Town Meeting on Tuesday!

Just a reminder - Tuesday, March 12th is Town Meeting Day!

The polls will open at Noon at the Recreation Department Gymnasium and will be open until 5:00 pm so please stop by and vote.  There will be an election of officers - Selectman, School Board member, Supervisors of the Checklist, etc.  There are also 7 questions regarding amendments to our Town Zoning Ordinance.  I reviewed the proposed changes in my previous blog post, so check it out if you would like my perspective on these changes.

At 5:30 pm we will call the Deliberative session to order and take up about 21 warrant articles pertaining to the Town Budget and other matters that are your prerogative to vote on.  There will be an opportunity for discussion about each of the warrant articles before you vote.  The warrant articles include:

• An $880,000 Bond Issue for a new Ladder Truck for the Fire Department
• A $250,000 Bond Issue for a new Trash Truck
• A $150,000 Bond Issue for the repair, and construction of hiking/biking/cross country ski trails in the center of town including around Corcoran Pond
• A 4-year lease of a new back-hoe loader for the Highway Department
• A 3-year lease of a new 15 passenger bus for the Recreation Department
• $88,300 to purchase a parcel of property between the Golden Eagle Lodge and the Beach at Corcoran Pond
• $75,000 for repairs to the Osceola Library
• Establishing a Capital Reserve Account for on-going maintenance at the Curious George Cottage
• Funding for existing capital accounts for things such as the Emergency Road Repairs, Water and Sewer Emergency Repairs, and the Corcoran Pond Dam Project.

In addition to these financial items of business, there also are other things to discuss and vote on, such as:

• 2 proposed amendments to Selectmen's Ordinances on Trash Disposal
• A proposal for Town support for a non-denominational chapel on Town-owned land in the middle of the village
• A petitioned warrant article to increase the Board of Selectmen from 3 to 5 members
• A petitioned warrant article to split the Town Meeting into two parts - the first part will remain on the second Tuesday of March, and the second part will be on the following Saturday with a time specific as determined by the Selectmen.

This is one of the busiest Town Meeting agendas that we have had since I arrived almost 18 years ago!  I hope that your schedule doesn't interfere with you ability to attend.  In case you are coming straight from work, the Waterville Valley Parent's Organization at WVES will be holding their annual soup dinner in the multi-purpose room at the Rec Department from 4:30 to 5:30.  Even if you aren't coming from work, we hope you can join us for a time of fellowship and food as we prepare for Town Meeting.

See you on Tuesday!

Mark