DRB rules against detention center

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NEWBURY—The Newbury Development Review Board has rejected the site plan application for the proposed Covered Bridge juvenile detention center.
In a 7-0 decision issued on Nov. 12, the board found that the development could not satisfy the town’s zoning regulations in the rural district where Stevens Place is located.
Covered Bridge would be owned and operated by the nonprofit Vermont Permanency Initiative, Inc., an offshoot of Orford-based Becket Family of Services. VPI has been operating an assessment and treatment center for adolescents at that location for several years.

Budget prep now underway

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BRADFORD—Selectboard members will start reviewing a proposed 2022 budget in earnest at their meeting on Nov. 23.
The board, which typically meets on the second and fourth Thursday of the month, moved its next meeting to Tuesday, Nov. 23 so as not to conflict with the Thanksgiving holiday.
A preliminary draft of the budget prepared for the meeting on Nov. 11 shows more than $2.5 million in proposed municipal spending. There are earmarks for the town-operated summer camp which was cancelled the last two years due to COVID-19 and inadequate staffing.

Court says town owes precinct

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NORTH HAVERHILL—Haverhill has been ordered by a court to repay highway money it withheld from Woodsville.
The ruling comes as the two entities appear headed for trial in February over a lawsuit filed in 2020. But at least for now, Woodsville has been given a major boost as it seeks to claw back money it claims was kept from the precinct.
The dispute has some history with aspects of the agreement incorporated into state law dating to the 19th century.

State rep holds Town Hall

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WEST FAIRLEE—Rep. Sarah Copeland Hanzas, D-Bradford, led an evening Town Hall forum hosted by the selectboard at the West Fairlee Community Building on Nov. 10.
She reviewed several issues relevant to West Fairlee, such as broadband expansion, roads and bridges, housing, in light of the American Relief Plan Act and infrastructure funds.
“Sarah Copeland Hanzas likes to touch base with the selectboard every year and have the opportunity for a more broad discussion with folks,” selectboard chair Delsie Hoyt said to get the forum underway.

Discrepancies persist on Covid school counts

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NORTH HAVERHILL—The COVID-19 case tracking dashboard run by SAU-23 shows different numbers than the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services school case dashboard.
SAU-23, the school district that covers Haverhill, Bath, Benton, Piermont, and Warren, started maintaining a COVID-19 case tracking dashboard online in September when students began to test positive for the virus.
As of Nov. 8, four of SAU-23’s eight schools had different case numbers on the district dashboard and the state dashboard.

Fairlee water leak plugged quickly

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FAIRLEE—A massive water leak in the municipal water system was repaired last weekend.
Selectboard chair Peter Berger said on Sunday that the leak was in an old section of pipeline feeding the cemetery across from the system’s pump house on Route 5 north of the village.
On the afternoon of Nov. 5, sensors alerted the water systems operators that there was a problem. When the leak was discovered, water was pouring out at a rate of 200 gallons per minute.

Projects lined up for ARPA windfall

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NORTH HAVERHILL—Grafton County received over $17 million in funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, and the county government plans to direct these funds to several local projects.
“It’s an unprecedented opportunity, and I’m excited to see how we can help improve our services, reduce taxes, and provide county residents with some long term meaningful progress,” Grafton County Administrator Andrew Dorsett said.

Board declines mask mandate

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NORTH HAVERHILL—There will be no requirement for players and fans to wear masks during basketball games at Haverhill schools this winter.
On Monday night, the school board voted 4-3 not to impose a mask mandate at basketball games as several months of indoor competitive sports near. The vote does not change current masking protocols inside Haverhill schools for academics, but board members asked the superintendent to once again survey parents and community members about masking in advance of their December meeting.

Redistricting plan gets mixed reviews

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NEWBURY—If the Vermont Legislative Apportionment Board’s draft redistricting plan is adopted in 2022, there will be no more House districts featuring multiple members.
The redrawing of the district boundaries will result in 150 single-member districts instead of the current blend single- and multi-member districts.
After the decennial census, the Legislative Apportionment Board reviews state House and Senate representation to ensure they are apportioned fairly with regard to population changes.

Police investigate Groton death

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GROTON—Vermont State Police are investigating the death of a 59-year-old woman in Groton who was found inside her home earlier this month.
Mary Ellen Corbett, 59, of Groton, was found dead on the afternoon of Oct. 3. Vermont State Police disclosed on Oct. 28 that officers are conducting an investigation and awaiting autopsy results before making a determination on the cause of death.
The news release stated that there is no danger to the community.