Auburn News

For strong Memorial team, local talent a focal point

2009-10-14T19:56:00Z

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

When Tim Gregoire is down, he’s not coming out. The Auburn resident is one of four locals on the Memorial boys soccer team who bring gritty play to a squad battling for a top spot in the Class L tournament.

Along with Gregoire, Auburn’s Brian Lipsett and Seth Lafay earned starting spots along with Hooksett’s Matt McQueeney, a key offensive threat for Memorial.

“(The area players) have brought a lot of leadership throughout their time with me,” said Memorial head coach Paul Ostberg. “They just play extremely hard and have been critical to our team all year.”

Gregoire in particular brought a physical style to the defensive backfield against 6-3- 0 Salem, on Oct. 2.

Twice, the defenseman landed hard, clean tackles on Salem opponents to win balls before falling to the ground in pain. Neither hit forced him to miss any action, however, and he helped shut down the Blue Devils the rest of the game.

“He’s been with me for four years, and he has always been one of the toughest players that I have coached,” said Ostberg.

Though the home team took a 1-0 lead just six minutes into the game, McQueeney tied the match when he took a loose ball from the left side and sent it into the upper-right-hand corner of the net late in the first half.

Forward Peguy Ngatcha added the game-winner midway through the second half, as Memorial won the contest, 2-1, to improve to 7-1-2.

Since then, the Crusaders faced two opponents higher in the standings: Pinkerton Academy and Londonderry.

On Oct. 6, Memorial handed Pinkerton its second loss of the year before absorbing its second setback in a 5-1 loss at Londonderry on Friday, Oct. 9.

The Crusaders have two matchups left with top teams, hosting 10-2-1 Bishop Guertin on Friday, Oct. 16, and 11-1-1 Concord to close the regular season on Thursday, Oct. 22.

Ostberg said facing these difficult opponents pays dividends for his largely inexperienced team as it enters the postseason.

“This gets them ready for the playoff atmosphere,” he said. “These tough games bring out the best in our players. It gives them a chance to be challenged when the pressure’s on.”

Auburn police warn of fraudulent calls

2009-06-03T19:32:00Z

The Auburn Police Department is investigating a fraud that targets loving and trusting grandparents and rips thousands of dollars from their pockets under the guise of family loyalty and a ploy to save the family from embarrassment.

One Auburn grandparent received such a telephone call from a person who identified himself as a law enforcement official in Toronto, Canada. The caller said the grandson had been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. The caller requested $3,000 for bail and asked the target not to tell anyone because the grandson was very embarrassed and didn’t want anyone to know about the arrest. The Auburn grandparent wired the money.

Later the same day, the grandparent received another call for an additional $3,000 to pay the bail commissioner’s fee. Again, the caller stressed the confidentiality on behalf of the grandson. The next morning, the grandparent received a third request for money. This request was for another $3,000 for lawyer’s fees.

This fraud has created a financial burden for this loving and trusting grandparent, and it didn’t have to happen. Some of the things a person can do to protect themselves from this type of fraud is to ask some basic questions of the caller:
• What is your name and what agency do you represent?
• Why do you need this money?
• What will be the money be used for?
• What is my family member’s name?
• What is the date of birth of the family member?
• Can I speak to my family member?

If you have questions, contact detective Sgt. Gary F. Bartis at 483-2134.

In final, Memorial shoots poorly against Trinity, the state champ

2009-03-25T19:41:00Z

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

When leaving for the University of New Hampshire and the Class L title game, the Memorial boys basketball team forgot to pack one critical item – its offense. The Crusaders fell short of a state title on Saturday, March 21, shooting 15 percent and losing to city rival Trinity, 50-25.

Jonathan Brandon’s threepointer with 7:10 remaining in the contest cut the large Crusader deficit to 38-20. It was also the first time a player other than Jason Chevrefils or Auburn’s Jeffrey Sowa had scored for Memorial. In fact, the Crusaders were outscored by Jordan Laguerre alone, who poured in 26 points for Trinity.

Chevrefils had 10 points on the day while Sowa added eight markers in the loss.

