1Stone Bridge Post • May 1, 2020www.StoneBridgePostNH.rocks

Bradford’s search for a new Fire Chief is coming up on a full year, a second round of applications, an interim chief, twice the budgeted amount, and a lot of fi nger-pointing.

The crisis began in late 2018 when the volunteer Chief of 35 years, Mark Goldberg, said he was retiring. After asking around he realized, he says, there wasn’t anyone in the department who was able to step into the unpaid posi-tion, so he made a suggestion to the Board of Selectmen to hire a part-time chief.

The Board placed an arti-cle on the 2019 warrant which said Selectmen shall appoint the Fire Chief and the Chief will appoint the fi re fi ghters. It was amended to read “...that henceforth the Fire Chief shall be appointed by the Select Board in consultation with the Fire Department Mem-bership, with the fi re fi ghters appointed by the Fire Chief.”

The amended article was passed. Minutes show that Se-lectman Michael James com-mented perhaps prophetically that he hoped in the coming years the Board could develop a better relationship with the FD.

In April the Board hired Municipal Resources, Inc., (MRI) which recruited appli-cants and picked the best fi ve candidates, forwarding their re-sumes to the Board and FD for review before interviews were set up to take place on July 29 of last year. Before the meeting the entire FD had reviewed the resumes and voted that a cur-rent fi re fi ghter and local, Gary Dion was their fi rst choice. The Board, MRI consultant Brian Duggan, Goldberg, another FD offi cer and the Town Admin-istrator made up an interview panel for the fi ve applicants, and each was scored by eval-uating their responses to an agreed-upon list of questions.

Goldberg claims the inter-view group met an hour before people arrived, and it was at that point that Duggan brought up a shooting incident 13 years ago that Dion had been involved in. After a 3 year investigation, the Attorney General found his act justifi ed; no charges were ever fi led.

VOLUME 2, NUMBER 22 • May 1, 2020 • Promoting Integrity in the Valley

FREE

“The interview process,” Goldberg says, “was going South real fast.”

Mark GoldbergReti red fi re chief

On Friday, April 24, just before the 2-day April Break, teachers from Weare Middle School, Center Woods Upper Elementary School, and Cen-ter Woods Elementary came in

their cars with signs and smiles as students were invited to drive by them to wave and cheer, all while keeping the proper and safe distance away from ev-eryone. The principles of the

schools, Shawne Hilliard and Jess Potter, also arranged with help from Dimitris Pizza in Weare to have pizzas available to pick up for students to take home.

Remote Learning Parade

Center Woods Elementary Principal Jess Potter helps direct traffic at the parade. See more photos on page 3 (Courtesy photo)

Fire Department fi asco in Bradford“I was really uncomfortable,”

Goldberg says, feeling as though the information should not be part of their discussion. He adds that it was he who had to bring up the fact that one of the candidates was the

cousin of Duggan and he thinks he should have recused himself be-cause of that.

“The interview process,” Gold-berg says, “was going South real fast.”

Dion says the shooting incident was brought up more than once by Duggan during his interview. He later learned those questions may be illegal and discriminatory since

By lUcy PiVonKaStone Bridge Post

Chief goes unpaid for not signing contract

See BRADFORD, Page 8

2 May 1, 2020 • Stone Bridge Post www.StoneBridgePostNH.rocks

Last Thursday District Moderator James Newsom addressed the School Board (at their virtual meeting) regard-ing tentative plans for conducting the Annual Meeting currently scheduled for May 9th. Since then Governor Sununu issued Emergency Order #38 broadening the districts possibilities. Mr. Newsom intends to come back to the Board on April 30th to further address the plan and rules for the meeting. Undoubted-

ly the discussion will also take the new options into consideration. Residents are urged to check the website to confirm the final plan.

At last Thursday’s meeting Super-intendent Steve Chamberlin explained the primary driver is that the Teachers contract requires notice be given by May 15th as to their being rehired (or not) for the 2020-2021 school year. In order to do that an approved budget is needed. Following that date, if not rehired the teachers would be without health insur-

ance effective July 1st and would need to begin job searching.

Emergency Order 38 however re-moves the urgency by allowing the Board to expend funds up to the amount of last year’s budget during the emergency. It also has provisions for further spending to deal with Covid-19 related expenses with the permission of the DOE (De-partment of Education). In addition to allowing the Board to expend, the order also waives the statutory deadline for no-tification of non-renewal but does not ap-pear to address any possible contractual requirement to do so.

The proposed plan outlined by Mod-erator Newsom will be spelled out in the Rules he will present to the Board on April 30th. It is centered on three parts: I – An informational presentation of the warrant, II – A presentation of public comments and or proposed amendments, and III – Drive up voting.

