New Boston News

Police drop charge against Mont Vernon chief

2008-07-02T13:54:00Z

BY JENN McDOWELL

The New Boston Police Department has dropped a restraining order violation charge against Mont Vernon’s police chief, and has issued a public statement apologizing for arresting him.

Mont Vernon Police Chief Alexander “Rick” Brougham, 43, is a New Boston resident whom police said allegedly violated the terms of an ex-parte court order by Hillsborough County Superior Court.

New Boston police initially alleged Brougham called his exwife on the phone on the evening of May 27, a violation of the court order’s conditions, said New Boston Police Chief Christopher Krajenka shortly after the arrest.

The violation amounted to a class B misdemeanor, punishable by a fine.

According to Goffstown District Court records, the New Boston Police Department officially dropped the case Friday, June 27.

A public statement issued by Chief Krajenka of New Boston Police Department apologized for arresting and charging Brougham, stating he had not broken the terms of the court order.

“The town of New Boston Police Department sincerely apologizes to Mont Vernon Police Chief Alexander Brougham and his family for any inconvenience it may have caused the chief, his family members and professional associates,” the statement said.

“In response to a citizen complaint which alleged that, Alexander Brougham violated a court order by making a telephone call, the New Boston Department determined that Chief Brougham had not violated the court order,” it continued.

Brougham has been on paid leave since the Mont Vernon Board of Selectmen voted unanimously at their meeting on Monday, June 2, to take him off the job pending the results of a criminal investigation. Officer Aaron Daigneault was named interim chief.

“For the best for the town and himself, he’s on paid leave,” said Mont Vernon Board of Selectmen Chairman Jack Esposito days after the vote. “We’ve made no decision at all either way.”

Esposito said Brougham has been police chief in Mont Vernon for three years, having been employed as an officer in the department before rising to the rank of chief.

There is no word on whether Brougham has returned to work, or, if not, when he will be able to do so.

In their statement, New Boston police directed all questions to attorney Charles Bauer, who was not available by press time.

The Mont Vernon and New Boston police departments offered no comments on the dropped charge.

Flood plan - Regulations could prevent damage

2008-06-04T19:59:00Z

BY JENN McDOWELL

The Planning Board has approved changes to the subdivision regulations that specify clearly the requirements for drainage facilities, in an effort to help prevent future flooding.

The changes solidify the responsibility of developers to make sure their drainage facilities are in keeping with the town’s specifications. It also includes language that clearly states developers must re-submit their site plans if any part of the amendment is not being complied.

After severe flooding the past couple of years, the town wants to be more concrete about what they want to see in terms of flood prevention measures.

“The changes that were just made were an amendment to existing subdivision regulations to tighten up some controls from an engineering standpoint to that when the town engineer reviews the plans, it is more clear that these procedures have to be followed,” said Planning Coordinator Nic Strong, adding that many of these practices included in the amendment are already being implemented.

The amendment requires that all drainage facilities are built for a 10-year flood rather than a 2-year flood.

The language added to the subdivision regulations encourages practices such as designing road-crossing culverts to specifications for a 50-year storm; improving run-off slowing systems; and placing drains under the ground at every 300 feet and requiring that such drains lead into a culvert.

The Planning Board voted unanimously to adopt the amendments on May 27 after several meetings spent discussing the changes and a public hearing during their meeting on May 13.

If any changes are made to a site plan after it has already been approved, Strong said, the Planning Board has the authority to ask the developer to submit revised plans for review and approval.

One piece of the amendment spells out plainly that the Planning Board can ask for new plans if the approved ones are not being held to.

One example of that is when developers end up cutting down significantly more trees than they originally planned to cut, which would allow more storm water to run off the site and onto neighboring ones.

“We don’t want to be in a position that more water could leave the site,” Strong said.

Before that language was there, the Planning Board could require a developer to submit plans again, but the amendment just firmly states it.

“Because we had all that flooding over the past three years, we wanted to start being more clear,” Strong said.

Squirts and Mites take titles in state and Boston

2008-03-26T19:28:00Z

The New Hampshire Avalanche Squirt ’98 AAA team rolled through the Metro Boston Hockey League regular season, posting 35 wins without a loss.

The postseason was no different.

The top-seeded Avs, coached by Mike Potvin; his assistant coaches, Joe Silva, Mark Leach and Gary Saklad; and goaltender coches Bill McWhinnie and Bryan Ash, completed a record-breaking season with a 4-1 semifinal- round win over CD Select from Albany, N.Y., and an 8-0 drubbing of the Springfield Jr. Pics in the championship.

