Hudson-Litchfield News

Fionna Howes Qualifies for the State National Geographic Bee

During the week of January 4, through January 7, Hudson Memorial School held their annual school wide National Geographic Bee contest. Each student at Hudson Memorial School participated in the event.

The school’s contest consisted of three levels of competition with the top students at each level advancing to the next round. In the first round of the school’s National Geographic Bee, students competed against their class and a classroom champion was named in each of the forty-two social studies classes at Memorial School. Those forty-two classroom winners moved on to the next level of competition where they competed against the champions from the other classes in their cluster. The ten cluster winners representing grades six through eight then moved on to compete at the school level National Geographic Bee Contest. While competing at the school level of the National Geographic Bee, the ten cluster representatives competed in seven preliminary rounds of competition, four students participated in a final round of competition, two students participated in the championship round of competition and for the first time in many years the same two students competed in a championship round tie breaker.

The competition during this year’s National Geographic Bee at Hudson Memorial School was amazing. Each of the students participating in the event did an outstanding job representing their clusters at the school level competition. The third place winner of the school level competition was Eileen Goodwin, a sixth grader from the white cluster, who dazzled the audience throughout the competition with her knowledge of geography. Eileen was a close third to the runner up in the competition, Nathan Marino. Nathan representing the seventh grade white cluster, displayed outstanding knowledge of geography throughout the competition and was forced into a tie breaker round with Eileen to see which of the two would compete in the Championship Round of the competition against Fionna Howes the seventh grade advanced academic placement representative who moved to the finals with her stellar performance in the preliminary rounds of the bee. Nathan and Eileen dazzled the audience for several questions before Nathan defeated Eileen and moved on in the competition. Nathan Marino and Fionna Howes matched each other answer for answer in the Championship Round and an eventual tie resulted at the end of the round forcing a Championship Round Tie Breaker. During the Tie Breaker round, Nathan and Fionna continued to impress the audience with their knowledge and in the end Fionna Howes won the competition becoming the 2004/2005 Hudson Memorial School National Geographic Bee Champion.

The National Geographic Bee is a nationwide contest for schools in the United States. The Bee is open to students in grades four through eight who are not over the age of fifteen. It is a program of the National Geographic Society and a first place prize of a $25,000 college scholarship is offered to the nation’s top winner. To qualify for the National Competition, students must first compete at the School Level and then they need to pass a national test consisting of seventy questions to qualify to compete at their State Level Competition. Once a student has passed the national qualifying test, they compete against the top geography bee winners from all over their state and the winner of that competition advances to the National Geographic Bee Contest held in Washington, D.C.

Fionna Howes took the National Geographic Society’s national qualifying test shortly after winning the Memorial School Championship. She passed the test and will be representing Memorial School and the Town of Hudson at Keene State College as a contestant in the State Level National Geographic Bee on April 1. If Fionna wins the State Level Competition, she will move on to compete in Washington, D.C. on May 24 and May 25 with Alex Trebek hosting the competition. The students and staff at Memorial School are proud of Fionna and her accomplishments. She is an outstanding student with tremendous academic abilities and geographic knowledge. We wish her the best of luck at Keene State College and her quest to win the United States National Geographic Bee.

Hudson Election Results

2570 Citizens Voted

17% Voter Turnout

48 Absentee Ballots

33 New Voters

Town Election

Selectman – 3-year-term

Lars Christiansen 386

Kenneth "Ken" Massey 1025 - Elected

Benjamin J. Nadeau 932

Town Clerk/Tax Collector – 3-year term

Cecile Nichols 2036 - Elected

Budget Committee – 3-year term

Howard L. Dilworth, Jr. 1538 - Elected

Thaddeus "Ted" Luszey, Jr. 1520 - Elected

Raymond Rowell 1520 - Elected

Cemetery Trustee – 3-year term

(Write-in) Brad Seabury 65

(Write-in) Robin Rodgers 29

Code of Ethics – 3-year term

Dianne Emanuelson 1599 - Elected

Douglas Robinson 1534 - Elected

Library Trustee – 3-year term

John Knowles 1684 - Elected

Mary Ann Knowles 1774 - Elected

Trustee of the Trust Fund – 3-year term

David M. Bouchard 1117 - Elected

Russell T. Ober, III 982

Trustee of the Trust Fund – 2-year term

Leonard Lathrop 1843 - Elected

Trustee of the Trust Fund – 1-year term

Edmond Duchesne 1784 - Elected

Warrant Articles

Zoning Amendments

Article 2: Amend Article XIV-Impact Fees-Section 334-74.5

Yes 1744 No 680 Passed

Article 3: Amend Article XV, Enforcement and Miscellaneous Provisions

Yes 1548 No 860 Passed

Article 4: Amend the Town of Hudson Official Zoning Map by changing the zoning classification of Town of Hudson Tax Map 234, Lots 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44.