“They outplayed us in every way,” said Memorial’s head coach, Mike Fitzpatrick of Hooksett. “We were patient and disciplined early on, but I think we got away from that.”

In addition to scheming in an attempt to slow Laguerre, Fitzpatrick was also faced with the challenge of stopping his son, Cormac Fitzpatrick, a long-range threat for the Pioneers.

The Trinity junior nailed a three to open the scoring early in the first quarter and scored five points on the afternoon. “It felt nice (to hit the shot against my father’s team),” he said. “I know (my father) was mad. He gave me an open look, but they bottled me up the rest of the game.”

Dave Keefe, Trinity’s head coach, said he considers Mike Fitzpatrick a close friend and knows Fitzpatrick is happy for his son despite Memorial’s runner-up finish.

“He’s a great coach. If he’s not happy over at Memorial, we’d be happy to have him as an assistant over here,” joked Keefe. “I’m happy for his son, and I am sure that he is, too.”

• • •

Memorial reached the finals by knocking out two-time defending champion Salem, 49-41, on Wednesday, March 18.

Chevrefils dominated near the basket, scoring 27 points and adding nine rebounds as the Crusaders managed a 28-16 rebounding edge overall.

Salem pulled within three points late in the contest, but Memorial hit its free throws to pull the minor upset.

City must continue tax payments to Auburn

2009-03-25T19:27:00Z

BY GRETYL MACALASTER

Manchester Water Works will continue paying the same tax rate this year after a case against the town of Auburn filed by the city department has been dismissed by a Superior Court judge.

Last year, Manchester Water Works filed a petition in Rockingham County Superior Court seeking abatement and a refund of the 2007 payment made in lieu of taxes to Auburn because the land had been placed into a conservation easement.

Manchester Water Works argued that Auburn imposed an “unlawful, excessive, inequitable, disproportionate and unjust payment in lieu of taxes” upon the property, “ignoring” the conservation easement, according to the court decision.

The town had denied the request for abatement and refund, arguing that the conservation easement is not valid and should not be taken into consideration in assessing property values for tax-related purposes.

One issue raised was that the easement was not placed in perpetuity, but allows the department to withdraw with 30 years’ notice.

Auburn Town Manager Bill Herman said the statute is very clear that a public entity, including a public water supply entity that holds land in another community is not entitled to the same abatement a typical property owner would be.

Tom Bowen, director of Manchester Water Works said that is true with regard to current use, but not with regard to a regular conservation easement, Justice John M. Lewis concluded that the town acted within proper bounds in not considering the easement in determining the value of the property for tax-related purposes and in arriving at its calculation of the due payment in lieu of taxes and dismissed the case.

“...certainly in connection with allowable ‘current use’ status, the Legislature has evinced a definite unwillingness to permit a water works entity like Manchester Water Works to at all avail itself of the use of a ‘conservation restriction’ to reduce its payment in lieu of taxes,” Lewis wrote in his decision.

Bowen said the department was not seeking current use status. “The values are set quite a bit lower in current use than what we were requesting,” Bowen said.

Bowen said they are disappointed in the decision.

“We thought that based on advice from our attorney that we were on strong legal ground. We were actually surprised that the case was dismissed,” Bowen said.

Bowen said the intent of the easement was to protect the watershed property.

“The property is not protected for the long term. We thought that by placing it into a conservation easement, it would help protect our customers,” Bowen said. “There are obviously some tax implications to it which is also beneficial to our customers.”

Manchester Water Works services about 160,000 people in the city and five surrounding towns. It is the largest landowner in Auburn, with about 4,000 acres of property around Lake Massabesic, the source of the water supply.

Herman said their payment in lieu of taxes is about $705,000.

“In total, the Manchester Water Works’ payment in lieu of taxes represents close to 16 (percent) of the total revenue the Town of Auburn receives in a year. A reduction in that revenue would have a significant impact on the property taxpayers of Auburn,” Herman said.

Bowen said he just received the decision on March 18 and has not yet had a meeting with legal counsel about whether they will appeal the decision or what other alternatives there may be.

