Members of the Jaffrey Woman’s Club and Kathleen LaRou of the Jaffrey Food Pantry (second from right) at Saturday’s Monadnock Hunger Walk in Rindge
Walkers follow a rail trail in Woodmere for a loop of 3 1/2 miles
Dwight Schenk and Linda Wakeman hand out water and apples at the turnaround point on the course
Hannah Hardwick and Meg Hardwick of The Masiello Group walking team steered their donations to End 68 Hours of Hunger
People in the region took steps toward reducing food insecurity by participating in the Monadnock Hunger Walk Saturday
food pantry volunteers and other individuals met at the Advent Lutheran Church in Rindge before 9 a.m
for a 3 1/2-mile walk on the rail trail paralleling Route 202 to raise funds for organizations that meet increasing needs for food among those who struggle to have enough of it
and the event changes locations year by year
with two recent ones having stepped off in Hancock and Peterborough
Stewart Harris of Troy showed up in Rindge
The Jaffrey Woman’s Club forms a team to walk each year to support the Jaffrey Food Pantry
sported a “Let’s end hunger” T-shirt and said that “This effort is needed now more than ever,” explaining that “Donations are down in summer
as people mostly think of supporting us around Thanksgiving and Christmas.”
LaRou added that the past six months have seen a steady increase in need for the pantry’s services
explaining that groceries and the gasoline required to go shopping for them are more expensive
“There’s no judging about using the food pantry,” LaRou said
adding that people can drive up and get what they need without a lot of interaction if desired
A trio from The Masiello Group real estate office sported green shirts made for the event
Sales Director Denise Whitney said that the group has previously done a number of walks
“We did it virtually -- not with others -- during COVID
and are doing it to support End 68 Hours,” she said
referring to the organization that addresses childhood hunger between the free lunch they receive in school Friday and the free breakfast they receive in school Monday
Groups and individuals who made donations could target their funds to their organization of choice
a local food pantry or the New Hampshire Food Bank
pastor of the Union Congregational Church in Peterborough walked again this year
and has targeted his funds for Church World Service
explaining that as important as it is to help those struggling locally with food insecurity
there are countless others elsewhere in the world in more-perilous situations
“The idea of walking for this cause was spawned by the notion ‘We walk because they walk,’” he explained
people walk miles to get food and firewood to cook
Preston and Linda Wakeman handed out apples and water to walkers alongside Dwight Schenk
who credited the Wakemans with helping out in other ways
such as posting signage for the course and acquiring the water
Schenk also steered a lot of credit to Julie Flood Page
the organizer of the walk who was on the homestretch of the course in her ninth year walking
The Jaffrey Woman's Club raised nearly $3,000 through their efforts
Among the organizations that will benefit from the walk are the Antrim-Bennington Food Pantry
the Greenfield Food Pantry and End 68 Hours of Hunger
All of the 33 walkers who participated were back at the starting point by 10:15 a.m.
Schenk stated that they collectively raised $10,215 for organizations in the area and beyond
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Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District board member John McCarthy casts ballot during a vote on an amendment to cut the district's budget by $3 million Wednesday night in Rindge
Conant Middle/High School Principal David Dustin answers questions during the school district deliberative session Wednesday at Rindge Memorial School
Rindge resident Sheila Nagle shares concerns about the district's plan for a new CTE building Wednesday evening at Rindge Memorial School
A local Girl Scout troop leads Jaffrey and Rindge residents in the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of the cooperative school district’s deliberative session Wednesday evening in Rindge
Jaffrey-Rindge school district voters at Wednesday’s deliberative session reduced the proposed operating budget by $3 million
The budget and a $22.9 million proposal to build a new career and technical education center at Conant Middle/High School in Jaffrey proved the most controversial articles during the nearly three-hour meeting at Rindge Memorial School
voters sent all articles to the March polls unchanged
More than 330 voters attended — 271 from Rindge and 67 from Jaffrey — or about 3.4 percent of the school district’s registered voters
Moderator Robert Schaumann said it was the largest turnout he’s seen in his 10 years in the role and four to five times larger than normal
Voting will take place March 11 at Rindge Memorial School and Pratt Auditorium in Jaffrey
The proposed $33.8 million operating budget was up 4.1 percent from the figure voters approved last year
but about $98,000 below this year’s $33.9 million default budget
which takes effect if voters reject the budget proposal at the polls
is the current year’s budget plus certain adjustments required by previous actions of the school district or by law
told voters the proposed budget did not include any new programs or initiatives
The $33.8 million would allow the district to retain staff and continue existing educational improvement initiatives
including universal preschool and STEM programs
Ratcliffe acknowledged the projected tax impact on the two towns was significant — $3.45 per $1,000 assessed value
in Jaffrey and $2.24 per $1,000 assessed value
or $448 for a $200,000 home in Rindge — but noted the increase is only partially due to the district’s budget
It’s also a result of decreased state funding
Data provided by the district show state funding has fallen $1.5 million over the past five years
The share of the budget covered by state funding in 2020-21 was about 36 percent
while the projected contribution for 2025-26 is 23 percent
“How New Hampshire funds public education is a topic that is being discussed in our Legislature and in courtrooms all over the state
It’s not something that our local school board can control,” Ratcliffe said
Jaffrey-Rindge schools remain among the cheapest in the state on a cost-per-pupil basis
The district as a whole falls in the 22nd percentile
with an average cost of $20,656 per student — about $1,000 below the state average
The high school ranks 68th out of 72 high schools in the state on cost-per-pupil funding
Rindge resident Dan Aho said he feels the district should be able to get by with less
Aho made a motion to amend the proposed budget down to $30.76 million
His proposal was met with applause in the crowded gym
“The proposed budget will tax people out of their homes,” she said
as an example of a district she believed was getting better results for less money
“Throwing money at it is not the answer,” she said
School board members pointed out that Hollis-Brookline’s cost-per-pupil is higher than in Jaffrey-Rindge
They also noted many students in the Jaffrey-Rindge district face obstacles that those in wealthier districts may not
they bring with them all the challenges of their home lives and experiences
board member John McCarthy of Jaffrey said
“There are barriers that children in our towns face when compared to these more affluent towns in the state,” Ratcliffe said
The district has seen an increase in students with special needs and behavioral problems — a nationwide trend
saying the level of need he saw in students in his last years on the job was significantly higher than he had seen in past decades
Tanner said cuts would lead to “disastrous outcomes for students.”
“The things that are cuttable are going to be the things that hurt the students the most,” Jane Fedorowicz of Rindge said
“Our kids deserve a full well-rounded extracurricular and cocurricular education.”
Aho’s amendment passed in a paper ballot vote
Ratcliffe called the $3 million cut “reckless and irresponsible.”
He said he was disappointed by the low turnout in support of the schools but hopeful for better results in March
“it’ll be devastating for our students’ academic progress
and certainly to extra and cocurricular activities,” he said
The school district’s plan for a $22.9 million career and technical education center at Conant Middle High School in Jaffrey was met with both excitement and skepticism
About $16 million would be funded by a New Hampshire Regional Career and Technical Education grant from the N.H
leaving about $6.8 million for the district to raise by issuing bonds
The department is expected to end that grant program this year
“There is no next year,” school board Vice Chair Christine Pressman
“This is our once-in-a-generation opportunity to revolutionize career and technical education for Jaffrey-Rindge
as well as for the learners in the ConVal and Mascenic school districts.”
The new center would house an expanded construction trades program as well as two new programs: public safety and culinary arts
The public safety program would include an EMT certification course for students
The state department of education identified those three tracks as career paths with strong growth in the region
and local students ranked them as high-interest
Learners from out of district would pay tuition for the programs
and a student-run cafe would also bring in some money to help cover the costs of running the programs
Superintendent Reuben Duncan said there would be added personnel costs associated with the new programs — about $100,000 in salary and benefits each for culinary and public safety instructors
Some residents expressed excitement about the possibility of new opportunities for local students
especially in programs that could provide them with careers in their own communities
but others questioned whether a new space is the right use of funds
with criticism focusing on whether the district had fully explored alternatives to a new building
Conant Middle/High School Principal David Dustin said alternatives had been considered but space limitations and lack of appropriate lab equipment for culinary and public safety programs made the expansion necessary
‘what are the costs if we don’t support a program like this?’ It’s going to be high and it’s going to reflect on our community and our development.”
The estimated tax impact for the first year of the 10-year bond is about 15 cents per $1,000 assessed valued for Jaffrey residents and about 12 cents per $1,000 in Rindge
the cost of the bond would go up to about 80 cents in Jaffrey and about 60 cents in Rindge
before declining over the remainder of the 10 years
The proposal will need a three-fifths majority next month to pass
Abigail Ham can be reached at 603-355 8554 or aham@keenesentinel.com
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Tuesday, May 6, 1975 Read moreThis day in history, May 6
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Rindge Recreation Department Program Coordinator Ally Faircloth helps Andrew Woiciechowski plant green beans
Viviana Richard climbs the slide at the Rindge Recreation Department playground
Isabella Romero creates a pot with soil and newspaper for planting
Children play in the gaga court at the Rindge Recreation Department
Rindge Recreation Department Program Coordinator Ally Faircloth and Connor Cullinane plant green beans in newspaper pots
Viviana Richard and Liam Richard play on the playground equipment
Emma Quigley swings at the Rindge Recreation Department
Isabella Romero swings at the Rindge Recreation Department
The Rindge Recreation Department is hosting a weeklong No School Extravaganza day camp during school spring vacation
the theme was “Garden Party,” with children making planters for green beans and flowers
and a woods walk through the Converse Meadow conservation property
JAFFREY — Voters in the Jaffrey-Rindge school district approved a budget that was cut at last month’s deliberative session
and rejected a plan to build a new career and technical education center at Conant Middle/High School
The proposed budget of $30,760,452 passed 1,623-1,470
from the $31,863,043 voters approved last year
During the deliberative session in February
voters cut school officials’ proposed budget by $3 million
Jaffrey voters on Tuesday rejected the budget while Rindge voters OK’d it
School board Chair Chris Ratcliffe said the budget proposal passing was a “very reckless and shortsighted decision.”
“I really do feel that this day has been in the making for many years
driven by the unsound education policy decisions of our legislators and Commissioner Frank Edelblut,” he said in a phone interview Wednesday morning
Eventually we’ll reach a breaking point with the downshifting of taxes to local property tax payers
It’s ultimately the kids and families who suffer
The tax impact will be an increase of 80 cents per $1,000 assessed value
in Jaffrey and 18 cents per $1,000 assessed value
This does not include appropriations contained in other warrant articles
Ratcliffe said the board will discuss next steps and how to meet the budget reduction at its meeting on Monday
The school board begins their meetings with non-public session
so Monday’s public session is expected to begin at 6:30 p.m
According to a presentation Superintendent Reuben Duncan gave at a March 3 board meeting
three proposals the board will consider three proposals
The first focuses on minimizing a loss of teaching positions by cutting from transportation
extracurriculars and the Little Orioles program
The second aims to keep athletics and extracurriculars
which would reduce teaching positions district-wide
The third seeks to keep unified arts courses
which would still result in a reduction of staff and transportation costs
The presentation notes that regardless of which option the board chooses
each will significantly impact the district
A $22.9 million proposal to build a new career and technical education center failed at the polls Tuesday
A three-fifths majority was required for the article to pass
but it did not even reach a simple majority
about $16 million would have been funded by a N.H
Regional Career and Technical Education grant from the N.H
The district had proposed an addition to Conant’s school entrance
which would become new classroom space for the existing building trades program
while adding programs for culinary arts and criminal justice
a modification to the two-year collective bargaining agreement between the school board and the Jaffrey-Rindge Education Association
The contract will cost an estimated additional $20,776 for fiscal year 2025-26 and $20,774 for fiscal year 2026-27
The changes include a revised salary scale for school nurses and language that supports district efforts to hire and retain staff
according to a voter guide distributed by the school district
A request to add up to $50,000 to an expendable trust fund for special education passed
These funds will come from any unassigned fund balance available at the end of this fiscal year
Voters also approved adding up to $400,000 in the capital reserve fund for reconstruction and repair of district real estate
Ratcliffe of Rindge held off a write-in challenge from Jared Reini
for a three-year term on the Jaffrey-Rindge school board
James Rinker can be reached at 603-355-8569, or jrinker@keenesentinel.com
Jaffrey Grade School Destination Imagination team The Drama Girls celebrate their second-place finish at the state competition
Jaffrey Grade School Destination Imagination team The Pretzel Hedgehogs
Conant Middle High School middle school team The Un-Dwarfed Planet presents a skit about Pluto at the state competition in Amherst
Conant Middle High School middle school team The Un-Dwarfed Planet
Jaffrey Grade School team The Anonymous Penguins
Five Destination Imagination teams from the Jaffrey-Rindge School District took top 10 spots in the state competition
with four teams completing in the top three
Destination Imagination is a team challenge where children have to creatively work out a problem within certain bounds
using a variety of techniques that strengthen STEAM – science
Jaffrey-Rindge has four elementary teams and one middle school team that competed this year
Jaffrey-Rindge teams that placed second were The Anonymous Penguins in the technical challenge and The Drama Girls in the fine arts challenge
The Pretzel Hedgehogs took third place in the engineering challenge
and The Girl Group took sixth place in the scientific challenge
took second place in the scientific challenge
Though no teams qualified for Destination Imagination’s global finals this year
district coordinator Zoe Sinay said some of the teams are just starting out
and it has been a great experience for them to compete at the state level
“Destination Imagination is a club where technology
and students work to solve a challenge,” Sinay said
and it empowers them to take their problem-solving and critical thinking skills to the next level.”
Jaffrey-Rindge has worked to incorporate science
engineering and math into multiple aspects of its curriculum
and Sinay said that Destination Imagination allows students to bring those skills into their club and flex those muscles
“We want to extend this to a wider range of learners
and allow them to apply their learning in a new way,” Sinay said
the team had to build a communication device to relay “technobabble,” and write a skit that included information about research they did on a planet – or in this case
explorers run into aliens on Pluto that tell them about Pluto’s icy conditions and cryovolcanoes
“It’s amazing to see them think outside the box
and solve the problem with very little help or guidance,” Sinay said
The teams competed at the state level at Souhegan High School in Amherst on March 29
and Sinay said it was great experience for teams
some of which are only in their second year of existence
taking on new club members and watching as more-experienced members get the opportunity to teach newer ones
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172
After voters slashed the Jaffrey-Rindge school board’s budget at the polls last week
the board approved $3 million in spending cuts Monday for next school year
cutting competitive sports and reducing the pre-kindergarten program
a cut that stands to end the school district’s interscholastic sports teams
Conant High School in Jaffrey has storied boys and girls basketball programs that have won 21 state titles dating back to 1985
The school has also won championships in baseball and girls tennis
the athletic trainer position and pay for referees will all be cut
Another $135,000 will be saved by eliminating the job of athletic director
The district’s pre-kindergarten program will continue next school year
but admission will be through a lottery system with priority given to special education students
before the district began offering universal pre-k
Most of the job cuts will involve teachers
but they also include two assistant principals
an administrative assistant and three paraprofessionals
Additional savings will come from eliminating summer programs
During the school district’s deliberative session in February
The vote was a combination of the results from the two towns
Rindge supported the revised budget 1,011-682
“The voters knew what was at stake,” Superintendent Reuben Duncan said in an email Tuesday
“The majority of those who voted on March 11
conversations will take place about how the impact of these cuts can be reduced
Some community members have discussed fundraising efforts to keep Pre-K and provide athletics.”
