales are on the Web site for the National Education Association N.H., and you will see that it shows the per capita income in New Hampshire is $37,204, and the average teacher’s salary in New H ampshire is $43,941. When we add all the fringe benefits on top of the salary, we find that the average income, including benefits, for Hooksett teachers is over $61,000 a year. This is why we, the budget committee, voted 75 percent to 25 percent not to recommend a new contract. We urge a no vote on Article 2 next Tuesday.

Judy Casey
Charlie Humphries
Gerry Kearney
Sandy Oliver
Sean Shisko
Tim Stewart
Bryan Williams
Hooksett Budget Committee