I – Informational Presentation is ten-tatively planned for Wednesday evening, May 6th . This will be an online presen-tation and details about signing into the meeting will be posted on the district’s web site. Following the presentation there will be opportunity to submit com-ments and proposed amendments over the following day and a half. An e-mail address and possibly a phone number will be provided for commenting.

II – On Friday evening, May 8th a second online presentation will present board responses to any questions in the comments, any proposed amendments and the final warrant. The warrant will begin with a question regarding accep-tance of the rules, followed by the articles along with any proposed amendments in a format allowing voting on any succes-sion of amendments as grouped by the Moderator.

III – On Saturday May 9th (planned for 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.) voters will convene to drive-up and vote at the Hopkinton

Middle – High School. Plans are for two entrance lines separated alphabetically. There will be a check in table where the Supervisors of the Checklist will con-firm voter eligibility and provide ballots. People can then pull up and complete the ballot and then finally reach the ballot boxes to deposit them.

Ballot counting will take place after the completion of voting. The first item counted will be approval of the rules which must pass or the rest won’t mat-ter. If the rules fail the Moderator will continue the meeting to a future date and go back to the drawing board. All votes will receive an immediate recount to be sure. On the budget article with the ex-pectation of possible amendments count-ing will be done in the order amend-ments are placed on the ballot such that succeeding amendments and the original article will be counted dependent on the prior one not passing. Wording on suc-cessive amendments and the original proposal will include a phrase such as “If the prior sub articles do not pass are you in favor of:….”. Results will be re-ported and posted as usual on the district website.

Jean Lightfoot of the Supervisors of the Checklist expressed concern about the safety of the supervisors. During Public Comment, Candy Garvin, an-other Checklist Supervisor, also was concerned about their safety, saying she “wants to see her grandkids grow up.”

Diane LaChance, also speaking during public comment suggested push-ing the vote until the end of May or the beginning of June to give more time for educating people about these procedures. This option may have some merit in light of the Governor’s order.

Bottom line regarding the annual meeting is to keep an eye on the dis-trict website. In the words of Moderator Newsom: “I don’t have a crystal ball.”

Stone Bridge Post is a weekly newspaper published every Friday.

Stone Bridge Post readership consists of the Rt. 202/9corridor with heavy circulation in Antrim, Bennington, Bradford, Contoocook/Hopkinton, Deering, Henniker,

Hillsborough, Newbury, Washington, Windsor and Weare.

STONE BRIDGE STAFFPublisher/Editor:

MICHAEL PON

Contributing Director:DWIGHT GOULD

Graphic Designer: PJ FISCHER

Sales:ALLY CHASE

Circulation:KEN MATTHEWS

Correspondents:LUCY PIVONKAJOHN SEGEDY

MARJORIE CILLEY JILL PERTLERJIM BAILEY

We welcome letters, features, guest columns and photos of local interest from our readers.

Correspondence may be sent to:Stone Bridge Post, Inc.

PO Box 225, Hillsborough, NH 03244Phone: 603-854-0174 Email: stonebridgepost@gmail.com

Website: StoneBridgePostNH.RocksFacebook: Stone Bridge Post NH

The circulati on of the Stone Bridge Post newspaper around the region is 4,400 EACH week. The newspaper also has numerous hits each week on our website, www.StoneBridgePostNH.rocks, and our Facebook page. One recent story about friends who skied together each month, one way or another, for ten years, received well over 5,000 hits on our Facebook page.

We, the owners and publishers, Michael Pon and Dwight Gould Sr., stand behind these numbers.

facebook.com/Stone Bridge Post NH

TO DONATE PLEASE MAIL TO:Henniker Food Pantry, P.O. Box 55 Henniker, NH 03242

21 Western Ave., Henniker • 428-7474https://www.henniker.org/general/page/food-pantry

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Hopkinton School District Annual Meeting – drive up voting?By John Segedy Stone Bridge Post

3Stone Bridge Post • May 1, 2020www.StoneBridgePostNH.rocks

Remote Learning Parade

Center Woods second grade teacher Linda Gosselin Melody Cararra, a third-grade student at CWES

WMS School Counselor Chris Beede with his dog Moose. 7th grade paraprofessional Lisa Barnes

Last Saturday the Emerald Lake Com-missioners held an online Public Hearing on the District’s proposed budget, bonds and warrant article. The Annual Dis-trict meeting is currently scheduled for May 30th with location details still to be worked out.

Chairperson Brett Taber began the budget discussion reviewing the General Government expenses including financial, roads and recreation). These costs are proposed at $188,253.75, a tad less than the published document and less than a quar-ter of one percent over last year’s budget.

Next up was discussion of the Water System budget. This section of the bud-get is seeing a 29% increase to $229,602 for expenses before bond payments and warrant articles. Line items contributing to the increase include: Maintenance- up 40% to $152,850; Emergency Leak Re-pairs- more than doubling from $12,500 to $28,250; and Water Treatment increased 16% to $10,976. Payments on existing Bonds are down slightly (3%) to $137,259. The combined total is $366, 861.

