Vermont Town Meeting coverage plus BMU budget approval
Newbury sends its message; Topsham rejects budget cut; BMU budget gets approved; more Vermont Town Meeting coverage inside the JO!
Bradford Voters put skids on road salt at Saturday Town Meeting
BRADFORD—Town meeting voters narrowly approved a change in elections procedure, ousted an incumbent from the selectboard, and made a slim reduction to the operating budget with the aim of reducing future road salt use on town roadways during winter maintenance.
Previews: Orford Town Meeting, Bath Town Meeting and Rivendell School District
ORFORD—Voters will gather in person for their town meeting at the Rivendell Academy gym on March 14 at 7 p.m.
A notable item on this year’s warrant is Article 19, which asks voters whether they want the selectboard to study the feasibility of the town buying the Orford Congregational Church building at a mutually agreed amount by both parties.
BATH—Police coverage and next steps for a town garage replacement will be among the items Bath takes up at town meeting on March 14.
ORFORD—Voters will take up a proposed 10.7% budget increase at the Rivendell Interstate School District Annual Meeting on March 21.
Haverhill candidates state their case
HAVERHILL—Five candidates for the Haverhill Selectboard, but only two seats to fill. While town meeting will be held on Saturday, March 18, officer elections and other items will be voted on at the polls on Tuesday, March 14.
New sheriff bemoans woeful finances
Dead on arrival. That’s how Orange County’s new sheriff, George Contois, described the department he inherited from former sheriff Bill Bohnyak on Feb. 1.
“When I first tried for the position, everything looked good,” Contois said in an interview on Feb. 27. “Then all of a sudden, when I got an opportunity to take a look at the books, I realized that there was a pig in a poke.”
Petition seeks town manager ouster
HAVERHILL—Once again, an article is on the town meeting warrant concerning the removal of Town Manager Brigitte Codling.
Haverhill Town Meeting is on March 18, although some ballot voting will take place on March 14. One item set for discussion at the Saturday business meeting will be a nonbinding article on Codling’s removal. It is similar to one in 2021, which was not voted on since voters were first asked to approve pandemic-inducted meeting procedures.
School Meeting Preview: BMU budget vote is next week
WELLS RIVER—Polls in Groton, Ryegate, and the Newbury village of Wells River will be open on March 7 for voting on the Blue Mountain Union budget for 2023-2024.
Covered bridge struck again
THETFORD—Police are looking for a box truck that struck and damaged the Union Village Covered Bridge in Thetford on Friday morning.
According to a news release from Thetford Police Department, the truck was traveling north and passed through the bridge causing extensive damage to the upper braces. Witnesses reported seeing wooden beams fall from the top of the truck.
Filmmaker’s latest movie has local help
Liam O’Connor-Genereaux hopes to enrapture viewers with his most recent release, “The Butterfly Queen,” which he filmed mostly on his parents’ sheep farm over five weeks in summer 2021. Now making the rounds across the state, “The Butterfly Queen” will screen in Bradford on March 8 at The Space On Main.
After neglect, village building cited in health order
EAST CORINTH—Fans from all over the world have visited the small village of East Corinth where the cult movie “Beetlejuice” was filmed.
One attraction for visitors has been the former general store, portrayed as a hardware store in the movie. The building, though often occupied, has fallen into disrepair after an unfinished attempt at restoration by its owner, who now lives in Florida.