yes i did and am not ashamed to say so

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water, along comes a famished shark and chomps your leg off.

At least that is how I feel right about now.

The new year came in with a much debated warrant article concerning the building of a Junior Senior High School for our fair town. I wrote here on my blog concerning my position of wanting the school to be built. I posted status updates on Facebook my desire as well as added pictures telling everyone what I wanted. I put signs on my lawn. I walked in a family event march in support of a new school. I was more than forthcoming. For all of that, I am proud to say I did everything I could to try to get the town's children a new building in which to receive an education. I am not ashamed of any of it. And I still believe that the only individuals who lost out on March 11, 2014 were the students of Newmarket. 

During that time, many households in Newmarket received two letters from a group calling themselves Newmarket Citizens for Responsible School Solutions (NCFRSS). These letters were full of misinformation. I wrote blog entries concerning their errors which you can read here, and here.

I am posting both of the mailings below.

What is missing from these letters is an actual real live persons name who will take responsibility for sending these out to the voters of Newmarket. That is the law. If you send something to voters telling them how to vote in an election, the name of the responsible person must be included. Not a made up group name which played off of the real live Newmarket Solutions group name, but an actual real live registered voter in town. Both of the letters sent out did not include such information.

When it was made public that this law was being violated with these mailings, concerned residents in town sent in complaints to the Attorney General's office. I am not ashamed to say that I was one that complained about the NCFRSS mailings. I did receive a letter back from the Attorney General letting me know that the complaint was being looked into and I would be hearing again at the close of the investigation.

Fast forward to earlier this week when I received the letter below.

It is addressed to the responsible party Amy M. Thompson. Those of us who made complaints are listed in the CC at the bottom of the second page. I am proud to have my name attached to this cease and desist order addressed to Ms. Thompson. 

Now for the fun part-- Ms. Thompson is the chairperson of the town's Budget Committee. The talk in town is that she should be forced to resign from that board for her actions during the 2014 voting season. Once again I will put myself and my opinion out there and will agree that Ms. Amy Thompson should not be allowed to be a member of the Budget Committee going forward. Ignorance of the law is not an excuse for breaking it and as an elected official, the standards of ethics need to be upheld. As of right now, nothing has been decided but we shall see.

Of course the few outspoken NO voters that do all of their talking via the internet have tried to crucify those of us who complained. I have not read any of their complaints because my life does not revolve around what they say or think about me or the March 11th vote and am basing the above statement on what I have been told. I proudly stand behind my actions and statements. If I wouldn't say it to your face or in a public forum/ place, I would not put it on the internet. I ask the NO voters to do the same or keep their mouths shut. 

Proud that I voted YES for a new school and will continue to fight for the education of Newmarket's students.

the angry ugly side of article one

Once again the No vote side has done their "best" and used scare tactics, misinformation and name calling to get their side heard. My household received this very angry letter. You can feel the anger rising as you are reading it and I am not talking about you yourself as the reader getting angry at the misinformation, but the actual anger of the writer of this notice.

Starting at the beginning I shall refute their missive.  

"..... snickering and laughter. The "New School at Any Cost" proponents' response when an 88 plus year old World War II veteran expressed concerns about his ability to pay the additional taxes." I wouldn't call it "snickering and laughter" AT the gentleman, but what he was saying about an article that ran in the newspaper. Plus let's not forget that this same gentleman was swearing at those who were for the school while they were at the microphone. Oh, didn't (Newmarket Citizens for Responsible School Solutions)NCFRSS mention that in their rambling? 

It is nice that both sides agree that the teachers are doing a wonderful job considering the building is falling apart all around them.

"Where we differ is on their insistence that we must spend as much as 79 million dollars including bonding costs to solve a problem that could be addressed with as little as half that amount or even less." Love the scare tactics on this point. The ballot is for the amount of $45.1 million- they are adding on the interest which at this point we have no idea how much our rate will be. The best part of the bond? WE DON'T HAVE TO PAY IT ALL AT ONE TIME!! This is over many years. Try not to make it sound like Newmarket has to come up with $79 million overnight for a new school.

I am not sure when the group "Newmarket Solutions" became the "New School at Any Cost" but I am guessing that the No side doesn't want anyone aware that the "Newmarket Solutions" group is around with the correct information and not the misinformation that the No side is flinging around.