The team included players from Bedford, Hooksett, Goffstown, New Boston, Pelham, Concord, Londonderry, Manchester, Derry and Merrimack.

• • •

The Avalanche ’99 AAA team, the top seed in the tournament, won the Tier 1 Mite state championship.

The Avs handled the Jr. Monarchs, 5-2, and tied the Flames, 2-2, in the preliminary rounds.

In the semifinals, the Mites outshot the Nashua Panthers, 29-10, en route to a 3-1 win. They carried the momentum from that victory into the finals, opening an early 2-0 edge in an eventual 5-1 win.

• • •

The Avalanche Squirt ’97 AAA team won the Metro Boston Hockey League championship.

The Avs defeated the Edgewood Hawks in the semifinals, 2-0. Jeremy Duhamel connected midway through the third period after receiving a pass from Chad Thompson. Cam O’Neil’s empty netter in the final minute secured the win.

In the finals, the Avs outlasted the Springfield Jr. Pics in a shootout after a 2-2 tie. Goalie Michael Robinson turned aside both shots he faced, and Nicholas Burgess and Cole Anderson scored. Burgess and Colton McAllister tallied in regulation, with assists credited to Thompson and Isaac Segal.

The team earlier took second in the Tier I state championship.

• • •

The New Hampshire Avalanche Mites ’00 team beat the Worcester Crusaders in double overtime, 2-1, to become the Mite minor champions of the Metro Boston Hockey League. Reese Popkin, assisted by Kyle Greer and Cody Sullivan, scored the first goal for the Avs, tying the match. Ryan Sledjeski, Cameron Leborgne, Brett Bliss, Daniel Israel and goalie Conner Laurendeau kept the Crusaders scoreless for the remainder of the contest.

First-overtime attacks by forwards Parker Roberto, Cade DeStafani, Drew Parsons, Josh Connor and Mick Pitarys were thwarted, but, 14 seconds into the second OT, Greer found the back of the net on a pass from Sullivan. The Avs, 11-6-1 in MBHL play this season, dedicated the win to defenseman Mason Hobbs, who was unable to make the playoff games.

Three New Boston skiers breathe rare air of regionals

2008-03-19T23:49:00Z

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

One by one they took their turn: three skiers from one school, all representing one town at one exclusive event.

Though their ages and ethnicities varied, Goffstown High School’s Julie Clark, a junior; Milos Bohonek, a junior foreign-exchange student from the Czech Republic; and Thomas Joy, a freshman, were the only three Division I skiers to participate in the Eastern High School Alpine Championships (EHSAC).

The three New Boston residents joined 21 other Granite Staters competing at Cranmore Mountain from March 14 to 16. To get there, each had two top-10 runs, in a combination of slalom and giant slalom, at the Meet of Champions at Gunstock on Feb. 21.

To have three skiers reach the EHSAC is unprecedented at Goffstown High School, said coach Elizabeth Moody, who started the team in 1994 when her son Ben was a student at GHS. “I don’t know if it’s anything in particular we’ve done (as a program),” said Moody. “Probably, we’re just lucky having three skiers that came in that have skied quite a lot.”

At Cranmore, Clark finished 16th overall on slalom with a tworun combined time of 1 minute, 49.29 seconds. Her second-run, 52.34 seconds, was ninth best among over 200 starts. On giant slalom, Clark took 56th with an overall time of 2:02.48.

For the boys, the second run was canceled in giant slalom, which gave Joy a 15th-place finish with a one-run time of 51.26 seconds.

On slalom, the freshman earned a 28th-best time of 48.82 seconds in his first run, but faltered on his second attempt and came in 82nd with a combined 2:02.48.

Likewise, Bohonek’s 53.35- second run took 28th among second attempts, but he did not finish the first try.

Clark has been on the GHS team since her freshman year and has reached the Meet of Champions each season. The berth at Eastern Nationals is her first. A National Honors Society student, she has been skiing since she was 3 and has competed since she was 8.

Clark’s father is a diehard skier and coach, so her affinity for the sport is not a stretch. “My dad used to race in college, and my older sister used to race too, so it’s just a family thing,” she said.

In fact, Clark’s sister, Abby, along with Moody’s son, Ben, are the only two Grizzlies to reach Eastern Nationals prior to this year, said the coach “Julie’s just a much stronger skier than most girls her age,” said Moody. “She’s probably got a lot more mileage … She’s just so strong on the slopes.” Clark said her two male teammates really impressed her this season.

“Thomas is very good skier, especially for being so small and young,” she said. “And I think Milos is a really strong kid. He’s done very well for himself coming over from the Czech Republic.” Like Clark, Joy and Bohonek have been skiing nearly their entire lives.

