League of
Women Voters of the Upper Valley
Hanover,
NH, Norwich, VT and neighboring towns
updated April 22, 2006 Home Page
>> Know Your Community Services
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Know Your Community
Services
Part 1:
Town Services
This
chapter covers services that are provided by the Town of Hanover and
are citizen-funded through Town taxes and fees.
Municipal
Services, Online page 1
Assessing
Department, Community Counselor, Fire Department, Libraries, Parks and
Recreation Department, Planning and Zoning Department, Police Department
The
municipal services described below are available at Town Hall, unless
otherwise noted.
Address: 41
South Main Street
General
telephone: 643-4123
Website:
www.hanovernh.org
Email:
townmgr@hanovernh.org
Assessing
Department
Michael
Ryan, Assessor. 643-0742 ext. 103.
Email:
assessor@hanovernh.org
The
Assessing Department is responsible for maintaining and updating the
town's property assessment records and providing the taxpayers of
Hanover with a cost effective property tax system that is both fair and
equitable. The department conducts periodic property inspections and
valuation update programs, provides assessing and sales information to
the general public, and delivers an updated tax assessment roll to the
tax collector for semi-annual tax billing. The department also handles
tax abatements, current use classification, timber tax, elderly
exemptions, and veteran tax credits. This department is guided by a
citizen board, the Advisory Board of Assessors, which sets policy for
and hears appeals regarding property assessment.
Community
Counselor
Dena
Romero, Community Counselor. Office: 48 Lebanon Street. 643-5317.
Email:
dena.romero@hanovernh.org
The
Community Counselor is a social worker serving the Town of Hanover and
the Dresden School District. The Counselor provides short-term
counseling and referrals to adolescents and their families and to
senior citizens. (See also Senior Center, page 5.) The Counselor also
manages the general assistance (town welfare) and alcohol diversion
programs and assists people applying for tax abatement due to inability
to pay.
Fire
Department
Roger
Bradley, Chief. 911 emergency, 643-3424 non-emergency.
Location:
48 Lyme Road, Hanover; Sub-station: Etna Road, Etna
Email:
firedept@hanovernh.org
The Hanover
Fire Station is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The department
provides: emergency fire and medical (ambulance) service; permits for
outside burning; permits and inspections for indoor gatherings for more
than 50 people; classes on extinguishers, home escape, and home smoke
detectors; and station tours.
Libraries
Hanover
has two libraries: the Hanover Town Library in Etna and the Howe
Library in Hanover. Both provide reading material for adults and
children; inter-library loans from other libraries; and reference
assistance in person, by phone, or by email. The "Libraries of Hanover"
card may be used at both libraries; KnowHowe, the online catalog,
includes the collections and information from both libraries.
Both
the Howe Library and the Etna Library are town supported. Each has a
board of trustees, but they are elected differently because the
libraries are historically different: the Howe Library trustees are
elected by the Howe Corporation; the Etna Library trustees are elected
by voters.
ETNA
LIBRARY
Barbara
Prince, Librarian. 643-3116. etna.library@hanovernh.org
Location:
Etna Road across from King Hill Road.
The Hanover
Town Library (in Etna) has been named to the National Register of
Historic Places. Founded in 1898, the library building was built in
1905 as the official town library for the Town of Hanover, hence its
formal name; however, because of its location and the fact that it has
traditionally served the Etna and Hanover Center communities, it has
been nicknamed the "Etna Library." The Etna Library provides Stories
and Art for children 3 to 6, Hands on Books for children under 3,
Summer Reading Program, special programs for school age children, Adult
Mud Season Reading Program, and Community Picnic Programs. The Etna
Library has about 6,000 items in its collection. It is open 20 hours a
week: Monday 2 pm to 7 pm, Tuesday 10 am to 2 pm, Wednesday Closed,
Thursday 2 pm to 7 pm, Friday 10 am to 2 pm, and Saturday 10 am to noon.