He clarified that the motion to dismiss was based on the law itself, not the merits of the case.

Memorial pulls away to reach state semifinals

2009-03-18T18:58:00Z

BY JERRY LIPTAK

Winnacunnet, up seven points in the second quarter of the Class L boys basketball quarterfinals, faced two problems: too much time remaining and too much Memorial talent.

The host Crusaders began hitting their shots, the visiting Warriors too often missed theirs – especially from the charity stripe – and Memorial advanced with a 66-52 victory on Saturday, March 14.

“(Winnacunnet’s) game plan was to force us to hit from the outside,” said Memorial’s head coach, Mike Fitzpatrick of Hooksett. “Eventually, we did.”

The teams traded baskets throughout a fast-paced first quarter that included five lead changes. But the Warriors, who scored 10 straight points to turn a 16-13 deficit into a 23-16 lead, simply stopped scoring. They missed six straight free throws in the second quarter, while the Crusaders, including Auburn natives Jeffrey Sowa and Matthew Couture, as well as Jason Chevrefils and Pierre Reyes, connected from everywhere on the floor.

A disappointed Winnacunnet squad went into halftime down six points, 31-25. From there, No. 3 seed Memorial, which was set to face second-seeded Salem on Wednesday, March 18, at the University of New Hampshire, extended the lead in the second half. Nathan Gendron of Auburn, Jonathan Brandon, Sowa, Couture and Chevrefils answered most every basket from the Warriors.

If they beat the Blue Devils in the semis, the Crusaders play for the state championship on Saturday, March 21, at UNH’s Lundholm Gymnasium. Tipoff is 3 p.m.

Game notes
Chevrefils poured in 23 points, some on fine interior passing from Sowa, who managed 11 markers, including a three-pointer. Brandon also scored 11, while Couture reached double figures with 10 points off the bench. Reyes hit a three-pointer in each half, and Gendron added five points, including a three-ball.

Auburn operating budgets OK’d

2009-03-11T18:34:00Z

BY GRETYL MACALASTER

Voters turned down a warrant article recommended by the Auburn Conservation Commission that would have designated 36 wetlands in town as “prime wetlands” on election day, Tuesday, March 10.

The Planning Board had not recommended the article. Members of the board were specifically concerned with additional regulatory approvals and application fees property owners would have faced through the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.

It was the only warrant article not to pass.

About 19 percent of the town’s 3,889 registered voters turned out at the polls.

Christina Tarness upset Robert Hayes’ bid for re-election to the School Board, receiving 339 votes. Hayes received 303. Kathleen Porter maintained her seat with 475 votes.

John McCaugherty was elected as the new police commissioner with 309 votes and Michael Dross was re-elected as highway agent with 547 votes in the only other contested races.

Voters accepted the proposed town budget of $4,339,440 by a vote of 398 to 298, as well as the school budget of $10,744,514.74 by a vote of 482 to 205.

Horse riders want driver awareness

2009-02-18T19:28:00Z

BY GINGER KOZLOWSKI

Kids on dirt bikes zoom by. A woman in a minivan talks on a cell phone while children make noise. Teenagers give a war whoop out the window while passing. A tractor-trailer’s air brakes make a loud noise.

All these situations have one thing in common – they can spook a horse as it walks along a road shared by all. And if there’s one thing Sarah St. Pierre, Deb Richards, Cher Griffin and Michelle Loulakis want the public to know, it’s that horses are not machines and it’s easy to scare them into doing the unexpected – like running toward a vehicle instead of away from it.

All four often ride their horses on the rural roads of Auburn, and each has had scary experiences.

Horses are everywhere, they said, and you can encounter a horse when you least expect it. Riders are not out on the road just for fun, they are legitimately using public roads to get to safer trails.

That doesn’t seem to occur to some drivers, however. “I’ve had people beep their horn,” said Griffin, owner of the Griffenbrook tack shop. She’s even seen someone get dumped when an ambulance decided to activate its siren just as it came near a rider.

“This guy turned his siren on right next to us,” she said. “The horse reared, went over backward and rolled down an embankment.” Jarlene Cornett, Auburn’s animal control officer and a horse rider herself, said the law requires vehicle to give horses the right of way, and for the most part, they do.