Competing at Pat’s Peak since he was a child, Joy’s transition to the high school circuit was relatively painless.

Moody said Alpine skiing is one of the few sports where a freshman can be just as successful as a senior, though she added that Joy is an exceptional talent. “It’s kind of different being up there (at Cranmore) with all seniors and juniors knowing I’m one of the youngest kids,” said Joy. It’s a lot of fun, just different for me.”

Joy said he trains nearly every day, from first snowfall through the final melt.

Though raised half a world away, Bohonek’s upbringing wasn’t much different.

“My parents and my grandparents spent a lot of time in the mountains,” said Bohonek. “My parents are more climbers, but for some reason they decided to teach me how to ski. I started when I was 3.”

The transition to New England skiing was easy, he said, as conditions are much like those he experienced in the Czech Republic.

During the fall, however, he and his family took several trips to Austria to get an early start on the season.

The difference in countries, he said, is roughly the equivalent of skiing in New Hampshire vs. Colorado.

Bohonek said his home school only has a club program, so the opportunity to compete at the varsity level made the school year in New Hampshire more than worthwhile. The fact he’s met so much success makes it all the better.

Voters approve all in New Boston

2008-03-12T20:41:00Z

BY STEPHEN BEALE

Turnout was low but voter satisfaction was high in the school and town elections earlier this week.

All the warrant articles on the town and school ballots passed on Tuesday. Most were by comfortable margins, including a $3.7 million operating budget for the town and a $10.2 million operating budget for the school district.

In the election for local offices, Christine Quirk edged out Peter Kucmas for a single seat on the Board of Selectmen and Monika Wright won an uncontested race for the School Board.

No candidate filed for a second open seat on the board. Joe Constance won that second seat with 70 write-in votes.

Other winning candidates were the following: Gregg Peirce for cemetery trustee, Candace Woodbury for library trustee, Lee Nyquist for town moderator, Cathleen Strausbaugh for supervisor of the checklist, Karen Johnson for town treasurer and Thomas Manson for trustee of the trust funds. Also, Wayne Blassberg beat George St. John for fire ward by one vote, 731 to 730.

Out of a total of 3,750 registered voters, 959, or 25 percent, showed up at the polling place, according to Town Clerk Irene Baudreau.

“It’s disappointing, the small turnout we had,” Baudreau said. In all, not counting the article for election of officers, there were 32 articles on the town ballot that got the nod from voters.

Nearly a dozen of them dealt with spending. The largest was $3,720,780 for the town operating budget.

The rest involved smaller expenses, such as $60,000 for the refurbishment of the town main water attack vehicle, $85,000 for improvements to Bedford Road, $55,000 installment for the future purchase of Highway Department trucks, and $65,000 to replace the bridge on Lyndeboro Road.

The items on the ballot were generally run-of-the-mill, according to selectman Gordon Carlstrom. “This year, there really isn’t anything that is a huge controversy out there,” Carlstrom said.

Most of the articles passed by wide margins. But a $150,000 proposal for a footbridge over the Piscataquog River squeaked through by only 15 votes, with 480 voting yes. The bridge will connect the Mill Pond Conservation area with land owned by the New Boston Tavern.

Of the total cost, $120,000 will be funded by the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, $19,000 will be raised in taxes and the rest will come from the New Boston Foot Traffic Road Safety Committee.

Voters also took a stand on taxes Tuesday. They signed off on a statement, authored by the Granite State Fair Tax Coalition, declaring that the property tax has become unjust and unfair and calling upon state officials to have an open discussion on all revenue options.

The election further affected taxes on the local level. New Boston voters granted exemptions for solar and wind power systems and boosted the exemption limits on income and assets for elderly and disabled taxpayers.

Aging sluiceway dominates meeting

2008-02-06T22:20:00Z

By Michelle Kim

NEW BOSTON – An aging sluiceway, a proposed footbridge and confusion over procedural issues took up most of the discussion at the deliberative session of Town Meeting on Feb. 4.

About 40 residents attended the meeting, which lasted more than four hours.

A pair of citizen petition articles regarding a clogged and crumbling sluiceway sparked the most debate and procedural maneuvers.

Residents John Palmer and Jason Unger, who were among the petitioners, saw their property on Route 13 and Clark Hill Road flood last spring when a sluice way running through their land to the Piscataquog River failed. They explained that the articles asked the town to maintain the drainage system, which affected multiple properties as well as state roads, since there was no record of what entity had originally built the sluiceway.

The Board of Selectmen and several residents voiced reluctance to see the town take on the responsibility, citing the unknown scope of the problem and the unwanted precedence it would set.