Duncan said the district communicated to households throughout Jaffrey and Rindge about what a budget cut of this size would mean
and newspapers included the information so the Jaffrey and Rindge voters knew the consequences of cutting $3,000,000,” he said
Parents were concerned over potential cuts to athletics
but were not surprised by the results of Monday’s school board meeting
and we knew this was coming,” said Chris Spingola
Both of Spingola’s daughters have played sports at Conant
was a three-sport athlete who graduated in 2022
also plays three sports at Conant and has aspirations to play ice hockey at the collegiate level
“My youngest cried herself to sleep last night,” said Spingola
said at least 100 people attended Monday night’s meeting at Conant’s Pratt Auditorium in Jaffrey
this was devastating for absolutely everybody,” she said
but at the same time people want their taxes to go down.”
Rindge voters last week also rejected a $5.6 million town budget the selectboard recommended
which is expected to lead to a $5.49 million default budget
local property taxpayers pay the lion’s share of local school costs
the state has some of the highest property tax rates in the nation
But she said there’s also sentiment against public education at the federal level
President Donald Trump has called for eliminating the U.S
There is also a nationwide voucher movement favoring use of taxpayer dollars to help parents send their kids to private
”What we’re seeing federally is a dismantling of the public school system
which has been around for 100 years to serve a population that would not normally have access to education
somewhere believes that the public school system needs to be not just changed
Rick Green can be reached at 603-352-1234, extension 1435, or rgreen@keenesentinel.com
Michael M. McMahon is The Sentinel’s sports editor. He can be reached at 603-355-8570 or mmcmahon@keenesentinel.com
Dan Aho of Rindge proposes a $3 million cut to the proposed budget
School Board Chair Chris Ratcliffe speaks on the budget
Conant Principal David Dustin answers questions on the proposed CTE center
Jed Brummer speaks in favor of the proposed CTE center
Residents at a packed deliberative session for the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative District slashed the proposed budget by $3 million Wednesday
leaving the proposed budget at $30.76 million
attended the session in the Rindge Memorial School gymnasium
Moderator Bob Schaumann said it was more than he had ever seen in attendance
The budget as initially proposed was approximately $33.76 million
a $1.34 million increase from the current budget
The majority of the increase is attributed to planned salary increases and increases in health and dental insurance
Dan Aho of Rindge proposed the amendment to cut the budget
Aho pointed to the nearby district of Hollis-Brookline
citing their budget of $27 million and saying
“I don’t see why we can’t live with $30 million.”
Roberta Oeser of Rindge said that the School Board’s proposed budget “will tax people out of their homes,” Max Geesey of Rindge said the district has to be more efficient and smarter with the taxpayer money
Kevin Swift of Jaffrey spoke against the amendment
but it shouldn’t come at the cost of children’s education
“It is completely unacceptable to me to take money away from our children so we can have a little more,” Swift said
The vote on the amendment was held by secret ballot
School Board Chair Chris Ratclifffe said he was “certainly disappointed” in the result
“Removing $3 million from a carefully crafted budget is reckless
and harmful to children and the community,” Ratcliffe said
Ratcliffe said he was confident that on March 11
members of the community would me support the school district by voting against the amended budget
was higher than the budget initially proposed by the School Board
While the budget was the only article that drew an amendment from the floor Wednesday
there was still discussion over a proposal for a $22.9 million addition to the school to create a new career and technical education center
The center would increase the space for the district’s existing building trades program and add two new career tracks – culinary arts and public safety
The total cost of the project is $22.9 million
and the district expects that up to 75% of the building costs would come from the state’s Department of Education
The article calls for $16 million from the state
The first year’s payment of the bond would be $171,225
bond issues require a three-fifths majority vote at the polls to pass
Speakers on both sides of the issue received applause from a significant portion of the crowd
Rick Martin of Rindge said he was a proponent of technical education
but he felt there were gaps in the district’s approach
He said he didn’t know if there was enough information about potential career futures and ongoing costs to the district to make a decision
Conant Middle High School Principal David Dustin said that the DOE had approved the project based on both a provable student interest and possible career futures
and that the district had removed one possible track -- fire science -- because the state didn’t feel there was a strong-enough need to support that field
Superintendent Reuben Duncan said there is an existing building trades instructor
but adding two new programs would include the need for two new full-time instruction positions
Duncan said the district has an agreement with partner schools Mascenic and ConVal to share CTE programming
and 25% of seats are reserved for out-of-district students
That revenue would offset about half the cost of the additional teachers
The culinary track also plans to include a community cafe or catering for the outside community
which would be a fee-based service and bring in some revenue to offset ongoing costs
When asked if the district could add the programming with its current space
Dustin said that the current building trades program is too short on space to be able to implement some of the projects it would like to do now
and that the consumer science room is set up for learning home-style cooking
not to learn the ins and outs of a commercial operation
There are three more monetary articles on the ballot this year
The first is for collective bargaining agreement with district nurses
which includes adjustments for this year and the coming one
The article would have an increase of about $20,776 for the first year and $20,774 for the second
The agreement includes changes to the salary scale
and adjusted language in the agreement to support hiring and retaining nurses
The district is also proposing a $50,000 increase to the special education contingency fund
and $400,000 for the reconstruction and repair of district properties
Singer songwriter Walter Crockett (center) is the featured performer at the Rindge Historical Society’s “Music at the Museum” open mic event on Saturday
Guests and performers at a Rindge Historical Society open mic event at Cathedral of the Pines in February
The Rindge Historical Society’s “Music at the Museum” series is in its 11th year
one of the founders of the Rindge Historical Society’s “Music at the Museum” series
The Rindge Historical Society will host singer-songwriter Walter Crockett at Saturday’s “Music at the Museum” event at the Rindge Meeting House
“We’re very excited to have him here,” said Karla MacLeod
president of the Rindge Historical Society
“He’s very well known and has a real following.”
The “Music at the Museum” season-opener in March had to be postponed because of weather
but organizer Ray Siekierski said the event still had a great turnout of about 45 people
“We weren’t sure people still come on Sunday
The Rindge Historical Society has been running the monthly event from March through October since 2017
Performers must register ahead of time for the open mic event
which features mainly folk music performers
“Music at the Museum” typically attracts an audience of around 80 people
the monthly event moves outside to the back lawn of the Rindge Historical Society unless there is severe weather
but we do focus on the local performers,” Siekierksi said
said it is always a joy to see who shows up
there is some talent that just amazes me,” Pruter said
“It’s not a competitive event; it’s totally collaborative
Most “Music at the Museum” events have about 15 performers
and the afternoon event has a three-hour time limit
RHS board member Doug Hoyt said the only downside of is “there’s never enough time to hear everybody for as long as they want to play.”
with the entire RHS board helping organize and run the events
organizes the performers and does publicity and social media
and Sally Poikonen and Karla McLeod do most of the cooking
“We are known as the ‘food open mic night.’ People come from miles away because of the food
We always have great homemade desserts,” MacLeod said
who the rest of the board says is known for her Hungarian mushroom soup
said “people know to come early and eat early.”
“Music at the Museum” asks for donations to cover the cost of the food
The suggested donation for entrance is $5 per person
All proceeds support the Rindge Historical Society
Each event has a featured performer who plays for about 30 minutes
or people would keep playing forever,” Siekierksi said
Hoyt said that the open mic features a wide range of instruments
Siekierski said the musicians typically perform a lot of original material
“Everyone likes to hear familiar songs that they know and love
Many of the board members are musical themselves
who will be the featured performer in August
“It’s just a great way to get the community together
Siekierski recalls the first time he hosted a “Music at the Museum” event
“I was a state prison guard in Massachusetts for 20 years
I used to tell mass murderers to zip it,” Siekierski said
“But I have never been so nervous in my life as the first time I stood on stage for a coffeehouse
who has lived in Rindge for all of his 97 years
“Our featured musicians are always pretty talented
we get some serious performers,” Siekierski said
For information on the Rindge Historical Society “Music at the Museum” events, go to rindgehistoricalsociety.org/event/open-mic-featuring-walter-crockett
Susan Shaw-Sarles and Erica Jordan campaign for the higher default budget outside the Jaffrey polls on Tuesday
School Board Chair Chris Ratcliffe campaigns in Rindge
The Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District voters approved a budget that had been cut by $3 million during the district’s deliberative session
which has had the School Board discussing possible deep cuts to programs and teachers for the coming school year
The original budget put forth by the School Board was $33.76 million
the majority of School Board members advocated a no vote
which would put the district’s default budget into place
The default budget would have been $33.86 million – above the district’s original proposal
Jaffrey voters supported the default budget
with 788 votes against the cut budget and 612 for it
Rindge voters supported the cut budget 1,011-682
and overwhelmed the gap in the Jaffrey votes
“Yesterday was a devastating day for the students
parents and educators of the Jaffrey-Rindge School District,” School Board Chair Chris Ratcliffe stated Wednesday
“The reckless and short-sighted decision to impose severe budget cuts on a school system that is already among the lowest-funded in the state will have dire consequences – diminishing the quality of education and stripping away opportunities for the next generation.”
The School Board has discussed several possible scenarios for if the cut budget passed
including some combination of eliminating early childhood programs such as preschool and full-day kindergarten
eliminating co- and extracurriculars including sports
cutting professional development and delaying facilities improvements and purchase of materials
“These cuts are not the fault of the administration or board members who supported the initial
but rather of those who championed a $3 million reduction without fully understanding – or worse
disregarding – the impact of their decision,” Ratcliffe stated
who was elected as the new Rindge Select Board member on Tuesday
said that he was running on a platform of keeping taxes low
He publicly advocated for voting yes on the proposed budget
and no on a proposed Career and Technical Education center for the district
“I’m paying more in taxes than I am on my mortgage,” Cleveland said at the polls Tuesday
Several residents sporting “No on 3” signs
said that the issue lies with how the state funds adequate education aid
said that inadequate funding from the state has put too much pressure on small towns
a former Jaffrey-Rindge elementary principal and Rindge resident
said she was really hopeful for a no vote on the budget Tuesday
saying she has seen the struggle of balancing costs and quality education
She agreed with Bissex that state aid would continue to be a pressing issue for districts trying to create balanced budgets to put before the voters
citing what he called “irresponsible educational policies and fiscal mismanagement at the state level
led by Commissioner Frank Edelblut and legislators like John Hunt
critical funding is being siphoned away to private
charter schools and voucher programs – often with little oversight --while unfunded mandates on public schools continue to grow.”
A majority of Rindge voters voted no on every issue on the school warrant
aside from the proposed Career and Technical Education Center addition to the middle/high school
Approved articles included a two-year contract for adjustments to the nursing salaries and benefits
A request for $50,000 from the end-of-year unreserved fund balance for the special education reserve also passed in Jaffrey and failed in Rindge
but ultimately gained approval when both towns were tallied
$400,000 from the fund balance for the buildings and capital equipment reserve passed in Jaffrey and failed in Rindge
There were no contested races for district offices this year
Chris Ratcliffe and Sandra Stweart will return to the board for Rindge and Jaffrey
and Judy Wilson Ferstenberg will join them as a new member for an at-large seat
Bob Schaumann returns as the district moderator
did receive 544 votes for Ratcliffe’s seat
Project Shakespeare will present "Little Women," adapted and directed by Deborah Shakespeare Thurber
the play follows Marmee and her daughters—Meg
Beth and Amy—as they face challenges in Concord
Each sister grapples with personal dreams and societal expectations in their journey toward adulthood
The production is part of Project Shakespeare’s “One Play in One Week” program
stage and perform a full play during the April school break
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under, available at the door 30 minutes before each show. For information, visit projectshakespeare.org
Mark Hower campaigns for Planning Board and the Budget Advisory Committee at the polls on Tuesday in Rindge
Larry Cleveland will be the new Select Board member
after winning his contested race on Tuesday
Forbes Farmer campaigns for Select Board in Rindge on Tuesday
Rindge residents voted down several articles on the town’s warrant on Tuesday
a proposed 10th police officer and several proposed additions to capital reserves and expendable trusts
The town’s operating budget was proposed at $5.63 million
and was rejected by voters in an 850-783 vote
The town will now operate under its default budget
which is the same as last year with some adjustments required by law
The town also has the option to hold a special Town Meeting to take up the issue of a revised budget
Residents also rejected a petition article that sought to study Rindge’s withdrawal from the cooperative school district it shares with Jaffrey
The vote was closer than most taken that day
who was campaigning for re-election at the polls on Tuesday
was on the committee that studied the matter five years ago
and said he didn’t see value in revisiting it
and found that it’s much more costly to separate than stay together
I would rather focus our resources on other things.”
A proposal for a 10th full-time officer for the Rindge Police Department was resoundingly defeated by voters
One measure voters were in favor of was a petition article to implement a Community Power program
Community Power works by using the collective buying power of a community to negotiate for electricity rates
The proposal for Rindge is to switch the default supplier for Rindge residents from Eversource to Cheshire Community Power
Those who already purchase their energy from a supplier other than Eversource are not impacted
and those who wish to stay with Eversource have the opportunity to opt out of the program either during sign-up or at any time afterward
Voters also rejected spending $60,375 in unused bond funds remaining from the town’s bond to bring fiber internet to every home in Rindge
The money would have been used for the installation of a HVAC/ventilation system for the town offices and needed a 60% vote to pass
Several capital reserves and expendable trusts will not be funded this year
The town uses these accounts as savings to save for large capital expenses
in an effort to flatten the budget and avoid large spikes when a new piece of equipment comes due for purchase
Voters said no to the following additions to reserves: $145,000 for the fire equipment reserve
$150,000 for the highway equipment reserve
$100,000 for the municipal building reserve
$25,000 for the Meetinghouse maintenance reserve and $50,000 for the police equipment reserve
Voters were in favor of additions to some accounts
including $25,000 for the recreation facilities reserve
$20,000 for the Ingalls Memorial Library expendable trust and $25,000 for the revaluation capital reserve
Voters approved additional funds for the Jaffrey-Rindge Memorial Ambulance
and to establish a trust fund for the ambulance moving forward
While the bulk of the proposed budget for the ambulance is included in the town’s budget
the town included a separate warrant article for $38,500
the difference between last year’s ambulance cost and this year’s
which would only be enacted if the budget failed
and voters approved the additional funds in a 1,181-457 vote
Voters also approved creating an expendable trust for the ambulance
Candidate Larry Cleveland will be taking a seat at the Select Board table this year
after beating Forbes Farmer in a 969-692 race
that’s my main thing,” Cleveland said at the polls on Tuesday
and I’m afraid I’m not going to be able to afford to keep living here.”
