NORTH HAVERHILL—The town of Haverhill has appealed a Grafton County Superior Court ruling made in the lawsuit between the town and precinct of Woodsville over how the two entities share highway revenue.
Last year, Woodsville sued Haverhill alleging it had illegally withheld funding under state law in 2019 and 2020. Haverhill countersued claiming it had overpaid the district from 2016-2019 some $650,000.
ORFORD—They were old, rusty and difficult to read, but two historical markers in Orford are looking like new thanks to some motivated residents and the expertise of a metal artisan.
Ann Green and Orford Town Administrator Esther Dobbins-Marsh spearheaded the restoration.
“The town is very fortunate to have historic iron signs,” Green said.
ORFORD—Lance Goodrich, 35, has been accused of killing his 25-year-old cousin, Brooke Goodrich, who was found dead at her home in Orford on Saturday.
Lance Goodrich, of Lyme, pleaded not guilty on Monday afternoon to second degree murder after he allegedly shot Brooke Goodrich at her Route 10 home. He will remain in custody after not seeking bail during a brief remote hearing.
WOODSVILLE—Six years of precinct audits are in the books.
At a public presentation last week, Woodsville residents touted the audits as exonerating the precinct from whispered accusations of fraud and ushering in a new era of responsible fiscal management.
Still, the audits detailed extensive lapses over the last six years, which may have ramifications for Woodsville taxpayers as the precinct rights past wrongs and also considers how to fund its highway and fire departments with virtually no guaranteed future support from town coffers. In the 59-page audit of 2020, there were 9.5 pages reporting on the district’s “significant deficiencies and material weaknesses.”
BRADFORD—The Margaret Pratt Center has won a COVID-19 battle.
When the virus came to call, it was no match for the prepared.
Thirteen breakthrough cases were discovered in fully vaccinated staff and residents who suffered only mild symptoms in an outbreak which began on Oct. 29.
The center currently has 46 residents with a 40-member staff.
The outbreak was traced to someone outside the center.
MONTPELIER—The Vermont Department for Children and Families will appeal to the Environmental Court to overturn the Newbury Development Review Board’s decision to deny the proposed Covered Bridge juvenile detention facility.
DCF Commissioner Sean Brown told legislators during a hearing on Nov. 19 of the Joint Legislative Child Protection Oversight Committee. DCF will appeal the decision alongside Becket Family of Services, the private contractors that would operate the facility under its Vermont Permanency Initiative subsidiary.
“We are disappointed in that decision, and while it is a legal document and any challenge to it will be a legal process, we believe there is basis for appeal,” Brown said.
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.
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.
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.
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.