“I personally haven’t had much trouble,” said Cornett. “We do ride the roads a lot to get to the trails. If someone’s coming from behind, I can hear them, if they’re slowing or not. I put up my hand, like, ‘slow.’ Ninety-nine percent of the time they do slow. I smile and say thank you.”

She hasn’t gotten many complaints about horses on the road or discourteous drivers in the 19 years she’s spent as animal control officer but said drivers do need to realize that horses do have the right of way.

Awareness seems to be the key. Joanne Gelinas runs Gelinas Farm in Pembroke, and is concerned that the less agriculturally oriented the southern New Hampshire area becomes, people don’t know how to handle being on a public road with horses.

“In New Hampshire, we’re losing more and more of our open land, more and more of our trails,” she said. “A lot of times you need to ride on the roads to get there.”

As the population become less familiar with animals, they don’t understand how easy it is to spook a horse.

“I ride on Fourth Range Road,” said Gelinas. “A lot of people are courteous ; they come from an agricultural background. Up here, we have a little more of that base. Still, there are some who just don’t have a clue up here.”

The more “horsey” the country, the better drivers seem to be.

“Traffic is pretty good, on 149,” said Michelle Lisofsky. owner of Jakobi Farm in Weare. “They usually go way out and around. Sometimes you get teenagers and stuff like that, but for most part people are good around here.”

Heidi Ackerman, owner of Bunker Hill Stables in New Boston, agreed.

“I think it depends on where you’re from,” she said. “Here, people are aware of horses and I found people here to be very respectful, will stop their car and let you ride by. I’ve seen few people not respecting that.”

Crowd protests Auburn Village School alcohol policy

2009-02-18T19:21:00Z

BY GRETYL MACALASTER

Some community members think it should have been a simple decision for the Auburn School Board to reverse its decision on the community use of facilities policy at a meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 10.

But the board wants to take some time to review the policy and decide whether they want to allow alcohol use at Auburn Village School.

Community members have come out in force since the School Board banned any alcohol consumption at the school last spring.

They continued to speak out during a public input session against what they feel was a “kneejerk” decision. Board members agreed to revisit the policy based on the community input, but with some conditions.

Last spring, the board voted to ban alcohol use at Auburn Village School following an incident involving police after a Lions Club dance. A man was arrested after police spotted him in the building. The allegedly intoxicated man is believed to have damaged the building and run from police.

Prior to that, the policy allowed alcohol consumption and sales for certain events on Saturdays after 7 p.m. with a police officer present, and there hadn’t been any other reported problems.

School Board Chairman Elaine Hobbs said the board decided to hold the community input session after receiving a petition with more than 130 signatures asking the board to reconsider.

About 25 people turned out for the meeting. No one spoke in favor of the board’s decision. “It is important that the town have a place we can come together as a community,” resident Nancy Mayland said.

“This is our function hall,” said resident Ernie Allard. Resident Shirley Delacoe said she felt the board’s decision was too quick.

“To be so drastic as to say there can be no functions of that kind ... seems a bit of an overreaction,” she said. “It just doesn’t seem fair.”

Other residents pointed to history, stating that the intent of building the gymnasium was to have a place for the community. The consensus was if it did not open to the community, it would have been turned down,” said resident Al Samson about the decision about 40 years ago to include the gymnasium in the new school.

But some School Board members want to review the policy more carefully. “There are things I would like modified before we reinstate it,” School Board member Kathleen Porter said. She added that “all you can drink until 2 in the morning to me is unreasonable.”

The Lions Club is the primary enactor of the policy holding two large fundraising dances each year at the school. Club president Norm Bouley said the club has taken great strides to make sure their events are safe as well as fun.

The club hires two police officers to be present for the group’s dances, offers van service for people who need a ride home, hires trained bartenders to serve the alcohol, and stops serving alcohol at midnight when the dance ends.

“The community has spoken both through petitions and attendance ... and there was no one who spoke in favor of the decision of the School Board,” Bouley said. “It should be a very simple decision for the school board to reverse their decision. All indicators point that that’s the right thing to do for the community.”

