Hanover Happenings

This is your Town Manager here for the December employee/volunteer spotlight. This month, I wanted to do something slightly different. In the first spotlight we met our new Town Manager who is… oh, right that's me. Then we met Captain Josh Merriam at the Hanover Fire Department. We took a trip out to the Etna Library and heard from librarian Sarah Molesworth about her one month long hike on the Long Trail in Vermont. Then we shifted into land use, and sat down with Bill Fischel and and Bernie Waugh from the ZBA. Then we moved into election gear and spoke with our town clerk, moderator, volunteer ballot clerks, and a supervisor of the checklist about what it takes to put on a local election. In this podcast, we're going to keep spotlighting staff and volunteers, in addition to community members and projects, every month going forward. But I wanted to take a step a back and share some reflections about why we're doing this. Check out this short episode that I recorded to give some background on why doing this is so important and as a thank you to the nearly 180 staff who keep things running smoothly for all of us, every day, often well behind the scenes. Happy New Year and thank you to all of our wonderful staff, as well as our many volunteers. Thanks to the Selectboard and Town Meeting for their support. And thanks to all of the community members who take the time to learn, engage, and support the things that make Hanover such a special place to live and work. Have you had a great or interesting interaction with one of our staff and would like to see them featured in an upcoming podcast episode? Contact me at alex.torpey@hanovernh.org and we'll see what we can do!

In this month's community spotlight, we talk with Peter Milliken of Friends of Oak Hill. As Peter and I walk around Storrs Pond, we talk about the history of Oak Hill, the significant local and regional winter sports/skiing needs, the scope of the upgrades being worked on for Oak Hill, and how you can get involved in the major upgrades planned for this key community facility. For all of the Hanover Happenings updates and episodes, you can visit hanoverhappenings.com. Find the monthly reports, agenda, minutes, videos and more at: Hanovernh.org.

Welcome to your December Hanover Happenings! Although winter was off to a slow start, that all has changed in the last few weeks.... In this edition of Hanover Happenings, we get updates on: The December 5th and 19th Selectboard meetings, where we covered topics such as: Some appointments and new hires Our tax rate Donations made to the town Employee recognition Rental housing ordinance update The monthly Town Manager report, which covered topics such as: Several HR/Hiring issues, including finance director and HR director hiring, staff survey and compensation plans, collective bargaining and more 2023 - 2024 Budget process Downtown Hanover updates A community spotlight: We talk with Peter Milliken of Friends of Oak Hill. As Peter and I walk around Storrs Pond, we talk about the history of Oak Hill, the significant local and regional winter sports/skiing needs, the scope of the upgrades being worked on for Oak Hill, and how you can get involved in the major upgrades planned for this key community facility. A thank you to all of our staff. I spend a few minutes sharing some personal reflections after our staff holiday party, and why I believe our community is so lucky to have the staff that we do For all of the Hanover Happenings updates and episodes, you can visit hanoverhappenings.com. Find the monthly reports, agenda, minutes, videos and more at: Hanovernh.org.

Have you ever wondered what goes into pulling off a safe, accurate, and fair election? Join five local Hanover election officials in this month's Spotlight to dive deep into the behind the scenes of how our elections work. This the first of a multi-part series recapping and discussing our elections. This first is a conversation with: Town Clerk Bobbie Hitchcock Town Moderator Jeremy Eggleton Supervisor of the Checklist Allison Gorman Ballot Clerk Bill Brown Ballot Clerk Sandy Joslin We talk about what it takes to make a safe, accurate election actually happen in Hanover, how you accurately count and record thousands of blank ballots (not the way you might think), the importance of accurate record keeping, building trust in our elections, and some memorable moments our staff and volunteers have had. This spotlight is in part to thank the over 80 individuals, almost all of whom are volunteer, who directly work on the election, plus the dozens more who support it. Thank you all for doing what you do, ensuring one of the most important and sacred components to our society can happen in a trusted fashion. For all of the Hanover Happenings updates and episodes, you can visit hanoverhappenings.com. Find the monthly reports, agenda, minutes, videos and more at: Hanovernh.org.

