July 2019 Monthly Bulletin 

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

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The following Town employees were recognized at the recent Employee Recognition event on June 19. Story and photos may be found later in the Bulletin. Thank you all for your continued good work and dedication to the residents of Bow.

5 Years: Alexandra Welch-Zerba and Jennifer Konstantakos, (Celebrating Children);
Jason St. George, (Public Works); Jacob Anderson, (Fire Dept).; Philip Goodacre,         
(Police Dept.)
 
10 Years: Julie Guerrette, (Celebrating Children); Robert Cepurneek, Lynn Labontee, (Public Works); Betsy Mahoney, (Baker Free Library); Brandon Skoglund, (Fire Dept.);
Karen Krause, Anne-Marie Guertin, (Parks & Recreation); Stacey Blanchette, (Police Dept.)
 
15 Years: Janette Shuman, (Community Development); Amy Bain, (Baker Free Library); 
Corey Welcome, (Public Works)
 
 20 Years: Anne Mattice, (Fire Dept.)
 
 25 Years: Myrton Fellows, Michael Hague,(Public Works); Michael Van Dyke, (Fire Dept.)
 
35 Years: Abe Anderson, (Baker Free Library)

Contact Us

As always, please contact my office, a member of the Board of Selectmen, or any of our Departments if you have any questions or concerns on anything that is going on. You can also find a ton of information on the Town's website: www.bownh.gov

Department of Public Works

Highways Division

The Highway Division has been very busy replacing multiple drainage cross culverts and  under-drainage  along  Knox Road.  The department plans on reclaiming (Rotor-tilling) a large section of roadway and repaving Knox Road between Robinson Road and Dow Road in the near future.  

 The Street Sweeping was delayed because of the multiple rain events this spring and we are glad to see the sweeping process is almost complete. Multiple washouts occurred from the heavy rains and any surfaces that we applied loam and seed to previously, needed to be reseeded and better stabilized from the results of the heavy rain storms.

Parks and Cemetery Division

The Parks and Cemetery Division has had all it could do, keeping up with the grass growing from all the excessive rain events. They said they could almost hear it grow day by day.

The water system at Evans Cemetery is still out of order. The water supplied to this system comes from the High Schools well system and unfortunately they are having difficulties with obtaining a type of valve that restricts pressure up to our system.  The Department of Public Works Cemetery Division appreciates everyone's patience.
 
Extensive under-drainage was installed at Hanson Park where standing water limited field use earlier in the season. We’re confident this work will help elevate any safety hazards caused by standing water on the playing field.

Fleet Division

The Fleet Division finished servicing  the entire snow plow fleet and has a list of projects that will need attention throughout the summer to be sure we're ready for whatever mother nature has in store for us next winter.

 A dump truck cross conveyor attachment is almost complete. This conveyor is used to apply shoulder gravel along newly paved road surfaces. We look forward to using this piece of equipment once road paving gets underway. 

Bow Parks & Recreation

Our Summer Day Camp and Summer Trip Program has begun and we are excited for a FUN summer.  We are adjusting to the new location at Bow Elementary School and thank the School District and Office Staff for all their assistance with making the transition smooth as possible!
 
Registrations are now open for the following Camps being offered this summer!

• Fancy Nancy Dance Camp Ages 3-6 Held July 8 through July 12, 2019 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Dance Inspirations, Concord NH
• Intro to Theater Marquee Mix Up Camp Held July 8 through July 12, 2019 from 12:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Dance Inspirations, Concord NH
• Scrapbook Camp for 7-12 Years  Held July 22 through July 26, 2019 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at NEW location:  Bow Elementary School, 22 Bow Center Rd

• Adult Basketball
• Body Blast
• Boot Camp
• Teen Boot Camp
• Chakra Yoga In The Park
• Gentle Yoga
• Line Dancing for Beginners
• Pilates Mat Class
• TGIF Yoga
• Summer Walking Track & Train Series
• Adult Volleyball
• Yoga Fitness PM
• Zumba

To register, or for complete information, contact the Bow Recreation Office at
603-223-3920

Bow is Recycling - Let's Keep It Clean!

From the Town of Bow Solid Waste and Recycling Committee
Similar to many other towns in New Hampshire, Bow was recently forced to reevaluate our recycling program due to increased costs associated with recycling.  The Bow Solid Waste and Recycling Committee is pleased to announce that the Selectmen voted at its meeting on May 28, 2019 to continue to fund the recycling program.  The annual cost to continue the recycling program is approximately $30,000.  This estimate is based on the current market and assuming that our recyclables are designated as “Class A” recyclables.  The designation of our recyclables as “Class A” is based on the amount of contamination (less than 5%) in the loads from Bow.  In the event we do not receive a “Class A” designation, the cost of recycling will significantly increase and the town will again need to reevaluate its options.
It is imperative to the success of our recycling program that we reduce contaminants in our curbside recycling totes.  Many of us are “aspirational recyclers” and will include items in our curbside recycling tote hoping that they can be recycled.  If we are throwing away items in the hope that they are recyclable, we are creating more harm than good.  Over the last two years, China has imposed strict restrictions over the acceptance of recycling loads that are deemed to be contaminated.  With that in mind, Pinard Waste has created a new flyer called “Can I Recycle This?  Know When It’s a NO!”  The flyer helps identify the types of items that should not be recycled. 

The most frequent items that contaminate recycling loads are plastic bags and Styrofoam.  Those items should not be placed in the recycling bin, even if they have a recycling number on them.  Styrofoam should be placed in the trash.  Plastic bags can be recycled at several local supermarkets, and otherwise they should be reused or placed in the trash. 

When it comes to plastic, according to Pinard, it is important to only recycle items that are “containers” or “vessels,” such as plastic bottles.  Even if an item has a recycling number, it may not be recyclable because there is no market for it.  Plastic toys, plastic utensils, straws, clothes hangers and bulky plastic items are considered contamination and should not be placed in the curbside recycling.  Colored plastic cups (such as red Solo cups) are also not accepted for recycling.  Metal (other than tin, clean aluminum foil and aluminum cans) is also not accepted for recycling.

It is important to empty beverage containers before putting them in the recycling bin.  The liquids are not only messy, but can be deemed hazardous waste by recycling workers.  While food containers do not need to be laboratory clean before recycling them, it is necessary to rinse containers such as peanut butter and catsup jars to avoid rodents and other pests from being attracted to the recycling load.  And the ongoing pizza box question?  According to Pinard, the actual box can be recycled unless it is heavily saturated with oil.  All food should be scraped and removed from the pizza box.  The plastic pizza saver used to protect the pizza from sticking to the box is not recyclable, and should be placed in the trash.

The Solid Waste and Recycling Committee wants to remind residents that the best way to avoid items from entering the waste stream is to reduce the purchase of items in single-use containers and bulky packaging.  This can be accomplished in many ways, including the use of reusable shopping bags and beverage containers.

If you have specific questions about whether an item is recyclable, please check out www.recyclesmartma.org, or send an email to the Town of Bow Solid Waste and Recycling Committee at bowrecycles@gmail.com.  The new flyer is also posted at the website at www. https://bownh.gov/289/Trash-Recycling-Services.  

Bow Drinking Water Protection Committee Water Test Results Q&A

Bring your lab report or just come with your questions on how to deal with common well contaminants such as Arsenic, Radon, Lead, Uranium and Bacteria.

July 17, 2019, 5:30 to 7:00 PM at the Baker Free Library.