Please join us on Sept. 21, from 1-5 p.m., in celebration of the third annual Rusty Berrings Skatepark Day. The skatepark is located at the Riverside Community Park on Glen Road in West Lebanon. There will be free pizza, cookies, music and more. Admission is free and all ages are welcome.
The Rusty Berrings Skatepark, formerly the Lebanon Skatepark, was reopened on Oct. 21, 2017, proclaimed by Lebanon Mayor Sue Prentiss as Rusty Berrings Skatepark Day in memory of our son, Tyler Stillman Kirschner.
This is a rain-or-shine event.
For more information, please contact Lebanon Recreation and Parks at 603-448-5121, or visit us on Facebook at Remembering Rusty Berrings.
BUDDY and GINNY KIRSCHNER
Hanover
In his proposal of mandatory national service as a way to unify the country (“National service could bring us together,” Sept. 8), Wayne Gersen omitted important considerations.
First, mandatory national service would be involuntary servitude. A military draft may be justified because national defense during an existential threat is essential. That justification cannot be applied to the other activities to which mandatory national service might be directed.
Second, when describing how the Vietnam War led to the “misbegotten” decision to abolish the draft, Gersen referenced “idealistic antiwar students” who protested “a war whose purpose was unclear.” This ignores what many believe: that the war was fraudulently initiated, promoted and defended by a stream of lies from start to finish, and prosecuted under unconstitutional authority.
The war’s purpose was indeed unclear, but that was the least important factor that destroyed the legitimacy of the draft.
RICHARD ANDREWS
Springfield, Vt.
If you were responsible for maintaining 17,000 miles of roads you’d likely get about 17,000 comments from residents urging you to fix their stretch of road. With that sort of “earful,” some administrators might hesitate to seek additional input. Fortunately for Granite State walkers and bikers, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation isn’t hesitating at all.
Throughout 2019, the department is asking those who walk or bike along and across state roads about areas of concern and ways to improve the safety, connectivity and comfort for roadways including routes 4, 10, 12A and 120, among others, as well as rail trails.
Think about the walking and biking you do, or wish you could do if only it were safer. Then, share your opinions in an online survey that will inform the state’s new Pedestrian and Bike Plan. What are the dangerous spots and gaps in sidewalk, rail trail, greenway, multi-use path and crosswalk facilities on these routes and elsewhere?
Consider this our local call to action. Let’s ensure the Upper Valley is well-represented, because the final state plan will inform future policies, programs and budgeting.
To comment: Attend Lebanon’s public meeting on Sept. 18, at 5 p.m., at 10 Water St. (the Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission offices), or comment at www.nhpedbikeplan.com. Find a local tutorial to help you save time on the survey at http://bit.ly/uvlsrpc-tutorial.
Creating safer roadways is the work of all of us. Thanks for sharing your views.
REBECCA OWENS
City of Lebanon
BETHANY FLEISHMAN
Upper Valley Transportation
Management Association/
Vital Communities
ALLAN REETZ
Hanover Co-op Food Stores
and Auto Service Centers