Snow date is Wednesday, February 5 at the same time and location.

IMPORTANT DATES REGARDING ELECTIONS/TOWN MEETING

*Town Elections will take place Tuesday, March 11, 2025 from 11:00am-7:00pm at the Groton Town House

*Town Meeting will take place Saturday, March 15, 2025 at 9:00am at the Groton Town House.

*Any resident of the Town of Groton who wishes to file a declaration of candidacy for the following Town offices, may do so between January 22^nd through January 30^th, 2025 at the Town Clerk’s Office during normal business hours:  Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 9am-4pm, Tuesday noon-7pm, ending Friday, January 30^th at 5:00pm.

The following positions are available:

SELECTMAN – 3 YEAR TERM – 1 position

TRUSTEE OF THE TRUST FUND – 3 YEAR TERM – 1 position

PLANNING BOARD –3 YEAR TERMS – 2 positions

ZONING BOARD MEMBERS – 3 YEAR TERMS- 2 positions

LIBRARY TRUSTEE – 1 YEAR OPENING – 1 position

PUBLIC WORKS BUILDING UPDATE 

The pre-construction meeting with the Town, USDA, the Architect and Kuplin Land Services finally took place on October 1, 2024. We received the go ahead for the work to start. Kuplin Land Services had been out there doing site work and the foundation had been poured. The building was delivered on 1/13/25. Construction began the same day. Feel free to drive by to see. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this process!

TOWN OF GROTON  

Winter Reminders                    

Now that winter is upon us, the Select Board and the Highway Department want to remind you of the following items:

·  Residents are allowed to take three 5-gallon buckets (15 shovels full) of sand for their residence in Groton only. The use of town sand for commercial sanding or in mechanical sanders is not allowed.

· Please make sure you park your car at least 4 feet off the road side to allow for plowing. All residents are required to follow the Town Parking Ordinance which states under Parking Restrictions, section D: Snow Removal:  No vehicle shall be parked on any street maintained by the New Hampshire Department of Transportation or the Town of Groton in such a manner so as to impede snow removal. No person shall stop or cause to be stopped, or park any vehicle, so as to impede or interfere with the proper snow clearing operations of the NH DOT or Town, when snow removal operations are in effect. As you are aware, snow removal operations are currently in effect. All vehicles found in violation of this ordinance may be removed (towed) and costs of such removal and subsequent storage of removed vehicles shall be at the expense of the owner of the vehicle.

· If you plow, snow blow or shovel snow from your property into the road, you are required to clean it up and will be held liable for any injuries or damages caused by those conditions if you do not clean it up. As stated in the Winter Maintenance of Roads and Sidewalks that New Hampshire Municipal Association (NHMA) put out, an abutter might, for instance, blow snow onto the sidewalk or into the road, or create runoff from melting snow on a roof that flows onto the sidewalk or road and freezes. In that case, the abutter may be held liable for any injuries or damages caused by those conditions. Ritzman v. Kashulines, 126 N.H. 286 (1985). Moreover, the municipality can require the abutter to correct conditions they have caused to the public sidewalk or road, or to pay the municipality’s costs in doing so. Directing water onto a sidewalk or road may cause ice to form and make the sidewalk or road dangerous for public use; this is considered a “violation" under the law, and the abutter may be fined by a court. RSA 236:19. Municipalities may notify the abutter of the problem and request them to correct it. RSA 236:35. If the abutter does not comply, the municipality can correct the situation itself and a court may order the abutter to repay the municipality the costs of responding to the situation. RSA 236:29; RSA 236:32; RSA 236:39.

NH DOT DRIVING TOWARD ZERO 

With roadway fatalities up this year, the NH DOT has a program called "Driving Toward Zero (DTZ)". This was developed in part for those who have pledged to be a safer driver with their program. Their goal was to introduce DTZ and some basic concepts of Highway Safety. They intend to take some deeper dives into Highway Safety activity in the future.

Click here to view the first edition of the quarterly newsletter or DTZ.

Click here for the updated pledge card.

NEWFOUND AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT

BUDGET COMMITTEE VACANCY FOR GROTON

There currently is an opening for the Newfound Area School District Budget Committee for Groton. The Groton Representative needed to step away from the position, leaving Groton without a representative on the committee.

If you are interested in filling this position, please contact the Town at (603)744-9190 or selectmen@grotonnh.org for more information.

HB349 UPDATE

The Bridgewater, Hebron, and Groton Planning Group had been holding weekly meetings with the Steering Committee on Wednesdays and these were ongoing until Town Meeting since HB349 was signed into law.

*Bridgewater voted on the warrant article on March 12, 2024 and it passed with 291 yes votes to 28 no votes.

*Groton voted on the warrant article on March 16, 2024 and it passed with 109 yes votes to 10 no votes.

 *Hebron voted on the warrant article on May 16, 2024 and it passed with 218 yes votes and 21 no votes.

 **Important Note: All three Towns had to vote in favor of this.**

The Steering Committee has also created a website to allow for greater communication with the public. This will be a repository for future information and data.

Please click here to view this website.

The Pasquaney School District SAU #108 School Board will be meeting on Wednesday, January 15, 2025 at 6:00pm (5:15 non-public) at the Bridgewater Town Hall.

Click here to view that meeting agenda.

911 CARES SIGNUP

NH 911 CARES (previously Supplemental Ali) is now available online. Accessing your account information is easier than ever as you can access it anytime, anywhere using the NH 911 CARES website. The CARES (Citizen Assistance Registry for Emergency Services) website is a service that provides additional information to an emergency 911 dispatcher at the time of a 911 call. In use for more than 10 years, CARES information has been used in countless 911 calls, assisting dispatchers by providing important information that a caller may not be able to provide them verbally. This information is medical in nature, and thus protected by the NH 911 Division and only used for emergency services at the time of a 911 call. NH 911 is dedicated to providing the best emergency care in the shortest amount of time, and the CARES program is one aspect of that mission.

To register yourself or someone else, please log onto https://cares.desc.nh.gov and set up a New Account.

If you have any questions or need assistance with registration, please contact us at 603-271-6911 or NH911CARES@desc.nh.gov.

 Click here for the 911 cares handout

Click here for the 911 cares FAQ sheet

Funding Available for Good Land Stewards
Are you a forest, crop, or pasture landowner or land manager who is doing a good job stewarding your land? If so, you might be interested in USDA NRCS’s Conservation Stewardship Program. This program rewards good land stewardship, and helps further enhance that stewardship, through installation of conservation practices. If your land meets the criteria, you may qualify for annual payments of $1500 or higher, plus payments for completing conservation practices.

Interested in managing your forest to improve wildlife habitat or forest health? USDA NRCS also offers funding for Forest Management plans and incentives for implementing wildlife habitat and forest health practices.
For information, please contact the USDA NRCS office in Orford, NH at 603-353-4651 x 3 or eric.dugas@usda.gov.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/NewHampshire.

CRIMINAL ACTIVITY WARNING FROM CHIEF BAGAN

There has been a report of items from a garage in Town being pilfered.  Please be diligent and keep your homes and vehicles locked when unattended where ever you are, it doesn’t take long for an opportunistic bad guy to take advantage.  If you see anything out of the ordinary, a person or vehicle that seems out of place please call the local Police Department. 

HEBRON FIRE RECRUITMENT

Hebron Fire provides services to the Town of Groton and they are looking for firefighters. Click here to view the recruitment poster. If you are interested in becoming a firefighter they could use your help!!