The board voted 3-2 to have a subcommittee revisit the policy and come back to the full board in March with a proposal. Resident Fay Hanscomb will participate in the subcommittee with board members.

Board member Alan Villeneuve voted against the motion, stating that he did not support the board’s original decision and thinks the policy should be reinstated as previously written.

Selectman James Headd said the Board of Selectmen supports the Lions Club and thinks the School Board should reconsider its position.

“Think of the community. The money that we make literally goes right back into the community,” Sean O’Leary, vice president of the Auburn Lions Club said.

Auburn’s ballot is ready to go

2009-02-11T19:33:00Z

BY DAN DeCONINCK

Citizens of Auburn came together Saturday, Feb. 7, for their town’s deliberative session of Town Meeting. The meeting was held in the gymnasium of the Auburn Village School, and featured 10 articles to be finalized for town voting on March 10. Veteran Moderator Don Stritch ran a tight ship as residents of Auburn breezed through the articles in just 40 minutes.

Of the 10 articles, nine were agreed upon as originally written.

The only amendment was to Article 5, which called for money for road and drainage system improvements. The wording of the article was altered slightly, as voters agreed to eliminate improvements at the intersection of Chester Turnpike and Hook Road. If the article is approved, the town will raise and appropriate $187,860 for improvements at the intersection of Wilson Crossing Road and Hunting Road, and on a portion of Rockingham Road.

Article 6 calls for $100,000 for wastewater planning efforts that began in 2008, and for the development of an inter-municipal agreement that would permit the connection between the wastewater systems of Manchester and Auburn on Dartmouth Drive.

The seventh article seeks $7,000 to purchase a new Accuvote machine to be used for Auburn voting beginning in March of next year.

Perhaps the most significant article on the warrant was Article 9 – the town operating budget. The article called for $4,339,440 as the town’s operating budget, which is $23,307 higher than the default budget.

Auburn voters approved the proposed amount in silence, and nearly unanimously.

Over the course of the session, only three citizens chose to address the whole group through the designated microphone.

Though several voters complained that the wording in some of the articles was too convoluted, the meeting went easily and peacefully.

No changes to Auburn school district warrant

2009-02-04T20:05:00Z

BY TOBY HENRY

Auburn school officials and an audience of about 30 residents breezed through the slim school district warrant on Feb. 2 during the deliberative session of School District Meeting that generated no amendments and only a few questions.

“It’s pretty cut and dry, and (the proposed budget) is less than the default budget, too,” said local resident Don Dollard.

As the meeting began, moderator Jim Andrus told residents that this is the first meeting under the new SB-2 format, which was approved last year. Of the four items on the warrant, the proposed budget of $10,744,514 generated the most questions, and School Board member Kathi Porter said administrators and Budget Committee members alike strove to create a 2009-10 budget that would be “as conservative as possible.”

Overall, Porter said the budget has less than a 1 percent increase over the current budget, but local resident Dan Carpenter later pointed out that the amount of revenue taken in by the district had decreased sharply. The district took in an estimated $1,367,508 in revenue during the current budget year, while next year’s estimate drops by about $600,000 to $779,975.

Local resident Kathy Butts asked if there were any unforeseen changes due to the school’s addition of a new kindergarten, which began in September. Porter said that as of now, officials are expecting to add another half-day session of kindergarten in the coming year because of increased enrollment, but other than this, most of the predictions were on the mark.

Later, School Board member Robert Hayes explained a $50,000 request in a warrant article as an attempt to boost a “safety net” in the event that the district takes in a special education student requiring expensive programming needs. He said this consideration came about after Candia received a special education student who required some $150,000 worth of programming needs, and he said this type of unexpected expense can have “a devastating effect” on a budget.

Hayes said the $50,000 will be added to another $50,000 that was already allocated in 2003. The money will be drawn from the unexpended fund balance and will not increase the tax rate, he said.