Yes 1476 No 922 Passed

Bond Article

Article 5: Water Utility Capital Improvements

Yes 1520 No 909 Passed (63%)

Petitioned Bond Article

Article 6: Bond for Land Conservation

Yes 1236 No 1210 Defeated (51%)

Selectmen’s Articles

Article 7: Police Replacement Radio Communications System

Yes 1726 No 744 Passed

Article 8: Replacement Fire Pumper Truck

Yes 1268 No 1186 Passed

Article 9: Ratification of Multi-Year Contract negotiated between the Town of Hudson Board of Selectmen and the Highway Union for Wage & Benefit increases.

Yes 1318 No 1180 Passed

Article 10: Ratification of Multi-Year Contract negotiated between the town of Hudson board of Selectmen and the Hudson Police Union AFSCME Local 3657 for Wage & Benefit Increases

Yes 1435 No 1042 Passed

Article 11: Ratification of Multi-Year Contract negotiated between the town of Hudson Board of Selectmen and the Hudson Police, Fire and town Supervisors Association for Wage & Benefit Increases.

Yes 1352 No 1144 Passed

Article 12: Factfinder’s Report (Fire Department)

Yes 919 No 1570 Defeated

Article 13: Wage and Benefit Increase for Town Clerk/Tax Collector

Yes 1402 No 1074 Passed

Article 14: Operating Budget

Yes 1471 No 991 Passed

Article 15: Part-time Water Utility Clerk

Yes 1273 No 1208 Passed

Article 16: Associate Planner

Yes 406 No 2061 Defeated

Article 17: Revised Property Tax Exemption for the Elderly

Yes 2157 No 307 Passed

Article 18: Revised Property Tax Exemption for the Disabled

Yes 2077 No 375 Passed

Article 19: Revised Property Tax Exemption for the Blind

Yes 2043 No 393 Passed

Article 20: Revised Veterans Tax Credits

Yes 2134 No 318 Passed

Article 21: Library Expansion Capital Reserve Fund (Library Fund Balance)

Yes 1598 No 836 Passed

Article 22: Library Trustees as Agents to Expend

Yes 1568 No 846 Passed

Article 23: Land Use Change Tax Revenue Surplus

Yes 1630 No 781 Passed

Article 24: Discontinuance of Animal Shelter Capital Reserve

Yes 2048 No 396 Passed

Article 25: Hills Memorial Library Expansion Expenses

Yes 993 No 1508 Defeated

Article 26: Full-time Adult Services Librarian

Yes 969 No 1525 Defeated

Article 27: 50% of Revenues of future payments from Land Use Change Tax placed into Conservation Fund.

