Rodney King?

As soon as we can  we should approve a tattoo parlor for the Szanton Block. That art gallery smacks of elitism. You should take a moment to read  a few comments from the Union Leader. I especially  enjoy the Academy digs.

http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?articleId=89c72fb1-ce9a-4bee-8402-f4211d137d65&headline=Vendor%2C+farmers+market+not+getting+along

There was one comment from a guy  in Grantham NH, which is near Lake Sunapee.  If not for the  “elitists” that take care of the lake, I can  only imagine the shoreline and water quality of  the lake.

If the vendor  wants to continue  selling hot dogs , he should make every effort to comply with the licensing authority. The “little guy” argument does not wash with me.

Now  am I going to  hear  about your tattoo?

This  is purely a case of absolutely no code enforcement in Exeter. Codes are established and enforced to keep  the lid on. It would seem to me that in NH absent the few codes we enforce  the landscape would be decidedly different. It’s right there, beneath a very   thin veneer of civility and “quaintness”. I find it very troubling.

I met a guy recently that told me he wanted  to moor a houseboat  off the Parkway. “What will you do with that ? “oh just sit on it, relax”.

His idea was shot down.

The other evening I was chatting with  a woman  down at Stewart Park , it was a nice evening. She  was so mad. She forgot her book. She lives down on Linden Street and it’s heavily treed, so she loves to come down to the River to read. It’s open, your mind can wander there.

The Swasey is our community front porch.

The Swasey and  Stewart are  much  like the Emerald Necklace system in Boston. The  Swasey was  designed by the same firm, Olmstead.

The Emerald Necklace was designed to take advantage of mere slivers of green to provide a respite for residents. It doesn’t take an entire forest to take you away someplace.   It also means that  these  tiny  parks  need to be  cherished and preserved. An occasional community event is wonderful.  A strip of vendors( someone  wants to sell cookies) will detract from our  shared experience.

Mike

PS

Letters  to the Editor

I don’t bother with  them . The letter today   was an email to Rick Fabrizio complaining about lousy editorials. I send the paper emails regularly. They printed one. I wish they would bring back reader  responses  on their web site. Then we could all easily respond to their latest crusade.

I can’t find my sunglasses.

2.5 million
In July 1776, the estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation.
Source: Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970 <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/statab.html>

304 million
The nation’s population on this July Fourth.
Source: Population clock <http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html>

Have a safe and fun weekend.

Mike

Moving Forward

If you get phone calls as I do, or hear things that get you riled up. I have some advice, make a call. My go to person these days is our Selectwoman  Julie Gilman. Personally I find her very direct  and engaged. I heard some  things this week and simply made the call yesterday. Julie got  back to me today and my concerns are allayed. Such  and such did happen, but maybe it was a tad different in scope, or impact. Just make the call.

This Town has  a great deal of work to do to straighten  out  many years  of  bumping along. If  there is substance to a charge I am confident that Julie  will  straighten out the  issue. It would be helpful to moving things forward if the  Selectmen  heard from a  larger cast of characters.

Mike

First Friday Coffehouse

From Bob Moore

Summer stayers, and goers, musicians, poets, medieval poets, artists with an ear for merry old England:

This Friday, the First Friday Coffeehouse features the renaissance group Myschyffe Managed, a collection of women and men who love to sing, especially medieval madrigals and traditional a cappella arrangements of European renaissance music.  Their performance will begin  at 7:30 PM.  If you’re so inclined, come in old English period dress, dig up a Shakespearean outfit, come with a merry attitude for music, come with your favorite sonnet.  The open mike begins at 8:30 PM or shortly thereafter.  For more information about Myschyffe Managed, visit their website:

http://www.myschyffemanaged.com.

The First  Friday Coffeehouse

The First Unitarian -Universalist Society of Exeter

12 Elm Street(Parish Hall)

Friday , July 3rd

7:30 pm

Sign up for performers  starts @ 6:30pm

Musicians , poets, families, performing art enthusiasts are encouraged to attend. Bring a dessert. Coffee and Tea will  be provided.

Donations  gratefully accepted

Tell a friend!

Drop a note to Bob  for more information.

bmoore628@comcast.net

Have a  great weekend!

Mike

Squamscott River Film Update

Kyle was busy at Main Street School screening the  film for the  kids . Here is a note from Ms Ball.

Kyle,
Here are the second grade classes that saw the film:

Ms. Ball
Ms. Bean
Ms. Butler
Ms. Egan
Ms. Gregg
Ms. Page
Ms. Peters
Ms. Taylor

My
class is going to walk over to the library and down to Swasey Parkway
today. I'm sure our observations of the river will be much richer and
varied after having seen your film. As one of the teachers said, "The
film reminds us of just how important it is to protect that river." I
know that our students have grown in their love and appreciation of it
already. One little boy said to me on the stairs yesterday, "Mrs. Ball,
I really loved that movie about the river!"

Thank
you for being with us for the screening. I am retiring this year so
won't have the opportunity to be in Exeter so much anymore. I'll always
love that view of the river as I drive into town along the Newfields
Road. I have also come to view its ever changing flow to the sea as
symbolic of the ebb and flow of life. Your film was such a beautiful
expression of what makes it important to us all.

With very kind regards,
Linda Ball

Hiatus

Dog Warrant

Your dog may be wanted. Neil is preparing his nets. The dog warrant is of great concern to Selectman Quandt.Remind me again how Matt got elected? It costs less than ten bucks to get a dog license. Make sure you have a current rabies vaccination certificate when you go down to pay.

Mike

Town Counsel

Mr Morse resigned effective June 1.The ZBA meeting last night featured a long exchange regarding our building inspector and the opinions of Mr Morse.
It’s time for a change .

Luann Faber

If you stroll  down to Stewart Park on the banks of the Squamscott you will see the new “Turtle Nursery” sign. I have a picture of it. This sign  however and another  recognizing  the work of  Luann Faber are the more important signs. I am sure given the amount of time that Luann is at the Park , the turtles will be fine. It is great that Park & Recreation responded with the whimsical signs. Luann got some mulch as well  in the last few weeks. That was a bit touch and go I heard, mulch no mulch (budget concerns). I have seen her there as the Sun comes up and goes down, she has not only adopted the park , she has embraced it. I know that about the Town there are many examples of this adopt a spot/park  program. This is simply the one  I  visit  frequently.  This is either the second  or third year  that Luann has  worked her magic, and it really shows. Say hello to Luann  next time  you are down at Stewart Park.

Mike

update July 1

I ran into Bette Henneberry down at Stewart Park, out for her stroll.  We were discussing some stuff. The mulch came up.  It seems Bette is responsible for  collecting a few donations from downtown for mulch. She has just a little left to purchase to complete the job. Nice.