The Baysider THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, 2010 COVERING ALTON, BARNSTEAD, & NEW DURHAM - THEBAYSIDER.COM FREE Planned Alton cell tower stirs controversy BY WESTON SAGER ing, however, most legal is- rounded by an eight-foot- overall aesthetic, the project The town, along with Although the board pro- 0Staff Writer sues were deemed settled, high chain link fence. The required a variance from abutter David Slade, a New gressed with the plan, ATLON — The seven- and the board felt it was ap- site would also possess sev- the Alton Zoning Board of York attorney and seasonal Slade’s attorney Paul year cell tower debate re- propriate to proceed. eral outbuildings housing Adjustment. The variance Alton resident, appealed the Fitzgerald and Alton resi- sumed at the Alton Planning “Now is the time to electrical generators and was denied, and shortly decision in state and federal dent Russ Wilson protested Board meeting last Tuesday process this application,” maintenance equipment. A thereafter Industrial Com- court. But due to mounting the board’s actions during evening. said interim planner Mike 3,800-foot gated access road munications and Electron- legal costs, the town agreed public input. The proposed 100-foot Garrepy. would connect the tower to ics Inc., along with its affili- to settle in 2009 despite “Hold off until he (Slade) monopole tower on East Industrial Communica- East Side Drive. ated cell phone companies, Slade’s offer to cover further has had his day in court,” Side Drive is still causing tions and Electronics Inc. Originally, the proposal filed a lawsuit against the legal bills. Although the bellowed Wilson. controversy after the plan proposed constructing a 100- called for 120-foot structure town of Alton. The courts town conceded that the tow- “Slade has already had was first conceived in 2003. foot cell tower with carriers designed to fill gaps in cell ruled in favor of the er could be built, they forced his day in court,” responded The construction propos- U.S. Cellular, Verizon Wire- phone coverage around telecommunications com- the companies to reduce the attorney Steve Grill, who al has been tabled for some less and AT&T. The struc- Route 28 and Route 11. Due panies, finding the town to height of the tower from 120 represented Industrial Com- time because of ongoing ture would occupy 100 to the height of the tower, be in violation the Federal feet to 100 feet. munications and Electron- lawsuits. At Tuesday’s meet- square feet of space, sur- and its impact on the town’s Telecommunications Act of At last Tuesday’s meeting ics Inc. “It’s been a long bat- 1996, which states that the town approved the tow- tle, and I’d say a few of us towns cannot block the con- er’s application and sched- are a little tired of it.” struction of cell phone tow- uled a site walk of the pro- Wilson also questioned ers that fill gaps in coverage. posed construction. SEE PLANNERS, PAGE A11 Committee continues planning despite call to stop BY WESTON SAGER School. not sway some members of Staff Writer “To stop would not benefit the committee. ALTON — The Alton anyone,” said a defiant Jeff “I am 100 percent against Buildings and Grounds Com- St. Cyr, chairman of the Al- a round structure,” said com- mittee moved forward with ton School Board and build- mittee member Steve Parker. construction plans Thursday ings and grounds committee “But I’m just one vote.” evening in the shadow of a member. The most important com- contentious budget commit- Most of the hour-long ponent of the addition is its tee meeting that occurred the meeting was spent dis- ability to provide an engag- night before. cussing the new library and ing learning space for stu- In the budget committee media room addition. The dents, according to Alton meeting, Alton Budget Com- major point of debate was School District Superinten- mittee member Barbara whether the new structure dent Kathy Holt. She said stu- COURTESY PHOTO Howard questioned the pur- should be square or round. dent attention is largely de- pose of the buildings and Chip Krause, an architect pendent on the amount of Good, clean fun grounds committee in light with CMK Architects, said natural light in the class- Jim Horn of Farmington sends up a serious spray of water as he takes to Half Moon Lake in Alton for of a statewide construction the cost of a round or a room. some water skiing fun on a recent sunny day. ban that is in effect until 2012. square structure would be Holt said the school is eli- Despite Howard’s proposi- roughly equal. But, he said, gible for certain federal con- tion, the buildings and the round structure would be struction grants if the struc- grounds committee contin- more aesthetically pleasing ture meets certain natural BudComm