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This week's stories: (click on the headline
to jump to story)
 Mill
project raises questions
As dads
fight the wars, their children get support
Old
Home Day schedule of events
Resident
urges open space preservation
Goffstown
News to focus its coverage on Goffstown, New Boston, Weare
Goffstown
Mill project
raises questions
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By LARA SKINNER
Staff Writer
lskinner@yourneighborhoodnews.com
Trees and low brush create a leafy divide
between Mill Street and the old mill building across the Piscataquog
River.
But one resident of Mill Street is concerned that a proposal
to build a four-story condominium complex in the mill area will
erase that view.
Since November, members of the planning board have discussed
a proposal by Auburn developer Elmer Pease to build the complex,
which originally included plans for retail space.
The development of the mill area is linked to a proposal to build
elderly housing on Tirrell Hill Road, about two miles east of
the mill. Pease has said at past planning board meetings that
the owner of both properties would like to sell them as a package
deal.
Although retail space is no longer part of the proposal for the
new condominium building on East Union Street, retail development
is still being proposed for the area.
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ROOMS WITH VIEWS This
is an artist's rendering of the proposed Riverside Commons development
at the site of the old mill building on East Union Street in
Goffstown, where a developer hopes to build approximately 60
condominiums.
(Courtesy Northeast Design Group)
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Also, land along the river could become
an easement for the town's Rails to Trails river walk, and trees
along the embankment could get cut down.
In order to make the plan work, Pease needs variances, but Cathy
Ball doesn't want the zoning board to bend the rules for what
she believes is an unsuitable development.
"You live thinking that you've set the laws in place that
will protect you and your property," she said.
Ball owns her home on Mill Street, across the river from the
old mill building.
Current ordinances don't allow for a four-story building with
an accompanying parking lot, but the zoning board has the authority
to approve variances, depending on what a developer proposes.
In the case of the mill development proposed for East Union Street,
Pease would need a variance because his plan for a new building
totals 37,000 square feet, a square footage in excess of what
the current zoning allows for in the Village commercial district,
Planning Coordinator Stephen Griffin said.
The planning and zoning boards are willing to consider the size
difference because Pease may qualify for a hardship under recent
state Supreme Court rulings.
A hardship doesn't mean a financial difficulty, Griffin said.
It has more to do with whether a building lot is better suited
to one type of development than another. Pease could have suggested
a plan with 10 buildings spread out over the area, Griffin said,
but the lot isn't square and wouldn't accommodate multiple buildings
well.
By proposing a building that is taller than allowed by zoning,
Pease now needs a variance for the height of the plan.
The original building plans totaled 54,000 square feet. Planning
board Chairman Dick Georgantas said the developer has worked
with the board and abutters about their concerns with the plan.
Georgantas says more apartments located near the downtown area
should help local businesses.
"Let's face it, if there are people living in that area,
that's a big plus for Main Street people," he said.
Help for downtown businesses could bring in a large development
at Tirrell Hill, as well.
When the proposal first came before the board, resident Nick
Campasano criticized the development proposal on Tirrell Hill.
Although Campasano believes in a property owner's right to develop
his property, he doesn't think a development of 270 new modular
homes is a good use of the almost 230-acre property available
on Tirrell Hill.
Campasano was at the first public hearing for the proposal in
November, and formed the group "Goffstown Residents for
Sensible Development" soon after that first meeting.
He still has questions over the density of the development, how
well the houses will meet elderly housing requirements, and how
the sewer and water needs of the development will be met.
What Campasano is most afraid of is that the planning board will
approve the plans near his home simply to gain the benefits of
the East Union Street property.
"We would like (Tirrell Hill) to be developed in a similar
manner to the existing neighborhoods," he said.
Planning and zoning board meetings are a part of Campasano and
Ball's regular schedules now.
Approving plans for a development don't usually take so long,
Campasano said, but he plans to attend every meeting he can while
the decision is before both of the boards.
Despite the criticisms, the developments have generated some
important support.
"A development that would bring some retail space, some
office space and 60 units of condominiums could benefit the town's
economy," said Cathy Ewing, executive director of the Goffstown
Main Street Program. "People who buy a condo at the development
would be able to walk downtown to do 90 percent of the shopping
they'd need to do. And building homes in the area should give
a boost to the town's income from property taxes."
Ewing said the development of the mill area would increase the
valuation of the property from $700,000 to $15 million.
Living room windows and balconies that face the river would give
residents a spectacular view, she said.
According to Main Street's Community Assets Coordinator, Bill
Exner, the organization contacted Pease because of his reputation
as a developer.
For years, Exner said, the town has sought to develop the mill
area as an industrial space but has not had any takers.
"It's just one of those glaring things that says, 'we can
do better than this,'" Exner said.
