To the Editor:

My wife and I moved our family here from beautiful North Andover, Mass., for the chance of a quiet, safe and healthy upbringing in southern New Hampshire. We had no idea we were moving to Hackett Hill Speedway, home of some of the fastest vehicles in town.

In our first 22 months living here, in the area between South Bow and Cross roads, we witnessed three accidents. Not just fender-benders. All of the vehicles rolled over. And those are just the accidents that happened while we were home, and within the first two years. There have been many more since.

We have spoken to the chief of police, police officers, politicians and the highway guy. All promised that the needs would be addressed, including updated patrols, street signs (Slow Curve, Blind Driveway, Children Playing, Speed Limit), and more safety to a neighborhood with young children. As expected, several years have passed and none of the above came to fruition.

Cars (as well as large commercial vehicles) continue to speed in excess of 50 mph, family pets are being killed and the accidents are happening even more frequently, due to new homes and teens acquiring their driver’s licenses, along with other factors.

Between South Bow and Cross roads is an extremely dangerous slow right turn, where speeds exceed 50 mph, even though maximum speed is 30. We have spent many a night capturing the speeds with a radar gun.

Every driveway on this right turn is blind year round. The spring provides a plethora of leaves and growth, while the winter provides us with the blinding height of snow banks. We can’t tell you how many times the residents have been sworn at, spit at, beeped at and gestured at just because we were doing the maximum speed limit of 30 mph (it should be 25 or less) and the drivers behind us didn’t like it. It’s totally out of control. Simply crossing the street to check our mailboxes is extremely dangerous. We have actually offered the Hooksett Police Department the use of our driveway for the traveling radar display (during one of the Old Home Days). There’s also an area that can handle this police tool as well. There is plenty of room for it.

Unfortunately, it has come down to the neighbors taking the law into their own hands. Again, the situation is completely out of control. A neighbor’s kitten was killed while sitting in its driveway. Think about that. The kitten was at the edge of its driveway and was run over. That is how tight the vehicles pass to the edge. Our kids wait for buses in the same exact area. If they don’t wait there, the bus flies by because the drivers can’t see them. That is how blind and dangerous this stretch of roadway is. Added to the mix are the travels of the moose, deer and turkey which cross daily.

We challenge the newly elected politicians to step up, regardless of the district. We challenge the chief, along with the officers, to do the right thing and set up a presence on this dangerous stretch. We challenge the highway department, who’ve seen this firsthand, to stop the dozens of 18-wheelers as promised. Come out and speak to the residents between Cross, Hackett Hill and South Bow roads and they will be happy to discuss methods on how to improve the dangerous speeding traffic on these roads.

Looking forward, we can only imagine how much worse it will be with Cabela’s. (We still have lost drivers turning around in my driveway, asking how to get to The Home Depot, a couple years after opening). Let’s work together on this issue before the unthinkable happens. Coffee is on us.

Tom and Debbie Donovan
“Hackett Hill Speedway”
Hooksett

To the Editor:

Last week, Councilor Rueppel wrote a letter which would mislead readers to believe that she has been charged with too much talking. She had the audacity to speak of her investigation, and in the same breath, call to mind the civil rights movement of the ’60s. She also called upon all good people to come to her defense, suggesting that her plight was somehow equivalent to that of the poor souls who were crushed under Nazi rule!

To this day, she has yet to explain why she was discussing plans with an out-of- town consultant to sue the town in an effort to overturn the election; and failing that, to place roadblocks in Cabela’s way so that, quote, “they will bolt. Manchester or Concord and Tilton want them.” Omitted from the conversation was that 62 percent of our voters also said they wanted them!

Her only substantive defense is that her actions took place while she was still a private citizen and not while on the council. In truth, the charges relate to actions that she took after she was elected on May 9. On the charge of disclosing nonpublic minutes, that obligation does not end or coincide with one’s term in office.

Now the council must determine if her “it depends on what the meaning of is, is” defense is sufficient to avoid the consequences.

Michael DiBitetto
Hooksett
DiBitetto is a town councilor.

To the Editor:

Apparently impropriety as a councilor is no big deal, but impropriety as a private citizen is. There is now an official investigation into Pat Rueppel’s e-mails and letters written prior to her actually becoming a council member, for supposedly violating council rules. Things that make you go “hmm.” I will be submitting a letter to the investigation committee, though I’d like to just send it here. There are bound to be some humorous anecdotes and quotables. I may have to have an attorney edit for me, or I’ll be the next subject of an investigation. Stay tuned.

I had and have no intention of pursuing any kind of action against Mr. DiBitetto for his questionable phone call to a candidate for the planning board, but was able to voice my displeasure and disapproval of such actions, both here and there. Thank you Hooksett Banner! Him being the council representative to that board did cause me particular concern about his affecting the choices. He took the safe route and nominated the discouraged party. Fortunately, Jason Hyde was able to renominate his preferred candidate, but now we only have two to choose from, so let’s see what happens next. Again, this is why the system shouldn’t be tampered with. My questions about the omission of the letter telling of his phone call was not believably answered by anyone, though. That still haunts me and should be pursued, preferably without any formal inquisitions or depositions.