does not back contract ued to develop its plans for a and would be a more efficient light and energy efficiency number of major improve- use of space. SEE BUILDING, PAGE A13 ments to Alton Central However, his opinion did BY WESTON SAGER ‘step’ increases and a new selectmen’s representative Staff Writer clause that prevents incom- Pat Fuller. ALTON — Alton Budget ing staff from receiving gen- She added that the teach- Committee Chairman Steve erous “point of service” ers should be sacrificing Miller may want to rethink health plans. He said in- more, particularly in light of allowing open-ended public creases to the contract in- recent cuts to town employ- input after last Wednesday’s clude a raise in the retire- ees. contentious hearing about ment benefit from $9,000 to “Our staff took a beating the Alton Central School’s $12,000, a raise in health in- last year in health insur- teachers’ contract. surance buy-back from a ance,” she said. Community members re- $2,000 a year to $3,000 a year, School board representa- peatedly interrupted the pro- and a one-time $550 bonus for tive Krista Argiropolis, the ceedings with comments and all teachers. sole member of the commit- accusations, stalling the vote The first Alton Central tee to vote in favor of the con- considerably. School teachers’ contract tract, defended the increase The budget committee vot- was defeated earlier this year in healthcare buyback, citing ed six in opposition to one in by a public vote. evidence that greater health- favor of the contract after After Bickford’s testimo- care buyback incentives three hours of discussion. ny, Miller asked what the means greater overall sav- Scott Bickford, president ATA specifically “gave up” in ings for the town. of the Alton Teachers’ Asso- the revised agreement. Miller questioned ciation (ATA), first advocat- Bickford replied that the whether the $44,000 raise pro- ed for the revised contract association had “given a lot posed in the contract actual- during public input. up,” but could only name one ly reflected the true cost of Bickford said that under concession: the temporary the spending increase. He PHOTO BY WESTON SAGER the new contract there is a teacher salary increases took particular issue with freeze on teacher salary freeze. what he claimed was a clause Ladies’ night on the water His answer did not ap- that allowed staff and ad- INDEX pease members of the com- ministration to receive simi- Women at the River Run Deli in Alton celebrate the 10th anniversary of the restaurant and kayak rental ▼ mittee. lar benefits to teachers. store by going on an evening cruise on the Merrymeeting River. River Run Deli is located on Route 28, just over the bridge south of the Alton traffic circle. “You can’t give up some- SEE CONTRACT, PAGE A12 Volume 6 • Number 34 thing you didn’t have,” said Business.........................A7,B6 RGERY• SU RE Churches.............................A8 • ST S O IC R Classifieds......................B8-11 T A E T H I V T ) Editorial Page......................A4 ) E Alton Central S E ( ) • A John Harrigan .....................B7 P andwiches R • S E S V T H E $ Letters..............................A4-6 N N A T L A P T 4.99 I M I V E Obituaries........................A8-9 tours today • w/chips & soda Public Notices .....................B9 Dr. Hugh’s Dental PC Sports ..........................B1 - B4 ALTON — The public is invited to take a tour of Alton Central School to view the renovations com- Hubert W. Hawkins IV MPH DDS 26 Pages in 2 Sections pleted over the summer. 209 Cottage Street, Littleton, NH (603) 444-4141 The tour will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. today, ©2010, Salmon Press, LLC. Thursday, Aug. 26. Your home for all Call us at (603) 569-3126 For more information, see the story on page A7. your Dental Implant needs. email: [email protected] DrHughsDental.com www.salmonpress.com A2 THE BAYSIDER, THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, 2010 New Durham part of arsenic study NEW DURHAM — Gover- taminate water in house- University. Participating in the data collection phase, three (83/255) household lumbia University scien- nor Wentworth Regional hold wells. The U.S. Geolog- families receive a free water final results are not yet wells have had elevated ar- tists was recently published School District is one of the ical Survey has identified analysis for the 22 possible available. Preliminary senic levels. in the July 24, 2010 issue of many school districts par- naturally occurring contaminants including analysis shows that one in A related study by Co- The Lancet. ticipating in the public bedrock containing high guidance about how to treat health research study exam- levels of arsenic in both problems with private wells.