Winnacunnet Athletic Director Receives Prestigious Honor Carol Dozibrin, Winnacunnet High School's athletic director, was recently honored by the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association as the 2012 recipient of the Advancement of Girls Sports Award. First given out in 1996, the Advancement of Girls Sports Award recognizes an individual who has made a great contribution to the development of girls' athletics at the high school level, according to the NHIAA. Winnacunnet School Board Vice Chairman Henry Marsh recently thanked Dozibrin during a public meeting and congratulated her on …

New Charitable Beach Parking Stickers Have Raised $14K for Rec Programs Earlier this year, Hampton Parks and Recreation Department officials teamed with the Hampton Town Clerk's Office to develop a program each hoped would give residents a creative way to offer a little help to locals in need. What's come out of the program has been far from little, though. Hampton Parks and Recreation Director Dyana Martin announced Monday the department so far has raised $14,000 through the sale of the stylized beach parking stickers, which cost $10 apiece at the clerk's office. Selectmen Vice Chairman Dick…

State Will Pay $13K Sewer Bill for Liquor Stores Thanks in large part to work by Sen. Nancy Stiles, R-Hampton, Hampton Town Manager Fred Welch said the state has agreed to pay a years-old $13,000 sewer bill for service to the two state liquor stores off Interstate 95. Welch said a water meter will be installed at the stores to accurately gauge the consumption of the facilities, and adjustments to the bill will be made up or down based on the meter results. Welch told Patch in March that the state had refused to install a meter and pay the bill because of the way it was calculated, although …

Selectmen Unanimously Accept Grant for Storm Drain Upgrades Hampton selectmen voted Monday to accept a $149,146 FEMA hazard mitigation grant in order to upgrade the storm drains at the intersection of High Street and Lafayette Road. Town Manager Fred Welch said the work has been needed and pending "for several years," while Rick Griffin, chairman of the selectmen, said it's "been a big problem for a long time." Welch said the work will begin within the next year. Voice Concerns, Ask Questions During Seabrook Station Public Hearing Thursday The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has added a public …

Hampton School Board Elects New Officers Following the election-day defeat of Chairwoman Rosemary Lamers, the Hampton School Board was tasked Wednesday with picking a new a new chair and vice chair during its first meeting since town meeting. Charlotte "Peppa" Ring, who won her bid for reelection on March 13, was named the new chair through a unanimous vote Wednesday night. Maureen O'Leary, whose term expires in 2013, was unanimously chosen as the new vice chair. NECAP Scores Improving, But Still Room to Grow Winnacunnet High School officials are proud of their school's strides to improve its…

1. No State Aid Coming for Little River Bacteria Testing: North Hampton Town Administrator Steve Fournier announced earlier this month that the town will not receive a $30,000 state grant it was pursuing to continue bacteria testing and remediation in and around Little River. Fournier made the announcement at the start of the March 8 town budget hearing. The town had hoped to use the funding in a variety of ways to identify and correct the sources of bacteria contamination creating issues in Little River, runoff from which led to high bacteria concentrations at the beach last summer. The town…

1. Tentative Agreement Reached in SAU 90: The negotiating teams for the Seacoast Education Association and the Hampton School Board have reached tentative agreements on a new teachers contract. School Administrative Unit 90 Superintendent Kathleen Murphy said the teachers union is expected to ratify the undisclosed agreement at a session at 3:30 p.m., while the school board is expected to also approve the deal after a 5:30 p.m. nonpublic session at SAU 90. Murphy said she is "assuming they'll pass" the deal because "it's been a very positive negotiation session" over the last three months. "I…

1. Cell Phone Tower Discussion Delayed: Hampton selectmen decided Monday to reschedule a conversation about the need to install a new cell tower or cell towers in the area. The dicussion will take place during the board's Monday, Nov. 21, meeting. Residents had requested selectmen tackle the topic because many areas of town are rendered phoneless during power outages, which several said is concerning because they have no way of contacting authorities during emergencies due to the area's spotty cell coverage. Selectmen mentioned they will reach out to the phone companies to find a solution, …

Here's a roundup of recent municipal action and discussions:   1. Budget Approaches Again Spur Selectmen Conflict: Strategy differences between two Hampton selectmen again generated a heated disagreement during a recent public session. Selectmen Jerry Znoj and Rick Pierce rarely agree on various topics, especially when it comes to the budget. Griffin has stated earlier this fall that he didn't want to "micromanage" department heads during the budget process, and Znoj took the time on Oct. 17 to publicly react to those comments, which Znoj said he felt were directed at him. "Rick thinks …

Here's a roundup of recent municipal action and discussions:   1. Hampton Looking to Save Money: Selectmen Vice Chairman Bill Lally wants the town to look into purchasing laptops or tablet computers for the board in an effort to save printing costs and wear and tear on the town's copiers. "We have stacks and stacks of paper each week," Lally said last week. "The amount we're paying here every week... we could have these [computers] paid for in eight months to a year." Chairman Dick Nichols said he also supported the idea, as he said the board uses roughly 43 feet of paper a year. Selectmen …

Welcome to Hampton-North Hampton Patch's newest column, "Municipal Roundup," a quick hits-style primer of some of the recent important decisions and discussions that haven't yet been written about here on Patch. We'll occasionally give you this roundup so you know exactly what's going on in your community without having to watch a three-hour meeting or read a full-sized story.   1. Little River Work Continues: North Hampton Town Administrator Steve Fournier said Police Chief Brian Page is "working on setting up adding testing" on the river, which recently may have contributed to fecal-related…