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.

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.

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.

NORTH HAVERHILL—Haverhill voters will be asked to approve a $15.6 million budget on town meeting day next month.
The board signed off on a $15,615,614 budget at the conclusion of a public hearing on the evening of Feb.14. During the hearing, board members did not adjust baseline spending, but they made adjustments to revenue sources in an effort to reduce the amount to be raised through taxes.

CHELSEA—County government in Vermont does not exactly have the same role as county governments in most states across the country. Nevertheless, there is still county government.
Orange County’s side judges led a sparsely attended public hearing on Jan. 26 on the budget, which went into effect on Feb. 1. The hearing was conducted via Zoom.
Total spending will exceed $900,000 for the first time. The total budget is $901,688, which is up from $875,046 and $835,176 in 2021 and 2020, respectively.