“The issue is, should we spend public funds for a private system?” posed Selectman Gordon Carlstrom.

Multiple amendments attaching dollar amounts of $10,000 and $5,000 to the articles for drainage system maintainence failed. Attempts to move the articles onto the ballot also failed, which meant the articles would still appear on the ballot as originally proposed – a result which frustrated several attendees.

“A little disappointing that something failing doesn’t mean a damn thing,” said resident Brandy Mitroff.

Finally, an amendment introduced by road agent John Riendeau that committed the town to exploring the problem, instead of maintaining the system, was approved and passed.

An article raising $19,000 for the proposed Mill Pond Footbridge also drew fire, with many questions and comments for and against the project, but was ultimately put onto the ballot unchanged.

The $3.7 million operating budget article was reduced by $2,500 because of a stipend that was removed, according to Carlstrom. The estimated tax impact would still be an increase of 18 cents per $1,000 assessed property valuation.

Representatives from Verizon Wireless Networks spoke at the meeting regarding an article that would allow the Board of Selectmen to enter into a lease for a cell phone tower.

Most articles will go on the ballot unchanged, including a total of approximately $650,000 in special and individual warrant articles.

Town Moderator Lee Nyquist, a 16-year veteran of his post, observed that this year’s deliberative session seemed to have more substantive debate, harkening back to the traditional town meetings New Boston used to have before 1999, when the town went to the SB2 form of goverment that separates discussion from ballot voting.

The town election takes place on Tuesday, March 11, at New Boston Central School, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

New Boston prepares Winter Carnival

2008-01-30T21:46:00Z

By Michelle Kim

NEW BOSTON – It’s Winter Carnival time again in New Boston. On Saturday, Feb. 2, area residents can look forward to a day filled with winter activities topped off with the highlight of the evening, the lip sync singing contest.

The day’s outdoor activities, in the field behind the town hall, include sledding, snowshoe softball, snow sculpturing, snow golf, flag football and hay rides. Indoor activities in the white buildings include arts and crafts, movies and a magician. Also taking place nearby at the New Boston Central School is the PTA soup cookoff, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with prizes and bragging rights going to the first three places, and a full schedule of basketball games in the school’s gymnasium.

At night, starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Central School gymnasium, the annual lip sync singing contest hits the stage.

The show is already fully booked with 25 acts who each paid a $5 entry fee for a shot at lip sync glory and cash prizes of $100, $50 and $25 for first, second and third place, respectively.

Mike Sindoni, director of the Parks and Recreation Department, said he was surprised at the variety of music performed by the kids in the contest every year. He described it as ranging from ’70s rock to classical to blues, although the big thing this year is Hannah Montana, he said. Most of the acts were groups, but there were a few brave souls who signed up as solo lip sync artists.

Sindoni said he expects a couple hundred attendees for the day’s activities, depending on weather conditions, and up to 400 for the lip sync contest.

Solar power tax exemption among ballot items

2008-01-30T21:40:00Z

By Michelle Kim

NEW BOSTON – Along with the operating budget, voters can expect warrant articles expanding tax exemptions for elderly and disabled and updates to the solid waste ordinances at the Feb. 4 deliberative session of Town Meeting.

The proposed operating budget of approximately $3.7 million is about 8.7 percent higher than last year’s proposed operating budget and about 6.4 percent higher than the default level.

There are also 10 appropriating special warrant articles and three individual warrant articles, totaling about $650,000.

The estimated tax impact of the proposed operating budget together with the appropriating individual and special warrant articles would be an increase of 18 cents per $1,000 of property valuation, according to Town Administrator Burton Reynolds.

The proposed operating budget increased by about $20,000 from the amount presented in the public budget hearing, mostly due to additions for upgrading the Fire Department’s breathing apparatus over the next three years, according to Reynolds.

Two articles to expand tax exemptions for the elderly and disabled would increase the exemption limit from $21,000 to $35,000 for a single person and from $30,000 to $45,000 for a married couple. Reynolds said he was unsure about the number of people the exemptions would affect or the amount of tax dollars.

“I’m thinking it’s not anywhere near the effect raising the veterans’ exemption had,” he said.

An article on the solid waste ordinances would mostly update language. The ordinances have not been updated since they were written in 1991, according to the article’s explanation.

Four articles regarding zoning ordinance changes address issues ranging from heat detectors in garage stalls to sign regulations to sprinkler system design standards.