Matthew Olson and Curt Sauvola will be taking the two seats on the Planning Board
beating out third candidate Mark Hower for the seats
Hower will however be taking a seat on another board
The two ran unopposed for the two seats on the board
with Hower receiving 835 votes and Whitney 906
Joseph Hannon received 862 votes to Paula (Candy) Phillips’ 548 for the position of cemetery trustee
Martin Kulla was elected to the Zoning Board of Adjustment
Anne Reed to Trustees of the Trust Funds and Lorraine Horne and Florence Marsh to the library trustees
Voters approved all the proposed zoning amendments with one exception
which proposed changing the town’s phased development ordinance to allow more units to be built per year when a development plans multiple homes
Voters rejected the article in an 805- 757 vote
Forbes Farmer speaks on the priorities he would have as selectman
Larry Cleveland talks about the importance of controling taxes
Candidates in contested Select Board and Planning Board races in the March 11 election weighed in on their vision for town growth and keeping the tax rate low during the Rindge Candidates’ Night on Tuesday
Vying for a single three-year seat on the Select Board this year are Larry Cleveland and Forbes Farmer
Cleveland has been on the town’s Master Plan Committee
is part of the Patriot Mutual Assistance Group and is a local organizer for the Rindge chapter of Wreaths Across America
which lays wreaths on veterans’ graves in Rindge cemeteries
Cleveland said his priorities would be keeping Rindge affordable and taxes down
including exploring the concept of a tax cap
a retired Franklin Pierce University professor who has served on the Planning Board
said he’s a political independent who is for common sense growth in town
his role would be to keep the town portion of the tax rate as low as possible without sacrificing standards for the police
When asked to weigh in on some subjects on the warrant this year
including a request to fund a 10th police officer for the town
Cleveland said while the statistics support the need for a new officer
particularly with potential increases to the school portion of the tax rate
Farmer said that he believes having it on the warrant is the right way to go
to allow the voters to decide transparently
When asked their opinion on the school budget and proposed Career and Technical Education Center addition
Cleveland said he supported the now-cut proposed budget and was against the new CTE center
and Farmer said he was still undecided on both issues
The Planning Board is the other contested race on the ballot this year
Matt Olson and Curt Sauvola running for two seats
but according to his submitted bio is a 51-year resident in town in the real estate developing/home-building business
and said that the business corridor and preserved town center were the result of careful planning
keeping the commercial base on the 202 corridor and not pricing people out of their homes
and and has since become involved in community coaching and the Rotary Club
and he would bring those skills to the board
Hower is also running for one of two available seats on the Budget Advisory Committee
and said a balance between the town needs and keeping the budget low is a hard needle to thread
He said this coming year will be challenging due to the scheduled revaluation
Running unopposed for other boards are Martin Kulla for Zoning Board
Joseph Hannon and Paula “Candy” Phillips for cemetery trustee and Lorraine Horne and Florence Marsh for library trustee
Also speaking were school district candidates
including current School Board Chair Chris Ratcliffe and Judy Wilson Ferstenberg for a floterial seat
Ratcliffe said he’s the father of three school-aged children in the district
and has been a volunteer on the Conservation Commission and as a coach
and was involved with school committees before being elected to the School Board
He said he doesn’t accept a coaching stipend
and donates his board stipend back to the school each year
Ferstenberg is running for her first elected position
and said her main goal is to strike a balance with the budget
She said her first year will be focused on learning
keeping costs in line and providing a quality education
the superintendent of utilities for Jaffrey
speaks about the steps the town is taking to fight PFAS contamination
Rindge Conservation Commission member Deni Dickler
greets visitors at the Conservation Commission booth
fur and images of footprints were part of a “What’s in Your Backyard?” booth
Vendors gather for a celebration of Earth Day at Cathedral of the Pines on Saturday
shows a visitor what native bees look like
a member of the Monadnock Beekeepers Association
members of the Franklin Pierce University Climate Action Initiative show off mini-solar cars the group built with Bennington Girl Scouts
Cathedral of the Pines in Rindge hosted an Earth Day celebration on Saturday
the effects of a warming climate on New Hampshire’s tree population and invasive species
The event also included booths on various environmental topics
The Jaffrey-Rindge School Board officially voted on a series of cuts on Monday – including athletic programs
24 1/2 employee positions and universal access to pre-K– as a result of district voters passing a budget with a $3 million cut from the board’s original $33.76 million proposal
Residents at the deliberative session in February voted to put the reduced budget on the ballot
and it passed during the March 11 election
District officials had encouraged residents to vote against the budget
which would have put the $33.86 default budget in place
“Tonight is a step we have to take,” said Lisa Wiley
who took up the mantle of School Board chair after a unanimous vote on Monday
She said the district is required to submit an update budget to the state within 20 days of the election
Among the cuts approved on Monday were a total of the equivalent of 24 1/2 full-time positions
Among them were a sixth-grade English and language arts teacher
three unified arts teachers for the elementary school (two techs and a librarian)
a general music teacher at Conant Middle High
a middle school special education teacher that is currently unfilled and one elementary classroom teacher each at Jaffrey Grade School and Rindge Memorial School
Also cut were four full-time teachers and 3 1/4 paraprofessionals for the universal 4-year-old preschool
Superintendent Reuben Duncan explained that the preschool program would not be cut in its entirety
“Losing universal access to pre-K is deeply personal and terrible,” said Duncan
who had led the charge on expanding the program to be universal and full-day
Savings from cutting athletics include athletic stipends
as well as eliminating a groundskeeper and 1 1/2 custodian positions due to less need for maintenance and cleaning related to athletics programs
including summer school and credit recovery
as will programming extensions where outside educators such as from the Harris Center provide programs for students
all non-union staff pay increases will be reduced
the out-of-district coordinator position will be reduced
and the 504 coordinator will be reduced to half-time
The assistant principal for the middle/high school will be reduced
and one of the elementary assistant principals will be eliminated
teachers and students at Monday’s meeting expressed dismay at the cuts
who has two children at Rindge Memorial School
spoke to any students who may be present or watching the livestream of the meeting
maybe even a little betrayed by the adults in your communities.”
Perrault said many had been working to fight the cut budget
and many would continue to find ways to fill the gaps left by the cuts
and I’m proud to be in that fight with you,” Perrault said
said the organization would be willing to join that fight
suggesting that some of its summer programming such as the summer Concert on the Common series or farmers’ market could work as fundraising opportunities for cocurriculars or sports stipends for teachers to keep programs afloat
a Rindge resident and one of the district’s preschool teachers
spoke about the importance of early childhood education
“Access to quality education for early childhood is not a luxury,” Maher said
“It’s an essential foundation for lifelong success.” She said pre-school education had been tied to higher graduation rates
a likelihood of pursuing higher education rates
Several students spoke in support of the role athletics and cocurricular activities have had on their lives
Hunter Schultz of Rindge said he is a student and an athlete
and puts an equal amount of work and passion into his sports as he does his academics in hopes of continuing his baseball career at the college level
He said he doesn’t know how he’ll achieve that without a sports program his senior year
“I put just as much hard wok in on the court
and in the weight room that I do in the classroom
the current president of the Conant Drama Club
She said she felt awful that her underclassmen coming up from the middle school were going to miss out on the experiences that have been so important to her
School Board member Sandra Stewart said the cuts were “ugly.”
We’re never going to get it back – it’s going to take years,” Stewart said
“We’ve got so much of the budget that we can’t cut
Speaking to suggestions of a paid model for sports or preschool
the board clarified that expenses in the budget must be cut
not just offset with unanticipated revenue that may or may not come
Duncan said line items would be left with a nominal amount of $1
which would allow the district to accept donations related to those programs
Wiley said that while the board was obligated to make decisions on cuts quickly
and there would be many future opportunities for conversations
The Rindge Conservation Commission has named Patricia “Pat” Martin as the recipient of its inaugural Conservationist of the Year Award
The award recognizes commitment to one or more aspects of conservation within Rindge
Martin will be recognized at an RCC event on March 27 at 6:30 p.m
The Conservationist of the Year Award was established in 2024 to recognize a person
business or organization that has inspired others with their dedication to land
water and wildlife habitat protection and has shown outstanding conservation volunteerism in the Town of Rindge
Nominations for the award were solicited from residents of Rindge
A team of three judges with knowledge of conservation and the local community reviewed nominations and selected Martin
One judge is a member of RCC and two are people who live in Rindge
“Pat Martin was selected for the award because of her passion for protecting the environment
She doesn’t just talk about conservation and the environment
Martin is an original member of the Rindge Conservation Corps
a group that works with RCC members on projects to improve Rindge’s conservation lands
She is a regular hands-on participant at work days
open new trails and create pollinator planting areas
Martin encourages other Rindge residents to volunteer with the commission
Martin has spearheaded efforts to reduce the town’s energy costs
she developed energy audits of town buildings
worked on conversions to LED lighting and provided training on weatherization and using solar power
She is part of the Franklin Pierce University Institute of Climate Action that studies and shares information about the environment and ways to protect the earth’s resources
The March 27 event to recognize Martin will also include a presentation on invasive species by Brian Colleran
For information about the Conservationist of the Year Award or upcoming events
send email to the Rindge Conservation Commission at rindgeconcom@rindgenh.gov
During a School Board meeting on Monday that was packed with attendants both in person and on live stream
the Jaffrey-Rindge School Board took an initial look at what potential cuts it might make after $3 million was cut from its original proposed budget
Residents at deliberative session voted to reduce the proposed budget from $33.76 million to $30.76 million
the majority of the School Board is advocating for a no vote on the budget article
which would put the district’s default budget of $33,858,458 into place
The board considered a list of possible areas for reduction compiled by district administrators
though Superintendent Reuben Duncan said that together
all recommendations exceeded the total $3 million – totaling about $4.17 million – and were all at this point only points of discussion for the board
Classroom programs and cutting teachers were among the considerations
particularly unified arts positions at both the middle/high school and elementary schools
Elimination of Conant Middle High School unified arts would eliminate two to three full-time positions
it would eliminate between five and six positions
for a savings of about $500,000 to $600,000
Sharing unified arts programs between the elementary schools was also proposed
Increasing class sizes through elimination of teaching positions was also proposed
including up to six full-time employees at the elementary level
which would increase class sizes to at or near the state caps of 25 for classes up to second grade
Elimination of two full-time employees at the middle school level would also possibly increase class size
Several of the potential cuts were aimed at early childhood education
Among the proposals were reducing kindergarten from full day to half-day for $150,000 of savings and eliminating the staff daycare center
which would remove three full-time employees and about $170,000
Cutting the district’s preschools for 4-year-olds would eliminate 7.2 full-time positions
Extracurriculars were also potential areas for cuts
including the elimination of clubs and athletics for a reduction of 4 1/2 positions of coaches and advisers
Cutting field trips and residency programs would save $100,000
and cutting the summer education program would save $75,000
Possible cuts also included salary freezes for SAU and non-union employees
elimination of non-contractual staff development for $75,000 and consolidation of job responsibilities in the SAU and elimination of up to one to two full-time employees
Eliminating two behavior support administrators would $300,000
and cuting four non-administration behavior support positions would save another $300,000
Several areas of building maintenance were on the list
including eliminating a painting and carpeting cycle for a savings of $120,000
and reducing purchase of print materials such as books by $75,000
but we have to start making choices.” She said that looking to the Little Orioles and preschool and field trips with expensive busing costs were among her first instincts
“It really is a lot of poor choices,” said Chair Chris Ratcliffe
He said his focus was on “sustainable choices,” not on things that could carry the district over a single year
saying that otherwise the district may be back again next year facing the same issue
let’s make cuts we can live with,” he said
Ratcliffe said measures like salary freezes are only temporary
the district will have to either give salary increases
left decisions that resulted in the loss of positions
School Board member Charlie Eicher said the issue was not so dire as board members made out
suggesting that because the original budget proposed by the board was about a $2 million increase from the current budget
that really what the district was looking at was a $1 million cut
noting that the district has voted in a teacher contract
It is also dealing with rising costs of special education services
added back in an advanced math class and ad ded a STEM program at Rindge Memorial School
He said special education increases alone have added about $1 million to the budget
The board did not make any official decisions on Monday
but said conversations on the budget and potential cuts would continue
including during a School Board finance committee meeting scheduled for Thursday at 4 p.m
and the next-scheduled School Board meeting on Feb
The Rindge Farmers and Crafters Market will not be taking place this summer
who co-manages the market along with Kim McCummings
said vendor participation has been dwindling for several years
and the same appeared to be true for this year
and it’s been like that for two years,” McCracken said
The market has been running for about 15 years every Thursday from Mother’s Day to Columbus Day off Route 202
McCracken said it was spawned from the town’s now-defunct Agricultural Committee
which had a goal of keeping Rindge rural and supporting local farmers
McCracken said that he and McCummings are ready to step down as organizers
but there has been no one willing to take over the organization
and I’ve been ready to hand over the reins
If there is anyone who is willing to take it on
I’d be more than happy to help them do so,” McCracken said
McCracken said the it never recovered to its previous participation levels
He said the market has also not had a produce vendor for several years
which was something visitors were looking for
“It had really devolved over the last five years,” said McCracken
COVID killed us altogether – and not just us
McCracken said when he attempted to reach out to vendors this year
he had positive responses from bread-seller Alicia Aho and Dancing Wind Farm
who were also the only two regular vendors the past few years
the decision was made to no longer move forward
We loved everybody that was involved; they’ll be missed and thanks for contributions,” McCracken said
Working with everyone was an experience of a lifetime
RINDGE — Voters rejected an increased operating budget and several other spending measures in Tuesday’s town election