"The School Board and Moderator were dismissive of those who didn't agree with them on the financial impact of the warrant article, those who questioned the lack of any alternatives and in general anyone justifiably concerned that the tax hike would drive them out of their homes." This point they are somewhat correct but their view is skewed. The deliberative sessions are NOT the time to come up with alternatives to the warrant article being presented for ballot. That time had come and gone with none of the No side showing up. There are many meetings that these concerned citizens never bothered to attend; only coming out when it is convenient for them and then try to call foul. The discussion on the table at the deliberative session was to change any of the wording on the warrant article. Not to slam the school board or superintendent for due diligence on items you feel they did not pursue. Not to discuss financial impact. Changing of the wording as allowed by law. If you feel as strongly as you do, go to the meetings and let your voice be heard. Don't sit at home on Facebook venting that 'they wouldn't listen to us anyway'. How do you know unless you go? Bring the whole group of citizens looking for responsible solutions. Like I tell my kids, how do you know unless you try? Seems like good advice to the No group.

"We need to renovate our JR/SR high school buildings or facilitate an alternate solution such as "Tuitioning" with a neighboring town. Last year over 70% of Newmarket voters demanded that the School Board and Superintendent arrange a "Tuitioning" agreement. There was, shall we say, a half-hearted effort and a predictably poor result." Renovation of the current facility is not an option that is available to Newmarket. The building cannot be built upwards due to lack of structure support. The building cannot be added onto due to lack of footage on the current site. There are not enough classrooms as it is right now. How do you expect to renovate these small classrooms into larger classrooms with no additions? Let's not forget that pesky asbestos that is in the majority of the 1965 addition that will be exposed with any type of renovation. That is not a cheap fix as this past summers fire and life safety construction showed us. Yes a tuitioning agreement was voted on as our last option before building a new school. Talks were entered into with Oyster River. Meetings and presentations were held in both towns. At the same time Oyster River was also courting other towns to fill their school. Newmarket was not the only game in town for Oyster River and personally I feel Newmarket was used as a way to ensure that Barrington signed the agreement with Oyster River. Barrington's student numbers are well under the 300 Newmarket students on the table. For Oyster River it made them very uncomfortable to push their building capacity to over 90%. Newmarket cannot demand that Oyster River take our students. From this letter and the first, the No vote side is clinging to Oyster River as a viable option. Let it go people. There is a closed door with a do not disturb sign on that option at Oyster River.

The only thing I will say about newspaper editorials is that they are written to sensationalize a situation to sell newspapers or in this case, online subscriptions. 

"When you're casting your vote on March 11th remember that by state law, warrant articles are required to present ONLY the FIRST YEAR cost per thousand and that number has been artificially reduced to $1.75 to hide the big surprise. Shortly after the first year the Newmarket taxpayers' cost per thousand will balloon to a whopping $4.26 per thousand per year for the remainder of the Bond term! The "New School At Any Cost" people are hoping that you won't notice this little "trick". The tax impact being artificially reduced is more misinformation. There was a savings that was left over from the previous years budget which is turned back over to the tax payers resulting in the reduced cost for the coming year. When the same thing happens on the town side, people commend the Town Administrator and Town Council for a job well done. Same thing NCFRSS!!! As for the large tax rate let us look at the numbers IF the Oyster River tuitioning agreement that was on the table HAD gone through. (I am using a letter submitted to the paper by Heather Raab. She received the numbers from Dr. Hayes)

"I would like to point out to Newmarket residents that the tuition agreement we were negotiating with Oyster River would have had a higher tax impact than the proposal for a $45.1 million school. The maximum bond payment for the proposed new building is approximately $2.8 million per year, assuming the competitive bidding process does nothing to lower the cost of the school.

In the year 2015-2016, the tuition to Oyster River would have cost Newmarket $2.2 million in addition to the $1.8 million needed to fix the fire and life safety issues at the middle school. This dollar amount does not include the costs to bus the students to Durham or to operate the current middle school (i.e. heat, electricity, staffing, maintenance, etc.). In the year 2021-2022, just 6 years into the deal, the cost was scheduled to increase to $3.3 million per year for tuition.

Think about this: In 2015-2016 we would have paid $4 million instead of $2.8 million. In 2021 we would have been paying $3.3 million annually, plus the cost to operate the middle school, instead of $2.8 million annually. We would be “renting” a space in Oyster River for more money than owning a building in our own town. If we decided we wanted buy into the Oyster River Cooperative District in 5-7 years, it was estimated that is would have cost us an additional $4-5 million.

Over time, tuition rates will increase due to inflation, while a 25 year bond payment for a new school will remain the same $2.8 million each year for the life of the loan. For those who think we should further explore deals with other towns, I ask you, given all of this information, does it really make sense?

