Your Town

Athens

-- The Selectboard plans to hold an informational meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 22, to answer any questions or concerns from townspeople in regards to establishing a town hall.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. and be held at the town garage on Brookline Road.

Brattleboro

-- The Selectboard will hold its second public information session on the proposed renovations to the police and fire stations Monday night, at 5 p.m. in the Selectboard Meeting Room.

At the last meeting engineers said the project could cost more than $14 million and the board asked for some alternatives.

Town Meeting representatives will likely vote on the project at a

Brookline

-- The Cornish Bridge on Grassy Brook Road will be officially closed for reconstruction on Aug. 7. Neil H. Daniels, of Ascutney, will be replacing the bridge and will set up detour signs on Aug. 6.

The reconstruction is expected to take three weeks -- two weeks for the work and one week to allow the concrete deck to cure.

-- The Selectboard is investigating whether its liability insurance might allow a town resident to mow the Windmill Hill trail, a Class IV road, to make it more accessible.

Chesterfield, N.H.

-- The Chesterfield Fire Department will host its annual corn roast on Saturday, Aug. 18.

The event, lasting from 5-10 p.m., will be held on the

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 6 through 12. Anyone under the age the age of 6 will be admitted for free. All proceeds go to benefit the fire department.

According to the Chesterfield Board of Selectmen's Office, there will also be live music.

Dover

-- This Saturday and Sunday dozens of events will be held throughout the Deerfield Valley for the conclusion of the fourth annual Blueberry Festival.

Starting at 11 a.m., on Aug. 4, a portion of Route 100 will be closed as hundreds march in the Blueberry Festival Parade including bands, agricultural floats and vehicles plus all things blue.

The event will close with a blueberry pancake breakfast from 8 a.m., until 11 a.m., at the Deerfield Valley Elementary School. Proceeds from the meal will go to help fund the Rotary Club.

Dummerston

-- Officials have canceled a special town meeting that had been scheduled for Aug. 23 at Evening Star Grange, Town Clerk Pamela McFadden said.

The session initially was scheduled so that residents could vote on allocating additional money for repairs to Dummerston's historic covered bridge. But the state subsequently awarded a $35,000 grant for the project, which is expected to cover any potential funding shortfall. The grant eliminates the need for the town meeting, officials said.

The town also is using a $200,000 transportation-enhancement grant for the project, which is under way and scheduled for completion next month. During construction, a park-and-ride lot at the bridge and a swimming area underneath are closed.

Grafton

-- A public hearing to discuss the road discontinuation on Dam Road will be held prior to a regular Selectboard meeting on Monday, Aug. 13.

The meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. and be located on Dam Road, just off Hinkley Brook Road.

Guilford

-- Advocates for restoring the drained Sweet Pond have scheduled two fund-raising events and are asking for petition signatures.

There will be a "Save Sweet Pond" table Sept. 2 and 3 at the Guilford Fair, said Linda Hecker, co-chairwoman for a volunteer steering committee formed to support the effort.

Also, a fund-raising concert by Judith Serkin and friends is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Sept. 14 at Guilford Center Meeting House. Tickets are available at Everyone's Books in Brattleboro, at the Guilford town office and at the door.

A link to an online petition is available at the "Save Sweet Pond" Facebook page.

Hinsdale, N.H.

-- Town Administrator Jill Collins explained the changes to the Hinsdale Zoning Ordinance at a public meeting on Monday, July 16.

With the adoptions of the definitions in the zoning for commercial kennel and private kennels, the animal control ordinance has been revised to create a permit process for kennels, according to the official minutes.

Private and commercial kennels will need a site-plan review and will be required to license with the town annually.

Collins explained that the state licenses only group or commercial kennels.

With the process of licensing the kennels, the town will know where kennels are located.

It was suggested that there be a clarification with the wording under "Private Dog Kennel or Group License" be clarified. Currently the sentence reads " ... means a place where more than five (5) but less than eight (8) dogs ... " The suggested change is " ... means a place where there are five (5) but less than eight (8) dogs ... "

-- On Monday, July 2, the Board of Selectmen voted to approve salary increases for FY2012-13. Chairman John Smith made the motion and Selectman Jay Ebbighausen seconded it. The motion passed unanimously.

Halifax

-- Four clean-up sites damaged by flooding from Tropical Storm Irene have been approved by the USDA and Fish and Wildlife.

The sites include two locations along Green River Road, the Hale Road Bridge and Thomas Hill Road.

According to Selectboard member Earl Holtz, there's a lot of paperwork to be completed along with the rest of the clean-up by the end of August.

The town also recently received approximately $898,000 to pay for the bulk of the work completed along Green River Road.

Londonderry

-- A volunteer group recently spent some time cleaning out and sorting through stuff in the basement of the Town Offices. The group also took down walls that have been in place since the building was a schoolhouse starting in the 1930s.

In the 1970s, the building was converted into the Town Offices and the basement has been collecting stuff ever since.

The Planning Commission is investigating, as part of the town's long-term plan, how the basement can be reconfigured for more office space.

Marlboro

-- The Planning Commission is finishing up its work on the town's zoning bylaws and hopes to release a draft copy in the fall. The Commission has been writing new regulations on the village and conservation districts and hopes to have an information booth at the town fair in September. Residents will vote on the changes at town meeting in 2013.

Newfane

-- Officials are planning a discussion, possibly at the next Selectboard meeting scheduled for Aug. 16, about what improvements are needed at the town office.