The selectboard recommended a $5,625,278 budget
up about $273,000 or 5 percent from last year’s spending plan
This means the town may implement a default budget of $5,487,882
If the recommended budget had been approved
property taxes would have increased about $124 on a $350,000 home
A voter guide provided by the town clerk’s office attributed the increase to the cost of new hires in the police department and other mid-year contract increases
Rindge’s tax rate of $25.31 per $1,000 of assessed valuation is relatively high compared to most municipalities in New Hampshire
The full-time position would have cost $93,591 in the coming year
In comments prepared for a February meeting of Rindge Crime Watch
Police Chief Rachel Malynowski wrote that calls for service have increased in recent years
and adding a 10th officer would help to prevent current staff from becoming “overworked and burned-out,” she wrote
Residents also voted down articles including:
Using $60,375 in unused bond proceeds to install a heating
ventilation and air conditioning system for the town office building
Spending $145,000 on the fire department equipment capital reserve fund
Appropriating $150,000 to the highway department equipment fund
Spending $100,000 for a fund for improvements to municipal buildings
Adding $50,000 to the police equipment capital reserve fund
Voters also rejected a petitioned article calling for a study on the feasibility of Rindge withdrawing from the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District
A previous committee found it would be more costly for the town to leave the district than to stay in it
The town of about 6,000 has been part of the combined district since 1969
voters approved a zoning article to give the planning board more oversight on short-term rentals
A site plan approval and a conditional use permit will be required before people can rent for less than 30 days all or any portion of their homes
But residents rejected another a proposal to incrementally increase the allowable number of new residential units developers can build in Rindge yearly
Voters agreed to change the town’s default energy supplier from Eversource to Cheshire Community Power
According to the petition for this article
the move would lower energy costs for consumers
People who don’t want to switch could opt out
Cheshire Community Power launched in 2023 with the goal of providing affordable power generated by renewable sources to area towns
Voters opposed a proposal calling for the town to implement a roadway salt-reduction plan aimed at protecting waterways
for a three-year term on the selectboard to succeed Karl Pruter
Matthew Olson and Curt Sauvola were the top vote-getters in a three-person race for two open seats on the planning board
Joseph Hannon was elected as cemetery trustee
defeating incumbent Paula (Candy) Phillips
Lisa Wiley and John McCarthy discuss how to approach cuts to the board’s proposed budget
School Board Chair Chris Ratcliffe asks for feedback on a district plan to reduce the budget
the Jaffrey-Rindge School Board met to discuss the ramifications of last week’s deliberative session
in particular a $3 million cut to the proposed budget for the coming school year
Residents at deliberative session voted in a secret ballot
to reduce the proposed budget from $33.76 million to $30.76 million
the board updated the language on the warrant to reflect the new potential tax impact to Jaffrey and Rindge with the updated number
The estimate is taxes will increase by 80 cents per $1,000 of valuation for Jaffrey residents
The board also took a new vote on their recommendation of the article
there were five school members in favor of the budget
School Board member Charlie Eicher was the minority in both votes
Eicher said he didn’t feel he could support the School Board’s original budget proposal
as the district had been returning a significant amount in surplus at the end of the year
While Eicher said a $3 million cut is a “reach,” he could not support the prospect of the budget failing
higher than the originally proposed budget
Eicher said if he couldn’t support the proposed budget
saying that the cut could be disastrous for the district
“Going forward with this $3 million cut is definitely a way to reduce taxes
but it’s also a way to destroy the future a lot of us have been working on for a long time,” said School Board member John McCarthy
School Board member Christine Pressman said the cut was “shortsighted” and would be expensive to recover from
as in future years delayed purchases or repairs would only be more expensive
about attempting to rally community members to turn out and vote no on the budget
The board discussed putting together a plan for what a $3 million cut would look like
they decided that board members and school administration members would return to a board meeting scheduled for Feb
but the members did make some preliminary comments
McCarthy pointed out that $3 million was equivalent to about 32 positions
and could result in the loss of difficult-to-fill positions
Eicher said starting at the point of cutting positions was “very concerning,” saying that there were potential surplus areas to look at first
such as budgeting for all positions with full salary and benefits from July 1
even though the district is rarely fully staffed from the start of the fiscal year
He suggested speaking to the teacher’s unions to open up renegotiation of contract
to consider alternatives such as delaying a percentage increase in salary
dipping into capital reserves and a review of the budget to ask if every program was crucial for fundamentals of science
Pressman said there were a lot of “maybes” in cutting based on potentially unfilled positions for a portion of the year
and added that there is more to graduating than just science
particularly for students seeking a post-secondary education
and it’s our job to grow those students,” Pressman said
Superintendent Reuben Duncan said that in a previous year
the district was able to avoid catastrophic cuts by switching to a block schedule
and eliminating positions based on attrition
He said making another structural change like that wasn’t viable in this case
but that doesn’t mean that’s what you would end up doing – that’s an entire school,” Duncan said
“I think we have a lot of really poor options to look at,” said School Board Chair Chris Ratcliffe
after receiving data and recommendations from school administrators
to discuss a more concrete plan for potential cuts
According to a report by Keene Sentinel's Michael M. McMahon
Jaffrey-Rindge School Board members voted to use a $1.16-million emergency fund to save Conant's athletics along with universal access to pre-kindergarten as well
which was $3 million less than what the school board sought
In order to be in compliance with the lower budget
the school aboard announced it was forced to cut the athletic programs
The Conant Orioles are not just some run-of-the-mill high school in the state of New Hampshire
as they features prominent basketball programs on both the boys and girls side
they have won a total of 21 state championships in basketball
The emegency fund will also save the universal pre-K program in the district
but other programs and several staff positions were not restored
Be sure to Bookmark High School on SI for all of the latest high school basketball news
To get live updates on your phone - as well as follow your favorite teams and top games - you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App| Download Android App
-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @highschoolonsi
ANDY VILLAMARZOAndy Villamarzo has been a sports writer in the Tampa Bay (FL) Area since 2007
writing for publications such as Tampa Bay Times
FL area and started as a writer with SB Live Sports in the summer of 2022 covering the Tampa Bay Area
He has quickly become one of Florida's foremost authorities on high school sports
radio programs and digital broadcasts as an expert on team rankings
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chops vegetables for made-to-order sandwiches and wraps Thursday afternoon on the fourth day of the restaurant being open
prepares celery for made-to-order sandwiches and wraps Thursday afternoon
makes a goat cheese wrap for a customer Thursday afternoon
Chris Hutchinson of Jaffrey slices mozzarella for Hiraeth Place during the end of their busy lunch hour
makes a buffalo chicken Caesar wrap for a customer Thursday afternoon in Rindge
a new made-to-order sandwich restaurant inside the Irving Oil gas station on Route 202 in Rindge
was pleased with how busy the restaurant has been during its opening week
due largely to the attention paid to their Facebook page
prepares a gluten-free tomato bisque soup from scratch at the restaurant in Rindge
vegan and other options for people with dietary restrictions on the menu
For example customers with long COVID often seek garlic and onion free food
prepares soups made from scratch Thursday afternoon in Rindge
RINDGE — Tucked inside the Irving gas station on Route 202
Hiraeth Place opened for business on Monday at 462 Route 202 in Rindge
The eatery offers a selection of sandwiches
all made from scratch by owner and chef Kori Laskey
a Welsh word with no formal English translation
describes the feeling of nostalgia for a place that may no longer exist or is difficult to return to
The restaurant is named in honor of Laskey’s father
While this is the first business the Jaffrey resident has owned
Laskey is no stranger to working with food
one of her first jobs was working at a snack shack as a teen
Now after roughly a decade of work in fine dining
Laskey has helped several local restaurants open their doors
along with stints at establishments in Colorado
so it was about time I did a good job for me,” they said
and I wanted more control over the experience I was creating for people.”
Laskey was hard at work putting together a meatloaf sandwich for a customer Thursday afternoon
making recommendations for the type of bread — a heartier loaf
would be able to handle more condiments — and chatting about the tuna sandwich and egg salad also on the menu
Hiraeth Place aims to deliver the experience of a home-cooked meal to everyone
“You’ve got [Franklin Pierce University] down the road
and a lot of people driving through this intersection,” Laskey said
people just want a warm and familiar meal.”
Fresh and local ingredients are top priority for Laskey
and they’re working on building more relationships with area farmers in the coming months
She has a goal to prepare all of her deli meats in-house
which was nearly sold out as of Thursday afternoon
The community response has been largely positive
noting the business’ Facebook page has gained more than 500 followers in its first week
“I don’t even have that many people on my personal social media,” they said with a laugh
but I’m really appreciative of how supportive the community and my family has been.”
Hiraeth Place is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. for take-out, with its hours subject to change seasonally. People can find more information on its Facebook page, Hiraeth Place
Sheila Nagle (second from left) speals to residents of Jaffrey and Rindge Friday about a petition asking the School Board to revisit proposed cuts in the district budget
Isabel Geesey helps gather signatures for a petition Friday evening to be presented to the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School Board
Residents of Jaffrey and Rindge gathered Friday evening to collect signatures on petitions asking the School Board to revisit proposed cuts in the budget that members voted to approve last week
residents at a deliberative session voted to place a school budget on the ballot that was $3 million less than what the School Board recommended
and the lower budget passed at the March 11 election
The school board’s cuts in light of that result – approved March 17 – include athletic programs
summer school and credit recovery programs
Educational offerings such as environmental programs provided by the Harris Center and field trips were also cut from the budget
“All we’re trying to do is to not cut things that affect kids
such as sports and field trips,” said Sheila Nagle of Jaffrey
who was speaking with residents who came by the Rindge Recreation Center to sign a petition asking the district to consider different financial priorities and to and discuss the cuts
The School Board was scheduled to vote on the budget being sent to the state Monday
The petition to the Jaffrey-Rindge School Board suggested specific cuts in areas other than those proposed by the School Board
These included $170,000 from the Little Orioles Center
which provides subsidized day care for district employees
noncontractual raises of $95,000 and the remainder of the co-curricular budget of $50,000
“Teachers pay a very small amount for their child care that we’re subsidizing,” said Nagle
The petition calls for restoring cuts that include $230,521 for sports programs
four full-time preschool teachers for $292,674 and $47,444 for field trips
the petition proposes cuts of $615,000 in various areas
Max Geesey of Rindge questioned the veracity of the School Board’s and Superintendent Reuben Duncan’s claims about the targets of the cuts
saying that those who supported cutting the budget weren’t in favor of cutting programs like athletics
Other district expenses that have prompted the response include transportation costs
“We spend twice as much as Mascenic on transportation
We shouldn’t be paying twice as much,” said Isabel Geesey
who was also steering residents toward the petition at the meeting
Isabel Geesey added that she’d reached out to Jaffrey-Rindge School Board Chair Chris Ratcliffe for an explanation about the budget cuts and other matters
but had not heard back from him as of Friday’s meeting
“These cuts (as proposed by the School Board) are punitive,” said Claudia Stewart of Rindge
“If you’re saying that you’re working for the kids
Why doesn’t the community have a voice in what to cut?”
Isabel Geesey expressed skepticism about whether the cuts suggested by the School Board were the only ones that could be made
and suggested that objections in Jaffrey and Rindge to the original $33 million budget prompted the board to cut where it did
“I think they were offended at how people responded to the budget
“They (the School Board) are trying to make sure that people don’t rise up again,” she said
Nagle and Isabel Geesey said that School Board member Charlie Eicher of Rindge was one voice on the board who objected to eliminating the programs the board identified
Eicher stated in an email that “I had concerns about both the process and the list of cuts
Those concerns became moot when the board voted last Monday night to pursue its current path
I will work within that decision to minimize the impact of budget reductions as best I can.”
In addition to the petition that individuals signed at the recreation building
Nagle said that there were others circulating in the district that they hoped to present to the School Board at a future meeting
A petition warrant article is asking Rindge residents to initiate a study on withdrawing from the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District and analyze what it would cost for the town to educate its own students
is similar to a withdrawal study done in 2019
and represented the Rindge Select Board on that committee
the committee voted unanimously to remain with the district
after determining the potential expenses of the town striking out on its own
Oeser said it’s time to revisit that discussion
saying that there were options left unexplored
or that circumstances may have changed in the past five years
She said there was one main driving force behind seeking to redo the study now
Oeser said this year’s proposed budget gave her sticker shock
between the proposed budget and warrant articles
which includes an updated teacher contract
Oeser said Rindge residents can’t afford the continued increase on their taxes
among other issues she has with the district
The currently proposed budget for 2025-2026 is $33.76 million
It includes increases to teacher pay that were part of previous collective bargaining agreements
The town has done two studies on withdrawal
both which ultimately resulted in keeping the district together – one in 2000
The 2000 study considered whether Rindge could afford to build its own high school/middle school and become a independent school system
and the study found it was “educationally unsound and fiscally not feasible,” with tax impacts estimated to be twice the costs to Rindge for the shared high school
That study did not look at alternatives such as paying tuition to or joining other school districts besides Jaffrey-Rindge
which required the town to initiate a study of the feasibility and suitability of a plan for the dissolution of the school district
That study considered the potential costs of using the Rindge Memorial School for grades pre-K through five
and tuitioning students to another district for grades six to 12
An estimated financial comparison of what it would take for Rindge to stand alone as a district looked at a 15-year forecast
According to the report compiled by the study committee
the cost for a stand-alone district ranged between $21,973,916 to $27,482,225
depending on the year and number of students
That was about $10 million more per year than staying with the district
the committee voted 6-0 (with one member absent) to not recommend withdrawal
finding “no educational advantage,” and “significant financial disadvantage to the Town of Rindge.”
