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This week's stories: (click on the headline
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Pre-game warm-up?
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Two hours before the Patriots game on
Sunday, Jan. 18, Sam Leger, 13, and his dad, Joe, 41, decided
to pass the time by ice fishing at Lake Massabesic. It was the
first time the Hooksett pair tried setting traps on their own.
Joe Leger is cleaning frozen debris out of the hole after chopping
through almost 15 inches of ice. (Lara Skinner Photo)
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High
School Tuition Agreement
Manchester to make up
state aid difference
By KATE BENWAY
Staff Writer
kbenway@yourneighborhoodnews.com
A possible solution to
the high school tuition hitch is on the table, keeping sending
towns within their initial tuition cost estimates.
The proposal from Manchester officials includes the 30 percent
building aid that the Auburn, Candia and Hooksett school boards
built into their tuition estimates and puts the tuition cost
at either $8,260 or $8,271 per student.
The $8,271 includes a stipulation Manchester officials have asked
for: that the sending towns agree to repay the city the interest
it would have earned on the $315,000 in building aid reimbursment.
The $8,260 simply includes the building aid reimbursment without
the interest payment to Manchester.
Without that 30 percent building aid, the cost would be $8,548
per student.
"We are about $11 apart in agreeing," said SAU 15 Superintendent
Robert Suprenant. "The Hooksett School Board voted to approve
a per-student payment of $8,260 and took no action at this point
on the repayment of the interest."
The solution had been hinted at by Manchester officials originally
who said they'd considering financially aiding the towns through
the 2004-05 school year, when that 30 percent building aid reimbursment
was not due to come in.
And sending-town officials have held the line all along, asserting
that their intrepretation of the contract was that the towns
would receive that reimbursement because Manchester would make
a payment on the principal of the 20-year bond it issued for
the renovation of city schools.
When Manchester announced it would not make a payment on the
principal this year in time for 2004-05 building aid reimbursement,
sending towns scrambled to avoid forking over up to $500 more
per student.
The problem, said Suprenant, should only be a factor for this
budget cycle, as Manchester officials plan to make a payment
on the principal next year.
"When they provide a tuition estimate for 2005-06, it will
include the 30 percent credit because Manchester will be reimbursed
in June 2006," he said. "At that point, this problem
should go away."
For now, as the sending towns' budgets are taking shape, local
school officials will most likely commit to paying $8,260 per
student, and not make provisions to include the extra $11 per
student to cover the interest Manchester will lose.
That payment represents a $60 increase in the $1,500 capital
cost that was originally estimated.
"The Hooksett School Board feels very strongly that the
$8,260 is where we're obligated to be," said Becky Berk,
chairman of the board. "Above that we don't have any obligations."
Candia School Board chairman, William Zarges said board members
have not yet approved their tuition price tag, but expects to
pay the $8,260 per student.
"We've got time for this to get worked out," said Zarges.
"But I understand that the administration has a budget
number and all of the sending towns will use that $8,260 number."
Auburn School Board chairman Elaine Hobbs agreed.
"We are meeting in Feburary to confirm, but my assumption
is that we will most likely go with that number," she
said.
With the local school districts holding the line, it is unclear
what effect officials' refusal to pay extra toward Manchester's
lost interest will be.
"I think both Manchester and the sending districts still
have a different interpretation of that 30 percent reimbursment,"
said Suprenant. "It remains to be seen how problematic it
will be."
Candia
Cash from trash
$1.5 million transfer station would allow
town to stop incineration, bring in fees
By KATE BENWAY
Staff Writer
kbenway@yourneighborhoodnews.com
A $1.5 million proposal to construct an
in-town transfer station and provide curbside trash and recycling
pick-up for residents is in the works and set to go before voters
at Town Meeting.
The proposition came up quickly, according to Selectman Gary
York, who was approached recently by a private trash hauler interested
in contracting with the town.
The partnership could result in a major cost savings for the
town, said York.
"The best part is that our solid waste budget, which was
$332,000 in 2003 will go away," he said. "Instead,
we'll be making money."
With the transfer station in town, Candia could rake in a sizable
sum each day, he said.