Addressing a moisture problem in the office's basement is a priority, Selectboard Chairman Jon Mack said. Beyond that, there also has been talk of window repairs, new workspace partitions, painting, new storage capacity and other improvements depending on available funding.

"We need to discuss what's absolutely needed and why it's needed," Selectboard member Christine Druke said.

Putney

-- The town is moving ahead with phase two of its sidewalk project. Consultants will be in town on Aug. 8 to talk with the Sidewalk Committee about cost estimates and permit issues and the Selectboard hopes to begin applying for grants for the project. A town has been meeting with business owners along Route 5 and a public information session will probably be held later in the year.

Rockingham

-- During his manager's report at Tuesday's joint board meeting, Municipal Manager Timothy Cullenen said there has been very preliminary planning for an exercise to prepare for an emergency situation if the Arch Bridge was closed. This came out of a public meeting about the Vilas Bridge in late June.

He said Route 121, between the town line and Saxtons River, was paved during the week.

Cullenen also said $3,600 in revenue has been generated through permits for municipal parking spaces in the last year.

Stratton

-- Bears had been raiding the Transfer Station Dumpsters and scattering trash until an effort was made to properly secure each waste container after use. No problems have been encountered since then.

-- On Aug. 13, the Selectboard will be discussing the use of the Transfer Station by property managers who oversee many of the second homes in Stratton. In the past, property managers have had a key to unlock the Dumpsters and unload the trash at their own discretion. The board will be meeting with property managers on Aug. 13 about possible changes to the policy.

-- The Selectboard approved the following tax rates for the 2013 fiscal year: The municipal rate was set at $0.1641; Homestead Rate was set at $1.6830 (Education Homestead Rate of $1.5189 plus the municipal rate of $0.1641); Non-Resident Rate was set at $1.5517 (Non-Resident Education rate of $1.3876 plus the municipal rate of $0.1641).

-- The Selectboard's decision on how best to replace the Highway Department's salt shed was postponed until Aug. 13 to await more information on the specifications of the three proposals, including snow load, height and options for covering the chloride tanks. The three proposals are a dome-style building, a pole building and a steel frame/fabric covered structure.

Townshend

-- Officials expect to undertake some relatively minor upgrades at the town hall.

Bids are due Monday for installation of a new set of fire doors in the entrance hall along with associated electrical and fire-alarm work. Also included in the job are exit signs and a new doorway.

The project is to be completed by Sept. 24.

Vernon

-- At Monday's Selectboard meeting, Vernon Historians are expected to present potential costs for repairs needed at the town's museum on Fort Bridgman Road.

A historians representative has said the building requires window repairs. Though the historians tend to the structure, it is owned by the town.

The museum is open from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. each Sunday through September.

Walpole, N.H.

-- The Brattleboro American Legion Band will perform at the band concert in the town common this Sunday. Band concerts are held every Sunday throughout the summer and last from 6 p.m. to about 8. It is sponsored by the Savings Bank of Walpole. The final concert will be held the final week of August.

Boys Scouts will have hot dogs for sale and various churches will sell pies.

-- The Walpole Farmers' Market is held every Friday from 4 to 6 p.m.

-- The Walpole Historical Society is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Saturday.

-- Though it is the summer, the Walpole Board of Selectmen still hold weekly meetings at Town Hall. They begin at 7 p.m.

Wardsboro

-- Have you ever wondered if your plugged-in electrical item, such as a computer, uses energy while turned off? The Wardsboro Public Library owns a wattmeter which may be signed out and borrowed. The meter will register the amount of electricity it takes to operate electrical items (just plug each item into the meter and a read-out immediately appears). Library patrons may borrow the wattmeter for up to three days and test the electrical items in your home.

-- Due to limited storage space, the library is unable to accept book donations at this time, however DVDs, and audio books on CD are welcome throughout the year.

-- The perpetual book sale at the library (inside the front hall of the library and outside on the ramp) has a variety of paperback books for sale.

Westminster

-- Bellows Falls Union High School will play host to the 14th Annual Green Mountain Chapter of the American Truck Historical Society Show from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. today.

The event will showcase trucks that are at least 25 years old, which is a requirement to be considered an antique truck.

The trucks come in all sizes, from Model Ts to pickup trucks to tractor-trailers.

Food will be for sale at the Westminster Fire Department booth and the Walpole Creamery ice cream booth.

Wilmington

-- Town officials are still looking for volunteers to fill several board positions.

Town Clerk Susan Haughwout said the appointed positions "play a very important role in recommending and influencing the direction for our town for years to come."

Residents are asked to consider donating a few hours a month to fill the positions. People are needed for: Windham Regional Commissioner, a one-year term; Development Review Board Alternate, three two-year terms; Recreation Committee, two vacancies; Budget Committee, one year remains on a three-year term; Planning Commission, two vacancies

Anyone interested in any of the volunteer opportunities is encouraged to contact the town office at 802-464-8591.

Windham

-- The Selectboard is accepting bids for culvert replacements on Popple Dungeon Road and Toad Road. Both culverts were damaged by Tropical Storm Irene and the board hopes that it will get funds from FEMA to pay for the repairs, which should be completed before the winter sets in. Both roads will be closed for the repairs.

-- The Windham Regional Commission is assisting the town in conducting a culvert survey, which will help Windham inventory all its culverts and put them on a schedule for maintenance and repairs.