The final article discussed was a plan to use about half of some $62,000 approved last year for an upcoming master plan study for the school district. School Board Chairman Elaine Hobbs said the $62,000 was approved last year in order for the district to look at its options after the failure of a proposal for two-town school near Route 101’s Exit 2.

But because of the economic downturn in 2008, Hobbs said the board opted not to look at any major plans, and instead chose to pursue the idea of a more generalized master plan.

She said the board will eventually look at enrollment figures and other data to look at what the future needs will be, and the final plan will focus on “a district- wide plan to give us some choices.”

The remained of the money allocated last year will go back to the town, she said.

The first year under SB-2 rules

2009-01-28T19:30:00Z

BY GINGER KOZLOWSKI

Last spring, voters chose to leave the traditional form of Town Meeting and School District Meeting behind, deciding to adopt the official ballot law, commonly referred to as SB-2, for both town and school governance.

The deliberative session of School District Meeting takes place Monday, Feb. 2, 7 p.m., at Auburn Village School, a change from its traditional Friday night. The deliberative session of Town Meeting takes place Saturday, Feb. 7, at 1 p.m., at Auburn Village School.

Both are a month earlier than people are used to. Under the official ballot law, the deliberative session must take place earlier so people can take the information under consideration in preparation for the vote in March, this year on March 10.

Town warrants
On the town warrant, there are three zoning warrants, which will not be discussed or changed at the deliberative session.

There are also five warrant articles. Participants in the deliberative session may change the wording and dollar amounts presented, but not the intent of the article.

Article 5 asks for $187,860 for road and drainage system improvements at the intersection of Wilson Crossing Road and Hunting Road. Of that, $140,895 is expected to come from grants or state aid, so only $46,965 is to come from taxation.

Article 6, asks for $100,000 to continue wastewater planning efforts for a connection between the Dartmouth Drive/Wellington Business Park and the city of Manchester’s system on By-pass 28. This should not affect the tax rate, as $40,000 will come from grants and $60,000 from surplus.

Article 7 asks for $7,000 to purchase a second Accuvote machine.

Article 8 asks for $175,000 to be placed into the Town Buildings Rehabilitation Capital Reserve Fund. This will not affect the tax rate, as this money is to come from surplus.

Article 9 asks for $4,339,440 for the town’s operating budget. Under the official ballot law, this figure can be amended at the deliberative session, but once the figure is approved, that is what the town will vote for or against in March. If voters say no to the proposed operating budget, the town will automatically be put on a default budget, which is the same as last year with certain adjustments for items like previously-agreed upon contract increases. The default budget would be $23,307 lower, at $4,316,133.

School warrants
There are three warrant articles to be discussed by voters at the deliberative session of School District Meeting.

Voters will be asked to raise $10,744,514.74 as an operating budget for Auburn Village School. Should that article be defeated, the default budget would be set at $10,876,762, higher than the proposed budget by $132,247.26.

The other two articles ask for $50,000 to be taken from surplus and put into the Special Education Expendable Trust Fund and $31,000 to be taken from surplus and put in the School Construction Expendable Trust Fund. Neither would affect the tax rate.

Memorial wins first contest with six unanswered goals

2009-01-21T19:14:00Z

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

Something odd is happening within the Memorial ice hockey program. It can be seen on the ice, on the bench, even in the stands – smiles everywhere. Yes, the Crusaders are learning to enjoy themselves. The result is better play.

In fact, Memorial came back from a 3-0 first-period deficit against Nashua South on Saturday, Jan. 17, tied the contest in the second period and then won its first game going away, 6-3. “After the first period I was like, ‘What the heck,” said head coach Kyle McDonough. “But to score six unanswered (goals) was very exciting. Boy, we needed that win.”

Three days earlier, against Salem, Memorial fell into a similar 4-0 hole in the opening frame, then came back to scare the Blue Devils before falling, 4-3. For whatever reason, Memorial is a totally different team in the second and third periods. McDonough can’t explain it, other than to say the players are ceasing to try to be superstars and concentrating on basics.

