Hampstead Town Newsletter - 4/29/2022

Town of Hampstead
Master Plan Steering Committee Meeting - May 5th and May 7th
The Hampstead Master Plan Steering Committee invites you to attend an upcoming public input session to provide feedback on how to keep Hampstead a vibrant community! The purpose of the input sessions is to gain feedback on the vision, goals, and actions on the draft Hampstead Master Plan. The input sessions will be held on the following dates and times:

Thursday, May 5th at 6pm at Hampstead Town Hall
Saturday, May 7th at 9am at Hampstead Middle School

The input sessions will include a short presentation, with plenty of time for providing feedback and asking questions. Even if you can only come for a short while, please do!

The 2022 Master Plan update is aimed at creating a usable, living document that provides a vision with a set of goals and actions to help achieve that vision. The 2022 Master Plan reflects current input from residents and town officials, updated information, and past Master Plans with the goal of keeping Hampstead a vibrant community to live, work and play in. The 2022 Master Plan is intended to be a guiding document for the town for the next ten years, with routine check-ins on progress.

The Hampstead Master Plan Steering Committee, with the Planning Board and assistance from Rockingham Planning Commission, is currently updating the Hampstead Master Plan, and is seeking input from other municipal boards and committees. The updated Master Plan is intended to serve as a guide to help Hampstead’s municipal officials, staff, and residents in making decisions that reflect the town’s goals and values. The vision, goals, and actions presented in the draft Master Plan have been developed by the Master Plan Committee over the last several months based on resident input via an online survey (summary and with full results), existing data, and the current Master Plan (2010).

Dog Licenses
All dogs living in the Town of Hampstead and East Hampstead, including puppies who have received their first rabies shot (usually 12 – 16 weeks old), must be licensed by April 30th, 2022. In order to renew your license online or find more information, please visit  https://www.hampsteadnh.us/town-clerk-tax-collector/pages/dog-licenses

Town Cleanup Day - May 7th
The Town-wide cleanup is on May 7th and blue waste bags will be available at the Town Offices during normal business hours. Once you have filled up your bag(s) please notify the town where the bags are located and they will be picked up. Feel free to start your cleanup early - you can still contact the town and they will pick up your bags as they get filled before May 7th.

Blue bags will be available at the town Swap Shop on April 16th (located at the Hampstead Transfer Station on Kent Farm Rd - transfer station stickers are NOT required on this day), and bags will also be available on the Town Office front steps from 9am-11am on the morning of May 7th.

All blue bags provided by the town are free of charge.

Hampstead Water Resources Committee
Household Hazardous Waste Collection - Saturday, April 30, 2022 9am-12pm
Protect our drinking water! Take action to prevent household chemicals from contaminating our groundwater by disposing of them properly. Being proactive to prevent chemicals from entering our water source is far better than dealing with a contaminated water supply.

Plaistow Public Works Facility
144F Main Street
Plaistow, NH

For residents of Hampstead, Atkinson, Chester, Danville, Kingston and Plaistow

Items accepted include: cleaning products, fertilizers, batteries, oil based paint, paint stripper

More information and lists of items accepted may be found at:
https://www.hampsteadnh.us/recycling-waste-disposal/news/household-hazar...

As a community, we have a common interest in protecting our valuable groundwater. For more
information on groundwater, view the fact sheet posted on the HWRC webpage - Understanding Groundwater Contaminants - https://www.hampsteadnh.us/water-resource-committee

Hampstead School District
603 Bright Futures Survey
The New Hampshire Department of Education values your feedback and wants to hear from you! The 603 Bright Futures Survey is an opportunity to hear from community members. A separate survey has been sent to families with children in the school system. The survey will gather actionable feedback around learning models, school climate, family and community engagement, as well as other topics in order to understand the successes and challenges of the recent school year and plan for the upcoming 2022-2023 school year. The survey will also gather special education family data in support of NHDOE’s federal reporting requirements for Indicator 8. 

The survey, which is available in English and Spanish, will be open from March 14 to April 29. School staff, families, and community members will be able to take the survey online. Panorama Education is providing support with the 603 Bright Futures Survey, and it welcomes any questions pertaining to the survey program. Panorama support can be reached at support+nhdoe@panoramaed.com.

A link to the community survey can be found at:
https://surveys.panoramaed.com/nhdoe/community/surveys?language=en

The Hampstead School District Administration will receive the results of the survey from the Department of Education in late spring and will utilize the data for future school planning.   Please feel free to reach out to Panorama if you have any questions or require assistance taking the survey.