We have two spotlights this month: The first is with Abe Healey, a Hanover High School student who belongs to Scout Troop 45. For his eagle project, Abe designed and placed some American Flag retirement/dropoff points at three locations around town, where you can properly dispose of a damaged or old flag. I sit down with Abe to talk about why he was inspired for that project, and of course, we end up talking about science-fiction. Thanks Abe and the Scouts! The second spotlight is the first of a multi-part series recapping and discussing our elections. This first is a conversation with: Town Clerk Bobbie Hitchcock Town Moderator Jeremy Eggleton Supervisor of the Checklist Allison Gorman Ballot Clerk Bill Brown Ballot Clerk Sandy Joslin We talk about what it takes to make a safe, accurate election actually happen in Hanover, how you accurately count and record thousands of ballots (not the way you might think), the importance of accurate record keeping and building trust in our elections, and some memorable moments they had. This spotlight is in part to thank the over 80 individuals, almost all of whom are volunteer, who directly work on the election, plus the dozens more who support it. Thank you all for doing what you do, ensuring one of the most important and sacred components to our society can happen in a trusted fashion. For all of the Hanover Happenings updates and episodes, you can visit hanoverhappenings.com. Find the monthly reports, agenda, minutes, videos and more at: Hanovernh.org.

Welcome to the fifth installment of Hanover Happenings! This is your Town Manager here with your November recap. Just a note: Going forward, I'm going to post the episodes somewhat differently. Instead of posting the updates and spotlight interviews together, I'm going to post them separately so you can tune into what you're most interested in. So each month, we'll have 2-3 shorter episodes posted, rather than one long one. The topics we covered in this update are: Topics from Selectboard meetings in November: Some routine business Friends of Oak Hill update Tax rate discussion Election day Several appointments Several donations And the Town Manager's monthly report which includes more information on: A number of hiring and HR issues Finance Director and budget process Traffic safety issues working group Downtown Hanover working group Sustainability update NHMA conference And we have two great spotlights this month: The first is with Abe Healy, a Hanover High School student who belongs to Scout Troop 45. For his eagle project, Abe designed and placed some American Flag retirement/dropoff points at three locations around town, where you can properly dispose of a damaged or old flag. I sit down with Abe to talk about why he was inspired for that project, and of course, we end up talking about science-fiction. Thanks Abe and the Scouts! Our next spotlight is the first of a multi-part series recapping and discussing our elections. This first is a conversation with: Town Clerk Bobbie Hitchcock Town Moderator Jeremy Eggleton Supervisor of the Checklist Allison Gorman Ballot Clerk Bill Brown Ballot Clerk Sandy Joslin We talk about what it takes to make a safe, accurate election actually happen in Hanover, how you accurately count and record thousands of ballots (not the way you might think), the importance of accurate record keeping and building trust in our elections, and some memorable moments they had. This spotlight is in part to thank the over 80 individuals, almost all of whom are volunteer, who directly work on the election, plus the dozens more who support it. Thank you all for doing what you do, ensuring one of the most important and sacred components to our society can happen in a trusted fashion. Head over to hanoverhappenings.com or search for "Hanover Happenings" in your favorite podcast player, such as Spotfy, Apple, Google, Amazon, etc. Subscribe to stay updated and please share with one friend who you want to help get more informed in town. You can find all the agendas, minutes, videos, and more at hanovernh.org.Thanks for reading!Town of Hanover

Welcome to Episode #4 of Hanover Happenings for a recap of the month of October! In this month's episode, we cover the following topics: Overview of Selectboard meeting agenda items from October 3rd and 17th October Town Manager report, including updates on: Hiring and Staffing Budget and Finance Director Search Ongoing Salary Study Election Update Rental Housing Inspection Ordinance Update Community/Economic Development CIVICS update A few other updates A special chat with New Hampshire Secretary of State Dave Scanlan I sit down with the New Hampshire Secretary of State to talk about elections, division, civility, and building trust in government. A great interview with our next "Employee/volunteer Spotlight This month we talk with Bernie Waugh and Bill Fischel from the Hanover Zoning Board of Adjustment. We talk about about what the ZBA is and isn't, what makes a good ZBA member (Hint: we're accepting volunteer applications), how the ZBA makes decisions, our non-ZBA broader reflections on zoning policy and how that can positively or negatively impact housing markets, and a bit more about Bernie and Bill, two longtime Hanover volunteers. Check out our conversation! Keep your eyes open for the unedited full interviews in the coming weeks! Episode Resources: - Find agendas, minutes, and meeting videos, as well as backup memos ○ https://www.hanovernh.org/node/1221/agenda/2022 - More about Hanover's Sustainability goals of 100% renewable electric by 2030 and all sources by 2050: ○ https://www.hanovernh.org/sustainable-hanover-committee - Rental Housing Inspection Ordinance: ○ https://Hanovernh.org/rentalhousing - Volunteer information and application: ○ https://hanovernh.org/volunteer - Congrats to our school district for the distinction: ○ https://www.thecentersquare.com/new_hampshire/this-is-the-top-ranking-school-district-in-new-hampshire/article_fc7d08ea-f0f5-5c53-9091-7fdd83748b5d.html - Libraries can heal a lonely and divided nation: ○ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-26/in-a-divided-nation-public-libraries-offer-space-to-reconnect

