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.

Pandemic ‘hero’ dies suddenly

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BRADFORD—The Oct. 27 Oxbow Unified Union School District meeting opened with a moment of silence for Corinna Magalhaes who died unexpectedly on Oct. 20.
She was the Bradford Elementary School food service director. As students transitioned to remote learning during the first weeks of the pandemic, Magalhaes invested many, many hours and gave up family time to design and coordinate a lunch program that provided some 750 meals every day to recipients in Bradford, Newbury, and Thetford.
In May 2020, colleagues hailed her as a School Lunch Hero for her tireless efforts.

Town mulls sheriff’s contract

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VERSHIRE—Vershire residents may have an article on the town meeting warning next spring about whether to increase the police presence in town.
During a selectboard meeting on Oct. 26, Orange County Sheriff Bill Bohnyak and Capt. Scott Clouatre spoke about community policing services that could be provided under a contract.
Currently, the town of 672 does not have a dedicated police presence, although Vermont State Police routinely respond to calls for service and other complaints in the town. OCSD and other local departments may respond to calls when VSP is not available.

Board stalemated on Airport Road

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NORTH HAVERHILL—After nearly two more hours of debate on Monday evening, the Haverhill Selectboard remains indecisive about Airport Road.
Earlier this year, an FAA-sponsored study of Dean Memorial Airport safety was completed. Last month, a public hearing was held on the study’s recommendations to correct various long-standing natural and manmade safety hazards at the small, municipally owned airport.

Town to assess demolition costs

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TOPSHAM—The new town garage site dominated discussion at the Oct. 25 selectboard meeting, which was held in person and with remote participation.
Board members voted to hire a contractor specializing in demolition to provide an estimate to tearing down two structures on the property.
A new garage site has long bedeviled Topsham. Few question the need for a new home for the town highway crew. The current garage in East Topsham is cramped and in poor condition.