To the Editor:

The old Baptist Church has been along the side of the first New Hampshire turnpike for over 145 years. The church is one of the most visible buildings in Epsom.

Its influence in the area has contributed to establishing the kind of town Epsom is today. A lot of people live here, some visit here, and some move here. Why? Because of its community character. New Hampshire is one of the most desirable states to live in. That’s why we can’t afford to lose any more of our historic buildings.

Now that Cumberland Farms’ plans are almost completed, the development of the new convenience store/gas station could begin as soon as this October. Each one of us must take part in keeping New Hampshire’s character intact. Support the move of the historic building, keep the church for the future, and remember the past.

You will smile as you drive by just to know that you had a part in saving that “Old Building” from being destroyed. Send your tax deductible contributions to: Epsom Historical Association, 1775 Dover Road, Epsom, NH 03234. The Friends of Epsom’s Historic Meetinghouse thank you for your support.

Richard Frambach
Epsom

To the Editor:

By the time you read this, my fate maybe have been sealed because there is a town council meeting on July 26 and the paper will be distributed on July 27. July 27, I will be on an airplane flying to the Midwest to help a childhood friend. Whatever the outcome of this inquisition, I wish to tell the residents of Hooksett I have had a good run for the last 20 years.

I certainly am honored that you have enough faith in me to allow me to serve you and I hope it will be continuous. I have gotten many calls and questions being asked. ”How can you take this?” My answer: ”Because I am right.”

I was a private citizen when I wrote those letters to the editor. I was a private citizen when my e-mail communications were somehow obtained legally or illegally. I have rights as a private citizen, and my constitutional rights are being trampled all over. This is why I will not resign. If they can do this to me, they can do it to the next person that opposes them.

As a private citizen I have the right to free speech and to vote as I so desire. As an elected official, then I am in a different position and must honor the will of the people and go along with the majority vote of the council, even though I may not agree.

I was a private citizen from Oct. 27, 2005, until July 3. My letters were written when I was a private citizen and my e-mails were that of a private citizen.

Let me tell you a little about Pat Rueppel. I am not in uncharted waters when it comes to standing up for wrong doings. I hate to admit this, but as a preteen, I was so devilish, my parents sent me away to boarding school. This was a very good school in the Midwest, and every year the school gave a scholarship to an innercity student. When one graduated from this private school, you could pretty much write your ticket to any college of your choosing.

I was only 14 years old at the time and we were all hanging around my room giggling as teenagers do. The conversation changed at that point and they started making fun of the new freshman that was on a scholarship and the way she dressed.

I was furious and said, “By a freak of birth, we were all born into comfortable families. She was not, but has the opportunity to get ahead with an education from this school.”

I kicked them all out of my room and they ostracized me the rest of the school year. No one would speak to me for the remainder of that year. Yes indeed it hurt, because when you are 14, being accepted is important.

Next, I was a flight attendant in the ’50s with a major airline. The airlines when I was hired did not employ any black flight attendants. They were called hostesses back then. Then in the late ’50s, they started hiring black hostesses, but they could not stay in certain hotels in the South. They had to stay in different hotels than the rest of the crew. This was making me very angry because their hotels were terrible.

One day, we’re entering the cab after a flight and I said to my assistant, “I have two beds in my room. You are going to stay in my room this trip. Let me handle the desk clerk.”

The captain and co-pilot refused to register with me. I registered us both and the desk clerk and the manager gave me a hard time, but I stood my ground. As we were leaving the front desk clerk grumbled “Damn Yankee.”

I was married in 1960, and in 1961 we were transferred to Atlanta. I was in transition jobwise, because back in those days when a hostess married or turned 32, you had to quit flying.

I took a job in retail temporarily for the summer. I was out in the front of the school selling to customers and back in the back was a young black woman ironing clothes, and we both had the same level of education. This irritated me, but that was the South in 1961.

I loved Angela and would invite her home to dinner. One evening, my husband arrived home earlier than he was scheduled, and with him was one of his southern salesmen ­ and this salesman was appalled to see Angela at my dinner table. Several days later he made terrible remarks about Angela dining in my home.

During the civil rights movement, I was very active in Atlanta, much to the disdain of my southern neighbors. I only had one friend in Atlanta during this period, and she originally hailed from Shaker Heights, Ohio, and we are still friends 45 years later.

If the German people, and my mother is German, had stood up to the Nazis in the 1930s, there would not have been any concentration camps. The Nazi party was only 4 percent of the population, but they chose to do nothing, and 5 to 6 million people lost their lives.

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men to do nothing.” It starts with trying to muzzle people who do not think the same as you.

I am writing this on Saturday, July 22, and do not know what the outcome will be July 26, but again, thank you Hooksett for allowing me to serve you for the last 20 years.

Pat Rueppel
Hooksett

To the Editor:

So much for having a special meeting. “Objection,” and it is time to go home; no progress, total waste.

It is hard to justify the reasoning for not allowing Pat, nor any of us other councilors, to even address the accusation. It was read into the record at the regular meeting, with fine dramatic inference, and allowed to stand unquestioned, unanswered and undefended. I was preparing to address the allegations directly, as they were being read. But no, it was late and no discussion was allowed. Rather than air out the concerns, we must strictly adhere to some parliamentary objections and delay justice, twice. I understand the need for procedures and protocol and such, but must we be unduly encumbered by it, always? As I read the charter, the council makes its own rules, so it must be time for some changes.

My phone has been ringing. It appears that there’s a pot calling a kettle black. Apparently an improper act, rather than just some e-mail ruminations, was committed last week by Mr. DiBitetto. (I think the kettle is just antique copper, old-school; rough, but solid).

