2020 Hampstead Other Town Board's News
Hampstead Recycling and Waste Disposal Committee (RAWD), the Hampstead Public Library Trustees, and the Recreation Commission News
By Penny Williams 6-17-20
Life goes on despite COVID-19 and the Hampstead Recycling and Waste Disposal Committee (RAWD), the Hampstead Public Library Trustees, and the Recreation Commission are moving ahead with plans for current and future events.
RAWD Committee met on Wednesday, June 10 and discussed the long awaited Swap Shop at the Kent Farm Transfer Station. It will be up and running come July. The sign for the swap shop is already up at the transfer station and they have started collecting items for the swap shop. Chair Ellen Cabral went to the transfer station and handed out flyers to make people aware of the swap shop.
The committee sent out a RFP for the Hazardous Waste Collection, scheduled for October 24, hosted this fall by Hampstead and there was only one company that responded. Looking at the information, the committee decided to go forward with recommending Tradebe Environmental to the Selectmen and Cabral will attend the June 22nd meeting of the Selectmen when they should make the award. Once that is done the other communities and Veolia will need to be notified of the change in vendor.
The Committee still plans to hold a Compost Bin Raffle in the near future. Committee Administrative Secretary Tina Harrington reported there was an issue with the Depot Road Fields dumpster and should this continue the committee may need to recommend Recreation remove it.
The Library Trustees met on Tuesday, June 16, and discussed plans for re-opening. They are currently in phase 2 having spent a week in phase one where some 1500 books were returned curbside by patrons. Books are held in quarantine for 72 hours once returned before being returned to the shelves or dispatched to a waiting patron. In phase 2 staff will utilize zero contact curbside delivery and pickup days are Tuesday and Thursday and the plan is to continue with this. Library Director Rosemary Krol said while she and staff are following the state guidelines and constantly reviewing where and when they can increase the services provided she doesn't feel they are ready to move to phase 3 yet.
The use of electronic and virtual services have increased greatly during the COVID-19 pandemic period, but Trustee Charlene Flaherty said that the budget appears to be on track with expected lines decreasing as expected such as electricity and others increasing slightly but overall the budget is on track. Starting on June 16, the financial assistant for the library returned to her regular schedule for bill paying.
Krol said the library has hired Susan Crump to fill the vacancy from Marsha Strykowski's resignation in February. The Trustees approved the hire. Krol also said the staff is in the process of procuring and having installed Plexiglas at the front desk. Masks are worn by staff and Krol indicated the plan is to request patrons wear masks when the building is open to patrons.
The Trustees approved the Hampstead Public Library Employee COVID-19 illness policy. Krol noted that virtual planning and programming continues and so far 60 kids and 70 adults have signed up for the Virtual Summer Reading Program. The work for the Garden Path is progressing with the inspection for the framing having been held and approved and now they are waiting for the decking material to be delivered.
The Recreation Commission met Monday night, June 15, and discussed their summer program, Fun in the Sun. The program will be offered to no more than 75 kids and will be for 3rd through 8th graders starting June 29 and running 5 weeks to July 31. It will be a half day program starting at 8:30 a.m. and running until noon at the Town Hall field. There are 11 counselors. Director Angie Ingraham said they plan to have a Virtual program as well and she said they have 62 children in the two programs.
Ingraham told her members she would contact the Board of Selectmen for information on reopening the Town Beach parking and when they can add a port potty as well as when the tennis and basketball courts, Memorial Gym and Depot Road Fields playground can reopen. She indicated the Summer Concerts will begin on July 7 and the commission asked that rather marking the field for social distancing that the Concert Committee use cones and the commission voted to not allow any parking on the Town Hall field.
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