Around Town with Dick Patten is back

Editor's Note: For many years before becoming a city councilor, Dick Patten wrote a column for the Town Crier section of the Concord Monitor. Dick hasn't been able to do a column of late but asked to have some space here, whenever he feels like submitting them. And don't miss his show on ConcordTV either. Welcome back to the columnist world Dick! ... Tony

Good evening, looks like a fairly quiet week after having a messy mini snow bout on Friday. Regardless of big or snow, it's hard to complain about the general services department. They have been trying to keep up with the roads and sidewalks. Plus they need to keep the cemetery roads open as well. Then they also need to take down the Christmas tree at the State House Plaza and Boudreau Square. They will be taking down the banners on Main Street and Loudon Road. So they are are really working up there.

The Fire Department has been doing their great work as usual. In addition to their regular duties,they also need to shovel out fire hyhdrants and talk to citizens about fire dangers, and do training. Both The Fire and Polie in this city are the best you will ever find. And the same way about the General Services Dept. We should be very pleased about what happin this City.

The City Council meets Monday night at 7 p.m. The agenda seems like a big one.

There is one item that I will be speaking about: There will be a hearing about some of the U-turn
stops that they want to do away with. I drove around Ward 8 and there are several on Loudon Road and Fort Eddy Road that I feel are dangerous. I feel some of these U-turns are dangerous anyway.

My sincere best wishes and prayers are extended to Vern Mitchell, Yvonne Crocker, and Elizabeth Cotsibas. Try to keep positive, all your friends are with you.

Pineconia Grange #322 will be delivering new dictionaries to third grade students in Concord and Dunbarton schools. The Dictionary Project is a nationwide Grange endeavor. Rodney and Shelley Huntoon have done this for Pineconia for the past few years, but were unable to this year. This year, I have taken this on. It is a great project and I didn't want it to end. Plus, I have included Concord Christian and St. John Regional School as well.

Pineconia Grange meets the fourth Monday of the month at Havenwood Retirement Center at 7 p.m. We are in need of members. We do so many community projects, but we need help. The dues for full membership are $40 a year; family membership are $30 a year; Friends of the Grange, $20 a year; Business Friends of the Grange, $25 a year. We also sponsor Boy Scout Troop 90 and Cub Scout Pack 90; are also heavily involved with Christmas parade and Christmas tree lighting and decorations. providing food and holiday surprises along with 10 stockings for Christmas for the teenagers.

Please call me if you have news I am doing this like the old days of Town Crier in the Monitor on Sundays. Thanks to Tony, I have been resurrected.