Residents will also see four petitioned articles at the deliberative session. Two petitioned articles request tax exemptions for solar powered and wind powered energy systems. Another article calling for state lawmakers to reject the “pledge” against new taxes was also introduced in multiple New Hampshire town warrants by a group called the Granite State Fair Tax Coalition. The other petitioned article requests the town to maintain and repair a private drainage system.

Another article would allow the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee to state their recommendations on all warrant articles instead of just a few types of warrant articles.

Modest increases for school budget

2008-01-16T20:11:00Z

By Michelle Kim

Voters will see a proposed operating budget of approximately $10 million on the school district warrant at the February deliberative session.

The Finance Committee unanimously approved the School Board’s 2008-09 $10,164,341 proposed operating budget at their Jan. 5 meeting.

The proposed operating budget represents about a 6 percent increase over the 2007-08 budget and is only 0.2 percent over the default level of $10,141,612.

A public budget hearing on Jan. 9 saw no public comment and wrapped after 10 minutes. No other warrant articles, besides the operating budget and the election of new school district positions, were presented at the hearing.

“I’d say it’s an adequate budget and meets the needs of the kids,” said New Boston Central School Principal Rick Matthews.

More than 60 percent of new increases represent fixed costs, pointed out Matthews.

The other 30 percent of new expenditures include the addition of special education teacher and two special eduction paraprofessionals, as well as a $30,000 “mobile laboratory,” a cart of laptops with programs that teachers can use to supplement their classes. Matthews said the school has one mobile laboratory that is in constant demand.

The New Boston Central School, which currently has 551 students, anticipates an enrollment of 571 for the new school year.

Though the district had considered the idea of expanding NBCS and adding on grades 7 and 8, an architectural survey concluded that would not be feasible.

Matthews also pointed out the budget was built around an assumption of receiving the same level of adequacy funding as the 2007-08 year.

Finance Committee approves two full-time police positions

2008-01-09T21:43:00Z

By Michelle Kim

NEW BOSTON – The departure of yet another New Boston police officer may have opened the door for the Police Department to eventually meet its basic scheduling needs.

And that news has Chief Chris Krajenka elated.

At the Jan. 5 meeting, the Finance Committee decided to approve Krajenka’s request for a new full-time officer and also to turn a 32-hour part-time position into a full-time position as well.

“I’m extremely enthused,” said Krajenka. “I was absolutely floored. I was expecting to have to go in there and really fight for that one position.”

Krajenka said the departure of part-time officer Joe Fussell, whose last day with the department was Jan. 6, helped convince the committee of the difficulty of finding and holding onto qualified part-time officers.

“The Finance Committee and selectmen have worked to bring the pay up, but I don’t think we’ll ever be able to compete with other towns,” said Krajenka.

Fussell was sworn into the Weare Police Department during the Weare Board of Selectmen’s meeting Monday, Jan. 7.

“We had gotten very lucky,” said committee member Brandy Mitroff. “The probability of finding another part-time person that could work those hours is slim to none.” She said the Finance Committee wanted to give Krajenka more flexibility in his hiring choices.

Since it would take some time to find another qualified candidate, the position could be made full-time using the same amount of salary already budgeted for the year’s part-time position, Town Administrator Burton Reynolds explained. The only additional cost would be the benefits offered. Reynolds said he is still working on the final figures for the Police Department’s operating budget.

Krajenka estimated, with the newly requested officer and the additional eight hours from having a full-time instead of part-time position, that his department would be able to cover calls from 5 a.m. until 2 a.m. during the busy weekends on Thursday, Friday and Saturday instead of just until 11 p.m. The department currently covers 5 a.m. until 11 p.m. during the week and weekend, but has large gaps because of the lack of available officers.

“(The committee) realized the importance of needing that additional body. It’s going to take a lot of stress off the individual officer and myself and the sergeant,” said Krajenka.

The overall operating budget will go on the warrant before voters for this year’s deliberative session on Feb. 4 and at the March election.

New Boston family splits time in Mexican home

2008-01-02T20:05:00Z

By Michelle Kim

NEW BOSTON – Normally around this time of year, when snow blankets the ground and Granite State residents fight icy winds and roads, Cyndie Katz is someplace a bit warmer. – like Mexico.

For the past 10 years, the Katz family has split their time between Morelia, Mexico, and New Boston, heading south from October to April like the migrating herds of Monarch butterflies that precede them.

Besides having the experience of living in another culture, this has allowed their youngest daughter, Alice, 10, to grow up completely bilingual.

Cyndie and Geoff Katz had often vacationed and spent time in Mexico, partly because it was a place they could take their combined family of five children for a decent vacation on a budget and partly because of their affection for the country and culture. Geoff Katz hitchhiked through Mexico after college and studied Spanish there.