Oeser said she’d like to see a new study committee look at possibilities that weren’t explored last time
including possibly tuitioning Rindge students to schools in Massachusetts
the ConVal Regional School District was not interested in accepting the entirety of the Rindge school population
as the district is grappling with two of its member towns – Dublin and Francestown – looking at possibly withdrawing from the district
“I just want to explore all the opportunities that are open,” Oeser said
who was also a member of the withdrawal committee in 2019
said things have not shifted enough that the facts of the matter have significantly changed
McCarthy said the past few years since the study have seen some shifts in education
including the implementation of the school choice voucher system and the pandemic
but said they are unlikely to result in a different outcome for the cost of withdrawing
I think it would still be very expensive for both towns
There is a cost even to do the study – we’ll spend a bunch of money and time that could be better spent doing other things,” McCarthy said
McCarthy said the article was a “distraction” from other big decisions before the district this year
namely a proposal to build a new addition onto the middle/high school for expanded career and technical education training
Oeser said one of the reasons that Rindge staying with the district five years ago made sense was that the district was in the midst of paying off a bond for Rindge Memorial School
That bond is on the cusp of being paid off
and the district has not yet taken on other major debt
a proposed bond for a new Career and Technical Education Center
and we wouldn’t be responsible for debt incurred,” Oeser said
Oeser said one of her other main conflicts with the district is how it handles returning excess funds to the taxpayers
If the district has excess funds at the end of the year
one of the potential uses is to offset taxes
The funds are returned to the towns based on the district’s apportionment formula
the district does not take into account the higher amount of state aid Jaffrey receives
a smaller percentage is directly from taxpayers
She said this results in an unfair situation when money is returned
a junior student-athlete at Conant Middle/High School
receives a standing ovation from community members
and a fist bump from head basketball coach Jimmy Peard
during public comment at the Jaffrey-Rindge school board meeting on Monday night in Jaffrey
Dion said he thinks the back-and-forth discussion about cutting funding to athletics and other programs is childish and affecting students’ future
Jaffrey-Rindge Superintendent Reuben Duncan
speaking Monday evening at a school board meeting at Conant Middle/High School
gives his recommendation for spending of school district "catastrophe" funds to save programs
Conant Middle/High School science teacher Mike Rowland shows his support for funding school programs and saving teachers' jobs from budget cuts during public comment at the Jaffrey-Rindge school board meeting on Monday night in Jaffrey
JAFFREY — At the end of a roughly 2½-hour school board meeting Monday
Superintendent Reuben Duncan was busy adding
deleting and changing items in the cells of a spreadsheet projected behind himself and school board members
professional development or summer programs
Board members hemmed and hawed over what to keep and what to cut
Although they ultimately decided to save sports
universal pre-K and roughly 11 staff positions
the mood of the meeting was bittersweet; other positions and programs still stand to be cut
The plan Jaffrey-Rindge school board members came up with Monday night during the special board meeting to spare sports and other programs comes one week after they were part of a list of approved spending cuts
Board members were unified in their decision to spend $1.16 million in catastrophe
“safety-net” funding to save the programs for the next year
In addition to retaining sports and keeping the district’s pre-K program universal
the safety-net money will fund co-curriculars
as well as the activities director position
Roughly half of the jobs the board planned to eliminate were saved
according to school board Chair Lisa Wiley
Jobs and programs were put in jeopardy when voters adopted a reduced budget at the annual school district meeting earlier this month
The $30,760,452 budget that voters passed at the March 11 polls was $3 million under what the school board had recommended
The superintendent and school board learned at the end of last week that they could use safety-net funding to save some of the programs and positions
she called spending the money this way “a massive risk."
These funds are intended to be used for emergencies
such as maintenance or infrastructure-related issues
“The biggest emergency that we tend to have is in buildings and maintenance
and additions have been put onto things and not always coded correctly
and so we constantly have things that will happen in the building,” Wiley explained
state and federal mandates that we have to do
ADA accessibility items that we have to do
And sometimes these come on pretty quickly
and we don’t have a budgeted amount for that
money from the fund was used for updates to the school literacy program
The board voted 6 to 0 to spend roughly $1.16 million of the safety net funding
abstained from the vote since Monday evening was her first meeting on the board
Wiley broke down the question at hand: Should the board use the catastrophe fund to address the unfolding catastrophe
called the safety-net money “the one lifeline we have.”
staff and others huddled around the oval tables in Conant Middle/High School’s cafeteria to express their thoughts on the impending cuts
Those who couldn’t find a seat stood in the back
attendees and school board members discussed what students would have lost out on with cuts to the programs that were ultimately saved
and what they will lose due to the cuts that remain
The school board allowed students to share their thoughts
and two headed to the podium to say their piece
When Braeden Dion approached the microphone
he told the board and the audience that from students’ perspectives
the conversation has been “back and forth between two different sides.”
basketball and golf were in peril until Monday night
“A community shouldn’t be focused on their self needs
they should be focused on the public needs
“...I think the common misconceptions in the community is that the school’s failing
What is true is that students here in various groups … are providing for the community
adult in this crowd tonight who are listening before you go to bed
I’d like to have you reflect on decisions you’ve made and how they might have affected the students.”
Senior Hannah Manley also took the opportunity to speak
She was one of several people who expressed support for the board and gratitude for all members were doing to save programs
with everything,” she told the school board
talking about bringing stuff back next year.”
Dion and Manley were just two of many student-athletes in attendance at the meeting
Monday’s board decision means the Orioles will play on next school year
including Jaffrey-Rindge Activities Director Heather Linstad
fear this year’s deliberations could become recurring
whose position was retained Monday after initially being cut
“It is a fund that is there in the event of a catastrophe
This is what we are now considering to be a catastrophe,” she said
“But we’re going to have to put that money back into the budget so it’s there going forward.”
a Conant alum and the Orioles’ head boys basketball coach
was at Monday’s meeting and was relieved to find out he will be coaching games at Pratt Auditorium next season
And hopefully we can figure this out so we do not have to go through all of this again.”
Peard said he hopes to help form a boosters club to help fundraising efforts
But Linstad cautioned that athletics cannot rely solely on donations
We would never turn down anyone that wanted to donate to sports,” she said
“But you can have three years of fundraising
and then what if it doesn’t all come in on the fourth year?”
Linstad said it is difficult to anticipate if the athletic department will operate differently next school year
and noted costs for transportation and referees could change
She also noted the department’s safety net for unplanned costs will be heavily strained
“If something happens to the floor of ‘The Pratt’ we’re going to be in trouble,” she said
the Orioles will suit up with the chance to add to their 24 NHIAA Class M / Division III state titles
21 of those coming in boys and girls basketball
“Division III would not be Division III without Conant,” Peard said
several people who supported the reduced budget
according to Jaffrey resident Sheila Nagle
“[Superintendent Duncan] cut everything that hurts the kids the most,” said Nagle
but voters need to vote differently next year,’ “ she said
“So I think that’s where people are getting a little frustrated.”
members put forth possible areas of reduction following the district’s deliberative session
and warned that athletics and co-curriculars were at risk if the budget was approved
The original budget proposal would have added $3.45 to property tax bills per $1,000 of assessed value
in Jaffrey and $2.24 per $1,000 of assessed value
The budget voters passed will instead lead to an additional $160 for a $200,000 home in Jaffrey and $36 for a $200,000 home in Rindge
After voters reduced the budget proposal at the February deliberative session
Nagle and other residents began voicing their support for the lower figure
She said the group was unhappy to see sports and other items cut after voters passed the lower budget
several community members wanted to see reductions in administrative costs
and see other ways the school district could be spending less money
or we have so many administrative assistants
I think that’s where people were hoping to see cuts
And I feel like a lot of these positions weren’t even looked at,” Nagle told The Sentinel
Among the still-planned cuts are two assistant principal roles and the administrative assistant to assistant principals
Some professional development programs for staff are also being cut
as are salary adjustments for non-union staff
Nagle said the group drafted a document of other areas where spending could be reduced
which she said was shared with the school board
proposed adding back in $590,639 worth of programs
The group’s plan for adding back sports called for $230,521
which is $136,457 lower than the $366,978 school officials say is needed to run athletics
The group’s plan would include reducing the number of teams per sport in the middle school
the group’s plan assumed coaches would participate on a volunteer basis rather than earning a stipend as they currently do
and also budgeted $10,000 for middle school referees
$58,101 for high school referees and $162,420 for transportation
The group also proposed to add back a part-time athletic director for $20,000; (the current one is full-time and is a position budgeted at $135,000)
field trips for a total of $47,444 and four full time pre-school teachers for $292,674
They proposed clubs be added back and run by volunteers
“These changes better represent the desires of the townspeople to both encourage fiscal responsibility
while continuing the enrichment of our students’ educational experience,” the document states
Nagle also said the group is advocating for more transparency when it comes to what is being spent
“Everybody wants the kids to have the best opportunity that they can have
because the money doesn’t always go to the kids,” she said
alluding to how education is funded at the state level
the majority of funding for public schools comes from local property taxes
“We do have to understand that New Hampshire has made it a difficult situation for funding tools,” he said
and it matters that people in the community are taken care of
we continue to try to work with one another to balance these things and also to work together to fight the real issues.”
Sophia Keshmiri can be reached at 603-283-0725 or skeshmiri@keenesentinel.com
In the wake of proposed spending cuts that will eliminate about two dozen jobs at the Jaffrey-Rindge school district
one of its unions says it is working with administrators to find “creative solutions that minimize staff reductions and lessen the impact of these cuts on students.”
The Jaffrey-Rindge Education Association represents more than 100 teachers
specialists and nurses employed in the district
The district also has the Jaffrey-Rindge Support Staff Association
Rindge voters’ strong turnout and nays earlier this month overwhelmed the support Jaffrey voters gave to the default budget
The board approved a series of cuts to meet the revised budget on March 17
spanning from cutting middle and high-school athletics to non-union salary reductions
The largest chunk comes from reductions in personnel pre-kindergarten through 12th grade
In an emailed statement to The Sentinel Saturday evening
Jaffrey-Rindge Education Association co-presidents Erica Jordan and Allison Maher said the budget reduction will be “devastating” and “represents an irresponsible decision fueled by misinformation.”
the school board was forced to make difficult decisions
cuts of this magnitude inevitably affect jobs,” the statement said
It added that the union is exploring all available options to advocate for those affected and minimize the effects of these reductions
This includes advocacy at the state level for equitable funding solutions for public schools in New Hampshire
“The current funding model places undue burdens on local districts
forcing difficult choices that jeopardize the long-term success of our children and communities,” the statement said
Jaffrey-Rindge Superintendent Reuben Duncan said the district will follow the processes outlined in each bargaining group’s collective bargaining agreement to determine how positions will be filled for next year
which could include people whose job is eliminated being offered a position elsewhere in the district
The school board is required to submit a revised budget to the state by March 31
several people have posted in town groups on Facebook about their concerns with the cuts to be made and how it would impact their families
Other residents of the Jaffrey-Rindge school district have offered alternative areas for reduction
include the summer credit recovery program
competitive athletics and professional development for staff
Duncan said the decision to include extracurriculars and universal access to pre-kindergarten in the $3 million cut was rooted in legal requirements by the state for education
“While extracurricular activities and our universal full-day 4-year-old pre-k program are extremely important to our communities
they are not required by law,” Duncan said via email
we needed to cut approximately $2,000,000 more.”
Additional savings made to the revised budget include the elimination of several full time teaching positions
These include two core educators at the elementary level and one English language arts educator at the middle school level
Three elementary unified arts teaching positions are among the reductions as well
Two of them teach age-appropriate technology lessons
which are aimed at helping children learn to use technology in a safe and productive manner
The third position is a librarian at one of the elementary schools
“One special education teacher position was reduced because it was not filled
All other positions that are to be reduced are filled,” Duncan said
so at least three elementary positions will not require the district to cut existing personnel
Four full-time teachers and roughly three paraprofessional positions in the pre-kindergarten program are slated to be cut
according to a presentation shared at the school board meeting on March 17
The program will continue next school year but operating under a different model
He said the program will operate under what is legally required
which is half-day programming for three and four year old’s
Priority will go to those who are identified and need special education services
“It’s a typically a 50-50 ratio of learners who have those needs
with typically developed learners of that age through a lottery
Duncan said the district is in the first of a three-year pre-kindergarten through eighth grade literacy initiative known as “Wit and Wisdom.” According to an update shared with the community last month
children enrolled in the initiative have found the program to be engaging and found the program to be helpful with developing vocabulary
The district has a pre-kindergarten through 12th grade STEM initiative as well
which encourages problem-solving and critical-thinking skills while exposing students from various backgrounds to opportunities in science
Duncan said these programs require teacher and staff retention from year to year to be successful
While these initiatives aren’t subject to cuts
the reduction in staffing could make it more difficult to obtain the goals of these programs
we have been working on ensuring that all learners have access to high-quality afterschool programming
“Our system used to serve a smaller percentage of our student population
We have been successful in significantly increasing opportunities for all.”
Jamie Mahnken of Rindge said the pre-kindergarten program has helped two of her children develop important skills to be successful in the future
Her five-year-old is in the full-day program and her three-year-old is in the half day
“I can tell you without hesitation with children born into a pandemic era that pre-k was instrumental in them being set up and ready for kindergarten
My oldest would have not been ready in the fall if it hadn’t been for his class,” Mahnken said through tears
To see those cuts is really a challenge because we are saying
that our youngest learners don’t matter and their futures don’t matter
… The teachers and the adults in his classroom
He’s learning executive functioning skills
All of these things that are going to make him more successful in the long term.”
Several community members have offered opportunities to fundraise in an attempt to keep sports and extracurriculars
Superintendent Duncan said unanticipated revenue
can only be accepted as a means to overspend funds toward appropriations not budgeted for in the district’s original proposed budget
including donations for athletics or co-curricular activities
anticipated when revenue is finalized with the [Department of Revenue Administration] in the fall
would be included in revenues to offset taxes,” Duncan said in an emailed statement
“This does not allow us to over-expend the budget by receiving additional revenue than was originally anticipated.”
The union statement acknowledged the financial concerns expressed by taxpayers who proposed and ultimately supported the amended budget
it is crucial to remember that our schools are legally obligated to provide essential services to students while fostering a vibrant
and diverse learning environment,” Jordan and Maher wrote
but the education of our children should not be sacrificed in pursuit of short-term savings.”