Heather Raab"

As you can see from the above picture of the letter that was received by me, there is no signature or name mentioned as to who makes up the mystery group of "Newmarket Citizens". If you are so against a new school, have the brass balls to sign your name. Do not hide behind a group name that plays off an actual group who has come up with solutions for Newmarket's situation. That is the part of the letter that truly angers me. I will tell the world.... I, Terri Clark Foltz, am 100% behind a brand new Junior/ Senior High School for the town of Newmarket! I am proud to say that and put it on the internet, and have the brass balls to keep it there and not take it down.

A wonderful poster created by a parent! Love the play on the red and blue. Look at all those happy faces in the new building! Makes a parent proud.

NEWMARKET PEEPS! 

VOTE YES ON MARCH 11TH.

scare tactics, misinformation and little else

I am posting this amazing letter that appears in one of our local papers today (Foster's). It was written by a Newmarket tax payer and parent Craig Dionne. He is spot on in all of his statements. As a side note, Craig has since received a private message on Facebook telling him that "calling them out on the BLS example and $79 million bond was unfair." They hate it when they are proved wrong in their lies.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

This letter is in response to a mailer I received from an organization called “Newmarket Citizens for Responsible School Solutions.” The letter, which was sent to most, if not all of the homes in Newmarket, was filled with scare tactics, misinformation and little else.

First off, I am not aware of any group called “New School at Any Cost.” People who are in favor of a new school have been responsible about the financial impact, even asking Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Jim Hayes, to visit and reduce the cost of the plan to make it more attainable and achievable for our small town. As a result, the cost of the facility was reduced by $5 million.

The mailer talks about Boston Latin School (BLS) and how it is considered one of the finest public high schools in the country despite having a building that is over 90 years-old. Through my 20+ years in college admissions, I am well acquainted with BLS so I know how they are so successful.

In the late 1990s, Boston Latin School was in a position to lose their accreditation through the New England Association of Schools in Colleges (NEASC), much like the situation Newmarket is facing today. Also like Newmarket, NEASC’s major concerns at Boston Latin were its inadequate facilities. Rather than risk de-accreditation, the people at Boston Latin spent over $50 million on capital improvements, which is a higher amount than Newmarket is planning on spending on our new school. BLS added a three-story art wing, a new main entrance, a 12,500 square foot library/media center, and a new dining hall, among other improvements. So, thank you for bringing up Boston Latin, as it’s a clear example of the correct way to handle a facility crisis. And, when the facilities were updated, they saw an increase in interest and standardized test scores.

To mention an inaccurate figure of $79 million in bonded debt is completely irresponsible and is a deliberate way to scare those that haven’t been following the school issue. The bonded amount is $45.1 million and no more than that. If you buy a house for $200,000 and finance it for 30 years at 5% you don’t tell everyone you bought a $386,511 house. You bought a $200,000 house. We are not taking out a $79 million bond. We are taking out a $45.1 million bond.

Another point that’s troubling about this letter is that it was not signed, and no one has taken ownership for its contents. It’s the law that any political mailers, signs or other materials need to list the names and addresses of the chairpeople taking responsibility for its content. I will be following this up with the Attorney General’s Office. The vote YES side is playing by the rules. The NO side should do so, as well.

What bothers me the most about this mailer is that the writer or writers state that they know the school needs updating and that they want to bring the school up to current standards. But, they vaguely suggest the need for a solution, and don’t share any concrete ideas for what their proposed solution would be. We have explored and exhausted a variety of options over the past decade. The only viable option is a new school.

The State Fire Marshall tells us our building is not safe. NEASC tells us we will lose accreditation without a new building. NEASC accreditation is critical. Ninety-six percent of all high schools in New England are accredited. Not being accredited will have a harmful effect on our students, our school and our town. The New Hampshire DOE tells us that 90% of our building is not up to current standards. The people of Newmarket have the power to solve these problems. We can build a safe school that’s up to code and meets current standards. We can settle an emotional debate that our town has faced for more than a decade. And, in creating a new, safe, educationally appropriate school, we can also increase our homes’ values, attract new business and new families to our town, and enjoy a variety of other benefits. All we have to do is vote YES on March 11.

Craig Dionne

WELL DONE CRAIG!!

VOTE YES ON MARCH 11TH!

that mule is not drinking

No I have not changed my mind on the school issue in our town. But I wanted to show you what the "vote no group" is putting up in our fair town.

