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Information
TOWN OF GROTON OFFICES
CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC
Due to
the “Stay at Home” order issued by the Governor; the Town
Offices are closed to the Public through May 4, 2020. You
can call us, email us or go online
www.grotonnh.org. We
will do our best to serve you in these ways.
Town Clerk/Tax Collector:
603-744-8849
townclerk@grotonnh.org
Select Board Office:
603-744-9190
selectmen@grotonnh.org
Police Department:
603-744-3703
mbagan@grotonnh.org
Thank
you for your patience during this time. Stay safe and
healthy!
TOWN OF GROTON
PUBLIC NOTICE
TRANSFER STATION HOURS
Due
to COVID-19 and the “Stay at Home” order issued by the
Governor; the Transfer Station will be limiting the days
that they are open. Starting Wednesday, April 1, 2020
through May 4, 2020 the hours of operation will be:
Wednesday from 12:00pm-6:00pm
Saturday from 9:00am-5:00pm
**Closed all other days
including Sunday**
Thank you for your patience
and understanding!
Stay safe and healthy!!
PLANNING
BOARD MEETINGS EFFECTIVE
IMMEDIATELY
Due to COVID-19, the Governors
Emergency Order 23 relieves the
Planning Board of meeting and
accepting, hearing and acting on
applications. Therefore, the
Planning Board is cancelling all
scheduled monthly meetings and the
acceptance of any Application until
further notice. Should you have a
question, concern or need please
contact the Planning Board.
COVID-19 INFORMATION
COVID-19
is a concern for everyone and the Town of Groton is
here for our residents.
Please click here
or go the Emergency information page for more
information regarding how to protect yourself and
others, helpful sites and tips, who to contact if
you are sick or need assistance, information on
current scams regarding the COVID-19, and more.
PUBLIC HEARING- RSA 74:10
The Select Board has
scheduled a public hearing for Tuesday, April 7,
2020 at 7:00pm, regarding RSA 74:10, for the public
to provide comments on one’s liability to be taxed.
This meeting will be held at the Town House at 754
North Groton Road.
INVITATION TO
BID- TWO ROAD PROJECTS
The Town of Groton is soliciting
bids for the following road projects:
·
2020 FEMA Sculptured Rocks Road Reconstruction and Paving
project. A site visit will be conducted on Monday, April 27,
2020 at 9:00am, meeting first at the Town House for anyone
interested in bidding on the project.
*Click
here for the FEMA Sculptured Rocks Road bid specifications
*Click
here for the FEMA Sculptured Rocks Road bid sheet
·
2020 North Groton Road Reconstruction and Paving project. A
site visit will be conducted on Monday, April 27, 2020 at
10:00am, meeting first at the Town House for anyone
interested in bidding on the project.
*Click
here for the North Groton Road bid specifications
*Click
here for the North Groton Road bid sheet
AVITAR
INSPECTIONS/VISITS
Avitar will be in the area for the
next few weeks beginning March 18, 2020 to do inspections
and site visits. Their vehicle should be marked with Avitar
on the side.
In light of the Governor’s announcement regarding the State of
Emergency and School closures, Avitar has felt the need to
be proactive and safe. Given the contracts they have
in place, they still need to work and keep on schedule as
much as possible. Their field staff are still out in
the field working, however, they have been advised not to
enter properties for interior inspections. They will
still visit, knock, step back and gather information from
the taxpayers at the door and continue on with any exterior
work needed. This is in line with the CDC
recommendations regarding avoidance of close contact.
If taxpayers are sick, please be advised not to open the
door at all. They will be sending letters at a later
date to complete interior inspections where needed.
The safety of their staff and all taxpayers is one of their
top concerns and they will work diligently to ensure
everyone stays as safe as possible. They recognize
that they may encounter children home alone or with their
parents and want to get the word out regarding their
protocol. If this pandemic continues, this may alter
how they handle the informal hearing process for those towns
with updates/revaluations this year, as well. They
will post updates as they occur on their website and send
further notification if and when things change.
NH ELECTRIC COOP MEMBERS
(FROM NHEC)
Each May the New Hampshire Electric Coop holds an election
for directors. NHEC bylaws allow questions proposed by
member petition to be included on the ballot.
This petition
requests that a question be included on the 2020 ballot
which specifically adds “facilitating access to
broadband Internet for members" to NHEC’s charter.
Sign Petition Here
Even before the coronavirus pandemic, it was increasingly
obvious that lack of affordable, high-speed internet in
rural New Hampshire is a serious impediment to communities’
economic development, education, interpersonal and community
communication, access to fast-growing telehealth services,
and everyday quality of life.
The current pandemic crisis brings home as never before how
vital affordable broadband communication is. When in-person
contacts, meetings, school sessions, medical appointments,
and even visits to the library and restaurants grind to a
halt, the Internet is the glue that holds society together.
That gives this petition drive special urgency. NHEC members
have an opportunity to do something concrete and meaningful
to address this pressing need. We need your signature to
help make reliable, affordable broadband an achievable goal
for small towns that are currently underserved and to
provide an affordable alternative in those areas served by
high priced cable monopolies.
Let us explain why this petition drive is necessary.
Fiber broadband developers will tell you the most difficult
part of providing Internet service in rural areas is not the
cost of the fiber but rather the uncertainties in getting
permission to attach to utility poles and associated costs.
With control of its poles and rights-of-way, NHEC is
uniquely positioned to facilitate the development of fiber
to the homes and businesses of its member-owners by
providing certainty and predictability to the attachment
process.
NHEC doesn’t need to finance, own or operate a fiber network
to facilitate others to develop systems. It just needs to
make attaching fiber to NHEC poles straightforward,
predictable and affordable.
This amendment would explicitly state, in the foundational
documents of the organization, that NHEC sees facilitating
the development of broadband as part of its core mission.
Since it is member owned, NHEC has an opportunity and
obligation to go beyond the base regulatory requirements
imposed by the Public Utility Commission. The Coop should
proactively encourage broadband developers to service its
members.
Over
100 electric cooperatives across the country are actively involved in facilitating
affordable (+/-$60/month) high speed (+/-100 Mbps up/down)
fiber to the home. Shouldn’t NHEC join those cooperatives?
If you believe this, please
sign this
electronic petition to put the question on the ballot and Vote
YES on the question when you receive your ballot from
NHEC in your May electric bill.
**THIS PETITION IS ALSO LOCATED ON THE TABLE IN
THE LIBRARY***
ROADS POSTED
EFFECTIVE MARCH 4TH
Pursuant to RSA 231:191, the Groton
Town roads will be posted for restrictive weight limits
until further notice per order of the Select Board.
TRANSFER STATION PERMITS
Effective June 1, 2020 Transfer Station
Permits will be required in order to use the Groton Transfer
Station. These permits can be obtained through the Town
Clerk and will be $1.00 per permit. These permit stickers
will need to be placed on the lower left corner of your
windshield directly above your inspection sticker. Please be
sure to see the Town Clerk prior to May 1, 2020 to obtain
your Transfer Station Permit. Thank you!
**WINTER REMINDERS**
Now
that winter has arrived, 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 of 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.
FREE BOOKS, DVD'S, ETC
There are books, tapes, DVD's and more that
are free for the taking. These items are located in the old Groton
Library at the Town House. Please read the signs and take what you
want. Enjoy!!