The school board will meet again on Monday at Conant Middle/High School in the music room at 7 p.m
to sign the documentation required to send to the state and thus officially set the cuts in stone
I encourage my neighbors to start work now on this plan for energy savings and local control
even though Rindge won’t actually enroll in Cheshire Community Power (CPCNH) until 2026 because of current market conditions
CPCNH will not launch with new communities until they can beat Eversource pricing
so it's wise to look at long-term patterns
CPCNH has demonstrated significant savings since its creation
CPCNH averaged 8.7% savings relative to Eversource’s supply rate
customers can switch to another provider without penalty
and can then switch back whenever CPCNH's prices are again lowest
Community power doesn’t hurt Eversource's profits; it simply enables bulk purchasing for electric supply to benefit Rindge residents
who keep the same login and account number for paying their bill because Eversource continues to handle all billing
Eversource also continues to service power lines: they will still be the people to call in a power outage or for any other problem
The only difference you will notice in your electrical service is a small line on your bill that says "Supplier: default" changing to "Supplier: Rindge Community Power" and that the rate is lower
After the failure of the proposed budget in March
the Rindge Select Board has decided not to address the budget in a special Town Meeting
expecting to move forward with its default budget
adding a new police officer and the proposed budget of $5.63 million
The budget was rejected in an 850-783 vote
Each town that conducts a ballot election must create a default budget
which is the same budget as the previous year
with additions for contracted items already approved by the public
The default budget for the town for fiscal 2026
The other option is to hold a special Town Meeting to address the budget only
the board started its meeting by welcoming new member Larry Cleveland and electing Bob Hamilton as chair and Tom Coneys as vice chair
One of the first items taken up by the new board was how to proceed after the failed budget vote – whether to use the default budget or to hold a special Town Meeting to come up with a new
Hamilton said he had qualms about a special Town Meeting
is people could come into the special meeting and cut the budget even further
Hamilton said a special Town Meeting would also have to be run the same as a regular election
requiring a deliberative session and a voting session
with a dictated amount of time between the two
He said that would result in the town not having a settled budget until the end of May or early June
“We’d be pushing it out forever and ever and ever
I’m not interested in a special meeting,” Hamilton said
“It’s $135,000 [difference] to the default and we’re halfway through the year before you can even look at it
I think it’s going to be an entire waste of time,” Coneys said of holding a special Town Meeting
Hamilton asked if there was further discussion on the topic
and though the board took no official vote on the matter
decided by consensus to move forward with the default budget rather than pursue a special Town Meeting
the board gave its final approval to a new ordinance dictating rules for camping on town properties
voters gave their approval for the adoption of the ordinance
The ordinance requires written permission from the Seelct Board to camp on any town property
the Town Common or any town-owned conservation lands
Camping is defined in the ordinance as “any activity that involves an overnight stay
whether sheltered or unsheltered or within a conveyance,” which would include people sleeping in their cars
It also includes “activities commonly associated with the preperation for an overnight stay,” whether or not the person has actually stayed the night
All permitted camping will operate on a “carry in
where campers are responsible for removing anything they bring onto town property
If anyone is found in violation of the ordinance
they would be required to immediately vacate the property
and would be subject to a fine of $100 for the first offense
For any second or subsequent offense within a 12-month period
the fine would be increased to $250 per violation
Fines would be required to be paid to the town within five days
and late payments may result in the issuance of a summons and added fines
If a resident wishes to contest the violation
he or she must submit a request for a due process hearing within three days of the receipt of the violation
Crews from several towns fought a fire on Crowcroft Drive in Rindge on Sunday evening
the Rindge Fire Department was dispatched on a first-alarm assignment on Crowcroft Drive for smoke inside the furnace room
Deputy Fire Chief Chris Hill found a fire in the furnace room
and its crew entered the building fight the fire and and search for victims
A Jaffrey engine also arrived and assisted with suppression and search efforts alongside the Rindge crew
Two uninjured pets were located inside the building and were safely brought to their owners
The fire was contained to the furnace room and an adjoining bathroom
A Winchendon engine laid a supply hose from Route 119 down Crowcroft Drive to the scene
and Ashby firefighters established a water supply at the nearby Crowcroft Pond dry hydrant site
the additional water supply was not needed
as the fire was extinguished with less than 500 gallons of water from the first-arriving Rindge engine
The homeowner had shut off the power at the main breaker and closed all doors upon exiting the home
The Rindge Fire Department was assisted on the scene by mutual aid partners from the Jaffrey
An ambulance from Jaffrey-Rindge Memorial Ambulance stood by at the scene
Rindge police and Eversource also assisted on-site
An engine from the New Ipswich Fire Department covered the Rindge fire station during the incident and responded to a motor vehicle accident on Old Ashburnham Road while on cover duty
A preliminary investigation by the Rindge Fire Department determined the probable cause to be electrical in nature
The Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District continues its journey to enhance our system so we can accomplish our mission to “Inspire
and Empower All Learners to Thrive in Their Lives and Communities.”
we continue concentrating on communication
collaboration and community We believe we will build
thriving community through intentional and authentic collaboration with clear and accurate communication
during the district’s collaborative strategic design process
a local pastor stated that he wanted our schools to teach children how to think
The district incorporated this into its guiding principles for teachers and teaching
not what to think.” The following school district update focuses on this guiding principle
Jaffrey-Rindge and the surrounding communities teach children how to think
our learners in Region 14 have fewer CTE courses available locally than most other communities in southern New Hampshire
Kelly Ayotte proposed a budget that included CTE funding for the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District
Rindge and Jaffrey voters will decide whether Conant Middle High School will continue to pursue the CTE building project at the Conant Way campus
a project designed to enhance the existing construction trades program and add two new programs -- culinary arts and public safety and security
the school district will seek to reduce the money needed to be raised locally
by accepting donations and in-kind contributions to offset local costs for the proposed CTE center
The state’s financial contribution is estimated to be $16,049,000
The cost to operate this new facility and programming will likely be offset entirely by incoming tuition and other revenue sources
not what to think -- this was at the heart of selecting a new literacy program for the district
We not only wanted a program that would assist teachers in teaching the science of reading
but we also wanted materials and approaches that would lead our learners to be inquisitive and critical thinkers
skilled information analyzers and proficient
The literacy leadership team researched and observed several programs and visited area schools to observe their literacy efforts
embedded professional development and the effectiveness of potential instructional tools
accompanied by strong phonics and phonemic awareness programs
We are halfway through the first year of a three-year implementation of this literacy initiative
Jaffrey Grade School and Conant Middle High School have worked closely together to ensure alignment
Below are quotes from educators implementing the new programming and from children engaging in the literacy learning process
From teachers: “Wit & Wisdom requires extensive teacher planning time to implement the program with intentionality.”
“Wit and Wisdom is helping students develop critical thinking skills while exposing them to a range of topics that build background knowledge.”
“I appreciate that all students are able to participate in discussions and have something to add
Students who have always been on the outside
This is clearly seen in their writing and excitement to participate and share.”
“You get a lot of learning about writing.”
“I liked telling my family about what we learned about.”
“I like learning new things and it was challenging but in a good way.”
“It has helped me become a better reader because I am able to read the books slowly to understand all the parts.”
Another way Jaffrey-Rindge teaches children how to think
not what to think is by engaging them in high-quality STEM education
Conant Middle High School has added the following middle school STEM courses: STEM: Explorations
STEM: Design and Modeling and STEM: App Creators
New courses set to commence next school year include Flight and Space and Medical Detectives
The high school offers STEM: Computer Science
Computer Science for Innovators and Makers
Engineering: Renewable Fuels and Engineering: Water
veteran teacher Dorothy Meehan led the implementation of STEM education for all learners in pre-K through grade five at Jaffrey Grade School
At the deliberative session that same year
community members added funds to the proposed budget so the district could provide the same level of STEM education at Rindge Memorial School
all learners in pre-K through grade five at Rindge Memorial School receive instruction in STEM once every six days as part of its unified arts rotation of classes
In addition to engaging students in critical thinking
STEM teacher Angela Tuero has partnered with local and regional organizations to further enhance and expand our learners’ STEM experiences
Partnerships include working with with MilliporeSigma’s Curiosity Cube and Curiosity Labs and UNH’s StemMobile
the Jaffrey-Rindge school board presented the proposed budget
was nearly $100,000 below the default budget
at the school district’s deliberative session
the voters present at the meeting decreased the 2025-2026 proposed budget by $3 million
This reduces the original proposed budget of $33.76 million to $30.76 million
Five School Board members voted not to recommend this revised budget
the one school board member who voted to recommend the revised budget
he indicated that he did not support the original proposed budget and felt it should be reduced by about $600,000
To put a $3 million reduction into perspective
the 2024-2025 budget for all regular education staff and teachers at the Jaffrey Grade School is $3,066,165
to achieve a budget reduction of $3 million
the School Board must consider making deep cuts to staffing and programs
Areas that could be considered for significant reduction or elimination include but are not limited to the following: district-wide athletics and co-curricular activities
The district may also consider moving from full-day to state-required half-day kindergarten
a $3 million reduction would impact resources available to the communities’ children
Jaffrey and Rindge residents will vote on the revised budget and choose between the default budget
A yes vote means the district would need to cut $3 million from its original proposed budget
A no vote means the district will operate under the default budget
Reuben Duncan is superintendent of the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District
took an additional three juveniles into protective custody and seized more than 1,000 rolls of toilet paper after an alleged attempt to vandalize the Rindge town common
According to a press release issued by the Rindge Police Department on Wednesday
the detentions followed attempts made to toilet paper the common
Police had previously received information that the vandalism was planned
and were performing a targeted surveillance of the area
Both were charged with unlawful activities
resisting arrest or detention and possession or use of tobacco by a minor
Ketorla was also charged with loitering/prowling
and Barlow was charged with criminal mischief
One of the three detained minors was charged with possession or use of a tobacco product by a minor
Both Ketola and Barlow were released on personal recognizance bail are scheduled to be arraigned in the 8th Circuit District Court in Jaffrey on Nov
a tire fire was set near the intersection of Route 119 and West Main Street
fires have been used as a diversion tactic to draw police away from the common for vandalism to occur
An arson and criminal mischief investigation has been opened into the tire fire
the investigations relating to both incidents are ongoing
Attempts are being made to identify other involved parties and additional charges are likely
pending the outcome of multiple search warrant applications for electronic devices seized from the scene
Witnesses or people with information about these incidents are encouraged to contact the Rindge Police Department directly at 603-899-5009 or through Cheshire County Dispatch at 603-355-2000
School Board Chair Chris Ratcliffe speaks against a petition article to study withdrawing from the cooperative school district
Roberta Oeser speaks on her petition article to withdraw Rindge from the cooperative school district
Residents made several amendments to warrant articles during Saturday’s nearly five-hour long deliberative session
including shortening and softening an article calling for a feasibility study for the withdrawal of Rindge from the local cooperative school district
The article originally proposed that the School Board initiate a study of the feasibility and suitability of a plan to withdraw from the district
and that the Rindge Select Board form an independent committee to analyze the cost of the process for ongoing education in Rindge
which was submitted by petition by resident Roberta Oeser
had several potential amendments discussed
Oeser said that though the issue of withdrawing from the district had been studied five years ago
there were some potential avenues that had not been investigated thoroughly
and that “timing was critical,” as the district was closing in on the end of a bond
could be poised to enter another for a new addition for a career and technical educational center at the Conant Middle High School
She said exiting the district before taking on more debt would be the best timing for Rindge
Some residents expressed fear that the article would “muddy the waters” for the addition
which relies on receiving up to 75% funding from the state
Resident Jed Brummer said he didn’t want to see the funding die due to Rindge studying withdrawal
Resident Suanne Yglesias said the grant funding would “probably disappear.”
Resident Judy Unger-Clark proposed an amendment that would have deleted the original language of the article
and replace it with an advisory view that the district continue in its present form
Moderator Kirk Stenersen disallowed the amendment
Unger-Clark then proposed new language that eliminated the language that called for the Select Board to appoint an independent committee
and to add the language that the article was “advisory only.” This change passed in a show of hands vote
Resident Justin Charles initially proposed an amendment that would add the language “seek to” to the beginning of the article
with the goal of making it optional for the School Board to follow through on the study
but ultimately withdrew his motion without a vote after learning that the language making the article advisory already accomplished that goal
Another article that drew lengthy discussion from the crowd was an article to change the purpose of the building maintenance capital reserve
The intent is to allow the fund to be used for new construction
and to authorize the Select Board to expend from the fund without a vote of the legislative body
Several members of the crowd said that the article was asking for too much lumped together
and others pointed to the town’s Electric Light Trust Fund
which is already slated for capital projects
one of four Budget Committee members who voted not to recommend the article
said it was “too many things bundled together,” and that $100,000 without a precise goal was too much to ask in a warrant that already was seeking increases
He said he might support it in the future if it were a request for more specific needs
Several possible ways to amend the article were discussed
to make clear that the new purposes would be added to the existing purpose of maintenance
to an article requesting $25,000 for the revaluation capital reserve fund
to make clear that the revaluation is required “at least” every five years
but the addition did not change the substance of the article
Residents had little input on the proposed budget for the coming year
The budget is a 5% increase from last year
which Selectman Karl Pruter said was the goal set for the Select Board by the Budget committee
He said most of the increases were attributed to the full year’s salary for two new police officer positions
and increases in ambulance and prosecutorial services
The warrant calls for several additions to expendable trust or capital reserve accounts
some for specific purchases expected this year
There is an article asking for $145,000 to be added to the Fire Department equipment reserve
which Selectman Bob Hamilton said will be used to replace the department’s 26-year-old forestry truck
The Highway Department is requesting $150,000 for its capital reserve to move up the replacement of one of the department’s plow trucks
originally scheduled to be replaced next year
“It’s broken down five of the last eight storms
This is a safety hazard and expensive beyond the repairs in terms of labor,” Selectman Karl Pruter said
Other articles request $50,000 for the police equipment fund
$20,000 for the Ingalls Memorial Library trust
$25,000 for the recreation facilities fund for new tennis court surfaces
$25,000 for the Meetinghouse maintenance fund
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext
The Jaffrey-Rindge Memorial Ambulance is anticipating greatly increasing the request for town support from both Jaffrey and Rindge this year to more than 2 1/2 times the current request
During a meeting with the Rindge Select Board on Monday
JRMA Chief Bill Johnson spoke with the board
as well as Jaffrey Town Manager Jon Frederick and fire chiefs from both towns
The anticipated request for 2025 is $250,000
“It is a sizable increase as opposed to what has been paid in the last few years,” Johnson said
Johnson said the increase was “multifactoral”
and included a major wage adjustment that took place this year
reimbursement rates from insurance companies dropping and capital expenses related to both equipment and the ambulance bay infrastructure
JRMA is an independent non-profit that services both towns
and is housed in a building owned by the Town of Jaffrey
It’s not just us – this is a national problem,” Johnson said
“It is very difficult to find qualified staff and staff that is going to fit your culture and your ideals
This is a hard job to get into and a hard position to have any longevity.”