One can take an intellectual leap and figure out these signs are being distributed by the group calling themselves Newmarket Citizens for Responsible School Solutions (NCFRSS).

My first thought was one of sadness. Not only for those people who created the sign, placed the sign and are still thinking that a no vote is good for our town, but for those people who may be on the fence or uninformed and how they may be talked to by the NCFRSS. 

That is why I am part of the vote yes group. Newmarket Solutions is a group for those who can see that having a new school will help Newmarket.

You cannot force people to believe what they do cannot see. To this end, I would like to challenge each and every no vote person to take a tour of the Newmarket Junior/ Senior High School- TODAY!! It is your right as a taxpayer to check things out. You don't want to have the superintendent or the principal as a tour guide, ask for a student. Don't trust them either? How about the amazing caretaker of the building Bob French?

While on your tour... 

(there are more than these issues but let's work with these)

• Walk through those hallways, two maybe three people wide, looking at the mismatched lockers in the halls that are missing doors or cannot lock. Picture students trying to get into these lockers during the block breaks and the back up that is caused. 
• Look at the size of the classrooms that will have to hold 21-25 students in the future. 
• Check out the asbestos filled ceiling tiles, flooring and chalkboards in many of the 1965 rooms. 
• Imagine trying to get up a stairwell in the five minutes between classes when the wheelchair lift is in service and enjoy the non-stop beeping that goes along with the lift for the entire FOUR minutes it takes to go up and  FOUR minutes to go down. 
• Walk down the wood floors to the library and enjoy the peace and quiet of that room that is right next to the band room. 
• Also check out the special ed room that is located off of the library that has to hold two groups of students at the same time each learning different topics. 
• Perhaps the arts is more your style, check out the art room. It is HALF the size that is recommended by the Department of Educations size requirements. Also enjoy the warmth of that room and imagine being in there while the kiln is running. 
• Do you have to use the restrooms while on your tour? There is one set of restrooms for each floor. Six stalls for the girls in the school building- three on each floor. Boys have six urinals and two stalls total for the two floors. Prisoners have better accommodations.
• What separates the Junior and Senior high school students? A set of double doors on the second floor. 

After your tour, tell me that the building is perfectly fine. Tell me where they can add rooms for a renovation. Tell me it is not the building that determines a child's education. Tell me that fixing the fire and life safety issues will make that building something you personally are proud of having in your town.

Try it.

I will tell you that you are a liar.

Not only to me but to yourself.

VOTE YES ON MARCH 11TH!

IT IS THE ONLY OPTION FOR NEWMARKET!

school timeline

Another school related post. 

We have 25 days to get the word out to all those undecided voters and possible "not firm" no voters. There is much going on in our town during this time and it is amazing to see how people can come together to educate with facts instead of scare tactics. Love my little town and happy to call myself a resident of Newmarket, New Hampshire!! 

Check out Newmarket Solutions for loads of great information on everything that is going on to support the new school. As well as what this group has been doing over the years.

The below graphic is AMAZING!! Take a peek, I'll wait.

Seriously, love that all this information is now located in one place for everyone to see. You may not want to agree with it, but this is what has been happening with our school over the years since it was built. Can you see all the 'band-aid' fixes??

A new school building is the last option. All other options have been tried and have failed- both with our voters as well as other towns' voters. There is always talk that there are other options that have not been explored... yet these options are never brought to the light of day- only the statement that not all options have been explored. Talk is cheap- SHOW NEWMARKET THE OPTIONS THAT YOU ARE SAYING ARE AVAILABLE!

I love this picture of the new school. Look at all that space for teaching our students! No more sharing of classrooms, lockers that work and space within the classrooms to properly educate our children for the future. What a great legacy we can leave to future generations of this town by building the new school!

As a parent who picks up my child at the elementary school, it fills my heart to see students in both buildings looking at the architects' plans for this building and getting excited. They want to go to this new school. That feeling is worth my taxes going up. 

I do love this little quote. And not just for this situation but for life in general!

Please come out and vote YES on March 11th. If you will be out of town, request an absentee ballot. Every vote needs to be cast. Offer to drive someone to the polls, email and talk to your neighbors, post on your social media page/s, write letters to the editors and help at the polls by holding signs and talking to voters on March 11th before they head into vote. 

Time to rock this vote Newmarket! 

