NEWS FLASHES
9/5/08
2 postings today!
Posting # 1
Posting # 2
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9/3/08
According to Claremont City Solicitor Jane Taylor (see letter posted below) the recent Workforce Housing Forum cost Claremont Taxpayers $990.74 of which $600.00 was paid to Peter Francese, who spoke at the Forum.
No wonder Francese could afford to spend $60.00 locally on wine & cheese, he wanted to make a toast to City Manager Guy Santagate for agreeing to pay his inflated speaking fee!
It's funny that not one City Official thought to mention that Francese was being paid to speak on behalf of the Santagate Administration. Does this mean that Francese was told what to say as well to try and justify bringing workforce housing into Claremont when the real facts prove that it will be a disaster for local taxpayers & residents?
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9/2/08
A copy of Santagate's Contract is posted on the Other Issues Page of this website.
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8/30/08
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8/27/08
Letter written by me that was published in today's Eagle Times.
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8/25/08
REMINDER!
A special City Council meeting is being held on Tuesday August 26th at 6:30 PM in the Council Chambers at City Hall regarding the Open Space Ordinance. The Santagate Administration wants to significantly increase housing density to pave the way for workforce housing which will greatly increase property taxes in the process. There will be a public forum for citizens to voice their concerns and views. It will also be aired live on Claremont Community Television (Channel 8).
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8/23/08
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8/21/08
2 postings today!
Posting # 1
Posting # 2
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8/20/08
Claremont's Director of Planning & Development Allan Britton is no longer working for the City of Claremont. This raises the question as to whether or not Mr. Britton's predecessor Planning Consultant Gerald Coogan will return since Mr. Coogan very recently accepted the position of Vice President and Chief of Planning with TFMoran Inc. of Bedford NH.
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8/19/08
2 postings today!
Posting # 1
PEMBROKE PLANNING BOARD MINUTES
DEERFIELD ORDINANCE GO TO PG. 47
SANDOWN ORDINANCE GO TO PG. 35
Posting # 2
Claremont City Councilor Jeff Goff requested that the following be posted. It's a copy of the speach that he intended to give at the Sullivan County Delegation's August 14, 2008 meeting but the Delegation refused to allow him to speak. The Delegation voted in favor of expanding the County Jail and creating the Drug Clinic. Representative Beverly Rodeschin was the only official who voted against this spending proposal.
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8/15/08
Letter I submitted to the Eagle Times.
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8/13/08
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8/12/08
2 postings today!
Posting # 1
The CDA's
Corporate & Political Welfare Program!
Posting # 2
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8/8/08
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8/6/08
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8/6/08
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8/4/08
SPECIAL REPORT!
Optimum Manufacturing Corporation headquartered in Charlestown NH with a facility in Claremont NH has been sold to a subsidiary of Corning Corporation. Optimum President Tim Donovan will join Corning's Aerospace and Defense Division.
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8/4/08
2 postings today!
Posting # 1
Posting # 2
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8/1/08
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7/30/08
2 postings today!
Posting # 1
Posting # 2
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7/28/08
2 postings today!
Posting # 1
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security / Federal Emergency Management Agency Website on July 25, 2008 the City of Claremont Fire Department was awarded an $82,747 grant to modify their facilities.
Posting # 2
A thought provoking letter written by Claremont Resident Cynthia Coolidge Howard is posted on the Letters Page of this website.
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7/25/08
2 postings today!
Posting # 1
Happy with Comcast?
If not call City Hall at 542-7002.
They are negotiating a new contract!
Posting # 2
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7/23/08
2 postings today!
Posting # 1
Posting # 2
LINK TO PETER FRANCESE'S INTERVIEW
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7/20/08
2 postings today!
Posting # 1
Guy Santagate's
Workforce Housing Plan
Posting # 2
Our Plan!
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7/18/08
Excerpt from PowerPoint Presentation
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7/16/08
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7/14/08
Correction: We've noticed one typographical error in the workforce housing posting below. Claremont's median income should have been listed as $42,849.
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7/13/08
Note: This posting has been sent to the City Council, Planning Board, Open Space Committee, School Board, School Reinvestment Committee, Senior Center and the Eagle Times.
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7/10/08
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7/9/08
3 postings today!
Posting # 1
Kudos to the Claremont Highway Department work crews that did road repairs at the Claremont Junction and Roosevelt Road. Well done!
Posting # 2
Has the City of Claremont followed the Claremont School District's lead and joined a heating oil purchasing consortium to save money or does the Administration's silence mean that they're ignoring this problem as well?
Posting # 3
Remember it's only 482 days until the Claremont City Council Elections!
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7/6/08
2 postings today!
Posting # 1
Posting # 2
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7/1/08
2 postings today!
Posting # 1
According to Claremont Finance Director Mary Walter the 2 applicants for the open Ward 1 City Council Seat are Christopher Lewis & Levi Sanders. The City Council will make their choice when they meet on Thursday July 3rd at 5:30 PM which will be televised live on CCTV.
Posting # 2
The E-mails between Ms. Ellis & City Solicitor Jane Taylor are posted on the Other Issues Page of this website.
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6/29/08
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6/27/08
Instead of spending the $288,472 of unanticipated revenues on sidewalks the money should be used for a legitimate full-scale audit of the City's books for the past 5 years. The Professional Auditors may find enough money to fix even more sidewalks and do other infrastructure projects also.
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6/25/08
UPDATE!