the ambulance operates with per diem staff
with himself as the only full-time employee at 32 hours per week
and the second is staffed by on-call workers
In an effort to attract new employees and improve retention
Johnson said the ambulance has adjusted its pay rates
increasing starting EMT pay from $16 per hour to $20 per hour
advanced EMTs from $17.50 per hour to $22 per hour and paramedics from $23 per hour to $27 per hour
Johnson said this put Jaffrey-Rindge Memorial more in line or slightly above surrounding communities
and that the pay increases were the bulk of the extra funding needed for the coming year
with an anticipated $591,541 budget for 2025
The JRMA has responded to 1,199 calls since January
while 11 calls were responses to other towns
Johnson said that split is about in line with the previous year’s service
the ambulance responded to 1,381 calls in total
Based on the current average number of calls per year
Johnson said the ambulance needs to make about $527 per call in order to make its budget
He said that insurance reimbursements vary based on the carrier
and some of the expected reimbursements have decreased
What insurance does not pay is charged to the individual
and the town does employ a collection service to try to recoup late or unpaid bills
“We can increase the rates [for service] but should insurance not pay
it places the burden on the individual,” Johnson said
The ambulance does not charge patients when they respond to a scene but the person refuses treatment or transportation
Johnson said that is not the case in all states or services
but said he was not in favor of changing that practice for JRMA
Johnson said he would like to move to a model that fully staffs at least one ambulance at all times
but the current ambulance barn is not rated for occupancy
including upgrading the building with fire suppression or other improvements
or housing workers overnight at Camp Monadnock – about a four minute ride from the ambulance bay – for a nightly fee
Johnson said in addition to needed improvements to the building
equipment has grown increasingly expensive
and the ambulance service is limited in the type of ambulance it can purchase due to the size of the ambulance bay
The JRMA recently purchased a new ambulance
The funds for the ambulance came from the JRMA’s capital reserve
Johnson said the purchase of the ambulance has put the capital reserve in the mid-$200,000 range
noting that if there is an immediate need to replace the 2017 ambulance
JRMA would not have the funds to replace it without a loan
He said the ambulance would be using excess funds to build back the capital reserve
The ambulance also purchased a new power stretcher for the ambulance
at a cost for $34,683 for the stretcher and a maintenance contract
which will be paid for in five annual installments
After making changes based on resident feedback last month
the Rindge Planning Board held a second hearing Tuesday regarding changes to the town’s short-term rental rules
The board held its first hearing on seven proposed zoning amendments on Dec
and passed the majority of them to the warrant unchanged
The only article that underwent any substantive change was the article on short-term rentals
The main change made to the amendment during the Dec
3 meeting was putting a number on what the maximum occupancy of a short-term rental should be – ultimately settling on up to three people per bedroom
the town’s zoning ordinance has very few rules pertaining to short-term rentals
which include renting properties through Airbnb and Vrbo
who said that neighbors have complained of over-filled rentals and noise
especially around the lakes,” said Planning Board Chair Roberta Oeser
“The way our zoning was – I still can’t believe it was written this way – our zoning just allowed them.” Oeser said while not as comprehensive as ordinances adopted by other towns
the amendment gave the town at least “some regulation,” and issues such as noise and affecting property value are addressed in the site plan review and conditional use permit process
The new language would clarify that short-term rentals are a commercial use and require a site plan approval and conditional use permit issued by the Planning Board
The new language stated that the rental “be in compliance with all local ordinances
regulations and applicable state laws and rules.” The conditional use permit process would take into account whether the property is suitable for rental
adequate on-site parking and undergoing a life safety inspection
Some residents who rent their properties who attended Tuesday’s hearing
questioning whether they would be allowed to continue to rent their properties if the amendment passed until they were able to go through the process
said there should be a "grace period" while established renters go through the process
Oeser said the amendment would go into effect immediately
but said the town was unlikely to immediately start enforcing it
acknowledging that gaining the correct approvals could take up to a few months
the Planning Board has discussed a separate process for adopting regulations for short-term rentals with more specific rules
The board approved the amendment to be put on the March warrant with no further changes
All amendments will be voted on on March 11 at the ballot box and require a majority vote to pass
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172
Maddox Nordahl and Chase Goguen work on gluing together flexible strips of wood to be able to create a curved piece at Conant Middle High School
Conant Middle High School instructor Brock Cullen shows Carter Hillock how to clamp flexible strips to create a single piece of curved wood over a doorway or window
Instructor Brock Cullen shows different wood types to his students during a class at Conant Middle High School
Joseph Fortier shows middle-school students different types of wood before having them try drilling them to test their hardness
Instructor Brock Cullen cuts wood strips for students to work with during a building trades course at Conant Middle High School
What’s the difference between drilling into a plank of oak
Those in the Conant Middle High School woodworking class are about to find out through hands-on experience
along with the basics of what each kind of wood is used for in the construction trade
in the Conant Middle High School electrical and plumbing unit
a group of students is learning how to wire an electrical switch
These are the kinds of skills that construction trades instructor Brock Cullen said his students can take into the real world
The job market for these skills is only growing
and more employees in the trades are needed to keep up with New Hampshire’s economy
According to the state’s Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau
construction is one of the areas with the largest projected job growth in the next 10 years
with 32,144 jobs expected by the end of 2032
an increase of about 2,158 from 2022 numbers
Specialty trade contractors is the largest part of that growth
while construction of buildings makes up about 448 new jobs
pipefitters and steamfitters are occupations that are also expected to grow about 6% in the next 10 years
which is faster than the average for all occupations
Growth for electricians is expected to be 9% from 2020 to 2030
The district is seeking to solve that problem by expanding its Career and Technical Education programs with a new addition on the middle high school
The addition would be devoted to CTE – including a largely expanded building trades space
dedicated classroom space and an outdoor lab
The total cost of the proposed project is $22.9 million
but the district anticipates that up to 75% of construction costs to be covered by a state grant from the Department of Education
which has a pool of funds available for CTE improvements and expansions
The district is anticipated to take out $6.4 million in bonds to supply the rest
Residents will vote on the proposal March 11
School Board members have touted the opportunity to secure 75% funding for the project as a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity for the district
The state has been funding CTE projects in different sections of the state in a 20-year cycle
and this biennium is Jaffrey-Rindge’s opportunity to access those funds
Superintendent Reuben Duncan said that because the state approves a two-year budget cycle
grant funding may still be available next year if the CTE addition does not pass at the polls this year
the decision on whether to pursue another article next year would likely depend on what kind of support they see from the community
whether the state will continue to fund another cycle of CTE improvements is up in the air
For recent Conant graduate Josiah Niemela of Rindge
the CTE program was how he decided on his career path
He said when he entered his sophomore year
he didn’t really know what he wanted to do
that he decided to take some of the building trades classes
“Being able to take those classes helped me to decide my career path,” Niemela said
“And it’s one I probably wouldn’t have taken if it weren’t for those classes.”
the size of the construction trades workshop limits the amount of offerings the school can provide to students who are seeking a career in building trades and the scale of projects that can be completed
Cullen said he is the product of a trades course
so he knows its value in propelling a student forward in his or her chosen career
“The skills I had allowed me to jump forward from a laborer to a carpenter,” Cullen said
“I was able to do things a person who didn’t take that course had to learn.”
Cullen said graduates of the building trades course have gone into fields where they were able to put the skills they learned right away
so we’re limited on how many learners we can put in based on the space
I think the space is the limitation for sure,” said Kim Baker
“It doesn’t allow them to do the types of projects they would like to do because there isn’t space to do some of that
The renovation would allow us to do that.”
the space hosts 12 electric and plumbing course students who are working alongside and sharing classroom space with 16 middle-school woodworking students
Cullen has 22 carpentry and masonry students
to build a 3-foot by 3-foot model – already a scaled-down version of what they would be doing in real life – would take up more than 100 square feet just to store the projects
Cullen said that amount of room isn’t feasible when there are also other classes with their own projects
“One of the huge limitations is that there’s no space to store projects of any space or size,” said Conant Principal David Dustin
And we can’t do that with the current program.”
Niemela said he felt that pinch when he was taking classes
He said he would have liked to take a more in-depth course on plumbing and electrical
which both play potential roles in his chosen field
and even though he’s no longer a student at Conant
he’ll be voting in favor of the new CTE addition
but I think a lot more kids would know what they wanted to do if they had a chance to explore it,” Niemela said
the thought is pounded into their heads that college is the only way to get a job
Taking classes like these allows them to see what they like
and lets them know there are so many more opportunities outside of college.”
Middle school students have the option to take woodworking
a class where they learn the basics of tools and wood types and have the opportunity to create some simple woodworking projects
It provides them a basis for more-advanced courses in high school
carpentry and masonry and an electrical and plumbing course
Cullen said those who complete the full courseload can come away with an OSHA 10 accreditation and the basic skills to pursue a more-thorough course or enter the workforce
According to student surveys and current enrollment in the building trades program
about 21.4% of students said they were interested in classes in the construction trades
Cullen has 17 students in his electrical and plumping course
and 22 enrolled in the carpentry and masonry course
Cullen said he has only seen interest in the class grow since he started teaching it
he said he had about 10 to 15 students per block
after completing what offerings are available
The district has a regional agreement with the Mascenic and ConVal districts to share CTE programs
The home school has the right to the majority of the seats
with a percentage of seats reserved for students from the other districts
Students living in the Jaffrey-Rindge district
even those who homeschool or attend private or charter school
the additional space will allow for expanded programming
but because the plan does not call for an additional construction trades teacher
Conant would still only be able to offer the same amount of classes per semester
Cullen explained that some classes would be offered on a rotating basis
allowing students enrolled in a track to complete the entire track at once
This means not every offering would be available every semester or year
more in-depth projects anticipated to be completed over longer periods of time
Seen at the back of the property at 124 Washington St
in Keene on Tuesday afternoon is a two-bedroom Airbnb unit that is currently available to rent and is owned by Rob Patton-Spruill and his wife
Keene and Rindge officials are evaluating the effects of short-term rentals
Officials in Keene are interested in whether these properties have an impact on long-term housing options and neighborhoods
while Rindge officials are focusing on crafting new regulations
“The goal here is not to stop short-term rentals,” Keene Senior Planner Mari Brunner said
“It’s to really assess them and make sure that we have a solid understanding of what the impact is right now
The Keene Community Development Department recently applied for a grant to study the issue
and officials in Rindge are considering adjusting town zoning rules to address community concerns about this type of housing
Websites like Airbnb and Vrbo have become popular with travelers and others, allowing them a short-term rental alternative to traditional lodging like hotels. Sites like these have contributed to more awareness about this kind of housing in the past 10 years, according to a 2023 report from N.H. Housing
people across the state are debating the same questions about short-term rentals as in Keene and Rindge
There were roughly 9½ short-term rentals per 1,000 residents in Cheshire County as of 2023
This number is low compared to Carroll County
the highest of any of the state’s 10 counties
A housing needs analysis that a consultant did for Keene counted roughly 49 short-term rentals in early 2023
Rindge officials did not have data on how many there are in that town
The city’s community development department is hoping to receive a grant from InvestNH
Department of Business and Economic Affairs and N.H
to hire a consultant to research the community impact of short-term rentals
The city expects to hear about the grant decision within the next two months
“Everything that we know about [short-term rentals] is mostly anecdotal,” Brunner said
Her department wants to learn what regulations it can propose for these types of properties and gather more information on people’s concerns about them
which she said include worries that they affect the “fabric” of a community
She noted that learning about the benefits short-term rentals generate is also important
“We also don’t want to unduly limit an option for folks in Keene to be able to make money,” Brunner noted
“I know I’ve heard anecdotally from some folks that being able to rent out a room in their house or another property that they own in the city allows them to live where they live.”
Neighborhood complaints are the primary reason Rindge officials are considering changes to short-term rental zoning
according to planning board Chair Roberta Oeser
These concerns include that short-term rentals are hosting too many guests at a single time
People also worry that renters are taking up parking and are leaving trash sitting in cans for excessive amounts of time
Oeser said officials are proposing prohibitions on renting out accessory dwelling units as short-term rentals
These structures are additional buildings on the same property as a single-family home
“The whole reason that we [allowed accessory dwelling units] was to provide housing
not to provide … income,” Oeser said
The town is also looking at how to discourage people from purchasing residential properties with the intent to use them as short-term rentals
Housing’s October 2023 report found that short-term rentals haven’t had a significant impact on the rental vacancy rate in New Hampshire
which was only 0.6 percent for two-bedroom apartments that year — roughly 4 percent lower than what is considered healthy
The report also found that statewide median rents weren’t affected at all
the organization notes in the report that the findings don’t show how short-term rentals could affect housing in the future
As in other parts of the state and country, rents and home ownership aren’t affordable for many Keene residents, per a 2023 assessment of the city’s housing needs
What median-income households can afford to pay for a home and what a median-priced house costs aren’t aligned
a salary under $21 per hour isn’t enough to rent a median-priced apartment
Considering the already-low rental vacancy rate in the Monadnock Region
Mack of the Southwest Region Planning Commission said
“when you talk about short-term rentals taking up apartment spaces
I can see that really having an impact.”
“… I think this is just part of the puzzle,” Mack
the assistant director of the organization
“I think that short-term rentals are a good thing to look at.”
local Airbnb owner Rob Patton-Spruill doesn’t think the numbers support the notion that short-term rentals like his are hurting the housing stock
live in Winchester and own 11 Airbnbs in Keene
The couple is working on adding eight more to their Keene portfolio
He believes short-term rentals are having a positive effect on the community
“The customers to the Airbnbs in Keene are people who are working at the hospital for two months
They’re people that are going and putting fiber-optic cable in the ground,” he said
“These are people that don’t want to stay in a hotel
their cats and their things like that with them
and they provide an immense service to our community.”
Patton-Spruill noted that some people also use short-term rentals when relocating
They stay in an Airbnb for a few months while they try to find permanent housing
He said he hasn’t had any issues with partying or noise
I’ve been doing it for six years … not one time has anyone rented any house or apartment or anything of mine
I just don’t know where that comes from.”
Patton-Spruill said he’s never received a noise complaint associated with one of his properties
I’ll be the first one to jump on something like that
because I’m trying to have a good relationship with people,” he said
“I don’t want to get in trouble.”
