February 2019 

Welcome to the monthly bulletin from the Town of Bow.  As part of our commitment to keep citizens informed and involved in the community, we hope you find this information to be useful. Follow the public meeting schedule. Sign up for text and email notifications through NotifyMe®.  Follow Bow Police, Recreation, and Library on social media.

Town Manager's Report

Follow me on Twitter @bowmanager

Old Town Hall Clean-up and Paint-up
Building and Facilities Manager Chris Andrews organized a group of volunteers from the Bow Garden Club, Bow Men’s Club, Bow Rotary and the Marine Corps League to clean out the kitchen at Old Town Hall and paint the walls, cabinets and trim. Chris also painted the foyer and Myrt Fellows helped with moving items and organizing. Thank you, all. It looks great!
 
Employee Wellness Program
The Town has received $1,000 from HealthTrust to promote health and wellness in the workplace. Wellness Coordinator Tonia Lindquist attended the 2019 wellness coordinator’s workshop to talk about the upcoming wellness programs and challenges that HealthTrust will be rolling out in the next year.
 
National Wear Red Day - February 1
On February 1, Town employees will be participating in the National Wear Red Day to support men’s and women’s heart health.  

Baker Free Library

Candidate's Night on Wednesday, February 20, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. Our annual candidate's night, for all residents running for an elected office in the Town of Bow, will occur on Wednesday, February 20, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. (snow date Wednesday March 6, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. in the Lower Level of the Library. Anyone who files to run for office will be invited, and those who choose to participate will have 5 minutes each to talk about their background and candidacy. All Bow residents are encouraged to attend! We will be live streaming this and linking to a recording of the event that can be viewed later. The Candidate Information packets will be available for residents starting on February 18, 2019.

FREE community yoga classes on Sunday, February 24, 2019 and  Saturday, March 9, 2019, and Sunday, March 10, 2019. Due to a collaboration with Yoga NH, the library is pleased to offer FREE 1-hour yoga classes each month to Bow residents and library card holders! These classes are suitable for all levels, and the classes for February will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, February 24, 2019 and  Saturday, March 9, 2019 and Sunday, March 10, 2019. New this year – non-Bow residents can attend for a fee of $12 per class. Pre-registration and payment is required through http://yoganh.com. We CANNOT accommodate drop-ins for non-Bow residents, so registration and payment is required prior to the class through the web site. Bow peeps can now have their non-Bow yoga friends take a class with them!
 
Classes are held in the Library's Merrimack County Savings Bank Room in the Lower Level. Because these classes are being held outside of library operating hours, participants will need to enter through the Lower Level door near the handicapped parking and ramp. Bow residents, please register in advance by contacting Lori Fisher at 224-7113 or lori@bakerfreelib.org. Thank you to Yoga NH for giving back to the Bow community as part of their paid use of our facilities for events and workshops! If this is your first time attending our community classes, please arrive by 8:45 a.m. so that you have time to fill out the liability waiver and get set up. Namaste!

All Bow Calendars in one place Burbio!
We're hearing good things from residents who are using Burbio to keep track of what is going on at the schools, in the town, and at the library!  The best thing about this service is that it is free - you do not pay anything to sign up. Simply visit www.burbio.com, enter 03304 for our zip code, and then take a look at the calendars that come up. You choose which calendars to incorporate into your personal Burbio account - which you sign up (for free) with your email and a password you choose. We are all better off when we know what is going on in Bow!

Lego Lab for Kids, Wednesday, February 27, 2019, 2:00 p.m.- 3:30 p.m.
Join us for an afternoon of free form building, using the Library's vast collection of Lego pieces, characters, and wheels. Registration is not required; this is a drop-in activity for all ages. Large Lego pieces will be available for younger children.

Friends of Baker Free Library
The Friends of the Baker Free Library will hold their next donation day on Saturday, February 23, 2019, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Questions? Email info@bakerfreelib.org

Community Development

Planning Board News

• The Planning Board is currently reviewing an application for a 34 lot subdivision off Bow Bog Road. 

• The Board recently approved a plan for 10,000 sf. of new warehouse space at NHProEquip, 1298 Route 3A. 

Business Visitation

Selectman Matt Poulin and Community Development Director Matt Taylor met with Ryan Audley, of Audley Construction, last month to get feedback for how the Town is doing meeting the needs of the business community.

Proposed South Bow Tax Increment Finance District (TIF)

There will be an article on the 2019 Town Meeting Warrant seeking approval to create a second TIF district in the Town. The new district would complement the Planning Board’s proposal for a new South Bow Mixed Use Zoning District. 

Bow Fire Department

Mutual Aid Drill - Search and Rescue

On January 27, the Bow Fire Department sponsored a mutual aid search and rescue drill to assess local response capabilities in the event of an incident on one of Bow’s many trails, the culmination of a year’s worth of work.   The drill designed by Capt. Skoglund and Fire Fighter Andrews involved over 70 people from area fire departments, Bow Police Department, NH State Police,

Merrimack County Sheriff, Bow Open Spaces, Bow Pioneers, Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary and Bow Boy Scout Troop 75.

In the year prior to the drill representatives from the fire department, Bow Open Spaces and Bow Pioneers met several times to discuss utilizing local knowledge resources and improving the available trail mapping in Town.  We have also established a phone and equipment list for the two public safety departments to utilize if needed.

The drill officially started with Bow Police Department’s K9 Roxy and her handler when the team were asked to track the missing person into the woods.  K9 Roxy and her handler performed better than expected given the temperatures, she was able to follow the track until the track was intentionally ended a little more than half a mile into the woods.  

