I’m referring to the May 4 (letter) written by David Ross. He states that the Exit 9 proposed theater land was filled with material from the Space Center construction. That’s a totally false statement. Except for the fill brought in to bring the front yard up to street level for the property owner’s home, no fill was brought in to fill any portion of the 27-acre property. Also, the home was built many years before the Space Center was constructed.

Mr. Ross further states that the property is a wetland. Most properties of any substantial acreage will have a wet spot or two, but at no time has any wetland been filled since the present owner purchased the land in the 1930s.

It should also be noted that the proposed theater land is one of the lowest (elevation) properties in the area.

Roads all around were closed from flooding due to the many days of rain over the weekend of May 13-14, but the theater land was only wet, with no flooding or erosion of any sort. That’s true today and for the past 70-plus years.

I know, because I lived on the property with my parents, brother and sister starting in 1939. I just couldn’t let the public believe the fabricated story that was reported.

I. Piaseczny Jr.
Pittsfield

I read the statement by Capt. Mulholland (now police chief) that five or six offenders live at that address, and that sex offenders tend to repeat crimes.

We, the owners and managers of the 119 Granite St. apartments, wish to inform the captain that for his records, we have only two tenants with sex offender convictions. They have been residing at this address for a number of years and are excellent tenants.

I am informing you and the public that these tenants are no risk to anyone in the neighborhood. As for the news media, not all of their stories are straight. Some people like to make themselves important and sensationalize facts, creating public fear. No one contacted us for any information.

A public image of sex offenders is that they lay low and every chance they get, they look to victimize children. Another population of sex offenders are pedophiles who tend to repeat crimes. Others have made different mistakes and offenses from the past for which they regret and have repented. Many stories we have heard concern a boyfriend and his girlfriend who was under the age of 16.

Maybe your father, uncle, grandfather, brother, nephew, cousin, boyfriend, parishioner, clergy, public official, mother, aunt, sister, family friend or neighbor could be a possible offender. More often than not, the perpetrator knows their victim.

As landlords, we do not discriminate based upon rumors, religion, race, sex or ethnic origin and we believe rehabilitated sex offenders fall under at least one of these categories.

We have been involved for more than 10 years with the New Hampshire Parole Department and are familiar with the strict rules and guidelines a parolee has to abide by. Every offender is required to complete a sex offender program before being paroled into society. They are monitored by the parole officers upon release and years down the road.

As landlords, we review applicants for tenancy with the parole department and personally interview the parolee for consideration for tenacy. The parole office may deny a parolee for a particular address for any reason, so it is never a guarantee for a sex offender to find a rental unit in any given area. Because of strict guidelines, there is a backlog of people waiting to find a place to live.

Some people max out of prison, meaning no parole. Some of these may have finished their maximum sentence without completing the sex offender program. Perhaps these offenders could be a menace in society at some point. As for Mr. Chapman, he fell under this latter category.

In reviewing the Chapmans’ rental application for tenancy, they listed as homeowner at 40 Granite St., Allenstown. They were selling their house and wanted to live close by. If we had known that Mr. Chapman had even been in prison and had maxed out his sentence, he would have been disqualified for tenancy with us.

Furthermore, our rental records show that in 10 years, we have never had anyone offend again. All they want is to be accepted back into society and get on with their lives.

Finally, the Allenstown Police Deparment would serve the people better if they knew all the facts before creating unnecessary media attention, thereby harming the reputation of the property owners and the good tenants of the building. Trying sex offenders in the news media is not a police job. It is up to the courts to render justice.

Boldizsar and Sandra Szanto
Property owners

These stormy days caused floods worse than the hurricane of 1936. I witnessed floods, sink holes and washed out roads and bridges. I went to Arms Park on Mother’s Day and you could only see five steps. On Monday at 8:30 a.m., the water was licking the sidewalk. On Mother’s Day, the wire lines for the crew races were whipping back and forth, and Monday morning they were under water. Also, the brick sidewalk at Arms Park had two big sink holes in it.

I was amazed. I had never seen anything like it. School was closed for two days. I felt bad for the people and animals. The rushing water was neat though, and then a miracle happened – the rain stopped and the sun came out on May 16, 2006. In just three days of rain, there was so much damage and then it was over.

Jessica C. Bacon
Manchester

Again, we thank everyone for their support. Please stop down and visit us at either station anytime.

Hooksett Professional Firefighters Association Local 3264
Hooksett

Over the past week, we have all become aware of how forceful Mother Nature really can be. I would like to take this time to thank all of you who were out there with me walking through the mud and water as well as the newly made rivers.
What I saw was a group of dedicated individuals who were concerned with the wellbeing of the residents of this town. It didn’t matter which department you worked for or whether you were the boss or not, what mattered was that you were all working together to ease the residents concerns and help them to safety.
Though we had to make some tough decisions that not all agreed with, it was done with one thing in mind and that was the safety of those affected. So I would like to personally thank all who worked through this tragedy: the members of the Hooksett Police Department, Hooksett Fire Rescue, Hooksett Highway and Parks, Hooksett Transfer, Emergency Management, Water, Sewer, School, Planning, Family Services, Red Cross, SNHU for their hospitality, Gov. Lynch, National Guard and the Town Council. The hours were long and hectic and I just wanted to say thanks.
David Jodoin
Hooksett Town Administrator

It will be my intention to introduce state legislation that will apply to all subsidies awarded at both the state and local level. This will have the greatest impact in protecting our citizens from any abuse by the recipients of the corporate welfare. As an advocate of such laws, I have learned that the best laws will be patterned after the strict Connecticut law with the penalties clearly included in the contract. Although local clawback laws, established by municipalities and clawback language in a subsidy or TIF program, or inclusion of a clawback in any individual subsidy agreement is always a good start, it is more protective if it be established in state legislative enactments.

The strongest clawback laws:
• Apply to all business subsidies at both the state and local level.
• Prorate subsidies in the event of partial noncompliance, ensuring that companies are subsidized only for what they actually deliver.
• Require complete repayment, plus interest and penalty of a subsidy in the event that a company ceases operations or moves subsidized equipment or jobs out of state.
• Hold companies accountable for meeting wage requirements and other commitments, in addition to investment and job creation.

I welcome any comments from Hooksett citizens as potential legislation cannot be introduced until late September after the primary election.

State Rep. Dick Marple
Merrimack District 9
Hooksett