His determination to waste the council’s time investigating Pat Rueppel goes on, undaunted. I am hopeful that the absurdity of the charges will be exposed soon, so we can spend more time on constructive endeavors. These soap-opera politics are not good for anyone, but my prime objective in running, and the reasons stated by my supporters, is to see what goes on and why. We councilors are servants of the public and our official actions must be by the book and transparently objective. Anything not meeting those prerequisites shall be questioned and exposed, without apology. This won’t make me many friends, but that’s not why I’m there. I pray that my performance benefits Hooksett and honors The Lord.

In your service...

David Ross
Hooksett
Ross is newly elected to the Hooksett Town Council.

To the Editor:

What sort of shenanigans is the town council up to now?

Pat Rueppel was elected to serve the best interests of the Hooksett taxpayers. She is doing just that by looking into Cabela’s operations (commonly referred to as “keeping them honest”).

This company is unwilling or unable to provide its own financing, so they’ve sold our leaders a bill of goods to the tune of 18 million bucks.

The vote to continue on with this pipe dream was barely passed in May, which says that a lot of us are against it. Not so long ago, we jumped on the Exit 10 TIF with big promises ­ since then, my taxes increased by 72 percent (so, what else is?).

Are we financing Shaw’s expansion or Walgreens? Why not? Does discrimination come to mind?

Pat has every right to ask questions ­ maybe she’ll get some answers. They wouldn’t respond to my questions about their hiring practices. Is there a secret agenda here? What are a few councilors trying to keep the lid on? Buckle up, taxpayers, we’re in for a bumpy ride!

Ed Groves Sr.
Hooksett

To the Editor:

Mr. David Ross has long promised entertainment ... and he has kept his promise. He is now the unofficial court jester of the Hooksett Town Council.

Never one to be burdened by facts, he has written a number of scathing letters relating to the e-mail controversy which has set into motion an investigation. He wrote all of those letters before he saw fit to announce that he had neither seen nor read the subject documents. He had earlier addressed the planning board on “performance zoning,” When questioned, he again admitted that he had yet to read the ordinance on which he had just commented. On May 4, he wrote a piece falsely accusing one of our citizens of filling his property with material from the space center. That citizen was prompted to ask, “How can anyone write (a letter) and get it published in a newspaper when he doesn’t know what he’s talking about?”

In the latest case of the “shoot first, ask questions later” style which seems to characterize his commentary, he opined on a conversation between myself and a candidate for an open planning board seat. Once again he had not spoken to either party on the matter. Unfortunately for him, both parties were present at (the July 26) council meeting to promptly dismantle his argument.

David suffers from a lazy mind which is exacerbated by a hyperactive mouth. My sincere hope is that at some point in his three-year council term, he will find enough time, between writing those wonderfully entertaining letters to read the charter and other governing documents.

While he enjoys the freedom to speak, we enjoy the freedom to turn away.

Michael DiBitetto
Hooksett
DiBitetto is a Hooksett Town Councilor.

To the Editor:

This past week Associated Press revealed that the small town of Poland, Maine, where Poland Springs bottled water is the largest employer and largest business, and as such, will become the recipient of $2.5 million, to be paid to the giant corporation by the poor little taxpayers of the little town of Poland.

This is the result of errors in the Tax Incentive Financing contract, known as TIF bonds, that the little town of Poland granted, as corporate welfare to Poland Springs Water Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of the foreign Nestle’s combine.

The Hooksett Town Council must research all existing TIF contracts that other towns have granted as corporate welfare so that errors don’t show up in any Cabela TIF contract that may be considered.

It is reported that one councilor is diligently attempting to protect the Hooksett taxpayers by doing such research and she has been attacked for doing so. My question is why?

I again repeat my demand that any TIF contract with Cabela’s have sufficient “claw back” clauses to avoid Hooksett taxpayers being exposed to what Poland, Maine, is now. Verification of the foregoing is at the following Web sites from www.google.com:

• Poland owes bottler huge tax refund ­ Because of the TIF, every other town in Maine helped them pay for this project, ... Corporate annual reports’ Assets and Liabilities, certainly, ... pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/state/060719_poland.shtml.

• Tax mistake by town of Poland needs careful, rational review ­ The town agreed to a tax increment financing deal, or “TIF.” pressherald.mainetoday.com/viewpoints/editorials/060720poland1.shtml.

• Poland owes bottler huge tax refund ­ “The town took the money from the TIF and co-mingled it with the general fund revenues ... also printed in the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. ... business.mainetoday.com/news/060719_poland.shtml.

State Rep. Dick Marple
Merrimack District 9
Hooksett