Precinct, town remain at odds

/in /by

WOODSVILLE—The Haverhill Selectboard meeting on Feb. 28 was full of debate over how to address the financial dispute between Haverhill and the village of Woodsville.
The conflict dominated the meeting, despite this week’s meeting being the last time the selectboard will gather before Haverhill holds its annual town meeting on March 8 and March 12.
Haverhill Town Manager Brigitte Codling and board chair Fred Garofalo spent much of the meeting in intense conversation about the lawsuit between Haverhill and Woodsville and how the town of Haverhill should approach it moving forward.

Roads, vehicle purchases top Orford agenda

/in /by

ORFORD—Twenty warrant articles await voters who will gather in person at the annual meeting which will take place March 8 at 7 p. m. in the Rivendell Academy Gymnasium with voting for town officers beginning at 4 p.m.
The selectboard seeks approval to enter negotiations for a purchase and sale agreement for an Orford property rich in sand.
Late last year, the board discussed acquiring the property and decided to add the proposal as a 2022 warrant article.

Town meeting preview Officials unsure about ambulance future

/in /by

WARREN—Voters in Warren will weigh whether to continue funding the local ambulance service at town meeting next week.
Town meeting will be held on March 8 at 9 a.m. in conjunction with the annual school district meeting.
Among other items, the future of the Warren-Wentworth Ambulance Service is on the ballot. WWAS has asked for $105,000 from Warren in its 2022 municipal budget, up from $43,872 in the current year. That is a 139% increase.

Friends, family line up to help at maple time

/in /by

STRAFFORD—Keith Fifield stood atop his sugarhouse checking sap lines hung like telephone cables coming out of the woods behind his house. His father, Wayne, sat in the driver’s seat of a John Deere loader with the bucket that lifted his son resting at the roofline.
As the bright winter sun thawed the frozen ground on a February afternoon, deep mud ruts were carved into the road leading to Fifield Sugar House on Maple Hill Road in Strafford, a Vermont hamlet filled with quiet winding roads.

OESU retools vax policy

/in /by

BRADFORD—After initially approving a COVID-19 vaccination requirement for staff on Feb. 15, the Orange East Supervisory Union Board revised its policy during an emergency meeting on Friday morning.
As approved in a 6-3 vote early last week, the policy would have taken effect March 7 and provided only medical and religious exemptions to staff members.

Swiftwater store remains steady presence

/in /by

SWIFTWATER–Timing is everything, they say.
“It was great, perfect. Everything fell into place,” said Franco Nicolazzo. “I had a plan, a vision and it all came together.”
When the Boston native purchased a general store outside of Mountain Lakes last year, the opportunity to realize his longtime dream came earlier than he envisioned.
He loved the idea of retiring and owning a country store featuring homemade Italian cuisine while creating a sense of community. He and his family have visited Franconia in the past and loved the White Mountains area.

Town meeting preview—Town aims to wrap up vault project

/in /by

BRADFORD—Voters will decide by Australian ballot on whether to appropriate up to $200,000 to complete filling in the underground sidewalk vault area on Main Street and thereby closing the door on the 12-year project which is over half finished.
So far, roughly $270,000 has been spent on the vault area, according to Phil Page of the Bradford Highway Department. The space will be filled in with rebar and cement.

Town meeting preview—Ryegate to meet in person

/in /by

RYEGATE CORNER—Ryegate residents will return to the traditional town meeting format on March 1.
The annual town meeting will be held at 1 p.m. at the Ryegate Town House. Residents will be expected to wear masks and maintain physical distancing.
The proposed operating budget is $1,087,109.70 with $939,509.70 to be raised in property taxes.

Man sentenced in carjacking

/in /by

NORTH HAVERHILL—Brenden Harriman, 23, was sentenced to 12-25 years in state prison last week after pleading guilty to manslaughter for the 2019 carjacking and assault that led to the death of David Dickey, 79, of North Haverhill.
The sentence, handed down during a hearing on Feb. 10, corresponded to a plea agreement reached with prosecutors last month. Harriman also pleaded guilty to witness tampering and simple assault.

Town website changes requested

/in /by

BRADFORD—At the Feb. 10 selectboard meeting, Paul Hunt presented a “show and tell” on the condition of Bradford’s municipal website.
Chair Ted Unkles, board members Meroa Benjamin, Ryan Lockwood, Daniel Perry, and Carole Taylor, and members of the public were present in person and on Zoom.