March 2012
Winter Issue
NELSON TOWN BUILDINGS Update from the Town Buildings Committee reat news! The Town of Nelson has received an award of $3,500 from the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance. This money will be used in 2012 to fund half the cost of an assessment and a plan for the use and preservation of the Town Buildings in the Village Center. The grant must be matched by $3,500 from the town before the award can be used -- This will be voted on at Town Meeting on March 13. The Buildings Committee has selected Rick Monahon to lead town residents through this planning process. Rick is a local architect who has worked on Nelson buildings in the past, and who has a wealth of experience working with old buildings. His work will take advantage of the dollars already spent by the town in 2010, through use of the property survey, wetlands delineation, digitized base drawings of the buildings, and the initial engineering assessment of the Town Hall. Based on reports that the Town has received from both the Local Government Center and the New Hampshire Department of Labor that outline needed improvements, the Committee sees this planning as especially important.
G
If the warrant article is approved at Town Meeting, then Monahon will complete the following items: • •
Analysis of the base drawings of the current structures. Space availability and needs
• • • • •
assessment for Town Hall, the Town Offices and the Library. Structural assessments and recommendation for Town Hall framing and foundation. Recommendation for other repairs, including windows, flooring, and heating systems. Recommendations for means to meet Life Safety and ADA requirements. Several public meetings to first gather input from residents and then present options. Development of plan drawings and preliminary cost estimates for recommended measures, for consideration at the 2013 Town Meeting. (continued on page 8)
REMEMBER:
Nelson School District Meeting Friday, March 9 Nelson Town Meeting Tuesday, March 13 Voting for all offices is done on March 13th
Volume 29, No.1
OPEN HOUSE AT NELSON SCHOOL he Nelson School Board has been providing information and support for a study by the Sullivan Options Committee to evaluate elementary school alternatives. The Sullivan Options Committee was chartered by the Sullivan Selectmen to research issues and make recommendations as to whether the town of Sullivan should consider withdrawing from the Monadnock School District. Sullivan has conducted several public forums, developed comparison matrices, and evaluated the educational value and cost impact of withdrawing. On February 4, open house tours were conducted at the Wells Memorial School and the Nelson Elementary School. In Nelson, all of the classroom teachers, the specials teachers, students, parents, alumni, parents of alumni, all 3 School Board Members, all 3 Selectmen, various other volunteers and community members came out to show the Sullivan community why we love our school. The enthusiasm was contagious. Selectmen greeted people in the parking lot; students and Sullivan Liaison Committee members greeted people at the door, and all through the school children and staff eagerly explained what’s special about Nelson. The Sullivan people took their time visiting and asking questions as they worked their way through the displays and the staff who (continued on page 9)
T