Although Pease declined comment on the proposed developments,
he did confirm that the owner of the properties is seeking to
sell both parcels as a package.
The planning board will meet again on Thursday, June 10, at 7
p.m. in the town hall to discuss the Tirrell Hill development,
and on June 24 to discuss the East Union Street development.
Goffstown
As dads fight
the wars, their children get support
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By RUSS CHOMA
Staff Writer
rchoma@yourneighborhoodnews.com
When Maple Avenue principal Mark Boyd planned
his school's Memorial Day celebration, he wanted to impress upon
his students the true meaning of the holiday.
So he planned a special assembly, complete with a visit from
a U.S. Marine in dress uniform, patriotic music and real soldiers
recently returned from Iraq.
But for the small group of Maple Avenue School students who met
briefly before the assembly, the day was already special.
Dubbed the "Breakfast Club," the five students are
the children of soldiers currently in the armed services. The
group was first founded during the first Gulf War, but was resurrected
last year.
The purpose, said Boyd, is to offer support to the students.
"It's difficult, particularly at that age level, so we formed
this support group," he said.
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DUTY BOUND Marine
Lance Cpl. Jeremiah Leibrandt and Army Staff Sgt. Steve Johnson,
stand at attention during Maple Avenue's Memorial Day assembly
held May 28. The assembly included a speech by Johnson, father
of Maple Avenue student Mackenzie Johnson, as well as Army Specialist
Al Brown, father of student Shannon Boyd. Brown is on two-week
leave and will return overseas. Leibrandt is a Goffstown native
who attended
Maple Avenue.
(De-J Cejka Photo)
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Boyd said the students meet at least once a week with school
guidance counselor Linda Garland.
For Memorial Day, observed on May 28 at Maple Avenue, the Breakfast
Club gathered around ice cream sundaes. At other times, Boyd
has been able to take the students out for a special lunch
compliments of Pizza Market and McDonald's.
Boyd and Garland stay in close contact with the students' mothers,
and provide individual counseling on the tougher days.
"We're always looking for children who are in need,"
Boyd said. "And we're looking for the antidotes."
So far, the project seems to be working.
"They're doing well," said the principal. "They
miss their dads, and I think they don't understand the scope
of it.
"We just talk about how things are going," he said.
"We make it the best of occasions."
Digging into their bowls of ice cream, the Breakfast Club students
talked about their fathers. Breakfast Club member Michael Gamache
proudly recited his father's rank.
"Sergeant Gamache, 323rd Maintenance Company," he said
matter-of-factly. "He's in Iraq until June 5, 2005. I miss
him very much, but he fights for our country."
Fellow member Mary-Kate Simons explained that gatherings like
the ice cream party are fun and a good place to talk.
"We talk about our dads," she said. "My daddy's
in Iraq and he's the best man in the world."
The other members Mackenzie Johnson, Shannon Boyd and Nicole
Nanof each chimed in, agreeing that their fathers were
all the best men in the world.
Mackenzie, thoughtfully stirring her mix of ice cream and chocolate
syrup, summed up what the others seemed to be thinking.
"I think it's special that our dads are overseas,"
Mackenzie said. "Not lucky, it's just that our dads are
overseas protecting us. And I think that's special."
Old Home Day
schedule of events
GOFFSTOWN Old Home Day is scheduled
for Saturday, June 5, in the downtown Village area.
The following is a full schedule of events:
· 7:30 a.m. Pancake breakfast, sponsored by the
Independent Order of Oddfellows, will take place at the lodge
on Mountain Road.
· 9 a.m. Friends of the Library's book sale takes
place on the library lawn.
· 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visit the common, Rotary Park,
town hall, Church Street Park, and the fire station for food
booths, art projects, face painting, boat rides, firefighting
demonstrations and information booths from area groups.
· 10 a.m. YMCA gymnastics demonstration.
· 10:30 a.m. YMCA kickboxing demonstration.
· 10:30 a.m. Boat rides on the river at Rotary Park.
· 11 a.m. Music on the common.
· 11 a.m. Chicken barbecue opens at the fire station.
· 11:30 a.m. Old-fashioned games.
· Noon Real Fallu and Friends.
· 12:30 p.m. Dance Vision demonstration.
· 1 p.m. Screaming Eagles cheerleaders perform.
· 1:30 p.m. More old-fashioned games.
· 2 p.m. Cardboard and Duct Tape Boat Race.
· Dusk A family friendly movie will be shown on
the common, sponsored by Goffstown Fire and Rescue Association
and Goffstown Library. In case of rain, the movie will be shown
in the fire station.
New Boston
Resident urges
open space preservation
By LARA SKINNER
Staff Writer
lskinner@yourneighborhoodnews.com
Klondike Corner off New Boston Road is
marked with a hand-painted sign. Between the corner and Bedford
Road are acres of swamp, wetland and forest.
