www.newhampshirelakesandmountains.com Publishing news & views of Lancaster, Groveton, Whitefield, Lunenburg & other towns of the upper Connecticut River valley of New Hampshire & Vermont [email protected] VOL. CXLVII, NO. 10 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 2014 LANCASTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE TELEPHONE: 603-788-4939 TWENTY-FOUR PAGES 75¢ Otten seeks to reduce safety zone size around wind turbines BY EDITH TUCKER Keeping this, as is, would [email protected] require giving up too much potential skiable terrain, BERLIN — County Com- Otten told Grenier. missioner Paul Grenier of The developer would Berlin relayed a request like to see the no-entry area that he had received from reduced to 500 feet. He did ski developer Les Otten to not say how many turbines his two fellow county com- would be affected by the missioners at the county change or any other details commissioners’ meeting on about the proposed ski area Wednesday, Feb. 26. expansion. Otten asked, via Gre- Otten signed an agree- nier, for the trio’s help in ment on Feb. 11 as the prin- removing a major “stum- cipal of Dixville Capital of bling block” to a proposal to Me. with the Grand Hotel’s quadruple the Wilderness ownership group — Dan Ski Area, associated with Hebert and Dan Dagesse — the redevelopment of The “to establish a viable path Balsams Grand Hotel, both forward for the redevelop- FILE PHOTO located in the Unincorpo- ment of the Balsams.” This photograph, taken in Nov. 2011 at the GRP wind farm in Millsfield, looks north toward the Vestas wind turbines on Dixville Peak, where developer Les Otten of Dixville Capital proposes to quadruple the size of the Wilderness Ski Area bringing much-needed jobs to Coös County. rated Place of Dixville. Grenier told chairman Granite Reliable Pow- Tom Brady and clerk Rick a four-season recreational Otten’s request to modify Reliable Power wind farm a Canadian energy firm, er’s permit now requires a Samson that Otten said that destination resort in Dix- the existing conditions de- operates. which, Grenier said, has ap- 1,300-foot stay-out zone or this proposed expansion is ville Notch. tailed in the state permit The GRP wind farm is 75 parently not been as forth- setback around the base of part of Phase I of a tentative The commissioners vot- governing the safety rules percent owned by Brook- Balsams, PAGE A13 each wind turbine. three-phase plan to develop ed unanimously to support under which the Granite field Renewable Power, Court grants 2nd 60-day delay so cell tower settlement can be formalized BY EDITH TUCKER pany’s current permit that [email protected] was approved by the town’s Planning Board. The exist- WHITEFIELD — The ing permit specifies a lat- Superior Court in Lancast- tice-style tower. er has granted a 60-day con- A 175-foot monopole tinuance to the parties that would only be 24 feet high- had previously reached a er than the single wind tentative out-of-court set- tower that is 151 feet tall tlement on Jan. 2 to allow a from base to blade tip that cell tower to be erected on a the historic Grand Hotel small cleared parcel owned installed several years ago by Lois and Bob Stiles of to make visible its commit- Whitefield, on the east side ment to “green” practices. of Route 3 North. The par- In early January, Su- cel is located a mile-and-a- perior Court Judge Peter half south of the Mountain Bornstein granted a motion View Grand. jointly filed by the parties’ Under the informal set- attorneys to continue an tlement, the cell tower com- Evidentiary Hearing for pany — Industrial Tower 60 days, which was then COURTESY PHOTO Seven WMRHS students from the Theatre Workshop Class went to New York City on the Feb. 15-16 weekend to see Shakespeare’s and Wireless, LLC, (ITW) scheduled for Jan. 7. comedy, “Twelfth Night,” on Broadway. Photographed at Rockefeller Center are: choral and drama teacher Kate Richardson Sorochak, of Marshfield, Mass. — However, resolving the left, front, Hannah Forcier, Rachel Griffin, Kyleigh Heard, Abby Towne, and Sam Donovan; social studies teacher Jon Going, left, back would be allowed to erect conditions “has taken lon- row, English teacher James Sorochak, Adam Noyes, and Keelin Lane. a 175-foot-tall monopole, 20 ger than anticipated and feet shorter than the com- the parties believe that an additional 60 days is need- ed to order to finalize the Most SAU 58 NECAP proficient-and-above scores below state average settlement,” according to BY EDITH TUCKER critical thinking skills,” Su- pleted follow-up testing. given to students in grades enough students to measure court documents, and the [email protected] perintendent Dr. Carl Ladd “Our new Common For- 3-8 as well as to high school its grade 5 writing, he noted. parties’ attorney asked pointed