“Right now, they feel like they’re on top of the world. But our goal isn’t to get one win,” he said. “Sure, you’ve got to start with one, and we’re definitely feeling good about ourselves, but it’s not like we’re the Bruins or the Detroit Red Wings out there. We’re not a skilled team, and they’re starting to realize that. The way we’re going to win is by doing all the little things. Hopefully, they remember how we got that first (win).”

The team is young. For many players, it’s their first experience with competitive hockey. Yet McDonough is excited because his veterans are stepping up and taking ownership of the team.

“For us, it goes in waves. This year, we don’t have the most talented group, but we have some leadership that can help the young guys, and I think that will translate well for the future, as new kids come in and carry on that character and attitude,” said the fifth-year coach. “I like the direction we’re headed in, especially because it’s my understanding we have a pretty talented group of seventh- and eighth-graders coming in.”

Senior center Matt Zimmerman, who scored one of the half dozen goals against South, and goalie Matt Flynn captain the current unit.

Junior Kevin Miner, who lit the lamp twice on South, and senior Zach Harisiades, who has tallies in the last two games, complete a potent first line. Junior Colby Masiaszek, in his first year, and sophomore John Garrity are contributing solid play on the blue line, though McDonough said there are few set positions on his team.

“Sometimes I throw forwards out there on defense, or vice versa,” he said. “We’re a hodgepodge. You never know what you’re going to see on a power play or in a penalty-killing scenario. My guys are all over the place.”

Sophomore Bryson Bilodeau and freshman Brady Bilodeau are in their first year with the program. McDonough said both are seeing plenty of ice time and should be a big part of the team’s success going forward.

While Flynn starts most games, it was junior Pat Dodd making 23 saves to help MHS garner its first victory.

Others contributing for the Crusaders this season include senior Andrew Gardner; juniors Mike Putney, Cody Kienia, Jon- Luc Gagnon, Adam Upham, Dan Smith, Brian Sullivan, Seth Stone, Bryan Villemure, Eric Burke, Kevin Kelly and Jared Pellerin; and sophomores Ryan Lopes, James Hickey and Tyler Fay.

“We’re finally playing some (strong) hockey, and they’re having fun,” said McDonough. “I truly believe if you’re having fun, good things will happen.”

Auburn town, school budgets kept almost even

2009-01-21T19:08:00Z

BY TOBY HENRY

Auburn officials focused on energy costs for the next year as they fine-tuned the town budget during a Jan. 15 meeting.

According to a draft of the proposed town budget released that day, the town’s proposed operating budget is $4.33 million, a slight increase over the $4.25 million that is listed as the final expenditures for 2008. The draft indicates that the Police Department, with slightly over a million dollars in expenses, is the single largest budget area, with the fire department at $355,580 and local government costs totaling $917,477.

During the Thursday night meeting, Budget Committee Chairman Lew Theos noted that gasoline costs, previously at around $1.50 in the region, have started to creep up lately. Committee member Jan Rego, also the Police Department’s office manager, said that the priceper- gallon had been “sky high” when the initial fuel prices were calculated this summer, but the price has since dropped from those peak levels.

The main fuel-related issue that night was how much to budget for the Auburn Police Department’s gasoline costs for the year, an amount that Theos said originally stood at $40,000 but was later dropped to $35,000. Committee member Deirdre Nash moved to drop the final fuel allocation for that department to $30,000, but the motion failed.

Later, some committee members opted to reconsider utility costs for the Fire Department, but in the end the amounts remained the same. The Fire Department has $7,182 budgeted for electricity and the heating oil allocation is at $10,500.

Overall, Town Administrator Bill Herman said wages come to $1,181,089, comprising about one-quarter of the total budget, with MediCare costs at $170,070. The final budget figure arrived at by the committee was $4,334,540, with a default budget a bit lower, at $4,313,233.

Concerning the town’s income, a total of $2,983,385 is listed for the coming year, with $1.1 million estimated as income from motor vehicle permit fees. State meals and rooms tax was estimated at $210,000 with business license permits totaling $42,000.

Selectman Al Sampson questioned an income item of nearly $200,000 which was listed among miscellaneous revenues under sale of municipal properties. Herman said that income was from the final payment on the Wellington Business Park.