The largest item is the Red Fox Cross-ing Bridge at $357,000. Of this, $220,000 is proposed to be bonded over 10 years, with the remaining $137,000 to come from capital reserves. This will require a 2/3

vote to pass.Another article proposes a new water

source and upgrades with a similar price of $350,000. Of this $275,000 is also pro-posed for bonding with $75,000 to come from capital reserves. Two possible well sites are being considered: The current Mary Rowe Drive wellsite and Eastman Park.

While not a high money item, Article 8, proposing to increase Commission sti-pends may attract attention. The proposal is to raise the stipend for the Chair to $500/month, the other Commissioners to $400/month and the Treasurer to $200/month. Chair Taber explained this was based on the difficulties retaining Commissioners

the District has had.There are several Capital Reserve

Funds (CRF). Article 9 proposes creat-ing a Dam Repair and Maintenance Fund with $5,000 and Article 10 a $5,000 CRF for providing matching funds for grants or loans. Article 11 asks to add $55,000 to the Roads & Bridges CRF and Article 12 would put $35,000 in the Water CRF. Lastly Article 13 requests the voters to spend $29,500 from the current year’s sur-plus for arsenic and fluoride treatment of the water.

In related business it was estimated that there would be a $100 increase in wa-ter fees.

Bridge and water are hot topics at ELVD public hearingBy John Segedy Stone Bridge Post

4 May 1, 2020 • Stone Bridge Post www.StoneBridgePostNH.rocks

Henniker Town Meeting is scheduled for Satur-day May 9 and one article on the warrant is peti-tioned by the public and has made its rounds around the state in a great many other town meetings. That is the Carbon Cash Back program, which is meant to encourage both State and Federal legislators to encourage a fee on fossil fuel products that would be paid out to U.S. citizens to spend as they like.

One proponent of the proposal is Rod Pimentel, a Representative in the NH House for both Brad-ford and Henniker.

“It’s collecting a fee and redistributing it back to everyone,” Pimentel said of the Carbon Cash Back program. “The reason why economists like this is because it negates the negative effect of just a tax on carbon, which would increase fuel costs. Any manufactured good that uses carbon fuel to pro-duce its goods should be paying.”

Pimentel points out that businesses aim to pro-duce their goods for the cheapest amount of money. If there is a fee on carbon, then companies who use carbon or fossil fuels to run their manufacturing plants and other industries would likely find alter-nate green energy methods of running their plants and industries, bringing levels of pollution down,

and inherently keeping the planet from eventually overheating.

“As an example, Henniker Hardwood Pallett has diesel generators they use to make their electricity to run their manufacturing plant to make their pal-lets,” Pimentel explained. “If all of a sudden diesel fuel is taxed at $15 per ton of carbon, then either the cost of the pallet manufacturing needs to go up, or they may decide to put solar arrays on top of their manufacturing plant and find that more cost effective.”

The way it would work in general, according to Pimentel, is that the fuel would be taxed at the source. One example he offered is fuel imported from Venezuela. The fuel would cost more because of the Carbon Cash Back fee, and those dollars would be distributed to every U.S. citizen in the form of a check each year.

“A national monthly dividend for a family of four would be roughly $288 a month,” Pimentel said of the national numbers of carbon fuel use in the country. “Ten years later, because of increas-ing the amount of carbon fees, it would be $396 a month. The numbers are based on the amount of carbon or fossil fuels that is estimated we use as a country.”

Pimentel advises anyone interested in finding

out more about the effects of carbon pollution check into a study done by Regional Economic Models Incorporated (REMI). The analysis they did shows that the Carbon Cash Back program would reduce the amount of carbon emissions to 50 percent be-low 1990 levels after 20 years.

Also, there would be a net increase of jobs. Even with the loss of jobs in the fossil fuel industry, the amount of green energy jobs would not only match those fossil fuel job losses but provide an increase of 2.8 million jobs on top of those, according to the REMI study.

“We would also avoid 230,000 deaths per year that are related to air pollutants, from heart disease to asthma and lung diseases, because we would have cleaner air,” said Pimentel, who also observed that global temperature increases due to pollution must be kept low, so that parts of the world do not become uninhabitable. “We need to put the brakes on carbon pollution if we are going to survive as a species, and if we want to protect all the species of the world.”

Of the New Hampshire towns that voted on this proposal so far, 24 of the 34 towns have passed the proposal, many with overwhelming numbers. Those 24 towns that passed it, Pimentel noted, rep-resent 116,000 New Hampshire citizens.

