Thetford Town Newsletter
No.
47 JANUARY 2008
SELECTBOARD NOTES
* The Selectboard welcomed
two new members this fall; Tig Tillinghast, who joined the board in November
and, Andrew Toler, who joined in December. Tig took Mary Spata-Burk’s place on the
board and Andrew filled in the seat previously occupied by Mark MacMahon.
* Feedback on the new
sidewalk on Thetford Hill shows that the finished project is getting good use
with comments so far being very positive.
* The Vermont League of
Cities and Towns recognized the efforts of Jill Graff, Tracy Borst, and Suzanne
Masland in helping organize a Health and Wellness “Leader” Program. The VLCT
also presented the town with a check for $1,247 in insurance rebates as a
result of town employees’ participation in the effort.
* The majority of the board’s
time in the past six weeks has been taken up with meetings with all town
departments to help formulate the 2008 budget. Most major town departments will
seek small budget increases, often due to increased fees for existing insurance
and benefits. Departments with larger requested increases or appropriations
are; the new recreation department, the police department and the volunteer
fire department. The Selectboard will finish preparing a specific budget in
January to be approved or amended by voters in Town Meeting.
* People are invited to come
to a public discussion on the budget and other issues in our Pre-Town Meeting
(check the listserv in the coming weeks for a date and time.) People are also
welcome to come to regular Selectboard meetings for our open comment period,
typically scheduled for the first fifteen minutes, starting at 7 p.m. on Monday
evenings. The first scheduled meeting after the holiday season will be January
7, 2008.
Submitted by Tig Tillinghast and Suzanne Masland
TOWN CLERK NOTES
Upcoming important dates:
January 1 Registration begins for animal license renewals (due
by April 1).
January 21 Petitions requesting articles
for the town meeting warning are due. Petitions require approximately 105
signatures (5% of the voter checklist).
January 25 Nominating
petitions for the town and school offices are due to the town clerk – see list
below.
Nominating petitions require
approximately 25 signatures (1% of the voter checklist).
Mid-February Town
Reports mailed
March 1 Town
Meeting at
March 4 Town
Australian Balloting at Town Hall
The following offices have
terms that expire on March 4, 2007.
For information on the
various offices, please contact a Selectboard member or the Town Clerk at
785-2922 x10.
|
Town Moderator |
1 year |
|
Town Treasurer |
3 year |
|
Collector of Delinquent
Taxes |
3 year |
|
Selectboard |
1 year to complete 3 year |
|
Selectboard |
2 year to complete 3 year |
|
Selectboard |
2 year |
|
Selectboard |
3 year |
|
Grand Juror |
1 year |
|
Agent to Prosecute/Defend
Suits |
1 year |
|
Agent to Convey Real
Property |
1 year |
|
Lister |
3 year |
|
Budget Committee |
3 year |
|
Budget Committee |
2 year |
|
Trustee of Trust Funds |
3 year |
|
Cemetery Commissioner |
3 year |
|
Latham Library Trustee (2
vacancies) |
4 year |
|
Latham Library Trustee |
1 year to complete 4 year |
|
School Moderator |
1 year |
|
School Director |
2 year |
|
School Director |
3 year |
|
School Director |
1 year to complete 3 year |
Submitted by Tracy Borst
RECREATION NOTES
A reminder - the meeting for
both Alpine and Cross Country parents/volunteer coaches will take place
on Thursday, January 3rd at 7 PM in the TES Art room. We will give
an overview of the program, discuss volunteer expectations and answer
questions.
Weekly Cross Country
ski/snowshoe tours will begin on Sunday, January 6th at 11:30am. We will
meet in the TES parking lot. These ski and snowshoe tours are intended to
be fun, leisurely family events. We will ski the first Sunday, and then
alternate with snowshoeing. If you do not have the equipment, you can ski
or snowshoe every time. Please contact me if you can be the lead person on any
Sunday this winter.
Family game nights will be
coming in January....be on the lookout for more details!
Submitted by Hilary Linehan, Recreation Director, Town
of
Ph
recreation@thetfordvermont.us
SENIOR SUPPORT COMMITTEE UPDATE
The Senior Support Committee
has adopted a new name: T.E.N. - Thetford Elder Network
As part of our infrastructure
development we are hoping to set up our own town Senior Hotline. We hope to
have this in place by the spring after a volunteer orientation.
If you would like to help
with this project please contact Roger or Martha Daum: roger.daum@valley.net, 333-4082.
*************************************************************************************
The T.E.N. will be contacting
seniors during the next 2 months to learn more about what they want/need
as support from the Town. There are about 170 families to contact, so
volunteers for phoning would be greatly appreciated. Please call Gina
Sonne @ 785-4220 or gsonne@sover.net or
come to our next meeting - January
16th @ 7 pm Town Hall.