This article is being shared by partners in the Granite State News Collaborative. For more information, visit collaborativenh.org
The White House wants to eliminate federal support for public media
Congress will vote soon on a proposal to slash millions from NHPR and NHPBS’ budgets
New Hampshire Supreme Court Chief Justice Gordon MacDonald is implementing a hiring freeze and warning of potential layoffs across the judicial branch
as the Legislature looks to make deep cuts to the budget
urged new Secretary of the Navy John Phelan to expand the branch’s fleet of submarines
ships and aircraft carriers to better compete with China
New Hampshire Senate President Sharon Carson is calling for a financial and performance audit of the settlement fund for abuse victims at the state’s youth detention center
private businesses and for-profit enterprises have been able to claim a tax deduction to help lower the cost of green building infrastructure projects
But only recently have some public sector and tax-exempt organizations been granted access
As NH looks to reshape its solid waste future
Kelly Ayotte took the stage at Saint Anselm College’s New Hampshire Institute of Politics on Wednesday
for the first time since her gubernatorial debate last fall
now as governor and following the NH House’s revisions to her proposal for the state’s next two-year budget
A former top official with New Hampshire’s environmental services agency has been appointed to run the Environmental Protection Agency’s New England office
speakers expressed the need for Manchester residents to share their views with the Zoning Ordinance Rewrite Steering Committee to focus on mixed-use neighborhoods
a middle school music teacher and a high school French teacher could be restored to the budget after the Jaffrey-Rindge School Board agreed Monday to to use $1.1 million in end-of-year funds to prevent some planned cuts
The School Board had previously approved a slate of cuts to accommodate a $3 million cut to the board’s originally proposed budget
which was approved at the district’s deliberative session and then during the March 11 elections
The cuts included eliminating a total of 24 1/2 staff positions
eliminating universal pre-school and reverting back to a half-day lottery system
eliminating athletics and delaying purchase of materials and maintenance
Superintendent Reuben Duncan offered a one-year bridge to keeping some of the programs that community members have most voiced support for
district voters approved a warrant to allow the district to retain up to 5% of its net budget on a yearly basis
which could be used as a catastrophe or emergency fund
Duncan said the board is allowed by law to use the fund as it sees fit
after holding a public hearing on the expenditure
He said the current fund could only be spent on this year’s cost items
but the new budget year will begin in July
Duncan said projections suggest that the district will be able to retain the full 5% this year
rather than being kept in reserve for an emergency such as a major building repair
could be used to restore some of the programming that would otherwise be cut
Using those funds in their entirety comes with risks
particularly if there is an emergency situation that the board might otherwise use those funds for
the board could decide to delay planned uses of the district’s building maintenance fund
Duncan put forth an initial slate of potential restorations
which included universal full-day preschool
The majority of the board agreed with the slate as priorities
and discussed what other potential items to include in the list
Board Chair Lisa Wiley said the first consideration was whether the board wanted to use the fund
and whether they wanted to use the entire fund to restore programs
“We have to really consider if it’s worth the risk to take this catastrophe fund
and put it toward our current catastrophe,” Wiley said
The board indicated unanimously that it was not only for using the fund
“We aren’t going to be able to restore everything
if it’s not what they want restored,” said board member Sandra Stewart
it was significant and cut a broad range of things.”
access to universal full-day preschool and athletics were the areas board members reiterated as priorities
Board member Chris Ratcliffe said that in hearing from the community
those were the two he heard the most about
“Every single person on this board has had their email blow up
I hear what everyone has to say,” Ratcliffe said
“There’s a reason it was in our original budget.”
Board member Christine Pressman said cocurriculars were also a priority for her
When it came to additional positions to use the funds for
the high school French program and middle school music were referenced multiple times
add in the French and the music,” said board member Charlie Eicher
though it did unanimously agree to approve the slate of funds to present in a public hearing in August
New board member Judy Ferstenberg said that preschool is great when the district can afford it
and would prefer to see funds focused on restoring teachers at grade levels
Ratcliffe noted that if any programs were likely to receive public funding support
noting that partially funding those and relying on donations for at least part of the year could save another teaching position
Before taking the vote to finalize the slate of restorations
Several residents referenced the fact that
while they were thankful the programs would be there next year
“When this comes around again at the deliberative session next year
these things aren’t going to be in your budget
making sure that they’re put back in the budget
so we don’t have to go through this again,” said resident Kathy Batchelder
Conant teacher Mike Rowland said the measure was a “Band-Aid,” and that while he didn’t want to see his students “gutted” by the loss of sports and extracurriculars
he felt saving teaching positions was the priority
Conant student and athlete Braeden Dion of Jaffrey said that students have provided for the community through volunteerism
“A lot of what’s seen by the students is a lot of back and forth between two sides
“A community shouldn’t be focused on their self-needs; it should be focused on the public needs
And to discount the futures of the students is one of the most disrespectful things I’ve come across so far.”
thanked the board for their efforts to restore some of the cuts
I never once questioned that your best interests were in it for us,” Manley said
and I appreciate everything you’ve done talking about bringing stuff back next year
thank you on behalf of all athletes here tonight.”
The proposed Rindge town budget for the coming year is approximately $5.6 million
During a public hearing on the budget and warrant Wednesday
Select Board Chair Karl Pruter outlined several big increases or drops in the budget that account for the $272,544 increase from the previous year
Among them are step raise increases for employees
Another impact was that in the previous year’s budget
the town had budgeted for only part of the year for two police positions
which were empty with expected hires to come on after training
the the full salaries and benefits are accounted for
The year of 2025 also includes 53 pay periods
The ambulance budget is up by about $38,500
which Selectman Tom Coneys said was a “compromise” number
about half of the increase initially requested by the Jaffrey-Rindge Memorial Ambulance
the agreement was still the “best deal in town” when it came to other alternatives to provide ambulance services
and other alternatives would be much more expensive
the town is requesting to expand its police force
The article requests $93,591 for the position
which represents pay and benefits for a position from April until December
the amount for a full year’s salary and benefits would he added to the budget
the town has struggled to maintain a fully staffed police force
but has since done significant work to increase pay and officer retention
He also said Rindge is no longer a “training ground” where new officers are certified through the department
“We are still behind towns our size and number of calls,” Pruter said of the size of the force
The board has put forth an article related to rising costs on the ambulance
and how to fund it in years that the budget goes into default
there is a significant increase in the proposed ambulance budget
which jumped from $46,500 to a proposed $85,000
The town does not operate its own ambulance service
but contracts from the Jaffrey-Rindge Memorial Ambulance
One article on the warrant would only take effect if the budget failed
The article would raise the $38,500 difference between last year’s budget and this year’s proposal in order to pay the ambulance contract
any increases to contracted services would have to be absorbed in other places in the budget
but Pruter said because this increase is particularly steep
the town wants to ensure that ambulance services can still be provided
the town had a similar article planned to cover a $30,000 difference between the current and proposed solid waste contract
but scratched the article during the hearing Wednesday
after it was determined that the increase could be absorbed by the solid waste revolving fund
Most of the articles on the warrant this year are to add funds to the town’s capital reserve funds or expendable trust funds
The town is asking for $145,000 to be added to the fire department equipment capital reserve
which would be used for the purchase of a wildfire truck
The current truck used for wildfires is succumbing to rust
The town is asking for $150,000 in the Highway Department capital reserve fund
which would also be for a vehicle to replace one of the town plowing vehicles
Pruter said that truck has incurred heavy repair costs
and has been moved up two years on the replacement schedule
the board also agreed to add language that would authorize the Select Board as agents to spend from the fund
rather than requiring a vote at Town Meeting
Other articles ask for the following additions: $35,000 for the revaluation capital reserve
$20,000 for the Ingalls Memorial Library expendable trust
$25,000 for the recreation facilities reserve and $25,000 for the Meetinghouse maintenance expendable trust
(MyKeeneNow) – A Rindge Police Detective has been honored for his actions that saved a man’s life following a crash in December.adButlerLazyLoad("2336215782616232960",100,["734403","734403","734403"],"177038");
According to the Commendation from Rindge Police Chief Rachel Malynowski
Detective Christopher Martin and Officer Tessa Yoder responded to a report of a single vehicle crash on Route 119 near Meadow View Road
and while enroute they were informed that the driver may have been impaired and had jumped into a nearby body of water
Martin and Yoder arrived on scene and determined that a Jeep Compass had traveled off the roadway and crashed into a tree
and confirmed that the driver was in the water and struggling to stay afloat
Malynowski said a group of passersby attempted to help from the shore
The temperature that day was 15 degrees with the wind chill making it feel closer to five
and at that point the driver had been treading water for nearly 10 minutes in the frigid weather
only identified as a male in the Commendation
was becoming increasingly distressed and was likely hypothermic
as his efforts to stay afloat were deteriorating.adButlerLazyLoad("2056302150138394578",100,["734403","734403","734403"],"177038");
Martin removed his gear and jumped fully clothed into the water and was able to bring the man to shore despite his attempts to resist
The man was ultimately air-lifted to a trauma center to be treated for serious injuries and severe hypothermia
Malynowski said the man did survive and is expected to make a full recovery
and a failure to act or delayed action likely would have led to a tragic outcome.adButlerLazyLoad("253397132552757312",100,["734403","734403","734403"],"177038");
Martin was presented with the Rindge Police Department Life-Saving Award for his actions that day
Martin also received a Life-Saving Medal and a Life-Saving Service Pin to wear on his uniform daily
“Detective Martin’s quick response
recognition of the severity of the situation and immediate and selfless actions resulted in saving a life,” the Commendation says
“Detective Martin has displayed extreme professionalism and an innate value for human life.”adButlerLazyLoad("769062386631018452",100,["734403","734403","734403"],"177038");
The commendation didn’t say if the man was facing any charges
Abbie is News Director and an award-winning reporter for Monadnock Media Group
recognized several times by the New Hampshire Association of Broadcasters
Abbie can be reached by email at atrombly@wkbkradio.com
A vacant Keene home under renovation was destroyed in an early morning fire
causing $375K in damages and prompting a multi-town firefighter response
Keene police officer Jake Dube identified in April 29 shooting that left Cullen Costa hospitalized; investigation into the incident is ongoing
Brattleboro police are investigating a South Main Street shooting that left one man hospitalized and temporarily closed nearby roads Saturday night
Eric Gagne joins My Keene Now & Next to preview Keene’s Thing in the Spring festival
Keene City Council approves traffic changes
and hears updates on downtown projects and the 2025-26 budget at May 1 meeting
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The Rindge Planning Board approved on Tuesday a 15-lot subdivision on Dale Farm Road and Knight Lane
The application was submitted by Ashoryn LLC for a property that straddles the town’s business/light industry and residential/agricultural districts
The board had previously heard and approved a similar proposal
but the application was resubmitted due to the state’s Department of Environmental Services dissatisfaction with the proposed layout of a new road that would provide access to the homes expected to be built on the property
The application was resubmitted with a new road design
The previous application was approved as a planned unit residential development
The reconfiguration of the road allowed for adding a lot
The Planning Board had previously reviewed the application
the board reviewed requested changes to the planned road layout
including the addition of a pull-off area for emergency vehicles
The board walked the new path for the road
Planning Board Chair Roberta Oeser asked if the board was satisfied with the changes made
and if there were any further questions for the applicant
When the board indicated their satisfaction with the updates to the plan
the board discussed conditions for the proposed property
One of the conditions of approval for the subdivision is requiring it to be built in phases
The town’s current zoning ordinance allows developments that will eventually have between 10 to 20 houses to build a maximum of 25% of the total homes each year
the Planning Board approved up to four units to be built for the first three years
with the remaining three to be built in the fourth year
Oeser noted that the building schedule is one of the items the board has put forth for a zoning amendment
developments of up to 15 homes could be built in three years
with up to 33% of the total homes built each year
Oeser noted that the applicant may want to return to the board to seek a revision of the condition
One of the concerns posed by both board members and neighbors of the property related to potential access to the subdivision from Knight Lane
The subdivision road is anticipated to run the length of the property and have a turnaround that touches Knight Lane
Developer Matt Olson has indicated that access from Knight Lane should be maintained for possible emergency access
but would not be intended for regular traffic
and indicated a willingness to put a gate or some other measure to prevent regular use
also indicated that Knight Lane is a town road
and they cannot prevent traffic from using it
The board put no conditions on the Knight Lane access in their approval
The board voted unanimously to approve the application
Voters in the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District will head to the polls next week to consider the annual school district budget and a $22.9 million proposal to build a new career and technical education center at Conant Middle/High School in Jaffrey
voters cut the proposed budget for next year by $3 million
The full warrant, along with budget documents and additional information from the school board, can be found at sau47.org
the tax impact will be an increase of 80 cents per $1,000 assessed value
If voters reject the budget proposal at the polls this month
a default budget of $33,858,458 will go into effect
This is the operating budget voters authorized last year
with certain adjustments made by previously agreed upon debt
the tax impact will be an increase of 3.58 cents per $1,000 assessed value
in Jaffrey and 2.34 cents per $1,000 assessed value
Proponents of the budget cut cited the increasing property tax burden on residents as their primary concern
School board Chair Chris Ratcliffe said the increase is only partially due to the district’s budget and is also a result of decreased state funding
School board members have discussed potential areas to reduce funds if the proposed budget passes in March
These included possibly changing the district’s full-day kindergarten to a half-day program
defunding the Little Orioles Center — an onsite preschool for district staff and students — and cutting 30 teaching positions
Other warrant articles: Voters will consider a $22.9 million proposal to build a new career and technical education center at Conant Middle/High School in Jaffrey
A three-fifths majority is required for this article to pass
The district has proposed an addition to Conant’s school entrance
The district would adjust the scope and cost of the project depending on the amount of money it gets from the state
the tax impact will be an increase of 15 cents per $1,000 assessed value
in Jaffrey and 12 cents per $1,000 assessed value
or $36 for a $300,000 home in Rindge for a total cost of $171,225 for the 2025-2026 fiscal year
There would be an increase for the 2026-2027 fiscal year to 79 cents per $1,000 assessed value
in Jaffrey and 61 cents per $1,000 assessed value
then the tax impact decreases each year thereafter
Voters will also consider a modification to the two-year collective bargaining agreement between the school board and the Jaffrey-Rindge Education Association
The contract contains estimated wage and benefit increases of $20,776 for 2025-26 and $20,774 for 2026-27
Voters will be asked to approve adding up to $50,000 to an expendable trust fund for special education
to come from any unassigned fund balance available at the end of the fiscal year
Voters will also consider adding up to $400,000 in the capital reserve fund for reconstruction and repair of district real estate
Voting: Since the Jaffrey-Rindge school district follows an official-ballot format for its annual meeting
residents will vote on the warrant and select officers at the polls on Tuesday
Jaffrey residents can vote in the Pratt Auditorium at Conant Middle/High at 1 Conant Way in Jaffrey between 7 a.m
Rindge residents can vote in the gymnasium at Rindge Memorial School at 58 School St
(MyKeeneNow) – In an update at about 2:30 Saturday afternoon New Hampshire State Police said that Theresa Beaulieu
and the Silver Alert was cancelled.adButlerLazyLoad("347002777115687004",100,["734403","734403","734403"],"177038");
New Hampshire State Police has activated its Missing Vulnerable Adult/Silver Alert system after a woman was reported missing in Rindge
was last seen at about 10:15 Saturday morning walking eastbound on Route 119 towards the Irving Gas Station/Route 202 in Rindge.adButlerLazyLoad("1548849188400263644",100,["734403","734403","734403"],"177038");
Beaulieu is described as being 5’1″ with brown/gray hair
She was last seen wearing a black peacoat-type jacket
State Police said in a news release that according to her family
Beaulieu suffers from dementia and is easily confused
Anybody who sees Beaulieu or has information on her whereabouts should notify the Rindge Police Department at 603-355-2000.adButlerLazyLoad("919598418778901334",100,["734403","734403","734403"],"177038");
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