A councilor asking someone to volunteer to serve on a town board is proper and even meritorious, but discouraging someone is not. I contend it is unethical, at best, and must not be tolerated. Such an act impedes the council’s ability to thoroughly and fairly appoint the best board members. Who is the best is up to the council, as a whole. When one councilor eliminates contenders, the whole council is denied the opportunity for a legitimate selection. It is like fixing an election.

The other victims are the contenders. The one discouraged is unfairly denied the desired opportunity to serve. The one favored is unfairly advantaged, but in this case, the one favored cannot be fairly considered, now. So, two volunteers-now-victims, and the council is back to square one, which unfairly victimizes Hooksett.

To top it off, there was a dubious act of omission in the official correspondence to the council members which causes great concern. Letters 1 and 3, but no number 2? The recipients and timeline of the letters tell a tale too. Now, this calls for an investigation and more victimization of Hooksett taxpayers; when will we find the time to do our jobs?

David Ross
Hooksett

To the Editor:

Southern New Hampshire has a brand new community theater group right here in Hooksett. It is called Best Foot Forward Productions: Theater for Youth, About Youth ­ the Theater Out of the Box!

The mission of Best Foot Forward Productions is three-fold:

• First to provide youth with the opportunity to learn about all aspects of theater (both on and off stage).

• Next, accomplish this through producing all types of theatrical productions and mentoring youth in directing, lighting, sound, acting, producing, PR, etc.

• Lastly, provide the community with easily accessible and affordable quality theatrical entertainment.

BFF offers individuals ages 8 to 21 (students) the opportunity to perform in both musical and nonmusical productions. All children who audition for our two yearly musicals will be cast.

One other difference between BFF and other theater groups is that our officers are all legal adults but many of our other board members are teenagers. They love having a voice and being heard. They also have so much to offer.

BFF proudly announces its kick off season. Our 2006-07 Season includes: “Bye Bye Birdie” ­ Nov. 10 to 19 to be directed by Christine Frydenborg, music directed by Amanda Koba and choreographed by Alisha Buyck. Also, “Oliver” in April 2007 and “Macbeth,” summer 2007 all to be performed at the Sandown Town Hall on Route 121A. Auditions for “Bye Bye Birdie” will be held on Aug. 20 by appointment only.

We are looking for donations, support from businesses and families to get involved. If you want more information or would like to be added to our mailing list, just e-mail us at bffproductions@comcast.net or call 641-6066. Check us out at bestfootforwardproductions.org. Our address is 40 Castle Drive, Hooksett, NH 03106.

Christine Frydenborg
Hooksett

To the Editor:

Allenstown Conservation Officials/Laura Bonk, what part of no do you not understand? The plan for the proposed boat ramp to the Suncook River located at the end of Albin Avenue was rejected by all three selectmen and 99 percent of all Pine Acres, Summers Avenue, and Albin Avenue residents that attended the meeting in the summer of 2005.

The town has taken this piece of land for failed taxes by Mrs. Geranty, who originally owned all of this property on these three roads. All homeowners’ deeds have a clause that states that they can utilize this piece of property for swimming as well as for their own personal use. These are registered deeds with the state of New Hampshire.

I believe that all of the people in Pine Acres neighborhood which have these deeds should have been notified by the town of Allenstown regarding the recent proposal or at least the direct abutters should have been notified. Why was this land not put for sale via an auction like other properties? I also believe that the people of Pine Acres have a legal right to be properly notified.

Why do we need to go this far? Why do the taxpayers of Pine Acres have to dig into their pockets because of Laura Bonk? This plan has been rejected.

Laura Bonk stated in the July 13 Banner in one paragraph that she would like to see a small carry on boat access and then in another paragraph a town park, followed by stating that she understands the concerns of Pine Acres residents. Laura Bonk, I ask, how you can suggest this, with the amount of property owners/taxpayers that attended the meeting last year with standing room only to oppose this proposal. You ask for a carry on boat ramp then include a town park, what are you asking for? Either way, your proposal has been rejected.

I have lived on the Suncook River for 43 years and raised a family two houses up from the suggested land. I have had to go down and ask people to leave that are not community members, out of the so-called swimming area because of loud excessive swearing. I could not even eat dinner on my back porch due to the loud obscenities on numerous occasions. I have had to park my car across the road to stop speeding cars, young and old, when coming back from the cul-de-sac. As they sped by, not only me, but other neighbors as well would ask them to “slow down.” We would get sworn at and given the finger by the drivers of speeding cars. Laura Bonk, bring this to your neighborhood. We do not want this, and we have worked long and hard to get this situation controlled.

I ask you Laura Bonk, and anyone on your committee to look at the boat ramp located at the bottom of Ferry Street ­ it is littered with broken glass and trash. You stated that you would be cleaning the Suncook River ­ why don’t you clean the existing boat ramps such as the one on Ferry Street first. Laura Bonk, look elsewhere!

There is no reason why the public cannot put in at the dam located on Route 28. There are too many young children and this is a small neighborhood to support such a project. The road where the swim area is located measures 11 feet. Our concerns are safety for the children, the road area is too narrow for rescue response vehicles to respond appropriately, it would significantly disrupt the existing community that the neighborhood has worked long and hard to establish, the proposed area is a flood area as proven this past year as we are still suffering from the effects from the flooding and the recent change in the river flow pattern. Laura Bonk, I ask you to look for a safer place, one not in such a small neighborhood community.

I would like to say thank you to the town selectmen for standing behind the taxpayers regarding this matter.

We, the residents of Pine Acres, ask why do the plans for the boat ramp resurface when it is evident that the residents have clearly voiced their opinions. This does not belong in such a small neighborhood.

Lloyd Carter Jr.
Allenstown