YES TO A NEW SCHOOL!!

dragging the mule to water (UPDATE AT BOTTOM OF POST)

** When I started this post I was angry. Extremely angry. The deliberative session was an emotionally charged event with the warrant article concerning the building of a new Junior/ Senior High School taking over an hour! Yes that was for ONE WARRANT ARTICLE! During this time both sides of the debate got up to speak. All I can say is that small town politics is anything but boring.

The anger I had at the start of this post kept increasing as I was typing which made me very frustrated and angry with myself. I had made a promise once I had left both of the Newmarket tax payers and Newmarket School Solutions Facebook group pages that I would not be sucked back into those types of debates with people who only want to instigate and who spread misinformation as a pastime.

I failed. 

I was once again trying to inform those Newmarket citizens who do not wish to be informed. They are happy with their way of thinking about how the town should handle these large expenses that are rapidly piling up on all of the tax payers. Mostly this consists of WAITING.

Because of that, I am editing my post into a less angry one.

A post I can be happy and comfortable with and try once again to keep my promise to myself. You can drag a Mule to the water, but you cannot make him drink- no matter how thirsty the poor creature is. **

The above picture is a representation of what our new school could look like. I am totally in love with it!! It looks large enough to house the students. No classes being held in the guidance office, music room (except music class), cafeteria or the halls!! It looks like it has windows that are in working order, that will keep the cold out and the warmth in. And look at that parking!! I am totally in love with the parking. Needless to say, parking has never been a big concern around these parts and it is something very valuable at both of the schools.

As you can see, it does not look like the Taj Mahal. It is two stories not three and there is no gym located in the building or an auditorium. The gym as well as the locker and weight rooms will continue to be across the street from the new building. They will be refurbished but the rest of the old school will be gone to make room for parking. (ahhh parking) There will be an assembly hall. This means only 250 of the students can attend an event at one time and the event will have to be put on twice for all the students in the building to see it. Very silly not to have an auditorium in our small town. However, it had to be removed because the 'NO' voters considered it a luxury and unnecessary. Believe me, after sitting on those wooden bleachers for THREE HOURS for the school portion of the deliberative session, I would pay extra in my taxes for an auditorium. 

It came to my attention that there is a new group of Newmarket citizens in town calling themselves, Newmarket Citizens for Responsible School Solutions (NCFRSS). I'm guessing all of us who want the new school should join since we feel a new school is a responsible school solution. Wonder if they would let us participate?

Anywho, they have produced a seven page "information packet" to pass out to Newmarket citizens. I am anxiously awaiting mine to arrive. Within these seven pages are NUMEROUS falsehoods on the school situation. Including many direct slams against both the school board and the superintendent of Newmarket. Where were these citizens during the most recent ballot filing period? I do not see their names running for any of the open positions on the school board so that they can make "responsible school solutions." 

The packet starts with a long and complicated look at the tax increases that are assumed as coming to fruition. I am not going to try to dispute the tax numbers as no one is sure as to what exactly the tax impact will be when we build the new school. There are determining factors that are out of our hands at the moment about interest rates of the bond and how long the bond will be taken out for. I will say that yes property taxes will go up, am I happy about it? Nope not in the least BUT I would rather my taxes go up and I have something to show for it than them going up and having the building closed by the fire marshal at the beginning of the September 2015 school year because once again this town does not look further than tomorrow and their wallets.

Yes I do know we need to do something with our water treatment plant (which has been pushed to the back burner for over ten years) as well as the dam that needs either replacing or removal -both of these projects will increase our taxes (water treatment plant only affecting those with town sewer/ water), neither one for as long as a school bond but don't let those facts get in the way. 

To keep voters from approving the new Junior/ Senior High School construction warrant article, the elementary school is being thrown out as a reason not to spend the money at the other building. The problems at the elementary school include the building being overcrowded and needing maintenance. Yes it is true that it is overcrowded, however it has been since it was built: the kindergarten wing needed to be added shortly after construction was completed, the sixth grade was moved to the Junior/ Senior High because there was not enough room to house those students within the elementary school, there are three portables in the back of the school now for Special Ed and two fifth grade classrooms as there is not enough space within the building. This could have been a simple fix IF the voters had not nickled and dimed the plans to the bare minimums. Insisting that the need for a second story would never be needed so do not construct the building for that possibility. I cannot be the only one who sees that this lack of future planning has hurt Newmarket more than increased taxes could.

I am going to pull a few parts from the NCFRSS packet that I would like to reply to. I hope that every Newmarket resident who is eligible to vote- does their own research on all the issues for both the town and the school side and gets out to the polls on March 11. Vote what YOU feel is best for the town. 

