WOODSVILLE—Students will not be required to wear masks inside Haverhill schools when classes start later this month.
On Monday night, the Haverhill Cooperative School Board voted 3-1 to reject a motion to require students to wear masks until a vaccination is available for children ages 2-11. The vote followed discussion among board members and half a dozen members of the public, most of whom said they were opposed to a mask requirement.
The vote has no bearing on a federal mandate that students and adults must wear masks while aboard a school bus. SAU-23 Superintendent Laurie Melanson said that schools around the country have no choice when it comes to public transportation. But once off the bus, students attending a Haverhill school will no longer have to wear a face covering.
Board members noted that students and staff will have the option to wear masks inside school buildings.

HAVERHILL—At the Aug. 2 meeting, the Haverhill Selectboard voted 4 to 1 in favor of allocating funds for improvement projects planned by the precincts of Woodsville, Mountain Lakes, and Haverhill Corner.
The plan was accepted with the understanding that any funding meet the criteria of the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, which is a under the umbrella of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
Mountain Lakes Precinct Commissioner Bob Long presented the case on behalf of all the precincts.
The lively and heated discussion, which dominated the meeting, was on whether relief funds should be allocated to the districts in Haverhill or to use them for town-wide benefit.

CORINTH—Dissatisfied with slow internet speeds while neighboring communities pay less for higher speeds, a group of Topsham Telephone customers has a new effort to call attention to their plight with highspeednow.org.
With more people working and learning online over the last 18 months, slow internet speeds in Corinth, Topsham, and other parts of the service area have intensified frustrations even as federal and state coronavirus relief funds targeted improvements.
In October, the Vermont Public Service Department awarded $971,242.50 through the Vermont Universal Service Fund to Topsham Telephone, which has approximately 1,300 internet customers, to build a fiber network to reach 350 locations.

FAIRLEE—The Fairlee Selectboard voted to enforce a zero tolerance policy for speed infractions on Lake Morey Road on July 19.
The town is considering posting new speed limit signs along the road, as well as collecting data on traffic and bicycle speeds around the lake, in an effort to make Lake Morey’s recreational areas safer for pedestrians.

BRADFORD—The longtime owner of the Post Mills Airport died last week after a hot air balloon accident over Bradford.
Brian Boland, 72, was piloting a balloon with four passengers that took off from the airport during the late afternoon of July 15, according to Vermont State Police.
At approximately 7:45 p.m., after traveling northeast from their airport, the balloon descended. It briefly touched down on the ground, tipping the basket, and forcing one of the passengers to fall out. Boland, meanwhile, got entangled in equipment affixed to the basket. When the balloon floated back into the air, Boland was trapped underneath the basket. He eventually fell into a field near the Bradford Regional Community Center on the Lower Plain. He was pronounced dead at the scene.