Carbon Cash Back on Henniker warrantBy Michael Pon

Stone Bridge Post

5Stone Bridge Post • May 1, 2020www.StoneBridgePostNH.rocks

Jeff rey R. GreenJeffrey R. Green, 68, of Hillsborough, NH passed away on Friday, April 17,

2020 at Concord Hospital.Jeffrey was born on January 31, 1952 to the late Stanley W and Eileen (Ent-

whistle) Green, he was also predeceased by two broth-ers, John and Kenneth Green.

He worked for many years at Sylvania in Hills-borough. Jeffrey was a member of the Loyal order of Moose post # 1091 and the American Legion Post # 59 both of Hillsborough.

He is survived by his loving wife Dianne M. (Rus-so) Green of Hillsborough, a step-son, James Morrison, of Hillsborough, a daughter, Nichole M. Green of El-liott, ME, a son, Slade C. Green, of Kittery, ME, two brothers, Brian Green of Manchester, NH and Michael

Green of MA, and one sister, Judy Sullivan of MA. Services and burial will be held at the convenience of the family.The Holt-Woodbury Funeral Home & Cremation Service Hillsborough is as-

sisting the family. For more log on to www.holtwoodburyfh.com

David G. Fogarty We are saddened to announce the passing of David G. Fogarty, age 79, of

Kalispell, MT on April 25, 2020 comfortably in his home. David was born in Dexter, NY to George and Rosemary Fogarty on Decem-

ber 5, 1941. He served in the U.S. Army at a young age. He worked for Sears, Roebuck & Co. for a great num-ber of years and then at Kalwall Corporation for several years before retiring. He spent numerous years living in Manchester and Deering, NH. He was an avid lover of the open wilderness, which led him to settle in Kalis-pell, MT near Glacier National Park alongside his long-time partner Joyce King. He was a dog lover and a true outdoorsman, who enjoyed fi shing and snowmobiling to name a few.

Obituaries

Materials Delivered FREE

These two forums will be accessi-ble on Zoom. Link and directions can be found at www.Henniker.org. May 5 at 10 a.m., a Henniker Forum dedicat-ed to education. Representatives from New England College, SAU 24, and the Henniker Community School will

be together answering questions and hearing from you about concerns and comments. May 5 at 1 p.m., Henniker will host a Brown Bag Lunch with Se-lectman Kris Blomback and Town Ad-ministrator Joe Devine.

Henniker hosts public forums Tuesday

Nothing compares to being in the classroom: the instant support based on a student’s puzzled or “I understand” face;

high-fi ves as positive re-inforcement to success; cooperative kinesthetic activities - these things are gone. But in their place, new routines have developed, and we con-tinue to thrive where possible.

We are lucky to be a remote classroom with 100% participation. I think it shows my stu-dents’ drive for educa-tion and being a “Super” team and strong com-munication with their parents. Students seem

to appreciate the Goo-gle Classroom structure where work is neatly pre-sented, easily accessible and includes a check-off list of tasks to-do daily and for the week. This routine allows them to have less technology and “how-to” questions, and more questions focused on academics.

We still say “The Pledge” each morning and continue our Se-ries of Unfortunate Events Reader’s The-atre using a pdf copy

of the book during our Morning Meeting - a continuation of in-class routines. For other as-signments, students have enjoyed having a choice; whether it be the choice of science projects, math practice options, or Fan-tasy Book Club book choices. I’ve strived to provide assignments that let students pick related topics they are interested in, and present them in ways that are meaning-ful to them. I’ve received - and they’ve presented

- writing, hands-on proj-ects, pictures, videos, and more! Some things that I would have never been able to see inside my classroom.

A downfall to remote learning that students encounter (besides tech-nology bumps) is miss-ing peers outside of their classroom. Some work-arounds have included phones, social media, and gaming, but students agree that it’s not the same as being face-to-face. Some student en-

gagement is also tough. “We can only lead them to water, we can’t make them drink,” is a great analogy because we can only hope that students want to take education on with this support during remote learning. We can’t reach everyone at every moment, but hopefully, we’re provid-ing enough support and interesting assignments to keep students coming back each day.

Teaching in a 5th Grade Self-Contained Remote By corey SUlZen

Classroom Center Woods Up-per Elementary School

David Fogarty is survived by partner Joyce King, his two sons, Brian Fogarty and his wife, Carol Fogarty of Deering, NH, as well as Shawn Fogarty and his wife, Christina Fogarty of Manchester, NH, his sister, Kay Alguire, his grandchildren, Alyssa Fogarty, Daniel Fogarty, Shannon Fogarty and Alex Fogarty as well as Abi-gail Fogarty his great-grandchild.

His family will be having a small private ceremony in the mountains of Kalis-pell, MT.