"If they take in 500 tons of garbage a day, and we're looking
at $1 a ton, that's $500 a day the town is receiving, or $130,000
a year in revenue," he said. "But it all depends on
what we negotiate. Maybe it's $5 a ton. We don't know that right
now."
York serves on the town's solid waste committee, which has been
considering an arrangement like this for some time.
The town currently uses a recycling center, but with the state
looking to crack down on incinerating garbage, it's time to scout
out other options, said officials.
"If this plan works and you're still not talking about
a project that's on line until 2005 or 2006 it's preemptive.
It's planning for the future," said Selectman Clark Thyng.
"I think this is a great opportunity for Candia to be proactive
and not reactive."
Resident Al Couch, a member of the town's master plan committee
and chairman of the solid waste committee, agreed.
The creation of a transfer station fits in with the town's master
plan goals, he said.
"There are lots of transfer stations all around the state
and they work well and they're pretty clean operations," he
said. "Residents constantly come up to me and ask why we
aren't recycling plastic. It's because we don't have the room
right now. With a new transfer station, we could accommodate
that."
Officials will not disclose what site they're eying for the potential
transfer station, but said they'll build a facility large enough
to take in 500 tons of garbage each day.
The town currently produces between 25 and 50 tons of trash per
week, said York.
"We're looking to permit for 500 tons per day, but the permitting
may not be approved for 500," he said. "We have to
make it a viable entity for the private sector."
Under the proposal, the private trash hauler would lease the
transfer station from the town under a 20-year agreement.
The vendor would be responsible for the costs of operation, capital
costs and maintenance, said York.
"We would have to do some type of performance bond on the
private enterprise to make sure that if there was any financial
trouble on their part, the town would be reimbursed the total
amount of the bond," he said.
York said it is too early to know which private company the town
will go with, but part of the contract will include provisions
to retain the handful of employees the town has at the recycling
center.
"They would be taken care of," said York, adding that
the town will also arrange for free curbside trash and recycling
pick-up for Candia residents.
Officials said they're prepared for residents' questions about
how much out-of-town trash will be hauled through Candia, where
the transfer station will be and what the ramifications of the
partnership are.
"You've got the historic factor and we are obviously very
conscious and sensitive to that," said York. "There
are odor concerns and loose flying debris concerns. Hopefully
this will all be ironed out to some degree in the lease."
Residents will have a chance to hear about the proposal at a
Monday, Feb. 9, public hearing at town hall at 7 p.m.
And though voters will be asked to decide on the $1.5 million
proposal at Town Meeting, officials will not sign a lease with
the private trash hauler until after that vote is cast.
"That way, if there are additional concerns brought up,
we can address them before signing a lease," said York.
Epsom
Shooter named
Former Franklin cop shot local taxidermist
By RUSS CHOMA
Staff Writer
rchoma@yourneighborhoodnews.com
NEWPORT An ex-police officer
was named as the shooter who killed an Epsom man in a hunting
accident two weeks ago.
Steven Laro, 48, of Concord, is under investigation for the death,
according to Sullivan County District Attorney Marc Hathaway.
On Jan. 3, Robert Proulx, owner of the Wildlife Taxidermy
and Sports Center in Manchester, was shot and killed at
the Corbin Park game preserve in Croyden while hunting with
Laro and four others.
Hathaway said no charges have been brought, but there is still
an ongoing investigation.
"Obviously the investigation is to determine whether or
not it's appropriate to consider charges in this case,"
he said. "And the decision as to whether or not to
charge (him) will be dependent on the facts as they unfold."
From the beginning, investigators said Proulx's death was a hunting
accident. Even if a shooting is ruled a hunting accident, it
is still possible to file charges against the shooter, for negligent
homicide or manslaughter.
The case garnered unusual attention from media because investigators
took so long to release the shooter's name, but Hathaway said
they are simply doing a thorough investigation.
Laro is a former Franklin police officer who was fired from the
department in 1991 after superiors learned he had threatened
workers at a health clinic. Laro appealed the case, arguing he
had not been given a fair hearing, but according to a 2000 Associated Press
report, a Merrimack County judge upheld the firing.
Convictions based on investigations Laro had worked on, including
a 1995 murder case, were overturned when credibility issues were
discovered in Laro's file history.