Submitted by Gina Sonne
PEABODY LIBRARY EVENTS
Wednesday, January 16th 7:00 PM -
BILINGUAL POETRY READING
Spanish poet Ana Merino will read from her new book Cell Mate in Spanish, and
Elizabeth Polli, her translator, will read the poems in English.
"Ana Merino is one of the best contemporary Spanish poets, and CELL MATE
is a wonderful place to start reading her. In these poems all of Ana's
registers are present: the whimsical one some times, others the haunted one.
Ana writes dark lullabies, fairy tales for grown ups, and she does it without
losing the sense of childish wonder. How is that possible? Open the
book." -- Edmundo Paz-Soldan (winner of Bolivia's National Book Award)
Ana Merino was born in Madrid, Spain in 1971 and now lives in Lyme, NH. She is
an Assistant Professor at
Wednesday, January 30th 7:00
PM - ROBERT BURNS BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
The annual celebratory tribute to the life, works and spirit of the great
Scottish poet, Robert Burns (1759-1796), who most famous work was "Auld
Lang Syne." The celebration will feature poetry and song, a taste of
traditional haggis and a "wee dram." Attendees are encouraged
to bring a Scottish poem or song to share (by Burns or any other Scottish
bard). Kilt wearing is not required, though greatly admired.
Regular Library Hours: Tuesdays 3-8PM, Wednesdays 2-8:30PM
Submitted by Margo Nutt
LATHAM LIBRARY NEWS
Monday, 1/7 & 1/21, MEET THE
VICTORIANS
Join librarian Peter Blodgett and Thetford literati Patricia Norton and
Jean Gerber for four Monday evening discussions of Victorian novels, starting
in January. Books will be available in advance at the library. This
month's discussions are on 1/7 (Thomas Hardy, Tess of the D'Urbervilles) and
1/21 (George Elliot, Daniel Deronda). Both discussions will begin at 7
p.m.
Thursday, 1/17, 7 p.m. AUTHOR EVENT
Joni Cole will discuss her book, Toxic
Feedback, Helping Writers Survive and Thrive. The co-founder of The
Writer's Center in White River Junction, Joni is also the creator of the This
Day in the Life book series. Her books will be available for sale and signing
at the talk. A can't-miss event for aspiring writers!
Photocopier request. The
library's photocopier will need replacing soon. If you have a gently used
photocopier that you're willing to donate, please contact Peter.
Looking for volunteers!
Volunteers are *always* wanted, for tasks big and small.
Would you be interested in
organizing a Library Friends organization? How about putting together an event
or helping out at the desk? Please talk to Peter or Simon about how to
get involved.
Submitted by Elise Tillinghast
TA NOTES
*
*The Winter Choral Concert
will be presented at 7:00 pm on Saturday, January 12, at the First
Congregational Church on Thetford Hill. The snow date is Sunday, January
13, at 4:00 pm.
*Yay! Hooray! The
annual Ten-Minute Play Festival will happen Thursday, Friday, and
Saturday, January 17-19. More information on times and location will
be available closer to the date by calling TA at 785-4805. Don't miss
these much celebrated dramatic presentations!
*The
Submitted by Wendy Cole
GLOBAL
WARMING: CHANGING CO2URSE
The First
Congregational Church of Thetford and Vermont Earth Institute invite you to a four-session
discussion course called Global Warming: Changing CO2urse.
Sessions run Mondays at 7:00pm from January 14th - February 4th at the First
Congregational Church on Route 113 across from the green on Thetford Hill.
To register and get the $18 course book contact Susan Kowalsky at 649-2681 or DrSusanKowalsky@msn.com
Submitted by Susan Kowalsky
Fairlee, January 12-13 and
19-20, 2008. Admission varies by
date/event.
Celebrate, don’t hibernate!
Winter is a great time to be
active outdoors, and Lake Morey Winter Weekends offer multiple ways to enjoy
the season. Sponsored by the Upper Valley Trails
Events contingent upon
sufficient snow/ice.
Saturday, Jan. 12: Winter Skills Day (
Sunday, Jan. 13: Lake Morey WinterFest (
Saturday, Jan. 19: Nordic Skating workshops – morning and afternoon.
For details contact The Nordic Skater at 802-649-3939 or visit:
www.nordicskating.org.
Sunday, Jan. 20:
www.nordicskating.org
for details.
Skate-athon -10am-3pm. Earn stamps - and rewards - on
your Skate-athon card.
Free skate use.
$15/person,
$30/family includes hot drinks/snacks in heated tent.
Skate to
an African food lunch available in heated tent.
802-649-9075 except where noted previously.
www.uvtrails.org or visit: www.nordicskating.org.
Submitted by Bonna Wieler
The deadline for submissions
is the 20th of each month. Send news including contact name and telephone
number to Cathee Clement at 785-2668 or turtlepond@netzero.net.
Please list Thetford Town
Newsletter in the subject line.