The Hooksett Banner ­ June 3, 2004

This week's stories: (click on the headline to jump to story)

Traffic worries Escape artist caught Hooksett best off under new school aid plan

Are you interested in chatting about Hooksett issues? Want to help plan Hooksett's future? Check out the new Internet chat group begun by the master plan committee at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hooksett_chat/ Auburn has a similar group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/auburn/

Hooksett remembers its veterans

Photos by: Karen Braynard

	FLYING COLORS ­ The Muchachos Senior Drum and Bugle Corps kept the flags flying.
LIKE A ROCKWELL ILLUSTRATION ­ Above, Hooksett Boy Scouts march past Robie's store, rounding up the end of the Memorial Day Parade on Sunday, May 30. (Karen Braynard Photo)
IN STEP ­ Hooksett's Cawley School marching band leads the parade across the bridge. (Ginger Kozlowski Photo)	CURBSIDE WAIT ­ Above, Joe Rockwell, 8, Taylor Barker, 8, Sarah Guillemette, 11, Peighton Barker, 4, and Charlotte Launier, 4, all of Hooksett, await the parade from the curb by town hall. (Ginger Kozlowski Photo)

A SOLEMN MOMENT ­ Above, Hooksett Boy Scouts march past Robie's store, rounding up the end of the Memorial Day Parade on Sunday, May 30. (Karen Braynard Photo)

Allenstown

Traffic worries

Plan to build condos concerns those living in Notre Dame Avenue area

By RUSS CHOMA
Staff Writer
rchoma@yourneighborhoodnews.com

ALLENSTOWN ­ The granting of a special exception to zoning laws has put a controversial new condominium development one step closer to final approval, but some worry that access to the development will cause problems.

Developers behind McNamara's Landing, a large condominium development being proposed for downtown, were granted a special exception by the zoning board at its May 18 meeting.

The developers are proposing 85 condominium units, restricted to residents age 55 and over. The two-bedroom units would be in 19 separate buildings on a 27-acre plot sandwiched between Route 3 and Main Street. The units are slated to have sale prices ranging from $175,000 to $185,000.

A study, paid for by the developers, found that because each unit must have at least one occupant older than 55, the development would have little impact on the town's already financially strapped school system. The study predicted only three to six children would live in the development. A town consultant predicted slightly more.

The lack of children was hailed as a major benefit by the developer. Attorney Richard Uchida, representing the developer, told the zoning board that the development would add up to $200,000 in taxes.

Despite the rosy financial picture painted by the developer, not all residents are sold on the proposal. In particular, neighbors to the proposed development say they're concerned over the board's requirement that developers use Lincoln Street as an exit.
Carol Merrill, a resident of Notre Dame Avenue, the proposed development's other entrance, said she and her neighbors are not happy at the prospect of more cars.

"This is a very quiet neighborhood, with a lot of little kids and no sidewalks," she said. "We have problem enough with speeders."

Merrill said the neighbors, 30 to 40 of whom turned out for the zoning board's meeting, thought opening the currently dead-end Lincoln Street would also be dangerous.

"We feel that if (the developers) have enough money for the development, they should be putting in a separate road," she said.

Although the proposed condos would generate an additional 500 cars going through the neighborhood each day, Merrill said it is preferable to the alternative of single-family homes.

"If we have to have one or the other, I'd rather see condos than homes," she said. "The town really can't afford that. We're tax poor as it is. We know there will be kids, but there won't be as many (as with single-family homes.)"

Sandra McKenney, chairman of the board of selectmen, said the developers will meet with selectmen on Monday, June 7, to discuss the opening of Lincoln Street.

McKenney agreed with Merrill that the condos would have less of an impact on the schools, but questioned the developer's assertion it would be positive on taxes.

"It is going to affect the town," she said. "It's more street work, more garbage pickup, more water and sewer, more police and fire.
"A lot of people have concerns because we're on a default budget," McKenney said.

McKenney said she had yet to decide one way or the other if she is for or against the development, and plans to listen to the developer's pitch.

"I'm kind of on the fence right now," she said. "Right now, I'm listening to the residents, and the residents don't want it right now."

Merrill said she and the other residents will continue attending meetings on the matter, ensuring that whatever development may be done is done carefully.

"Once (the developers) get it up, they're gone and we'll suffer," she said. "And our town is suffering money-wise enough as it is."

Allenstown

Escape artist caught

By RUSS CHOMA
Staff Writer
rchoma@yourneighborhoodnews.com

Nelson Santana has outrun the cops at least twice before. So when bail bondsmen showed up at his Allenstown residence recently, it was no surprise he decided to make a break for it.

This time, however, he got caught.

Allenstown police arrested Santana, 21, of 22 Emile Drive, charging him with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct after he led them on a lengthy May 25 chase.

