RYE CRISP
Att: Wall thieves … Parks draft delayed … Molly Rowlee's birthday … On cove and creek … Town forest expands … Souter hardly retiring … Dan Brown book due out
Staff of Rye Reflections
Stonewalling thieves …
Stone walls are prevalent throughout the Seacoast, even on the Isles of Shoals. This one was built on Appledore. (Jim Cerny photo)
New Hampshire's recent updating of its 1791 law to protect stone walls from thieves prompted numerous readable stories regarding these treasured markers. The Boston Globe took a broader look at the New England-wide problem, while Wayne Hooper was inspired to check out the history of stone wallsin Seacoastonline.
The one-time N.H. fine of $15 is now triple that amount, but also requires the guilty party(ies) to pay attorney fees and restore the wall, a cost that could run into the thousands in many cases.
Robert Thorson, a University of Connecticut geology professor whose studies have carried him 20,000 miles across the region on foot, according to the Globe, says that half of New England's stone walls were built to mark off farm fields between 1775 and 1825.
Other stories, each adding a bit more insight, appeared in The Eagle-Tribune of Massachusetts amd The Times-Argus of Vermont.
Wait'll next year …
August came and went, and the promised re-issue of the state Division of Parks and Recreation's draft of its Ten-Year Strategic and Capital Improvement Plan is now promised for the beginning of November. However, there were 300 public comments since the first draft was ordered withdrawn early in July by DRED Commissioner George Bald (see Rye Crisp in the August issue of Rye Reflections). A new timeline calls for a draft by November 2, public sessions concluded by November 25 and a final version completed by January 4, 2010. The Legislature will have to be petitioned to extend the draft deadline of September 30. For more information, go to the state Parks website.Surfers salute Molly …
(Judy Palm photos)
Molly Rowlee's 6th birthday would have been August 22. The day began hazy, hot and humid as hundreds of surfers gathered at Plaice Cove and North Beach
in Hampton. They were there to help Molly's family and friends honor the day without Molly. Last February Molly was diagnosed with anaplastic large-cell lymphoma. Six months later, on July 12, she died. The Rowlees are a family of surfers, and the surfing community had come together several times during the illness to raise money. On August 22 they were there for a celebration of her life. The beach at the cove was covered with surf boards, and each one had a flower on it. The surfers rode their boards out, formed a heart, sang "Happy Birthday" and threw the flowers into the water. Those who couldn't go into the ocean did the same from the shore. There were many tears and hugs, but Molly had a meaningful and friend-filled birthday. The surfing community is continuing to hold fund raisers to support families like the Rowlees. More information and a list of events is available at www.mollyrowlee.com.
KRISPY KRISPS …
- The quality of the water in the Pirates Cove area is being tested twice a week and is considered a Tier One area by the state's Department of Environmental Services (DES), according to a presentation before the Rye Board of Selectmen in July. Jessica Devoid of the DES Beach Program and Ken Hicket of FB Environmental Services, a Portland, Maine, consulting firm, said the bacteria count is frequently of a level to be a health threat. Jim Raynes, chairman of the Conservation Commission, suggested a sign be placed at Parsons Creek, south of Pirates Cove, warning that the area is not safe for swimming. Joe Mills and Priscilla Jenness of the board agreed. Mills said the nickname "Stinky Creek", a 60-year-old label, probably results from seaweed that washes up and gets buried under the sand.
- With $250,000 from the Conservation Fund and a $5000 donation, the Rye Board of Selectmen approved a Conservation Commission proposal for the acquisition of 5.36 acres of Josephs' property at 546 Washington Road. This, along with an easement donation, will expand the Town Forest by more than eight acres, according to Chairman Raynes.
- Rye's Board of Selectmen have voted to join in a lawsuit against the state pertaining to the state budget reduction of retirement contributions for Group I teachers and Group II police and firefighters with local governments required to pay what the state is not. The Selectmen agreed only to pay the $1048.13 portion for the police and firefighters.