But it was still a surprise when Geoff came back from one such vacation in Morelia, shortly after Alice was born, with a significant purchase, said Cyndie.

“He came home and said, ‘I bought a house. If you don’t like it, I’ll sell it,’” she said.

The relatively inexpensive high-ceilinged house was in a quiet neighborhood close to the historic center of Morelia, the pink limestone capital city of the southwestern Mexican state of Michoacan.

The couple bought and renovated properties for a living, along with running the Garden Center, which they recently gave up after 15 years. Because they were self-employed and could close the Center during the winter months, and because, as veteran parents, they felt comfortable raising their youngest in this slightly unconventional arrangement, they decided to try it.

Cyndie said they found the people there to be very warm and accommodating and to delight in little children.

“It’s as if all children belong to all people,” said Cyndie. “If you bring a baby to a restaurant, the waitress will probably pick up your baby from the table and take her to the kitchen.”

She also described a place with low crime rates, markets with vendors selling fresh foods and supplies daily, and a lack of over-regulation.

“If you need something done, they’ll find a way to do it,” said Cyndie.

But the biggest difference, besides the culture, is the “city life” in Morelia and the “country life” in New Boston.

Alice, a precocious, bright-eyed fifth-grader, said she likes her “country” life in New Boston. She attends a private Montessori school in Morelia with only 25 other students in the entire school – about the size of her class at New Boston Central School. She said she finds spelling much easier in Spanish than English, which can have all kinds of tricky rules and exceptions.

“Her brain thinks in both languages equally,” her mother observed. “She’ll talk in her sleep in Spanish. When she first comes back, you see all these Spanish words in her writing that she doesn’t even realize.

“I think that’s fascinating, since I try to learn by studying it so hard, that she can just sort of do it,” said Cyndie, who admitted she was the least fluent of the family.

This year, they decided to stay a few extra months in New Boston to strengthen Alice’s written English skills with her teacher, Ms. Racey, whose strengths are teaching reading and writing.

Cyndie said part of the dilemma of living in two places is missing the one they’re not in.

“I think people think I’m on vacation for six months” when living in Mexico, said Cyndie. But she said she stays busier in Morelia than she does in New Boston, taking care of their properties remotely, taking art classes, and publishing a monthly newsletter the family bought three years ago, “Adventures in Mexico,” for people interested in retiring in Mexico.

“We’ve cobbled together a life so we can live in the two places. I don’t know how other people could do it,” she said.

New Boston Year in review 2007

2007-12-27T01:00:00Z

BY MICHELLE KIM

For many residents in Goffstown, Weare and New Boston, 2007 had a strong a sense of deja vu. Few would have thought a 100-year flood would happen two years in a row. But it did.

Here’s a look at a few events in New Boston:
Rose Meadow Farm, a residential care facility for clients 18 and older with brain and spinal cord injuries, opened up a second facility on Bedford Road, called Rose Meadow Gardens, with 13 more openings.

A fire broke out in January at 114 Pine Road, the home of Kelsiey Nippe and Jerrod Poliquin, who were awakened by the sound of their smoke detector. The Fire Department was able to locate and put out the fire before any significant structural damage was caused.

At the March Town Meeting elections, voters accepted the $3.4 million operating budget, a 9 percent increase over the previous year’s operating budget, and approved almost all the warrant articles, except for an article seeking money for a footbridge connecting the central village to the south commercial district, despite a heated campaign by the article’s proponents.

The article would have required $30,000 from the town and acquired the other $120,000 through state grants.

Voters returned six-year incumbent selectman and board Chairman Dave Woodbury over challenger Kim DiPetro.

The school operating budget of $9.4 million, which was close to the default level, easily passed, as did articles for a new teacher contract requiring about $120,000 in new spending. A $33,000 article to conduct a study on expanding the New Boston Central School that had sparked discussion at the deliberative session also passed.

Also during March, New Boston part-time resident Richard Hawes, 65, of Friendly Beaver Campground, who pled guilty to trafficking pornographic photos of his 2-year-old granddaughter, was sentenced in Concord District Court to 10 years in prison.

The floods from the April 15 and 16 nor’easter brought worse damage to local roads than 2006’s Mother’s Day floods, according to Police Chief Chris Krajenka. The main thoroughfares of Route 13, Route 136, Route 77 and Bedford Road were all closed, and several families were displaced from their homes, with about five staying overnight at the emergency shelter set up by the Greater Manchester Red Cross at the Central school.

