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There is a meeting on Monday No. 6 at 7:00 pm. Some former massholes are trying to eliminate hunting on public property.

Bans draw mixed reviews

Some councilors say smoking, hunting in Londonderry to stay
By Terry Date and Suzanne Laurent
Staff Writers
LONDONDERRY | A proposal to ban hunting in town and prohibit smoking on town-owned property is drawing mixed reaction from town councilors.
Councilor Mark Oswald proposed the hunting and smoking ban at last week's meeting, and the town manager is putting together a draft ordinance for the council to review next month. He said his major concern is public health and safety.
Oswald said he is worried that residents in their backyards or children playing in the woods could be shot by a hunter. He said it's already illegal to hunt within 100 yards of a property in town. He said there are places outside Londonderry where hunters can seek game.
"There's got to be more plentiful places to hunt," he said.
Councilor Tom Dolan thinks Oswald's proposal has merit.
"I think it's a wise move," he said. "As a town, I think we're becoming fairly congested for hunting purposes. We don't have to wait for an accidental shooting to realize this."
Dolan said he heard shots by the rest stop on Route 102 when he drove by a few weeks ago.
"They were quite audible, and it was a little disconcerting," he said. "Londonderry is approaching 25,000 people, and there is less and less space between humans."
Councilor Marty Bove, on the other hand, is opposed to a hunting ban.
"First of all, we'd have a number of problems enforcing it," he said. "The Musquash property was bought with Bureau of Outdoor Recreation Fund (money) that amounted to $4,000. This is part of New Hampshire Fish and Game that supports and encourages hunting."
Besides, he said, hunting is important because it helps keep the deer population in check. This helps to cut down on deer-human conflicts like vehicle collisions and the destruction of ornamental plants.
Council Chairman Brian Farmer is also skeptical about the need for a hunting ban.
"I don't know that we're getting a lot of reports from residents about hunters being too close to home," he said.
As for the smoking ban portion of his proposal, Oswald said he is worried about health risks associated with secondhand smoke. He would prohibit smoking on all town-owned land, including public entrances at restaurants, stores and other establishments.
Often, during cold weather, employees and customers who smoke gather outside establishments, subjecting people walking to and from businesses to secondhand smoke.
"I don't need to be accosted by smoke," he said.
There is already a regulation on the books banning smoking on school property. Oswald wants to see that prohibition carried over to the town, he said.
But his fellow councilors said it is unlikely that such a ban would hold up.
"Smoking is a personal choice," Bove said. "I don't like going into a building where everyone is standing outside smoking, but I don't know if we can do that (ban smoking) successfully."
Dolan said he considered a townwide ban last year after the state Senate rejected a smoking ban in restaurants, but the town attorney advised him that the state would not allow a town to do that on its own. He said Oswald's proposal to ban smoking on town property seems to make sense.
"I do believe we have the legal authority to propose a ban on town property," Dolan said. "It's a reasonable accommodation that smokers can make for the larger population."
But Farmer said a number of restaurants in town already ban smoking.
"I would question the ramifications and how it would affect the community if we banned smoking on town property," he said.
Town Manager Dave Caron said the council will review the proposed ordinance and possibly suggest changes. The public will have a chance to comment and ask questions before any council action is taken, he added.
The council's next regular meeting is Nov. 6.