"Only the barest amount of maintenance has been executed over the past several years, ensuring that the school became more and more of a fire and life safety concern and an inadequate environment for our children."

(taken from page 3 of the NCFRSS packet)

The Newmarket Citizens for Responsible School Solutions is correct on this account. But let us look at the real reason this has happened. They are implying that the school board and superintendent are purposely withholding doing maintenance on the building. This is untrue. Monies that SHOULD have gone into maintaining the building had to be cut due to the town's Budget Committee cutting the school's operating budget. The school board had to make the difficult decision to cut the maintenance budget so that teachers and staff would not lose their jobs and affect the quality of education for the students. Again saving money does not always equal the best answer to a situation.

"There is no doubt that Newmarket students would find it more convenient and more comfortable in a local new school."

(taken from page 5 of the NCFRSS packet)

I guess they are saying that they do not care that our students are inconvenienced or uncomfortable in the current building. 

"Take a look at our surrounding communities. No one is building a new school. In fact, those that have in recent years are begging for more students so they can afford to operate efficiently. For example, both Durham and Epping school districts have encountered huge operating costs that have required programs to be cut and staff reduced, and had them look to receive new students from other districts."

(taken from page 5 of the NCFRSS packet)

The two school districts listed have been approached by Newmarkets' school board and superintendent asking for them to take our high school students either as a tuition agreement or as a co-op agreement. Both districts have voted NO to having Newmarket students added to their student population. To keep going out and asking these same school districts because it has been a few years, seems to me to be a large waste of time and money. 

"In conclusion, let's root for our kids, let's provide them with a safe and conducive environment to learn- whether that be here or with one of our neighbors. And let's give them an example of how caring adults can act affordably and responsibly." 

(taken from page 6 of the NCFRSS packet.)

I totally agree with this. We need to provide our students with a safe environment in which to learn. Unfortunately it will not be with any of the neighboring towns. 

Newmarket cannot afford to keep looking at others to solve OUR problems that have been created by being short sighted and unwilling to spend monies at the time, or now. 

"We are facing a self-imposed dilemma as the result of imprudence and negligence over the past several years. But, it's not too late to correct our course and do what's right for our children and their future."

(taken from page 6 of the NCFRSS packet)

YES!! YES!! YES!!

Our school situation is a self-imposed dilemma that is a direct result of the voters being uninformed, misinformed and/ or only voting with the current years budget in their minds. We, as a town, need to make a very difficult decision in order to save our small town, our locally owned businesses, and our families- those with and without children. 

Please vote YES on warrant article #1 for the construction of a new Junior/ Senior High School on March 11, 2014.

*** UPDATE ***

Found that the NCFRSS has a 'website' if that is what you want to call it.

www.ncfrss.com

The only problem is that the only link on the page takes you to a Rick Astley YouTube video. Not sure what that says about this group. updated on February 27, 2014

more to come

I am currently in the process of writing another post concerning our Junior/ Senior high school situation and it is going to be a doozy.

While at the deliberative session on Saturday, crammed into the gym bleachers for three hours, it became apparent that there are more people with the understanding that we cannot keep passing the blame and we need to do something as a town to fix this situation we are currently in. And for that I am very happy.

However, there are those people who do not want to do anything. Nothing. Just let things keep going as they are. They are using scare tactics and inflated tax rates to convince others that our taxes will soon be $100.00/ $1000.00 in the next two years. And that will not include the dam removal/ construction, water treatment plant or the new water line from the well to the main part of town.

There was an "information packet" being handed out by these town folks at the deliberative session which is   twisted "information" to suit their agenda. Many times in the packet there are statements that the school board/ superintendent have failed to do anything to help the tax payers of Newmarket and are only seeking to build a new school. 

The saddest part of that packet? It was organized by a member of one of the towns committees. Pretty sad that this person cannot go to a school board meeting and discuss like an adult their concerns, instead they distribute a seven page packet and hide behind a group called Newmarket Citizens for Responsible School Solutions. 

I am guessing that this packet came into being as a last ditch effort of this group because they can see that it is not going to be an easy NO vote like it has been in the past. That the people of Newmarket are not going to continue to go merrily along like they have in the past. That we can see the cost of doing nothing has cost each and every tax payer thousands and thousands of dollars over the years with the only thing to show for it is a crumbling school which is over capacity. The old way of ignoring problems will not solve these problems. Previous votes in Newmarket have gotten us to this place, and it is not a happy place to be. We are ready for a change.