Small brooks and streams became raging torrents that overflowed their banks and destroyed the pavement, and clear cutting 40 acres of forest for construction off of Bedford Road caused rushing waters to undermine a 12-foot section of the road. Gov. John Lynch visited the police station April 17. In all, there was about $400,000 worth of damage, according to Town Administrator Burton Reynolds.

New Boston was one of nine counties declared federal disaster areas, making it eligible for FEMA aid. FEMA representatives toured the area in June.

Reynolds said the town would apply for FEMA and state aid, which should reimburse about 88 percent of the damage. The Mother’s Day floods made the town much more familiar with applying for aid, he said.

The school district applied for a waiver for the time it missed because of flood-damaged roads that prevented school buses from getting to Central or to the Goffstown schools.

In May, builder Aaron Fielder was arrested in Londonderry and charged with felony forgery after he allegedly forged the certificate of occupancy for a $365,000 Hutchinson Lane home after it failed to pass inspection by the town building inspector. The Hutchinson Lane subdivision was being built by Front Line construction in New Boston.

Water from River Road Spring, a popular local landmark on Route 13, was declared unsafe after detection of an abnormal level of coliform bacteria, a naturally occurring organism that probably came from the flooding run-off water, according to health officer Shannon Silver.

Selectmen hosted information sessions on the transfer station April 30 and in July. The town achieved its goal of 40 percent recycling in May and discussed ways to increase that rate, such as an incentive program for haulers.

The Board of Selectmen adopted a new energy conservation policy in July to look for practical ways to save energy within the town’s means.

The Fourth of July celebration introduced rock climbing, in addition to the traditional favorites of mud volleyball, fiddler’s contest, chicken barbecue, parade and fireworks.

In September, the 50th anniversary Hillsborough County Fair went on despite heat and rain that reduced its attendance by half. The fireworks were canceled, but everything else continued as planned. Peter Carter of Goffstown won the giant pumpkin contest with a gourd weighing 1,101 pounds. The same pumpkin had won the grand prize at the Rochester Fair.

In August, Dave Woodbury donated a 100-year-old railroad passenger car he had been renovating for the last 15 years to the Contoocook Riverway Association to put on display.

The New Boston Police Department saw staff changes with the resignation of officer Josh Woehl and, after a long search, the hiring of a new candidate to be sent to the police academy.

A study conducted by the former police chief concluded the department needed 10 officers to function at full capacity; the department currently has four full-time officers, including the chief, and one part-time officer.

Chief Chris Krajenka put in a request for an additional officer for the 2008 budget, which would bring the number of spots for sworn officers to eight. The budget proposal also included a request for eight Tasers.

A delegation of teachers from Iceland visited the New Boston Central School in October to observe the Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support (PBIS) program as part of a three-day trip to New Hampshire. The teachers swapped ideas with New Boston teachers and presented the Central School with a book and a flag from their school.

The New Boston Climate and Energy Committee organized a fair in November to promote awareness of climate change and energy efficiency in conjunction with a nationwide series of events called “Step It Up.” In the second half of the event, local politicians answered residents questions in a forum on policy, incentives and ideas on climate change.

The property tax rate for 2007 decreased 8.4 percent, despite a doubling of the town portion of the tax, mostly because of a larger than expected adequacy education grant that lowered the school portion of the tax. The overall rate was $14.02 per $1,000 of assessed property value.

Also in November, an enormous barn fire on a Bunker Hill Road barn killed 125 goats trapped inside, many of which were pregnant and due soon. The property and goats were owned by Steve Caggiano.

At one point, up to 75 firefighters from 10 different communities were fighting the barn fire, side house fire and spot brush fires. The cause of the fire is unknown but not suspicious.

A survey and architectural study concluded expanding the New Boston Central School to possibly bring back grades 7 and 8 would take up too much parking and playground space.

Only $3,000 of the $33,000 granted in the warrant article was used and the rest will be returned to the town, according to Principal Rick Matthews.

New fire station proposed

2007-12-12T21:39:00Z

By Michelle Kim

A proposal for a new fire station in 2013 was introduced into the Capital Improvements Program plan to the tune of $1.8 million

This CIP plan calls for a 10,132-square-foot building, nearly twice the size of the present station, with 10 vehicle bays, no dorms and would be paid for with a bond that includes $300,000 for the cost of property.

The original plan by the Fire Department, based on a nine-month committee study led by architect Roger Dignard, proposed a $2.5 million, 14,451-square-foot building with 12 equipment bays and dorms for seven full-time firefighters.

The New Boston Fire Department is an all-volunteer company with more than 30 members.

“Let’s start out being a little more conservative,” said Town Administrator Burton Reynolds. “As we get closer, we have plenty of time to make changes.”

