Volume 118 No. 44 © WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2011 50 cents Northern Pass Food pantries struggle opponents plan lengthy to keep up with demand fight, support “no-sell” By Jeff Woodburn landowners BERLIN –On Friday afternoon a steady flow of humble, hungry By Edith Tucker Baker projected maps of [email protected] people filtered into St. Vincent De- Clarksville-Pittsburg, Stewart- Paul Society’s small food pantry. stown, Colebrook, Columbia, and The pickings were thin – and the COLEBROOK — More than Dixville onto a screen, indicating cold weather that settled over the 100 opponents of the proposed that local volunteer deed re- region was a reminder that staying 140-mile-long Northern Pass searchers and interviewers be- warm would add another layer of high-voltage direct-current lieve the new route is primarily worry on these people. (HVDC) transmission line that about three miles east of the ear- Food pantries across the North would run on 80- to 135-foot-tall lier one. Country are facing food shortages towers from the Canadian border How the line is to be routed and a steady increase in demand. in Pittsburg south to Franklin east through Pittsburg remains More people and less food mean gathered on Saturday evening in unclear, with several landowners careful tracking. Judy Rheaume, the elementary school cafeteria. unwilling to sell and conserva- the cheerful and efficient coordi- Most of those on hand at the tion lands serving has road- nator of the pantry, shuffles meeting — sponsored by the blocks. through a box of file cards each Power Line Education Fund — Both Lynne Placey, a widow with a recipient’s name. She needs were from the towns where there who teaches piano lessons and to spread the food out and that is now no existing right-of-way lives on her Social Security pay- means limiting the number of controlled by Public Service of ments along with selling PHOTO BY JEFF WOODBURN New Hampshire. PSNH is a sub- times people can come. Judy Rheaume, left, is the coordinator of the St. Vincent DePaul Society’s food pantry, and Don Bouchard, of stumpage on more than one par- sidiary of Northeast Utilities that Each recipient gets a grocery Berlin, is a faithful volunteer. cel, and Bill Weir, who has grown bag of non-perishable food and is seeking permits to build the his family’s Christmas tree farm then a choice of a few specialty the Salvation Army pantry, Lt. Erin who asked that their names not be single parents. She was told that powerline with NStar, with which in Colebrook into a substantial items – including peanut butter, Smullen, an ordained minister, is printed in the newspaper, and she and her son would be finan- it hopes to merge, to bring Hy- operation, came to the micro- ketchup and canned vegetables -- happy to be open. They were their 6-month-old son. Both cially better off if the family split droQuebec power from Canada. phone to explain why they have off a small shelf. Rheaume said closed for two weeks this year be- worked in the food service indus- up. They rely on places like the Sal- Nearly everyone on hand had refused to sell tracts of land on she’s seen “a big increase, more cause they had no food. She’s see- try before being laid-off. The man’s vation Army for food and moral come to an opponents’ meeting which they do not live to North- families.” They serve 130 families a ing a lot of “first timers… some wage earnings fell $200 short of support. “We thought we’d be do- held in the same venue a year ern Pass. week and each week brings even donated in the past and now qualifying for unemployment, so ing well,” the man said, “we had a ago. Both love and feel an obliga- around five new families. These are seeking assistances them- he’s without any support. whole plan and a budget, but then Not everyone was local: a tion to act as stewards to the land people, she explained are “work- selves.” After having their baby, the we got laid off.” young couple drove up from Der- that Northern Pass would like to ing but aren’t making ends meet.” They are, Smulle said, ”working woman couldn’t immediately re- In Lancaster, Myra Emerson ry, despite their worries about a buy, even though, as Baker put it, The jump in food prices is also poor or recently laid off” from their turn to work because of a compli- who runs a food pantry, the Lan- predicted snowstorm. Northern Pass is “spending mon- causing problems. Rheaume said jobs. She is seeing a consistent in- cated cesarean birth, so she too caster Community Cupboard, and Bob Baker, an attorney who ey like drunken sailors.” not long ago she’d buy a box of 100 crease in people seeking assis- lost her job. She was further sur- a soup kitchen, called the Kitchen lives in Columbia, said, “We’ve Placey said she was offered tea bags for $1, now $1.50 – 50 per- tance. They serve around 115 prised to learn that she couldn’t Table. Both are based out of the come a long way since we first half-a-million dollars for 114 cent more. St. Vincent DePaul So- people a week and have 10-15 new get unemployment compensation United Methodist Church on Main held a meeting here a year ago.” acres, with a $50,000 down pay- ciety’s food pantry is a ministry of people each week. Smullen said because she was physically un- Street. She’s seen a big increase in Baker displayed several maps ment — a sum she could readily the local clergy association. They she needs donations of dry milk, able to work. Then, they turned to both, but especially the soup of what volunteers who are track- use as a nest egg. received no government funds, personal care items, peanut butter state welfare, only to be advised kitchen. “It’s not easy for people to ing recent land sales believe is “I agreed to think about the of- she said, we’re “dependent on vol- and dinner kits. that TANF (Temporary Assistance come,” she said, but finally hunger the Northern Pass’ new route. fer,” she said, “But in my heart of unteers.” At the Salvation Army food to Needy Families) had been cut Northern Pass abandoned its hearts, I knew I couldn’t accept it. On the other side of Berlin -- at pantry, there was a young couple, and has focused their services to see Food Pantries, page A10 original “preferred route” and an- It was my husband’s legacy, and nounced some months ago that it his father’s before that. I owe a re- would seek a new route that sponsibility to our neighbors, to would not require the use of emi- our town, our county, and our Residents will vote on removing nent domain. The company took state. I believe the project is this step after it became abun- wrong, that it won’t do anything dantly clear at several public for our state.” Berlin’s four wards in January hearings — required by the Fed- Weir said the panoramic view eral Energy Regulatory Commis- from his “back farm” or “sugar By Jody Houle the hearing and stressed the that we need to make sweeping mends having a charter revi- sion (FERC) — that its original BERLIN–On January 10, 2012 place” includes three states and difficulty the council has been changes,” said Mayor Grenier. sion commission to review the preferred route was unaccept- during the New Hampshire Canada. But the lot supplies ma- going through concerning the During the hearing, city charter in order to make neces- able to the affected communities. presidential primary, the pub- ture hardwood his family’s three redistricting of the wards. He planner Pamela Laflamme ex- sary adjustments. PSNH CEO Gary Long has said lic will vote on the option to outdoor furnaces and will for the explained that the city is re- plained the options considered The charter amendment will the new route could be an- consolidate the city’s four quired by state law to adjust its to redistrict the four wards. now be reviewed by the Attor- nounced by year’s end. see Northern Pass, page A10 wards into one. If this passes, wards if needed after every cen- One option was to balance out ney General and the Secretary the candidates for the eight city sus. The U.S. Census standards the populations within the of State’s office and they will councilors would be elected at require each ward to be ap- wards, and another was to split make a decision on whether or large and there would be one proximately equal with no the wards into two. The council not to consider the proposal GPT’s no. 1 boiler is centralized voting location. more than a five percent differ- rejected both options because within 30 days, said City Clerk At the Oct. 24 public hear- ence in population. The 2010 it would split up neighbor- Debra Patrick. running on natural gas ing, the city council approved census recognized the 750 in- hoods. Laflamme concluded The redistricting will take ef- the proposed resolution con- mates in the state prison, mak- that the council decided having fect in 2012 for the September By Edith Tucker Blevins said, explaining that it cerning the wards in a unani- ing ward III well above the five just one ward was the best so- primary and the up-coming mu- [email protected] makes steam for all the paper ma- mous vote, and a referendum percent mark.