out in an email ex- mative Assessments are juniors. This Fall 2013 as- “Stark’s 7th and 8th graders for a second 60-day con- NORTHUMBERLAND change. “I believe that this also showing significant sessment reports how our and Stratford’s 9-12th grad- tinuance, which the Court — “We are in the process did have an effect on our student growth in concepts students performed in the ers are, of course, includ- granted. of implementing a new scores this year, although and skills – which is the fo- reading and mathematics ed in Northumberland’s The Evidentiary Hear- Rigorous Curriculum De- our NWEA (Northwest cus of the state’s No Child areas and allows us to mon- results, since they attend ing would have allowed sign process across SAU 58, Evaluation Association) Left Behind (NCLB) waiv- itor how children progress GHS.” Judge Bornstein to hear revising our English Lan- scores are showing signif- er,” he also pointed out. through our elementary In reading, 71 percent arguments as to whether guage Arts (ELA) and Math icant growth from the fall In presenting the scores, and middle schools pro- of Northumberland’s stu- or not the Grand Hotel has curriculum to align with (when the New England Dr. Ladd explained, “New grams. dents were proficient or standing in this matter the Common Core State Common Assessment Pro- Hampshire’s annual assess- “Writing is assessed above, 57 percent in Stark, since it is not technically gram test was taken) to the in both grades 5 and 8, al- an abutter to the cell-tower Standards and increased ment in reading and math- NECAP, PAGE A13 depth of knowledge and mid-point when we com- ematics — the NECAP is though Stark did not have parcel. Under the tentative agreement, the owner of WMRSD school board the Mountain View Grand — the American Finan- cial Group Inc., a Cincin- recommends passage of nati-Ohio-based holding company whose primary business is insurance — CTE project bond issue would also have the right BY EDITH TUCKER make for our children’s ed- to decide on the color of the [email protected] ucation for many years.” monopole. Jim Brady of Jefferson WHITEFIELD — The added, “Passage of the pro- WMRSD school board met posed CTE project is in the on Monday night for the best interests of the stu- INDEX last time before the Tues- dents. The project is not for Business Directory ................B6 day, March 11, school meet- the teachers, but for the stu- Calendar ..................................B5 ing under the SB-2 format of dents.” Classified ..............................B7-9 ballot voting in each of the Peter Riviere of Lancast- Editorials & Letters ..A4, 9, 11, 13, 14 five District towns. er said, “The CTE project is Chairman Greg Odell of an investment in the future. Obituaries .............................. A2 Dalton repeated what he In addition, I believe that Real Estate ............................ A12 wrote voters in a Letter to the new facility will allow Sports ............................. B1-4, 10 the Editor in this and other job-enhancing adult edu- newspapers: “The WMRSD cation to be offered to area school board asks for you to residents in the near future, carefully consider your vote helping local industries to PHOTO BY DARRELL BODNAR on Town Meeting day, as we grow with a workforce that Our week three winner is this photo by Darrell Bodnar of a familiar scene to many, Lancaster, as believe that this may be the seen while coming down Corrigan Hill. most important vote we will WMRSD, PAGE A13 A2 COÖS COUNTY DEMOCRAT WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 2014 ••• Barbara Jean Weeks Dorothy E. Sweeney WHITEFIELD—Barba- 14 grandchildren, 8 great COLEBROOK— Doro- Vt.; twelve great-grandchil- ra Jean Weeks, 75, formerly grandchildren and many thy “Dot” E. Sweeney, 90, dren; and four great-great of 305 French Road, Dalton lifelong friends. of Colebrook, and formerly grandchildren; as well as left this world to join, her She’ was predeceased of Pittsburg, passed away numerous nieces and neph- lifelong companion, Don- by her lifelong partner, early on Saturday morn- ews. ald (Woody) Wood on Feb- Donald (Woody) Wood, for- ing, March 1, 2014, at the She’ is preceded in ruary 24, 2014. merly of Antrim, and Dal- Upper Connecticut Valley death by her husband, Ju- She’ was surrounded ton, her parents, Freeman Hospital in Colebrook af- lius Sweeney, in 1991; a by family and friends. She Isham and Isabel (Widger) ter a long and brave battle daughter, Fran Goulette, enjoyed family cookouts Isham and her ‘’favorite’’ with cancer, and with her three brothers, Robert, Al- playing bingo, reading and brother, Richard Isham, daughter by her side. fred and Roland Lunder- watching soap operas. She formerly of Bristol, Conn. She was born in Lyn- ville; and two sisters, Pris- Barbara Jean Weeks Dorothy E.