 
Strategic Planning
The Hampstead School District is currently engaged in the strategic planning process. The goal of this work is to develop a strategic plan that provides vision, creates priorities and prepares our students for the future. A critical component of this work is gathering feedback from all community stakeholders. We are asking for parents to take a few minutes to provide input using an online tool known as ThoughtExchange. A link to the Exchange can be found at:  https://tejoin.com/scroll/899294941
 
 
Reminder: All school board meetings will be livestreamed on the HSD channel on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtrHv9UP1RTjFc_6CORYKmQ 

Hampstead Conservation Commission
Community Work Session - Saturday, June 4th, 8:30am-12pm
The Conservation Commission will be holding a community work session to combat invasive plants in the West Road Conservation Area.  Volunteers are needed.

Specifically, a tool called a weed wrench will be used to pull up burning bush plants, which have been spreading throughout the area for years. Here’s a video of how a weed wrench works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCHgHjAduwA

Hampstead Recreation Commission
Senior Trips for May, June, and July 2022 (Hampstead residents age 62+)

Comedy Hypnosis Show - Thursday, May 19th
This is being held at Castleton in Windham. No bus transportation provided. Cost includes plated luncheon (choice of apple/cranberry cornbread stuffed chicken or vegetable lasagna, salad, potatoes, vegetable, bread, dessert , coffee or tea, show ticket and gratuity.)

Sign-ups for this trip will be at the meeting house on 4/5 and 4/6 at 9am. The cost of the trip is $74 and payment is due at sign-up. Checks only, made out to “Best of Times”

Pickety Place (Mason, NH) / Cathedral of the Pines (Rindge, NH) - Wednesday, June 15th
The trip will leave the St. Anne's parking lot at 10:00 am and is expected to return around 4:30pm.  The total cost for Hampstead Seniors for this trip is $47.00.

Sign ups will be at 9:00am at the Meeting House at 20 Emerson Avenue on 4/28, 5/2 and 5/3. 
Please have your ID showing Hampstead residency.  Contact 603-329-5422, Jaye Dimando with any questions. Checks payable to Town of Hampstead, or cash accepted.

Gloucester Harbor Cruise - Thursday, July 7th
On July 7th there will be a trip to Gloucester Harbor for a 2 hour cruise on Beauport Cruise Lines and lobster dinner along with a buffet dinner.  After the cruise, they will stop in Rockport for some shopping.

Transportation will be leaving St. Anne's Church at 9:15am and return around 5:30pm.  The cost is $99.00 per person. 

Signups will be May 16th, May 17th, and May 26th at 9am at the Meeting House on 20 Emerson Avenue.

For more information please visit https://www.hampsteadnh.us/senior-committee/recreation/pages/2022-senior...

Lifeguards Needed for Town Beach
The Hampstead Rec is looking for Lifeguards this summer. Are you over 16 years old and want an amazing job at the beautiful town beach? The pay is $15.00 per hour. Link to apply: https://sites.google.com/site/recreationhampstead/employment

Please email if you have any questions: hampsteadrec@gmail.com

Hampstead Civic Club
Memorial Day Observance - May 30th
The Memorial day observance will be held May 30th at 10am at the bandstand behind Town Hall.

Independence Day Festival and Fireworks - June 25th
The Hampstead Civic Club Independence Day Festival and fireworks will be held on June 25th, with more information to follow in upcoming newsletters.

Crochet Club
Ying Zhang will be teaching in person either one on one or small private groups on Saturdays at the Civic Club Building next to Town Hall. The Civic Club will provide the material needed.  Please email Ying to book an appointment or if you have any questions: Yzhanglai@comcast.net

For more information please visit https://hampsteadcivicclub.org/crochet-club

Chess Club
The Chess Club, for players from Hampstead and their friends from nearby towns, is hosted online Sundays from 4pm-5:30pm. There is no cost to play and all skill levels are welcome.

For more information please visit https://hampsteadcivicclub.org/chess-club 

Hampstead Library
2022 Community Read
The Hampstead Public Library is part of a group of ten Libraries, two High Schools and a Museum that are participating in the 2022 Community Read, “Bitter Injustice: The Internment of Japanese Americans in WWII.” The Community Read consists of a series of events and discussions in which the participating institutions encourage reading and dialogue related to this topic. The featured books are Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford, They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, and Facing the Mountain: A True Story of Japanese American Heroes in World War II by Daniel James Brown. Community Read events, including book discussions and a screening of George Takei’s Allegiance, can be found on the Library’s May calendar on HampsteadLibrary.org . For full details about the program and events in the area, please visit https://BitterInjustice.wordpress.com. Events include a public appearance by author Jamie Ford at the Timberlane Performing Art Center on May 16 at 6:30 pm. All are welcome.

