Goffstown Residents Association


Dedicated to Securing A Truly Perfect Location for Goffstown's Future Kindergarten & Elementary Schools

Conservation Commission Blasts Kindergarten Site
Planning Board "strongly urged" to reject Glen Lake subdivision

Excerpts from the Report | Entire 3-Page Report | DPW Site Declared More Appropriate

GOFFSTOWN - The Goffstown Conservation Commission, in a July 13, 2005 memo to the Planning Board, blasted the currently proposed Glen Lake location as being "inappropriate" for the town's new kindergarten, and urged the Planning Board to reject the current subdivision application.

"We conclude that construction of a school building on this site is an inappropriate use of the property, and strongly urge the Planning Board to reject the subdivision." the report said. The Planning Board nevertheless ignored the report, and recommended the subdivision to the Board of Selectmen.

The Commission sited numerous reasons, not the least of which were major impact on wetlands, poor soils, and the inability to expand to a future elementary school. "More than half of the proposed site...would lie within the wetlands conservation overlay district", the report said. This finding is contrary to numerous public statements made by school superintendent Darryl Lockwood, whereby he has claimed there would be "minimal" wetlands impact.

The Commission also cited the failure of the Board of Selectmen to adhere to state statute RSA 41:14-a. "By not following these procedures, the transfer warrant article was placed on the ballot without allowing the relevant facts to be discussed in a public forum. During the deliberative session, attempts to discuss the factual details were suppressed. Voters did not receive the proper technical information about the site, and instead were given inaccurate information such as 'there are no significant wetlands'."

Interestingly, the report also cites attempts to suppress public discussion of factual details and numerous instances whereby voters were provided with inaccurate and incomplete information. The report also references vital facts and information that were withheld from Goffstown taxpayers.

In addition, the Commission found that the proposed construction is in direct conflict with the 1997 Town Master Plan, contrary to claims made by Lockwood and the Board of Selectmen. "The site does not follow the intended use for recreation and conservation that was clearly indicated in the Goffstown Master Plan Chapter 8 (Objective P2.2, Action Plan # 3), when the HUD funds were used to purchase the land, or when the voters previously authorized the purchase of the land. These facts were not disclosed to the voters in the presentations of Article 24 of the 2005 Town Ballot". Nor was Article 10 of the '77 ballot.

To view pertinent excerpts from the report, click here. To read the entire 3-page report, click here.