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Town Gown
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 We'll look at the often complicated relationships between colleges and prep schools and the communities that play host to them. Each offers the other many benefits...and points of contention, be they financial, social, even political. Laura's guest is Blake Gumprecht, Assistant Geography Professor at University of New Hampshire, in Durham, who is writing a book on the American college town. We'll also hear from Tim Keefe, Plymouth State University Dean of Students and Head of the Campus Community Council; Congresswoman Mary Cooney, a Democrat from Plymouth; Julia Griffin, Hanover Town Manager and Jennifer Murray, Vice President for University Communications and Marketing at the University of New Hampshire.
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Laura--Great program this morning on Town/Gown relations. A couple of things which weren't mentioned regarding Plymouth's unique situation: 1) We are a town of only 3,000 full-time residents, with less than 1,800 taxpayers. In a state where property taxes are the primary source of funding for all municipal services, including education, we are supporting infrastructure costs for over 6,000 people, 4,000 of whom are PSU undergraduates. Plymouth's tax-rate is $23.30, one of the highest in NH. The quadrupling of the college population over the last 3 decades has significantly adversely impacted our small town 2) One-third of our property is off the tax-roles, about 66% of that belongs to PSU, and most of the campus is smack in the center of the village commercial district; 3)our town is situated literally between two rivers and a mountain. We have no place to grow but up. The failure of PSU to pay its fair share of costs for municipal services is directly the cause of most of the tension in this town. That and the administration's dismissal of citizen's legitimate concerns. Patrice Scott (Plymouth has been getting a raw deal since the Laboratory School closed in 1972. I think we have enough controversy in our small town for you to do a whole show on--come on up! If you want to see what people are complaining about, come from Thursday-Sunday evening, during good weather --drop in for coffee, and bring Professor Gumprecht. He will learn a few things in Plymouth.)