6 May 1, 2020 • Stone Bridge Post www.StoneBridgePostNH.rocks

HOPKINTON SCHOLAR ATHLETES

Emily Metzger Benjamin Madden Daniel Rinden Elizabeth Berliner Evan Jacobsen

Zachary Brewer Eleanor Owen Jack Vallari Katelyn Meserve Lily Ogden

Shepyrd Murdough Lily Sabol Sophia Staples-Roy Sofi a Locke Sophie Potter

Emma Rothe Maxine Asmussen Sydney Stockwell Daniel Miner

7Stone Bridge Post • May 1, 2020www.StoneBridgePostNH.rocks

Antrim The Grapevine’s Annual Spring Walk for Families has gone virtual. On

MAY 9 from 10 am-4pm post your photos, videos and social media showing you and your family playing, skipping, biking, skateboarding, strolling and walking on The Grapevine’s Facebook page.

The Antrim Scholarship Committee welcomes 2020 applications from Ant-rim students planning to continue their education beyond high school, and from town residents already studying at the college level, or furthering their profes-sional credits. Applications are available online at the town’s website www.antrimnh.org . The deadline is May 1st.

Avenue A and The Grapevine’s programs have gone virtual – visit the web-site to see what’s still happening and how you can join in virtually for the fun. Better Beginnings for Babies is meeting virtually via video, and the Mom’s Group uses a Zoom call. See the website for details on other groups and how to join. One-to-one support is available by emailing Carol Lunan at caroll@grapevinenh.org

The Library needs your help documenting what is happening to people during the COVID-19 pandemic. Anyone who wishes to participate is welcome to submit a story, from routine to horrific, for possible inclusion in “Memoirs of a Rural Librarian during a Pandemic.” Email to: tuttlelib@yahoo.com

BenningtonThe Library has a link to the National Emergency Library, a free, online

collection of books that supports emergency remote teaching, research activ-ities, independent scholarship, and intellectual stimulation while universities, schools, training centers, and libraries are closed.

The Recreation Committee, Bennington Fire-Rescue, Bennington Police Dept., and Bennington Highway Dept. will continue celebrating birthdays in town with parades every Friday at 1 pm. Parade routes will be longer than before, with multiple “stops”. If you have a family member with an upcoming birthday, call 588-2106.

DeeringFood Care Packages are available at the Town Hall for pick-up or by delivery.

Call (603) 464-3248 or email assistant@deering.nh.us The Police Department, with help from the Brain Injury Association of NH,

has helmets in sizes small, medium and large to give away. Call Administrative Assistant Trisha Whisman at (603) 464-3127 or email policeassistant@deering.nh.us to get them.

HancockWhile the Harris Center has postponed all events until May, its miles and

miles of trails from easy walks to strenuous hiking are still open (be aware of social distancing however). Visit https://harriscenter.org/trails-grounds-facili-ties/trails to see the trails available.

HillsboroughMartelli’s opened on Tuesday with takeout and delivery in Hillsborough,

Deering and Henniker. Offering family-style dishes, pizza, sandwiches and more. See https://martellis.com/dining or go to Martelli’s on Facebook.

The Transfer Station is asking anyone who can to bring their trash in on Thursday or Friday, as Saturday has become too busy. They also ask that peo-ple only throw away “stinky trash” and if you can, hold onto the other items until later on. The Station remains closed on Tuesday, and demolition material will not be accepted on Saturdays. Hours are Thursday, noon-8pm and Friday and Saturday, 8:30 am-4:30 pm.

The Ming du Chinese restaurant has had to reduce their staff, and has de-

cided to reduce the menu options. Go to their Facebook page for the new menu.The Tide is IN: High Tide Takeout just opened and offer call-in curbside

pickup only. Call 464-4202 with orders; pay online or bring exact cash. Open from 11 am to 8 pm.

Students ages 10 and under in the HDSD are invited to participate in the Best Little Baker Contest, sponsored by Choose Hillsboro. Contestants should record a short baking tutorial of their favorite treat and send it to choosehill-sborough@gmail along with a photo of the finished product. The deadline is May 1. Prizes include a gift basket and an award. Kearsarge

Every Monday and Wednesday night at 7:30 pm tune in on the KRSD Face-book page for a live bedtime story reading. https://www.facebook.com/pg/Ke-arsargeSAU65/events/

The Kearsarge Neighborhood Partners ((603)-317-5900x 1 or www.knpnh.org) will arrange a pickup and drop off of groceries or prescriptions. They can also help with light yard work/outdoor repairs, bereavement issues and assist families in getting help through these difficult times.

NewburyThe Recreation Department is holding a children’s Bear Hunt with 5 purple,

5 red, 5 blue bears, 5 orange, plus 5 others. Start at the trail beginning and go to the pond. Locate all bears but do not move them and grab a checklist and mark down where you find them. Once you and your child are done, snap a picture and tag the Newbury Recreation Department.

New LondonEnjoy storytime Monday through Friday at 10 am courtesy of Youth Ser-

vices, using Facebook Live. Go to https://www.facebook.com/tracylibrary/ to join in.

