In a follow up to a story we brought you earlier in the week, Deerfield’s town administrator, Leslie Boswak has replied to our right to know request involving the letting of a seventy eight hundred dollar contract to the Public Safety Strategies Group. In the email, Boswak said our request for a contract could not be granted because the town hasn’t entered into one. However, she did confirm that the Board of Selectmen authorized the expenditure and hired P S S G. In their proposal, P S S G wrote it was pleased to provide a QUOTE “response to your request to provide a scope and budget to conduct an organizational assessment, develop a strategic plan, and provide coaching and implementation services for the Deerfield Police Department.” End quote. Boswak wrote that Board of Selectmen went into non public session to discuss personnel matters and that those could not be publicly disclosed. She also said the money to pay for the company’s work would come from the Town Administration: Other Charges & Expenses line item. Boswak’s response prompted other questions which we’ve asked. Budget Committee Member Harriet Cady, who brought this to our attention, said she’s asked for a meeting of the Budget Committee over the matter. We’ve posted the email and the non-contractually accepted proposal with this newscast at Girard at Large dot com.
The Merrimack Police Department is warning of a medical alert scam. The department has taken numerous complaints regarding telemarketers calling residents posing as representatives of Senior Alert Care Company. The callers state that one of your family members has purchased a medical alert system for you and they even paid for all the shipping. They go on to say that the only cost to you is a dollar a day monitoring charge and ask for your credit card information to sign up. The cops warn this is a nationwide phone scam and, obviously, you should not give out your credit card information. They urge citizens to call them or their local police department if they are uncertain of any phone solicitation before giving out sensitive personal information. Complete details of the scam, along with tips on blocking these kinds of calls, are available with this newscast at Girard at Large dot com.
News from our own backyard continues after this
Questions continue to be asked in Manchester over the shutdown of the outdoor Tiki Bar at KC’s Rib Shack in on July 2nd, just days before one of their busiest weekends. Health Department officials, on a routine inspection, cited the facility for not having a sink at the outdoor bar. They also notified building code enforcement personnel of what they considered to be a new facility on the premises. While the restaurant did have permits from the Fire Department and the Office of the City Clerk, as well as various state agencies, it seems that they didn’t go through the permitting process with the Department of Planning and Community Development, which shut them down for what Director Leon LaFreniere said were violations of the city’s Life Safety Code. We have requested copies of citations, photos, correspondence and other documents for further investigation. We’ve also tentatively scheduled interviews with Ward 10 Alderman Phil Greazzo and Rib Shack owner Kevin Cornish for next week. We’ll keep you up to date.
The Liberty Dinner two thousand thirteen sponsored by the NH Liberty Alliance will be held at the Dell-Lea Function Hall in Chichester, this Sunday, July 14 from 6 to 8 pm. The group will convey its Legislator and Activist of the year awards and we will distribute its two thousand thirteen Legislative Report Card. The keynote speaker will be Jason Bedrick, their Legislator of the Year in two thousand eight, now a policy analyst with Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom. A cocktail reception will be held immediately before the Liberty Dinner, from 5 to 6 pm. Tickets are still available and may be reserved in advance or obtained at the door. We’ve linked to the event’s page on their Web site from this newscast at Girard at Large dot com and to our interview with Eileen Landies about the event and the Liberty Alliance.
The Boat Launch / Ramp on Lake Naticook in Merrimack has reopened and is now accessible through Veteran’s Memorial Park. Officials in town are urging boaters to pay particular attention to the Milfoil Notice posted adjacent to the Boat Ramp.
That’s news from our own backyard, Girard at Large hour ___ is straight ahead!
