Limited Public Access to Town Facilities

Press Release - For Immediate Release
For Additional Information Contact:
Michael Branley, Town Administrator
603-352-7411
March 19, 2020

 Town of Swanzey Operational Changes to limit exposure to COVID-19

 The Town of Swanzey continues to closely monitor the COVID-19 situation, which is rapidly evolving.  The Town is committed to taking reasonable precautions to maintain the health and safety of our residents, employees, and volunteers.  To limit the spread of this virus, effective Friday March 20, 2020 at close of business, Town Hall and other Town Facilities will have reduced public access until further notice.  The efforts outlined below are part of our effort to keep you and our staff healthy by limiting face-to-face contact and foot traffic at facilities, in response to recommendations from the State and Federal governments.  With that said, you can help us by avoiding coming to a Town facility and by only contacting us about matters that need to be resolved immediately and cannot be done remotely.    

 Rest assured that the Town is working closely with State and Federal officials to monitor all developments related to COVID-19 and we will do everything we can to help people through this difficult time.  We will continue to provide updates as often as possible to keep you updated regarding this quickly changing situation.

 Town Hall

Although Town Facilities will have limited public access, the Town will still be working to serve the residents and customers of the Town of Swanzey.  We will be doing our best to operate a “Virtual Town Hall,” with as much work as possible being conducted online (www.swanzeynh.gov), over the phone (352-7411), through the mail (PO Box 10009 Swanzey NH 03446), or using our drop box in front of Town Hall.  Resident questions can and will be answered via telephone and email.  Our Town employees will be working both remotely and on-site, but we will continue to be at your service.  Because employees may be working remotely, email should be the primary method of communication.

 Fire and Police

Our dedicated Police and Fire Departments are committed to continue to provide a high level of service to the residents of Swanzey, however we ask that non-emergency calls be kept to a minimum so they may limit face to face interactions with the public and devote their time to emergency calls.  Administrative services will be limited until the situation stabilizes. For non-emergencies please call the Police Department at 352-2869 and the Fire Department at 358-6455.  The safety of the community will continue to be our priority.  

 Libraries

Both the Stratton Free and Mt. Caesar Libraries are closed to the public at this time. 

 Recycling Center

The Recycling Center will no longer be accepting sorted recyclables.  Unsorted glass should go into bins are labeled outside and all aluminum beverage cans, steel cans, and aluminum cat food cans will be disposed of with scrap metal.  If you have space to store recyclables until after this situation has passed that would be greatly appreciated, otherwise they should go in with household trash.  This effort is to reduce the time customers spend at the Recycling Center and the handling and sorting of recycled materials for the protection of our customers and staff.  More information will be available at the Recycling Center.  Please contact the Recycling Center with questions or concerns at 357-3808 or jwhipple@swanzeynh.gov.

 Department of Public Works

The Department of Public Works will continue to maintain the Town roads, bridges, dams, and facilities largely business as usual, however efforts will be made to limit face to face interactions with the public.  Please contact the Department of Public Works with questions or concerns at 352-7116 or abedaw@swanzeynh.gov.

 Public Meetings

The Town expects to be offering remote access to upcoming public meetings effective immediately.  More details will be released soon.

 Information regarding Transactions / Questions

  • Motor vehicle registration renewals should be done online by going to www.swanzeynh.gov, clicking on PAYMENT, and clicking on “Vehicle Registrations.”  The vehicle registration will then be mailed to you once it is processed.
  • Registration of newly purchased vehicles should be done by calling the Town Clerk (352-7411 ext. 1 or townclerk@swanzeynh.gov) to schedule an appointment.  Please note that the State has extended all DMV or dealer 20 day plates to April 30th.
  • Copies of vital records (birth or death certificates) – please contact the Town Clerk’s office at 352-7411 ext. 1 or townclerk@swanzeynh.gov.
  • Tax, water, and sewer bills may be paid online (by going to www.swanzeynh.gov, clicking on PAYMENT, and clicking on “Property Taxes” or “Utility Bills”), through the mail (PO Box 10009 Swanzey NH 03446), or in the drop box in front of Town Hall.  Contact Tax Collector Jason Taylor with questions (352-7411 ext. 2 jtaylor@swanzeynh.gov ).
  • Dog licensing renewals should be done online by going to www.swanzeynh.gov, clicking on PAYMENT, and clicking on “Dog Licensing.” The license will then be mailed to you once it is processed.
  • Registration of new dogs will be by appointment only by contacting the Town Clerk’s office at 352-7411 ext. 1 or rfontaine@swanzeynh.gov.
  • Building permits or related matters – interior inspections will be significantly limited. Please contact Code Enforcement Officer Mike Jasmin at 352-7411 ext. 105 or code@swanzeynh.gov.
  • Assessing matters – the Town’s contracted assessing firm will not be entering homes until further notice. Please contact Assessing Coordinator Christine Smith with assessing related questions at 352-7411 ext. 114 or csmith@swanzeynh.gov.
  • Land Use, Planning, Zoning, and related matters – please contact Director of Planning & Economic Development Matthew Bachler at 352-7411 ext. 108 or mbachler@swanzeynh.gov.
  • Public Assistance – please contact Human Services Coordinator Edna Coates at 352-7411 ext. 110 or ecoates@swanzeynh.gov.
  • General Inquiries – please contact Administrative Assistant Jenna Fraunfelder at352-7411 ext. 115 or jfraunfelder@swanzeynh.gov.
  • Cemetery & Burial Questions – please contact Cemetery Sexton Lee Dunham at 762-4008 or ldunham@swanzeynh.gov.

 

Note about online transactions: Our vendor, Interware, who provides our EB2Gov online services, is waiving the transaction fee for all EB2Gov transactions.  Encouraging citizens to request their municipal transactions online for any EB2Gov service available through your municipality, including: motor vehicle registration renewals and dog license renewals. However, the fees associated with the citizen’s selected payment type, including credit card and ACH fees, have not been waived as these fees are charged by other partners who help bring these services to you.

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