In 1995, the state Supreme Court threw out the first-degree murder
conviction of Carl Laurie after defense attorneys discovered
certain troubling items in Laro's personnel file that raised
questions about his credibility and character. Laro was the state's
lead witness in the original conviction.
According to court documents from 1995, a state police pre-employment
investigation of Laro described him as "an extremely volatile
person." Letters in his personnel file stated that Laro
would "come on strong, often verbally abusive, and if questioned
about his demeanor would manhandle the subject, often choking
the person or threatening him with physical harm."
The state police investigation also discovered that while employed
by the Boxboro, Mass., Police Department in the 1980s, Laro had
been suspended twice, and a psychologist had recommended that
Laro "should not be entrusted with a gun or badge, and that
he should be referred to counseling."
This information led to the conviction against Laurie being tossed.
Laurie was later convicted of a lesser second-degree murder charge.
Because of the case, the court established a precedent which
still stands, that says prosecutors must give defense attorneys
any information that could affect the credibility of witnesses,
even if they are police officers.
Hathaway was tight-lipped about how the investigation was proceeding
or if there is a deadline for charges to be brought.
Pembroke
Pembroke teachers want more money
By RUSS CHOMA
Staff Writer
rchoma@yourneighborhoodnews.com
Negotiations between Pembroke's teachers'
union and school board have fallen apart over how much teachers
are paid.
Pembroke School Board Chairman Clint Hanson said that with the
Town Meeting season quickly approaching, some sort of agreement
would have to be hammered out by Jan. 27 or a warrant article
would not make the ballot.
Negotiations that were begun last spring failed to produce any
agreement between the two sides, and two December mediations
also failed.
Hanson was blunt about the reason why there was no agreement.
"It all boils down to money," he said. "We had
a mediation in early December, and we resolved virtually all
of the issues except money. (The school board) made, on our volition,
a revised salary proposal to the teachers and that proposal was
rejected. And so that's where we stand. The only thing in dispute
is salary, and we're substantially apart."
In a released statement, Roger Miknaitis, lead negotiator for
the teachers, said the union had done its best.
"We've been responsible. We've been rational. We've been
reasonable," Miknaitis said.
According to a statement issued by the Education Association
of Pembroke, salary is the issue still being debated. Miknaitis
said the union is simply trying to achieve parity with surrounding
towns in terms of salary.
"We've made the concessions necessary to produce an agreement," he
said. "However, we can't accept a salary schedule that would
place us below the towns that send students to Pembroke Academy
in light of all the concessions we've made."
Hanson said the board's offers had been quite generous.
"We have made an offer that would be equivalent to just
under 10 percent (increase) over three years, which is roughly
equivalent to the average increase over the state," he said.
"The teachers are looking something closer to 13 or 14 or
15 percent (increase) over three years."
Both sides are also saying that the other side needs to take
the next step.
"The ball is in their court," Hanson said. "We
have a proposal on the table. Their counter proposal was a step
back. So our position is if they are willing to come back and
talk, or come back with something a little bit more in the realm
of reason, we'll obviously give it appropriate consideration,"
Hanson said.
Miknaitis said the teachers' union had done its part, and now
the board needs to step up.
"The association's team has bargained in good faith," he
said. "It's up to the board now to determine the course
that these negotiations will take."
Candia
Fourth-graders work to restore War Memorial
monument
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By KATE BENWAY
Staff Writer
kbenway@yourneighborhoodnews.com
The weathered but unwavering Colonial soldier
that stands in honor of Candia's war veterans has found a place
in the hearts of four local fourth-graders.
When twins Megan and Erin Smith found out the soldier's gun had
been broken off the monument, they got to thinking and
fundraising.
"My older sister had done a research paper on it before,
so we knew a lot about it," said Erin. "We were,
like, wouldn't it be cool to help raise money to get him repaired?"
Candia's War Memorial monument was damaged some time after Halloween,
when the soldier's musket was found shattered at the base of
the High Street monument.
Some of the pieces were missing and police aren't sure if the
damage was the result of vandalism or natural decay.