1000 Books Before Kindergarten
The Hampstead Public Library has relaunched its “1000 Books Before Kindergarten” program. The objectives are to promote reading to newborns, infants, and toddlers, and to encourage parent and child bonding through reading. Read any book with your child (multiple readings of the same book count each time) with the goal of reading 1,000 before kindergarten. Parents can register their child online and track books via computer or app on a mobile device.
Look for the information on https://www.hampsteadlibrary.org/reading-programs-and-challenges

For every 100 books read, a prize is earned starting with a canvas book bag!

Children’s Area Renovation
The entire children’s area is closed from Monday, April 25 through the end of May. This includes all the book and DVD shelves, as well as the Children’s Program Room. A limited number of picture books (E-books) and Early Reader books will be found in other areas of the first floor. Critter crates, games, STEM kits, microscopes, and other Tools & Toys will continue to be available during the section closure.

Free Books
Baskets of free Community Read books, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford, have been left at Hampstead businesses, including BeanTowne, Hampstead Health and Fitness, Pentucket Bank, TD Bank, and Hampstead Town Hall. The free books are a gift to the community, and are funded by a grant from New Hampshire Humanities.

Aviation Museum Discount Pass
The Hampstead Public Library has added a new discount pass to its Museum Pass program. The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire is located in Londonderry. It is New Hampshire’s only working museum devoted to aviation history and it is housed in an art deco terminal. The museum is open Friday through Sunday.

Each pass admits up to four people for free, children under 6 are always free. Library cardholders can reserve the pass via HampsteadLibrary.org or call 603-329-6411, and must pick up the pass at the Library.

Thrift Shop Volunteers Needed
The Friends of the Hampstead Public Library are seeking volunteers to work in the Elaine David Thrift Shop at the Library. Help process donations, get an advance peek at store merchandise, and work with a friendly crew. Volunteers are generally scheduled in 2-hour shifts. Whether you can help weekly or monthly, anytime you can give is greatly appreciated. The Shop is open from 9 am to 1 pm on Tuesdays and Saturdays. For further information, visit the Shop,
email HampsteadFriends@gmail.com, or leave a message by calling the Library at 603-329-6411.

Curbside Pickup is still available upon request. Reserve books and movies in advance, and you will be notified when your items are ready. Call and let the staff know you would like Curbside Pickup. It’s a good service to take advantage of, especially if there is a sickness in your household.

Stay in touch with the Hampstead Public Library and be notified of upcoming events! 
Click here to sign up for the Library newsletter.

Hampstead Trash & Recycling
Derry Transfer Station Changes
The Derry Transfer Station has announced that they are no longer able to accept mattresses, box springs or stuffed chairs or couches over 6 feet.  

Those items can still be brought to the Kent Farm Transfer Station with a valid permit. The cost for the mattress or a box spring is $40.00. There is no additional cost for a sofa. You can also have it picked up curbside (subject to change) on the third Saturday of the month at a cost of $26.00 per item, payable in advance through the Town Clerk's office.

Swap Shop
The town Swap Shop (located at the Hampstead Transfer Station on Kent Farm Rd) will be open on the 2nd Saturday of each month from 8am-4pm for ITEM DROP OFF only - transfer station stickers are required.

The Swap Shop will be open on the 3rd Saturday of each monday from 10am-12pm for BROWSE & TAKE HOME only - transfer station stickers are NOT required.

More information, including details about what is accepted for drop off, can be found at https://www.hampsteadnh.us/sites/g/files/vyhlif661/f/uploads/swap_shop_f...

Household Hazardous Waste
Waste Oil, car batteries and thermostats are collected at the Hampstead Town Garage on the first and third Saturdays of the month from 8am-1pm.

Hampstead Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)
If you have served on foreign soil, you may be eligible to join the Hampstead VFW Post.  If you are interested, contact the Post Commander Howie Steadman at 603-329-4288.

Minutes from Recent Town Meetings
Board of Selectmen: https://www.hampsteadnh.us/node/22/minutes/2022
Conservation Committee: https://www.hampsteadnh.us/node/26/minutes/2022
Planning Board: https://www.hampsteadnh.us/node/30/minutes/2022
Recycling and Waste Disposal: https://www.hampsteadnh.us/node/32/minutes/2022
Zoning Board of Adjustment: https://www.hampsteadnh.us/node/35/minutes/2022

Upcoming Meetings and Events
You can see any upcoming committee meetings and events on the town calendar at https://www.hampsteadnh.us/calendar
 
 

Share your News!
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