According to Allenstown Police Lt. Shaun Mulholland, Santana was being sought by the bondsmen for violation of bail conditions related to a recent Manchester arrest. Knowing he had a history of flight, the bondsmen were accompanied by two Allenstown police officers, who hid in the woods while the bondsmen led Santana from the house.

Realizing arrest would be imminent, Santana managed to break away from the bondsmen and sprinted across streets and through several back yards in an attempt to escape. Despite losing a shoe and being hit by a stun gun wielded by one of the bondsmen, Santana was on the loose for 25 minutes and ran nearly a mile.

Finally, with the help of two state police K-9 units, the Allenstown police were able to corner Santana behind a shed on Townhouse Road.
This is the second time Allenstown police have pursued Santana in less than a month. On May 15, Mulholland attempted to make a routine traffic stop on Santana after noting an expired inspection sticker. Instead of stopping, Santana took off down Chester Turnpike, eventually ditching his car and disappearing into nearby woods. He escaped despite a lengthy search involving police from Hooksett and Pembroke.

Santana's most improbable escape came last summer, when, facing arrest by Auburn police, Santana led lawmen on a highway chase all the way to Exeter. After tire spikes took out his tires, Santana continued to drive until his car burst into flames, ignited by sparks from the bare rims. Ditching the car, Santana slipped away into downtown Exeter, shaking police and K-9 units.

Following the most recent escape, Allenstown police issued three warrants for Santana's arrest, including the felony charge of operating after being a habitual offender. It was the issuance of these warrants that triggered the violation of bail conditions from a May 11 arrest in Manchester.

At that time he was charged with three other counts of operating after being a habitual offender.

Following the May 25 arrest, Santana was sent to the Merrimack House of Corrections, where he is being held on $21,000 bail.

Hooksett

Hooksett best off under new school aid plan

By RUSS CHOMA
Staff Writer
rchoma@yourneighborhoodnews.com

Although the legislature narrowly approved a new formula to distribute state education aid, the debate appears far from finished.

With demands for amendments and threats of lawsuits leaving the final status of the bill up in the air, area educators are tentatively considering the effects on their budgets.

Under Senate Bill 302 (SB302) all local school districts will fare well in terms of the education aid that's doled out this year.

By far, the biggest local winner is Hooksett. Although receiving $75,000 less in state education aid than last year, the new plan targets Hooksett for much more aid than the previous plan did. Under the law in place prior to SB302's May 25 passage, Hooksett was slated to get $1,598,121 in state education aid. Now, the district is scheduled to receive $2,718,821 ­ a $1.2 million difference.

The area's next biggest beneficiary in aid for this year is Auburn. Under the old law, Auburn was set to receive $1,269,276, while SB302 marks the district for $1,818,819. Although an improvement over the old education aid formula, this is still a roughly $200,000 cut from last year's aid levels.

The Candia School District is in a similar situation. Last year, the district received $1,489,959 in state aid, but under both the old and new legislation, saw that funding cut. The good news is that SB302 offers roughly $280,000 more aid to Candia, bringing this year's aid to $1,334,294.

Epsom also benefited under SB302, which assigns it $1,638,029 in state aid ­ a $233,860 change from what it would have received under the old legislation. Epsom, unlike the other towns, will actually see its total state aid increase from last year's numbers.

Pembroke is one of the few towns that will see less state aid under SB302 ­ to the tune of $40,417. Despite this cut, Pembroke will still receive $3,905,015 in state aid this year, more than $500,000 over what the district received last year.

Like Pembroke, Allenstown will also lose aid under SB302, but still is better off than last year. Although the new legislation cuts $108,000 in aid to the financially strapped school district, Allenstown will still receive $3,603,588 ­ over $600,000 more than 2003 aid.

Although most area districts are better off this year, if not better off than last year, SB302 remains a controversial bill.

In total, the new formula for distributing state education aid gives out $420 million. This is $200 million more than the old legislation approved, but still less than what last year's aid formula handed out.

The law bumps up the state property tax by nine cents to $3.33 per $1,000 of assessed property value. It also keeps the widely criticized concept of donor towns ­ communities with high property values that pay money into the system but receive no aid in return.

Lawmakers now concede that in the hurry to pass SB302 before the legislative session ended for the year, the bill was allowed to pass despite containing some errors.

In the midst of the Senate floor debate on the issue, state Sen. Ted Gatsas (R-Manchester) pointed out that the bill excludes utilities when determining a town's equalized property valuation ­ how property rich or poor a town is. At the time, there was no chance to make an amendment and Senate leaders simply promised to fix the bill so it more closely matched the writers' intention.

Because it still reduces the total amount of aid being given out by the state from last year's levels, the bill also created a new class of losing communities.

Although a number of the smaller local communities may see the windfall of SB302 this year, several large, powerful communities, such as Manchester and Portsmouth, got the short end of the stick regarding aid.

Manchester Mayor Robert Baines announced on Friday, May 28, that he will go to court to make sure SB302 never takes effect. Manchester is slated to lose $4.5 million in aid under the new plan.