Groton, New Hampshire

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• Transfer Station • Zoning • Annual Report • Conservation Commission • Town Clerk / Tax Collector
• Calendar • Community Events• Groton Police Department• Employment Opportunities• Welfare • Emergency Information • Library
• Highway Department • Building Committee • Road Committee • Burn Permits

ALL GROTON TOWN OFFICES/DEPARTMENTS CLOSED

MONDAY 12/9/24 FROM 12PM-2PM

Due to an employee appreciation/holiday luncheon, all town offices/departments will be closed on Monday, December 9, 2024 from 12pm-2pm. Please plan accordingly.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

DELAY IN TAX BILLS

Newfound Area School District still has not completed the information that they need to send to DOE and DRA for the tax rate. The Towns cannot set our tax rate until this is complete. We have spoken with both the school and the DRA and are hoping this will be completed soon. As soon as the school completes their part, the Town will be able to meet with the DRA to complete our part and will send the tax bills out as soon as we are able to.

We apologize for the delay and appreciate your patience and understanding!

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 has been out there doing site work. They are hoping to start pouring concrete soon. Thank you for your patience and understanding!

Text Box: 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.

GROTON HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN UPDATE

The Town of Groton has been working hard and having meetings to update the Hazard Mitigation Plan. On Friday 11/22/24 we received from HSEM that the plan is approved pending adoption. The Select Board will adopt this plan at their Select Board Meeting on 12/3/24.

Click here to view the Hazard Mitigation Plan with 2024 Updates

CONGRATULATIONS ROBERT "BUBBA" ELLIS

Congratulations to our Groton Road Agent Robert "Bubba" Ellis on achieving the 2024 New Hampshire Master Roads Scholar! Thank you Bubba for all you do for the Town of Groton!

Supervisors of the Checklist Meeting

The Supervisors of the Checklist for the Town of Groton will hold a session to make additions and corrections to the checklist. We will be accepting party affiliation changes at this time.

Date: Thursday, December 5

Time: 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Location: Town House, 754 North Groton Road, Groton, New Hampshire

***Please note: anyone wishing to register to vote in New Hampshire for the first time must provide proof of citizenship and domicile. Examples of proof of citizenship are birth certificate, valid US passport or Certificate of Naturalization. A driver's license is NOT proof of citizenship. Examples of proof of domicile are electric or cable bill, renter’s agreement, driver’s license if domicile address is listed on it.

Groton Supervisors of the Checklist
Gina Rescigno, Virginia Parker, Pamela Hamel

Groton Conservation Commission Meeting

The Groton Conservation Commission will be meeting next on Thursday, December 12, 2024 at 7:00pm.

Thank you!

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, December 4, 2024 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!!

Select Board meetings: The Select Board meetings are at 7:00pm on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month.

Town Clerk/Tax Collector
(603)744-8849
(603)744-8803 (fax)

Monday, Wednesday & Thursday 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Tuesday 12:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Closed Friday, Saturday & Sunday
For other times, call for an appointment

Police (Non Emergency) (603) 744-3703 (Dispatch) (603) 536-3566 (Fax) (603) 744-7894 police@grotonnh.org