The fire department established a unified command post involving Bow Police Department, NHSP, Bow Open Spaces and Bow Pioneers.  Search groups were organized into geographical sections of the Town and dispersed. Search groups included ATV and foot patrol; when possible first responders were partnered with representatives from the local trail groups to aid in navigation. 

Lessons learned; it proved invaluable to have representatives from the two clubs in the command post, communications between command post and units in the woods was difficult due to terrain and distance, allowing the Police Department K9 team to have access early is beneficial and finally the public safety departments will continue to work with community partners to enhance the response capability in Bow's trail system.
The fire department is currently drafting an after-action report.

Welcome to the Bow Fire Department!

The Bow Fire Department welcomes Dennis Comeau as a full time Firefighter/Advanced Emergency Medical Technician and Jeff Gardner as a per-diem Firefighter /Advanced Emergency Medical Technician. 

Bow Parks & Recreation

The Spring Recreation Flyer will be out late February early March.  Registration for all our programs is first come first served and many will fill up!  Check it out on the town website  www.bownh.gov
 

Beyond The Basics Photography Class

Do you know how to use your camera in manual mode, but want to take your photos to the next level?  In Beyond The Basics you will learn hands on guided training of composition techniques, selective focus, varied lighting and white balance.  The dates for the next session of this class are February 5, 2019 and February 12, 2019, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.  Registration is open now.

 
Full Moon Winter Hike

Never stop exploring your community, hike with us!  Join us for our next hike with Bob Dawkins on Saturday, February 16, 2019  Meet at Winslow and Rollins State Park entrance road at 4:30 p.m. for the 2.8 mile Mt. Kearsarge hike.  This is a moderate hike.  Winter snowshoe and hiking experience is needed.  Registration is open now.

Saturday Youth Sports
You asked for it and we listened!  We have sports programs on Saturday mornings!  Ages 3-5 may join us from 9:00 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. for Open Gym.  Each week we will have fun gym activities planned to keep the children moving and having fun! 

Children grades 1-4 may join us from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. for an hour of Floor Hockey!  No experience needed!  Wear sneakers and gym clothes for either class.  The dates of the next session are March 7, 2019 through April 4, 2019.  Registration is open now.
  
Skating & Sledding Season
Skating at The Town Pond and Sledding at the Bandstand are open to the public, weather permitting.  Please read and obey all signs.  We will post the pond Open/Closed for skating as the weather permits or give us a call to check the status. 
  
Check out our Face Book Page ”Bow Parks & Recreation” This page is updated regularly to keep you informed of “Parks & Recreation Happenings” here in Bow.

Police Department 

Beware of Verizon Phone Scams
This how the scam is implemented.  A package containing phones are mysteriously delivered to the victim’s home, by FedEx or UPS. The victim hasn't placed the order, so is not surprised when they receive a call saying there has been a mistake and the goods will be collected at a given time. However, rather than an innocent courier coming for them, it is the fraudster or a sidekick. Meanwhile the bill is in the victim’s name. Please report packages that are delivered to your house which you did not order to the Police and be aware of anyone casing your house or neighborhood, who are waiting for packages to be delivered.

Save the Date - April 11, 2019
The Merrimack County Child Advocacy Center and the Police Department will sponsor another Body Safety night for parents, grandparents and teachers (This is an Adults Only educational session).  The training will take place at the Safety Center from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.  All are welcome to attend.  RSVP to Chief Lougee at mlougee@bownh.gov or Stephanie Vogel at svogel@bownh.gov

Speeding Complaints
The Police continue to receive numerous complaints of speeders on the high traveled roads.  We are out in force attempting to control speeds and other motor vehicle infractions.  WE NEED YOUR HELP.   Please take it upon yourself to “police” your own driving habits as you drive through town.  Most of our high speed drivers are Bow drivers!

Congratulations
Sergeant Matt Pratte was recently promoted from Master Patrol Officer to Sergeant. Matt has been with the Department for 8 years.

Notes from the Baker Free Library Trustees 

In 1833, Peterborough, NH opened the first tax-funded public library in all of the United States.  In the 186 years since, public libraries have been working to provide services the community wants at a cost the taxpayers see as fair.  This year, the Baker Free Library trustees and library director have proposed an operating budget that is nearly flat from last year’s operating budget, and have done so without sacrificing the services that the community is using. 
 
The 2018 statistics are in, and Bow has increased its use of the library.  Book circulations are up for kids, teens, and adults.  In 2018, the library checked out 28,198 books, an increase of 3.6%.  Electronic circulations of e-books, audiobooks, movies, TV, music, and language lessons are up.  In 2018, the library circulated 11,838 electronic items, an increase of almost 27%.  Use of the library computers is up 13% with 1,712 individuals coming in to use the library computers.  Library program attendance is also up 22% with 7,053 people attending library programs in 2018.  Meeting room use was up 18% with 100 different groups reserving library rooms for 441 meetings. 
 
To adequately provide for these services and the increased use of the library, the library trustees and Director Lori Fisher proposed a budget that is up 2% from last year’s budget.  This limited increase is possible, in part, because Library Director Lori Fisher and the rest of the library staff work hard to provide some income-generating services and that generated income goes right back into paying for some of the library services.  For example, the library now provides U.S. passport processing services and the income generated from that service paid the entire cost of the service for electronic downloadable movies, TV, and music. 
 
Bow uses its library and the trustees are proposing a budget that will continue to support this well-used community resource without adding unnecessary burden on our taxpayers.  The Baker Free Library is your library and we invite you to come use the library services.