Yes 1360 No 1111 Passed

School Election

School Board – 3-year term

Lars Christiansen 1258 - Elected

Lynne Ober 1254

Gary J. Rodgers 1487 - Elected

School District Moderator – 1-year term

Paul E. Inderbitzen 1924 - Elected

(Write-in) 11

School District Clerk – 1-year term

Ann M. Seabury 1834 - Elected

(Write-in) 24

School District Treasurer – 1-year term

Cecile Y. Nichols 1922 - Elected

(Write-in) 10

Articles

Article 1: The Operating Budget

Yes 1636 No 808 Passed

Article 2: District-Wide Computer Technician

Yes 1368 No 1099 Passed

Article 3: SAU Personnel Salary & Benefits

Yes 1470 No 982 Passed

Article 4: Alvirne High School Boiler

Yes 2039 No 439 Passed

Article 5: Hudson Memorial School Building Repairs

Yes 1984 No 495 Passed

Article 6: Varsity Hockey at Alvirne High School

Yes 899 No 1576 Defeated

Litchfield Election Results

2234 Citizens Voted

43% Voter Turnout

90 Absentee Ballots

60 New Voters

Town Election

Selectmen – 3-year terms

M. Patricia Jewett 1419 - Elected

Raymond C. Peeples, Jr. 1217 – Elected

Alfred C. Raccio 594

Budget Committee – 3-year terms

William Spencer 1519 – Elected

(Write-in) Dennis Miller 62

Budget Committee – 1-year term

(Write-in) Brian McCue 61

Fire Chief – 1-year term

Dwayne Hogencamp 648

Thomas B. Schofield 1373 - Elected

Library Trustees – 3-year terms

(Write-in) Diane Jerry 31

(Write-in) Michaela Huston 36

Library Trustees – 1-year term

Amy Goldstein 1567 - Elected

Library Trustees – 2-year unexpired term

Mona H. Lepine 1548 - Elected

Road Agent – 1-year term

Gerard J. DeCosta 1316 - Elected

Roderick W. Jones 565

Town Clerk/Tax Collector – 3-year term

Theresa L. Briand 945 - Elected

Carrie-Anne Pace 868

Treasurer – 3-year term

Horace W. Seymour 1539 - Elected

Trustee, Town Trust Funds – 3-year term

Horace W. Seymour 1511 - Elected

Warrant Articles

Article 2: Adoption of the Zoning Ordinance Amendment No. 1 (Temporary Placement of Manufactured Housing)

Yes 1596 No 451 Passed

Article 3: Adoption of the Zoning Ordinance Amendment No. 2 (Impact Fees)

Yes 1417 No 546 Passed

Article 4: Adoption of the Zoning Ordinance Amendment No. 3 (Extending expiration of Growth Management Ordinance from 2005 to 2006)

Yes 1470 No 532 Passed

Article 5: Adoption of the Zoning Ordinance No. 4 (Albuquerque Avenue Set back minimum)

Yes 1687 No 379 Passed

Article 6: Raise and appropriate the sum of $850,000.00 for the construction and fit-up of a fire station at the intersection of Wood Hawk Way and Albuquerque Avenue.

Yes 1044 No 1088 Defeated

Article 7: Operating Budget

Yes 1150 No 874 Passed

Article 8: Raise and appropriate the sum of $502,392.00 to complete Albuquerque Avenue.

Yes 1452 No 707 Passed

Article 9: Raise and appropriate the sum of $245,000.00 to engineer and construct a road drainage system on Corning Road.

Yes 898 No 1179 Defeated

Article 10: Hire a full-time police officer effective July 5, 2005.

Yes 852 No 1259 Defeated

Article 11: Raise and appropriate the sum of $62,532.00 to correct the drainage pattern of the Aaron Cutler Memorial Library.

Yes 1199 No 916 Passed

Article 12: Raise and appropriate the sum of $147,000.00 for Phase I of a two-year town-wide revaluation plan.

Yes 1046 No 1035 Passed

Article 13: Approve the cost item for wage and related costs that have been included in the collective bargaining agreement.

Yes 1181 No 876 Passed

Article 14: Increase the veterans’ tax credit currency from $100.00 to $300.00.

Yes 1435 No 605 Passed

School Election

Moderator – 3-year term

(Write-in) John Regan 56

(Write-in) Phil Reed 33

School Board – 3-year term

Cynthia Couture 1398 - Elected

School Board – 1-year term

Dorothy A. Bearegard 1501 - Elected

Clerk – 3-year term

Lynn Baddeley 1549 - Elected

Treasurer – 3-year term

Lynn Baddeley 1493 - Elected

Articles

Article 1: Raise and appropriate the sum of $19,836,269.00 for the construction, furnishing, and original equipping of a new elementary school.

Yes 1193 No 998 Defeated (needed 1315)

Article 2: Construction, of new preschool through grade three elementary school and alter Griffin Memorial to house grades four and five.

Yes 656 No 1374 Defeated

Article 3: Operating Budget

Yes 1234 No 870 Passed

Article 4: Sell or convey the Griffin Memorial School and its associated land and buildings.

Yes 1048 No 1083 Defeated

Article 5: Replace the entire original roof at Litchfield Middle School.

Yes 1571 No 567 Passed

Article 6: Approve a four (4) year lease-purchase agreement for purchase of Ford F-350 truck for district wide use.

Yes 849 No 1290 Defeated

Article 7: Establish a capital reserve fund for school capital improvements, building maintenance and repair.

Yes 1143 No 970 Passed

Article 8: Expanding the computer literacy teacher position at Litchfield Middle School to full-time.

Yes 1227 No 913 Passed

Article 9: Part-time music teacher at Campbell High School.

Yes 1188 No 957 Passed

Article 10: Public Kindergarten

Yes 1194 No 948 Passed

Article 11: Training for the School District’s required implementation of the Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) Statement Number 34 Accounting Standards.

Yes 1106 No 998 Passed

Article 12: Treasurer to appoint a Deputy Treasurer for a 1-year term.

Yes 923 No 1157 Defeated

Article 13: Adopt the provisions of RSA 40:14 (b) to delegate the determination of the default to the municipal budget committee which has been adopted under RSA 32:14.

Yes 595 No 1413 Defeated