Thanks for checking out the third installment of Hanover Happenings! This podcast is aimed to help you be more informed about what's happening in and around Hanover. Is it working? Not working? Send any feedback to our host, Town Manager Alex Torpey at: alex.torpey@hanovernh.org. Sorry for the length of this episode, but I think you'll enjoy this really cool slightly longer Employee Spotlight conversation! In this episode we cover: Selectboard meeting agenda items from September 12th and 26th September Town Manager report, including updates on: Hiring and Staffing Ongoing salary study Primary Election Update Sustainable Master Plan Update Rental Housing Inspection Ordinance Update Housing Updates Is it budget time already?? Community/Economic Development Mental Health Resources and Access A few other updates A great interview with our next Employee Spotlight This month we talk to Sarah Molesworth, a part-time librarian at the Etna Library, who just took a month off to hike the entire 272 mile Long Trail in Vermont. Check out our conversation! Resources and links: September 12th and 26th Selectboard agenda, packet, backup memos (LED Streetlight c

Welcome to Episode #2 of Hanover Happenings! In this episode, we're going to cover the following topics: A brief rundown of what we covered in the August Selectboard meetings and the big picture items in the queue, such as the rental housing ordinance, settlement with Dartmouth on the North End Valuation, and BTLA ruling in favor of the Town My administrative report from the 8/22 Selectboard meeting, which includes updates on: Staffing and Hiring Issues and Shortages Fallfest and Home for the Holidays Updates Department Head "Vision" process Election Updates and deadlines Rental Housing Ordinance Downtown Hanover CIVICS Committee Other updates Our first employee spotlight! We'll get to know a little about Captain Josh Meriam at the Hanover Fire Department We'll also hear from three awesome Hanover High school students why solarizing is so important, and what we can learn from each other to help be more sustainable A message from Hanover police department about Childhood Cancer Awareness month. If you want to learn more, donate or get involved: www.CHaDKids.org A few links and resources: Election information: Hanovernh.org/elections Rental Housing ordinance information and survey: Hanovernh.org/rentalhousing The article I mention about economic (versus) community development written by Daybreak's Rob Gurwitt UVBA's latest email newsletter with information about funding assistance for small bu

Welcome to Hanover Happenings, your monthly update from Town Manager Alex Torpey about what's happening in Hanover. In this introductory episode, things will be a little different than the rest. In this one, we cover: What kind of content will likely be found in the monthly Hanover Happenings updates A little bit about my own background and context coming to Hanover What we covered in the July 25th Selectboard meeting: (view the full written report here) Intro and Onboarding | Update Agenda Items Item #2 Rental Registration Ordinance | Action Requested Discussion Item #3: Review and Approval of Petition and Underground License Sole Owned Petition from Liberty Utilities at Berrill Farms Lane and to Authorize Town Manager to Executed All Necessary Documents Item #4: Recommendation to Approve Copier Lease for Howe Library Item #5: Review of Request to Abate Water/Sewer bill for Property Located at 18 West Wheelock Street Item #6: Approval of NH Department of Safety Appointment of Donna J. Stender, Deputy Tax Collector and Assistance Town Clerk, as Town of Hanover Municipal Agent Item #7 Appointments: Town Manager Administrative Updates Housing | Update Hiring and Current Staffing | Update Public Kiosk | Update Mink Brook Trail and “the Point” | Update