The Recreation Department has opened registration for summer events, and are keeping their fingers crossed. Swim lessons, sailing, camps, and track and field registration can be made online at www.nlrec.com or by calling 603-526-6401. June’s 6th Annual Strawberry Festival and the Food Truck Festival in September are still on the docket – call to reserve your spot and to buy tickets.

StatewideThe United Way has community economic relief funding. They can help

with housing, food or rent. Call 1-866-211-9966.The American Red Cross is asking donors to set up an appointment to go

in to one of their offices and give the gift of life. Visit https://tinyurl.com/NHBLOOD to get started.

If you are wondering where your Economic Stimulus Check is, ask the IRS at: https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/economic-impact-payments

SunapeeProject Sunapee can help with grocery shopping, prescription pick up, or

other essential errands. Email info@projectsunapee.orgSutton

Residents needing assistance with prescriptions or groceries can call the Sutton Police Department at 927-4422. Phone calls will be returned within 24 hours.

VirtualOn May 8 from 5:30-6:30 pm enjoy An Evening with the Hancock Wildlife

Cam hosted by the Harris Center for Conservation Education. Two trail pros invite you to a cocktail hour and conversation and wildlife cam viewing party. To get the Zoom login details, please register with Susie Spikol at spikol@har-riscenter.org

8 May 1, 2020 • Stone Bridge Post www.StoneBridgePostNH.rocks

There appears to be some controversy be-tween the Newbury Fire Department and the Se-lectmen regarding Fire Department job descrip-tions as reported and vot-ed on back in 2007 and 2008 Town Meetings.

The Fire Depart-ment members wrote a letter to the Selectmen stating the officers did not feel these provisions were being adhered to and wished to hold a joint meeting. Thomas indicated there could be issues to be brought up with an Attorney be-tween the town and the Fire Department. In re-ply to a question from Selectman Chairman Ed Thorson,

Fire Chief Hank Thomas said the Article in question from 2007 was number 12, which was adopted by the Se-lectmen in 2008. After a prolonged discussion, Chair Thorson said he was not debating but questioning the Article.

Town Administra-

tor Dennis Pavlicek will procure both the Town’s documents as well as the Fire Department’s from Hank Thomas so a com-bined meeting could be held and come to a mutu-al understanding.

Fire Chief Hank Thomas has request-ed his members to take part in an on-line train-ing. Assistant Fire Chief Smith and Lt. O’Neil did some ladder training and some Personal Protective Equpment (PPE) was given to the members.

Since there is an in-crease of activity on Lake Sunapee, Thom-as stated the Fire Boat is in and ready. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the election of Fire De-partment officers will be postponed with the current slate staying in place.

Newbury resident Stuart Hale said he per-sonally wished to thank Bradford’s Appleseed Restaurant as well as the Police and Fire Depart-ment from each town who actively helped de-liver all the Easter meals that went out. Selectman

Chair Thorson indicated the Town of Newbury also made a donation to Appleseed for this event.

Highway Road Agent Cal Prussman reported via telephone at a remote Selectmen’s meeting that a meeting was held with Marine Biologist for Fish and Game John Magee. He is requesting less cut-ting near the stream by the Bay Point Bridge that has been worked on re-cently. Since the Depart-ment of Environmental Services (DES) had re-quested more cutting, a letter is being forwarded to DES. The State was requesting the peninsula be removed by the bridge and re-align the stream.

Discussion ensued about whether to keep the bridge wooden as it has been or to pave it. Resident Katheryn Holmes stated a fabu-lous job had been done with a minimum of silt. Holmes is also in favor of the wooden bridge. Prussdman said most roads will be un-posted by the first week of May.

Newbury Fire Dept. asks for joint meeting

By MarJorie cilleyStone Bridge Post

he was never charged with anything. Duggan made clear that he was “hesitant” about hiring Dion because of the incident, and the fact that on the day in question, a snowy Sunday, he’d had a few beers. Dion says he told the interview panel he has nothing to hide and said the only thing on his record is a speeding ticket from a few years ago.

One of the five inter-viewees was immediately removed from the running, and Dion was told he and another candidate were “neck and neck” for the number one spot. He was the only in-house candi-date for the position.

Selectman Jason Allen says Dion’s resume was originally taken out of the running for “red flags,” although he said he didn’t know what they were, only MRI did, but he knew they had nothing to do with the gun incident.

“He only made the cut,” Allen says, “because the fire chief called MRI and asked them to put him in there.”

“That’s absolutely not true,” Goldberg says, “I never had any conversa-tions with MRI in that as-pect.”

“Gary actually scored pretty high during the in-terview process,” Allen

says. Yet, when Goldberg said after the meeting that he still believed Dion was the best candidate – he was the most qualified, had the most experience, and even lived just a few minutes away, unlike other can-didates, who lived many towns over – the Board re-fused him. “We didn’t feel their choice was an accept-able choice,” Allen says.

