5 Things You Missed from Selectmen Last Night

The selectmen met last night and approved the following items:

1. Ten new voting machines were approved along with an accompanying laptop to upgrade the voting system in town. The new machines are lighter and will print out a variety of reports after the election. "Previously, I had to put together my own Excel spreadsheet," said Town Clerk Sandra Wright. "This is really going to make the process better." The cost of the new machines was appropriated at a previous town meeting for $65,000 and the new machines were purchased by LHS Associates of Salem, NH.
2. Library Director Ellen Dolan updated selectmen on the Library Awareness Project, which was funded by a grant from Bill and Linda Gates to help libraries promote all the services, including technology, through a Geek program. "They use geek to mean your passion," said Dolan at the meeting. "And we'll be having a kickoff event on Oct. 23 to help bring all the library services alive for visitors—we'll have a furniture maker in the woodworking section, cheese being handed out in the cookbook section, just to name a few ideas."
3. The selectmen also approved the service animals in municipal buildings policy, which includes some revisions. It eliminates the requirement that animals be spayed or neutered. And now town officials are not allowed to ask about the person's disability, but can ask if the animal is being trained or being used for a disability. Miniature horses and dogs are included in the policy that is required by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
4. Highway Superintendent John Knipe presented a new pavement management system that would streamline the road improvements around town.
5. The selectmen also lifted the water restrictions for the year.