■Free income-tax preparation with electronic filing is being offered to any resident of Andover by AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons) with a special focus on taxpayers who are 50 or older or who have low to moderate income. AARP tax-aide trained volunteers are available by appointment at The Andover Community Hub on Wednesdays from the first week of February through April 14. To schedule an appointment, learn what information to bring, or for eligibility information, call 802-332-5065 and leave a name and phone number for a return call. The Hub is located at 157 Main Street. When arriving, residents will be asked to remain in their cars, to bring a cell phone (if possible) and to have a mask available.
SUSAN CHASE
735-5135
srfchase@gmail.com
■The Selectmen have voted to hold the first session (election of town officials and zoning amendments) of the town meeting on the regularly scheduled date of March 9. Emergency Order #83 issued on Jan. 21 by Governor Sununu allows for the postponement of the second session (business meeting/budget/warrant articles). The Selectmen will hold a public fearing in the near future to determine the date of the secondsession. Following discussion with Ted Leclair and Sam Papps, they are considering a Saturday in May for an outdoor meeting. – Ken Folsom, Town Administrator
■Sign up now and get a T.R.E.A.T Boxes (Teens Read, Eat and Talk) delivered right to your doorstep! Contact Elkins Public Library and fill out the signup survey and the library will build a personalized monthly box just for you! You’ll get a book to keep, a book to borrow (and return, please!), snacks and some fun bits and pieces as well. Plus, before you return the box itself, make your mark on your box; draw something, add a sticker, write out your favorite quote, whatever you’d like! Express yourself! Then, the boxes will be safely quarantined before being sent out to another teen, who’ll make their own mark, and so on. Sign up now and join the fun!
Rachel Baker
bakercompany4@gmail.com
■The Town of Salisbury Budget Committee, pursuant to RSA 32, will hold a public hearing on Monday at 7 p.m. upstairs at Academy Hall to receive public comment on the proposed 2021 town budget. A work session at 6:30 p.m. shall precede this public hearing. All those interested are urged to attend. If you need assistance, please call the Selectmen’s Office at 648-6320. In case of inclement weather, the snow date will be Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
■There is a Library Trustee meeting via zoom on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Join the meeting at us02web.zoom.us/j/85716382340. Meeting ID is 857 1638 2340. There is also a non-public meeting, per RSA 91-A:3, on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. to discuss employee performance reviews.
■The Selectmen will meet on Monday at 6 p.m. at Academy Hall via Zoom. Refer to the town’s website for the agenda. Join at us02web.zoom.us/j/9265784496. Meeting ID is 926 578 4496. Passcode is 03268. The Selectmen will also meet on Feb. 17 at 6 p.m. at Academy Hall. Join via Zoom at the same link as Monday’s meeting.
■The Supervisors of the Checklist will hold a session on Feb. 27 for new registration, corrections or changes to the checklist. This will take place upstairs at Academy Hall from 11-11:30 a.m. Town voting will take place on March 9 at the Salisbury Safety Complex located at 273 Old Turnpike Road. Polls open at 11 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. All information regarding town voting will be announced on the town website and will be posted in advance at the bulletin board at the Salisbury Post Office, as well as the bulletin board at Academy Hall.
■Library service hours will return to its pre-COVID schedule. Hours for pickup and delivery will be Monday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday from 1-7 p.m., Thursday from 1-7 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Library staff are happy to work with you to pick out items and have contactless pickup. If transportation is an issue, delivery is offered. Story time is live on Facebook on Mondays at 10:30 a.m. The library also offers genealogy resources Ancestry and Heritage Quest to patrons for free. To access Ancestry, just log into your patron account and there is a link on the sidebar after you log in. For Heritage, contact the library for login information. Visit salisburyfreelibrary.wordpress.com or the library Facebook page for the updates on reopening, links to virtual programming and events, eBook and audiobook collections (from NH Downloadable Books Consortium), and other digital resources. All you need to get started is a library card. If you don’t have one, the library staff and set one up via phone or email. Interlibrary loan is back, but please allow an extra week for delivery as there are quarantine procedures in place to make sure materials are handled safely. Even though the library building is closed, they still provide printing, scanning and faxing services. Please give the library a call or email first to arrange a time for these services.
■The Town of Salisbury has a generator for sale. It is a Duro Max Next Generator power SYS Xp 8500. The Town is selling to the highest bidder; the lowest amount accepted is $20. The generator is currently at the Barn Store of New England and is not operating without repair. Please contact the town administrator if you have any questions at 648-6320. Send your proposed bid and contact information to Town Administrator, P.O. Box 214, Salisbury, NH 03268.
