About TownUpdate
What is TownUpdate or the TU as it’s come to be known? The TU’s goal is to encourage citizen participation in town issues, local government, and activities by providing information. The purpose of this site is to spark positive discussion and involvement in town activities in Londonderry, New Hampshire. The TU, was created in January of 2006, and is now entering it’s sixth year on-line as the longest running political forums in Londonderry, New Hampshire. The site first went online as TownUnderground in 2006. The name was changed in 2010. Some felt the names was to ‘dark’ besides as much as some of the critics of this site claim most everything on the site is open to everyone. With the exception of the Member Only Board created February of 2009, everything else is open to vistors of the site.
A little about me:
My name is Glenn Douglas and I am a resident of Londonderry, NH. Shortly after taking a new job in Manchester NH, my wife and I moved to Londonderry in 1996. We found a great duplex along Kendall Pond that we rented for several years with our two children. The kids attended South School which was was just a short walk down the road. In 2001 my wife and I decided it was time to purchase our own home. Both of us enjoyed the town and wanted to remain in Londonderry. We also wanted to keep the kids in familiar surroundings so we kept our search mostly to Londonderry. We purchased a split-level in South Londonderry so the kids could finish elementary school at the same school.
In 2000 I became very interested in how town government functioned. Since we were planning on staying awhile, I started to get more involved in town. I attended numerous meetings around town, Town Council, School Board, Conservation Commission, and several others. I also watched a lot of meetings on the local cable channel, LACTV. I quickly found that there just was not enough time to keep up with what was going on around town. The attendance at these meetings was also disappointing. Often there were only a handful of residents present.
Londonderry is commonly referred to as a “bedroom” community. It’s seems that a large number of residents commute to other towns and many journey south of the border to Massachusetts. After a long day it’s difficult to return home, catch a quick bite, and motivate yourself to attend a Town Council or School Board meeting. In many cases, I do not think it’s lack of interest, but a lack of time. For those of us who do attend it is disappointing to see the small number of participants. Let’s face it everyone today is busy.
In January of 2005 I thought about putting this site together. I discussed it with my son and we bounced around several ideas. After many months of tinkering, the site went online in January of 2006. It is my hope that this site will generate positive discussion concerning issues that interest Londonderry residents. The purpose of this site is to allow people to “click in” and see what’s going on. If you can’t get to a seven o’clock meeting, drop by the TU site when you can and see what’s new.
TU Forum:
The TownUpdate discussion forum has become the primary focus of the TU. The forum has become a place to discuss issues or post items of interest. It is open to all residents and persons interested in Londonderry. The best way to be involved is to share you opinions.
To access the discussion forum, click here
Not a member? Join here
If you have suggestions for this site please drop me an email at Info@TownUnderground.com
Best regards,
Glenn Douglas