- An early casualty resulting from state cutbacks was the 39-year-old OdysseyNH program in Hampton, closed in mid-August. A residential substance abuse treatment facility, OdysseyNH has rented the Adolescent Treatment Center on Winnacunnet Road, the OdysseyNH Academy on High Street and the Blue Heron Inn on Landing Road. Rye has received word that Rockingham Superior Court has upheld a Board of Selectmen ruling maintaining the end of Harbor Road, beyond the turnaround at the breakwater as a private road, precluding plowing and maintenance by the Town.
- A three-month extension has been obtained by the Rye Board of Selectmen to the Comcast Cable contract, extending it to September 27. The Town has sent a proposed new franchise agreement to Comcast and is awaiting a response.
- The Friends of Pulpit Rock are tentatively planning public tours of the tower in the next three months, starting in October. "We hope to schedule two or three open houses this fall," the non-profit group announced in its recent newsletter. "It's time to show the tower off and raise awareness about the tower's history and the incredible views it offers a visitor." But in continuing discussions by the Board of Selectmen on July 27 regarding a takeover of the tower by Rye from the Fish & Game Department, Selectman Craig Musselman questioned whether recent renovations had brought the building up to code well enough to enable public access. He asked that the matter be looked into.
- Normally the Selectmen defer to the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment when it comes to proposed developments, but Joe Mills already is raising a red flag about one reported aspect of a proposal in the formation stage by the Wentworth By The Sea Country Club to build a beach and swim club on the southwest corner of Route 1A and Wallis Road. Press reports about preliminary discussions between the Wentworth and the state regarding the right of way and parking spaces on Route 1A prompted Mills at a recent meeting to assert, "I'm not giving away any 100-foot right of way." Meanwhile, an informational for neighbors was held by the Wentworth on August 26 with most questions centering around traffic issues.
- Justice David H. Souter hardly took a deep breath after retiring from the U.S. Supreme Court when he took on an active role with the New Hampshire Supreme Court Society, helping launch an attempt by the Society to revive civics education. A recent Society study. "There is a danger to judicial independence when people have no understanding of how the judiciary fits into the constitutional scheme," Mr. Souter told the annual meeting of the American Bar Association in Chicago on Aug. 1. A no-brainer? Not really. Experts argue vehemently over who should set the standards and what they should include.
- Five Seacoast residents are among 28 founding members of the Live Free or Die Alliance that has formed around the state's motto to become New Hampshire's "Virtual Town Hall". On July 31, 1809, New Hampshire's General John Stark wrote a toast, saying "Live free or die: Death is not the worst of evils." The first four words became the state's motto in 1945. The non-profit Alliance hopes to promote open citizen debate on state and local issues. Its website, which is at livefreeordiealliance.com, will launch fully in October. The group aims to be non-partisan and "will take no policy positions, nor endorse specific candidates". Seacoast founders are Paul and Anna Grace Holloway, Russ and Marcy McCann and Bob Preston Sr..
- The Seacoast will be well represented on Governor John Lynch's Gambling Study Commission that will look at possible models for expanding gaming. The 14 members selected so far (a 15th is expected to be named) are Mayor Tom Ferrini of Portsmouth, Bonnie Newman of Portsmouth and Andrew Lietz, a former Rye resident.
- Don Maurer of the state Department of Environmental Services came to Rye in August and tried, apparently unsuccessfully, to convince the Selectmen to look into a solid-waste collection program called Pay as You Throw, involving fees for bags and stickers. He said it would save residents money. Joe Mills said he preferred Rye's present recycling program, Priscilla Jenness questioned Maurer's numbers and Craig Musselman thought it worth looking into.
- Peter Sawtell, a UNH graduate, is the new programs director for the Rye Recreation Department, working under Director Lee Arthur. He was selected from among more than 100 applicants.
- Dan Brown's new book, The Lost Symbol, is due out in both hardcover and electronic forms on September 15, according to Doubleday, which also announced that its first printing will be five million copies.
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PEOPLE IN THE NEWS …
Hall of fame …
Robert Mitchell, 99, who with his wife, Carol, was the subject of a "Rye Reflections" Greatest Generation story in May, recently had an exhibit of his wildlife carvings for a day at Webster At Rye where they live. The main lobby was filled with more than 150 of his carvings for the public and residents to view. (Judy Palm photo)
Quick index to back issues of Rye Crisp …
September, 2009
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