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6/25/08
The Sullivan County Convention regarding the proposed budget that includes a 32% increase will be held at the Sugar River Valley Regional Technical Center on South Street in Claremont on Monday June 30th at 9:00 AM.
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6/23/08
2 Postings today!
Posting # 1
Excerpt from May 27, 2008 Claremont
Planning Board Meeting Minutes
Posting # 2
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6/19/08
SPECIAL REPORT!
The Claremont School District is facing a budget crisis. For full details go to the School News Page of this Website!
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6/19/08
LINK TO CITY'S 2006 AUDIT REPORT.
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6/16/08
Claremont City Assessor Ed Tinker's interview in the June 15th edition of the Eagle Times was very misleading because the numbers used misrepresented Claremont's current property values. For full details go to the Assessing Page on this website.
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6/14/08
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6/13/08
3 postings today!
Posting # 1
Posting # 2
Posting # 3
To learn how the Administration's city-wide property reassessment plan will financially hurt you, go to the Assessing Page of this website.
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6/11/08
Election Day is only 510 days away!
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6/9/08
2 postings today!
Posting # 1
Posting # 2
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6/6/08
4 postings today!
Posting # 1
Posting # 2
Posting # 3
Posting # 4
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6/4/08
3 postings today!
Posting # 1
According to the agenda for the June 11th Claremont City Council meeting that was recently publicly noticed the resignation of Ward 1 City Councilor David Roark won't be addressed despite the fact that Article 16 of the City Charter clearly states that a replacement needs to be appointed by the Council's July 9th meeting at the latest. In order for that to happen the Council needs to set a date for the interviews, devise questions to be asked, etc. at their June meeting but it's not on the agenda. Are City Officials delaying the appointment because they can't find a ringer that lives in Ward 1?
Posting # 2
Charlestown Road is one of the main roads into Claremont and heavily traveled. What's surprising is that the City paved a relatively good section of Charlestown Road stopping right at the entrance of Glenwood Drive and ignored the worst section of the road. Glenwood Drive just so happens to be the side street entrance to the neighborhoods where Public Works Director Bruce Temple, Fire Chief Peter Chase & Police Chief Alexander Scott all live. These three men make up the entire Claremont Traffic Committee. Coincidence?
Posting # 3
The City Manager announced today in the Eagle Times his intention to recommend to the City Council that the entire $260,972.29 rebate from the Sullivan County Regional Disposal District plus $27,500 in court costs recouped from the Wheelabrator Incinerator Property Assessment Case all be spent on sidewalks. This comes as no surprise since the City Manager has never saw fit to reduce the municipal property tax rate due to increased property valuation or windfalls such as this as other communities have done, opting instead to simply spend the money.
So whose sidewalks will get done? Since the City Manager contractually bound Claremont taxpayers to foot the entire bill to construct new sidewalks, stairs and platforms for the Downtown Mill Project will all this money be funneled there?
This money should be used to pave the worst section of Charlestown Road that should have been paved in the first place. If other work has to be done on that section of road such as water and sewer upgrades, etc. then the Administration should at least have a top coating put down to smooth out the surface of this main entrance to the City until funds are available to complete the entire job.
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6/2/08
4 postings today!
Posting # 1
Posting # 2
Posting # 3
Posting # 4
The City of Claremont received a refund check for $260,972.29 from the Sullivan County Regional Disposal District as their portion of the cash assets now that the District has offically disbanded. Will City Officials use this money to give Claremont Taxpayers a much needed property tax break or will they funnel the money to the Downtown Mill Project?
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5/21/08
3 postings today!
Posting # 1
Posting # 2
Bids submitted to the City of Claremont for the Sawtooth Municipal Parking Garage Project. City Officials have not chosen a company to do the project yet.
Posting # 3
A letter written by Claremont Resident Cynthia Coolidge Howard can be found on the Letters Page of this website.
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5/19/08
2 postings today!
Posting # 1
Posting # 2
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5/16/08
2 Postings today!
Posting # 1
Posting # 2
Superintendent of Schools Jacqueline Guillette submitted to us a press release for publication regarding the 2008 Adequate Yearly Progress Reports. The press release is posted on the School News Page of this website.
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5/12/08
On May 27th the Claremont Planning Board will review 4 applications which include proposed expansions at Mikros Manufacturing, Wheelabrator Incinerator, Valley Regional Hospital and the Pleasant Restaurant.
Hopefully City Officials can quit the petty politics and social climbing and get on with the City's business by taking the steps necessary to appoint applicants to the open seats on the Planning Board so that there will be a quorum present to review these expansion applications.
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5/12/08
Is Councilor Picard the next elected official targeted for removal?
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5/10/08
SPECIAL REPORT!
Snelling Case Settled!
City agrees to pay $750,000 by December 31, 2008 and cuts a $430,000 check as a first installment. Interest will accrue on remainder!
Steven Snelling (left) and his Attorney Jon Meyer hold the $430,000 check the City paid as a first installment.
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5/9/08
2 postings today!
Posting # 1
LINK TO U.V.L.S.R.P.C. HOUSING REPORT
Posting # 2
The Claremont Zoning Board meeting had to be postponed by 2 weeks until May 19th because of Mayor Cutts' refusal to allow the Council to appoint the applicants who had already applied. At the May 14th Council meeting will knowledgable experienced residents be appointed or will this Council bow to Mayor Cutts' wishes and discriminate by refusing to appoint any applicant who isn't a young recent transplant to Claremont?
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5/7/08
THE DOWNTOWN MILL PROJECT
WHAT'S THE REAL STORY?
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5/5/08
E-Mail sent to Claremo