Because it would be paid for with a bond, there would be no funding until the project date approached, he pointed out.

Fire Chief Dan MacDonald said the study had started with a 30-year end goal, which made it easier to figure out the smaller, cheaper, shorter-term models as well.

“We designed the main long-term solution and backed out the modules that we didn’t need but could be added on later,” he said.

The current 5,664-square-foot station built in 1973 has no decontamination area, shower facilities, vehicle exhaust containment system or area for administrative work. The last two or three fire vehicles have had to be designed to fit the doors of the equipment bays, said MacDonald. According to the Fire Department, it “does not meet modern criteria for public safety buildings.”

The nearby New Boston Air Force Tracking Station also has a fire station, Hilltop, served by the New Boston Fire Department but partially equipped by the Tracking Station.

CIP projects are required to be included on the schedule at least six years before the start date of a project.

125 animals die in blaze

2007-11-14T20:30:00Z

BY MICHELLE KIM

A fire destroyed a barn filled with hay and goats, Saturday, Nov. 10, killing 125 animals trapped inside and burning down the side wing of the nearby house, according to the New Boston Fire Department.

Upon responding to a call shortly after 9:30 p.m., the New Boston Fire Department found the three-story, 2,525-square-foot barn at 231 Bunker Hill Road completely engulfed in flames that lit up the night sky.

The upper two levels of the barn were filled with hay and the lower level housed the 100- plus goats being bred by owner Steve Caggiano. Many of the goats were pregnant and due in the next few weeks.

With the hay, metal roof and dry wood of the old barn, “it was like an oven and just built on itself,” said Fire Chief Daniel MacDonald. “They were probably dead by the time they even saw the fire.”

Up to 75 firefighters from 10 surrounding communities, including Francestown, Bedford, Goffstown, Dunbarton and even Manchester, and six additional brush crews and trucks responded to calls for assistance. Assistant Fire Chief George St. John oversaw the brush crews while Francestown Fire Chief Donald Abbott directed the efforts against the main barn fire.

Strong winds spread embers that started spot fires in the brush and across the street in a large field.

The shed attached to the main part of the house, used as an office, burned down, but firefighters were able to save the main part of the house with damage only to the attic. Caggiano lives down the road and used the house as a business location.

The fire was declared under control by 11:34 p.m., though crews continued to combat brush fires and flare ups into early Sunday morning.

The cause of the fire is unknown but not suspicious, according to the Fire Department, and may remain that way since the destruction was so complete.

MacDonald said residents had smelled smoke earlier and one person had driven by at approximately 9 p.m., but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

The Fire Department went back the next day to make sure there were no lingering sparks or embers, said MacDonald, and Caggiano buried the carcasses Sunday.

The goats were like pets to him, said MacDonald.

Tax surprise – Rate decreases 8.4 percent due to fewer special ed students, more aid

2007-11-07T20:30:00Z

BY MICHELLE KIM

New Boston homeowners can expect a lower property tax bill this year due to a one-time bump in school funds, but could have saved more if the town portion hadn’t doubled.

The 2007 overall property tax rate has been set at $14.02 per $1,000 of assessed property value, a decrease of 8.4 percent from last year’s rate of $15.30. The owner of a $300,000 property would pay $4,206, or $384 less than last year.

The local school portion of the tax, which dropped 34.1 percent from $10.32 last year to $6.80 this year, accounted for the lower overall rate.

New Boston had fewer special education needs than expected and fewer middle school and high school enrollments, requiring fewer tuition charges, than anticipated said Dr. Darrell Lockwood, superintendent of SAU 19.

In addition, the district received a larger than expected adequacy education grant of over $2 million, which was about $500,000 more than the previous year.

“I’m hoping the adequacy education grant will continue, but the state has been known to change that rate year to year,” said Lockwood.

He explained that this year’s combination of lower expenses and greater revenue was a unique occurance and that the school portion of the tax rate would probably go back to previous levels.

The town portion of the tax rate showed the most dramatic increase, more than doubling from $2.05 last year to $4.27 this year.

This is in large part because of the town’s efforts to reduce the impact of tax fluctuations, according to Town Administrator Burton Reynolds.

By reducing the overall drop in taxes this year, next year’s anticipated tax increase will seem less sharp, according to Reynolds.

Without this offsetting effort, the town portion would have risen only about 50 cents, Burton estimates.

Reynolds said people like consistency and knowing what to expect when it comes to taxes.

The state school portion of the tax rate remained essentially flat at $2.01, or 2 cents more than last year’s rate. The county portion increased 4.4 percent from 90 cents last year to 94 cents this year.