■The Town of Salisbury seeks a part-time recording secretary to take meeting minutes pursuant to RSA 91-A for the town’s Planning Board, Budget Committee and Zoning Board. The position would be required to cover public meetings on the first and third Mondays of the month for the Planning Board, the second Monday of the month for the Budget Committee and the second Thursday of the month (as needed) for the Zoning Board. This position is primarily responsible for preparing and keeping files, and uploading and distributing meeting minutes to the appropriate boards and committees. Pay will be based on experience. Interested candidates can send their resumes to salisburyadmin@tds.net or P.O. Box 214, Salisbury, N.H. 03268. Position will remain open until filled. The Town of Salisbury is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
■Good news from the Children’s Section! The Salisbury Free Library is starting its own version of the “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” program. The library will primarily be following the New Hampshire version of this program, but 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten is a national program that promotes early literacy and encourages families to foster a life-long love of reading among their little ones. All children ages 0-5 are welcome so long as they have not yet started kindergarten and all books read with your child can be logged (even if it’s the 100th time reading it!). The goal is simply to read 1,000 books before your child enters kindergarten. No matter if that happens next fall or in a few years, you and your child can set the pace. Feel free to send a message, an email, or call the library for more information and to sign up for this fun and challenging program.
■February vehicle renewal registration information has been mailed to those who need to renew. Please follow the directions in the letter enclosed and the town clerk will mail your new stickers and registration to you. This only covers vehicles previously registered in Salisbury, not new vehicles or vehicles of new residents. Online vehicle registration for renewals and dog licensing is now live. See the town’s website under the department of the town clerk for that information. If you cannot access these services online contact the town clerk’s office by phone (648-6322), fax (648-6658) or email (tclerksalisbury@gmail.com) for questions about vehicle registration renewals or dog licenses. For new vehicles, marriage licenses and vital records, please email the town clerk and request an appointment.
■The town clerk has entered all dog licenses into the new software for town clerk records. All unlicensed dogs are going to be entered into the system. There will not be any late fees or fines levied for 2020, however, you should still license your dog(s) if you still haven’t. Notices will be mailed out once all unregistered dogs have been entered into the software. Starting in June, with the help of the Sheriff’s Department, deputies may begin visiting people’s houses to collect the fee for those unregistered dogs. If you have any questions about the law, visit gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/xlv/466/466-mrg.htm, email tclerksalisbury@gmail.com or call 648-6322. Cost to register spayed/neutered dogs is $6.50 each. Dogs that are not spayed/neutered are $9 each. Any resident over 65 only pays $2 for their first license and full price for any additional dogs. The town clerk will not respond to any messages through Facebook Messenger.
■For more information regarding Salisbury, visit the town’s website at salisburynh.org.
JENNIFER HOYT
648-2260
jimjen505@tds.net
■The town policy for winter maintenance includes a ban on parking on any town road between November and April. Snowplow vehicles begin plowing when the snow has accumulated 2-3 inches and will begin sanding and salting after the roads are clear. Each plow route is approximately 10 miles long and takes about three hours to cover so snow may accumulate between plowing on your road. The town does not have a clean road policy, which means that roads will not be kept clear of all snow, so drive accordingly.
■The March Town Election will be held on March 9 at the Town Hall. Polls are open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.The same protocols will apply as at the elections last fall: face masks, sanitization and social distancing. Filing for elected town officials ended on January 29. The following candidates will appear on the ballot: Cemetery Trustee (3 years), Darlene Cummings and Craig Fournier; Library Trustee (3 years), Leslie Collins; Select Board Member (1 year), Normandie “Dee” Blake; Select Board Member (3 years), Christine Schadler; Supervisor of the Checklist (3 years), Jennifer Heath-Stilwell; Trustee of Trust Funds (2 years) no filings.
■The Town Clerk’s Office and the Webster Free Public Library will not be open on Feb. 15 for Presidents’ Day. The Town Clerk will have extra hours on Feb. 17 from 6-8 p.m.
■Dog licenses for 2021 are available at the Town Clerk’s Office. Dogs are required to be registered by April 30. Costs are $7.50 for a puppy or altered dog, $3.50 for first dog or senior over 65 years of age, $10 for unaltered dogs. Rabies information must be current to renew. Feel free to add the fee to your check, if you are sending in your vehicle renewal.
■This month the Webster Free Public Library Book Group will read “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr. The group will meet via Zoom on Feb. 25 at 7:15 p.m. Copies of the book are available at the library. The Zoom link will be posted on Facebook and on the website prior to the meeting.
Nancy Picthall-French
webstertowncrier@gmail.com