Developers have applied for permits to build in the area, and
planning board chairman Peter Hogan said the board had to ask
them to work together on an access road that would connect to
all of the developments.
Although appropriate access roads are always a part of development
because there are town building codes in place to ensure it,
resident Jay Marden would like to see another code added to the
books to ensure the town keeps some open space around for future
generations.
"None of these subdivisions have set aside any land for
the town or for the neighborhood," he said.
It's a problem with no real source, because the town is just
starting to experience rapid growth.
Whenever a new development proposal is on the planning board
agenda, Marden shows up to ask the board if there is any open
space included in the proposal.
Proposals and development are familiar territory for Marden.
He worked as a developer on the South Shore of Massachusetts,
and has sold some of his land in town so people could build new
homes on the lots. His Massachusetts developments always included
some land for conservation, he said, and the towns he worked
with didn't have open space requirements.
As far as town planning goes, having an ordinance to regulate
open space in a proposed development is a new concept.
According to an article written by Michele Gagne on the Web site
of the University of New Hampshire's Cooperative Extension, "New
Hampshire is losing 12,000 to 15,000 acres of open land each
year to development."
Some towns have approved conservation bonds to buy land for public
use, she wrote, as a way to preserve land without using zoning
regulations.
Without an ordinance, however, all the planning board can do
is make an informal request to the developers, Hogan said.
"Generally, what we flex our muscle on as a planning board
are valuable wetlands," he said.
There are tremendous wetlands in town, he said, and many of them
are protected by the state. But, if the town were to put an ordinance
in place that requires every developer to keep a set distance
between buildings and wetlands, there wouldn't be room for any
development in town, Hogan said.
Each proposal is considered on its own merits and then weighed
against the protection necessary for the wetland in question.
"When you can demonstrate to a person that wetland is valuable,
I don't know anybody who wouldn't (want to protect) it,"
he said.
As for open space, Hogan said any ordinance would be a part of
the update to the town's master plan. He isn't sure how many
people in town would actually support another building regulation.
Even if a new ordinance doesn't make it on the books, there is
the town's open space committee to keep an eye on land suitable
for public use.
Committee chairman Ken Lombard joined the group a few years ago,
and often works with the Piscataquog Watershed Association on
land purchases for the town.
Some land preservation efforts already exist in the master plan,
Lombard said. For example, developments shouldn't be placed on
steep hills because the soil erodes when there aren't plants
and trees to hold it in place. Unfortunately, he said, the suggestion
never became an official town ordinance because the planning
board never approved anything.
But open space needs a more conservative approach than land preservation.
"(An ordinance) may not always make sense depending on where
the development is," Lombard said.
What the open space committee tries to do, he said, is help preserve
land that is suitable for open space. To find out exactly where
that land is in town, he is helping to build a database of permanently
protected land so the committee can see what is left for development
and what might need protection.
Keeping land for wildlife and hiking trails is only one part
of planning for the future of the town, Marden said.
"Although the planning office has a certain amount of control
over (development), they can't stop it," he said.
The planning office should have the tools in place to ensure
that developers set aside land for things such as ballparks and
playgrounds for the town's children, he said. Fire department
substations should also be a consideration in future land development.
An ordinance for open space would make developers think about
the neighborhoods they create as well as the houses they build,
he said.
Goffstown News
to focus its coverage on Goffstown, New Boston, Weare
GOFFSTOWN For several reasons, including
the requests of our readers and advertisers, The Goffstown News
has decided to focus its news coverage on the communities of
Goffstown, New Boston and Weare.
The town of Dunbarton, which was included in The Goffstown News'
coverage, will continue to be covered in The Bow Times.
The duplication of Dunbarton stories and photographs in two weekly
newspapers published by the same company really didn't make much
sense, according to Amy J. Vellucci, publisher and president
of Neighborhood News Inc.
When Neighborhood News purchased The Bow Times approximately
three years ago, Dunbarton was one of the towns that paper was
covering. The Goffstown News also reported Dunbarton news.
"Plus, there's so much going on in the towns of Goffstown,
New Boston and Weare, that it only makes sense to focus on these
communities in the space we have available in The Goffstown News,"
said Vellucci.
The News, along with Neighborhood's three other free weeklies,
is solely supported by its advertisers and "space is at
a premium," said Vellucci.
"We simply cannot afford to devote so much space to one
town in two of our publications. The Bow Times does a thorough
job of reporting on Dunbarton events and will continue to do
so."
As for The News, as always, if you know of an event you'd like
to see covered in your community newspaper, call the newsroom
at 472-6500, send an e-mail to editor@goffstown news.com, send
a fax to 472-6520, or mail your information to 334 Route 101
West, Bedford, NH 03110.
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