HOWE
LIBRARY
Marlene
McGonigle, Director. 643-4120. howe.library@valley.net
Location:
13 E. South Street (corner of East South Street and Currier Place)
Website:
www.thehowe.org
The Howe
Library "brings together people, ideas, and information. We encourage
everyone to read and enjoy the resources we offer." Founded in 1900,
the Howe currently holds about 75,000 items. In addition to its other
services listed in the opening paragraph above, it provides meeting
facilities for nonprofit groups and public access to the internet. The
Howe Library supports programs for children (Toddler Time, Storytime,
Summer Reading Program) and adults (book discussions and art exhibits).
The Howe Library is open Monday-Thursday 10 am-8 pm, Friday 10 am to 6
pm, Saturday 10 am-5 pm, and Sunday (September-June) 1 pm-5 pm.
Parks
and Recreation Department
Hank
Tenney, Director. 643-5315. Location: 48 Lebanon Street.
Email:
recdept@hanovernh.org
The Parks
and Recreation Department provides athletic and non-athletic activities
for youth and adults, as well as special events, as described in their
quarterly catalog. It is housed in the Community Center at 48 Lebanon, which is
available for use by nonprofit groups and for a small
fee for birthday parties. The department also handles the use of Town
athletic fields (Sachem Reservoir Road, Costello, and Etna) and
coordinates "Rent-a-Kid" (a list of students looking for babysitting
and odd jobs). This department is guided by the Parks and Recreation
Board, which recommends policy and evaluates recreation programs for
the community.
Planning
and Zoning Department
Jonathan
Edwards, Director. 643-0708.
The
Planning and Zoning Department is responsible for planning for the
Town's future in such areas as land-use, economic development,
transportation, natural resource protection, and maintenance and
enhancement of Hanover's special character and quality of life. It is
also responsible for zoning administration and enforcement,
conservation administration, and inspections and code enforcement.
This
department is guided by four citizen boards-the Building Code Advisory
Committee (reviews and recommends revisions to the town building code),
the Conservation Commission (promotes appropriate use of the town's
natural resources, including the town's trails and forests, wetlands,
and water areas), the Planning Board (updates the master plan for
community development, adopts and reviews site plans and applications
for subdivisions, and proposes zoning amendments), and the Zoning Board
of Adjustment (reviews four kinds of cases involving zoning: appeals,
special exceptions, equitable waivers, and variances).
Department
personnel include:
- Planning
and Zoning Director: is responsible for general liaison with citizens
and specific questions related to: Master Planning, business and
regional issues, floodplains and water regulations. 643-0742, ext. 110.
- Senior
Planner: explains and approves site plan reviews (required for business
and multi-family development), lot line adjustments, subdivisions (into
more lots than you started with); provides information about traffic
counts and studies; administers town-wide floodplain, wetland, and
other conservation planning, area planning, and Zoning Ordinance
revisions and amendments; and processes cases to be heard by the
Planning Board and Conservation Commission. 643-0742, ext. 113.
- Zoning
Administrator: explains and enforces the Town's Zoning Ordinance
regulations for property and building use; deals with "special
exception and variances" to the Zoning Ordinance; reviews lot
dimensional requirements; explains the zone of a particular lot and
frontage and setbacks by zone; and processes cases to be heard by the
Zoning Board of Adjustment. 643-0742, ext. 112.
- Building
Inspector: explains and enforces the Building Code, inspects buildings,
issues building permits (required for any work other than routine
maintenance or ordinary repair), provides guidance on handicapped
access, and provides staff assistance to the Building Code Advisory
Committee. 643-0742 , ext. 114.
- Planning
and Zoning General Office: To obtain information from the department's
database (by name, year of issue, or map and lot number)-such as
current or past cases of the Planning and Zoning Boards, Building and
Zoning & Use permits, plans and maps, minutes, correspondence, and
decisions-or to have a zoning permit file (by name, year, or lot
number) pulled for review. 643-0708.
Information
in this directory was revised in 2001. Since then we have relied
on
representatives of the organizations listed to send us updated
information. We appreciate your help.
voterinfo@uppervalleyleague.org
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