Although the final budget was only a small increase over last year’s expenditures, Sampson noted that a steep drop in estimated income means that an additional $686,000 will need to be raised through taxes. The estimated amount of taxes to be raised is $2,021,015.

Also that night, school officials gave their final budget figure as $10,744,514, an increase of less than 1 percent. The school’s default budget is higher than the proposed budget, at $10,876,762.

New gym floor may be given to Village School

2009-01-14T21:10:00Z

BY GINGER KOZLOWSKI

If some “hoopster” families have their way, Auburn Village School will soon have a new floor in its gymnasium, and it won’t have cost taxpayers a penny.

Jamie Cote posted a notice in the Auburn Vigilant Citzens online group that the PTA has created the GIFT committee to raise $40,000 for a new floor. GIFT stands for Gymnasium Improvements For Today.

“I do not need to go much into why we believe we need a new floor,” he said. “You’ve seen plenty of the slipping and sliding, seen the cracked tiles, and likely have heard from your kids how hard the floor is on the body.”

Cote said many options were looked at for a new floor, and $40,000 seemed to be the needed amount for a June installation. His group of supporters did explore asking for the money from taxpayers through a warrant article, but decided it was unlikely to be approved.

“Many of us are of the opinion at this juncture that if we don’t do it ourselves, it won’t get done,” he posted. “We’ve met with the School Board and they are fully supportive of our venture.” The committee has set several donation levels:
• Standard – $100 to $249.
• Bronze – $250 to $499.
• Silver – $500 to $999.
• Gold – $1,000 to $2,499.
• Platinum – $2,500 and up.

Checks can be written to Auburn PTA, with “GIFT” in the memo. You can mail it to Auburn PTA – GIFT Committee, P.O. Box 19, Auburn NH 03032. They will follow with a receipt for your records. This is a taxdeductible donation.

Businesses will also be recognized for corporate donations. For details, contact Cote at InLoveWithDOTS@aol.com or 603-244-9416.

Auburn sports Superdome shelved

2009-01-14T21:07:00Z

BY TOBY HENRY

An ambitious plan to build one of the largest sport and exercise facilities in the area has been temporarily shelved, the project developer said.

Doug Leppert, a local resident and main planner behind the 137,500-square-foot New England Superdome approved in late 2007, said he’s put the endeavor on hold after being unable to secure financing for the venture. The decision, which was made official a few weeks ago on the project’s official Web site, makes the New England Superdome one of the most high-profile projects in Auburn to be affected by the economic downturn.

On Jan. 8, Leppert stressed the plan will go forward as soon as soon as the region’s financial prospects shape up. As recently as April, Leppert said he was optimistic about completing the project by the start of 2009, but he said this month that project officials have been unable to obtain the estimated $6.5 million in financing to back the effort.

“We’re still working through it ... but (the economy) is the only reason why it hasn’t been built yet,” Leppert said. “It’s hard to get financing right now because of the economic conditions. It’s taking longer because of what’s happening right now, but we’re optimistic it will get completed.”

In early 2007, Leppert put forward the application for the 78-foot-high air-filled dome, and the final configuration of the plan included a large assortment of athletic and exercise areas, including a running track, soccer fields, a mini-golf course and four basketball courts. The project was finally given conditional approval in October 2007 to be built on a 14-acre site inside Route 28’s industrial zone.

Because more than a year has elapsed between the time of conditional approval and no major site work has taken place, Leppert said he plans to file an extension before building the project. Typically, planning boards give an applicant one year to start work when a project is approved.

Auburn Town Administrator Bill Herman said the project’s hiatus did not come as a surprise in light of the nation’s poor economy. He added that the slowdown is being seen in other ways as well, such as local residents’ home-building projects, which have slowed to only one or two per year for the past two years, and he said the local market will likely improve when the nation‘s financial picture perks up.

“And it will probably get worse before it gets better,” he said. “(Billionaire investor) Warren Buffett was suggesting it could be four years before we’re close to a somewhat normal economy, and he’s a pretty sharp guy.”

Leppert said he will begin the approximately six-to-eightmonth construction project as soon as he has backing.