“Out of the four,” Gold-berg says, “Gary was the shining star. His qualifica-tions were superb. The Fire Department chose him as the best candidate.” Gold-berg mentioned that those alleged “red flags” didn’t prevent New London Hos-pital from vetting and hir-ing Dion for a leadership position within the past few months.

On the 12th of August the Board, after a series of non-public sessions, unani-mously voted to not move forward with the hiring process for a part time Fire Chief, and the FD received an email from the Town Administrator informing them of the decision.

Allen says “The Fire Department seemed to be very discretionary about what they were doing,” saying the Department was not willing to collaborate.

At the next FD meeting, on August 14, another vote was taken. Goldberg later sent an email to the Town Administrator which read, in part, “after much dis-cussion by the Fire Depart-ment Members present last night it was a unanimous show of hands that Gary Dion would be their choice as the next Fire Chief.” And at their September meeting he was elected Chief.

Dion did receive a con-tract, months later, but he was advised by an attor-ney not to sign it until he met with the Board. After

meeting once in January, there was no further con-tact initiated, so he never signed it and has never been paid the more than $10,000 he is owed. Select-man Allen says the town doesn’t have to pay him, claiming he “refused to sign the contract.” Ironical-ly, all the while Dion was working as Deputy and later as the Chief, he was processing payroll, and handing out checks to all of the members.

Allen says MRI is again headhunting, and the posi-tion for a part-time Fire Chief should be advertised right away. One of the reasons for this to happen soon is the cost: last year the town paid MRI $5,000, although the contract was never finished. This year will be another $5,000, and the Interim “Fire Manag-er” provided by MRI to work 24 hours a week is paid $2,280 a week.

“[Selectmen] still need to take the Fire Depart-ment’s desires, thoughts, and wishes, into consider-ation,” long-time fireman and supporter of Dion, Brooks McCandlish says.

“I want to have a collab-orative work effort,” Allen says,” to make this happen. I would like to be more in-clusive.”

When asked if he’d consider reapplying for Chief when the job reopens shortly, Dion says half of him shouts “why the hell would I?” while admitting the other half is consider-ing it. But not if it’s going to happen the way it did in 2019.

“I would think that it would be a politically mo-tivated, biased process that would be tainted from the beginning,” Dion says.

Bradford, continued from page 1

The twice cancelled Henniker Town Meeting is scheduled for a third time on Saturday May 9, but signals from the Governor have not been exactly clear about whether he will be lifting the order prohib-iting the congregation of more than ten people. Although the Governor is expected to make an announce-ment after this printing on Thurs-day, a representative from the State

Attorney General’s Office did not give a clear answer on the question on Tuesday, during an Emergency Operations conference call.

“One of the questions was: Does the extension of the State of Emergency also extend all emer-gency orders,” Henniker Moder-ator Cordell Johnson, who was on the call, explained. “And the answer from the AG’s Office was unclear. There is the prohibition of gatherings of ten persons or

more that was scheduled to expire on May 4, and it is unclear if that has been extended until May 15. Her final answer seems to be that all the orders were extended. But at the same time, the Governor has said he hasn’t decided whether to extend the Stay at Home Order.”

If the Town Meeting does take place, it will be held in the tradi-tional format.

As of right now, we are hopeful

Henniker Town Meeting scheduled – so far

See HENNIKER, Page 9

By Michael PonStone Bridge Post

9Stone Bridge Post • May 1, 2020www.StoneBridgePostNH.rocks

A Public Hearing was held by the Bradford Planning Board regarding Gateway Rentals, looking to build an additional three units located at 9 Breezy Hill Road. Owner Rich-ard Deschenes advised this business has operated there since 2002 and has been through storms in the past in response to a concern about storm water run off from the Conservation Commission.

Deschenes also stated that new infi ltration systems met Department of Environmental Services (DES) requirements. A unanimous deci-sion was made to approve the request conditionally with fi nal approval for a shoreline protection permit from

the State of N. H. When this has be-come fi nal it was noted that with this expansion the property has reached its maximum expansion. Conditions of the Site Plan and Hearing Decision will be mailed to the Applicant. .

Jason Bugg came before the Brad-ford Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) for a Variance relief from a set back requirement on property on 2780 State Route 114. Bugg is proposing to build an attached 3 car garage with a room over it. A long discussion followed regarding the possible erosion, seeding, fertilizing and drainage on the property This meeting was held using ZOOM.

The contractor Dick Morris ad-vised he has an excavator in mind to do the work. Bugg also interjected that if a bedroom was included, the

existing septic system would be ad-equate. Final decision of the meet-ing was: the variance was approved unanimously by the ZBA having met the fi ve criteria given and Chair Brooks McCandlish advised Bugg that a Notice of Decision will be for-warded to him. Also, the public does have 30 days in which to appeal, and any work that is done prior to that time frame would be at the owner’s own risk

Anyone wishing to attend the May 6th ZBA meeting being held re-motely can fi nd instructions on using ZOOM by using http://www.brad-fordnh.org website.