Megan and Erin, along with their best friends Alicia Frazier
and Becky Petrin, all 10-year-old classmates at the Henry W.
Moore School, got to work taking empty milk jugs and soda liters
around town to collect donations for the soldier's repair.
Attached to the jugs and liters are notes the girls wrote themselves,
explaining who they are and asking for spare change.
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MONEY FOR A MUSKET Moore School
students (from left) Alicia Frazer, Megan Smith, Becky Petrin
and Erin Smith, all 10, have set up donation centers around Candia
asking residents to chip in to repair the broken soldier commemmorating
Candia's war veterans. They want to replace the musket and the
visor on the statue's hat. (Kate Benway Photo)
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They've placed the containers in classrooms
and the front office at the school, and at the Post Office, general
store, Smyth Public Library, Ace Hardware and the Mobil Station.
And the entrepreneurial group plans to
hit up voters at the Jan. 27 primary in the school gym.
"We're going to put one of our buckets there so people can
vote and donate," said Alicia. "It'd be pretty easy."
So far, the effort has raised about $64 and though the girls
had put a Jan. 30 deadline on the drive, they're willing to keep
the collection running as long as it takes.
"I've been impressed by their perseverance," said Moore
School Principal Michele Carvalho. "They've really taken
it and run with it."
But there hasn't been a clear determination on what it will take
to repair the monument.
The Candia Heritage Commission, along with selectmen, are figuring
out how best to deal with the damage.
Selectman Clark Thyng said commission members are attempting
to contact the company that built the memorial in 1957, and Thyng
recently filed an insurance claim in hopes of getting some reimbursement.
"Several of us have also noted that there are other statues
in other communities that are just about the same," he said.
"We're going to contact other towns because we can't be
the only ones that have had a problem with our statue."
Meanwhile, the fundraisers have some ideas of their own.
"I think they should take some of the old pieces and mix
them with new ones to repair it because then it's more original,"
said Megan. "If they keep rebuilding it, it's not really
historical."
And the girls pointed out that the soldier's hat visor has been
chipped for years.
"If there is money left over, maybe we could use it to fix
that part," said Megan.
Allenstown
Neighborhood 'grandfather' dies from burns
in trailer fire
By RUSS CHOMA
Staff Writer
rchoma@yourneighborhoodnews.com
An elderly Allenstown man died Friday,
Jan. 16, after suffering a heart attack while recovering from
severe burns at a Boston hospital.
Archie Minard, 86, of 17 Pine Acres Road, suffered severe
burns to his back during a Jan. 10 fire. Minard was being
treated at Boston General Hospital.
According to the state fire marshal, the trailer fire was started
when Minard used a propane torch to thaw pipes and his clothes
caught fire.
Neighbors say Minard was able to escape the burning trailer and
roll in the snow to extinguish the flames, but returned to the
trailer to call for help. Sue Simpson, a neighbor passing by,
saw smoke and stopped to help Minard.
Neighbor Veryl Brissette said Minard was known for both his fierce
independence and a warm-hearted devotion to his neighbors and
their children.
"He was my neighbor for about 40 years," Brissette
said. "He was very well liked as a neighbor. He used to
patrol the neighborhood with his car. And when he didn't get
his license renewal (because of his age) he would ride his
lawn mower and patrol."
Brissette said four generations of neighborhood kids knew Minard
and treated him like an adopted grandfather.
Minard, a widower, was a retired World War II Navy veteran and
had no children. He had 16 siblings and is survived by three.
He is also survived by a nephew, Joe Barton, of Epsom.
Brissette said that living alone for years was tough on Minard
but he always had time to look out for others.
In particular, Brissette remembered when her husband suffered
a heart attack and Minard appeared on her front doorstep to inquire
about his well-being.
"He handed me a little envelope, probably 6 inches long,
and 2 inches wide, and I said, 'What's that?'" Brissette
recounts, recalling she was surprised to find the envelope stuffed
with cash, "And he said, 'It's for the kids. I want to make
sure they have their milk and their bread and their food.'"
Brissette said she tried to decline the offer, but Minard insisted.
"I didn't need it, but he felt he was helping," she
said. "He was just a nice neighbor, and we're going to miss
him terribly."
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