Seabrook Town Notebook
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold a public meeting on Wednesday to discuss its annual assessment of safety performance for the Seabrook nuclear power plant during 2009.
The meeting will begin at 4 p.m. at the Galley Hatch Conference Center of the Best Western Inn at Hampton, 815 Lafayette Road, Hampton.
The meeting offers the public an opportunity to question NRC staff regarding the plant's performance and the federal agency's oversight of the facility.
The NRC uses a color-coded system to indicate its inspection findings and plant performance ranging from green to white, yellow and red, with green representing very low safety significance.
Overall, Seabrook Station, a single pressurized-water nuclear reactor, operated safely during 2009, according to an NRC press release issued yesterday.
"At the conclusion of last year, there were no performance indicators for the plant that were other than 'green,'" the release indicated. "However, one 'white' (low to moderate safety significance) inspection finding was identified in an NRC inspection report issued last August. That finding involved the inadequate design and improper installation of an emergency diesel generator cooling-water flange modification. This caused the generator to fail to operate during a test conducted in February 2009. The finding resulted in the plant receiving additional oversight from the NRC."
In 2009, the NRC devoted approximately 5,500 hours to inspect the Seabrook facility, including one major team inspection.
"Besides our normal, thorough battery of inspections, Seabrook will receive additional attention from us this year as warranted by the finding involving the emergency diesel generator," NRC Region I Administrator Samuel J. Collins said. "We expect NextEra (Seabrook station's owner) to devote the resources and expertise necessary to resolve the issue, and we will provide additional scrutiny to ensure that is the case."
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There is an update on the bill that would expand gambling in the Granite State. According to the Associated Press, a group of New Hampshire legislators in the House is supporting a gambling bill that would cut the number of slot machines previously proposed from 17,000 to 9,750 and offer them at five places instead of six.
Seabrook's Yankee Greyhound Park is still one of the venues proposed to offer gaming in the bill, which was already passed in the Senate.
Under the proposed House changes, competing proposals for casinos would vie before a three-person tribunal to secure one site each in central and northern New Hampshire.
The change is seen as a response to the owners of the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, who said they were left out of the original bill. Other venues for video slot machines would be in Hudson and Salem's Rockingham Park.
Another proposed change would repeal the state's new 10 percent tax on gambling winnings.
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The Seabrook Library received a grant from the New Hampshire Humanities Council to present "Your Hit Parade: 25 Years Presenting America's Top Popular Songs," according to library director Ann Robinson.
The program, given by Cal Knickerbocker, takes place at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Seabrook Library.
Beginning in 1935, "Your Hit Parade" was broadcast on radio, and later on TV, every Saturday evening until 1958.
The program at the library summarizes the origins of the show, its evolution over the years, including vocalists, songs and music trends. Much of the program is devoted to playing original recordings.
The program is free to the public; light refreshments will be served.
For more information, call the library at 603-474-2044.
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The American Cancer Society's Greater Exeter area Relay for Life team "Missing Loves" will hold a fundraiser at 8 p.m. on Friday, April 16, at The Chop Shop Pub and Grub, 920 Lafayette Road in Seabrook.
Come and support the team raising money to battle cancer. Those who attend can pick a song from the karaoke set list, and be a rock star with instrumentals from the band Drop Zone.
A $5 donation at the door is requested.
For more information or to make a donation, contact Dawnne Marie Stevens, 603-502-4144.
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Angeljean Chiaramida covers Seabrook for The Daily News. She can be reached at achiaramida@newburyportnews.com or at 978-462-6666, ext. 3271.