Pam Bruss was elected as Chair of the Bradford Planning Board at a recent meeting and Carol Troy was elected as Vice Chair.

Gateway Rentals reaches max expansion

WHERE TO PICK UP

A COPY OFStone Bridge Post(New condensed paper route during the crisis)

With so many establishments shuttered in our region, we have

had to rearrange the sites at which we leave our paper.

ANTRIMAntrim Marketplace

Edmunds Ace Hardware

BRADFORDBar Harbor Bank ATM

Post Offi ce

CONTOOCOOKColonial Village Market

HENNIKER All in One Market Citizens Bank ATM

Edmunds Ace Hardware Harvester Market

Henniker Farm & Country Store Henniker Pharmacy

Rush Square

HILLSBOROUGHAgway

Bar Harbor Bank ATMCumberland Farms

Dunkin DonutsHillsboro Diner

Hillsborough LaundromatJC Foods

Maple LeafPost Offi ce

Shaw’sSubway

Williams General Store

NEWBURY Bar Harbor Bank ATM

WARNERMarket Basket

Warner’s Board of Selectmen re-viewed their current expenses year to date and made the decision to go slow in regards to their Operating Budget. They will hold off on any Capital purchases that would be paid from anticipated taxes until at least July. Any Capital purchases where the funds are already available they could move forward with.

It was also recognized from

Transfer Director Varick Proper that due to a reduction in Transfer Sta-tion fees their revenue has been re-duced. When Selectman Judy New-man-Rogers had gone to the Transfer Station she reported there were an in-crease in articles that fees were usu-ally charged for. This is being mon-itored and documented with daily pictures of the accumulation and the decision regarding these temporarily discontinued fees will be reviewed.

Due to these reduced Transfer De-

partment fees, fewer vehicle registra-tions, as well as other fees, the town’s revenue is less than it was at this time a year ago.

Newman-Rogers has been work-ing at gathering all expenses that would pertain to the Horne Street Property which will also include back taxes. Agreement was made by the Board to continue with the sale of the property. All the abutters will re-ceive individual notices.

Warner curtails expenses

By MarJorie cilleyStone Bridge Post

By MarJorie cilleyStone Bridge Post

we can hold Town Meet-ing,” said town Adminis-trator Joe Devine earlier this week. “We will still try to have people adhere to social distancing. We will have hand sanitiz-er stations available. We will encourage people to bring a mask and we are trying to get extras as well.”

According to John-son, “There is no legal way to deviate substan-tially from the traditional format.”

Drive up balloting as was done in Bow and is being considered in Hop-kinton are not considered an option in Henniker.

If the meeting is held, votes on bonds for

the sewer and roads, and any other major chang-es would be allowed as usual. Selectmen would wear masks and social distance.

However, if the meet-ing is not held, the select-men may opt to adopt a default budget that would only allow for the previ-ous year’s expenditures.

“RSAs allow us to use last year’s budget as

a default,” said chair-man Kris Blomback in an email Wednesday. “No big items are being talked about right now. It’s all about keeping the lights on, town function-ing, and employees get-ting paid Road, sewer, and big bond issues will be kicked down the road a bit.”

Henniker, continued from page 8

10 May 1, 2020 • Stone Bridge Post www.StoneBridgePostNH.rocks

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Our digital editions can be found at

StoneBridgePostNH.Rocks

HELP WANTEDChadwick’s Lawn Service. We are growing! Crew members needed for spring and fall clean ups, mow-ing and other landscape acti viti es. Must be 18, li-cense a plus. Based in Antrim. Work to start as soon as weather permits. Pay based on experience start-ing at $12/hr. Contact Christi na at (603) 478-5500 or theorangemen@comcast.net 5/15

APARTMENT NEEDED!Urgently looking for a 1 bedroom, fi rst fl oor, apart-ment for elderly couple in need of housing. Loca-ti on can be Henniker to Newport or in surrounding towns. Please contact 603-568-0305.

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Water & Sewer CommissionTown of Hillsborough 63 West Main StreetPO Box 2216Hillsborough, NH 03244

Officer-in-training Edward Mair, 6, had a surprise visit from the Antrim PD last week while he was outside practicing his law enforcement skills. He received an honorary badge and a huge thrill. Although he really wants to be a Fish and Game Officer, he’s always excited to see the police patrolling. “That was the closest I’ve ever been to a REAL police officer!!” he reported to his mom. (Photo courtesy of Sarah Mair)

Antrim PD thrills 6 year old

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12 May 1, 2020 • Stone Bridge Post www.StoneBridgePostNH.rocks